A/N:
Wow! It's good to be back guys! I'm sorry it took so long for the update. I was caught up in work and life was a bitch so I had to put this on hold until my writing mojo came back.
I'm just going to let my writing do the talking now. Please read and also most importantly REVIEW IT! What did you like? What did you not like? What can I improve on? These will help me become a better writer. So let's go!
By the time the trio left the conference room, the Black Talon had already left port and was on its way. Aaric knew time was of the essence. If the ship managed to jump into hyperspace before they reached the bridge, they would have no chance of intercepting their target. In no time, they reached the entrance to the main hallway which would lead them to the command deck. Unfortunately, it was sealed with an energy barrier, flanked by marines and headed by the same Lieutenant that Sylas was talking to earlier before they boarded.
"Halt! My lord, this is a restricted area." The officer raised an open palm as they approached. "Captain Orzik's command. You'll have to leave immediately."
"Uh oh. What now?" Vette whispered.
"Looks like Orzik's anticipated this. Leave it to me, I'll handle this." The Sith apprentice replied. He addressed the burly looking man. "Lieutenant, I'm not sure if Captain Orzik has informed you, but I am here on orders from Grand Moff Kilran to commandeer this vessel for a special mission. If you know what's good for you, I suggest you tell your men to stand down before someone gets hurt. Needless deaths will only complicate the success of our mission."
The lieutenant, however, stood his ground much to Aaric's annoyance. "That may be so, my lord. But I'm afraid I can't do that. Captain Orzik is the commanding officer of this ship and my direct superior. I am to not allow anyone into the command entry hatch until we reach our destination."
"Time is limited. We must proceed to the bridge immediately." NR-02 spoke loudly for even the marines to hear.
"I know that, droid. Shut up!" Aaric growled. He could see the soldiers tensing up, ready to raise their weapons. It seems the droid had a penchant for speaking up at inopportune times.
"Our orders were to treat any approach as an attack. You need to take your droid and move it!" The lieutenant raised his voice. He was clearly on edge and wary of an impending attack, especially when he was facing a Sith.
"Our window to intercept the Brentaal Star is rapidly closing. Engaging expediency measu-" NR-02 stated while starting to push some buttons.
"Belay that action, Droid, before I fry your circuits myself!" Aaric roared with a little more force than he meant to use. Scaring both the marines and Vette, causing them to freeze for a few precious seconds. He had no time to lose. He had to make them see reason or else he would have less men to execute the mission effectively.
The annoyed Sith addressed the marine officer with a pointed finger. "You. My patience is wearing thin, Imperial. If you do not allow me into the bridge and tell your men to stand down this instant, then none of us will ever reach the Dromund system in one piece! I offer you mercy and a chance for everyone to serve this glorious empire when it needs you the most! When this mission succeeds, and trust me I will make sure it does, I will ensure everyone on this vessel be lauded as heroes! Now, will you see reason and avoid any unnecessary bloodshed?!"
The sharp tone in his voice snapped the bald officer out of his stupor. The tall man knew going against his Captain's orders would probably earn him a stint in the brig and maybe even court martial. But for some reason this Sith had chosen to stay his hand and talk instead of killing them immediately like other typical Sith he heard of. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to give the apprentice the benefit of doubt. "Alright then. I'd be crazy if I got my men killed by a Sith of all people. I hope it'll all be worth it in the end. Lower the barrier and stand down! Lord Aaric is making his way to the bridge. Do NOT. I repeat! Do NOT fire upon him!"
Vette breathed a sigh of relief while Aaric was stoic. However, on the inside he was relieved as well. He wasn't averse to killing, but simply slaughtering those men would be a waste of effort and more men were better than less. "Good choice Lieutenant. I will make sure to put your name in for an additional commendation. Let's go Vette."
Thanks to the marine officer, they strode through without incident and reached the bridge within a couple of minutes. The Sith, Twi'lek and droid made their way to the viewing deck where the Captain stood at rapt attention while the rest of the crew looked on in confusion.
"What's going on? Sir…" One of the ensigns muttered.
"Stay calm, Ensign. Everyone stay calm." Captain Orzik announced coolly, then addressed the trio. "Greetings, my lord. I'm Captain Revinal Orzik. I'm pretty sure I know what this is about. For the record, I take complete responsibility for my actions. Knowing the general temperament of the Sith, I'm quite surprised you didn't decide to make a slaughterhouse of the ship when Lieutenant Gerrell denied you entry."
"I do not ever choose to waste my time, Captain. But above all else, I do not ever choose to waste resources unnecessarily. Killing or injuring your marines would only mean less combat effective men for our men." Aaric stated before eyeing him dangerously. "You disobeyed a direct order from a ranking officer, Orzik. When you did so he passed on the responsibility in carrying out this mission to me. He's also suggested that I execute you for your transgressions."
To his surprise, the Captain simply nodded and held his head high. "I understand the severity of my actions and the consequences that come with it. I only ask that you make it quick, my lord. If it ensures the safety of the rest my crew, then I would gladly accept my punishment."
"So be it." Aaric summoned the lightsaber to his hand and swung. SNAP-HISS!
The entire deck went quiet and only the humming of Aaric's lightsaber could be heard. But the expected thud of the Captain's head hitting the floor never came. Those who closed their eyes to prevent themselves from being traumatised slowly opened them in curiosity.
Aaric's crimson blade was mere inches away from the Captain's neck. Yet he stood proud and unwavering in his resolve. The apprentice smirked as he deactivated his blade, much to everyone's shock. "Open your eyes Captain. Like I said, executing you was only a suggestion. Not an order."
Captain Orzik opened his eyes and stared at him quizzically. Mercy from a Sith? Now this was unheard of!
"You stare death in the face and are prepared to die for your men." Aaric exclaimed loud enough for the entire deck to listen. "Very good. It seems Kilran was wrong to judge you as a coward. Knowing when the odds are stacked heavily against you is a mark of a competent leader. Under normal circumstances, fighting another day is sometimes better than dying needlessly. But this time, you have the power of a Sith with you. I need you here to lead the crew and pilot the ship while I will do the heavy lifting by spearheading our operation. Who says Sith can't be reasonable, eh?"
Orzik breathed a sigh of relief, but still held some tension within him. "Thank you, my lord. Your mercy is greatly appreciated. However, this doesn't solve the issue with the Moff. The Brentaal Star is a Thranta-class corvette. We would be destroyed chasing a battleship of that calibre. I fought in the war before and I'll fight again. But I don't do suicide missions, even with a Sith on our side. The odds are still too heavy on our enemy's favour."
"Great minds think alike, Captain. But I'm not looking to make a martyr of anyone. Trust me when I say I have a comprehensive plan that will allow us to complete this mission and survive."
"I expect you believe that. I see it differently. Listen to me, you managed to hijack one ship without inflicting any casualties, and that's certainly more than impressive in my books. But taking on the Brentaal Star is something else altogether. I might be able to get us close, but then you'd have to board it, fight an army of Republic soldiers and somehow find the general. It's unacceptable!"
"I agree, emphatically. But even I don't have a choice in this matter. These were Moff Kilran's instructions and he has threatened that failing to progress with this mission will be the end of us one way or another. So if we're going to survive, we need to work together."
The Captain sighed heavily. "I see. You're as much a victim here as I am, aren't you? Damn Kilran and his fleet! All right. I'm not ready to be branded a traitor just yet. We'll get the general. I'm not sure how, but we'll get him."
Aaric smiled and patted his shoulder encouragingly. Something which seemed to baffle everyone in the vicinity. Was this man even Sith? He acted nothing like one at all! "Good man. Leave the general to me. Just get us near the Brentaal Star and hold off the Republic until then."
"In accordance with Article 27a of the Imperial Code of Military Conduct, command of this vessel has been lawfully transferred. Downloading new orders to all bridge consoles. Priority one: Intercept the Brentaal Star." Aaric grit his teeth. He forgot for a moment that the annoying droid was still there doing things of its own volition.
"You heard the droid, everyone. Prepare to jump to lightspeed." The Captain barked.
"While you're at it, summon all non-critical officers to the bridge so I can brief them about my plan." Aaric reminded. With any luck, the Republic scum would be as predictable as he thought they were.
"Captain, we're emerging from hyperspace now. One Thranta-class corvette on the scanners." Ensign Hetter stated.
"All hands to your stations and remember the plan, men!" Orzik rallied his men. "For the empire!"
"For the Empire!" The entire command staff chorused.
The Black Talon exited hyperspace and appeared alongside their target. Almost immediately a barrage of incoming fire hit their shields, shaking the entire ship.
"Enemy is firing, Captain! Turbolasers, missiles and what looks like transport pods. I'm not sure…" Ensign Brukarra shook nervously.
"All shields concentrate on the left flank and turn off all nonessential systems! Helmsman, evasive manoeuvres! Keep the pods at a distance! They look harmless, but they'll latch onto the hull and cut as us with sabotage droids." The Captain ordered. "Target incoming craft with the quad laser cannons. Keep the turbolasers firing on the Brentaal Star!"
"Aye, sir!" The crew chorused.
"Captain! Three shuttles on an intercept course!" Hetter interjected.
"An assault party. Proceed with phase one of the plan!" Orzik barked. "Let's see if Lord Aaric is right."
Meanwhile in the hangar, Aaric knelt beside Vette who was in a prone position. They were situated atop one of the many support beams hanging over the area which the apprentice surmised would give Vette both adequate cover as well as an unobstructed view of the entire place. The owner waited patiently while enjoying the sight of his Twi'lek's tight pants suit accentuate her supple round bubble butt. Vette, oblivious to her master's leering gaze continued to fiddle with her new blasters. Something which caught Aaric's attention.
"Those do not look like the standard blasters common in the market." Aaric said, raising a brow. "What did you get with the credits I gave you?"
"Oh these?" Vette chirped. "Well this one is a M-forty-one blaster pistol. Way more power output than my old ones and definitely more balanced. I can spin them round my trigger finger like one of them mercenaries!"
"And the other?" Aaric questioned.
"This one is special." She grinned. Aaric did not like that grin one bit. "This is a scoped S-triple-one Stealth-X Disruptor pistol."
Aaric cocked a brow. "You bought a disruptor pistol? You do know that it's borderline illegal to own one of these even in Imperial space?"
Disruptor rifles or pistols were energy weapons which shot a constant beam of coherent particle energy. Whatever it hit, it would disintegrate the immediate area into its molecular level, causing potentially horrific injuries to living beings. This made it popular as a sniping weapon, so most disruptors usually came with scopes. This made it a dangerous weapon. Luckily though, this one was on his side. He made a mental note to confiscate that weapon after this mission was over.
"Oh yeah of course! I got it from this shady mercenary looking dude at some corner of the cantina. But I got you backing me up now so it's not like the authorities are gonna do anything about it right?" The Twi'lek shrugged. "Come on! I promise I won't shoot you with it!"
Aaric could only deadpan and shake his head. He now had a young slave under his control wielding a disruptor pistol. "I leave you for a couple of hours and you're already splurging my credits on dangerous goods."
"Urgh! Splurging is such an awful word. Why not call it making an investment in your slave's combat capabilities." Vette smiled mischievously.
BOOM! The ship rumbled as it began to take incoming fire.
"Looks like the fun's about to begin. I'm confiscating that pistol after this whole mess is over." Aaric said before making his way to the beam just above the hangar's ship entrance.
"What? Why?!" Vette moan.
"Lord Aaric," Captain Orzik's voice crackled through his comms. "We're beginning phase one of your plan. The Black Talon is holding up and three shuttles are approaching the hangar. At least one platoon in each of them. Our marines are in position to ambush."
"Very good. Continue with the plan. Let me know if any complications arise and I'll deal with it personally."
"Yes, my lord!"
Aaric frowned. He wouldn't admit it, but he was a little nervous. His plan was based off his previous experience observing Republic troops in action as well as corroborating information from the Mecrosa Order's spies. Although the Tapani sector was officially still in Republic hands, it was far from imperial space and relatively close to the core worlds. This meant that the order was best placed to spy on the Republic forces and their tactics. It was hoped that through Aaric, he would propel the Mecetti House's influence into Sith politics and use their resources to eventually break the cold war between the two powers and allow the sector to fall into Imperial hands. This skirmish would be his baptism by fire. If he pulled through, it would show off his gravitas to influential people within the Empire. They would take notice of him and both the benefits and threats that came with it.
The first phase of his plan would be the most critical. If the first phase failed, it would be much harder to get to the general. What Gage-class transports lacked in speed and firepower, it made up for it in heavy shielding and armour, as its role was to bring its cargo from one point to another in one piece. This meant that it should be able to last on its own against the republic corvette. Aaric was willing to bet that the enemy would underestimate a transport ship and try the 'offense is the best defence' approach. They would let a boarding party storm the ship and the transport's marines would provide a token resistance to lure the Republic troops into thinking that they had the upper hand. Once they took the bait, the ambush would be sprung.
The thrums of the three republic shuttles as they landed in hangar below him snapped him out of his thoughts. There was no turning back now and everything was happening as predicted. Now it was up to the tenacity of the imperial marines and the effectiveness of the ambush.
The main hatches from the three shuttles opened as soon as the landing gears contacted the ground. Three full platoons of republic soldiers charged onto the hangar deck and spread out to secure the area with well-executed movements. Aaric noted that all of them were wearing standard garb marking them as regular republic marines.
"Three platoons in the hangar captain." Aaric radioed in.
"Roger that, my lord." Orzik replied. "Marines! Draw them in!"
At the command, laser fire from three separate corridors shot through the air, downing a few of the republic soldiers and forcing them to take cover. The enemy returned fire soon enough and after a few minutes of exchanging shots, the imperials withdrew. Exactly as Aaric predicted, the commander of the republic troops ordered each platoon to chase after the retreating imperials, not knowing that they were in for a nasty surprise.
Aaric smirked. "The enemy has taken the bait. Take care of them while I incapacitate the rest. Vette, target any medics you see down there. I'll deal with the commanders."
"All right." Vette grumbled, sulking at the thought of having her new weapon taken away just as she got it.
As Aaric stalked his way above, he noted four individuals clustered at hatch of one of the republic shuttles. As he inched closer, he listened in on their conversation.
"This is Sergeant Boran to the Brentaal Star." The large, burly human radioed in. "We've secured the hangar and are men are en route to securing the ship. The Imperial scum ran away as quickly as we returned fire."
"Very good. Once you've gained control of the ship, obtain as much intel or resources its carrying then rig it to explode before coming back. We'll be waiting for your next report." The Star's commander replied.
"Affirmative. Over and out." Cutting radio contact, Boran addressed his team. "Platoon four! Secure the area!"
"Yes, Sergeant!" The troops echoed.
"What about us, Sergeant?" Asked a green skinned Nautolan who was wielding a vibrosword.
"Don't be hasty Corporal Hattak. I know you're itching to face the Imperials, but I need you three will stay with me and hold here." Boran replied.
"But, we could have gone with one of the platoons and this could end much faster!" The Rodian next to them quipped in his native tongue.
"That may be so Private Crosshairs. As a team, we're strong. But that's why I'm holding us here. The imps retreated too fast for my liking. If this is a trap, I want our exfil secured."
"A prudent analysis as this unit would say so itself." Their designated medical droid quipped.
"Heh. Thanks Doc." Boran chuckled. He did not want to convey it, but something was off and he did not want to alert his men too much. Firstly, the imps retreated unusually quickly. Secondly, though they managed to breach the ship, there was no sounds of the emergency klaxon. Usually they would already have been blaring before they even reached the hangar. Something was not right... for all they knew, this could really be a trap.
Aaric saw the man stiffen and flip his blaster rifle into firing mode. He was slightly impressed at the Sergeant's tactics. It would have been exactly as he would have done if he was in the same position. Unfortunately, none of these would work against as Sith.
"Jam the comms, Captain." Aaric ordered. "Vette, start firing when I start the attack."
"Done, my lord."
"Sure thing!"
Aaric stood up and started gathering the force within his body. Shock and awe would be enough to take them down quickly. He stepped off the beam and plunged down onto the middle of the unsuspecting Boran and his team.
"LOOK OUT! ABOVE!" The republic sergeant yelled at the last second. The entire team leapt away in a myriad of directions. Aaric's respect for the man went up a notch further. It seemed his spatial awareness was a tad above the rest. The medical droid, though, was not as lucky.
Aaric slammed his fists into the floor as he landed, denting the ground and sending a force repulse blasting anything away within a ten-meter radius. The medical droid crumpled into a messy heap of metal and electronics as the shockwave tore it apart. Though they managed to make it a couple of meters from the centre of the blast, it did little to lessen the concussive force that hit and send them flying further.
The remaining platoon of soldiers gaped in confusion at the sudden explosion, but they were suddenly scrambling for cover as the head of one of their own was disintegrated by a single bolt of Vette's disruptor pistol.
"Blast it! A Sith! IT'S A TRAP!" The commander yelled.
Not wasting time, Aaric ignited his sabers and charged at Boran at inhuman speeds while dodging and deflecting poorly aimed laser fire along the way.
Being a veteran, Boran was quick to recover from the attack and started firing at the enemy Sith. But it was still too late for him in the end. Utilising his honed Makashi precision, Aaric thrust his lightsaber and his entire forearm into the gap between his arm and side, stabbing a crimson blade into the trooper behind Boran. Before he could even react, the Sith warrior spun and twisted the man's arm onto his back, dislocating it in the process with a sickening crack.
Said arm also held his blaster rifle and the pain caused his finger to involuntarily pull and hold the trigger as he yelled in pain. Having gained physical leverage over the soldier, Aaric used the sergeant's large body as a human shield while his own arm pulled the man along with him while firing blaster bolts onto his own comrades.
Private Crosshairs and Corporal Hattak joined the fray, but with their commander incapacitated they were not able to fight effectively. The rodian's shots were well-placed but deflected with ease. Aaric merely redirected the shots with carefully placed Shien swordplay which killed the lanky rodian instantly.
The nautolan charged recklessly and swung with rage at the loss of his comrades, but he didn't anticipate the dastardly Sith to abruptly pull his commander into the swing of his vibroblade and causing a very large gash across his abdomen.
Aaric, with the commander mortally wounded and his rifle's ammunition expended, threw the body away and charged at the Corporal while he was still in shock. The nautolan managed to snap himself out of it, but was faced with the Sith's intense barrages of cuts and stabs. Truthfully, Aaric knew he could have ended it then and there. But he was slightly curious as to how bladesmen of the Republic military fared to have still an existence within its organisation.
The nautolan bladesman struggled to block and parry Aaric's strikes, manoeuvres which Aaric noted to be basic shii-cho moves. The alien had a pistol holstered at his side, but he wasn't going to let his enemy have any chance, as slim as it may have been.
The few seconds of contact were all he needed to satisfy said curiosity. Aaric thrust forward as the corporal blocked, but it was a feint which allowed Aaric to nimbly slash his other saber upwards and slice off the alien's arm before the Sith finished with a force push which blasted the bladesman into pillar, cracking it in the process.
Vette herself was having an amazing time! From her position it was more akin to a turkey shoot than a proper engagement. The sloppy return fire from republic troopers didn't even require her to duck behind proper cover. She was really enjoying the effectiveness and range of the disruptor pistol, which made it even worse for her at the back of her mind knowing that she had to give it up once this was all said and done.
Out of the entire platoon of soldiers she probably dispatched almost half of them while Aaric engaged the enemy commanders. She watched in awe as her owner cut them down with ease relative ease. It impressed her in some way since it meant that for all his sexual deviancy, he was still a competent commander and even more skilled warrior.
She thought about how this man was, in small but important ways, different from the typical Sith she had met or heard about. While others were keener to kill someone for simply looking at them wrong, Aaric was willing to analyse situations with logic and reason. The Twi'lek could tell from the faces of the crew how relieved they were when the Sith spared Captain Orik's life. Even if it simply to ensure the highest chances of success with the operation, mercy was still mercy and it impacted everyone's view of him at the time.
Including hers. And that gave her tingling feelings inside of her nether regions.
The republic wretches didn't know what hit them. At one moment they were pushing ahead and on the way to capturing the vessel, the next they were faced with a barrage of sonic waves which blasted some away and causing others to become deliriously disoriented. The marines had installed sonic mines hidden at designated chokepoints then activated them right in the middle of the platoons.
The tides had turned, and most were cut down by barrages of imperial counter fire. Explosions rumbled throughout the ship as ambushes were sprung on the invading forces. Communications were jammed within the entire ship, preventing the republic soldiers from reporting their loss to the Brentaal Star. Most were killed. A few were wounded and captured.
The rest fled back to the hangar only to be faced by a grinning Sith warrior wielding crimson blades and an unseen Twi'lek sniper. Those who resisted were cut down by Aaric or disintegrated by Vette, and the rest wisely surrendered.
"The enemy has been eliminated and captured. What's the situation up there, Captain?" Aaric called.
"Damage report from all decks. Seems minimal… and we're holding together. But I don't know for how long." Ensign Hetter reported anxiously.
"Make it last ensign." Orzik replied. "The first phase of this operation is complete, my lord. Looks like everything fell into place like you said it would. It seems we might live after all."
"Good. Cease fire and evasive manoeuvres. We need to make them think the ship is captured. We're coming back to the bridge."
"Please stand alert. Grand Moff Kilran's representative has returned." NR-02 chimed as both Sith and slave entered the deck.
"I'm not Kilran's representative, droid." Aaric growled. His patience towards the droid was wearing thin. "Say that again and I'll make sure you'll be sent back to him limbless!" Whether the droid stopped talking out of perceived fear or otherwise, nobody would know.
"Welcome back to the bridge, my lord." Orzik greeted. "We'll begin interrogation of the prisoners as soon as possible. Once we stopped our fire manoeuvres the Brentaal Star did the same; probably thinking they have control of the ship. We're now inching our way closer to it as we speak. Things will be calm for now until we get within starfighter range in a few minutes."
"Casualties sustained?" Aaric enquired.
"Minimal. Four dead and five injured marines. Personally, I think it's nothing short of spectacular that we lost so few."
"Then the force is with us this time, Captain. Make ready the fighters to launch on my command. Gather up the marines from first, second and third platoons to the hangar bay. Fourth platoon will stay here and run security. We'll board using their own transports."
"Consider it done, my lord."
Before they could leave to prepare, Ensign Brukarra alerted them. "Transmission coming in! Long range... it's a message, but it's not from the Brentaal Star."
The Captain and crew exchanged looks before turning their attention to Aaric. The Sith's eyes narrowed dangerously. It wasn't Kilran, otherwise the Ensign would have told them. No, this was most likely the enemy and he wasn't going to waste any chances.
"Commence with the preparations immediately!" He barked. "Put it through, Ensign."
At his command, the communicator's holoprojector materialised a very tall, slender and feminine figure. Aaric couldn't help but appreciate her shapely body, not that he didn't notice the double-bladed lightsaber clasped at her side. She spoke as soon as she laid her eyes upon him.
"This is Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan hailing unidentified Imperial vessel. I'm en route to your location with sixteen Republic vessels. I'm asking you to retreat before more lives are lost."
Aaric whistled. "The Grand Master of the Jedi Order herself? Its such an honour to make your acquaintance, master Jedi."
"I'm glad to hear a voice of reason. Let us end this conflict together." She replied, almost sounding relieved. "The Brentaal Star is under my protection. Our convoy was ambushed, and I sent the Star ahead. We will reunite."
"Well, now. That's quite an assumption you're making Satele." Aaric smirked. " I daresay you will reunite with your precious Star, but with the general gone and your vessel in tatters."
"Your threats mean nothing, Sith. I just crippled three Imperial dreadnaughts. I don't wish to destroy you. The peace between the Republic and Empire is fragile enough already." She urged.
Aaric tried the more diplomatic approach. "Then tell the Brentaal Star to hand over the General and you will all leave with your lives.
The Grand master, though, held her ground. "It is unfortunate, but I cannot accede to that request. The general has a role to play with the Republic. Incidents like this are happening across the galaxy, but only because we let them. Leave the Brentaal Star to me. If you don't, then may the Force be with you, because the men and women aboard that ship can hold you off until we arrive. And you will be defeated."
"You're deluding yourself. The ship is already mine." Aaric scoffed. In truth, he was showing a brave front to keep morale up. It wouldn't do to falter at the sight of the enemy.
"You've made yourself clear, Sith. But I suggest you prepare to face a Jedi, and you may want to consider what that means." With that, the signal was cut abruptly.
"Entering fighter range. The Brentaal Star has still not yet realised we haven't been captured." Said Ensign Hetter.
"If they didn't know then they'll know now! It's time for phase two of this operation. Scramble the fighters and fire the turbolasers! Prepare the boarding party!" Aaric ordered.
As the attack began in earnest, the Sith turned to leave for the hangar but was stopped by the Captain. "There's one other thing. I promised you my help, so I brought some supplies from the cargo bay. Someone on Dromund Kaas may be disappointed when they don't receive the delivery, but I thought our situation took precedence."
Aaric was slightly surprised. He didn't think that the Captain would go so far to help, but it seemed that his decision to keep him alive was paying off. "Good on you, Captain. I am incredibly impressed by your initiative. I'll note it down in my report when this is over."
"Your words humble me, my lord. We're all simply doing our best here." A small smile graced his lips before turning serious once again.
"I advise that you proceed to the shuttle bay." NR-02 exclaimed. "The flight to the Brentaal Star may be hazardous, but Grand Moff Kilran has complete faith in your abilities."
"Shut up, droid!"
Aaric and Vette were in the Hangar minutes later with three transports behind them as well as three full platoons of Imperial Troopers in front of them standing at attention. On other side of Aaric stood the experimental Combat Support Droid. It was a hulking figure of a machine filled with weapons, fully shielded and armoured with the latest technologies available. He had to thank his lucky stars they had this droid along with them, they would need all the firepower they could get.
"Our objective is a simple snatch and grab, men." The Sith apprentice briefed, "Grand Moff Kilran wants the General dead or alive. But preferably, I want him alive. Kilran's droid will supply us with the shortest route to the General once we get in and hack their systems. First platoon will secure the hangar and secure our exit. Second and third platoon will follow me and fight our way to the General. No theatrics, no playing war hero. Stick to the plan, and I assure most of you will all see the next day. Is that clear?"
"Yes, milord!" The troopers chorused.
"You have your orders, Troopers! Move out!" Lieutenant Gerrell barked as the soldiers hurriedly boarded their shuttle.
"Vette, you'll be following me during this entire operation and you'll follow every single command I give you." Aaric ordered. "Is that clear?"
"Sure thing boss!" The Twi'lek chirped with a mock salute but was met by a deadpan stare in return. Vette quickly realised why and chuckled nervously. "Oh! Heh…Uh... I mean, yes master."
"Don't try anything funny unless I tell you too. This isn't some random skirmish. It's a full-fledged battle and there's a higher chance of you getting hit by a stray laser bolt. So, stick behind cover and provide fire superiority for the troopers." The Sith continued.
"Soooo… basically you're saying, 'be careful and stay safe cuz I'll be depressed if you died!'?" The slave smirked mischievously.
"No. An unscathed Twi'lek slave is worth much more to me alive. I won't let you die before I have had a taste of you. Now get in." Aaric replied unfazed and followed up with a smack to her butt as she passed him , causing her to yelp and pout as she rubbed her stinging asscheek.
"My lord, we are within fighter range. Once you're ready, we will do the same." The Captain radioed in.
"We're all strapped in and good to go, waiting on you." Aaric replied.
"Affirmative my lord. This is Captain Orzik to all ships! You are clear to launch! I repeat: You are clear to launch!"
With a sudden lurch backward, Aaric and company felt their shuttle take off and speed into space. Vette stayed seated in the back with the rest of the troopers while the apprentice himself situated himself in the cockpit so he could assess the situation. The Brentaal Star was dead ahead and they would most probably have heard of their boarding party's failure. It would only be a matter of time before they launched fighters of their own.
"Talon Squadron execute the planned manoeuvre." Aaric ordered through the com-link.
"Affirmative milord." Replied the squadron leader. "Talon squadron, lock S-foils in attack position. Flight three, guard the shuttles. Flight one and two, engage the Republic fighters and keep them away from the shuttles. If we lose them then this operation is done for."
"Yes, sir!" The pilots replied.
They weren't even a third of the way there when turbolaser fire started firing into their formation. Aaric cursed. This was way too early for his liking. Luckily, the Black Talon responded in kind and provided covering fire for them.
"Multiple bogeys on our scanners. Looks like Republic scum coming out to play. Get 'em boys!"
True enough, tiny specks in the distance flew out of the Star's hangar as they hurtled toward their shuttles on an intercept course, and Talon Squadron blasted forward to greet them. The space between the two support ships were then filled with laser fire, explosions and debris. The shuttle Aaric and vette were in rattled with each passing ship and every near-miss. They even lost two of their four fighter escorts to concussion missiles when the pilots of said fighters rammed their ships into the missiles flight path to save the transports.
Aaric could do nothing but trust the skills of the Black Talon's pilots. He berated himself for not researching more on Battle Meditation; a force power which utilised the force and meditation to coordinate allies for maximum efficiency and act as a single entity to counter enemy moves quickly and effectively. The Sith apprentice made a mental note to look it up the Sith archives when he reached Dromund Kaas. Miraculously, all three shuttles neared the Star's hangar without much damage and prepared for a quick and hard landing.
Aaric made his way to the exit hatch of the shuttle, while Vette and the rest of the soldiers unfastened themselves from their seats. Once the shuttle landed and the exit hatch opened, Aaric burst forward with inhuman speed and quickly acquired his first targets.
It was absolute chaos. Like all other times, Aaric led the charge and grabbed the attention of the defending Republic marines while the troopers followed behind him and provided flanking fire. The Sith warrior sped from cover to cover, force pushing cargo pods and debris into the enemy ranks and making it hard for them to return fire. The Republic scum didn't stand a chance and soon were obliterated.
"Lieutenant Gerrell, take your platoon and secure the entrances! The rest of you follow me!" Aaric rallied.
The troopers, running high on their initial success and having a powerful Sith on their side, went to catch up with him. The imperial forces continued to fight their way through the ship, leaving hallways littered with Republic corpses. Aaric was extremely pleased with the Combat Support Droid. It's hulking mass was due to its extra thick durasteel chassis, so it could take a hell of a beating and dish out more firepower in return with its high-powered laser rifle, wrist rocket launchers and coupled together with its advanced onboard targeting systems. It was not slouch in hand to hand combat either as it amused Aaric to see the robot rocket jumping towards enemies and slamming them square in the face, mostly killing them in one hit due to the force snapping their necks.
Vette was taking to the battle in stride and Aaric wondered whether he accidentally made a battle junkie his slave. The Twi'lek was competent if the number dead marines she left behind had anything to say about it. The problem was that that she may have been a tad too enthusiastic in getting into gunfights. Her random cries of "WOOHOO!", "YEAH!" and the odd "IF I DIE, I'M GONNA HAUNT YOU!" together with the occasional thermal detonator she somehow managed to procure almost made him think twice about keeping her… almost.
Strangely enough, she didn't seem to hesitate shooting fellow Twi'lek troopers that she encountered as well. Though he noticed a pained look in her eyes whenever she had to kill female Twi'leks, which weren't many but still quite a few. The Sith decided make a mental note and shuffled it into the back of his mind. He would talk to her about it at a more appropriate time.
Eventually, the boarding party managed to reach the Transport deck and quickly cut down the security detail within. Stabbing a data spike into the computer port, Aaric hacked into the ship's system and opened communication with the Black Talon. A holo projection of NR-02 blurred into view.
"This is protocol unit NR-02. I hope you're receiving this message clearly, and that your flight was free of incident."
"Oh, it was! There were some republic starfighters strafing us and missiles exploding, and we thought we were almost going to die… but yeah! Free of incident!" Vette exclaimed sarcastically.
"That is good to hear." Everyone, even the troopers, rolled their eyes. "Transferring communications to Ensign Brukarra."
"I'm glad you made it my lord." The Ensign breathed a sigh of relief. "I have been scanning the Brentaal Star's communications, and security forces appear to be moving to protect the escape pods. It is extremely likely that the crew is attempting to evacuate the general. I'll navigate you to the fastest path to him. May not be the safest though."
"We all knew what we signed up for. Just get us there." Aaric ordered.
"Right. Get to the engine room. Head straight and turn left at the T-junction. I'll be in contact if the situation changes. Proceed to assault all defence points between you and the target."
"I'll keep that in mind." Aaric replied. "Let's go men!"
The party plunged themselves deeper into the ship once again. Casualties were expected, but minimal. The combat support droid once again proved its worth by alarming the party to several surprise ambushes by the Republic marines. They thought they could hide inside their turbolifts and spring out when they passed by, but the droid's short-distance scanners detected them even through the thick walls of the corvette. Just as they were about to enter the engine room Ensign Brukarra contacted them once again.
"My lord! I'm detecting a sizeable group of hostiles in the engine room, so be cautious. If you can disable the main engines while you're there the Black Talon can reroute more power from the engines to the turbolasers."
"Got it. We'll let you know once we've eliminated the threat." Aaric replied. "Men! Stack up by the sides of the door. The droid and I will enter first then once I've given the order I want all of you to pour into the breach and fire at will. Understood?"
"Yes milord!" The troopers chorused.
Aaric ordered the droid forward and the Sith crouched behind it for cover. "Open it!" Aaric ordered.
The blast doors opened and the droid and Sith duo was almost immediately assaulted by a GRX-7 assault droid which fired its lasers into the Imperials own. The droid managed to stand its ground however, and Aaric quickly threw his lightsaber to the side and directed spinning blade with the force to decapitate the offending droid, stopping its assault.
"Into the breach, men!" Aaric roared as the imperials charged through the doors and began taking up positions behind cover.
"All security forces prepare to fire!" A guttural voice commanded from the other side of the engine room. Aaric peeked around the corner and spotted his new target: A male Mon Calamari suited up in Republic special forces armour. "Whoever you are meat, you're speaking to a Special Forces commander. Show some respect!"
"And you're speaking to a Sith, Republic scum!" Aaric retorted. "Get your ship's Captain to surrender the General and all of your lives will be spared!"
"HA! You'd think we'll give him up so easily?" The commander snarked. "You've got a credit's chance in a Hutt's casino, kid. You think you're tough meat? Part of me was hoping you'd try and board this ship."
"Oh, really? Then I'm glad I could make your hopes come true. Take it as farewell gift from yours truly!" Aaric replied, then turned to Vette who was beside him, "Whoever said Sith can't be diplomatic?"
Vette simply shrugged. "When most Sith actually thrive on violence and war? Huh… could've fooled me."
"For the Brentaal Star! For the Republic!" The Mon Cal roared.
"Open fire!" Aaric ordered.
The entire room erupted into a cacophony of battle cries, explosions and blaster bolts. Aaric ran along the side of the room to outflank the security forces and take out the alien commander while Vette and his troops kept the rest busy. Without the Sith, the Mon Calamari and security forces might have been a match for the Imperial boarding party. Once he took out the rallying figure, the rest would turn coward and fall. A few marines noticed his manoeuvre and attempted to shoot him down but got a deflected blaster bolt back in return.
Once reaching the far side of the room, the Sith leaped onto a cargo pod hanging by a giant claw machine from the roof. This gave him a bird's eye view of the battle as he scanned the area for the special forces commander. Suddenly, blaster bolts flew in his direction and he quickly ducked for cover. He suddenly noticed the shots weren't being shot at him, but at the root of the claw above him. His eyes widened in realisation as the cargo pod began shaking as sparks and screeching of twisted metal grinded his hearing.
The damaged claw fell with the cargo pod and Aaric on it. Just before it hit the ground, the Sith jumped off at the last second and hit the floor rolling. Once he stopped, his force enhanced senses sounded alarm bells in his head as he ignited his lightsaber and blocked a downward slash by a vibroblade threatening to cut him in half. Looking up, the perpetrator was none other than the special forces commander himself.
"The name is Ghulil, Sith scum!" The special forces soldier growled as he tried to push their interlocked blades down onto Aaric's body. "Remember that name when you reach whatever hell you imperials came from!"
Said Sith smirked. "Well, pardon me if I won't give mine republic wretch!" Aaric pushed back with even more strength and followed with a vicious kick to the Mon Cal's torso, throwing the alien back a few metres. Aaric leapt back to his feet and charged at his opponent.
Ghulil was no slouch though and was back on his feet in no time. Just before the Sith could reach him, he swiftly pressed a button on his bracer before having to lock blades with his enemy again. Before Aaric could attach further, a small object blew past his peripheral vision and he was forced to disengage and duck as a plume of flames scorched the air where he once was. Aaric looked up to see a floating drone circling him and attempting to lock onto him again.
The Mon Cal saw his chance and shot at the distracted Sith with his sidearm while getting closer to him. Alone, he knew he stood little chance against the Sith. But with his drone providing some distraction he could press his advantage and get in a hit. His advantage would not last long however.
Aaric frowned as he was being pincered in. Blade in one hand, he instinctively deflected the alien's blaster shots while he extended his palm out towards the annoying flame-throwing drone. The Sith forced pulled the drone from mid air and he threw the offending robot towards the Specforce commander. Said commander reactively ducked as the drone flew past him and crashed into a nearby pile of crates before exploding.
The apprentice grinned as the force of the explosion and flaming plasma took out some Republic marines outright and setting fire to a few more. Ghulil could only watch on in horror as his tactic turned against him. He could do nothing for them, however, as he turned to face the Sith hurtling towards him once again. He fired his sidearm and tried to double back towards his men but Aaric was too quick. With a quick swipe, he cut the sidearm into two and locked blades with the alien again.
While the two commanders personal battle raged on, the shootout between the two sides continued as if they weren't there. Both Republic and Imperial forces had an unspoken understanding between each other and somehow forgone shooting the commanders of the opposing sides whilst they were battling each other. For one, it was so that the commanders wouldn't be killed by friendly fire. On the other hand, it was also because the battles would be too fast paced for the regular troopers to keep up and that would cost them their concentration that could have been used taking out the opposing side.
Aaric ignited his lightfoil and engaged the alien once again. His sustained barrage of cuts and thrusts pierced through the Mon Cal's guard and managed more than his fair share of hits. However, his damned specforce armour made up for his lack of defense.
Ghulil struggled to keep up, but he knew defense wasn't his strong suit. Parrying a lightsaber strike he abruptly lunged forward into Aaric's guard, catching the Sith off-guard and delivered a stinging backhand strike to his opponent's head. The hit caused Aaric to stumble but he managed to regain his composure just as quickly and regain control of the battle.
The Mon Cal continued to press the assault and meet Aaric head on. However, his large swinging strikes kept being parried or dodged by the nimbler Sith. His strength was wearing the alien out and he could tell that his men were losing the battle, but he could not fall back. Not when the General was within the Republic's grasp! Ghulil lunged and thrust his vibroblade, fully intent to drive it deep into his enemy's chest. But Aaric parried the attack and spun past the alien while delivering an elbow strike to the Mon Cal's exposed cranium.
The impact jarred Ghulil's vision and he sprawled onto the ground. The specforce soldier found himself cursing about the lack of specforce helmets designed for aliens like him. He swung behind him in an effort to put some distance between himself and the Sith, but a strong kick interrupted it mid-swing and flung the vibroblade away. Wasting no time, Aaric grabbed Ghulil from the back and slammed him rearwards in a devastating suplex and finished it with a force powered punt which cracked a few of the aliens ribs and flinging him into a pile of cargo where he stayed unmoving.
Seeing their commander getting totalled by the Sith, the Republic marines broke ranks and their defense fell. Seconds later, all were left dead or dying. Aaric paid no attention to them however as he walked right up to his fallen enemy to see him still alive and breathing.
"You have fought well, Commander Ghulil. If it's any respite to you, my name is Aaric Etherall Tritum. Remember that name."
"I… definitely will." The Mon Cal wheezed as blood trickled from his mouth and dripped onto his suit. "See you in hell Imperial scum."
"Likewise." Aaric gave a slight nod towards his enemy as a form of respect, then abruptly stabbed his lightsaber straight into the alien's heart. His last breath escaped his lips before his webbed form relaxed. "Rally up men! Disable the main engines then move out!"
"Aye, milord!"
With their first major hurdle gone, the boarding party continued onto their primary objective. As they breezed through the defences at the munitions depot, Vette kindly suggested they take out the munitions power consoles which would reduce the Star's turbolaser energy output significantly and allow the Talon to close the gap between the two ships without risking more damage. Aaric took to the idea well and ordered the imperial troopers to do so. It seemed that Vette was well-versed with ships in addition to being a gunslinger sleuth.
It took them a little more time than initially planned, but they managed to cripple the power to the Star's weapons systems. However, the amount of time they took allowed the Star to activate their Tri-pedal GXR-7 command droid. Essentially a larger and more powerful version of the GXR-7 Sentinel. Eventually, they entire party managed to bring down the robot. But not before reducing their troops to almost half of their original number.
The troopers were worried about their chances now that they had lost a significant amount of men. But at least they still had a capable Sith apprentice and his slave. But then again, who cared about what they thought?
The remaining members ploughed through the rest of the way to the transport deck and took a final turbolift down to the escape pods. The marines became more desperate as they closed in on the General's location. Each of them seemed to try acting like a hero and sacrificed their lives meaninglessly by exposing themselves and wantonly firing their blasters in overdrive. Not that it slowed down Aaric even one bit.
Ultimately, they reached the final blast door to the escape pods. When Aaric tried to open them however, the door shook. Sparks flew and sounds of metal scrunching were heard. He tried again, but still to no avail. Looks like it was time for more aggressive negotiations.
On the other side, a pink skinned Twi'lek Jedi ran over to her ward just as she damaged the very blast door stopping the imperials from barging in.
"The escape pods aren't far now. You can make it on your own General." She explained.
"And what about you?" The obese and balding man enquired.
The only physical barrier left between them exploded outwards from Aaric's force push. Littering the bodies of two republic marines standing guard with pieces of said blast door and killing them instantly.
"I will face my destiny." She spoke with conviction. "Go now, my friend."
As Aaric and Vette strode over to their final hurdle to the General, the Sith gave a vicious grin. His final opponent was a Jedi! Now he would be able to gauge his strength properly against a worthy foe. What caught his attention even more was that said Jedi was a young and nubile female Twi'lek! Oh, this opened so many different avenues for him. Killing her was definitely out of the picture now.
"Halt where you are. I am Yadira Ban, Padawan of the Jedi Order. I was sent to protect the general, and you shall not pass." The Jedi stated with as much authority in her voice as she could muster.
Aaric chuckled at her feeble attempt to scare him away with her big girl voice and cute beady eyes. To him, she looked more like a child having a temper tantrum. "We could do this the easy way: Give me the General, and your ship can survive. Or the even easier way: The General in my hands anyway and you on your knees sucking my cock."
"W-what?!" The peach skinned Twi'lek sputtered at Aaric's second option with disgust. However, that did not stop her from blushing at the overtly sexual statement. "I cannot accept that you v-vile, s-s-sexual deviant!"
"Wow! We got a real prude on our hands, eh master?" Vette grinned mischievously. "Seriously, you need to tone it down on the celibacy girl."
"Oh, and wouldn't you like to tell me how much more sexual experience you have over her?" Aaric shot back.
"Uhh… well, not much actually." She muttered abashedly, cursing her owner's wit.
"I rest my case."
"B-but it's still more than her!"
"S-silence scum! Looks like I would do the whole galaxy a service by eliminating such s-s-sexual d-deviants such as you!" Yadira stammered. Her peachy cheeks staining more pink by the minute. "A Jedi does not surrender the innocent into the hands of evil. But I intend to drive you back, meter by meter, if need be. Just as the Republic pushed the Sith Empire into the dark of the galaxy."
"Then there's no way we can settle this peacefully?" said Aaric.
"No, not anymore I fear." The Jedi shook her head sadly, then ignited her lightsaber and pointed the bright green blade right at him. "You may run or you may stand your ground. But you'll go no farther. You aren't going to win this. I swear it."
"Oh, you don't know how wrong you really are." Aaric ignited both saber and foil, giving his opponent the customary Makashi salute. "
The Jedi shifted into her opening stance which Aaric recognised immediately: A balanced two-handed guard with legs spread apart. Textbook for a Ataru practitioner, and a style the Sith was more than confident in defeating.
"Lieutenant! Bring your men and my slave with you. Skirt the edge of the room around the Jedi and capture the General! I'll keep this Jedi youngling busy!" Aaric ordered.
"Oh no you don't!" Yadira force leapt sideways in an attempt to intercept the party, but was suddenly rammed out of the way by the combat support droid and landing both as a tangled mess on the ground. The droid managed to get itself on top and pulled its arm back to deliver a cranium-crushing punch, but the Jedi was faster and swiftly decapitated the offending robot before force pushing it aside. Yadira had no time to get her bearings though, as she was sudden assaulted by a staccato of crimson blades. The Jedi barely managed to parry them before leaping rearward to get some distance.
"Never take your eyes off your opponent. Or did the Jedi not teach you that, youngling?" Aaric sniped.
"That's 'Padawan' to you, Sith." Yadira replied. "You can stop this and end the war before it starts. I don't want to kill you."
"Will you blow me if you do?" Aaric snarked.
"W-what?!" The prude reeled in disgust.
"I'm saying I can call off my men from the General if you agree to give me a blowjob here and now." The Sith replied in the most nonchalant way possible.
"Enough of your jokes you lecherous monster! DIE!" Yadira screeched then charged at her opponent.
"Who ever said Sith never tried to be diplomatic?" Aaric muttered.
The Sith apprentice decided to stay on the defensive and observe his opponent. She began her assault with a plethora of force-assisted acrobatics utilising somersaults and leap strikes. For Aaric, it was like he was the eye of the storm as he elegantly parried and deflected fast multiple strikes from all directions. Her body bent and twirled in a myriad of ways, showcasing her flexible body and lithe figure. It was almost like watching a dance and the he was enjoying the show immensely.
After a full minute, Yadira ceased her barrage and leapt back to take a breather. She was panting and sweating, but the opponent before her looked as if he just did a light workout. Despite all her strong handed attacks, her Sith opponent dealt them with ease. And with such economical moves no less! He was truly different from what she was taught about the Sith in general. They were supposed to be channelling their rage into the battle, and her Ataru form was best suited for one on one combat. This man was calm, cool and collected. It was starting to grate on her nerves!
"Getting a wee bit tired there youngling?" Aaric taunted.
"Just getting warmed up, Sith." The Padawan grinned. She still had some tricks up her sleeve. "Prepare yourself!"
Once again, Yadira launched herself at him. Just before she got into striking distance, she leaped overhead and attempted to strike at his cranium. Aaric recognised the tactic, though, and parried it. The Jedi's legs hadn't touched the ground when she her body was sent flying into a pillar by a well-timed force push.
Aaric chuckled. Ataru indeed was best used against single opponents, but it worked best against the typical Sith warrior utilizing Shien or Djem-So while channelling their hate through them. Against Aaric however, no style was safe from exploit. The key to defeating Ataru was to take advantage of the practitioner being in mid-air every few seconds. While in mid-air, they had physically no way of changing their position. This made them open to force attacks which were hard to block unless facing against a highly trained and experienced practitioner.
Again and again, the young Padawan assaulted the Sith with a burst of lightsaber attacks before doubling back and trying again. While she expended her energies attempting to break through his defense, Aaric was patiently biding his time and using at little energy himself. Whenever there was an opening, he would exploit it top its fullest. As skilled as Yadira was, she seemed too hyper focused on their battle to realise just how he was able to counter attack so effectively. This frustrated her to no end, her patience was wearing thin and in no time she would be running on fumes.
Aaric decided that he'd seen enough. This girl was worthy to be captured and turned. Instead of force pushing the Jedi while she was in mid-air. The Sith force choked her, telekinetically stopping her motions and hanging her in thin air while she dropped her lightsaber and put her hands around her throat, struggling to breathe.
Aaric's grin turned malicious. The Padawan at his mercy, he pulled and threw her into another pillar which cracked upon impact. Then smashed her back onto the floor and flung her across the hall to the other side, leaving her crumpled on the floor.
"You fight just how a young one should." Aaric strutted towards his opponent. "Energetic, nothing held back. Admirable, but mistaken. The key is to know yourself and study your weaknesses, then shoring up the defences so there can be no weaknesses to exploit, then almost nothing can surprise you."
Yadira simply glared at him. "The dark side of the force must have blinded you then. Cause this fight isn't over yet!"
The Jedi got into an unusual stance he didn't recognise and raised his lightsaber just in case. But instead of another physical attack, he suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure upon his person. He tried to move his body but found unable to do so as if every inch of his body was overcome with an extremely heavy weight. The Sith looked up and saw the unmistakable ripple across the air that was saturating the area around the Jedi. She was using some sort of gravity manipulation perhaps?
This was dangerous. He couldn't be in a position where he was hard-pressed to move. Channelling the force into his body he attempted to move his legs out of sheer will and managed to do so with some success. But it was still too slow for his liking. He had to get out of this area of effect!
Without warning, Yadira snapped her eyes open and leapt into the air. The moment she landed, the ripple that was surrounding her exploded outwards and Aaric was sent flying back a good distance away. He landed and rolled on the ground but was able to pick himself back up quickly and realised that the overwhelming pressure was gone.
So, this was her trick up her sleeve. This was getting very interesting. A force user who could entrap almost any living being around her with the force and then emit a force blast that could have killed or incapacitated them. This young one had more potential that he realised. If he could turn her to the dark side, it would serve him very well in the future other than being another warm hole for his pleasure.
"So, how'd you like that Sith?" Yadira taunted. Her breathless form taking away some of the intended effect, though.
Aaric stared at her incredulously, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh that was good Yadira! Very good indeed. Exceptional application of your force powers. I can see why the Grand Master Satele Shan picked you for this mission. Your potential will be most useful to me."
"I will never serve under you!" She spat.
"Oh, come now. Look at yourself, you're exhausted and killing you will bring no joy to me. Come to the dark side, and I'll make sure the General lives." Aaric offered.
"Otherwise," He continued, "I could bring him here and slowly kill him right in front of you."
That got a reaction from her. Aaric could see the anger building up in her eyes. "My men should have captured him alive by now. Grand Moff Kilran wants him either alive or dead so it doesn't matter what happens to him in the end. Perhaps you care for him? A pity… then I will slowly dismember him limb by limb, with my lightsaber, starting with the fingers then the toes then his arms and legs until he is limbless but still very much alive. Until finally, when he is on death's door and you are broken will I then give him permission to die."
Each word punctured Yadira's heart. She couldn't fail now! She wasn't going to let the General die! If she did, it would all be her fault and Master Satele would not find her worthy of being a Jedi Knight! She was exhausted, hopeless and could do nothing… and it was all his fault. Not hers! IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF HIM!
"You will… not take him FROM ME!" Yadira growled. Her pink eyes flashing for a moment into a dirty yellow, a sign of corruption.
Yes… that's it. Come to me little Padawan! Aaric smirked.
With a inhuman roar, Yadira pounced and summoned her lightsaber to her hands once again. She fell on top of her hated enemy with what Aaric recognised as the falling leaf technique, with the intention of splitting him in two from top to bottom. Crimson met emerald in a clash of sparks as Jedi and Sith interlocked blades. Aaric could feel enhanced strength coming from the petite Twi'lek as she tried to push him back, but the apprentice's natural strength was more than enough to keep him unmoving.
He stared into her eyes filled with rage and said. "Good, Yadira. Good! You've learnt to delve into your hate! Now take the final step and strike me down if you can!"
With the Padawan's mind swirling with hatred and self-doubt, she let herself be goaded and let out a guttural scream as she put all her strength into one last push against her opponent. "DIEEEEEE!"
Grinning triumphantly at pushing her over the edge, Aaric took the opportunity that Yadira never realised how close their bodies were. The Sith thrust a force-powered knee into her gut with enough strength to fracture her lower rib. The action caused Yadira to disengage and double over with a mixture of pain and the urge to vomit. Before she could follow up with either of those sensations, Aaric sped over to her and gave her a good whack on the back of her head with the butt of his lightsaber causing her to fall onto the ground unconscious.
The fight was over. And now, he had a new toy to play with.
Aaric arrived on the scene with his new acquisition unconscious and promptly slung over his shoulder. Everyone there stared at him for a second but turned away. Knowing better than to question the decisions of a Sith. All of the troopers had their rifles aimed at him.
"You can put aside your weapons. I won't try to run." The portly, balding man wheezed. "Besides, I doubt I'd make it to an escape pod without my intestines spilling out."
"How did you get injured?" Aaric enquired.
"Unlucky. Caught in your ship's attack. I'm told the wounds aren't fatal, but that doesn't help the pain." The General replied defeatedly. "I was a general in the Imperial Military Service. Did they tell you that when they sent you here? Did they even know?"
For a moment, Aaric was motivated to cut him down then and there. But logic and common sense held him back. Keeping him alive would benefit the empire better than dead now. "Why would you betray the Empire? You were a servant of the Sith Empire. You should have been honoured to obey."
"If you knew what I knew, you'd understand. If you'd hear what both sides are plotting, you wouldn't be eager to restart this war." He sounded panicked and desperate now. "They're building doomsday weapons. Shields that envelop planets; missiles that darken suns. Republic and Empire are planning to raze worlds and annihilate civilisations. It will be unlike anything the galaxy's seen since the Great Hyperspace War. And it's too late to stop it, the so-called peace is already lost."
The Sith scoffed. Conflict was part of nature, part of the universe. Everlasting peace is and always was a lie. He would let the General wallow in despair. "I've heard enough of this."
"Yes. I shouldn't expect you'd care." The General sighed. "You have me, then. Me, my stomach full of blood and my implant full of cybernetic secrets and stolen plans. What will you do?"
"I'm going to bring you to my ship. From there, you'll be transported to Dromund Kaas and taken into Imperial custody." Aaric stated.
"Where I'll be tortured or executed, or at best placed in a cell for the rest of my life. Still, there's nowhere in the galaxy where I could truly hide. I will follow you." The General held his head low.
"All men get to the escape pods. It'll take too much time for all of us to get back to the hangar. We'll return to the Black Talon through them!" Aaric commanded.
"Aye, milord!" The party chorused.
As everyone boarded the pods, Aaric contacted Captain Orzik via his holocommunicator. "Captain Orzik. Prepare a holding cell, we have the General alive and in custody. We will be using the Brentaal Star's escape pods and leaving the transports behind. A pity we couldn't scutter them though."
"Way ahead of you my lord!" Vette chirped, holding a detonator in her hand. With a press of the button, a muffled explosion could be heard throughout the ship. "I programmed the transports to self-destruct before leaving them, smart huh?"
"Heh, well done Vette." Aaric smirked.
"Captain Orzik here. Information acknowledged. I assume congratulations are in order. I'm sure the droid and Grand Moff Kilran will be pleased to have the General alive. As soon as you're aboard, we'll jump to lightspeed. Republic reinforcements could arrive any minute. Orzik out."
The trip back was bumpy but otherwise uneventful. What remained of the starfighter squadron were able to cover their retreat and everyone managed to return to the ship before it escaped back into hyperspace. The General was put in a cell while the Jedi was placed in a stasis field to keep her from waking up and using her powers. After that matter was settled, Vette and Aaric went back to the bridge.
"Well, the heroes of the day return." Captain Orzik exclaimed cheerfully.
"Welcome back, my lord!" Ensign Hetter.
"Congratulations, my lord! I never expected the mission to go off this cleanly." The Captain smiled brightly. He looked like he was trying to stop himself from grinning.
Aaric deadpanned. "I'm touched by your enthusiasm."
"What's not to be pleased about? You spared my life, and we eliminated an enemy of the Empire." Orzik replied.
Before he could say any further, NR-02 interjected. "Grand Moff Kilran is eagerly awaiting your report. Shall I put him through?"
Everyone sighed. No one wanted to see or listen to the Grand Moff again. But they had to whether they liked to or not. When the Captain gave Aaric a worried look, the Sith nodded back to him. "It's your command again, Captain. It's your call now."
Orzik nodded. "Put the Grand Moff through."
"Opening channel now." NR-02 beeped. Immediately, the projection of Kilran's scarred face materialised.
"Well," Kilran exclaimed with a satisfied smirk which irritated Aaric to no end. "how fortunate I could reach my friends aboard the Black Talon. The droid's been keeping me apprised of you work, but I very much wanted to hear from you. How did the attack go?"
"There was a lot of blood shed today, Kilran." Aaric stared menacingly at the Moff. "I hope it was worth it."
"Oh, I'm quite certain it was. Blood is cheap, after all. You should be proud." The Moff replied cheerfully as everyone else gave him a disgusted look. "This is one of many operations we've been conducting across the galaxy; it's a new beginning to the war. The General was one of the greatest weapons the Republic had: a defector! And you've snatched him form enemy hands. I'll remember this, and I'll make sure you're rewarded."
Aaric continued to stare impassively at the grinning Moff. Frankly, he hated his guts. But he could not wave off the benefits that came with the recognition from Kilran himself and going against him would be suicide on his part, both figuratively and literally. He would have to let it slide… this time. "In that case, go ahead and spread the word of my success. The name Aaric Etherall Tritum shall be one of fear and respect."
"I'll make sure your heroism is mentioned when I report to the other Moffs." Kilran replied bemusedly. "But my words hardly matter. Soon you'll be joining us on the home world, and you can see for yourself what you've been fighting for. It should be inspiring. Enjoy the rest of your journey. Kilran out."
Once the projection dematerialised, Aaric activated his lightsaber and swung out at NR-02, decapitating the droid in a single slice. The severed head rolled across the floor and the rest of the robot's body crumpled as sparks emanated from the exposed wires. Everyone stared at the Sith in shock. It was the first time anyone saw the Aaric lose his cool. It was only for a sliver of time, however, and he immediately deactivated his weapon. He turned to the Captain who was wondering whether he would be next.
"I shall now return to my quarters, Captain." Aaric said calmly. "Rest assured you as well as your crew will be mentioned in my own report to Darth Baras. I'm sure he could pull some strings and assign you all a better role to fill within the Navy."
Without waiting for a reply, Aaric motioned Vette to follow him and left the bridge. He needed to destress after this entire fiasco after all. And he knew just about the best way to do it.