Good evening, everyone! How are you doing on this cool evening of Tuesday, October 23, 2018? I'm doing all right, if a little stressed, as I've begun to gather the sources for my research paper, and it'll be a time-consuming hassle, so I'll be plenty busy for the next three weeks. Oh, and I've begun to play Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening, and I've already cleared the Blackmarsh quest, giving me 30 Gamerscore points. So, I'm sorry that I haven't written any yesterday, but I needed a break to rest my mind from writing, and because I need to wait for the revisions for Chapter 35. Fortunately, they should be up by tomorrow, so I think that it's okay to start writing. So, our heroes are in quite a pickle, and they'll need more than a miracle to survive this one. Well, let's see if the rest of the heroes survive this battle. On with the Story!
(Thursday, October 25, 2018 Addendum) Hey, everyone. How are you doing on this cold day? I'm all right, as I had school today, and will be busy this weekend with college and work, so I'd better get some writing in today. Oh, and, I'll soon have Chapter 35 published, which is a relief, as it's finally been revised. So, let me ask you all a question: do you all have too many books at home, because I sure do, and I'm donating a bunch of them to my local help center tomorrow to free up some space? Oh, and, yesterday, I played more of Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening, getting 60 Gamerscore points from completing the Wending Wood and reaching Level Thirty as a male Human noble. Well, I'd better get back to writing. Wish me luck.
(6:31 PM) Good news, guys. As of over an hour ago, I've published Chapter 35. That makes me happy, as I'll be busy with school starting tomorrow or Saturday. Well, back to writing, because I might go to bed early for volunteering and work tomorrow. Well, have a nice night.
(Friday, October 26, 2018 Addendum.) Hey, everyone. How are you doing on this cold, rainy day? I'm all right, as I volunteered for over an hour before I had to leave due to the help center shutting down its donations area, and then had some hot pizza for lunch before getting home over an hour early. So, I figured that I'd write one more day before getting to work on homework tomorrow, as I've got about five hours of work tonight. On the bright side, I got paid a handsome sum for all of the hours I put into the movie theater. Well, I'd better get back to writing before I have to go to work in about two hours. Wish me luck.
(Saturday, October 27, 2018 Addendum.) Hey, everyone. What's going on in this cold evening? I'm hunkered down in my warm home, safe from the elements. And, I'm watching recorded episodes of Boruto: Naruto: Next Generations right now, which are very impressive and hilarious, which takes the edge off of my mind right now. Man, do I wish I watched Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden back when I was growing up, as it easily rivals Dragonball Z in awesomeness. At least I learnt about it in 2010 and kept tabs on it ever since. So, I don't have to work tonight, which freed up my evening for writing. I've already written over eleven hundred words in this chapter. Oh, and I've read a little of my Billy Graham book, and I've got about 140 pages left to read before I move onto the latest book in the Killing series by Bill O'Reily. After that, I think that I'll read a few fiction books and fiction-related material to take a break from history for a while. By the way, in case you aren't aware, I am insanely craving more original Star Wars Expanded Universe books and comics, and I can't stand what the higher ups in Lucasfilm are doing with it right now for so many reasons. For instance, have you all heard that Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that there's no Boba Fett movie in the works? If that movie was really happening, and it was set in the Expanded Universe, then I'd watch it, and buy the books and comics on it, as it sounds so badass, and I WANT THE OLD WAYS BACK SO BAD! (Laughs maniacally). But seriously, though, I want the old ways back, and I only pray that it can be resurrected one day, not just for me, but for all of the other dissatisfied Star Wars fans. So, back to writing, as I've babbled enough for one night.
Three Minutes Later
Ferren could feel the confusion sweep over the diminishing Shadow Alliance pilots, filling his twisted heart with satisfaction at the disarray that he could cause.
If only the Jedi fell this easily! Ferren frustratingly thought before his astromech droid, R6-U4 warbled to his master.
"What do you mean Captain Delani's bouncing a transmission our way? We're in the middle of a pitched space battle, for krething's sake!"
Arsix explained the details to the High Inquisitor, causing his eyes to shoot wide open before he growled, "Put it through."
Soon enough, the confident voice of Mysta Ryal filtered through, "Why don't you stop picking on the guppies, and go after the holy mackerel?"
"Bold talk, coming from a coward who doesn't dare to show himself while his brother and his friends face death itself down on the planet's surface." Ferren rebutted.
"Says the man who fled three of his former comrades to go after a few easy kills." Mysta countered before Captain Delani came through on a private channel,
"Sir, we've triangulated the signal of the transmission. Once our reinforcements arrive, we can plan an attack on the-"
"Belay that, Captain." Ferren interjected. "Have four fighter squadrons and our three standby Imperial Commando Special Unit teams follow me into the asteroid field in twenty minutes. I'll go on ahead and clear the way for our forces to attack the main base."
"Sir, I must, respectfully protest this decision. We need you here, leading our forces against the enemy if we're to endure until our reinforcements arrive. If you leave, our forces will be decimated!" Delani all but pleaded to her superior.
Ferren could not understand why this woman would not obey his orders, but refrained from causing her head to burst, if only to keep some semblance of command in the Imperial fleet, and to avoid being hunted down by the Emperor afterwards for his gross failures.
"The enemy's already lost several fighter squadrons and Partisan frigates thanks to me, and our reinforcements will be here less than three hours. You're more than capable of holding your own against these interlopers." Ferren dismissed before redirecting his fighter towards the asteroid field.
Meanwhile, on the Exactor
You've gotta be kidding me! Why, why, I ask the Emperor, would he appoint such vain fools in charge of so many vital Imperial posts!? Delaini ranted before reluctantly following her orders.
"Get our commando teams ready for deployment, and find four squadrons of our best fighters ready for following High Inquisitor Barr in nineteen minutes."
She only prayed to whatever gods were listening that her forces would survive this engagement.
Ten Minutes Later
Onboard the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Defiance
"Get those doors open! We need to reach the brig before Bo-Katan decompresses the ship!" Staven bellowed to his twenty-four surviving Partisans as they struggled to slice through the ship's doors to the detention center.
The Partisans and Mandalorians had infiltrated the Star Destroyer through separate airlocks, and were quickly blasting their way through the defenseless capital ship's levels.
The Mandalorians had just reached the Defiance's bridge, and would soon follow the predetermined plan of decompressing the air out of the Star Destroyer, while the Partisans only had one set of doors to go through before reaching the control center for the detention block.
Unfortunately, the Partisans were slowly giving up ground against the swelling numbers of the Stormtroopers, and they had, at best, five minutes before they would be overwhelmed.
Benthic, a seventeen-year-old Tognath from Yar Togna before the Imperial invasion and enslavement, hurrahed in victory as the doors to the prison began to open, [Success!]
"Nice work, Benthic!" Staven praised his lieutenant. "All right, everyone in! Double-time it, people!"
The Partisans quickly bolted to the door, while one unfortunate Zabrak got hit by a lucky shot, dropping him where he stood.
You'll be remembered, my friend. Staven silently vowed before Benthic blasted the door's control panel to ensure that no one could follow them. The human then activated the prison's doors, closing just before the Imperials could pursue them.
After breathing a sigh of relief, the Partisan officer turned to see his men aiming their weapons at the prison staff and guards, making the man proud at their discipline during such a vital mission.
Staven then pulled out his comlink, "All right, Kryze. We're all secure in the prison. Go ahead and vent the Defiance."
One of the wardens scarily shouted, "Are you insane!? There are tens of thousands of crewmen in the ship! You can't kill them all!"
Staven then curled his mouth in a vengeance-filled snarl, and countered, "Is it not the same as when the Empire's ignored the rules of engagement to destroy civilian transports, enslave entire species, and uproot people from their homes to fit the Imperial war machine?"
He then knocked his blaster rifle's but against the officer's head, and continued, "Your kind killed my entire family on Onderon after they protested the usurpation of King Dendup! You've enslaved and destroyed billions of people on thousands of worlds, all because they got in the way of your 'progress.' As far as I'm concerned, you're getting off easy here."
Immediately afterwards, he ordered the captive officers, "We know that you've got a bunch of civilians captive in this ship. Release them from their cells, and we'll keep you alive long enough to stand trial for your complicity in the Empire's atrocities."
The head warden could see no other outcome that wouldn't erupt in the massacre of him and the rest of the prison staff. Loyalty be damned, their lives mattered more. Still, he probably wouldn't live after this even if the Empire won the day. With the look of a dead man walking, he moved to the terminal station. "I'll… Emperor forgive me, I'll release the prisoners."
"Smart move, Imp." Staven only waited until he could stun the Imperials, regretting that his orders were to preserve the lives of as many of their enemies as they could for potential recruitment, or hostage exchanges.
Meanwhile, On the Defiance's Bridge
"And people think that we're bloodthirsty killers." One of the Mandalorians commented to Bo-Katan, who was busy coordinating the efforts to reactivate the Defiance's main systems.
"Considering that you're gonna murder over thirty thousand brave souls to take this ship and save a handful of traitors, I'd say that you're both tied." The Defiance's captain muttered before being blasted by a stun bolt by the same Mandalorian.
"Enough banter with the enemy." Bo-Katan scolded, "Get your oxygen systems ready, because in a minute, I'm gonna knock out every Imperial in this Star Destroyer."
"Too bad that we can't get a photo of the Partisans. That Staven needs to be taken down a peg for his brutality." Another of the Nite Owls commented, whose particular remark made Bo-Katan smirk underneath her helmet.
"All right. Everything's set. Activating knockout gas." Bo-Katan activated the modified life support system for the Defiance, and, with the level of oxygen lowered just enough to knock out the entire Star Destroyer's complement long enough for the Shadow Alliance to defeat the Empire here.
As the modified oxygen took effect, Bo-Katan contacted the four other teams, "This is Squad Leader Kryze. Status report."
"The Obedience is under our command, and the prisoners have been secured."
"That goes double for the Harbinger."
"Don't forget about the Harrower."
"And the Leviathan'll be ready in five minutes."
"Excellent. Let's get ready to give these Sith dogs a hammering they'll never forget!" Bo-Katan proclaimed, before shouting, "OYA!"
The rest of the Mandalorians soon took up the war cry, their combined vocals echoing throughout the emptying ship.
Five Minutes Later
Onboard the Exactor
"Sir, we're getting a power surge from the Defiance, Harbinger, Harrower, Leviathan, and Obedience!" A sensors officer warned Captain Delani, who snapped her head towards the direction of the five previously disabled capital ships.
Suspecting something that was suspicious amiss, and, trusting her instincts, she ordered the crew, "I want a communication with the fleet, and prepare the turbolasers for fire on those ships in case they've been captured. And inform Hand Quest of the probability that five more ships have been compromised."
"Of-of course, Captain." The lead communications-officer stuttered.
It's your funeral if Hand Quest tries to kill you. He thought as he worked to carry out all of the orders.
Five Minutes Later
Within Gardna Base's Entrance One
Sarcev had, upon hearing Captain Delani's report from the Exactor, never felt such a horrific rage swallow him whole, as he had worked hard to cultivate a calm and controlled attitude in order to work efficiently with the non-Force-Sensitives in the Empire.
Unfortunately, he found his anger overtake him at the blunders that Captain Traynor had enabled to diminish the blockade, and he unleashed a primal scream in the Force that caused the eardrums of both Shadow Alliance and Imperial troops near him to burst from the shockwave. This attack of Dark Side energy made everyone scream in incomprehensible pain as they clutched the areas where their ears used to be.
Sarcev, seeing the carnage around him, vowed to publicly humiliate Captain Traynor before executing her for her idiocy and incompetence if both of them survived this horrific military campaign.
He also vowed to make sure that Barr was brought before the Emperor to answer for his abandonment of his responsibilities as a fleet commander.
Making sure that his forces were still in this onslaught, he contacted his teammates, "Sing! Kravous! Report!"
"The walkers are advancing just ahead of schedule, boss! As for me, I'm having fun blasting these ants into oblivion with the big guns." Kravous enthusiastically, and perhaps a tad maniacally, exclaimed.
"My men are getting hammered from the enemy's troops and assault cannons, but we're pushing through to the tunnel entrance!" Aurra shouted through the artillery fire.
"Good. Don't stop for anything, because, thanks to Traynor and Barr, we're on our own." Sarcev warned his two organic companions.
Turning to face the approaching N-K Necrosis, he ordered, "I need you by my side when we face the Jedi, because I doubt that I can beat them on my own."
"With respect, Hand Quest, surely three adolescents are no match for you, given the high rank that the Emperor bestowed upon you." N-K humbly dismissed the subtle praise being directed at him.
"These three Jedi have been in the Unknown Regions, fighting would-be gods and only Force-knows what for the last four years, so I'd say that their skills are a match for mine." Sarcev rebutted.
Calming his stressed mind, he continued, "You're the best-equipped being among my team to fight against Jedi, because you were programmed with all of General Grievous's skills, but without any bit of his damning arrogance. I have faith that you will live up to your predecessor's name when the time comes, my friend."
N-K was touched by the gesture of trust that the Emperor's Hand was giving him, for he never had anyone that he considered to be his friend. In a warrior's salute, he slammed his fist against his armored chest as he vowed, "Then I will do my best to live up to your trust in me, my… my friend."
"Okay, enough of the sappy stuff, Sirs. We've got to keep advancing if we're gonna break through the Shadow Alliance's lines." Commander Keller warned the two new friends as he and his squad of Snowtroopers approached them with an AT-TE.
The Clone Commander then offered the two Jedi hunters, "You guys want a lift to the main base, because the Shadow Alliance is retreating deeper into this ship?"
"Beats running out through all of this cold." Sarcev graciously accepted the invitation, with N-K following his newfound friend into the warm walker.
Meanwhile, In the Hoth Asteroid Field
How many deathtraps does this man have in here!? Ferren raved as he fired off the last of his concussion missiles out to divert the asteroid projectiles that were pursuing his interceptor.
Arsix screamed in Droidspeak, and Ferren angrily responded, "Yes, I know that we're all out of missiles, and that we've gone into four traps, but it doesn't matter! We're not stopping until we find Mysta and his base."
Altering his ship's frequency, he ordered Captain Delani, "Delani, it's been twenty minutes since I gave the order. Where are the fighters and commandos!?"
"They're coming, High Inquisitor Barr! But I beg of you, come back to the battle at hand! We've lost control of the Defiance, Obedience, Harrower, Harbinger, and Leviathan to the Shadow Alliance, and our forces are getting hammered hard by the enemy!"
"How did you lose control of five karking capital ships, and how are you still alive after telling Hand Quest of such a gross display of incompetence!?" Ferren roared, now utterly fearing for his life after the Emperor learnt of him shirking his responsibilities, and losing two Imperial-class Star Destroyers, a Victory-class Star Destroyer, and two Acclamator II-class assault ships to the Jedi.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Delani wept, obviously beginning to break down from the pressure of her crumbling command. "The Mandalorians and Partisans infiltrated our disabled capital ships, and somehow knocked out every man on each ship to take control!"
"Just find a way to keep the blockade alive until the reinforcements arrive! They'll be here in about two and a half hours. High Inquisitor Barr, out!" Ferren roared out.
"But, how are we supposed to-?" Delani protested before being cut off by Ferren, who knew that the only way that he could redeem himself was if he killed the three Jedi and Vega's relatives for their decimation of the Imperial fleet.
Reaching out with the Force, Ferren sensed an utterly terrified presence emanate from one of the nearby asteroids, and recognized the presence of his captive subordinate, Imperial Intelligence Captain Danielle Ragar.
Recognizing that this unexpected find might be a diversion or trap, but knowing that Danielle could provide intelligence on Mysta's asteroid defenses, activated his communication systems,
"Commando Squad Borgo, I have a target for you to investigate. I'm logging an asteroid that houses a captive Imperial Intelligence captain, and I need you to extract her from captivity. Once you have located her, patch her into my system to I can debrief her."
"Copy that, High Inquisitor Barr. We're beginning deployment now, and we'll head to the assigned coordinates. Squad Leader Borgo, out." The Imperial Commando dutifully responded before ending the communication.
Thirty Minutes Later
"All right, boys. Looks like we're expected, so stay sharp." Laum, the commando squad leader, told his three teammates as they exited the Raider-class Corvette.
They had found the asteroid that High Inquisitor Barr informed them of, and the hangar doors opened up to allow the shuttle unfettered access into the hidden fortress.
"Getting readings of a single life form deeper in this station. It might be the boss's captured agent."
Double-timing it, the four clones cautiously advanced from the asteroid's hangar to its armory, where they noticed its vacancy.
"You think they rigged this whole place to explode the second we find the Intelligence captain?" Carth, the squad's second in command, wondered out loud.
"Wouldn't surprise me. These subversives will do anything to get even a handful of us, given our skills at killing so many of them." Primo acknowledged.
"Enough banter. Let's just get the captain, and get the hell out of here before something goes wrong." Grima interjected, not one for small talk during a mission.
Reaching the station's medical wing, the four Imperial Commandos heard a faint whimpering, and saw a woman tied up to a chair while several wires connecting her to a life-support system.
From an initial scan from Primo, he noticed several bruised organs, cracked ribs, and erratic brainwaves emanating from her mind.
Laum, betting that this was the woman they were after, activated his armor's built-in comlink to talk to Ferren, "High Inquisitor, we've got Captain Ragar, but she's banged up pretty bad. We're not sure if she's able to be moved, or if she's even conscious."
"Do whatever you have to in awakening her, because we need every tidbit of intel that she can give us on the enemy. We're running out of time." Barr urgently replied.
As soon as Barr finished speaking, Danielle's eyes bolted wide open, and she took in several gasps of breath to get her bearings before she began to shriek, "No! No! NO MORE! I'm begging you, Ryal! I-"
Taking in her surroundings, she noticed the four Imperial Commandos, and wrongly assumed that they were here to execute her. "Please, don't kill me! It's not my fault! Ryal needs to be stopped now before he deals any more damage to the Empire! He has all of my information on his family's murders, and all of the clearance codes that I gained when Barr recruited me!"
"What is she talking about?" Barr lowly asked Laum.
"Looks like Mysta broke her, and she's delirious from the aftereffects of what ever he did to her." Laum turned to face Primo, "Primo, you got a diagnosis on her?"
"Hypersensitive eyes, imbalanced nervous system, and unaware of her surroundings. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that a bor gullet got in her head." Primo speculated while injecting one of his syringes into her bloodstream.
"Worse." Danielle groaned as the medicine took effect, and she calmed down from her paranoia.
Continuing to speak, she remorsefully said, "Mysta all but tortured me for hours to get the information out of my skull, but that wasn't enough. He had to attach me to a tube that forcefully took the intel out of my mind."
"How could she have survived that? That kind of interrogation would have killed anyone." Primo wondered out loud, recalling from his studies on various forms of torture on how the Hutt Cartel sometimes used a similar method to extract vital information from its prisoners, such as Katha Niar from Vitiate's Sith Empire during the Conquest of Makeb.
"Mysta… He refined the process to keep me alive. Said something about wanting to put me on trial to show the galaxy what the Empire's all about." Danielle muttered, struggling to stay awake from the exhaustion that was seeping into her very core.
Ferren, instead of erupting into a rampage from learning of Danielle breaking from Mysta's interrogation, coldly said, "I want her executed for her failures. Now. Once you've killed her, follow me to Mysta's main base, and we'll kill everyone on that infernal asteroid."
"Are you sure, sir? Your orders were to-" Laun began to protest, before Ferren interrupted him,
"Don't trifle with me, clone. I want her dead for her failures, and I want her dead immediately so that I can get more support."
Laun, seeing no way to save this woman's life without putting his squad in harms' way, neutrally complied, "Yes, Sir. We'll join you once we finish up here."
"Good. High Inquisitor Barr, out."
Ending the communication, the Clone Stormtrooper told Primo over their private comm channel, "Barr just gave us new orders. We gotta slot her and link up with his task force, so give her your most painless poison."
Primo, knowing that Laun was trying to give Danielle a merciful death to ease their minds, nodded in understanding, and pulled out an unmarked syringe.
Injecting it into the woman's bloodstream, Danielle immediately began to lose consciousness, and worriedly said, "What's happening?"
"Don't worry, Captain. It's just a sedative for the journey back to the Exactor for treatment." Laun gently said, feeling his insides twist up from killing a fellow Imperial on a High Inquisitor's say-so.
"Good. Tell High Inquisitor Barr… I'm sorry…" Danielle whispered as she drew her last breaths.
Not even a handful of seconds later, a series of explosions took out the asteroid, with a roaring inferno enveloping the four commandos before they could even react, killing them instantly.
Barr felt the near-simultaneous deaths of Captain Ragar and her would-be rescuers, and cursed at himself for wasting four good soldiers dealing with a problem that he foolishly delegated to others instead of having one of the capital ships destroy the base from the outside.
Just another thing that Mysta and his cohorts will answer for before I extract every piece of intelligence from their minds, and then kill them for crossing me. Ferren swore.
He then sensed the arrival of his squadrons of commandos and starfighters, and noticed that they were comprised of two Raider-class Corvettes, two squadrons of V-Wings Starfighters, and a squad of ARC-170s. Wanting to know what happened to the fourth squadron, he spoke into his interceptor's comlink, "All ships, this is High Inquisitor Barr. Can someone fill me in on why we're missing twelve fighters?"
"This is Foxtrot Leader, in charge of the ARC 170s. We had a squad of TIEs with us, but they got… well, for lack of a better word, wrecked, by the defenses."
That's what we get for sending the worst fighters in the galaxy into an asteroid field. Ferren seethed before grinding out, "Understood. We're nearing the station, and we're expecting heavy resistance. Prepare to engage the enemy from all sides."
Meanwhile, on the Exactor
Captain Delani was cracking under the strain of commanding a doomed fleet, as she only had four Imperial-class Star Destroyers, one Victory-class Star Destroyer, one Acclamator II-class assault ships, and three Imperial Light Cruisers, each of which suffering damage in one form or another, against the Shadow Alliance's numerically superior fleet.
Due to the hostages that the Empire held, the Shadow Alliance was launching precision strikes against the fleet, disabling key systems on each capital ship, while decisively destroying two of the remaining Imperial Light Cruisers.
Knowing that, with every ship's shields and key systems faltering under the strain, her fleet would be disabled and drifting helpless long before the Imperial reinforcements arrived in less than two hours, and knowing what it was that the Shadow Alliance was after, the Imperial commander made the only choice that could save the most number of men under her deteriorating fleet, and sadly ordered her head communications officer, "Open a channel to Captain Denimoor. It's time to talk terms of surrender."
Most of her crew was horrified at the prospect of surrendering to insurgents, and Delani reiterated her order, this time with more authority and confidence, "We need to negotiate the terms of our surrender if any of us expect to survive this battle. I'll take full responsibility for whatever flack gets sent our way, but that won't mean anything if we're all dead in a couple of hours. Now, get Denimoor on the channel."
Understanding the situation better now, and appreciating the captain's gesture of support, the Exactor's crew loyally carried out the orders, and the image of the composed Dalin appeared in under two minutes.
"Captain Delani. I must admit, I'm surprised to see you in command of the Exactor. I assumed that Captain Traynor was in charge of the fleet in Hand Quest's absence." Dalin politely began to converse with Delani.
"She's been detained for gross incompetence." Delani curtly explained before getting right to business. "Anyway, cut the small talk. My crew already sent you our offer to parley, so let's get right to it. You want the prisoners that we have in our custody, and we want to survive this encounter."
"We can offer you more than that, Nelia Delani." A younger male voice spoke up before the image of Tau Palpatine appeared, startling the entire bridge's crew with the Palpatine scion speaking to them.
Nelia, however, managed to maintain her composure, and glared at Dalin, "Is this an attempt to intimidate us into surrendering? Because, if it is, it's a low move, using the Emperor's kidnapped son as a figurehead for your rebellion."
Tau annoyingly rolled his eyes at the misled accusation, and curtly said, "No, Captain. We're going to convince you to join our alliance. And, I'm not the son of that demon spawn. That's just propaganda used to delegitimize the Shadow Alliance. Believe it or not, I'm the cloned, and very reluctant, great-great-grandson of that demonic Sith Lord from the future."
After recovering her slack jaw, Nelia began to get genuinely annoyed, and promptly responded, "Look, neither of us have the time for nonsense stories of Jedi from the future, or a poorly-timed attempt to convince us to defect. I just want to keep my people alive, and I'm willing to trade the hostages for freedom."
"You do realize that, once we deal with High Inquisitor Barr and Hand Quest, the Emperor won't look kindly on this failure of two of his best servant, right? He'll purge the ranking officers of your fleet for their failures, and give the surviving troops the worst jobs possible to make this failure disappear." Tau probed the woman's lack of planning ahead.
"And I suppose that you've got a better idea than returning to the Empire, such as by joining your mad cause?" Nelia impatiently asked.
"Well, the thought did cross our minds, madam." Cassius interjected, joining this conversation, much to everyone else's consternation.
"Cassius! Do you have to interrupt every talk that I have with the enemy commanders?" Dalin exasperatingly demanded.
"What can I say? I'm considered to be a sparkling conversationalist." Cassius proudly proclaimed.
"Uh… Sorry to interrupt, but I have an idea that might benefit all of us." Tau interjected while pinching the brim of his nose.
Turning to face Nelia, he said, "Look, we're both short on time, and we want a swift resolution to this battle to save lives. Right?" To which, Nelia only nodded in confirmation.
"Well, then, why don't you ask the crew if they're willing to defect to the Shadow Alliance? If they are, then they can join us in the rest of our ships in holding off the approaching Imperial fleet. As for those who don't wish to defect, they will be safely deposited to the nearby world of Deyer, where they can find transport back to Imperial Space."
The Exactor's crew could hardly believe the offer that they were being offered, as they were quite divided over the generous request that Tau was offering.
Nelia was not so divided, and said as much, "Sorry, Tau, but, even if I were to agree to this offer of yours, there's no way that the rest of the fleet would agree to it. But, I have a counteroffer. Since you have control over a good chunk of my fleet, I'm allowing you to keep the ships that you stole, if you agree to allow us to safely exit the system."
"Actually, we might be amenable to joining their cause." The Exactor's XO replied, much to Delani's astonishment.
Continuing his train of thought, he explained, "Besides the self-preservation in me that wants to survive the Emperor's undoubtedly excruciating punishment for our failures, I want to put a stop to the Empire's atrocities that we've been complicit in. We swore an oath to protect the galaxy from disaster and chaos, and all that I see is that the Empire is the disaster and chaos. We owe it to all those that have died in this delusion to correct the wrongs that Tau's father has allowed to perpetuate."
To raise further conflict in the Imperial captain's mind, all but two members of the crew nodded their heads at this declaration.
Desperate to avoid defecting and risking her family's safety, she protested, "That's a fine sentiment, Lieutenant, but I doubt that the rest of the fleet would be amenable to high treason, especially against the Emperor's Hand and a High Inquisitor."
"Oh, they would." Said the captain of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Tenebrae, interjecting herself in this discussion.
Resuming her speech, she told her counterpart, "I've been broadcasting this transmission to the fleet, and we're all in agreement. There's no way that we're gonna die just because a power-mad High Inquisitor and his commander are willing to sacrifice us for a personal vendetta. We're all committed to stopping the Empire from killing good people, and we're prepared to engage the rest of the Imperials when they arrive."
Delani could hardly believe that the rest of the fleet captains were willing to defect so easily, and wondered what terrible crimes they witnessed or committed in service to the Empire. Realizing that there was only one thing that she could do to continue being free, she sighed in defeat, "Very well. I'll join this merry band of insanity. But," She turned to face Tau, and told the Shadow Alliance leader, "You've got to get our families out of harm's way, or there'll be hell to pay."
"Done, and done." Tau immediately agreed, "I know of some people who can get your families to safety, and a few safe worlds where they can start over. Now, Captain Delani, Captain Denimoor and Casisus Tarquin are in joint command of this fleet, and will hold off the Imperial fleet until my fleet arrives. The only three problems that I foresee are High Inquisitor Barr, Hand Quest, and the ground army under their command."
"Mysta contacted us not long ago, and he said that he was evacuating his station as part of a plan to take out High Inquisitor Barr. I'd put him on the channel, but he's likely trying to take out that egomaniac right now." Dalin noted.
"Then we'll just have to trust in our allies to deal with them, because too much is at stake now to leave anything to chance." Tau worriedly stated, before finishing the conversation, "I've got to go. We're about to expect some turbulence on our journey here, and I can't risk a transmission in a nebulae. Iluvatar watch over you all."
After Tau ended the transmission, Nelia asked the obvious question, "Who the heck is 'Iluvatar'?"
"The god that Tau and a bunch of his friend worships. We'll tell you more about his faith later, but we have to prepare for the enemy fleet to engage us in less than two hours." Cassius briefly explained.
"Right." Delani understood, and sternly looked at her crew, who had already returned to their stations to carry out their new orders, minus the two who resisted, and were stunned by the Exactor's XO.
Meanwhile, In Phobos Station
"Is he here?" Elain fearfully asked her brother as he equipped his personal slugthrower, beskar sword and other Jedi hunting weapons to his armor.
"Just about. Which is why you need to go with the others to the secondary hangar, and get the hell out of here so that the rest of us can deal with Barr and his lackeys." Mysta responded.
Elain, knowing that, if she was captured, it would spell game over for her and Mysta, acquiesced, and quickly hugged her brother before heading off to the backup shuttle bay.
Now reassured that his sister was safe from Barr's clutches, he turned to Oniye, and showed a bloodthirsty smile as he said, "Ready to deal with a demented ex-Jedi, Captain?"
Oniye only nodded, and then resolutely responded, "I've killed too many good people in this galaxy. It'll be good to help protect some of the good that's still out there."
The proximity alarms began to go off, and that indicated that Barr was entering the range of the station's defenses.
"Let's go. We've got a High Inquisitor to kill." Mysta declared before leading the way to the hangar to await the arrival of his nemesis.
Well, that ends a particularly long chapter of this story, which had a lot of twists and turns, considering that the Shadow Alliance has a lot of new ships and troops coming their way, and that Mysta and Ferren are about to square off in their final showdown. I think that I'll have a soundtrack for that one, and it'll be from the Naruto series, "Reverse Situation {Spin and Burst Mix}" from YouTube, which is excellent. So, how are you doing on this good day of Monday, October 29, 2018? I'm doing well, as I have most of the day to relax, aside from doing some homework. Also, I have to get started on my full research paper tomorrow, so I'll have my hands full for the next two weeks. On the plus side, I got my $20 from work yesterday, and had an easy shift last night, which was refreshing. Oh, I just realized that, as of now, I've surpassed 190,000 words in this story, bringing my total to a little under two hundred thousand. I can't believe that I've written so much in just under four-and-a-half months! Man, am I motivated. Well, I'd better get this chapter ready for publishing in the next couple of days. May the Force and Iluvatar be with you, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!