The Capture
Of
Coh Veshiv
(Final)
Orbit of Esseles, Darpa Sector.
A tense silence reigned in Docking Bay 2. A line of Fleet Soldiers dressed in black with large helmets was standing at attention while two Stormtroopers guarded the turbolifts' access.
Dhas Vedij dressed in his usual imperial officer uniform, but without the cape and rapier, he had added to his outfit since he became a Privateer Alliance, displayed a calmness that he did not feel.
With his eyes turned to space, Captain Vedij was looking at a Lambda shuttle maneuvering to dock. Just before crossing the atmospheric retention field, the small spacecraft raised its wings and landed with the lightness of a feather on the circular location marked by four flashing lights in the middle of the docking bay.
Vedij waved to the Control Room and the speakers began to play the first notes of the Imperial March.
At the same time, the shuttle ramp was deployed as carbon dioxide jets were blasting.
The first passengers to descend were two Stormtroopers who came to position themselves on either side of the incline. They stood on guard, holding their E-11 blaster rifles on their chests. The movements of the two soldiers were precise and sharp. But their role was not purely ceremonial. An old soldier himself, Vedij noted that they were quickly inspecting the docking bay for potential threats.
The privateer captain felt a cold sweat running down his neck. It was the most dangerous moment... he had repeatedly inspected the room and those who were going to participate in this small welcome ceremony without finding a single detail that was wrong. Except for one of the two Stormtroopers stationed near the turbolifts, all participants were Mutineers. As for the Far Orbit, it was an authentic imperial ship. Dhas Vedij didn't think they could suspect the truth. But... How to be sure?
A few seconds passed before two other Stormtroopers walked down the ramp and positioned themselves just in front of Vedij. They also quickly inspected the room, and the people present, then stood up.
Only then did Coh Veshiv come down the ramp, followed by two eager sycophants. Internally, the Privateer Captain sighed with relief, the bodyguards would not have let Veshiv board if they had suspected something.
Dhas Vedij saluted, clapping his heels.
«It is a joy to welcome you on board Imperial Advisor Coh Veshiv. I am Pelislav Gallon commanding officer of the Imperial Escort Frigate Dark Vampire."
From a close-up view, Veshiv was a truly repulsive specimen of humanity. Despite the lavish clothes he wore, nothing could conceal his yellowish, oily skin, bloodshot eyes, and trembling hands. He seemed to suffer from either a nervous disorder or a degenerative illness.
"Ah... Captain Gallon, you're just in time. I was tired of traveling onboard this shabby boat called the Empire Forever. I hope you have prepared accommodations worthy of my rank."
"We have reserved one of the VIP cabins on deck 14 for you. Your assistants will be accommodated in a nearby cabin. The two pilots of your shuttle, as well as the Stormtroopers of your escort, will be accommodated in the crew quarters.
"A cabin... what size?"
For two minutes the Imperial Advisor asked Dhas Vedij about the VIP apartments, got angry, and demanded more. Finally, to have peace, Vedij offered to transform the second VIP cabin into an office so that Coh Veshiv could have a 'decent' living space.
Bridge, Deck 17.
Sitting in the command chair, Shiraz watched Veshiv arrival through a virtual screen that floated before him. After a ceremony break, the hosts used the turbolifts to go down two decks and entered one of the two Boom Access Corridors that connected the bow and stern of the Far Orbit.
Dhas Vedij, who seemed perfectly at ease with his role as commander receiving a distinguished guest, volunteered to accompany the Imperial Advisor to his new apartment. If things go wrong, Vedij would be the first target for the eight Stormtroopers of the escort. Prince Shiraz appreciated his new boss' courage. He accepted his role as bait without displaying any fear. As per the battle plan they discussed together, Captain Vedij tapped his comlink, and a beep sounded from the communication device built into the armrest of Shiraz's chair. He activated the receiver.
"Bridge, this is the First Mate."
"This is the commander. I would like to know if the accommodations for the Imperial Advisor are ready."
"Of course, Commander. We have prepared the accommodations you requested."
The ordinary message had a hidden meaning. The captain inquired if phase 2 could be initiated, and Shiraz confirmed it.
Shiraz briefly raised his gaze from the virtual screen to observe the crew at their stations. They were busy preparing for the jump at light-speed.
Shiraz then looked at the bow screen… and the titanic, armored platform bristling with guns that orbited around Esseles. Its shields were still down and the two TIE fighters who had escorted Veshiv's Lambda shuttle to the Far Orbit were returning to the hangar of the Golan III Space Defense Station.
Luck (or was it the Force?) was with them. Esseles' garrison still did not suspect the deception. They had swallowed the bait, the line, and the fishing rod!
Boom Access Corridor, Deck 5.
The Nebulon-B frigates possessed a distinctive design feature. They were essentially ships minimized to their essential components. The propulsion system and generators were clustered at the rear in a triangular block, while the bow resembled a stack of tubes. These tubes housed various systems, including communications (both long and short-range), spacecraft detection, a fighter flight deck, crew quarters, a ship's hospital, and the bridge.
The bow and stern were connected by a relatively narrow tube, which initially appeared to be a significant vulnerability.
However, the ship designers of Kuat Drive shipyards suspected that this section of the ship would attract enemy fire. The connecting tube featured robust outer armor, and the interior was divided into two parallel access corridors, separated by a thick explosion-proof bulkhead. Furthermore, the corridors were segmented into short sections sealed by airtight doors. There were also doors allowing passage between the two corridors, enabling movement from one to the other.
This design effectively allowed crew members to navigate between the stern and bow even if shots had torn the connection tube in several places. By moving from one corridor to another, they could bypass sections that were exposed to the vacuum of space. Consequently, this layout can be used to isolate a group of intruders, enabling the crew to surround them without their knowledge and execute an ambush.
Docking Bay 2, Deck 7.
The crew of the Lambada-class Shuttle Myrenia consisted of two pilots in grey uniforms. They were busy doing routine checks on the small ship's systems. They were not nervous because, until then, nothing had seemed suspicious. They were on board an imperial ship as they had visited dozens of others since the beginning of their careers.
The two men did not even turn their heads when they heard footsteps.
Two technicians, accompanied by two Fleet Soldiers, had just boarded. When they entered the cockpit, one of the technicians held out a datapad to the pilot.
"Please sign the form."
It was a classic authority transfer document. While the shuttle was in flight, it was under the pilot's responsibility. Once landed, it became the responsibility of the ship or base's commander where it was stationed. This inevitably meant dealing with paperwork and signatures because bureaucracy was the most powerful force governing the universe.
As he signed the document, the pilot heard his companion swallow noisily. He looked up and jumped in turn as one of the Soldiers put his blaster under his nose.
"Hands in the air!"
"But..."
"Shut up. Just follow me outside!"
The technicians, having also taken out weapons from their toolboxes, the imperial pilots obeyed. At the bottom of the ramp, a scary welcoming committee was waiting for them. There were about ten individuals dressed in torn clothes or old models of armored space suits. Half of them were aliens! The pilot recognized a Rodian, a Togarian, and a Gamorean. they were all armed: from vibroaxe to slug-throwers through blasters and sonic weapons, all of it forming a heterogeneous arsenal capable of giving nightmares.
"Get down here, on your knees, hands over your head."
They had fallen into an ambush by pirates...
One of the Fleet Soldiers raised his left glove to speak in a comlink that he was wearing on his wrist like a bracelet.
"Shuttle secured."
Bridge, Deck 17.
In the command chair, Shiraz smiled.
"All right, time for phase 2!"
Boom Access Corridor, Deck 5.
Since they left the docking bay, Dhas Vedij had to listen to Coh Veshiv's monologue. The man was unbearable, disgusted with selfishness and greed. He had only one topic of conversation: himself. Veshiv bragging about his importance. According to him, the Emperor needed his guidance... The best evidence of imperial confidence was the inspection mission Emperor Palpatine had entrusted to him. Inwardly, Captain Vedij was stunned. Veshiv was so stupid he didn't realize that this inspection was a pretext to keep him away from Coruscant for several months.
When Veshiv did not brag, he complained. The frigate was too small, the welcome ceremony was sloppy, and nothing was up to it. Why was His Imperial Majesty's Advisor not treated according to his rank? He would complain to the Imperial High Command... no, to the Emperor himself and all would be punished!
The privateer captain greeted with relief the beep that came out of his comlink, switching to reception he recognized Baron Brock's voice.
"Phase 2"
Without a word, Vedij ran to the Docking Tube checkpoint (1). Behind the desk, a Fleet Soldier was always on guard. The man handed him a blaster and they sheltered behind the desk... which was armored
The Blast Doors at both ends of the section, and the one that leads to the parallel corridor, opened simultaneously to let in a mixture of Fleet Soldiers (mutineers, of course) and pirates. All were armed and pointed their weapons at the Stormtroopers.
"Lay down your weapons without resistance," said Brock. "We are privateers who have received a letter of marque from the Alliance for the Restoration of the Republic. Surrender and you will be treated as prisoners of war."
But the veteran Stormtroopers did not obey. They didn't need to exchange a word or a sign to know what they had to do. They had spent countless hours training to deal with situations like this. As two of the white-armored soldiers opened fire on the Alliance's privateers coming from the bow, two others grabbed Veshiv and dragged him toward the nearest blast door... Without worrying about his cries and pleas. Three other Stormtroopers preceded them, firing at the pirates coming from the stern and the other corridor.
The last stormtrooper, a sergeant leading the squad, began to scream in the comlink built into his helmet. He ordered the pilot of the shuttle Myrenia to prepare for emergency take-off and send a distress message to Esseles.
The answer was not what he expected.
Short Range Communication, Deck 2
Always dressed in an imperial officer's uniform (a little too small for her), Galiria was sitting in front of the computer keyboard that automatically scanned the frequencies looking for enemies' radio emissions. The tall redhead was trying to connect to the Stormtroopers' helmet links. That was far from easy. Stomtroopers' radios operated on a system called "frequency evasion". In simple terms, the frequency used by a stormtrooper squad changed at regular intervals in a semi-random manner.
When a red diode lit on the computer, Galiria smiled and pressed a button. At this moment, the transmitter began to broadcast a sound file that she had lovingly concocted.
Everyone knows that some ultrasound or infrasound can be painful, or that a perfect "la" can break a crystal glass. But what ordinary people do not know is that certain specific sound frequencies can accelerate the speed of healing, calm down, or put into a trance. But not all have positive effects, some frequencies could make you seasick others could even stun you.
Boom Access Corridor, Deck 5.
The fight was fierce. A Stormtrooper seemed to stumble as a blaster dug a smoking hole in his chest plate. He collapsed on the ground. On their side, the privateers fought back, sheltering behind control panels and pipes protruding from the walls. It must be said that the fight was not one-sided and the unwary perished quickly.
Pushing a trembling Coh Veshij against the wall, a Stormtrooper raised his E-11 with one hand and fired. A Mutineers officer was shot in the chest, joining on the ground two other privateers who had succumbed to the brief exchange of fire.
Fewer, surrounded, and isolated, the Stomptroppers had no chance of winning. But they were fanatics, determined to fight to the death and take with them as many opponents as possible.
Also, the privateers were surprised to see the soldiers in white armor suddenly stop firing... As if they had received a signal that they could not disobey, they dropped their weapons, contorted, or fell on their knees, putting their hands on the headphones of their helmets. Stunned, pirates and mutineers lowered their arms.
One of the Stormtroopers had managed to pull off his helmet, and a shrill sound came out from the headphones, painful to hear. His face dripping with tears, the soldier was curled on the floor, massaging his ears.
A holographic screen appeared in the middle of the corridor... Galiria raised two fingers, making the V of victory.
"You should give me a nice birthday present. That would be the minimum, without me how many of you would be pierced like skimmers? "
The privateers acquiesced nervously. Galiria had a talent for turning generators into plasma bombs... and radios into instruments of torture... nobody wanted to get her bad side.
A few minutes later, captain Pelislav Gallon of the Imperial Escort Frigate Dark Vampire asked for permission to jump at light-speed. This request was immediately granted.
From the point of view of the crew of Platform 8127/121, the day had been a boring routine, nothing exciting or strange happened.
Yet, the next day, Governor Phadreas Kole of the planet Rhinnal called the Imperial Center, wondering why the Imperial Advisor Coh Veshiv had not yet arrived.
Not having the answer, the Imperial High Command called Moff Graffe and Governor Griff Tarkel (from Esseles) only to learn that Coh Veshiv had left the planet aboard the Imperial Frigate Dark Vampire and that the CR690 corvette Empire Forever was still orbiting Esseles.
The reply was received with consternation. Imperial High Command had never assigned the Dark Vampire to transport Coh Veshiv. It was by express order of the Emperor that a mere corvette had been assigned to this mission. After all, the real purpose of the inspection was to humiliate Veshiv by dragging him into the Core. It was not without reason that he traveled on board such an unimpressive spaceship. It was intended to remind the Imperial Advisor that he had power only through the Emperor and as long as the latter deemed him useful.
Half an hour later the Imperial High Command had contacted the real captain Pelislav Gallon. When the High Command asked him if he had gone to Esseles to look for Coh Veshiv his surprise was real. His ship was stuck in Coruscan's system and could easily prove it. In charge of a customs mission, he intercepted and searched at least ten ships per day, sending reports to each search.
At this stage, even a fool would have understood what had happened and panic reigned in the Imperial High Command. Usurping the identity of an imperial vessel's crew, unknown individuals kidnapped one of the Emperor's advisors.
The officers cast lots for the one who will have the unenviable task of going to the palace to inform His Imperial Majesty. It had already happened that the Emperor struck with Force lightning a bearer of bad news.
For the Platform 8127/121's crew members, the next two days were just as routine as the previous ones. No rumors had leaked out about the kidnapping of the Imperial Advisor and they continued to control ships entering and exiting planetary orbit.
Until a ship came out of hyperspace ahead of the Golan station. It was a gigantic Imperial-class Star Destroyer, easily recognizable by her triangular shape and command turret at the rear. However, it was not just any Star Destroyer. According to the automatic beacon broadcasting the ship ID, it was the Devastator, Vader's flagship.
The voice of an anonymous officer on Devastator's bridge called the local authority.
"Lord Vader summons Moff Graffe, Governor Griff Takel, and Captain Annance from the Corvette Empire Forever to his ship immediately!"
Aboard the Devastator, orbiting Esseles.
The Bridge was a large oval room on two levels. At the bottom, the crewmen were grouped in two pits, on either side of a central elevated bridge.
The main feature of the upper level was large bay windows allowing to watch the space around the spaceship.
There were two side stations at the back of the actual bridge. One was used by the commander and senior officers who wished to consult the most relevant information without going down into the pits where crew members worked. Opposite, it was the communication center. Between the two, there was a large free space.
Divided between terror and morbid fascination, the hands tried not to gaze in that direction. Livid, they were silent, only daring to whisper necessary service information.
Three men stand at attention in front of a sinister character. This being, now more a machine than a man, could be recognized throughout the galaxy, his helmet, his breathing mask, and his armor were as black as his cape.
Vader raised his hand, the gesture of a Sith, a promise of death. The officer in imperial uniform suddenly stopped talking. He touched his throat, and his face turned purple... the man fell to his knees. He rolled over on the side and died as his boots spasmodically hit the durasteel ground.
"Apologies accepted, Captain Annance."
For long seconds, the only audible noise on the bridge was Darth Vader's mechanical breathing. Moff Graffe and Governor Takel were frozen from fear, unable to look away from the corpse of the man who had accompanied them for this hearing.
"I hope this... lesson... has been of benefit to you. The Empire is no use to fools. Am I clear? I would not like to repeat myself!"
The two men answered in chorus.
"Yes, Lord Vader."
"You are dismissed."
Kneeling in front of the holopod, Vader looked at the bluish and slightly unstable 3D image that floated before him. The Emperor's hood hid the top of his face, but his mouth was surrounded by deep wrinkles crisped with frustration.
At the end of his student's report, Darth Sidious nodded.
"You did well, my friend."
The Emperor remained pensive, his yellow eyes dimly shining in the shade of the hood of his black robe.
"There is still something positive to be gained from this disaster."
"Something positive my Master?" asked Vader.
"Yes, the Ubiqorate has identified the so-called "Captain Pelislav Gallon" as Dhas Vedij, the leader of the mutineers who seized the Far Orbit."
Although the situation does not encourage laughter, Vader briefly smiles behind his mask. Once again, the Military Intelligence Services provided useful information… and the ISB was just as useless as usual.
"The Far Orbit...Isn't this the ship that witnessed this strange Force disturbance in the Brema Sector?
"Yes, Lord Vader and I have asked you to find a ship, if you will recall."
"I remember your orders perfectly, my Master."
"I am delighted, Lord Vader. A pirate Nebulon-B frigate has repeatedly appeared in the Ringali Shell. This frigate is probably the Far Orbit; find her as I previously ordered."
"My Master, I can't stay in this sector to turn over every stone. The Rebellion..."
"You will do what I command you to do, Lord Vader," interrupted Sidious.
There was a moment of tense silence.
"But you're right, however. It would be a waste of your talents to have you pursue a mere frigate... Especially if your presence scares our game. I know your methods. Someone more... discreet... is already in charge of searching for the mutineers, just make sure to be available if our bloodhound finds the trail of the frigate. In the meantime, you may return to your so... urgent duties, Lord Vader. Go strangle the guilty captains and terrorize the moffs and governors who displeased you."
At this moment, Vader was happy to wear a mask that hid his anger or that his breathing regulated artificially did not reflect his tempestuous emotions. He was berated like an unruly dog! Sidious took the capture of Coh Veshiv as a personal affront. The man who had once been called Anakin Skywalker regained his calm. The Sith Master surrounded himself with incompetent and stupid yes-men and this choice had just bitten him in the face. The Dark Lord of the Sith could not let this opportunity to counterattack pass.
"And for Coh Veshin," he questioned in a falsely worried tone... but in truth, he was happy to turn the knife into the wound.
"I'm taking care of that. I wouldn't let these pirates embarrass me by showing off one of my advisors."
Aracara, Outer Rim Territories.
Don't waste your time searching for this planet on the map of the galaxy. Aracara was one of those millions of planets whose colonization had not been considered relevant.
The reason was easy to understand. Apart from the poles (covered by packs of ice), Aracara was only a swamp alternating huge mudflats, puddling ponds, and mangroves covered with spongy moss.
And this 'idyllic' world was also the home of even more 'adorable' wildlife. Giant leeches fell from the leaves, and more than fifty species of deadly snakes crawled to the ground or huddled in the trees. The undergrowth was overrun with yells, barking, and sounds of struggle because all this aggressive fauna spent its days hunting and devouring each other.
The survival time of an isolated human in this vegetable hell could be counted in minutes and, apart from some crazy people wishing to confront nature in what it had more horrible, only biologists willing to study the strange life forms that flourished on Aracara came voluntarily to the planet.
There was only one permanent establishment on the planet, the Rebel Outpost DVL-181 aka the Quagmire...
It was a tiny base, with storage sheds just big enough for resupply and repair passing rebel ships, providing quarters for a small garrison, and the eight X-Wings pilots operating from the Quagmire.
Space Ishtar had arrived three days earlier aboard the Jumper. Officially, her freighter was a nuisance for the mission. It was stationed at Dock Bay 2, and it would have been impossible to hide it from Coh Veshiv... which would have led to embarrassing questions. Ishtar had accepted the reasoning, but she suspected a mere pretext. Vedij wanted to get her away to avoid putting her in danger. The kidnapping of Coh Veshiv would take place within the firing range of a Golan station and could end in a big boom after all.
While CeeNine was moving from one end of the ship to the other for maintenance work, Ishtar had little to do. The Far Orbit's privateers were supposed to deliver Coh Veshiv to the Alliance on Aracara and they would pick her up as they went. But the wait (and the ambient heat) exhausted the space goddess.
Lying on her bunk, she used a remote control to switch from one holovision channel to another. She hoped that an information station would give her news of the Far Orbit.
And precisely...
She frowned at two Holonews presenters. It was a young couple with faces too smooth to be entirely natural and who smiled by showing teeth too white. Behind them, a picture of Coh Veshiv had just appeared.
"Sad news just arrived," said the man, suddenly looking serious. His Majesty Advisor Coh Veshiv died in a shuttle accident. The shuttle was destroyed leaving no survivors among the crew and passengers."
The woman read some notes on a datapad, summarizing Veshiv's political career in laudatory terms before mentioning that he was a "personal friend" of His Majesty the Emperor.
The young teen goddess turned to the R2 droid who had entered her cabin and turned his photoreceptor towards the holovision watching and listening to the television crew offering their condolences to the victims' friends and family.
"What do you think, CeeNine?"
As one of the few R2 to be equipped with a vocabulator, R2-C9 replied in a metallic but understandable voice.
"I would not like to be a friend of Palpatine."
The abduction was successful, rejoiced Ishtar. Palpatine had probably imagined Coh Veshiv's accident not to lose face and prevent any exhibitions of the abduced advisor that could embarrass the Empire. This meant that Veshiv had to remain "dead" so the Empire would not be caught lying. If necessary, the Empire would have to take measures to move Veshiv out of the picture… permanently.
"You're right, I wouldn't want to be a friend of Palpatine's either."
Brema Sector, Outer Rim Territories.
Captain Kenit entered Stalwart's communication room with hands trembling. His mission was unsuccessful. He was unable to track the Far Orbit on the Rim. The traitor Vedij had evaded his attention and now he was summoned to contact his patron and report his progress.
Kenit waited before the holopod, kneeling, 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 the emaciated, dark figure that came to haunt his dreams. Stray flecks of static flickered across the projection.
"Report your progress, Captain," commanded the wheezing voice of his master.
"Regretfully, I have found no sign of the Far Orbit, my lord."
"That is because she is now in the Ringali Shell. She was reported in the Esseles system three days ago. You will go to the Ringali Shell to locate the Far Orbit and carry out your mission. You will bring the Far Orbit to heel or pay the price. Pestage's whispery voice carried shadows of menace through the static and Kenit felt the hair of his neck stand. "Do not fail your Emperor, Captain. You are well aware of the rewards of success… and the price of failure."
The holoimage of Sate Pestage dissolved into nothingness. Kenit left the chamber and felt his heart start again.
(1) This docking area uses a retractable tube to connect to the airlock of another spacecraft. At the end of The Empire Stike Back, we could see the Millennium Falcon bounded to a medical frigate Nebulon-B with this system in the scene where Luke receives his artificial hand.