The Rebel Faction

Walking throw the Lio's Internal hanger bay was akin to taking a trip back into the prime of the old republic.

The bay was dressed from floor to ceiling with ships that would've been at least over a hundred years old, but they were so well maintained that they shone as though they had been wheeled off the production line only minutes ago.

This was truly wonderful.


<font color=yellow>"Mr Janggar, I presume?"

<font color=lime>"Yes,I'm Ren Janggar."

<font color=yellow>"Ah, excellent, may I present myself I am Pero Rau, I am the head engineer of this facility, it is an honour to have someone of your expertise here at Lio, we Mere are trully honoured."

<font color=white>Ren was taken aback by the young Mere's enthusiasm and Admiration for him. It seemed as though he was quite a celebrity here.

<font color=lime>"I'm very pleased to meet you mr Rau, however I'm the one that's honoured by being here. This place is great!."


<font color=yellow>"Thank you, we Mere are a simple people but we do our best. Oh, I almost forgot, our Honoured regent of Maramere, Kinsar Tay , awaits your presence in her main chambers. She, most of all, has been looking forward to our, hmm, partnership.


This way sir."


<font color=white>Pero turned and led Ren to a massive turbolift that would take him up to Regent Tay's office.

Together they boarded the lift and were soon on thier way.

<font color=yellow>The base of Mount Merikan


<font color=lime>"Wow."

<font color=pink>"She's a beut ain't she. I can still remeber climbing it when I was a little girl. The other children could never understand why I didnt just take a speeder and ride to the summit .They never understood the satisfaction I got after climbing and reaching the top on my own. It was one of the biggest rewards I could think of when you get there and it feels as though you can see the whole of Maramere.

<font color=lime>"I know what you mean."

<font color=pink>"You all suited up yet?"

<font color=lime>"I think so."

<font color=pink>"Good. Last one to the top's a rotten Hutt!!


<font color=white>Why that little! Kinsar seemed to leap like an animal, one trait of the Mere was thier exceptionally developed musculature.

Fine. You wanna race,i'll give you a race!!

With that Ren started after Kinsar, leaping onto the mountain with a force Jump. The two sped up the mountain at an enourmous pace.

Although he'd never done anything like this before, Rock climbing seemed to come natural to Ren. No sooner had he left one ledge had he grabbed onto the next one.


The two where now at least 200 feet in the air now.

Suddenly Ren's senses began to twitch.

Kinsar lost her footing and fell of the rock. She plummeted down towards Ren.

Instantaneously and without thinking , Ren reached out with the force and grabbed Kinsar just in time.


<font color=pink>"Thanks!" <font color=white>gasped Kinsar.

<font color=pink> "Oh my No!! Ren lookout!!!"


<font color=white>Ren turned sharply to see two trade federation droid fighters facing them, guns primed, droid eyes glowing a sickly Red.

<font color=lime>"Dont panic. Just don't move."

<font color=white>A voice spoke out from the Droid fighter, the voice of a Niemodian.

<font color=green>"Enemies of the Trade federation! Stay where you are. Any attempt to escape will be met with deadly force. You are now prisoners of the Trade Federation.'


<font color=lime>"What the hell?!"

<font color=white>A trade federation cruiser descended through the clouds above Ren and Kinsar. It's hatches and hanger bays open , pouring out droid fighters headed towards starport.

The Immense cruiser hovered and hummed over and levelled out beside the two climbers. A side hatch opened on the vessel and a pair of grappling hooks shot out and took them inside.

It seemed that now, the Trade Federation, was back!

<font color=green> "After we are through with you, you're head will make a fine addition to Viceroy Ruuk's wall."

<font color=lime>"Unless you've not been keeping up on current events, the current viceroy is Nelix Galdra."

<font color=green>"Watch your tongue! If i ever hear such, blasphemous remarks from you again I will have your head for myself!"

<font color=white>The Neimodian came an inch away from Ren's face, so close you could cut the tension with a knife.

But, he had given Ren the oppertunity he needed.

Using his super-responsive reflexes, Ren nipped behind the Neimodian grabbing him by the throat.

The Battle droids drew thier weapons.

<font color=green>"GAh! UCk, don't shoot you fools!"

<font color=white>
One of the battle droids then made the fatal error of trying to Jump Ren. In one swift motion, he snapped the Niemodian's neck and threw his limp body at the droids. Ren handcuffed and all, drew his lightsaber and diced the pair of droids in two.

No doubt that this ship was headed to the starport. Who were these people. Trade Federation? Couldn't be.

There hasn't been a trade federation presence in this system for over 70 years now. Where the hell did they come from.

Too many questions, not enough time to find the answers. He needed to get off this ship and get word to the outside as soon as possible.


Ren made his way back down the corridor to the access hatch where he'd been taken in.

Luckily the door was unguarded.

Ren reignited his lightsaber and slashed it repeatedly through the door causing the metal to burn and destabilize.

Soon enough Ren had broken the Internal locking mechanism. He opened the door to see the Cruiser wasn't very far from the island no was it too far in the air.

Without thinking Ren took a nose dive out of the hatch.

Quickly, he plummeted down into the ocean.

<font color=yellow>Lio Starport Naval Museum


<font color=lime>“There it is, the havoc.”

<font color=white>Ren stood and admired the historical ship.

A plaque next to it with a picture read,<font color=red> “This plaque hearby commemorates Nym the Jedi Master Adi Gallia and the Lok revenants in thier liberation of the Karthak System from the oppression of the Trade Federation. May thier memories live on.”

<img src=http://www.starwars.com/eu/feature/20020201/img/1_sm.jpg>
<font color=yellow>Nym:Honoured Regent Of the karthak system.

<font color=lime>“Let’s hope this thing can still fly.”

<font color=white>Ren climbed up and in through the cockpit access hatch.

<font color=lime>“Now let’s see. Primary ignition stabilizers, optimul drive input accelerators, and inverse drive compensators. Seems in order. We have power and feul. Wow, who knew they would’ve kept this thing stocked.”

<font color=white>With a mighty roar the engines growled into life.


The Havoc burst through the roof of the museum , streaking across the sky.

Suddenly the engines cut out.


<font color=lime>“Oh no, not now. Don’t do this to me now!”

<font color=white>Ren sat back and disengaged the engines, the Havoc began to plummet down to the water at a dangerous rate.

<font color=lime>“come on . . .”

<font color=white>And with one almight pop the engines fired back into existence.

<font color=lime>“Yes!!”


<font color=purple>“What is that fighter doing?”

<font color=yellow>“It is making a attempt to get into orbit sir.”

<font color=purple>“Send a squad of droids to take care of it. I want nothing to leave this system!!”

<font color=lime>“Whoooooohooooooo!!!” <font color=white>Exclaimed Ren as he breached the outer atmosphere.

KACHUNK!!!!!

<font color=lime>“Whooa, something hit us!”

<font color=white>A sqaud of Scarab Droid fighters steadily gained on Ren and the Havoc, lasers streaking past almost searing the hull.

<font color=lime>“Hmm, lets see what this ship can do. Hmm, automated laser turrets, just what the Niemoidian ordered.”

<font color=white>Outside, the Havocs two turrets wirred into motion, spinning around to face the droid Fighters.

<font color=lime>“Buh bye!”

<font color=white>The Havoc let off a volley of laser fire, decimating the persuing fighters with ease.

Ren then turned back, and noticed that he was heading right into the path of six Trade Federation battlecruisers.

<font color=lime>“Oh crap!”

............................................

<font color=yellow>”Ahh, Viceroy Ruuk, some bad news.”

<font color=purple>”What is it now!?”

<font color=yellow>”A lone ship has evaded our fighters and is headed out of the atmosphere.”

<font color=purple>”Well what are you waiting for, order out ships in orbit to intercept it. Then when it’s been disposed of, dispatch three battlecruisers to destroy the Mere ships that are heading back into the system. We will suprise them and they wont stand a chance.”

<font color=yellow> “Yes, as you wish Viceroy.”

The Havoc dropped out of Hyperspace with the federation ship in hot pursuit.

The Battlecruiser crackled from lightspeed into realspace with its laser cannons firing at full intensity.

Several bolts of red laser battered against the hard armour of the Havoc scoring the hull in several places.

Another hit caused some greater damage, rupturing one of the Havoc's coolant lines. Ren's bomber began to violently spew out blue fluerescant slime into space.

<font color=red><font size=3>!!!WARNING!!!
Engine Coolant Leak

Engine Overheat in 1 minutes

Auto Engine Shutdown sequence initiated

<font color=white><font size=2>That wasn't good.
In one minute, Ren's engines would power down and he'd be dead in space , in more than one sense of the word.


The Karthak Nebula loomed close, the Federation ship loomed even closer. Ren had to think quickly.

If I fire a turboboost from the engines then eject the engine drive coils, i should get enough momentum to reach the asteroid field.


Ren hit the turboboost lever and the Havoc roared off towards the Nebula.

<font color=red><font size=3>!!!WARNING!!!

Engine Breach imminent

Shut Down engines Immediately

<font color=lime><font size=2> Almost there . . .almost there, hold together.

<font color=white> The havoc began to jutter and shake violently, smoke and coolent was now billowing outward from the aft of the ship into space.

The rattles and shakes became almost unbearable to the point where Ren had no choice but to Jettison the Drive coils.

The coils glowed a bright white before exploding just a few metres away from the Havoc.

<font color=lime>"Well, I'm damn sure not going anywhere now."


The red and purple gases of the karthak nebula welcomed the Havoc like a warm blanket, smothering and concealing the ship from all sensors.

Hopefully the Trade Federation would not be so stupid to fire thier capital ship's lasers in this volitile nebula. One shot from thier turbolasers would set off a change reaction that could vapourise everything in 30,000 square kilometers. Ren could sense that this Fed Captain was not about to discharge an energy weapon in such a high risk situation.


Before Ren entered the nebula he noticed that the havoc's sensors indicated 5 starships nearing the other side of the Nebula.

The Mere crusiers perhaps?

They had to be.

If only he could warn them.

Ren dared not to fire his own lasers in here, most of his ordinance was to strong to let loose on the nebula.

Maybe if he ejected the feul from the main thrusters, the ignited it. Something like that would ignite some of the gas but not enough to break down his shields. It would give them a damn hard pounding though.

Ren buckled his straps around him as tightly as they would go.

He lightly tapped the fuel release panel, and outshot the clear liquid fuel into space.

Ren ignited the fuel line whilst simoultaneously raising his shields.

A pire of flame seared the ships hull just before the shields came up, almost burning away the thin transparisteel canopy keeping Ren from floating out into open space.

The burning streak of fire shot outwards from the Havoc, connecting and combusting with the surrounding Gases in the Nebula creating a ball of bright blue fire for several hundred metres in all directions.



....................................

The Mere Cruiser Durago

<font color=yellow>"Sir, i've just detected a large explosion on the far side of the Nebula. There appears to be, i hope I'm reading this wrong, a Trade Federation battle Cruiser signature at the heart of it."

<font color=red>"Trade Federation, why there hasnt been a Federation presence in this system for over a century. Let's check it out. Helm! Plot a course for that explosion, macimum speed!."