Weathering

Mandalore had been right, the handmaiden did attempt to dash apart the credit chits when Visas gave them to her before vehemently demanding that Visas leave. Mira simply gave a curt 'thank you', which suited Visas well enough. The Mirakula looked forward to leaving the company of the Ebon Hawk and beginning her pilgrimage. The crew had become increasingly dysfunctional since Evrain's departure. Fortunately, most of them had isolated themselves which lowered the potential for clashes.

The crew of the Ebon Hawk did not meet again until after the landing at Kothlis. There were, of course, unresolved issues.

"So, where is everyone going?" Atton asked.

"I have unfinished work on Telos," Bao-Dur said.

"As do I," Briana added.

"Dxun," Mandalore said simply.

"I have my own journey to make," Visas said, "I will not need transport about this ship however."

"That's an interesting point," Mandalore commented, "who is going to keep this ship?"

"Me," Atton said, as if it were a matter of course.

"How did you figure that?" Mira asked sarcastically, hands on her hips, staring levelly at Atton.

"Well . . ." Atton trailed off.

Mandalore interrupted, "If you're going to be taking the ship, I suggest you relinquish your share of Evrain's credits."

"What?"

"That sounds reasonable," said Bao-Dur, "I'm sure he'd just gamble the money away playing Pazaak anyhow." T3 whirred agreeably.

"You keep your mouth shut!" Atton demanded of the droid, "or . . . whatever you call that thing."

"So," Mandalore said impatiently, "are you going to answer the question or just sputter nonsense?"

Atton clenched his teeth, but pulled out his credit chits and tossed them onto the table.

Mandalore moved toward the table and swiped his share. Atton watched mournfully while the others repeated the action.

"What's the problem?" Mandalore asked Visas when she declined to take her share.

"I've enough credits."

"Suit yourself," said Mandalore, and made to take Visas' share.

"I don't think so," said Mira, grabbing the chits before Mandalore could get to them, "Bao-Dur needs these more than any of us." Mira tossed the chits to Bao-Dur, who barely caught them.

"Thank you, Mira," said Bao-Dur, "these should help me get better equipment for my restoration efforts."

Mira smiled, "Don't mention it."

"Cute," Mandalore said bemusedly, "I'll let it slide though. Now what about the droids," Mandalore turned to HK-47, "I'm sure I could find a use for a droid of your capabilities."

"Exasperated Statement: It seems that I am meant to be passed among various meatbags for the entirety of my existence."

"Evrain had considered that," Visas said, "it was his decision that T3, if willing, would go with Bao-Dur," the astromech droid beeped his ascent and the others seemed to accept the decision, "He also decided that HK-47 would go freely."

Surprised exclamations echoed from all of those assembled but HK-47's voice came out on top, "Ecstatic Declaration: Truly? Freedom? That explains why Evrain decided to give me a portion of his credits. Self-Directed Query: What will I do with such a thing?"

"Are you sure this is what Evrain wanted?" Mira asked Visas concernedly.

"He was quite clear on the matter," said Visas, "I must admit I have my reservations regarding the HK droid as well."

"Observation: A typical meatbag reaction. I am fortunate to have had an atypical meatbag as a master. Eager Statement: I believe I will enjoy my freedom very much." The final words were spoken slowly and deliberately.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Briana said.

"Statement: There are still inferior copies of me, seeking to defile my good name, they must all be dealt with . . . slowly."

"So," Atton began, trying to change the subject, "who's going to need a ride to wherever they're going?"


Lieutenant Commander Farris was the officer on duty of the Republic cruiser Preserver. The Preserver was one of three capital ships in the task force led by Commodore Bolton. Farris was tired, but he preferred it that way. During uneventful shifts, especially when traveling through hyperspace, things went by faster if you were half-asleep. The bridge only held two others at the moment, one helmsman, who hadn't had to touch his console the entire shift, and an operations officer who would lazily press a few keys every so often, probably to keep from falling asleep.

Farris used times like this to look over reports and galactic news. What he read worried him, supposedly a Sith fleet had decimated a core world and annihilated all Republic resistance while sustaining the loss of only two ships. The battle was long over before the first Republic ship had managed to respond.

Public confidence in the Republic Navy was lower than ever before. The Navy's confidence in itself was low as well. There were simply too many worlds in the republic and not nearly enough ships. The hundreds of capital ships that had existed at the beginning of the Mandalorian wars had been worn down to dozens, due to two wars and constant conflict. And now, the Sith were beginning another push. Perhaps their most ambitious push yet.

There was a sudden jolt as the Preserver shook. Farris dropped his datapad and rose from his chair to look out of the viewport. They were in normal space.

"Helmsman, report," Farris said.

"We've been pulled out of hyperspace," the helmsman replied.

"Sir," the operations officer interjected, "the entire task force has been pulled out of hyperspace. I'm detecting nearly a dozen warships, Sith configuration."

"Blasted interdiction beams; sound battle stations!" Farris ordered and ran to the tactical console, where he frantically started the sequence to initiate the shield generators. Then the battle stations alarm came on, a steady, pulsating, unbelievably loud noise that would ring in one's ears hours after it went off.

Farris diverted power to the automatic guns and marked a firing solution for the nearest Sith battle cruiser. This had to happen when we had a skeleton crew on duty. Energy discharges shook the Republic cruiser as the turbolaser batteries began to fire.

The commodore's voice came on over the comm system, "This is Commodore Bolton. All ships raise shields and engage the enemy. We are attempting to locate the source of interdiction. Once we ascertain the source we will relay the firing solution."

"Tell me something I don't know," Ferris muttered, glad that the commodore couldn't hear him. But something else bothered him more. The tactical readout on the shields stated that they had only reached 16 power."

The bridge doors opened and a handful of officers entered the bridge. Ferris gave up the tactical console to the officer who normally ran it but was disturbed when he didn't see the captain. "Get those shields to full power," Ferris ordered.

The lieutenant commander moved back to the front of the bridge, where he saw the nearest Sith battle cruiser launch a fusillade of turbolaser fire. Ferris looked back at the tactical console. 21 efficiency.

"Helmsman, take evasive action; get us away from that laser fire!"

The turbo laser bolts were faster than the Preserver's maneuvering thrusters and all but a few of the bolts hit their marks. Volleys of laser fire impacted the shields and shook the Preserver. Ferris watched in horror as the shields inevitably collapsed under the constant fire.

Lances of energy tore through the unshielded vessel and inevitably struck the torpedo magazine, which split the ship in half with a violent explosion of warheads. The engines exploded next, shattering the aft section of the cruiser and damaging nearby ships with scattered debris.

Most of the other ships were light cruisers and frigates, barely a handful survived the first volley from the Sith battle cruisers. The ships that did survive attempted to sortie fighters in an effort to combat the Sith but nearly all of those fighters were caught within the hail of turbolaser fire. The commander of one frigate panicked and dropped his vessel's shields in order to give more power to the hyper drive in the hopes that a blind jump would get him somewhere. He was sorely disappointed to find that the interdiction field was still in operation as his unshielded vessel was torn apart by turbolasers.

Within less than three minutes the only Republic vessel remaining was the cruiser Brentaal, Commodore Bolton's flagship. With shields at less than ten percent and a nothing to lose, Commodore Bolton ordered the helmsman to ram the nearest Sith Battle cruiser.

Knowing what Commodore Bolton was doing, the Sith fleet threw its entire arsenal at the Republic cruiser. The result was that the Brentaal was covered in turbolaser scoring and gaping fissures in its hull as it crashed into the Sith battle cruiser, gutting the vessel as it tore through.