His senior command staff stared back at him, each sitting in front of mounds of datapads and all trying to give explanations.
“Imperial tricks!”
“The Black Dragons!”
“The Chiss!”
A Coalition fleet, flying under the banner of the Onyxian Commonwealth, had just been devastated at a battle to take control of the space around the gas giant Mobus. Weeks before, the Coalition had received scattered reports of a new threatening force amassing in the Unknown Regions near Mobus. Logan had sent a scout ship to the giant to discern the truth, but it had been destroyed by unknown forces without being able to relay its information.
Logan had then called in a few favors from a couple of old associates, who all pointed him in the direction of one of the most feared beings in the entire Galaxy. The droid known as IG-88 was a bounty hunter, originally created by Imperial engineers on the planet Holowan, the droid knew something about the Unknown Regions threat.
After being paid a considerable sum, the droid bounty hunter revealed that the big “threat” was no more than a bunch of armed, outcast droids, who had been banished to parts unknown fifty years before, during the Clone Wars.
Originally from the planet Telti, the droids had received new programming from an unknown source and mass-rioted, killing the human droid makers on Telti, and launching a takeover of the planet. A Republic force was diverted from the war and put a quick stop to their insurrection, banishing the droids to deep space.
IG-88 reported that the droids had stumbled upon a cache of Confederacy ships and weapons, along with a fully-functional droid Army and a small fleet of Trade Federation battle ships.
The bounty hunter told them that the droids had then fled deep space with their fleet and army.
That was fifty years before.
The Commonwealth fleet had been ambushed by a seemingly derelict space station, that suddenly came alive, disgorging hundreds of old Trade Federation droid starfighters and quickly overwhelmed the startled Coalition forces.
Their fleet had been devastated, and they were now in orbit of Mobus, among the debris, trying to figure out what had happened to them.
Logan raised his hand after he realized his question was getting them nowhere, “Enough.” He said, and he was rewarded by a quickly quieted room.
“Now,” He said, looking at each officer in the room. Present were the captains of each surviving capital ship in his fleet, which was a little over half of what he had started out with, “All we know, is that we came here expecting to have an easy day, and we paid for it, in lives. I want a status report for all ships. And I want it now.”
Captain Kiernan, the Corellian captain of the only other major capital ship left, the Victory-Class Star Destroyer Breaker, spoke up, “The Breaker is at full battle-readiness. We have lost six hundred and seventy-three men, as well as half our fighter compliment, but we are ready to fight when ordered to, sir.”
The words were echoed by the other captains, all of which reiterated that they were ready to go back into battle when necessary.
Not if. When, Logan noticed.
“I want you all to know, before we proceed, that I think that we aren’t out of the woods yet. And we certainly aren’t going back home. Probably not for a little while. We came here to find out who this is that has been scaring the shit out of the Chiss, and every other sentient species in this region. We have come to find it, and eliminate it, before we are fighting on the doorstep of our homes.”
Each officer nodded.
“Now, our esteemed civilian colleague from Coalition Intelligence, Agent Mytil Esspar, Has something to say. Agent Esspar.”
Esspar, a short, stocky Chadra-fan, stepped forward, a datapad tucked under her furry arm, “Hello gentlemen, yesterday, while you were fighting, Coalition intelligence uncovered evidence that this mysterious threat, which had been tentatively identified as outcast droids from the Clone Wars era, are in a system only ten minutes hyperspace travel time from Mobus.”
Logan had not been able to read Esspar’s report before the meeting had taken place, so he was just as surprised as the rest of the group.
Esspar continued, ignoring the surprised gasps from the group of captains, “The Desitus system was just recently scouted by the New Alliance ten years ago when a then-Regent Logan sent a lone Star Destroyer through these parts as part of a scouting mission that was originally intended to be an expansion zone for TNA from Onyx. The Inquisitor recorded the system as “Epsilon-three-eight-four-zero”, but a smuggler captain by the name of Meridan Desitus discovered the system fifty years ago. He recorded three planets in the system. Being a man of,” She consulted her datapad for the correct word, “great bluster, Desitus named the system after himself, including the first planet orbiting the main star. He gave names to the other planet in honor of a family member. The system is comprised of Desitus, and Meridius.”
Logan and the room waited.
The Chadra-fan continued, “We have confirmed no less than twenty-eight warships orbiting both planets, all old Trade Federation design. On each planet is a large garrison of some sorts, comprised of a droid army numbering in the thousands.”
Logan sat down, rubbing his eyes, “We have also confirmed that there are absolutely zero lifeforms of any sort onboard these ships, yet they still move from planet to planet as if crewed. So we agree with Admiral Logan that they are crewed by…droids.”
The room was silent, one could have heard a pen drop, “That is not all.” Esspar said.
She continued, “We have also confirmed the existence of a huge, nay, massive shipbuilding facility in orbit of Desitus. It is three times bigger than our largest shipyards... which are currently orbiting Valacar.”
Logan simply sighed.
“What do we do?” He asked.
“Destroy them.” Esspar said, “Completely.”
[22:14] RogueLightSider: Omnae should let you know when he knocks you up methinks.
[22:14] LeiaOrganaSolo39: haha he must be really teeny, I didnt feel a thing!