The Rebel Faction

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> Five months before <!--EZCODE HTML START--> [url="http://pub33.ezboard.com/fswalliancefrm9.showMessage?topicID=155.topic"]Almania[/url]<!--EZCODE HTML END--><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Obroa-skai<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->


"The name's Jack.. Jack C. Teal."

"Welcome to the ranks, Mr. Teal" and Jack grasped the Alliance's Grand Admiral's hand firmly..." before Admiral Logan moved on to the next recruit.

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> An expanding empire always needs recruits.. and it's really not that hard. All one has to do is kill Chiss...<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->



"Welcome to the war gentlebeings." Admiral Logan had told the group at large.


Unfortunately, instead of action, Jack found himself unceremonously put under a robot's command who went under the designation "Zed 9". He soon found himself, along with full detachment of Zed's forces, headed for Satikan.



*



<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> Four months ago.. Onyx..<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->



The team pushed through the rather majestic Victory Mountains muttering sayings of being "slave driven". Zed 9 brought up the rear encouraging stragglers to pick up the pace. The droid was very careful about maintaining a spit and polish regiment whereever he was stationed. He periodically called out numbers urging the troops to beat their previous record.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the dictatorial robot called a halt and everyone exhaled rather loudly. The troopers drifted in different directions, some leading against trees while others stretched.

"Rest time, 10 minutes." Zed 9 informed everyone.

The view was spectacular but the group kept wary. They hadn't seen high or low of the smaller, more agressive natives but that didn't mean they weren't there.


As Zed 9 made the rounds, he came to a group where several of the men laughed, including Jack.

As the droid moved closer, sensing from the laughter that something might be amiss, the name "Horn" came through.

"Admiral Horn?" Zed inquired and the group suddenly looked embarrassed.

Jack, though. Jack grinned. "That's the one."

"A truly competent officer." Zed 9 praised (as best a droid could).

"Yes Sir," Jack continued, his grin widening as he compared the constantly grim features of the young Admiral to those of the expressionless Zed 9.

"We were thinking, sir.. that she could really, really, really use a man."


True to his nature, Zed 9 was not amused.

"Officer Teal, you will immediately head back to the hypergate.. NOW!"

Jack stammered.. "but.. but. .my ..rest?"


"NOW!"

Jack's look was one of total repentence as he started to jog down a side path that would lead him down the mountain, the long trip back scarcely crossing his mind.

<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> One more relay and the data burst system will be in place.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->






<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> Two months ago .. ..Satikan<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->



"..and we leave our charge to uphold the laws..."

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> The droid could go on forever!<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> The entire team, under Zed 9's command, was being recalled to Almania. Their tour of duty coming to a close, which to some was a relief and to other's a dissappointment.

"I hereby turn control of these facilities over too.."

The robot loved to do things by the book. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Guess that's why they are giving him the big bucks.<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->

Zed 9 was being put in charge of total planetary security on The New Alliance's capital planet of Almania; no easy assignment.


<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--> Capital, here I come..<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->





<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> One month ago... Onyx ...00.00.00<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->


Eclipse.

The natural phenomena that covered Onyx was right on schedule. Sensors, scanners and other equipment were blanketed with static which cause major concerns in various areas.

This was the first eclipse experienced by the planet's new masters and one also highly anticipated by their rather large scientific staff. The communications network was a blaze with activity (it being one of the few systems unaffected) causing some lines to have trouble compensating.

One by one, the tiny units that Jack had placed in very clever locations suddenly came to life quickly releasing their encrypted data packets and, once their function carried out, turning to sludge.



<!--EZCODE BOLD START--> Six days ago...<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->


Relay point Isard 09243 picked up the 'sleeper packets' and extrapolated from the bursts to put together Ciscero's rather large report. A day was lost as the computers isolated and identified key words throughout the documents..


<!--EZCODE CENTER START--><!--EZCODE CENTER END-->

The Fleet chugged along at real space speeds, looking for the enemy fleet at Onyx. The bridge of the Champion was relatively quiet, most officers monitoring their stations silently. The only real noise on the Champion’s bridge was the rat-tatting of Senior Officers checking their subordinates’ work and constant reports to Commander Elderberry.

In one unexpected second, the whole situation on the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer changed. Red warning lights flared, and battle sirens activated. Any officer not at full attention sharpened to attention; and the fighter pilots in the hangars activated their snubfighters to launch at a moment’s notice.

Rusty jumped out of his command chair and searched the battle screens for what was happening. The screens facing Onyx displayed nothing different; but the rear-view screens showed the problem.

The enemy jumped in behind us! God damn they are brilliant! Rusty went through the scenario; but jumping in behind seemed to hard to pull-off perfectly even for the Naboo Sith Order. Cloaks! They were cloaked and now just uncloaked, Rusty thought next. He quickly eliminated that idea. Cloaking that many ships would cost literally millions of credits to accomplish: millions of credits none in the galaxy could afford.

The Commander glanced down at his BAC unit, expecting to see an enemy fleet converging upon his fleet from behind. Elderberry received a surprise; the color of the opposing fleet on the BAC was a neutral yellow, not the enemy red he had programmed in earlier.

“What in Sith’s name?” Elderberry mused. His aide came rushing towards him, carrying a datapad.

“Commander,” Ruesani began, “Our intelligence wing has identified the fleet… They are the New Order.”

Rusty gasped, “The Empire? What are they doing here?”

“Sir, they are in attack formations. We can safely assume they are here for the same prize we are after… Onyx,” the second-in-command hypothesized.

“Open me a holo communications with their lead ship,” Rusty ordered. He pressed his hair down and straightened out his uniform to appear well groomed over the holo frequency. Rusty stepped onto the communications platform and stood straight. On the New Order’s lead ship, they would see Rusty Elderberry’s face and upper torso. Rusty stood in front of a Naboo Sith Order Defense Department emblem.

“New Order, let me welcome you to New Alliance Space. I am Commander Rusty Elderberry of the Super Star Destroyer Champion. It seems our operations have crossed.”