The Imperious

[J3C0]

Boan Rein stood on the bridge of a Wyyrlok Star Destroyer designated Breaking Dawn.

It was not an old ship. In fact it had only come off the line three days ago. It was part of her new fleet, one that she had been granted by the Navy High Command after her victory over Prakith against the Republic fleet. It wasn't a large fleet by the standards of the Admirality. Five Star Destroyers, ten support ships and a flagship.

Hardly the largest fleet.

Yet it was hers.

She had chosen her vessels carefully. Fifteen ships had been handpicked by her. Each class of Vessel holding some Design or function that she felt necessary in her fleet. Of course, Fifteen vessels was not the total of the fleet, there was one missing, the vessel on which she would place her flag. Though the Breaking Dawn, made for an excellent temporary, Boan had other ideas.

She dreamed of a vessel with fame, a vessel that had once been besmirched, a vessel that deserved to be revived, that deserved to have its old name once again. A Star Destroyer that brought fear into the hearts of those that resisted. That was what she wanted.

To that end, Boan prepared her fleet to find that ship.

 

[Arage Bao]

Leaning against a nearby durasteel wall was a nondescript mercenary-type. Caden wasn't entirely too sure what he was doing here, something about finding an old warship of fearsome reputation for the glory of the Sith Empire.

As long as the man got paid he really didn't care all that much on what they were doing out there though. His loyalty went as far as the stipulation of the contract went, which in this case was pretty far. The creds projected that, so Cadell didn't really mind.

Hadn't been around for a long time yet, after the Sith Empire kept kicking the Republic's ass; you really only had two options as a merc. Get in on the action or sign up for a losing battle.

Caden had traveled to Coruscant the very next day. Now he was silent and awaited any orders miss golden locks might have.

He was paid to kill, not talk.

 

[J3C0]

She stretched slightly, standing more stiffly.

This action wasn't exactly sanctioned by Fleetcom, nor was is reported. To anyone that asked, Boans fleet would be going on a raid into Republic territory. An easy excuse that would take all of five seconds to substantiate if her commanders ever looked into it. Of course, they weren't headed into Republic Space at all, but the outer rim.

She had intelligence that that was where The Imperious was, being used as a picket ship by some pirate group.

It was likely a shadow of its former self.

“Report.” She said to the man standing at the back of the bridge. He along with hundreds of other mercenaries had been hired for this task. Paid a substantial amount from her discretionary fund in order to act as a makeshift Stormtrooper legion. Boan had only her marines, and they would not be enough to take on a pirate Armada.

 

[Arage Bao]

He slowly turned his head around to look at the recently promoted Admiral, warhero of Prakith and the sole reason the Empire had won the fleeting battle. Sith had been involved as always, but it had been her tactics that had done the blunt of the proverbial damage.

For a while Caden simply studied Goldenlocks and pondered. What kind of person was this woman? Eventually he answered then.

'Most of them are still green.' A shrug. That didn't really say a lot, most where green to him. Just he way he saw most people, can't change it. 'They are suited up and ready to roll at your command, miss.'

Caden scratched his chin and pondered how pissed she would be if he lit a cigarette right here and now. Another quick look told him all he needed, sigh aside he stretched a little.

He hoped this would turn violent fast, he was getting bored.

 

[J3C0]

She hadn't really expected any other answer. It didn't matter if they were weak, it didn't matter if they were knew. She would have the number advantage and the advantage of better strategy. All she had to do was take the Imperious, that would be the difficult part in all of this. She would have to ensure that long range Ion Cannons disabled the ship instead of destroying it, not to mention that she needed to take on the Pirates other ships.

A frown creased her lips, but she shook her head slowly.

That Imperial Neutral expression flew over her face, and she looked to the mercenary leader, nodding slightly.

“Good. Have them at the ready.” She turned away from him for a moment, switching gears and signaling her lieutenant to ready the jump to hyperspace. The fleet stalled for a moment, floating through the blackness of the void. Then the trademark whirring sound occurred, and the fleet suddenly lurched forward.

Blue streaking lines appeared in the viewport, ones that made Boan feel sick.

 

[Arage Bao]

A slow nod followed, he looked on as they jumped into hyperspace - iridium lines stretching out before the viewport, beautiful to the eyes, before Caden turned around and walking outta the bridge. Safe from blonde locks the merc lit himself a cigarette and started smoking, immediately he was beset by some guy in a tight jumpsuit.

Caden would never understand why men walked around in those things.

It was clear the fella wasn’t entirely too happy about him smoking on the military ship, but as he opened his beak to say something about it, the merc jerked his head behind him.

‘Got a problem with it, go talk to the Admiral.’

With that solved, at least temporarily, he brushed past the guy and started walking to the hangar bays.

 

[J3C0]

She didn't really care about smoking on her ship.

All she wanted was The Imperious. All she wanted was to win. She didn't really know why the ship meant so much to her. Her parents had grown up working on the shipyards, they had told her tales of more than a dozen Vessels. Of course they had just been stories, fleeting fables of massive starships that sailed the ethos of space.

She had heard of vessels like the Executor, the Gorgon, Home One, more than a dozen starships.

Yet the Imperious had always stuck with her. The design of the ship stayed in her mind, and for some reason she found it pleasing above else.

If she could get that ship, it would be a dream. Of course that would require her Marines to kill the pirates, her fleet to win the battle, and then to return The Imperious to the Shipyards over Coruscant.

 

[Arage Bao]

Which probably wouldn’t be all that much of a problem, it never was these days, the better question would be is how many lives would be put on the line for the desire of one woman. Probably a decent bunch looking at the way she was rising to the top, going from a nobody, to a captain, to an admiral right now.

The ambitious ones were the ones that had the highest body count, mostly. He took the trip down under and finally arrived at the hangars, stepped outta the turbolift and took a lazy view across the field.

It was alright, a clear divide between the imperial soldiers, the marines that would be kept aside for when the situation demanded it - probably around the time the last merc wasn’t breathing anymore. Other side had the mercs, some of ‘em were the oldies, Lazy Crus, Three-Eye Sven, Lizza the Mad, bunch of other vets that he had fought with and against for more than once.

They were surrounded by the meat, the greenhorns that would serve as body gutter if they weren’t ready. Caden sighed and continued his walk to madness.

 

[J3C0]

She didn't much care about the cost.

Boan knew that her fleet would win against the pirate fleet. She had overwhelming numbers, superior strength, and far more firepower than any pirate fleet could ever hope to have. The numbers of marines and mercenaries she had was enough to take the Imperious.

How many of them died along the way...she didn't particularly care.

That was their job after all, to die for the cause.

“How long until we arrive?” She asked one of her ensigns. Time was fleeting, but thanks to the hyperspace routes that the One Sith now controlled they would be able to reach the pirate Station far faster than they ordinarily would have, a few hours at the most, something that seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. One of the ensigns answered her with a curt few words.

Boan nodded to the woman, then set her eyes forward. “Announce it to the ship.”

It would be time soon.

 

[Arage Bao]

‘How are the kids?’ Caden asked Sven when he approached them, some of those nearby grumbled at the remark. But that was what they were for him, so eager to throw their lives away for ‘the cause’, had this been a legendary tale the veteran mercs would probably have been talking to the greenhorns. Give them advice on how to survive the day, talk of valor and the spoils of war.

This wasn’t a tale, a movie or anything in between, and so they kept silent and to themselves. The more of these chumps died, the less competition there was in the world. That’s how most of them viewed it at least, Caden didn’t see it differently and yet… yet, some part of him wanted to.

‘Fine, boss. Excited for the glorious battle, heh.’

Caden nodded.

‘Aren’t we all.’

 

[J3C0]

The journey was fast.

Hyperspace soared by, and in the blink of an eye the fleet found itself within the outer rim. Activity aboard each vessel in the fleet began to surge. Dropships were readied, gunships were put to station, fighters and bombers were placed on alert. Everything throughout the fleet seemed to surge to life.

That was a good thing of course.

Most of her soldiers were mercenaries. They were slower on the uptake. Slower to follow commands and form ranks. That wasn't really surprising in the least, in fact it was what she had expected. She supposed that was the downside of outsourcing, something she would have to live with just this once.

Briefly she wondered if her superiors would call her a fool or a hero.

Then the fleet dropped out of hyperspace.

 

[Arage Bao]

‘Don’t do any heroics.’ Caden was telling the troops, more the greenhorns than the vets. He hadn’t been able to resist, some of the vets were looking on bemused, not entirely sure what had gotten into the man. But sometimes, just sometimes… no, he wasn’t entirely sure where he was going with this.

Felt it was right though, and that was all that really mattered right now.

‘We are here for the creds. Nothing more, nothing less. You wanna be a hero? Go sign up with the army, like those chumps over there.’ pointed with his thumb behind him to the marines.

‘Can’t spend your creds if ya are dead, remember that.’

Talking time was over when they exited hyperspace, Caden told them to suit up and went to check over his own equipment. Worn, ripped at the seams, but still proper quality.

Excellent.

 

[J3C0]

The fleet dropped out of hyperspace with a sudden lurch.

Arrayed before them was a single planetoid, tiny compared to Coruscant or Corellia, but bigger than any ship. Surrounding it were dozens of craft, ranging from ten to five hundred meters. Most of them looked like wreckage, most of them appeared to barely be functional, but all were.

At the center of the motley Armada was a single graceful looking vessel. It was by far the largest ship in the Pirate fleet, and even though massive patches of its hull were missing and it was painted an ugly crimson color Boan recognized it instantly.

“Fire all batteries at the surrounding fleet. Target the Imperious with the Dark Blades Ion Cannons.” She paused for a moment. “Ready the boarding parties.”

She smiled.

So close now.

 

[Arage Bao]

‘You heard her, boys.’ the merc finally said, after finishing his heart-to-heart, some of the vets were grinning like the asshats they were. Probably thought him turning soft or some crap like that. Didn’t really mean much to Cadell either way, he went off and took his own gear and equipment.

Helmet, armour, shotgun and pistol. Took his blades too, ya never know what would need cutting while you are in those tight corridors. Finally with all of that done, the merc settled himself into one of the transporters that would crash through the flak, fighters and the other things that would stand between ‘em and victory.

Some of the men were praying, others were laughing, most of them were simply silent, the silence of mercs knowing the score and what was about to happen. Most of ‘em wouldn’t see each other anymore, last time to give a nod, shake hands and figure out who is gonna get that lucky lighter at the end of this.

That was the way of things with grunts like ‘em.

Cadell just closed his eyes and relaxed, there would be enough time for activity later.

 

[J3C0]

Fleet battles were always more or less the same.

Ships slugged with one another, tactics were used, and eventually one side won. Many would have said that was an oversimplification. Indeed her proctors at the Anaxes War College would have cold her an idiot for thinking such thoughts, but in the end it was true. One of the greatest Military Commanders in the History of the Galaxy had asserted that very point.

It was not about the ships.

It was not about the fleets or even the positioning.

It was about the other Commander. If one knew the enemy, truly knew them, then beating them was as simple as flicking your wrist. That was the lesson she had learned from Prakith and Manaan. She had known the Republic would get in close, and she had known she could use that to her advantage.

This time it was no different. She didn't know who she was facing, but within ten minutes all would be revealed.

 

[Arage Bao]

They crashed through the flak and other obstacles, Caden guessed that by the groans of the comm officers, they had lost about twenty percent only because of the starfighters and flak defense. Was alright, Cadell had had worse in his career, at least they still had a decent bunch of folk to throw at ‘em and that was all that mattered.

Point was, pirates? They ain’t the most stalwart of folk, neither are mercs, but at least those were well-trained most of the time. They settled into the belly of the Imperious, ranks of mercs filing out of their transports and establishing a perimeter around their way-out.

Caden opened his eyes, counted ‘til ten and then left his own vehicle. Didn’t give any orders, Sven would handle that. Naw. He blurred into the shadows and started moving, there were more important things to handle than securing the hangar.

 

[J3C0]

The Imperious.

It was majestic even as a rotted out Pirate Ship. She would restore it to its true glory though. She would arm that ship to the teeth and ensure that none other in the galaxy was like it. Boan knew this in her heart, and as the viewscreens flickered slightly, showing zoomed in images of her boarding parties quietly making their way aboard the vessels she smirked.

It wouldn't be long now.

“Fire Ion cannons on the Imperious.” Her voice was a pressure of control. “Scatter the rest of their fleet. Concussion missiles throughout and Long Range Turbo-lasers targeting their minor fleet elements.”

The fleet followed her commands instantly, and soon a blaze of missiles and streaks of green and blue surged forward.

 

[Arage Bao]

The mercs secured the immediate ground around their evac ships and started pushing into the front, turrets came online, shields were raised up, it was like… checkers. The enemy did one move and you reacted with your own, it was as easy as that - there weren’t no brilliant masterstrokes of strategy, no tactician guiding either of the sides to victory. This wasn’t a glorious battlefield, it was dirty, it was blood and in the end it was defeat for the pirates.

They simply didn’t know it yet.

Cadell moved through the ship with practiced ease, keeping to the shadows, his ryyk kerarthorrs standing on attention and waiting hungrily for blood. His goal was the bridge, his mission was simple; at least for him.

 

[J3C0]

The Pirate fleet began to break apart.

It was slow at first, and anyone else likely wouldn't have noticed it, but Boan was special. She could see things that others could not. She could see the small nuances, the tiny motions of fleets shifting and breaking part. It was easy to see if you knew what to look for.

Sudden jerking motions in ships, tiny twisting turns.

Pirate Fleets were never really all that organized anyway. They were barely held together and their command structure was as loose as could possibly be. Boan had known that, and that was why she had sent scattering shots at everything in the fleet instead of targeting a singly vessels. It was a way of ensuring they would split apart, break the fleet and become individuals.

Too easy.

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Boan Rein"]

His men were making short work of the pirates, that was the difference between battle-hardened veterans mixed with a howling hill of greenhorns, against a bunch of nitwitted pirates that were used to ionize frigates and carriers, get in and get out quickly. Slowly the corridors were filled with the bodies of the dead, pirates, mercs, they were all the same once they hit the floor and started decaying.

Cadell in the meanwhile was almost at the bridge, he had left a few bodies in his wake, nothing too much really. Most of the times he was able to keep to the shadows and stay outta sight, that was the better option here. Moment he was at the bridge though… the real fun would finally begin.

Had to do it all with a knife though, gun had locked out on him a few moments ago. Guy had been struggling too much and… well shet happened. Not that he really minded, knives were the way to go in his opinion. Up and personal.