The Rebel Faction

Time of Imperial Blockade: 26 minutes


Each of the battleships sat around Nal Hutta with their prows pointed at the Glorious Jewel as the world’s residents called it. An array of formidable warships dotting her starscape, Nal Hutta appeared more a porcupine than any valuable gem. As far as Grand Admiral Desaria could tell, there was little about the planet below that made it glorious. An unearned title in the eyes of the Empire, then.


Baron Desaria could remember assignments from the beginning of his career and, in nearly twenty-five years of loyal service, had never visited the besieged world: to be sure, he was quite glad of that fact. Evocar – the world’s pre-Hutt name – was now a wasteland of foul-smelling swamps, gaudy palaces, and sprawling compounds for the slithering beasts’ army of minions. This was, of course, according the Imperial Academy’s planetary information class – information that was never disputed.


“ Admiral – report from Squadron II – VSD Imperium. A group of ships has been pulled from hyperspace. Five ships: three frigates and two large freighters. They read as armed – Threat Level Three.”


Grand Admiral Desaria turned aft and looked down into the crewpit, the fleet-tactical liaison officer engrossed in his display. “ Are they hostile?”


“ They have raised shields and have weapons-hot energy readings, Admiral.”


“ Very well. Follow protocol.”


Smaller than the atoms that floated free through the void of space, a transmission worked its way to the Imperium repeating to her Captain the two simple words uttered by the youngest member of the Twelve ever to hold such a prestigious rank. Without heisting, the Victory IV-class Star Destroyer rotated full to starboard, presenting a complete broadside to the quintet of vessels that had blundered upon the Imperial blockade.


From the gundecks of the battleships came a flurry of energy, a sheet that lashed out at the leading frigate and enveloped it totally. Lightning danced across her shields as generator after generator was overloaded, the fury of forty turbolaser cannon producing a great hellstorm upon them. Trailing in the wake of the salvo were forty proton torpedoes that impacted upon an unprotected hull. Explosions swelled into the void as one after another merged into a ball of flame. From stem to stern the vessel was engulfed as ammunition began to cook-off from her stores. Rather than explode gloriously, the fire died when all fuel had been spent. In the place of the ship that had entered Hutt-space was a twisted mass of steel and hull-beams surrounded by quickly expanding cloud of debris.


“ To the warships approaching – halt your engines immediately and prepare to be boarded. Failure to comply with all haste will result in the total eradication of your force. This is your only warning.” Grand Admiral Desaria received an acknowledgement from his communications officer that the intruding ships had received the transmission and was anxious to see their reaction. To intrude on an Imperial military operation was folly – to defy the Guard was death.

The ships began firing and the fegal ships almost got the chance fire back all tough that would have been for a while until they would have tried to jump back to hyperspace, but stupid as the captains could be they didn’t know that they couldn’t. Shouts of panic came out from the officers as one of the frigate’s were destroyed and Jezk was on the edge of a nervous brake down because he didn’t know what to do until the imperials answered their transmission and the quarren obeyed immediately.

“To the warships approaching – halt your engines immediately and prepare to be boarded. Failure to comply with all haste will result in the total eradication of your force. This is your only warning.”

Jezk was very confused of the imperials words as he shut down all battle functions, which would leave them exposed, but that was million times a better chance to survive from the imperials grip than try to run from them not to mention fight them. The Baal was on it’s way with Rac Fegal aboard to solve the situation because there were no other diplomats in the Fegal Companies or Rac hadn’t never prepared for such an possibility and besides it was Fegal`s monthly shipment to Nal Hutta. He wouldn’t let the work of a month slip from his hands because of a blockade, in the end Fegal`s ships would luckily leave Nal Hutta and they would have to find another place to sell the remaining weaponry. Jezk ordered to check if the other ships were damaged and then condition of the cargo, then he turned to attend to the matter at hand. Dealing with the imperials was never a good thing because they hated all alien races or at least they didn’t have any access to their fleets. Human’s were like an endless plague that destroyed everything that they got in their hands, only because they might first together build a great empire, but then they got greedy and slashed each others throats. Jezk opened hailing frequencies to the imperials all tough he had messaged before.

"Your demands have been fulfilled imperial, as I sent you a message earlier we are part of the Fegal companies and these ship are transports for the company’s merchandise. Without question we were attacked even before we could almost possibly act, but leaving that behind what is your business around Nal Hutta, our leader will be here soon so don’t make any rush acts as a cruiser appears and what are your demands imperial? Knowing your kind...”

Jezk spat "You make ones all the time...."

------

As Jezk made contact with the imperials cruiser named Baal was making it’s way towards Nal Hutta with an especially furious dug on the bridge with peaceful intentions, but violent thoughts. Rac would have wanted to squeeze the living hell out of the imperial prick who dared to do this, but in away he had a reason for happiness because he had just succeeded in one business so this obstacle could be flanked perhaps by selling the weapons to another buyer. The most disturbing point in this hole mess that the Union would be involved, which got chills run trough his spine because he very well knew what the union was capable of.

Baal was travelling in hyperspace and captain Sedra had ordered all shields and threatening weaponry offline so that this wouldn’t end up as a shooting. Rac prepared to meet this imperial leader personally or trough messaging ways, Rac had to give the man credit for attacking the hutt space, but he couldn’t know about the Union. At least these events had a positive side one way or another, the hutts would have more time in their hands and the Union could prepare if they even did such things or cared about the hutt`s fate. Rac himself had many connections and friends on Nal Hutta, he had made numerous successful smuggling trips for the hutts and avoided failure, but most of all he had avoid the punishment.

Sometime later when the imperials had answered the Red Talon`s message Baal appeared from hyperspace with no signs of battle, but hailing frequencies were very functional. Rac looked at the "glorious jewel" and the ships around it, the imperial fleet was truly magnificent, but the sad truth was that everything died sometimes. For The New Order Rac hoped that to happen very soon.

Rac floated on his bridge in his chair inspecting the situation, the imperials had layed a blockade on Nal Hutta and were going to end the hutts for good, but Rac smiled because the fools didn`t know what was waiting for them. Rac was only concerned to get his ships away from Nal Hutta and sell them somewhere else, then the channels opened and the imperial leader took contact with the cruisers bridge. Rac opened the channel and began looking at the leading ship itself as he spoke.

" Good afternoon. This system is claimed by the Galactic Empire and your ships arrived in contravention of it. That one was destroyed is regrettable, but then it is an acknolwedged danger of operating in this region. Soon, with the Empire in control of it, you will not have a need for warships to protect company assets."

Rac snorted as a comment and continued listening this man, who was undoubtably a man of great influence and couldn`t care less about Fegal companies as the blockade of Nal Hutt was on his responsiblity. The man continued his explenation and very demanding ways.

" In regards to company assets, your ships are carrying some ordance that are illegal under Imperial Law. Since a blockade is in effect, I would be well within my right to confiscate the merchandise and your ships. However, I am not going to do that. I have other matters to attend and I do not like distractions. You will order your ships to come about and depart immediately this system and you will give me your word that those weapons will not be sold to organizations entities or persons that would use them against the Empire. Excuse me a moment."

This made Rac smile with few thoughts in his head "Only if you knew..." Rac smiled and began rubbing his loose jaw skin in thoughts as the imperial had something to do. Surely Rac`s ships could destroy few of theirs, but by then they would have been uterly destroyed and Rac would be history. Rac was here to avoid a conflict and to secure his cargo except for the destroyer, which was blown up, but that was a necessarry loss when thinking about the slight breather Rac would buy for Nal Hutta in a way. Rac looked back when the imperial continued.

"Sir, have you any questions before your ship's weigh anchor?"

Rac nodded in his chair and began talking.

"Who ever you are imperial, I ensure you that I have never sold weaponry to those who fight against the galactic empire, I sell them to people and aliens all across the galaxy, I first check who I am dealing with, but I can`t know if a business man on mon calmari might sell them on to groups that are hostile to you. It`s not my problem that you might be facing my products, but I am not going to stop selling them because there are many others who also sell weapons and I have intended to be on the market for a long time. If you come across the world of Fresia and are intrested in buying weapons then drop by at my office."

Rac smiled with a touch of mockery in it.

"You`ll hear about my company in the core worlds imperial and what comes to my war ships imperial that is none of your business. They are heavily armed transports in the end and my supply have been attacked by pirates, you can`t asure your protection even in hutt space if the pirates attack my ships on the outskirts of this system by flashing out of hyper space. Besides it´s all my proterty and I will protect what is rightfully mine with the way I want, but I will never rise a weapon against the imperials that I can asure you, but now... farewell until we meet again perhaps..."

Fegal companies ships turned and the connection was shut rudely, then the ships started their engines and flashed to hyperspace towards another place to sell their products, and then they would return to Fresia to wait for another supply. Rac had avoided a conflict and buyed his allies sometime....

The time had come.

Plurga sat in his throne room, alone. The numerous minions who served him had been banished from his presence, and Koril had been instructed to allow for no interruptions, with no exceptions. A pair of Klatoonian guards had been posted with him to ensure that no unwanted visitors dropped in while Plurga spoke with the Imperials.

The communications equipment was arrayed in front of him, a simplistic droid controlling its operation. Plurga had donned the odd looking "uniform" he had been issued that showed his station as the head of security for Nal Hutta. It was better described as a shawl, as it was draped over his "shoulders" and did not close completely over his stomach, despite the fact that Plurga was not nearly as massive as some of the older Hutts. He made a hand motion to the droid, who opened a channel to the Imperial fleet waiting above.

"Imperial forces, while it is an ominous sign that a spacefleet has appeared over our glorious jewel and not announced its intentions, I bid you greetings from the Desilijic clan, the masters of this world. My name is Plurga Desilijic Fiere, but you may address my as Plurga the Lesser, which is my title, in deference to my Uncle, Plurga the Hutt, who is the head of our clan. I have been authorized to speak by my uncle, in my position as head of security for Nal Hutta.

It is my understanding that you have recently fought battles in our sector of space and taken casualties. I express the condolence of the Desilijic clan for your loss, and I regrettably tell you that those casualties were caused by the impetuous actions of another Hutt clan. In these matters and others, I ask humbly for an audience with the supreme commander of this fleet, so that we may discuss the circumstances and the outcome of the current situation and the events leading up to it."

Plurga sent the recorded message up to the Imperial fleet, and signaled the droid to notify him if there was a reply. There was a chance that the Empire would ignore his comminuqe, and in that he case he would have to immediately begin the defense of the world. He had landlines and com-links standing by to begin mobilizing the Nal Hutta's defensive forces and multiple links to the palace from which the planet's shield generators were operated. The shield could be raised in minutes.

Still, he held out hope that he could open civil negotiations with the Imperials. All would rely on how his message was received by the Imperial commanders.

The shuttle hurtled upward, unescorted, from the swamps of Nal Hutta toward the waiting Imperial fleet. It's meger weapon's systems and sheilds remained powered down as a sign that the vessel was not a threat, and it flew much slower than its top speed, as to not be considered suspicious. As it came within range of the Suvarov's tractor beams, the shuttle slowed, allowing the Star Destroyer haul it slowly into on of the hanagr bays.

Once secure inside the hangar, the shuttle extended a landing ramp, and its occupants began to disembark. A pair of Klatoonians exited first, in the dress-battle guard of their people, each holding a large melee weapon in both hands. The weapon was a cerimonal one that had been used in the distant past by their ancestors, deadly in its own right, but no very suitable for modern combat. To that end, a pair of blaster pistols could be seen holstered on either side of their torsos. Following the two guards were Koril Tur, Plurga's Twi'lek majordomo, decked out in his Sunday finest, and a recently polished protocol droid of non-descript origin. Plurga came next, moving under his own power, the shawl like military uniform still clung around his shoulders, closed with an ornate clasp. He was followed by another pair of Klatoonians, perfect clones of the first two.

The small entourage stopped as they stepped out of the shuttle. Before them was the amazing sight of an Imperial honor guard, awaiting their arrival.