The Emperor
Chapter 9: Scryoix, The Gentleman Pirate
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS
"Morning Captain" Lieutenant Sean Vilore said as the commander of the Delicate Trident exited the turbo lift and settled himself into the captains chair. Captain Ruan Roffan mumbled his own greetings to the Vilore and the rest of the ships bridge crew as he brought up a stream of data on his console. He never had been a morning person.
"Good morning Captain Roffan" The ship's computer said as he began to work through the piles of datawork. "The Delicate Trident will exit Hyperspace in eight point six hours and forty five seconds."
Ruan ignored the computer and continued with looking at their destination, which was the Core World of Ralltiir, known for it's technological wonders and advancements. And for those purposes was the Trident making it's journey from Coralla IV. "Shipment of fourteen point two thousand units due in five point seven hours and twelve seconds" The computer added and Roffan swore.
"Let's see if we can squeeze some speed into this old relic...Helmsman!" Roffan said. "See what the mechanics can do with the-" The captain was cut off as the ship stopped all of the sudden, violently being yanked out of the vice like grip of Hyperspace by pure force.
Roffan was thrown from his command chair from the sudden action and he slammed into the glass view port of the bridge with a painful smack. Groaning, he barely had enough time to get a bearing on his surroundings before the ship shook uncontrollably and he was thrown through the air once more, slamming into the port side wall with a brutal thud.
Unable to see properly out of his right eye due to the blood flowing freely from a jagged cut above it, Ruan glanced around the room, trying to find out what was going on, only to hear the words "Pirates!" before fading to black.
Kroaaan Scryoix grinned a menacing, happy smile as he stepped aboard the vessel his men had rather quickly captured. The crew was lined up to either side of him, forced to down onto their knees, hands in binders as they were held at blaster point by armed pirates.
"I trust you are enjoying yourselves gentleman?" Kroaaan said with a pompous, somewhat royal air as he brandished his golden, jeweled cane. Setting it onto the deck of the ship, he eyed each of his nervous, or dare he admit it, down right terrified captives with glee. "Pity" He said and noticed that one of the crew members that had been captured, the one with a bloody gash over his right eye, looked at him curiously. "I was hoping that at least some of them would be of use...oh well" He said and turned to his second in command, Navisha Hirro.
"Take the top ranking ones and lock them up for ransom, the rest can be shipped off to the slavers" He ordered the Mirialan before heading off to the airlock, ready to return to the Ensemble. "Oh and Navisha dear" He said sweetly, "do save me some of the loot this time" He said and then the airlock sealed.
The Mirialan, Navisha, snorted before turning to the assorted captive crewmen and pirates. "You heard him! Get 'em aboard!" She snapped. Before she had even finished her sentence, one of the officers, he had lieutenant stripes on his uniform, lunged at her, breaking free of his guards grip out through sheer surprise. Tears in his eyes as he screamed, she realized he didn't want to be taken alive. Sadly for him, she was perfectly fine with that
Calmly, the female pirate raised her blaster and fired off a single shot, which buried itself into the center of the suicidal lieutenant's chest. Gasping once, the light in his eyes flickered briefing, then vanished as he slumped to the deck, never to move again.
Ignoring the shocked looks of the rest of the crew, she spoke to them. "If any of you have any ideas of attempting the same thing as your friend there" She nudged the corpse for emphasis, "then I would like you to know I have plenty of ammo left, and today has been exceptionally boring" She said and watched with silent enjoyment as the rest of the crew dropped their heads in shame and fear before they were yanked to their feet by their captors and dragged towards the airlock.
"Monster!" One of the men, he had been the closest to the lieutenant, yelled. "Your a good for nothing monster!" He howled, pain streaking his face. His uniform indicated he was a captain. Or at least, he had been a captain.
Navisha just smiled cruelly.
"No way in the Emperor's name..." Private Lorad Fox complained as Private Frind Norz raked in the small pile of credits laying in the center of the makeshift table. Sitting around it were the six new privates of Squard 3, A Company, 23rd Stormtrooper Divison. They had arrived about two days ago on the cold world of Rhinnal in the Darpa Sector. They had been sent as replacements for the badly damaged 23rd Stormtrooper Division, but they had all but been left to their own doings by their superiors who were occupied all day lazing about, enjoying the rest they had earned after weeks of combat.
"I won fair in square" Norz snapped. "Just because you don't understand the finer points of Sabacc doesn't mean you have to throw a fit about it" The bulky marksmen complained.
"What?" Fox said, rising to the words he saw as challenging. "We're not even using actual cards! Just plain thick paper ones that have the numbers already written on them, you can't even scramble these!"
"That's because these cards are supposed to be used in my homeworld's traditional game of Rekòp" Norz said in complete deadpan. "And these cards are fine, you just are used to being able to cheat with your fancy gizmos" The Kashyyykian stated, pointing at the tech specialist's electronic equipment strapped onto his armor, which was lying on his bunk behind him.
"Oh shove it you too" Private Slyde Nooiker barked. "Let's just get back to the Troiakan game" He complained, so pent up with the delay that he had cursed in his native tongue.
Before any of them could return to the game or continue arguing, Corporal Fween burst into the barracks. "Pack it up boy's we're moving out in ten minutes!" He said and swears all around could be heard amongst the angry soldiers. "What was that?" The corporal asked, slight annoyance in his calm expression.
"Sir, we said yes sir!" They shouted as they quickly as they began packing up their gear, checking weapons and dragging on their armor. Fween smiled and left the room to grab his own things before the shuttle arrived.
"Sir, Sergeant Trace Aleei reporting, Sir" Trace snapped out quickly, yet orderly and calmly as he stood at attention before Captain Hollon, who was in A Company's makeshift Headquarters, which was really just a renovated library that had been cleared of most of it's books and furniture.
"Good to see you got some sleep Sergeant" Hollon said, meaning when he had ordered the tired-then corporal-Aleei to get some rest when they had finished their last op on Piia back on Cakkiiwo II. "I have a new objective for you and your squad" He said as he turned away from several platoon commanders he had been talking to. "Your squad, along with first and fourth squad, will be assisting several Imperial Knights in apprehending a fugitive on the neighboring world of Lenniera, he's dangerous so make sure those new boys of yours are careful. Good luck sergeant" The captain said and Trace saluted before about facing and heading off towards his squads barracks.
"I trust you will be able to handle this mission" Anakin said to the two of them, his holographic form staring at them intently, knowing that if they failed, then their target would have to be tracked down all over again.
"Of course Sire" Lord Hethrir said.
"We will not fail you Master" Inquisitor Tremayne assured, standing next to his partner.
Anakin, light years away inside the Imperial Palace, nodded. "Good, bring him back to me, and do not let him escape again" He said coldly, then shut the connection to his agents.
Scryoix sat upon his large, luxurious and very extravagant command chair aboard the Ensemble. Before him he could see, through the massive arrangement of viewports, the Delicate Trident floating off into space while several smaller ships fled from it, heading towards his own ship. In his hands sat a small data pad with an even smaller joystick hooked onto one corner of the pad, nearest to the controls. He was idling fiddling with it before the doors behind him slid open and Navisha walked in. His second in command respectively stopped half a pace behind his command chair and awaited his orders.
"Everything has been taken care of?" He asked and guessed that her silence meant that everything had gone according to plan. "Good, now if you will be so kind..." He said and held up his data pad to her, a blue button on the controls flashing faintly. Rolling her eyes, Navisha hit the button with a single finger lightly.
Kroaaan turned to watch as the Ensemble shifted only slightly in space before it's main cannon charged up and mere seconds later a bright neon blue beam shot out from underneath the vessel's bridge. The beam raced through space and crashed into the very center of the Delicate Trident's belly and a long chain of dozens of explosions went off up and down the ships sides. Before those detonations even ended a larger, massive explosion went off as the engines and power core went off, adding to the massive display. At the end of the entire thing, there was only a few measly scraps of white hot metal floating slowly through space.
Crackling in delight, the pirate lord stood up and pocketed his data pad. "Keep things running smoothly my dear, I have to take care of some things" He said, ignoring the dark look the Mirialan sent him for his continuous use of the term 'dear' when he spoke to her.
Exiting the bridge, he headed to his private quarters. Once inside, he activated his holo-transeiver and stepped onto the small pad he had placed there. Minutes later and the face of the infamous Tyber Zann appeared before him. "Yes?" The crimelord demanded, apparently in the middle of something.
"You requested my presence and I told you that I would get back with you at a more proper time" Kroaaan said happily, a toothy grin covering his face as he noticed a very...disheveled female in the background. "Tell Silri I said hello as well" He added, and watched as Tyber grew red in anger.
"You" He spat, the connection shut off and the pirate lord waited for several minutes before Tyber appeared again, looking more collected and less angry. "As I was saying before you left to do whatever it was you had to do before, I have a business proposition for you" The crimelord said. "I want to make a move against Xizor, and I have recently learned that he is shipping a large amount of spice to the Hutt Cartels from Izieo IV. If we can remove those assets from him, the Hutts will be less likely to do business with him and he will also lose a large amount of men and supplies at the same time" Tyber said and Kroaaan nodded.
"Of course, I will consider this and get back with you" He said and before Zann could object, he shut off the transceiver and the connection died.