[17 BBY]

[Command Bridge, Eriadu Authority Capital-class Warship Stormcrow, Strikeforce Templar, Republic 5th Fleet, exiting hyperspace unnamed system, edge of Outer Rim Territories-Wildspace Border Systems]

The Force was with us…

Because I was making it be with us. It was more Sith than Jedi in terms of concept, even if my emotions were calm, serene, and utterly focused right now. I disliked utilising Battle Meditation for this, even 'weakly' as I was doing now, but needs must as it were. These Grysk had been growing increasingly aggressive in recent days, there was a supposed powerful Force User of unknown allegiance running around, and now we here was on the clock somewhat. It looked as if the Bothans had changed their side in the wars, from Palpatine over to the Confederacy of Independent Systems…and that was bad even if we'd already been at war with the Bothans.

Now the Confederates had hyperlane access, or soon would have access to, much of the worlds assigned to Lucas Geen's First Fleet. If the Bothans were actively assisting then the situation was about to get very dicey and recall orders from High Command were noted as very possible in the coming months, maybe even in coming weeks. All just after we'd reached an agreement, even if very basic, with Ahsoka's guarded Senator representing the Corellian group, and Ventress had fought a skirmish over Batuu. The Grysk had come forward in force, and my plans of a careful, potentially drawn out, defensive border war had just been thrown out the window.

Oh, the same applied to my anti-pirate operations from here to Bespin. I just didn't have time to continue with my intended 'softly-softly' approach of simply interdicting the pirates while finding out as much information as possible. There would be little time for amnesties, or for turning a few here and there, or subtly and diplomacy unfortunately. No now all that was left to me was aggression and the simple question of who was the better killer, or, perhaps, who had the most firepower to achieve that killing. Whatever the exact wording there was a ticking clock and I had to either fail or rise to give the answer…

"Realspace emergence in thirty seconds!"

…which was why I stood on my bridge, bathed in the Force, my taskforces recombined with Asajj's and Yurdan's into a powerful strike force. Why both Aayla Secura and Celeste Morne were in hypercapable starfighters spearheading my best starfighter squadrons. Why Naa'leth and Karis stood with me on the bridge as more than just bodyguards. Why I was throwing a small fortune's worth of probe droids into barely explored systems backed up by the best 'sensor and electronic warfare' ships and systems in my Fifth Fleet. Well, if I couldn't be subtle or patient…

"Tactical plots updating from probe droid…enemy in position at…"

I heard the words. I saw and felt the shock of real space as we 'shock charged' out of hyperspace right up against the 'enemy' formation and 'space station' before us. There would be no subtly here, and even if I had to use a sledgehammer to crush a nut then I'd do just that. But, even the no subtly rampage didn't start with nothing as I coldly watched the two Grysk cruisers near the pirate station and dozen assorted vessels of varying sizes and designs. All around a 'space station' that seemed to be some unholy combination of a large asteroid with two large, ancient looking, cargo freighters 'attached' to it. Maybe crashed to it once upon time and then built unto it. It had certainly taken a little effort with both the force and scouting to find.

"Blackout protocols. None escape" I ordered across the Fleetnet, though it was unnecessary in many ways, as the flow of prepared orders was a raging now. The full power of the Stormcrow was deployed to blanket all known and suspected communication channels with 'Surrender or Die' on repeat. While also effectively serving to stop comms out of the system more importantly. I gestured with my hand "Ion canons. Fire"

We were gross overkill for this between my dozen Star Destroyers/Battleships, let alone the support vessels and already deployed wings of ARC-170s and modified Z-95 variants. But I was taking no chances here, and the Force sang as the enemy came awake in response to our arrival. Feeling the shock and the terror, and we pushed unto it, slowing their response times…feeling the 'hollow minds' that the Grysk seemed to do with their abilities somehow. It made some of those slaves fanatical…but also slow-witted and open to the nasty touch of a Battle Meditation. I lashed out with the Force even as Ion canons fired at larger vessels, even as two Jedi led squadrons raced in to annihilated any of those most likely to escape.

My mind saw/felt the icon called Grysk-Two planning to try to get away while the other sacrificed itself. It was annoyingly fast thinking, though perhaps a prepared contingencies based on how hard it was to find them and their mental powers. No matter, they were primaries, and I had no need to point this out as ion canons targeted both vessels, followed up by Y-wings and ARC-170s screaming in to eliminate their turbolaster batteries as well as knock out their engines for sure. A pirate cruiser got harsher treatment; - I needed (some of) the Grysk alive, but the pirates…less so I noted as the vessel was pounded into a smoking ruin within the first two minutes of our arrival in system.

Within my formation TIEs and droid-fighters were already storming out in a ready mass launch, copying the swarm tactics of the Confederates as they either charged to eliminate small-craft, or moved to protect the larger shuttles also flying out with them. Because this was a shock and awe style assault, and if I was in a hurry, I had to drag the information from my enemies somehow, by whatever means I could. So, droid filled shuttles, our 'suicided sleds' raced out at max speed, with B-1R Commando droids and Droidekas led by personal droid bodyguards and a retrained Tactical Droid 'Barnaby'. The Grysk were mind-benders after all, and that would be taken into account…

Their shields down, their turbolaser batteries destroyed, and engines gutted within mere minutes the two warships and the 'space station' were in no way prepared for our 'suicide sleds' to slam into them. Though it was more a 'thud' as replusorlifts triggered just before impact to slow them so that they latched unto the hull of then targets. Cutting lasers triggered instantly, working to cut holes in the hull, though that took several minutes itself as my formation brutally dealt with the pirate 'squadron' that had been in attendance. Only two ships, both rather small frigates, had the time to actual surrender before everyone else was dead or being stormed like the station and the Grysk cruisers.

But I watched on the tactical displays as the breaches began to occur on the enemy ships, as icons closed in for sensor scans on the ships internals. Watched as the (mostly) non-lethal neurotoxins and another of paralysis gas canisters were exploded into the targeted vessels at each of the breaches before the droids began to storm through in numbers. Tactical feed from the assault teams appeared on my tactical holo-displays as the system was now secured, a combat space patrol forming up in case anyone had the bright idea to try catch us in this position. Nothing came, and I watched Aaron and Abigail emerge from the gas clouds on squad four all dual wielded lightsabers slicing and killing those resisters that were managing to resist due to some having some masks or whatnot on.

Those things were also good for cutting through the security doors too as Zorro and Zeta-Jones cracked open one such obstacle. From here I could feel resistance crumble at the combination of speed and deployment of special weapons against a foe that seemed not to priories crew safety. Slavers tended to be like that after all, and the poisons were circulating through the ship freely now, and the 'awake minds' over there falling one by one to such things, or to our hard charging boarders. Bridge, Engines, and the Armoury, were our goals to seize control, and prevent them scuttling their vessels before we could grab the nav computers or whatever their equivalents were.

Even in its death throes this was the power of the Galactic Republic unleashed. If subtly wasn't available, then overwhelming force and terror would be my tactics in crushing the barbarians at the gates…

"Never thought to see the day I'd be glad to see so many clankers in action" one of our 'military observers' said as I stood immersed in the force, feeling his discomfort despite the calm and professional tone, and lack of any outward show. I quite like Commander Rex, even if we were putting on quite the unfortunate display for him, Ahsoka, and the good Senator so we could send a message to Corellia. Oh, we'd even hand over copies of captured military logs, likely mildly redacted, even!

"When your enemy can influence organics by as yet unknown means, then droids are very useful" I replied cold and serene within the Force. This was all a horse and pony show, the opposite of Mokivj where we showed but also hid the mines and any mention of such from them "And these particular unknown aliens are quite the problematic slavers considering their clear intention to raid Republic system and connections with the Confederacy. Now, apologies"

I motioned at the icons "Teams four and two to concentrate on capturing the organics in those sections…"

There I could 'feel' were important…someones…worth capturing, and two of my person retinue and the commando droids changed their routes to adjust. Storming in and dealing with the feel survivors who'd managed to get on hazard suits or spacesuits and attempt a defence. It didn't last long, the more dangerous killed, and the rest stunned in consciousness. The assault had taken less then twenty minutes all in all, and I ordered the clock reset.

We had two more systems to purge this day after all…

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