[17 BBY]

[Eriadu Authority Republic Navy Venerable-class Star Destroyer Dark Lady, Taskforce Crimson, Republic 5th Fleet, in orbit Batuu, Trilon Sector, Outer Rim Territories]

There was a slow building tension in the Force Asajj Ventress could feel and had been feeling as the Dark Side coiled as on the eve of a battle. Whether it was a good side, or a bad one, was yet to be decided Asajj considered as she stood on the bridge of her new Venerable-class Star Destroyer, watching a pair of TIE starfighters scream by on the screens. Artificial ones rather than the true bridges of the Venator, all very much like the Separatist models she'd served on under her former master than the ones the Republic had favoured. The Neimodians did like their nice, safe, armoured bridges after all.

"Captain Dylert, your report" she asked as her s subordinate approached her in regard to latest ship to be seized by her taskforce. That was what the two TIE fighters were engaged in after all, playing escort while the would-be slavers were transferred from the, now Republic, freighter over to the prison barge. Which itself had been a captured, and now repurposed, slaver freighter, though that one had been heavily modified for that task, or built that way, and as such could serve better as a prison barge. It wasn't much good for anything else in Asajj's own opinion…and they certainly had begun to fill it in their, relative brief, time here. Quite a good joke really, her, the Sith, the Separatist turncoat, out here on the outer most fringe of the Rim bringing Republic Law!

'Especially with the Galactic Republic in its death throes!' she thought with some amusement as the green-grey skinned Solemite gave her a salute, all the image and feel of a professional soldier in his white-grey-black with crimson trim of the new Republic military. He handed her the data-pad report if she wished to review it, and Asajj did a quick scroll after nodding in reply to his salute "Commodore. Fifteen slaves, along with contraband as listed. More relevantly the captain and first made had the same…mind issues as suspected. They also had a ysalamir aboard"

Asajj frowned at that, nodded "Ah, so it seems some enterprising sentient would find one to bring even out here…have all the prisoners given full medical check ups in case any more of them have similar tampering on their brains. Have the captain and first mate, and any other deemed influenced, imprisoned in the quarantine cells till we can deliver them"

Captain Dylert nodded after accepting back the data pad "Yes Ma'am, and the lizard?"

"Have it brought to secure storage in the charge of our good doctor, remind her to ensure it remains healthy and secure" Asajj noted studying the tactical display, the Force quietly tense around her "Hmmm…also, have the Ready squadron launched on secondary CCP, and bring the Reserve squadron to Ready status"

Her subordinate raised an eyebrow in question "Trouble Commodore?"

"A feeling Captain, just a feeling…and they could do with the extra flight time regardless. Is there anything else?"

"No Commodore, as you command, so shall it be" the captain replied, saluting, and then returning to the stations to ensure her will was carried out promptly. It didn't hurt to have an extra close combat patrol active if the possibility of attack seemed as high as it did. Starfighters was the one thing her taskforce lacked in numbers unfortunately as she continued to study the tactical holo-displays, watching the TIEs launch. Her Venerable-class Star Destroyer, while in many ways a turbolaser and armour heavier reskin of the Venator with a bridge in the hull…but it came at the sacrifice of the space for starfighters. And, right now, her taskforce's starfighters came from her Dark Lady as such, along with about forty vulture droid-fighters aboard the Glorious Rebirth, a Munificent-class frigate which was a nuisance.

Oh, she was well secured against her former allies droid-fighter tactics, or generally against starfighter attack, in her two Cataphract-class frigates and eight assorted gunship type escorts. The Cataphracts were top-of-the-line, for the Outer Rim, and designed for that purpose after all, and while she didn't rate the former patrolcraft very highly, they were fast, and very well-armed…against starfighers. In truth she should have her refitted carrier Acclamator in the formation, but that had been one of 'reverse reinforcements' as Daron had called it on their last discussion. The five-armed freighters with her didn't count in Asajj's view, not when she was here indicting, and therefore provoking, these mysterious Grysk.

Even if one of them was her 'sensor ship' and flashed up hyperspace readings at a distance somewhat over an hour later on their scopes. With the tension in the Force, and the need to maintain a high guard, Asajj took no chances and raised her taskforces alert status. She'd been carefully manoeuvring her taskforce the entire time they'd been in-system to ensure it stayed outside of any hyper shock tactics, just in case any potential enemies had superior sensors to they did. Two rotating minefields oscillated around two of the approach vectors secondly, even if it was nuisance, an annoyance, to maintain by the feeling of several of her crews. But they liked being alive even more, so the strategy had been maintained…

"Multiple hyperspace emergences" her subordinate called out from sensors, tactical displays flashing with red icons "Sector one-nine-delta-six-alpha. Reading four…make that seven…eight…make that nine heavy cruiser sized vessels, even more small craft still. They are launching starfighters"

Asajj nodded, the Force with her, deliberately radiating her force of will, her determination and focused passion as she folded her arms across her chest, nodding "Communications. Broadcast my words, wideband"

"Yes Commodore" the female there replied activating her comms "You are…live"

Asajj gave the barest of nods, standing on the holo-display circle "Unknown vessels, this is Commodore Asajj Ventress representing the Galactic Republic. You have entered a Republic exclusion zone. Recall you starfighters, power down your weapons state your allegiance, and we will greet you in peace if peace exists between us"

'Blah, blah, blah, blah…now, be good fellows and make yourselves the aggressors, since you clearly are the invaders and slavers into this region' she wanted to say, but maintained a calm, cold, demeanour. Starting a fight was very much against orders, and against the desires of everyone in the Oversector as the forces were needed on the other side of the galaxy. But it was very clear that this species was intent on conflict, and they had made deals with Asajj's former master…so, the first shots weren't to be fired by her side. Even if the cursed Jedi cowering under the Stormcrow's wings had butchered some pirates serving, either directly or indirectly was unknown, this likely Grysk force.

"They are transmitting Ma'am…"

Asajj gestured for her communications officer to put it through "We drink your blood and rape your minds and the broken husks will live to service us"

"How…banal. Children make better threats. I do hope you can back them up" she replied to them, gesturing with a hand cut and had the feed cut for broadcast. Stepped forward and asserted dominance and a sense of strength to her subordinates, gesturing with that hand towards the enemy formation starting to race towards her own "Sound Battle Stations, launch all TIEs and have the Glorius Rebirth launch its Vultures. Have them form up behind and below the Dark Lady, gunships and cataphracts to formation delta-two. Course change as follows, bracket their small-craft vanguard when enter our range"

"As you command Commodore"

She could feel the bloodlust off the forces charging towards them, starfighters leading the way in a large wave, though it was nothing on a Separatist droid swarm. They were fast though and manoeuvring aggressively in their formations instead of simply charging forward as it looked like at a glance. Asajj could already tell her true problem was going to be the warships, as sensors scans were showing quite heavy weapons emplacements, even if they had no idea of shield strength as yet. The many heavy cruisers were likely too much for her to engage if they had comparable firepower to their Republic or Separatist equivalents…

"Course correction as follows, increase sub-light speed to max burn…" Asajj detailed as she updated on her displays, Captain Dylert at her side, noting the locations of her minefield hemispheres and the various gravity wells near her forces. Curving around the lunar orbit made it appear she might be breaking for hyperspace, but it also forced the enemy fighter screen to turn their own formation as they were so nearer to her than their following starships. They wouldn't have to curve towards her, instead their course, slower, much slower, than the starfighters, and would, potentially, have to skirt her 'starboard' minefield to close with her on her new vector.

"Enemy small-craft entering firing arcs…batteries firing. Glorious Rebirth firing anti-fighter missiles"

"Should we intercept with our fighters Ma'am?" Captain Dylert queried quietly as the tactical officer called out what was happening as the enemy screen raced towards her formation. Heavy quantities of light turbolaser fire lashed out directed by a combination of droid minds, 'dumb' systems as the Stormcrow named them, all under organic direction. The gunships were useful, but the direct fire of the two escort frigates already showed themselves as the furthers forward enemy starfighters died.

"No, TIEs to attack formation here, Vultures to remain guarding these sectors. Our TIEs can swing around as so" she directed, listening, feeling, the ebb and flow of battle "Those starfighters are shielded?"

"Yes Commodore" her tactical officer called out "It's taking at least two hits to take them down"

'Hmm, there goes the advantage of our TIEs being shielded. But those numbers aren't great' she thought, nodding and gesturing "Focus fire on those bombers, don't let them close with us. Deploy full countermeasure spread"

Captain Dylert frowned "They are…determined"

"Fanatical" she replied simply as the star-fighters, despite their speed and shields, were being shredded by her taskforces combined. Shredded but the bombers were still trying to bore on her Venerable and Munificent as the escorting fighters attempted to serve as shields for them. It unfortunate for them then that these systems had evolved from dealing with massed droid-fighter swarms. Moreso as they were intended to face tri-fighter droid-fighters, and the last of the bombers died even as their launched torpedoes impacted against shields or detonated against launched 'noisemaker' countermeasures. The star-fighters were still attacking thought, but…

"Send in the vultures" she commanded coldly gesturing with her hand "And have the TIEs engage that second wave. Let's try kill as many as we can…ah, excellent"

Asajj gave a faint smile as first one, then another, of the enemy ships hit her 'starboard' mine hemisphere, explosions flashing in space, as icons flashed on the tactical displays "Tactical, confirmation?"

"Significant damage on Hostile-04, with…yes, Hostile-06 slowing…secondary detonations"

She frowned, the starfighter battle now joined, but currently relatively one-sided "Shield strength is just below Republic equivalent ranges this appears to show?"

Captain Dylert went over to that station, looking over the officer's shoulder at the station as the young human nodded, pointing at the screen. Her subordinate looked back to her "Yes Commodore, with twenty-five percent weaker at best case estimates, but near ninety-percent on higher system estimates"

Her blood was up, and she wanted to fight….

But that would be a bad idea tactically, and likely strategically. They had sensor data, and the enemy formation was slowing, adjusting vectors to avoid the mines…

Asajj focused, controlled herself "Course change, max sub-light burn…take us away from the enemy and prepare for immediate hyperspace jump. Recall star-fighters as soon as eliminate the enemies, or upon our reaching point delta here…"

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