Boyzilla: Thank you for your compliments.
Reaper200851: There you sound like a 21st-century Hearthling. The inhabitants of the Star Wars galaxy are used to seeing quite strange things. And I'm not talking about the Force. An example? The Corellian System is... an artificial one with 6 planets kept in habitable orbits. All these orbits were maintained by a gigantic tractor beams generator space station: Centerpoint. Even stranger, Centerpoint's control panels transform and change to adapt to situations. The builders of the station are unknown (for the inhabitants of the Star War Galaxy living at the time of the Galactic Civil War). The technology of the space station is more advanced than the current level of the galaxy, although its construction was well before the foundation of the Old Republic (more than 100, 000 years).
And there are hundreds of other incomprehensible mysteries in the Star Wars universe, the black stone fortress of Ijarna, almost indestructible, but destroyed in time immemorial by a weapon as powerful as the Death Star Main Laser, or the Maw, this Black Gaps cluster probably artificial, etc...
So you know, a weapon that appears suddenly in someone's hand... yes it's not ordinary. Yes, it's surprising. But the people of Star Wars are pretty jaded.
The Mutineers of the Far Orbit
(Prologue)
Agamar, Lahara sector (Outer Rim Territories), Mirgoshir System
Agamar was not a well-known planet, because it was a backwater world in the Outer Rim. Nevertheless, this planet had often been disputed between different powers, since the distant era of the Infinite Empire (25,000 years earlier).
During the Clone War, the planet joined the Confederacy of the Independent System. The Mirgoshir System was the setting for repeated clashes between the C.I.S. and the Republic. During one of these battles, an Omni-class Support Vessel of the C.I.S was forced to crash on the surface of Agamar.
The Omni-class Support Vessels were military cargo ships and mobile repair yards manufactured by Hoersch-Kessel Drive Inc., the builder of the Lucrehulk. Obvious kinship since the outer appearance of the Omni was that of a Core Ship cut in two vertically, the two hemispherical parts separated by a ring section similar in appearance to the outer ring of the Lucrehulk.
A rescue mission of the C.I.S. had allowed recuperating part of the cargo of Battle Droids of weapons and spare parts. But, with the war underway, this rescue operation had to be shortened.
The half-salvaged wreck was long forgotten.
Almost a generation later, the Rebel Alliance found the wreckage and appropriated for itself all the forgotten material. After the Battle of Yavin IV, the wreck even became the Alliance Headquarters.
Agamar was a planet covered with thick forests. Nevertheless, both poles were expanses of steppes and ice. The Support Ship had crashed in a polar zone, on the edge of a high cliff. Even more than twenty years after the disaster, it was not difficult to imagine the violence of the landing of the Omni. Plates of armor littered the ground and the lower part of the port half-sphere (the one at the edge of the cliff) was jagged.
Nevertheless, the spaceship was still covered with blue and white paint markings, typical of C.I.S. vessels and its logo was visible on the starboard half-sphere.
Although this wreckage could never take off again, it still had several operational generators powering its deflector shields (repaired by Alliance engineers) and some quadlasers point defense batteries were still operational.
The command tower overhung the central part of the ring section connecting the two half-spheres. This was standard equipment found on many ships manufactured by Hoersch-Kessel. In addition to the bridge and a sensor system, this tower also housed apartments for senior executives of the Commerce Federation. The Alliance had transformed these apartments to accommodate the Provisional Council of the Alliance for the Restoration of the Republic.
Adar Tollon was standing near the holoprojector, finishing explaining the unfolding of his mission
"... then we went into hyperspace. We made several stops in little-known systems, to check that the Empire was not following us, before returning to Agamar. That concludes my report."
"Thank you, General Tollon. The cryptography department has begun to decode the datacard hidden inside the Mandalorian Falcon. We will use the information you brought back from this dangerous mission."
The one who had just spoken was an elderly human sitting at the other end of the board table. Mon Mothma was a charismatic woman with auburn hair, dressed in a white gown, around her neck hung a medallion symbolizing her position as Chief of State.
"Does anyone have any questions for General Tollon?"
A Twi'leck raised his hand.
"The Chief of State recognizes the Minister Ral'Rai Muvunc, head of the Ordnance and Supply."
Ral'Rai Muvunc cleared his throat.
"It's not a question, just a statement. General Tollon, although you stayed several days at StarForge, you did not take the opportunity to contact pirates to get supplies. I want to remind everyone that we need a wide range of items, from magazines for hand blasters to spare parts for starcruisers and everything in between."
But before Tollon could answer, a gravelly voice spoke, addressing Mon Mothma:
"Madame, I wish to open the matter of the privateering experiment. It is my firm belief that while temporarily expedient, using these mercenaries is ultimately counterproductive. The Alliance can supply itself without resorting to contracting private raiders."
The one who had just spoken was a Mon Calamari in a white uniform. Although he spoke out of turn, Mon Mothma replied politely.
"Admiral Ackbar, your reluctance to implement this plan is well documented, and I see little point in documenting it further. For the record, I am almost somewhat hesitant to sanction pirate attacks, on our deadliest enemies."
The chief of State saw the head of the OaS department swinging nervously in his chair from the corner of her eye.
"However, I believe Minister Muvunc has a comment."
The alien stood up, his cranial tentacles twitching nervously.
"Yes, Madame. Admiral Ackbar, I should like to point out if you truly do not need the 400,000 tons of food and air, 230 canisters of blaster gas, 90 main space weapons, and 700,000 tons of miscellaneous equipment provided by this 'mercenary experiment' you are perfectly free to load all of it on the 71 assorted cargo and utility ship and three ships-of-the-line also seized by our privateers in the last standard year, and auto-pilot them into a convenient star."
There was a brief moment of silence, and then a good half of the councilors rose to speak at the same time. Borsk Fey'lya, the Bothan, whispered in a honeyed voice in favor of Muvunk, Kerrithrarr was yelling like a Wookie... which was normal since he was one.
A golden Cybot Galactica Protocol Droid turned to its owner, waving its arms in a way that is both comical but also imbued with a certain dignity.
"Good heaven! Should I translate Councilor Kerrithrarr of Kashyyyk's words? I fear that he cursed the descendants of Councilor Sian Tevv of Sullust until the thirty-seventh generation."
Princess Leia Organa of Alderande looked up to heaven... If only the Alliance leaders spent more time fighting the Empire and less time arguing, they would have freed Coruscant long ago.
"No, See-Threepio, I think Councilman Sian Tevv got the gist."
"Princess, I'm afraid I'll never understand organics."
Leia shook her head mechanically while watching Mon Mothma hammering the table with the gavel of her office as president of the assembly, in the vain hope of bringing back some calm.
"You're not the only one, See-Threepio."
Ottega System(Mid Rim)
The mutinies were most often provoked by mere crewmen and failed because they were poorly armed and had no access to the most critical sections of the ship they wanted to seize.
On the contrary, Dhas Vedji, the First Mate, organized the Far Orbit mutiny. As a superior officer, he had access to the entire ship... including the armory.
It was therefore crew men hiding blasters on them who entered diverse key sectors of the Nebulon B frigate. The plan was as simple as it was decisive: catching the occupants of the bridge, the comms, the Power Control, and the Life Support flatfooted at the same instant.
The Stormtroopers had tried to organize but Vedji had threatened to depressurize the sections they occupied. Even these fanatics surrendered without a fight.
Vocis Kenit, the ex-captain of the Far Orbit, did not strain against his captor as he was marched down the corridor to a hatch marked EMERCEBCY USE ONLY. He was well aware of the destruction that the Imperial-issue blaster could wreak, and he currently had over a dozen of them aimed in his direction.
The captives - consisting of Kenit, a junior officer, and a half-dozen disarmed Imperial Navy troopers- were herded to the end of the corridor. The leader of the group - still wearing an imperial commander's uniform, Kenit noticed- stepped forward. "Blaster ready," he ordered sharply.
Kenit looked at his former second-in-command in the eye.
"You will die for this," he said in a monotonous voice. "You know what the Empire does to mutineers. We will hunt you down. And you Commander," the captain spit the term like an insult, "will be subjected to the slowest torture that can be devised."
Commander Dhas Vedij faced his former captain and smiled without humor.
"Perhaps," he said. "But you will not live to see it."
Turning to his fellow mutineers, he gestured at the group of captives and issued his first command as the new master of the Far Orbit.
"Put them in."
The mutineers cycled the airlock open/ Kenit and the rest of the prisoners, facing a wall of blaster muzzles, steeped reluctantly into the chamber beyond.
The lock cycled back and from his vantage point Kenit could see Vedij grip release the handle. Vedij took a moment to face Kenit and the others in the escape pod. Then he pulled the handle. There was a sharp crack when the docking clamps retracted, a sickening lurch as the escape pod shot out from the Far Orbit like a falling star.
Kenit was hurled back into the mass of bodies behind him as the pod tumbled into the void.
Once the last escape pod was launched, the Far Orbit accelerated before jumping to light speed and exiting the Ottega System.
Dressed in the uniform of a captain of the Imperial Navy decorated with a short cape and a vibrorapier attached to his belt, Dhas Fenoep Vedij sat in the command chair.
"Open the shipwide comm" Vedij ordered.
"Ready, sir" answered the mutineer officer seated before the comm console.
"Attention, all hands. This is the Captain Vedij speaking."
He paused briefly before resuming speaking.
"As many of you no doubt be pleased to learn, we have just put Captain Kenit off the ship. I'm sure that Imperial Command will treat him with as much care as he has shown all of us. He made various threats as to our inevitable fate, but I'm sure we can keep a few steps ahead of whatever they send against us."
Vedij looked at the men of the crew on the bridge. He saw their concentrated looks and their concern. But all had chosen to follow him in his mutiny. They could no longer bear to be sacrificed as mere pawns of a Dejarik game because of the thirst for recognition and the arrogance of an incompetent like Kenit.
"The Navy -in conjunction with ISB and COMPNOR (1) - have developed profiles on 'typical' mutineers. According to these files, all mutineers move toward the Outer Rim. I have decided to move towards the Core Worlds instead, to stay ahead of their search patterns and find a quiet shadowport to off-load those of you who decide to depart.
"Some of you may choose to fade away, join the Rebellion, or take up raiding. For those who wish to stay, know this: I intend to stick a lesson down the throat of the Empire, and hopefully make all the 'great minds' in the Navy, ISB and COMPNOR suffer for their arrogance. I hope you will join me.
"That is all."
Suddenly, a huge triangle-shaped warship appeared in the cosmos, slowing down rapidly as it came out of light speed.
On the bridge, an officer quickly approached Captain Mulchis Wermis the commanding officer of the ISD Devastator, Darth Vader's flagship.
"Sir, no trace of the Plaguebearer or the Far Orbit in the Harugi spill's asteroids belt. However, an explosion changed the trajectory of many planetoids."
At this point, a hand turned to his superior in the port crew pit. There was a brief discussion and the officer climbed the stairs to approach Mulchis Wermis.
"Sir, we're picking up Imperial Navy's standard distress beacons. According to the computer, the signals are emitted by escape pods provided to the frigate Far Orbit."
Captain Wermis remained a few moments to think, standing and stiff. The man was a coward... but he was not stupid and he knew the rules of the Navy. It was up to the ship's commander to warn his superior of any discovery... and possibly to suffer the effects of his ire.
He stood up with a feigned calm.
"I will... warn Lord Vader of this..."
A voice as cold as the void of space cut him off.
"It won't be necessary, Captain Wermis."
All those present froze instantly before turning to the bridge entrance. Coming out of the turbolift, a very recognizable dark figure advanced toward the commander of the Devastator. His armored boots hammered the plasteel floor, and his black cloak floated behind him. The sinister mask of this being more machine than man was turned towards the officers.
Mulchis Wermis swallowed and tried to smile.
"Lo... Lord Vader, we have just discovered..."
"I heard the conversation. What are you waiting for to pick up the survivors of the Far Orbit?"
"By your orders, My Lord."
Vocis Kenit had turned green under the effect of fear and sweated profusely. Unable to control his limbs, he trembled in terror. Behind him, two Stormtroopers guarded the door through which he had entered... preventing him from escaping.
The room was very ordinary, a conference room with a round table and a holopod in its center. But the sound of someone's mechanical breathing was enough to transform it into an antechamber of hell.
Darth Vader had risen at his entrance and was now approaching slowly. Just a few steps away, he stopped, touching a command to his belt with one hand while looking at him from feet to head once... then two.
Even though the lenses in Vader's mask hid his eyes, Kenit felt his host's disgust.
"Vocis Kenit captain of the Far Orbit... ah, no, not anymore. It seems that you have 'misplaced' the frigate which you were in charge of. I read your... report with great interest."
With a gesture, the Dark Lord of the Sith showed the databloc left on the conference table.
"My... My Lord, I... I can explain everything..."
But Kenit stopped speaking to slip a finger into the collar of his officer tunic. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. The feeling of suffocation grew, his face whitened and then turned red as he opened his mouth wide in search of oxygen that was denied him.
"I don't care about your explanations. The Empire considers those who are incapable as... useless." Vader lowered his gloved hand.
"Lucky for you, Kenit, you're not under my command."
The apprentice of Sidious passed the officer who had fallen on his knees and rubbed his throat, gulping the air. He made a contemptuous detour not to touch the despicable being that he abandoned behind him. If it had been up to him, Vader would have strangled him to death... but precisely, it did not depend on him... not yet.
"Pray never to cross my path again, Captain Kenit.
The two Stormtroopers, members of the 501st Legion 'Vader Fist', lifted Kenit by force. Taking him each by an arm, they lifted him and dragged him out of the conference room without worrying about his dignity.
"Where are you taking me?"
"His Excellency the Grand Vizier demanded to speak to you."
Captain Kenit knelt before the holopod of the Devastator's Bridge... this would not be a private interview all crew members within earshot, the two Stromtroopers of factions in front of the turbolifts... could hear what would be said.
Kenit waited for ten minutes before the signal came through. To not be humble when the hololink was established was unthinkable. The shimmer of the holotransmission settled into the form of an emaciated dark figure: Sate Pestage himself.
The Grand Vizier spoke without being burdened with polite phrases or words of introduction.
"My time being precious, let's get right to the point, Captain Kenit. A court martial has been convened and your fate has been decided. You have been convicted of failure of command and sentenced to death."
Pestage paused briefly, sadistically enjoying the expression of horror that had just appeared on Kenit's face.
"This affair of treachery had reached the Imperial Court. Emperor Palpatine was outraged that officers of the Navy would desert en masse, en ordered a full investigation."
Pestage gave Kenit some time to understand that the Emperor himself had sentenced him to death.
"Luckily for you, His Majesty has instructed me to find the Far Orbit and punish the traitors. Emperor Palpatine gave me full power to solve this crisis... and I have decided to suspend your execution temporarily. Captain Kenit, you owe this opportunity to serve the Empire again to my own indulgence. If... I mean 'if'... you give me full satisfaction you will be pardoned and perhaps even promoted. Otherwise... I don't think I need to explain what will happen, do I?"
Kenit swallowed.
"It's clear, Your Excellency."
"You're not asking what your new mission is, Captain Kenit?"
"I live to serve the Empire, Your Excellency!"
Pestage burst out with cruel and contemptuous laughter. It was a particularly hideous sound.
"This has never been as true as it is now. Remember, you now live ONLY for this mission. Find the Far Orbit, and punish the traitors! I am your only superior for this mission and your reports will be for my eyes alone!"
Sate Pestage smiles cunningly as Kenit straightens up his face convulsed by hatred and anger.
"Vedij! Hunt down and kill this dog who dared to bite his master's hand will be a pleasure!"
Hatred, anger, fear... these were the true laws of the Empire. The Dark Side dominated the galaxy.
Meanwhile, thousands of light years from there somewhere in hyperspace.
"Ops: Ships' status?" Vedij asked, leaning back in his chair.
He had stripped the captain's ready room of Kenit memorabilia and personal items and had thus far left it underdecorated. The room was stark and efficient.
"Sir, we are running at skeleton efficiency. The ship is sound and the crew morale is up, but we cannot operate effectively as a combat vessel. We lack the proper crew to fight."
"I see." Vedij mused for a moment. "We will have to take a crew or abandon the ship. I'd rather take on the crew. I need this ship."
"Sir, perhaps the Rebel would buy it," offered the ops officer.
"They might if they had the money. Contrary to widespread Imperial propaganda, the Rebels have very little income. Their raids on our... excuse-me... on Imperial shipping are limited to destroying isolated freighters and injuring the occasional escort..."
Vedij's gaze focused on the far door as he reflected for a moment.
"Now there's an interesting idea," the captain finished.
"Sir?"
"I think I've just figured out how to finance our little operation," Vedjij said. "We may make the newsnet beamcast come true in a manner of speaking."
The captain had just looked at the computer interface embedded in the table, starting to type on the keyboard.
"Start combat-drilling the crew. We need to come up with working plans for operating in combat with a skeleton crew. See what engineering can do to automate sections where we are short on crew and select decks for mothballing. We are going to have to be on top of our form if this is going to work out. How long until we reach StarForge Nebula?"
"Three hours, sir."
"Plus twenty-two to find the Station, another seventy-two to locate and deal with the people I need. Then, perhaps a week of negotiations."
"Sir?"
"You'll see if you stay," Vedij said. "Otherwise, keep your eyes on the holonews. Get me a full report from all sections. Start weapons testing and shield-load balancing. I want us ready to respond to whatever we trip over and a complete picture of our situation."
"Yes sir!"
StarForge Station, StarForge Nebula, Ado Sector, Mid Rim territories
The silhouette in Mandalorian belskar armor followed a passageway partially dug into the rock and partially made of metal partitions taken from old ships. Through a porthole, he glanced outside.
The spectacle was magnificent. The StarForge nebula was a nursery of stars. Clusters of gas in different shades of blue, red, or purple swirled around the suns still in gestation. But this decor was the backdrop of a much more frenetic and ephemeral agitation.
Numerous buoys were flashing, projecting advertising holograms, and text banners in Basic. They delimited anchorage areas where a motley collection of ships including giant cargo ships modified far beyond legal standards, unusual alien ships, but also archaic warships. Swarms of shuttles, small freighters, or equally exotic fighters circulated between StarForge Station and the starships.
All these ships were decorated in a very fanciful way, but a pattern came up frequently: the 'Flaming Claw', the emblem of the pirates.
The man continued his route, pushing himself sideways to let pass a patrol of rusted B1 Battle Droids bearing the logo of the Station.
He stopped at a door leading to a docking dock and typed in the entry code.
The vast circular piece roughly cut into the rock was dotted with pieces of rusty machinery and loose metal fragments. In the middle, an old Barloz-class freighter called Jumper was landed. Next to the landing ramp, R2-C9 (an astromech droid) did arc welding work. It was cold, but it was not surprising. There was no roof and only the presence of a luminous atmospheric isolation field separated the landing bay from the cosmic void.
The Mandalorian climbed a rickety ladder to enter a suite of rooms that served as... office? warehouse? apartment?... Finally a little of all this, but 'dump' would probably be the most accurate term because the last cleaning of these rooms had to go back to the time when the first humans had met the True Siths on Korriban.
In the main room, two teenage girls were playing cards. The oldest one must have been seventeen, she was a redhead with short hair held back by the elastic band of welding goggles. On her cheek, she had a scar and was dressed in a black two-piece suit.
She took two cards from the shoe and pounded several coins towards her bet.
"I extend by 25."
The second Sabac player was even younger. She seemed to be fourteen years old. It was a pigtailed teen with two-tone, black and red hair, dressed in a minimalist cowboy outfit of a very bright yellow.
She also took two cards.
"I'm extending 30."
At this point, the device in the center of the table sent pulses. Randomly, some cards changed value. As the two girls watched their card games with poker faces, reflecting on the tactical changes imposed by their new hands Shiraz sighed.
"I see, as I go around all the StarForge cantina to find a commitment on a ship, you... you play Sabac! I'm glad you feel so involved."
"Actually," Galiria replied. "I'm teaching Corianna to play Sabac."
Shiraz turned to Corianna Corell A.K.A. Space Ishtar.
The teenager crossed her arms on her chest, a living image of a child making a whim.
"I have to keep myself busy because a certain someone has forbidden me to go out."
Shiraz the certain someone in question stared at her. His Mandalorian helmet prevented his face from being seen, but he must have been exasperated.
"I've been summoned by the Council of Tenants. If you keep knocking people out every time you go into the souk, we're going to get expelled from StarForge."
Space Ishtar turned her head violently enough for her twintails to twitch. She sighed loudly.
"Ah?! As if it was my fault. They insulted me..."
"... and, of course, as you could not let yourself be because you are the great 'Space Ishtar' and you answered them with equal virulence" ended Galiria in her place.
"Exactly!"
"And you continued to insult them after you knocked them out, mocking them saying if I remember correctly 'That you really had to be a band of weaklings to lose to a kid' and 'You claims to be pirates? You did not think to exercise a profession more in tune with your delicate natures? You would be more in your place in a lace factory!'... and I think I forgot some of them."
Space Ishtar was still frozen in her posture of outraged innocence, but she suddenly did not seem so sure of herself. A drop of sweat was dripping down her cheek.
"I may have exaggerated a little..."
"No, you're sure? You just publicly humiliated crew members of several pirate ships while you were aboard the largest pirate station in the galaxy. It's not like you did something potentially dangerous," says Galiria with tons of irony.
"And thanks to you, no pirate captain wants us on their crew," concludes Shiraz.
While Space Ishtar blushed unable to object to this, steps were heard. Brock, an old cybernetized Clonetrooper, entered the room.
"Shiraz, I just got back from the control tower, a new ship just arrived and I couldn't believe my ears when I heard her name."
"A famous pirate?"
"No, a mutineer ship... our old pal, the Far Orbit!"
The galaxy was too small, we kept meeting the same people.
Author's note: Space Ishtar is adorable... at least she would be adorable if she were mute.
(1) The Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (COMPNOR) was a government agency responsible for the promotion of the Galactic Empire's New Order ideology. It was originally formed as the Commission for the Protection of the Republic (COMPOR), a populist movement that supported the Galactic Republic until Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine became the Galactic Emperor by the end of the Clone Wars in 19 BBY.