Wow, sorry for not updating in such a long time, guys, I've had so much
homework and rehearsals recently! Anyway, here's your next chapter! (sorry
for the length, but the next one after is longer! Anyway, you guys deserve
something to read!)
-Sci-Fi Nerd
Chapter 6
The attack on Sullust was swift and brutal, conforming to the usual style of Imperial assaults since Thrawn had taken over the strategies and operations of the Empire. Sixteen Victory class Star Destroyers emerged from hyperspace at top speed, ringing the planetary equator in an impressive display of firepower. Three of the four Golan stations that defended the industrial world were crippled by massive concussion missile strikes before they could calibrate turbolasers for a defensive assault. Twenty Katana Dreadnoughts and four Imperial Star Destroyers completed the force.
Sullust had once been a heavily fortified world, but with all defenses, or most of them, assigned to Bothawui in the wake of Coruscant's fall, it had fallen into disrepair, a perfect target for the ambitious Imperials. Only four Nebulon-B frigates and twelve heavily modified Corellian Corvettes remained to defend the planet. All the frigates immediately jumped to hyperspace, but only five of the Corvettes followed suit, the other seven converging on one cluster of three Victory Star Destroyers and immolating one in a flood of double turbolaser blasts. They were quickly dispatched by the remaining two's missile launchers.
Within less than two hours, the last of the defenses were breached, and the capital was on fire. It took another two hours before the defenders conceded defeat and the whole system surrendered unconditionally to the Empire.
The Fifth Seeking of the In'ca Din'ca Commune was poised to do a mass hyperjump like slugthrower projectiles straight into the Bothawui system when the news arrived.
Wedge had nearly fallen asleep in the cockpit of his X-wing while waiting for confirmation that the Bothawui system was under attack and the resistance forces could jump in to strike at the Imperial fleet. Most of the resistance's starfighters and small ships had been loaded onto the In'ca Din'ca cruisers just to save space; ships like the Cloakshape fighters or older Y-wing classes didn't have a hyperdrive.
All of a sudden, a group of capital ships composed of Nebulon-B attack frigates and Corellian Corvettes leapt into the system with a quick flicker. Scanners showed weapons to be hot and ready, and Wedge was already powering up for a quick assault when his comm exploded with a frantic message.
"Calling any New Republic ships in the area!" the voice was high- pitched with terror, cracking and strained from hours of shouting orders. Wedge checked his comm board again, and then realized all of the newcomers were Republic battleships. "This is Captain Larson of the frigate Battle of Endor! We've just come from Sullust and urgently require assistance!"
Wedge flicked on his comm system before any of the other befuddled officers could. "This is Wing Commander Wedge Antilles of the resistance and In'ca Din'ca forces. What's the situation, captain?"
"Thank the fates!" Larson sounded like he'd run a marathon in ten minutes flat, heaving and gasping and coughing like an old man. "Sullust has fallen; Thrawn showed up with a fleet of Victory class destroyers and stormed the planet. We're all that's left of the defenses!"
Karrde's voice broke onto the line. "Captain Larson, this is Captain Karrde. We have facilities for small-scale repairs if you need them. We're not independent, but we have some resources."
"Thank you!" Larson gasped in relief. "I am indebted to you, Captain Karrde."
Karrde sounded speculative. "Maybe we should discuss some important things with our friends, Antilles, like how Thrawn could dupe us this easily."
El-doana's ship, the Blood Scimitar, easily fit Luke, Bel Iblis, Corran, and the four hundred pounds of equipment and data that they decided to bring along with them. The spacious interior of the large ship had quarters for each of them, suspiciously oriented towards each person's own particular liking. Luke wasn't at all sure about how sneaky these In'ca Din'ca really were if they knew this much about their potential allies. This seemed to be a well laid plan, and a complicated one. He had to wonder what they needed the Republic- or its remnants- for.
Just as the Blood Scimitar began its long, torturous hyperjump into Wild Space, El-doana called them up to the bridge, a neatly laid out platform with six chairs set in a circle at the edge of various instrument panels.
"I just intercepted a general distress call from the Sullust system," the grave, squid-like alien informed them, his voice heavy with disappointment and sorrow. "It appears the system has capitulated to Thrawn."
Luke, Corran, and Bel Iblis were shocked. Everyone had assumed Thrawn would move to strike at the last remnants of the Republic fleet stationed at Bothawui and then move on to the rest of the galaxy. To strike Sullust made no sense. but then, neither did the Grand Admiral himself.
"How?" Corran managed. "What happened?"
"Apparently, just mere brute force was sufficient. I have no reports of Imperial casualties."
Bel Iblis growled to himself in anger before moving forward to address their In'ca Din'ca pilot.
"Fine, then. We move on to your planet; there's nothing we can do here," he said gutturally, though the pain of those words played out on his face like a slideshow.
"My thoughts exactly," El-doana said.
Back in Bel Iblis' quarters, the three resistance commanders discussed their plan once they arrived on Din'cash.
"We're going to be in an alien culture, with no understanding of technology, traditions, or taboos," Corran pointed out. "We have to be careful where we step, or we'll get our toes- or our heads- cut off for us."
Bel Iblis nodded. "I still don't trust them completely."
Luke added his assent. "I don't really like the feel of our pilot; he's tough to read in the Force, but what I get I'm not sure I like."
Corran scratched his head, leaning forward on the lower bunk of Bel Iblis' strangely normal barracks-style bed. "We need a game plan, some system to follow once we're on the surface, and some idea of what we need, not what the In'ca Din'ca want."
"Good point," Luke said.
"What we need is a solid commitment of resources and a better understanding of the way our potential allies are going to work," Bel Iblis said. "We can't take anything at face value; they're playing politics, and playing it well."
"If we can find a way into their computers or their sensitive areas, we can get a better idea of what it is we can look for," Corran suggested.
Luke looked at the wall panel computer screen, a little light blinking on in his head. "Well, we've got one right here." he pointed out.
Bel Iblis grinned, a predatory expression that would have shaken hard- core Imperial loyalists to their boots. "Let's get cracking," he said.
Less than an hour after Corran had begun to disseminate the inner workings of the complicated alien computer, the door hissed open swiftly, and Hyasa El-doana strode through, pointing a snub blaster pistol at the trio of resistance operatives.
All of them froze in place, no one daring to breathe lest the tension shatter their lungs irreparably. Then, El-doana holstered the pistol and sighed regretfully.
"Please don't try to access my files," he said almost patronizingly, and Luke saw Corran and Bel Iblis' backs go up at that tone of voice. "It will only get you into trouble, and I don't want to have to restrain you."
"We have a Jedi," Bel Iblis said warningly.
"They fall to a stun bolt as easily as any other human," the In'ca Din'ca retorted. "Please, this is your only warning." With that, he left the room, and a second later, the computer in the room died in a fizzle of sparks from exposed circuits.
Corran looked at the others. "Now what?" he asked.
Bel Iblis leant back against the bunk. "We wait," he said. "And hope that he isn't lying to us."
It was a sobering thought.
-Sci-Fi Nerd
Chapter 6
The attack on Sullust was swift and brutal, conforming to the usual style of Imperial assaults since Thrawn had taken over the strategies and operations of the Empire. Sixteen Victory class Star Destroyers emerged from hyperspace at top speed, ringing the planetary equator in an impressive display of firepower. Three of the four Golan stations that defended the industrial world were crippled by massive concussion missile strikes before they could calibrate turbolasers for a defensive assault. Twenty Katana Dreadnoughts and four Imperial Star Destroyers completed the force.
Sullust had once been a heavily fortified world, but with all defenses, or most of them, assigned to Bothawui in the wake of Coruscant's fall, it had fallen into disrepair, a perfect target for the ambitious Imperials. Only four Nebulon-B frigates and twelve heavily modified Corellian Corvettes remained to defend the planet. All the frigates immediately jumped to hyperspace, but only five of the Corvettes followed suit, the other seven converging on one cluster of three Victory Star Destroyers and immolating one in a flood of double turbolaser blasts. They were quickly dispatched by the remaining two's missile launchers.
Within less than two hours, the last of the defenses were breached, and the capital was on fire. It took another two hours before the defenders conceded defeat and the whole system surrendered unconditionally to the Empire.
The Fifth Seeking of the In'ca Din'ca Commune was poised to do a mass hyperjump like slugthrower projectiles straight into the Bothawui system when the news arrived.
Wedge had nearly fallen asleep in the cockpit of his X-wing while waiting for confirmation that the Bothawui system was under attack and the resistance forces could jump in to strike at the Imperial fleet. Most of the resistance's starfighters and small ships had been loaded onto the In'ca Din'ca cruisers just to save space; ships like the Cloakshape fighters or older Y-wing classes didn't have a hyperdrive.
All of a sudden, a group of capital ships composed of Nebulon-B attack frigates and Corellian Corvettes leapt into the system with a quick flicker. Scanners showed weapons to be hot and ready, and Wedge was already powering up for a quick assault when his comm exploded with a frantic message.
"Calling any New Republic ships in the area!" the voice was high- pitched with terror, cracking and strained from hours of shouting orders. Wedge checked his comm board again, and then realized all of the newcomers were Republic battleships. "This is Captain Larson of the frigate Battle of Endor! We've just come from Sullust and urgently require assistance!"
Wedge flicked on his comm system before any of the other befuddled officers could. "This is Wing Commander Wedge Antilles of the resistance and In'ca Din'ca forces. What's the situation, captain?"
"Thank the fates!" Larson sounded like he'd run a marathon in ten minutes flat, heaving and gasping and coughing like an old man. "Sullust has fallen; Thrawn showed up with a fleet of Victory class destroyers and stormed the planet. We're all that's left of the defenses!"
Karrde's voice broke onto the line. "Captain Larson, this is Captain Karrde. We have facilities for small-scale repairs if you need them. We're not independent, but we have some resources."
"Thank you!" Larson gasped in relief. "I am indebted to you, Captain Karrde."
Karrde sounded speculative. "Maybe we should discuss some important things with our friends, Antilles, like how Thrawn could dupe us this easily."
El-doana's ship, the Blood Scimitar, easily fit Luke, Bel Iblis, Corran, and the four hundred pounds of equipment and data that they decided to bring along with them. The spacious interior of the large ship had quarters for each of them, suspiciously oriented towards each person's own particular liking. Luke wasn't at all sure about how sneaky these In'ca Din'ca really were if they knew this much about their potential allies. This seemed to be a well laid plan, and a complicated one. He had to wonder what they needed the Republic- or its remnants- for.
Just as the Blood Scimitar began its long, torturous hyperjump into Wild Space, El-doana called them up to the bridge, a neatly laid out platform with six chairs set in a circle at the edge of various instrument panels.
"I just intercepted a general distress call from the Sullust system," the grave, squid-like alien informed them, his voice heavy with disappointment and sorrow. "It appears the system has capitulated to Thrawn."
Luke, Corran, and Bel Iblis were shocked. Everyone had assumed Thrawn would move to strike at the last remnants of the Republic fleet stationed at Bothawui and then move on to the rest of the galaxy. To strike Sullust made no sense. but then, neither did the Grand Admiral himself.
"How?" Corran managed. "What happened?"
"Apparently, just mere brute force was sufficient. I have no reports of Imperial casualties."
Bel Iblis growled to himself in anger before moving forward to address their In'ca Din'ca pilot.
"Fine, then. We move on to your planet; there's nothing we can do here," he said gutturally, though the pain of those words played out on his face like a slideshow.
"My thoughts exactly," El-doana said.
Back in Bel Iblis' quarters, the three resistance commanders discussed their plan once they arrived on Din'cash.
"We're going to be in an alien culture, with no understanding of technology, traditions, or taboos," Corran pointed out. "We have to be careful where we step, or we'll get our toes- or our heads- cut off for us."
Bel Iblis nodded. "I still don't trust them completely."
Luke added his assent. "I don't really like the feel of our pilot; he's tough to read in the Force, but what I get I'm not sure I like."
Corran scratched his head, leaning forward on the lower bunk of Bel Iblis' strangely normal barracks-style bed. "We need a game plan, some system to follow once we're on the surface, and some idea of what we need, not what the In'ca Din'ca want."
"Good point," Luke said.
"What we need is a solid commitment of resources and a better understanding of the way our potential allies are going to work," Bel Iblis said. "We can't take anything at face value; they're playing politics, and playing it well."
"If we can find a way into their computers or their sensitive areas, we can get a better idea of what it is we can look for," Corran suggested.
Luke looked at the wall panel computer screen, a little light blinking on in his head. "Well, we've got one right here." he pointed out.
Bel Iblis grinned, a predatory expression that would have shaken hard- core Imperial loyalists to their boots. "Let's get cracking," he said.
Less than an hour after Corran had begun to disseminate the inner workings of the complicated alien computer, the door hissed open swiftly, and Hyasa El-doana strode through, pointing a snub blaster pistol at the trio of resistance operatives.
All of them froze in place, no one daring to breathe lest the tension shatter their lungs irreparably. Then, El-doana holstered the pistol and sighed regretfully.
"Please don't try to access my files," he said almost patronizingly, and Luke saw Corran and Bel Iblis' backs go up at that tone of voice. "It will only get you into trouble, and I don't want to have to restrain you."
"We have a Jedi," Bel Iblis said warningly.
"They fall to a stun bolt as easily as any other human," the In'ca Din'ca retorted. "Please, this is your only warning." With that, he left the room, and a second later, the computer in the room died in a fizzle of sparks from exposed circuits.
Corran looked at the others. "Now what?" he asked.
Bel Iblis leant back against the bunk. "We wait," he said. "And hope that he isn't lying to us."
It was a sobering thought.