Tashannoc watched the battle unfold before him, and also felt Domino detect his presence. 'He can't pinpoint my location, though.' he thought. As the telepathic message came into his mind, he couldn't help but laugh. 'What a feeble attempt!' What Domino didn't and couldn't know was that his seeds of uncertainty lay in the data back in his quarters, not in the squabble that lay before him. As the communication from Domino ended, Tashannoc felt a tightening in his chest. He reacted quickly with the Force, just as he felt a racking pain in his head. Domino had been using his feeble message to establish a mental rapport to facilitate this attack! Pounding his fists on his console, he vocalized his expectations of himself regarding Domino. "I will NOT underestimate de Devastator again!"
Hours later
Neb had returned, his mission had been a success. the battle continued to go back and forth until an unfortunate incident seemed to turn the tide of battle. A Rebel corvette, its engines destroyed, crashed headlong into an Imperial dreadnought, which in turn collided with two Imperial picket vessels. This situation prompted Domino's admiral to commit a portion of the Imperial reserves. 'Now is the time to strike!' Tashannoc thought. He contacted all of the commanders of his strike force. "Boys, slave your hyperdrives to my ship! I'll be taking us right in on the tail of their reserve forces, and I want us to go in with guns a blazin'!" Tashannoc reached out with the Force to guide his calculations, and made the jump, appearing behind The 2nd Imperial fleet almost instantaneously.
"OPEN FIRE! LAUNCH FIRST STRIKE FIGHTERS! WE ARE NOW ON A 1 HOUR RELIEF ROTATION SCHEDULE! TELL THE MEDICAL TEAMS TO PREPARE FOR HEAVY CASUALTIES!" Tashannoc was yelling orders at breathtaking speed, assessing each new situation as it came up with enormous clarity. His small strike force was hardly a match in numbers, but they could make an advantage for themselves using the element of surprise. As the battle group approached the ships of the 2nd Imp, Lerma Haaknu sought to advise Tashannoc. "Tasha, are you certain this is wise?"
We have no choice at this point, Lerma." Tashannoc replied grimly. "We are getting obliterated out here, and once that group of reserve ships was committed to the battle, we had a small window of opportunity to give us an edge again. There aren't many other great options, unless you know of someone in the fleet who has developed Jedi Battle meditation." He and Lerma turned back to the screen and watched as the unsuspecting Imperial ships turned to reply to the force bearing down on them.
Domino sat back on his throne and chuckled, knowing that the Wookiee Jedi would be puzzling at his Sith abilities even now, hours after his mental assault. he glanced up at the viewscreen just as several Imperial ships were bursting into flames. "Daliwhel! What is going on out there?"
Admiral Daliwhel knew there was cause for alarm when Domino called him by name alone. "M-m-my Lord, t-th-the b-b-b-b-bat-t-tle is g-going qu-quite well! B-but b-both sides are t-taking heav-vy c-casualties sir!" Daliwehl was nervous.
Domino couldn't work with nervousness! "First things first, Admiral! Calm yourself. I have no use for command officers if they are not able to do their job. Second, I want you to commit a small portion of our reserves to the battle, keeping the remaining ships alert for anything!" Domino sat and watched the orders he issued be carried out, then shut his eyes and reached out with the Force.
Suddenly his eyes shot open! "Admiral! Scramble two squadrons each of TIE Advanced and Defenders! Turn you picket ships around! We have an attacking force coming to engage us from behind!" The order came a little late to surprise the surpriser, but Domino still had a small advantage with the help of the Jedi combat techniques he knew and used so well. A message light illuminated on his console, and he read the message it represented as it appeared on his screen. "Ahhhh...Jedi Tashannoc, you won't be expecting this!"
Rafaella blinked as the Hope emerged from hyperspace, then fired at the TIE that began to approach her. She wished she had Marddin with her. Or Lin. Or even Taista. As she was thinking about this, the other three ships in her small force erupted into real space at full speed and began to form up into a defensive pattern to gain their wits. Lin would be on board the Pride of Kashyyyk, a jet black vessel with a silver stripe down the middle. Taista was piloting the Destroyer of Bunny Kickers, which unfortunately for all who saw it, was sickeningly checked in midnight blue and hot pink. The Hawk emerged behind the other two, and was dented and dinged so much that color would make it look worse. Marddin, in the Hawk, performed a tight circular maneuver that should've caused him harm, and faced into the core of the Imperial fighters approaching them! Rafaella's golden eyes were sparkling with pride. 'What a mighty military force we are!' she thought. 'A giant pink Varmint, A female Wookiee, an insane Alderaanian, and the galaxy's most unknown Jedi Master. Who knows, we might even help the Alliance to win!' Then she veered the Hope into the fray.
with the arrival of four new ships, Rebels all over the Mechis system were cheering!
Marddin dove headlong into the battle, feeling whole for the first time since the destruction of Alderaan and the death of his wife. He laughed softly to himself as he flipped his ship flying circles around an Imperial who was probably thinking he was crazy. 'Maybe I am.......'
Lin approached the conflict with something like caution. Her nerves were feeling like they were tied up in knots. She took a few deep breaths and laughed to relax. 'These bastards deserve to be blown away' she thought as she began to hum to herself. She opened fire on nearby fighters, occasionally just nicking them on purpose, playing with them before sending them to oblivion. She regretted that she couldn't send them to a life of misery in the spice mines of Kessel. "Too bad that rancor Palpatine isn't nearby, I've got a laser blast just waiting for him!" she growled to herself as she made a strafing pass at a small frigate.
Taista flinched as he realized what was happening. Then he screamed at his comrade. "Lin, save some Imps for me, you cheating pile of rancor dung! I want Devastator for myself!" As he vaped his first TIE fighter, he wondered whether the Master would let him crucify de Devastator on one of the school walls. 'Probably not. She cares too much about honor!'
Palpatine was sitting in his chambers aboard the Sovereign-class Star Destroyer Defiant, in orbit around his Master's home planet Neraka Prime. His Master wished to speak with their new recruit, Yodaa. Grand Admiral Kallath was also there, and was rambling on and on about something. "What possessed you to put Tarkin in charge of the Death Star? I know Vader was there to make sure he didn't do anything against your wishes, but after the fiasco with Daala, I thought you would've let your Master have 'fun' with him."
Palpatine cackled. "Tarkin and I were playing mind games with the foolish little girl. I gave him the Death Star project after he seduced Daala and she fell in love with him. Can you imagine, Kallath, Tarkin and her.....well you know!" Palpatine began to cackle again. The com suddenly screeched. Palpatine, flicking it on with the Force, said "What is it?"
Captain Talerth's militarily precise voice replied. "Emperor Nelazriel wishes you to take Yodaa to the Battle of Mechis III."
Palpatine said, "When the little green monster is on board, put him in the detention cell and start the calculation for the hyperspace jump."
Kallath got up, saying "Well this has been a fascinating conversation, and I would like to continue it, but I have a ship to run." He left the room.
Ten minutes later, the fleet, led by three Sovereign-class Star Destroyers disappeared into hyperspace, en route to Mechis III.
Marquis sat for a long time, unsure if she should actually set down on the planet. Moving with deliberate voluntary inertia, she decided to land on Mechis III and wait out the contention out in space. Suddenly, it started! Chaos everywhere, and she wished her ship were invisible! The only thing she could do was to try and sneak past everyone and get planet side. She didn't relish the idea of getting caught in the crossfire, but she felt that she had no choice. If she had thought her stomach was fluttery before, it paled in comparison to how she felt now. She could feel doom enveloping her like a blanket. With a loud crack, and the shutdown of her shield generator, she knew she was hit! The smell of frying ozone filled the cockpit. Then suddenly, she noticed it.........Her engines had lost power! She would be stranded here, in the middle of a war! She knew nothing about this planet, and her breathable air supply was running out!
Palpatine entered the cell where Yodaa was being kept. "will you be able
to control yourself?" Palpatine asked him.
Yodaa, who was busy chewing on the bed in the detention cell, replied, "Control
myself I will, if let me out of here you do!"
Palpatine held back laughter as the clone returned to the busy task of eating the bed.
"My Master has told me you will be of some help and importance in the Mechis III
engagement. I shall let you out, but you must not bewitch the men with mind control. I
need the minds of the crew to be fresh and unhindered! Do you agree?"
Yodaa watched the man with that disconcertingly passive expression he had, and replied.
"Err hee hee hee heh heh heh heh! Agree I do! Have my gimer stick back may I?"
Palpatine reached out his left hand and the stick flew into his grasp from out in the
hallway. "My preciousss! Come here my preciousss!" he raved as he snatched the
stick from Palpatine.
The Emperor shook his head as he and the green psychotic midget exited the cell. 'At
least Dark Yoda wasn't crazy!' he thought. 'If this mad clone starts beating
crewmen with that damn cane, I'll have to take steps.'
Minutes later, on the bridge of the Defiant
Kallath approached Palpatine in an intrepid manner. Your majesty,
Emperor Nelazriel wishes for you to make contact with him. It is about Lord N'roeth. Red
priority!"
Palpatine glanced over at Yodaa, who was staring transfixed at the shifting blue warpfield
of hyperspace. As he walked off of the massive bridge of the Defiant, Palpatine said,
"Keep a watchful eye on that clone. If he starts doing anything stupid, do not
hesitate to disturb me."
Emperor Palpatine's personal fleet loomed out of hyperspace like a
flock of Medieval dragons looking for the sacrificial virgin princess. In addition to the
three Sovereign-class Star Destroyers were several smaller ships (Imperial Star
Destroyers, Interdictor cruisers, Carrack-class cruisers, and support frigates of all
shapes) to create a support picket around the monolithic vessels. Palpatine's fleet had
appeared directly behind the Rebel battle group that had been attempting to cut off the
2nd fleet from the rest of the battle. The Emperor watched from the bridge as the now
cornered Rebels pummeled valiantly at the forces of his ally, Domino de Devastator.
"Bring Yodaa to this vantage point." Palpatine commanded. Within a minute Yodaa
was hobbling up to Palpatine.
"Friend Palpatine, anxiety I sense from you. What is it that you seek from me?"
Yodaa gargled with a grin.
Palpatine led him to a tactical display. "These ships shown in red are our
all..."
"Already know I which ships are friends and which our enemies! What must we do with
the others?" Yodaa had cut him off briskly.
Palpatine paid no attention to the interruption. "I'm delighted that you asked little
green one. We will crush them with all of our might. But first, I must contact Lord Domino
and let him know of our intentions. That way he can consolidate with us in our
efforts!" Palpatine closed his eyes and reached out to Domino with the Force.
Domino responded telepathically. "I felt your arrival with the Force. I thank you
for coming, and better late than never, I might add. Who is the one with you? It feels
very similar to Yoda, but not quite right."
The Emperor replied back, "The other is a powerful new asset and ally, nothing
more of him will you need to know at this time. For now, let us show this rebel scum what
they are dealing with!" By this time, two squadrons of Rebel fighters, one
X-Wing and one B-Wing, had been scrambled to slow the advance of the newly arrived
Imperial ships. "Yodaa, my friend," Palpatine said with a cackle, "those
rebel fighters are yours to toy with."
Yodaa let out a mischievous little giggle and reached out his hand. "Err hee hee hee!
Expect this they will not!" One of the B-Wings began to fire upon its fellows. As the
Rebels were not expecting this, and they weren't sure how to deal with this, only two
B-Wings were left by the time they had destroyed the renegade fighter. Then an X-Wing
broke off and did the same thing, but when he had stirred the other fighters against the
one, Yodaa let go of the first mind, and grabbed another, using it to perform the task of
destroying its friends.
"Nice work, my little friend. Now we will both concentrate our efforts on the Rebel
fleet!" Palpatine laughed with joy as he watched his new partner perform his dirty
work.
Nelazriel leaned back in his throne, the talisman of Hiddukel hanging around his neck, staring at Martel. "Why did you not tell me this before now Martel? I would have preferred to know this information before Palpatine sent Lord Domino on his mission to Mechis III."
Martel shuffled his feet, despairing under the disapproving gaze of his Dark Master. "Master Nelazriel, I didn't think the Rebel forces were a big enough threat to the Mechis III operation. I admit I was wrong."
The mystical voice of Hiddukel rang in the ears of his servants. "Martel, you could not have known about the Rebellion's talents in this battle, but Palatine's Sovereign Star Destroyers will not be able to use their superlasers to smash the planetary shields. That was to be the whole idea in sending them." Hiddukel's voice continued, "I think you will profit in the future, by practicing a little more foresight!"
Nelazriel rose from his throne, restless from this new development. "What prompted your ignorance of the facts, Martel? Why would you do this?"
Martel was beginning to feel angry at being blamed for things, and retorted, "You ordered the whole thing.....Master."
Palpatine was watching the incredible explosion of the snubfighters, realizing now why his Master found him useful. He ordered to Kallath, "Signal the Sovereigns of the fleet to concentrate all fire on the Rebel capital ships, this will give the superlasers time to charge up."
Kallath growled the orders into the portside crew pit as Yodaa hobbled up to Palpatine. "Fire on the planetary shield you will?"
Palpatine replied, "Of course, that's what superlasers are for. I want you to learn to speak Basic properly!"
Yodaa started beating the Emperor with his gimer stick, yelling and screaming, raving in some unknown tongue. Pain shot up Palptine's leg as Yodaa augmented the sticks natural hardness with the Force. Palpatine was getting very annoyed with the mad clone, and reached out with the Force and levitated the little beast. "Will you stop these antics if I let you down?" Palpatine asked the deranged little brute, coldly.
"Yess, behave I will. Down will you put Yodaa now?" the Dark clone flew unceremoniously across the bridge and landed with a THUMP on the deck.
"My Lord," Kallath called from his command post. "the superlasers on all of the ships are charged. Shall we fire on the planetary shields?"
Yodaa screeched, "No! Capital ships will you fire upon!" Kallath looked from the Emperor to the clone, then turned an appealing eye to Palpatine again. The Emperor nodded to Kallath in a way that he knew he should obey the clone's wishes. Kallath called the Despot's captain with the orders to fire at will on the capital vessels. Seconds later, a Mon Calamari cruiser erupted in a violent explosion.
Expletives gushed forth from Tashannoc's mouth as the three Sovereign Star Destroyers entered the system right behind his ships. He was already taking heavy damage from Domino's retaliation, which was much more organized than he had expected. He would have to remember no to underestimate this one again! Currently, Tashannoc felt as though he was being outmaneuvered at every turn. Suddenly the cruiser next to him erupted in a ball of fire! "SUPERLASERS! KATARN DUNG!!" he roared in Wookiee. "Captain, get your ships out of here! Neb, get to your fighter, Lerma, you're with me in the Thunder. When we're off, Captain, get the Hell out of here! Your jump coordinates are laid into the navicomp! You will fly just out of the system then circle back to join the rest of the fleet!"
Tashannoc ran for the Thunder's hanger bay, and Lerma materialized next to him. Only minutes later, the Thunder met up with Neb Calluna's ship and the 34th Strike Force entered hyperspace. Tashannoc set his course. "Neb, your job will be to keep any fighters off of our tail! I think we may be able to find a weakness on those things but you will have to trust me!"
"I've always trusted you, boss. I'm not going to stop now!" Neb answered.
On board the central Sovereign, Yodaa saw the two ships making a seemingly suicidal attempt to engage the massive ships. "Destroy you too, I will." he said, then reached out with the Force to grab the first ship. He felt his attempt dissipate as he tried to touch the craft. "TASHANNOC!!!!" he screamed, "Know you were this powerful I did not!" A fit of madness overcame him as he was distracted in favor of an easier target. "Ah, a Y-wing squadron! How quaint they appear!"
Meanwhile, Tashannoc was nearing the Sovereign on the left of the formation. For what seemed like endless moments, he was dodging right and left, up and down, turbolaser fire just missing him on every side! As he reached out with the Force, Lerma spoke to him. "There, that trench off to starboard. There's a port 2.5 kilometers down. A bull's eye should do some severe damage!"
Skillfully, Tashannoc guided the Thunder, following his trusted advisor's directions. At a moment deemed appropriate by Lerma, he unleashed a volley of proton torpedoes into the designated target and pulled out. As he made his way for the next one, he saw the flash from the explosions, but saw that the ship was practically intact. "BLAST IT!!!" he yelled.
"No my friend." Lerma interjected. "Look at your sensors. We have disabled the superlaser!"
"Yeah!" Tashannoc bellowed, hurting Lerma's ears. "All right! Let's go after number two!" With Neb still flying on their wing, they took out the superlaser on the second Sovereign. Then he set his sights on the destroyer in the center. "You're going down Palpatine!"
Grand Admiral Kallath swore as the communication from the Autarch came in saying that their superlaser had been disabled. Yodaa, sitting in a corner chewing on his gimer stick and nursing a wounded ego, was raving in a bout of clone madness, "Yesss, my presiousssnessss, hurt the Wookiee we wiiiillllllll! Ssset hisssss hairsss on fire. I shall sstring him upsssside down and ssssseeeal hissss doooom. I vow to you precioussssss."
Palpatine was in a foul mood due to the news of the disabled superlaser on the Autarch. "Kallath!" he called across the bridge to the fuming Grand Admiral. "Prepare to drop the victory Star Destroyer Deathlord from our hold."
As the Deathlord undocked from the Defiant, a sudden burst of turbolaser blasts from an attack frigate struck the unshielded ship, dashing it into so much spacedust. Up on the bridge, Palpatine was conjuring a Force Storm, centralizing it on the attack frigate. Through the Force, he could hear the screams of the rebels. Yodaa, energized by the screams, took time from his important task of chewing his gimer stick to join in the Force Storm. Soon, they were joined by the Lord Dark master of the Dark Side of the Force, Domino de Devastator. It wasn't long before the entire hull of the frigate had been breached and the Force Storm had abated. Yodaa was not finished however, and he continued to assail the few escaping shuttles and life pods, causing them to crash into each other.
Palpatine was drained, the Force Storm was an excessive expenditure of energy. He collapsed to his knees. It was then that a mental attack occurred. Palpatine's mind was overwhelmed with the pain-filled memories of his most trusted servant casting him down into the shaft on the second Death Star. The horrifying feeling of drifting through the chaos of the Dark Side. Then a vision entered his head. he was on the command bridge of a giant cube-shaped ship, and he could see that this was not an attack, but a premonition of possible events to come after the Battle of Mechis III.
Major Hendrikson flinched as a Mon Calamari cruiser flashed into explosive particles off to his right. "Oh Sith!" he exclaimed.
A tech called to him, "Sir, General Tashannoc seems to have ordered a retreat!"
Hendrikson answered immediately, "No, he can't do that! if we leave Mechis III unprotected the Imps'll take it and we'll be drowning in assassin droids and binary load lifters programmed to kill before we can say Sith Sandwich! Get me Thix Barkon on the com."
The officer complied, and Thix's voice drifted out of the speaker. ~Sir?~
Major Hendrikson replied, "Thix, I need a status report quickly."
Thix replied, ~Affirmative sir. Green squadron has suffered a single loss, Blue squadron has lost three. Red, Yellow, and Gold squadrons have each lost two. Other than that, we are holding together quite well. Yellow will be coming in for a new load of torpedoes, we are harassing an Imperial Star Destroyer, and we almost have her down! What of the Sovereign's?~
The Major answered, "Tashannoc was able to take out the superlaser on one of them. The other two are still in 'fine' working order."
Thix responded, ~Sir, I'd like to request permission to make a run at one of the Sovereign's.~
"Permission granted. Be very careful." Hendrikson watched as the X-Wings darted for the nearest Sovereign-class Star Destroyer. Soon, they were lost against the backdrop of the black hull plating, but the Major could see the flashes of blue as the ships unloaded their torpedoes into the vessel's engine area.
Thix reported over the com, ~We have succeeded in taking out an engine. It probably won't make much of a difference to a ship that huge, but it's a start! We're coming in for a reload.~
Hendrikson acknowledged and sat in his command chair, wondering what his four ships could do against such odds if the rest of the Rebel Fleet did retreat.
Tashannoc was fully willing to take advantage of the massive Force assault on the frigate. helpless to stop it, he decided to work towards stopping more deaths. With only one Superlaser left, he brought the Rolling Thunder to bear on the Destroyer in front of him. The TIE advanced and Defenders were swarming like flies, and Neb in his heavily modified X-Wing was the insecticide. The Thunder dove into the third trench, and as the last of his torpedoes went down the port perfectly, he saw a flash of an explosion, and a burst of static on the com from Calluna's ship. "NEB!!!" Tashannoc called. "Are you alright?"
There was silence for a few brief seconds, then a response. "no I'm not alright! they vaped my ship! Do you know how many credits I had soaked into that thing?"
"I'll buy you a new one Neb." Tashannoc was just happy to hear his friend's voice. "Hold on, we're moving in to pick you up!"
Once on board the Thunder, Neb jumped into the quad laser port to continue vaporizing the fighters. At this point, even Tashannoc couldn't dodge all of the laser fire, and his rear shields were starting to look bad. "I'm pulling us out of here!" He kicked in his engines to pull as much speed as he could without draining necessary power from the shields.
Back on Tashannoc's Gift he sent Lerma with Neb to make sure that he tended to the minor wounds he had received when his ship got destroyed. On the bridge, he spoke with his human lieutenant. "Contact Mechis III. Inform them that we have done all that we can. they need not worry about the superlasers, but they should get into evacuation proceedings ASAP, as the ground assault should be coming soon! We can't hold out for too much longer, the Imperials just have too much firepower out there!"
Tashannoc paused and realized how exhausted he was. Knowing that the Emperor, Domino, and Yodaa would be too tired from the Force Storm to much Force damage for a while, he retired to his chambers for a much needed nap. When Lerma checked in to see how he was doing, the little three eyed Zuu Shi was pleased that the rooms were soundproof, because Tashannoc was snoring loudly.
Thix hopped back into his reloaded X-Wing as the rest of Green squadron did the same. He blasted back into space and back into the madness. Almost immediately he noticed something that he hadn't noticed before. "Green Two, do you see that object in quadrant eight?"
~Copy Thix! Looks like a disabled civilian vehicle! Try to contact it while I fly cover!~ replied the other pilot.
"Copy, Green Two!" Thix searched for the appropriate channel and opened the line. "Disabled civilian vessel, this is Thix Barkon of the Rebel Alliance Navy, do you copy?" He surveyed the craft, and found that the engines were all but destroyed and oxygen was leaking out at a slow rate. "Do you copy?" He was about to close the channel and contact the Xenomorph, when a weak voice came over the com.
~..ix Barkon? M....ame is Marq.....I nee...elp as fas..as possib....air is run....out!~
Thix called the carrier and said, "Xenomorph, we've go a stranded civilian out here. Say's her name is Mark something. Couldn't quite tell. Her ship is pretty ripped up."
~Copy, Green Five! We have a rescue transport on the way. Proceed with your flight plan.~ Thix sat back in his flight chair, content to have done something that would save a life instead of destroying one for once!
Marquis sat in her increasingly cold cockpit as a flood of relief washed over her. 'Please hurry!' she thought frantically, as her oxygen supply was depleting rapidly. She was already feeling lightheaded and could barely make out the approaching ship. As she felt them draw near, she willed herself not to pass out. Unfortunately, her body had other plans, and she lost consciousness just as she felt the gentle touch of a gloved hand rest on her shoulder. A persistent beeping was all that she heard as the crewmen entered the cockpit.
With the Imperial cruiser and many other vessels destroyed, the Crystal Snake u-turned for more action. Boba Phil opened fire on the TIE Interceptors and TIE Advanced as they plummeted towards him. One of the X-Wings tailing was caught by one of the Imperial starfighters, and went up in a ball of fire. Phil's com buzzed with the voice of a rebel X-Wing pilot.
~Boba Phil, I'm glad to see you still with us. We have just received word that all three superlasers have been disabled. We won't have to worry about them anymore.~
Boba Phil replied, "Roger, Yellow Three. What should our next target be?"
The answer came without a moment of hesitation. ~We are moving in on that nearest ISD! The shields must be destroyed, from there we can take it out because...~
"Yes I know! Without their shields they're defenseless." Boba Phil cut him off.
~Good!~ Yellow Leader responded. ~Form up, we're going in!~
It was as if the participants had lost interest in the battle. The Emperor, weary from the Force storm, retreated to his private chambers to meditate on his rage. Yodaa, still delusional after the same situation found a dark chamber to rest and meditate in his madness.
Hours later, the ships of the Imperial fleets were completing repairs, and Palpatine called a conference with his inner circle. Lord Domino answered the summons with all due haste, but Yodaa did not arrive. "That miserable freakish clone. I'm beginning to think that utilizing his infernal talents was a tragic error. In infantile rage that little beast bruises my leg with his gimer stick, then retreats to his quarters to chew on his cot!" claimed Palpatine, as Domino observed the ranting in subdued amusement.
"Your Majesty, I will go fetch him." Domino said, volunteering for the dirty work. Domino found Yodaa, deep in a trance, rotating slowly in midair. "Yodaa!" Domino called out, pulling Yodaa from his trance with the Force. "You will come with me to answer the summons of the Emperor."
"No! Noooo! Spin with Yodaa in the air you shall!" Yodaa whimpered back, grabbing Domino with the Force and whisking him into the air.
Domino repelled the Force hold, and placed himself on the floor. "The Emperor has called for a meeting between us. Later, when the business is taken care of, we can spin." The mere thought of 'spinning' made Domino shiver. Back in Palpatine's council chamber, they began to conjure a plan. Yodaa, who appeared calm and placid, allowed himself to leave his gimer stick outside of the room for the Emperor's benefit. "Ground battle shall we begin. Yesss. Find other Force user on the Planet we shall. Felt the presence I did. Did you not? Err hee hee hee heh heh *cough*" Yodaa proclaimed.
"Yes, yes, good for you. Concentrate on the battle at hand. Then we can find this other Force user who responded to our Force storm." Domino agreed with Yodaa.
"I have foreseen it. Domino, you and Yodaa will find this other being. Then you will bring them before me. In the meantime, the Imperial fleets shall continue the process of punishing the weaker rebel force, in space and planet side. Is this understood?" Palpatine was still looking weary from the Force Storm, and irritable from Yodaa's antics. The meeting continued, as occasionally, Palpatine would begin to cackle maniacally, joined by the Lord Dark Master and a heal clicking Yodaa.
After a few hours of rest, Tashannoc was fully refreshed and ready for another 48 hours on his feet, if need be. On the bridge, he asked the duty officer for an update.
"Sir, shortly after you returned, the battle subsided. We think that has ended, however. About an hour ago, we attacked the Imperials in an attempt to knock them off balance, which prevented them from making their full repairs." the duty officer looked at his data pad for a moment then continued. "Mr. Haaknu assured us that the damage to the superlasers was extensive and could take weeks, or even months to repair them in dry-dock, but we wanted to make sure. Since then we have been making hit and run sorties, trying to keep them away from the planet, but it doesn't look like much use, sir. We are completely outnumbered and overwhelmed."
Tashannoc ignored the desperation that tinged the officer's voice and replied, "What of the rest of the strike force?"
"Sir," the officer answered, "they have almost rejoined us after hours at top speed. The commander was displeased that you sent him much further out of system than the Gift."
Shaking his head, Tashannoc replied, "And you explained to him that I am willing to take chances with the Gift that I am not willing to take with the ships that actually belong to the Rebel fleet, right?"
"Yes sir." the officer said. "He wasn't willing to listen to that."
"I see....," Tashannoc said in a near mumbled growl, "Typical. Now tell me what you know about the Imperial defenses."
Pausing to glance at his data pad again, the duty officer said, "They seem practically impenetrable. They are holding off quite well, and de Devastator is doing a mighty job of minimizing the damage that we can do."
Tashannoc nodded. "I want the data from every strike we have made in the last hour, with updates. Lord Domino may be good, but there must be a hole in his shield somewhere. No on is perfect." With that, Tashannoc settled down to analyze the data before him.
Lin flew as close to the Gift as she dared. Then she began blasting away at the advanced TIE's which were harrassing the Gift. Rafaella might have disagreed with the tactic, but no way was she going to leave Tashannoc to be destroyed by the Imperials. She muttered a profoundly accurate Wookiee curse as she annihilated several TIE's in succession, then took several shots, however impotent, at an Imperial Star Destroyer.
Hendrikson stared out the viewport of the bridge on the Xenomorph. The door to the bridge hissed open and a woman, flanked by two guards entered. The higher ranked guard spoke, "Major, we just rescued this woman from her spacecraft twenty minutes ago. Her ship is in for an overhaul, but we can supply her with a YT-1300 or some other transport if she would prefer. She has informed us that she will keep it in consideration."
Lance looked thoughtful for a moment, then he said, "And your name is.....?"
"Call me Marquis, please, and thank you!" the woman responded.
Hendrikson paused to activate some switches on the main console, then turned to her again. "Marquis, eh? Well, you should get some rest and something to eat. We will make every effort to have your ship in working order and..."
"Excuse me sir." the first guard interupted. "We can not possibly have her ship in operation by......."
Hendrikson cut him off. "Just make it happen! If the Xenomorph goes up in flames I don't want a civillian on board. Get her to supplies for some clean clothes. She looks like some quarantined refuge in that medical robe."
The guard began to direct Marquis off of the bridge. "Very well sir."
As the guards left with the woman, Lance turned his attention once again to the viewport. 'This is such a devastating battle......' he began pondering.
After changing into the outfit they supplied for her, Marquis looked around for her former clothing.
"Damn!"she said, thinking of her holdout blaster, which she always carried in her pocket. She looked up and down the barren halls and curiosity got the best of her. She wandered down several corridors and went down a turbolift. Upon hearing footsteps approaching, she ducked into an alcove and watched where they went. Stealthily, she stole along behind them and watched the taller of the two place his right thumb up to an identification device. It opened.
'Top security rooms, no doubt.' she thought as they entered. She sat for a while, thinking about her options.
Not too much later, another person approached carrying an armful of datacards and pulling a repulsor-cart with some instrument on it. He pressed his right thumb up to the identification device and the door opened, then allowed time for him to get his cart in. Taking a great chance, Marquis rushed in behind before the door closed, Looking around franticlly for a hiding place, she spotted a dark room and dashed inside!
It was at this point when I accidentally erased the first 200 posts of the Battle Zone, and have no complete recollection of what took place! Therefore, I will summarize in a quick conclusion of the battle! I am truly sorry for this folks, but I can really do nothing else about it!
It seems that a detachment of Rebel Infiltrators were able to get down to the surface of Mechis III and set up a series of explosions to destroy the droid manufacturing facilities there. They were led by the female Wookiee, Major Bjiatocah! These Rebels did in fact rig nearly 85% of the planet to self-destruct before they made their escape.
Meanwhile, Domino de Devastator had his ground forces prepare to take control of the planet. He was unaware of the Rebel commandos, and he sent many Imperial troops to their doom!
In orbit around Mechis III, the space battle was becoming more and more hopeless for the Rebels, and they began to gather up their fighter squadrons to prepare for a retreat! When all was ready, they vanished from the system!
Marquis found a ship to get away from the Rebels that had rescued her, and made her way to parts unknown. She had a sense of duty for some people she had pledged to help, and didn't feel that she could offer her services to anyone at this time.
RETURN TO THE ARCHIVES
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