.:[ UNEASY ALLIANCES: Arcona vs Plagueis vs Scholae Palatinae ]:.

NSD Excidium II

Deck 14 Armory

This just gets easier and easier. Those insolent “descendants of Palpatine” will never know what hit them. Kodiak had successfully navigated the short distance from where he landed his shuttle to the armory, meeting no resistance whatsoever. Soulfire had been instructed to remove any identifiable patches or insignia from their armor and the ruse had worked. Everyone was in such a panic that no one noticed the troopers who did not belong walking calmly through the corridors.

While the Strike Team refitted and regrouped, Kodiak sent a simple coded message to his ProConsul. Landed. Now, he and his team would sit here and await further orders. He was certain they would come soon.

Kapsina Bunker

His patience expended, Braecen did the only thing he could. He went with Plan B. Storming from the bunker, the Consul marched immediately to the parade grounds where his military was assembling for the fight that fell before them. Stepping to the front and upon the review platform, the Corellian addressed his troops.

“Might of Plagueis. You are the extension of my will. It should be known to you that Scholae had pledged her assistance, but it appears that their Consul has reneged on his promise. So, we fight this war alone. They have already made one planet inhospitable, and I will be damned if I let them take the rest. Today marks a turning point in the history of Plagueis. What once stood as two, now stands as one, pledged in loyalty to defend her borders against any who would do her harm. I only ask that each of you uphold the oath you took to protect Plagueis no matter the odds, for your Clan deserves nothing less than ultimate sacrifice for her freedom. Your commanders will be briefed on the battle plan and you will reassemble here in the morning. Dismissed!”

The speech left Braecen in a torn position. He desperately wanted to fight this battle with overwhelming odds, but, given the circumstances, he was more than willing to go it alone and sacrifice each and every one of these souls if it meant keeping the Yuuzhan Vong from conquering another system. Walking from the dais, his ProConsul fell in step with the Elder Kaeth as they made their way to the operations center to formulate a new battle plan. Few against so many. Never in history have these odds ever proved to be in favor of the little guy. Braecen had to push these thoughts from his mind and focus on the task at hand. Many would perish in the coming days, of that he was certain. His only job know was to drive these creatures back from whence they came.

Nimban Space

Black Aces Squadron

“Black Aces, this is Ace Leader. Assume strike formation Bravo and ready all weapons systems. Concentrate fire on the shield generator. After the generator has been destroyed, it’s a free for all. Anyone with more kills than me gets a free hour at Big Daddy’s on me. Let’s grease this pig.” The twelve TIE Defenders of the Black Aces Squadron fanned out into a modified V formation, with the High Marshal at the front, leading the way.

The distance between the Black Aces, who launched from the ISDII Warspite, and the Eye of the Abyss was so minimal that the Aces barely had time to move into formation before they were engaged by Nightshade Squadron, launched from the Eye of the Abyss. Regardless of the surrounding dogfights that ensued, Thran kept his eyes on the target, ignoring all those around him. He was of a singular mind. Destroy the shield generator to make way for the Scimitars.

This was known simply as Plan Alpha, and served the TIE Corps well in the past, at least in training and simulations. The elites would knock out the shields, and the Scimitars and Skiprays would come along and completely demolish the capital ship. The Plan had a 85% success rate, odds that Phoenix and Thran would take any day of the week. Thran had just locked onto the generator when he saw Ace 4 explode off his port side. The explosion rocked Thran’s Defender so much that the torpedo lock was lost, sending the Marshal on a collision course with the Star Destroyer. Quickly turning his focus back to the mission at hand, Thran came face to face with the broad side of a Star Destroyer with but a few seconds to pull up before crashing headlong into the Arconan vessel.

Eye of the Abyss II

Main Bridge

“All squadrons are away Consul!” The flight officer reported, standing at rigid attention.

“Excellent. Do not let up until Scholae is space dust.”

The Consul took a seat in the rear section of the bridge to watch this play out. He had full confidence in his ProConsul to lead the actual battle plan. He was simply here to ensure that everything went according to that very plan. There would be no deviations, otherwise the necessary outcome would be compromised. Arcona would have a homeworld, whether it be through normal conquest or the defeat of a rival Clan. Now that this series of events had taken place, the most appealing option was to claim Cocytus as their own. The shipping income alone could sustain the Clan indefinitely. Mejas cackled as the thoughts of limitless wealth bounced around in his horned dome.

NSD Excidium II

Armory

Soulfire Strike Team Infiltration Unit

The coded message Kodiak received from his ProConsul put things into perspective for the Sergeant. He finally learned of his eventual mission and could not be more pleased. Turning to his team, he swirled his forefinger in the air, signaling them to make ready, for they were about to be on the move. The time for glory had finally come, at with not a moment too soon. The general air on board was one of panic and stress, which made the team’s freedom of movement all the easier.

Kodiak extricated a small datapad and pulled up the blueprints that had so carefully been lifted from Scholae’s archives and reviewed the best way to get from where he was to where he needed to be to carry out his mission. He immediately saw that he would have to pass several locations that held the possibility of conflict, but was so confident in the mission thus far, that he made no effort to find an alternate route. He simply rounded his team up and set out.

Kapsina

The next morning

Troops were assembling on the main parade grounds slowly but surely. As the unit commanders made the necessary preparations, the Consul and ProConsul silently made their way to the front of the group. Wiping his brow of perspiration and stress, Braecen pensively looked to his second in command.

“These troops look weary and inexperienced. I am beginning to have doubts as to their readiness and willingness to fight this battle. A contingency plan must be in place, for I fear we may not succeed. I should have known that this would happen, that Phoenix would promise one thing and do quite the other. He’s probably enjoying some of Thran’s women and booze as we speak. Should we make it out alive from all this, his is the first doorstep I darken.”

“Time will tell of glory here, Consul. Fear not, for we will fight to the last breath, with or without Scholae.”

Braecen nodded shortly, a sign that he was at least trying to believe in what his brother in darkness was saying to him. If ever there were a time for it, now would be the one to have faith.

“Ready the troops. We depart in 2 hours.”

NSD Excidium II

Blades of Chaos ready room

“Look alive!” Cethgus yelled over the din of the barrage of fire coming from Arcona. His Battleteam had the envious task of being in the first wave of foot soldiers deployed in case of a boarding raid, and the Prelate Sergeant wanted his team to be ready for the call. He looked around the room and was relieved to see Angelo Dante readying his equipment. He needed the Marshal’s ingenuity and battle hardness if they were to survive a direct assault on Arcona.

As soon as the team showed that they were prepared, Cethgus lead them out the door and down the corridor towards Hangar Bay 3. The ship rocked from side to side as the hull absorbed the relentless onslaught. The motion nearly caused several Stormtroopers rushing through the hallways to lose their balance. The Jedi merely laughed at the imbalance of the “inferior” humans and went about their way.

Turning the corner, the Blades came into view of a group of 6 stormtroopers walking against the normal flow. They also did not look to be imbalanced as they walked. Dante, his senses going wild, motioned to Cethgus to follow the group. The Zabrak merely nodded in agreement and started picking up the pace to subtly close the gap. As the team closed to within 3 meters, Dante noticed something awry. The troopers that they were following had no unit designation. Normally, this would be of no importance, but seeing as how all troopers were just issued new armor due to the reorganization, this was odd indeed. Either these particular half dozen troopers missed roll call one morning and were now paying for it, or they had imposters on their hands.

Walking calmly to the trooper in the rear, Dante tapped him on his shoulder plate.

“Name and Unit, trooper.” The High Marshal ordered.

“Corporal Hamlin, 2 nd Platoon Bravo, 4 th Legion, sir!” The trooper replied from behind his helmet.

“Hamlin, how’s Colonel Howe these days?” Dante shot back, eager to hear the trooper’s response.

“He’s not bad sir. Looking to get into the fray, just like the rest of us.”

Suddenly, the corridor was awash in a bright violet light, followed by the familiar snap-hiss of the Templar’s lightsaber. The intruder barely had time to lift his rifle before it was cut in two and the saber firmly planted inches away from the bottom of his helmet.

The response caused the other Blades to brandish their Jedi weapons and point them in the direction of the intruders. They were undermanned by one, but seemed to hold the upper hand here.

“Just who the hell are you?” Cethgus inquired, the rage filling his face.

In response, the lead trooper removed his helmet to reveal his face.

“I am Kieran Kodiak Erinos, and this,” he said, as the team responded in kind with their lightsaber ignitions, “is Soulfire Strike Team.”

Black Aces Squadron

Ace Leader

Thran narrowly escaped certain death, only to be thrust right back into the Fire as the Nightshade Squadron of Arcona were battering his squadron to pieces. He had already lost two Defenders and now had three of Arcona’s Avengers on his six. He had tried nearly every evasive maneuver known to TIE pilots, and none of them managed to shake the aggressors from his tail. Something had to be done, and quickly. That shield generator was still up and wasn’t going to shut itself down anytime soon. He still had a mission to complete and he would be damned if he was going to give Phoenix another reason to condescend him.

The Marshal took a quick glance at his instrumentation and made a split second decision. Banking hard right, Thran skimmed the top section of the ISD, his adversaries trailing him closely. Shoving the throttle forward, Thran dipped his Defender over the edge of the ISD and back under. The sudden acceleration and confusion gave Thran just the results he was looking for. Two of the Avengers slammed headfirst into the ISD trying to complete the maneuver, leaving Thran with only one remaining. One he could dispatch easily.

Kapsina Countryside

Southern Continent

2 hours later

The massive clamor the AT-ATs made as they trudged across the Kapsina countryside was deafening to say the least. One could not feasibly walk beside one for more than 20 minutes without having some permanent hearing loss. However, Plagueis did not possess the needed troop carriers for all her loyal, so some men were destined for deafness, should they even survive this encounter.

Reports had come in that the intruders had made landfall somewhere on the Southern continent, yet no one in command had yet seen one. This march was on blind faith alone. Armed to the teeth, the Infantry and Armor units of Plagueis were nevertheless ready for anything. Their time to spring into action would come quickly.

Two scout troopers sped back on their bikes to the lead AT-AT. When they were within radio range, they relayed what they had seen. The shiver in their voices told the commander all he needed to know. There was devastation ahead and they were headed right into the middle of it.

The field commander sent only a two word message: “In sight.”

Kapsina War Room

Plagueis Headquarters

“Enemy sighted sir! Forward command station reports no less than three full battalions of enemy combatants within 25 kilometers.”

Braecen looked around his elongated mahogany conference table, which was strewn with datapads, blueprints, and small figurines. The faces that stared back at the newly minted Elder were fraught with concern and anxiety. The Consul shaped his façade to attempt to instill a bit of confidence in each of them, a measure that appeared to have worked. Looking at each of his advisors in turn, they shortly nodded their heads in an unspoken agreement.

After receiving confirmation from them all, Braecen turned to the comm officer and issued his command.

“Inform forward command that they are authorized to use whatever force necessary to defeat the enemy. May the Force be with them.”

NSD Excidium II

Dante immediately lunged forward towards Kieran, leaving his quasi capture for the rest of the team. This Erinos had some large brass ones if he thought he could so calmly and brazenly traipse around the honored flagship of Scholae.

The corridor was instantly bathed in light and sound as the combined lightsabers of the two Battleteams clashed against one another. Grunts of exertion were followed by screams of horror and terror by those who passed by and saw the skirmish unfolding. The stormtroopers that had congregated knew better than to interfere with Jedi matters, lest they lose a limb themselves. They simply stood at the ready, just in case.

Two full squadrons, one from the 79 th Legion and one from the 94 th enclosed the corridor to cut off any escape from the intruders, who were easily identifiable. Their rifles stood at the ready, trained as best they could be on the imposter troops. For the average person, this was a sight to behold. 11 Jedi fighting in such a small space made for quite the show.

Rho had pushed Cethgus back on his heels long enough to be able to sneak in a kick to Ceth’s ribcage, sending him to one knee to catch his breath. Just as the Sniper raised his saber to fell the killing blow, he was thrust forward from a shot to the backplate of his armor.

Kieran, averting his attention from Dante for one second to quickly check on Rho, made an almost fatal mistake. Angelo took the opportunity to spin around behind the Sergeant and force him into a submissive position.

“Tell them to stand down.” Date urged.

“Will not happen. Kill me first.”

“So be it.” The Templar quickly raised his Jedi weapon for the kill shot, only to have his arms unable to move from the vertical position. Turning his head, he soon realized the reason.

Lucien, alerted to the fracas by one of the stormtroopers, had swiftly made his way to the fighting. He had barely turned the corner to see Dante with his saber raised, and made a snap decision to prevent the death of an Arconan.

“Blades of Chaos,” the Proconsul shouted, “stand down and take these men into custody. They should prove valuable to us in the near future. Dante, please come with me.”

ISD Eye of the Abyss II

“Urgent communication for you Consul. Someone calling himself Angelo Dante says that he has some interesting information for you. Shall I patch him through?”

Mejas agreed to hear what Dante had to say and at the end of the conversation, held his head in his hands. Turning to weapons control, he issued a simple two word order: “Cease fire.”

The weapons control officer knew that he had Scholae on the ropes, yet knew enough not to challenge the wisdom of the Consul. He immediately shut down the turbolaser batteries and relayed the Consul’s orders to the remainder of the fleet.

Mejas stood, smoothed his robes, and turned to the comm officer. “Open a channel to Phoenix.”

NSD Excidium II

“Incoming transmission Emperor. The Honorable Consul of Arcona wishes to speak with you.”

“Patch it through. I’ll listen to what he has to say, then blast his ass back to Dajorra.”

The horned visage of the Consul of the nomad Clan was awash in blue static, yet was easily able to convey the Zabrak’s hesitance to this communication.

“Speak.” Phoenix said curtly. Mejas’ face turned from dejection to outright rage at the insolence that the rival Consul was showing him. Yet, he had no choice. His elite were on that ship and he would be damned if he was going to sacrifice them when there were other options.

“I understand that you are underway to Kapsina to assist Plagueis against the Yuuzhan Vong. Is this true?”

“It is. Had you not pulled your trickery, I would have passed you right by. What are you getting at?”

“I have a feeling that the force that attacks Plagueis is remnants of scouting parties that originally overthrew us and took Dajorra. I want nothing more than revenge. I humbly ask that we form an alliance born from mutual hatred of a common foe. We will help in driving the Vong from Jusadih space. In return, all I ask is for your assistance in finding a suitable homeworld. Surely someone with your political and economical contacts can procure at least some reasonably solid information.”

Phoenix took only a few moments to ponder the concept. “Following in the spirit of our recent understanding of minimal conflict between our Clans, I accept. For this time, we have far more vengeful enemies to be concerned with. These outlanders will no doubt not stop with Plagueis. We form this alliance out of self preservation more than anything else. I will relay this information to Braecen. He more than likely will welcome the additional personnel.”

“Understood. All I ask is that Soulfire be allowed to return to the Eye of the Abyss and that none of them are harmed in any manner during the return.”

“I will personally inform Sergeant Zor-El that he is to escort them off the ship and see them to safety aboard your vessel.”

“Thank you Consul. Once they have departed your ship, shall we be underway?”

Phoenix only nodded curtly to his rival and shut down the communication display. Turning to Lucien, who had come to the bridge halfway through the conversation, the Consul of Scholae chuckled.

“What’s the old saying? ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies…..”

“Within saber range.” Lucien finished.


	NSD Excidium II Deck 14 Armory This just gets easier and easier. Those insolent “descendants of Palpatine” will never know what hit them. Kodiak had successfully navigated the short distance from where he landed his shuttle to the armory, meeting no resistance whatsoever. Soulfire had been instructed to remove any identifiable patches or insignia from their armor and the ruse had worked. Everyone was in such a panic that no one noticed the troopers who did not belong walking calmly through the corridors. While the Strike Team refitted and regrouped, Kodiak sent a simple coded message to his ProConsul. Landed. Now, he and his team would sit here and await further orders. He was certain they would come soon. Kapsina Bunker His patience expended, Braecen did the only thing he could. He went with Plan B. Storming from the bunker, the Consul marched immediately to the parade grounds where his military was assembling for the fight that fell before them. Stepping to the front and upon the review platform, the Corellian addressed his troops. “Might of Plagueis. You are the extension of my will. It should be known to you that Scholae had pledged her assistance, but it appears that their Consul has reneged on his promise. So, we fight this war alone. They have already made one planet inhospitable, and I will be damned if I let them take the rest. Today marks a turning point in the history of Plagueis. What once stood as two, now stands as one, pledged in loyalty to defend her borders against any who would do her harm. I only ask that each of you uphold the oath you took to protect Plagueis no matter the odds, for your Clan deserves nothing less than ultimate sacrifice for her freedom. Your commanders will be briefed on the battle plan and you will reassemble here in the morning. Dismissed!” The speech left Braecen in a torn position. He desperately wanted to fight this battle with overwhelming odds, but, given the circumstances, he was more than willing to go it alone and sacrifice each and every one of these souls if it meant keeping the Yuuzhan Vong from conquering another system. Walking from the dais, his ProConsul fell in step with the Elder Kaeth as they made their way to the operations center to formulate a new battle plan. Few against so many. Never in history have these odds ever proved to be in favor of the little guy. Braecen had to push these thoughts from his mind and focus on the task at hand. Many would perish in the coming days, of that he was certain. His only job know was to drive these creatures back from whence they came. Nimban Space Black Aces Squadron “Black Aces, this is Ace Leader. Assume strike formation Bravo and ready all weapons systems. Concentrate fire on the shield generator. After the generator has been destroyed, it’s a free for all. Anyone with more kills than me gets a free hour at Big Daddy’s on me. Let’s grease this pig.” The twelve TIE Defenders of the Black Aces Squadron fanned out into a modified V formation, with the High Marshal at the front, leading the way. The distance between the Black Aces, who launched from the ISDII Warspite, and the Eye of the Abyss was so minimal that the Aces barely had time to move into formation before they were engaged by Nightshade Squadron, launched from the Eye of the Abyss. Regardless of the surrounding dogfights that ensued, Thran kept his eyes on the target, ignoring all those around him. He was of a singular mind. Destroy the shield generator to make way for the Scimitars. This was known simply as Plan Alpha, and served the TIE Corps well in the past, at least in training and simulations. The elites would knock out the shields, and the Scimitars and Skiprays would come along and completely demolish the capital ship. The Plan had a 85% success rate, odds that Phoenix and Thran would take any day of the week. Thran had just locked onto the generator when he saw Ace 4 explode off his port side. The explosion rocked Thran’s Defender so much that the torpedo lock was lost, sending the Marshal on a collision course with the Star Destroyer. Quickly turning his focus back to the mission at hand, Thran came face to face with the broad side of a Star Destroyer with but a few seconds to pull up before crashing headlong into the Arconan vessel. Eye of the Abyss II Main Bridge “All squadrons are away Consul!” The flight officer reported, standing at rigid attention. “Excellent. Do not let up until Scholae is space dust.” The Consul took a seat in the rear section of the bridge to watch this play out. He had full confidence in his ProConsul to lead the actual battle plan. He was simply here to ensure that everything went according to that very plan. There would be no deviations, otherwise the necessary outcome would be compromised. Arcona would have a homeworld, whether it be through normal conquest or the defeat of a rival Clan. Now that this series of events had taken place, the most appealing option was to claim Cocytus as their own. The shipping income alone could sustain the Clan indefinitely. Mejas cackled as the thoughts of limitless wealth bounced around in his horned dome. NSD Excidium II Armory Soulfire Strike Team Infiltration Unit The coded message Kodiak received from his ProConsul put things into perspective for the Sergeant. He finally learned of his eventual mission and could not be more pleased. Turning to his team, he swirled his forefinger in the air, signaling them to make ready, for they were about to be on the move. The time for glory had finally come, at with not a moment too soon. The general air on board was one of panic and stress, which made the team’s freedom of movement all the easier. Kodiak extricated a small datapad and pulled up the blueprints that had so carefully been lifted from Scholae’s archives and reviewed the best way to get from where he was to where he needed to be to carry out his mission. He immediately saw that he would have to pass several locations that held the possibility of conflict, but was so confident in the mission thus far, that he made no effort to find an alternate route. He simply rounded his team up and set out. Kapsina The next morning Troops were assembling on the main parade grounds slowly but surely. As the unit commanders made the necessary preparations, the Consul and ProConsul silently made their way to the front of the group. Wiping his brow of perspiration and stress, Braecen pensively looked to his second in command. “These troops look weary and inexperienced. I am beginning to have doubts as to their readiness and willingness to fight this battle. A contingency plan must be in place, for I fear we may not succeed. I should have known that this would happen, that Phoenix would promise one thing and do quite the other. He’s probably enjoying some of Thran’s women and booze as we speak. Should we make it out alive from all this, his is the first doorstep I darken.” “Time will tell of glory here, Consul. Fear not, for we will fight to the last breath, with or without Scholae.” Braecen nodded shortly, a sign that he was at least trying to believe in what his brother in darkness was saying to him. If ever there were a time for it, now would be the one to have faith. “Ready the troops. We depart in 2 hours.” NSD Excidium II Blades of Chaos ready room “Look alive!” Cethgus yelled over the din of the barrage of fire coming from Arcona. His Battleteam had the envious task of being in the first wave of foot soldiers deployed in case of a boarding raid, and the Prelate Sergeant wanted his team to be ready for the call. He looked around the room and was relieved to see Angelo Dante readying his equipment. He needed the Marshal’s ingenuity and battle hardness if they were to survive a direct assault on Arcona. As soon as the team showed that they were prepared, Cethgus lead them out the door and down the corridor towards Hangar Bay 3. The ship rocked from side to side as the hull absorbed the relentless onslaught. The motion nearly caused several Stormtroopers rushing through the hallways to lose their balance. The Jedi merely laughed at the imbalance of the “inferior” humans and went about their way. Turning the corner, the Blades came into view of a group of 6 stormtroopers walking against the normal flow. They also did not look to be imbalanced as they walked. Dante, his senses going wild, motioned to Cethgus to follow the group. The Zabrak merely nodded in agreement and started picking up the pace to subtly close the gap. As the team closed to within 3 meters, Dante noticed something awry. The troopers that they were following had no unit designation. Normally, this would be of no importance, but seeing as how all troopers were just issued new armor due to the reorganization, this was odd indeed. Either these particular half dozen troopers missed roll call one morning and were now paying for it, or they had imposters on their hands. Walking calmly to the trooper in the rear, Dante tapped him on his shoulder plate. “Name and Unit, trooper.” The High Marshal ordered. “Corporal Hamlin, 2 nd Platoon Bravo, 4 th Legion, sir!” The trooper replied from behind his helmet. “Hamlin, how’s Colonel Howe these days?” Dante shot back, eager to hear the trooper’s response. “He’s not bad sir. Looking to get into the fray, just like the rest of us.” Suddenly, the corridor was awash in a bright violet light, followed by the familiar snap-hiss of the Templar’s lightsaber. The intruder barely had time to lift his rifle before it was cut in two and the saber firmly planted inches away from the bottom of his helmet. The response caused the other Blades to brandish their Jedi weapons and point them in the direction of the intruders. They were undermanned by one, but seemed to hold the upper hand here. “Just who the hell are you?” Cethgus inquired, the rage filling his face. In response, the lead trooper removed his helmet to reveal his face. “I am Kieran Kodiak Erinos, and this,” he said, as the team responded in kind with their lightsaber ignitions, “is Soulfire Strike Team.” Black Aces Squadron Ace Leader Thran narrowly escaped certain death, only to be thrust right back into the Fire as the Nightshade Squadron of Arcona were battering his squadron to pieces. He had already lost two Defenders and now had three of Arcona’s Avengers on his six. He had tried nearly every evasive maneuver known to TIE pilots, and none of them managed to shake the aggressors from his tail. Something had to be done, and quickly. That shield generator was still up and wasn’t going to shut itself down anytime soon. He still had a mission to complete and he would be damned if he was going to give Phoenix another reason to condescend him. The Marshal took a quick glance at his instrumentation and made a split second decision. Banking hard right, Thran skimmed the top section of the ISD, his adversaries trailing him closely. Shoving the throttle forward, Thran dipped his Defender over the edge of the ISD and back under. The sudden acceleration and confusion gave Thran just the results he was looking for. Two of the Avengers slammed headfirst into the ISD trying to complete the maneuver, leaving Thran with only one remaining. One he could dispatch easily. Kapsina Countryside Southern Continent 2 hours later The massive clamor the AT-ATs made as they trudged across the Kapsina countryside was deafening to say the least. One could not feasibly walk beside one for more than 20 minutes without having some permanent hearing loss. However, Plagueis did not possess the needed troop carriers for all her loyal, so some men were destined for deafness, should they even survive this encounter. Reports had come in that the intruders had made landfall somewhere on the Southern continent, yet no one in command had yet seen one. This march was on blind faith alone. Armed to the teeth, the Infantry and Armor units of Plagueis were nevertheless ready for anything. Their time to spring into action would come quickly. Two scout troopers sped back on their bikes to the lead AT-AT. When they were within radio range, they relayed what they had seen. The shiver in their voices told the commander all he needed to know. There was devastation ahead and they were headed right into the middle of it. The field commander sent only a two word message: “In sight.” Kapsina War Room Plagueis Headquarters “Enemy sighted sir! Forward command station reports no less than three full battalions of enemy combatants within 25 kilometers.” Braecen looked around his elongated mahogany conference table, which was strewn with datapads, blueprints, and small figurines. The faces that stared back at the newly minted Elder were fraught with concern and anxiety. The Consul shaped his façade to attempt to instill a bit of confidence in each of them, a measure that appeared to have worked. Looking at each of his advisors in turn, they shortly nodded their heads in an unspoken agreement. After receiving confirmation from them all, Braecen turned to the comm officer and issued his command. “Inform forward command that they are authorized to use whatever force necessary to defeat the enemy. May the Force be with them.” NSD Excidium II Dante immediately lunged forward towards Kieran, leaving his quasi capture for the rest of the team. This Erinos had some large brass ones if he thought he could so calmly and brazenly traipse around the honored flagship of Scholae. The corridor was instantly bathed in light and sound as the combined lightsabers of the two Battleteams clashed against one another. Grunts of exertion were followed by screams of horror and terror by those who passed by and saw the skirmish unfolding. The stormtroopers that had congregated knew better than to interfere with Jedi matters, lest they lose a limb themselves. They simply stood at the ready, just in case. Two full squadrons, one from the 79 th Legion and one from the 94 th enclosed the corridor to cut off any escape from the intruders, who were easily identifiable. Their rifles stood at the ready, trained as best they could be on the imposter troops. For the average person, this was a sight to behold. 11 Jedi fighting in such a small space made for quite the show. Rho had pushed Cethgus back on his heels long enough to be able to sneak in a kick to Ceth’s ribcage, sending him to one knee to catch his breath. Just as the Sniper raised his saber to fell the killing blow, he was thrust forward from a shot to the backplate of his armor. Kieran, averting his attention from Dante for one second to quickly check on Rho, made an almost fatal mistake. Angelo took the opportunity to spin around behind the Sergeant and force him into a submissive position. “Tell them to stand down.” Date urged. “Will not happen. Kill me first.” “So be it.” The Templar quickly raised his Jedi weapon for the kill shot, only to have his arms unable to move from the vertical position. Turning his head, he soon realized the reason. Lucien, alerted to the fracas by one of the stormtroopers, had swiftly made his way to the fighting. He had barely turned the corner to see Dante with his saber raised, and made a snap decision to prevent the death of an Arconan. “Blades of Chaos,” the Proconsul shouted, “stand down and take these men into custody. They should prove valuable to us in the near future. Dante, please come with me.” ISD Eye of the Abyss II “Urgent communication for you Consul. Someone calling himself Angelo Dante says that he has some interesting information for you. Shall I patch him through?” Mejas agreed to hear what Dante had to say and at the end of the conversation, held his head in his hands. Turning to weapons control, he issued a simple two word order: “Cease fire.” The weapons control officer knew that he had Scholae on the ropes, yet knew enough not to challenge the wisdom of the Consul. He immediately shut down the turbolaser batteries and relayed the Consul’s orders to the remainder of the fleet. Mejas stood, smoothed his robes, and turned to the comm officer. “Open a channel to Phoenix.” NSD Excidium II “Incoming transmission Emperor. The Honorable Consul of Arcona wishes to speak with you.” “Patch it through. I’ll listen to what he has to say, then blast his ass back to Dajorra.” The horned visage of the Consul of the nomad Clan was awash in blue static, yet was easily able to convey the Zabrak’s hesitance to this communication. “Speak.” Phoenix said curtly. Mejas’ face turned from dejection to outright rage at the insolence that the rival Consul was showing him. Yet, he had no choice. His elite were on that ship and he would be damned if he was going to sacrifice them when there were other options. “I understand that you are underway to Kapsina to assist Plagueis against the Yuuzhan Vong. Is this true?” “It is. Had you not pulled your trickery, I would have passed you right by. What are you getting at?” “I have a feeling that the force that attacks Plagueis is remnants of scouting parties that originally overthrew us and took Dajorra. I want nothing more than revenge. I humbly ask that we form an alliance born from mutual hatred of a common foe. We will help in driving the Vong from Jusadih space. In return, all I ask is for your assistance in finding a suitable homeworld. Surely someone with your political and economical contacts can procure at least some reasonably solid information.” Phoenix took only a few moments to ponder the concept. “Following in the spirit of our recent understanding of minimal conflict between our Clans, I accept. For this time, we have far more vengeful enemies to be concerned with. These outlanders will no doubt not stop with Plagueis. We form this alliance out of self preservation more than anything else. I will relay this information to Braecen. He more than likely will welcome the additional personnel.” “Understood. All I ask is that Soulfire be allowed to return to the Eye of the Abyss and that none of them are harmed in any manner during the return.” “I will personally inform Sergeant Zor-El that he is to escort them off the ship and see them to safety aboard your vessel.” “Thank you Consul. Once they have departed your ship, shall we be underway?” Phoenix only nodded curtly to his rival and shut down the communication display. Turning to Lucien, who had come to the bridge halfway through the conversation, the Consul of Scholae chuckled. “What’s the old saying? ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies…..” “Within saber range.” Lucien finished.