Carida

[Capt. Phillep]

The Imperial Command heard the message and mulled it over, with their usual efficiency,

 

-The Admiral has been gone for a significant amount of time for his Spiritual Retreat.

-He will return.

-Agreed.

-We must handle this... otherwise we cannot initiate our plans.

-Make it so.

 

The Mandalorian Pilot receives a return comm, highly encrypted and piggy-backed so as to appear untraceable, "Approach at this Landing Vector. A Vice Admiral will meet you and lead you to us. You will proceed accordingly."

[handofthrawn]

Vice Admiral...not bad, ShadowFett thought. It wasn't the Admiral himself, but it appeared that he was unavailable. Fett followed the coordinates in, his scanners telling him that he was being scanned multiple times. They would, of course, find many illegal devices and modifications if they knew how to look, but not only was that difficult, but a bounty hunter such as Fett could be expected to have such modifications.

 

The Mandalorian locked into the approach vector and followed it down through Carida's atmosphere. The world had always been Imperial, at least for as long as Fett could remember. During the Galactic Civil War, its primary use had been for the training of stormtroopers. Carida's gravity was half again as much Coruscant's, providing ideal conditions for the strengthening of recruits.

 

Someday ShadowFett hoped to fight on this world to experience the gravity in full effect--simply walking around would provide a poor taste of it.

 

Soon the Night of Vengeance landed on Carida outside an Imperial military structure and the experienced bounty hunter departed from its boarding ramp. He was fully armed and armored again, much more comfortable than he had been in the Golden Link Casino, where he was forced to disarm. Of course, he had made it a point at the time that he was never truly unarmed....

 

There were Imperials waiting for him. He approached them but did not speak.

[Capt. Phillep]

The Vice Admiral did not speak, he only showed the way, Fett was taken to a large turbolift, the seven men about him, all equally silent and unmoving. It was a long ride down and into the underground structures of the Imperial Stronghold.

 

The doors parted revealing a long hallway of grey, durasteel, and white. A MSE-droid screeched upon seeing the seven and turned around. Soon, Fett was led to a dark room and from the shadows, the outlines of five heads could barely be made out... vets of heat energy obstructing the infrared scans, and several short term bursts of ion energy obstructing other materials.

 

Their identities would be preserved, for they were the... Council.

 

Speaking, a modified voice, spoke, "You have information for us, we are the Old Moffs, we rule in Phillep's stead."

[handofthrawn]

Impressive, ShadowFett thought. Neither conventional, infra-red, nor even ultra-violent visual plates worked in a room such as this. They had effectively kept even someone such as him from discovering their identities. But they said that they were Moffs... from what Fett knew about the Moff system, it was still in effect, each Moff being the head of several sectors, ranked above a regional governor that held direct control over a single system through force.

 

It was an effective system, but one ruled too much by heirarchy for Fett's tastes. One was constantly hearing about a new rank some emperor made up to give his officers something to strive for. Grand Moffs were one such rank, as were the thirteen Grand Admiral ranks given out, the last surviving of which had been the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn. Of course, Fett wasn't here to analyze the Empire's ruling system--he was here to report his findings.

 

"I would very much prefer that I speak face-to-face with the ones I report to," he said through his helmet, "but I will respect your right to remain anonymous.

 

"During my stay at the Golden Link Casino, I spoke directly with Zara Nargal, the apparent head of the organization along with Kat Nargal, though the latter wasn't present. She was largely suspicious and uncooperative with my claims that I am no longer the man that she put a bounty on, but she did reveal a few important facts.

 

"First, she revealed that the release of the scandal was against the best interests of the Link Organization. They know that the Empire and the Black Sun are their enemies and the last thing they would want is for the Alliance to turn against them as well," Fett explained. "Naturally, I began to suspect the involvement of a third party or perhaps even a personal vendette against President Devanus himself.

 

"I paid a significant amount of credits to receive a holorecording as I left that showed the same doctored image that appeared on the holonet as well as curious accounts of the arrival of the President on the station and him engaging in emotionally awkward relations with Zara Nargal," the experienced bounty hunter continued. "The last bit of recording reconfirmed the pirate Ronin Wartide's relations with Zara--I believe she recently bore his child or children.

 

"From this information as well as the physical similarities between the girl in the holorecording and Zara Nargal herself, I have reason to believe that she was the one who President Devanus was seen with in the recording and it was Ronin Wartide that has a vendette against him for it, though this is primarily speculatory," he finished.

 

His throat was sore--he wasn't used to having to say so much at once. "I believe you find this information sufficient?"

[Capt. Phillep]

In silence the voices conversed,

 

-Yes.

-Ronin Wartide, the Pirate?

-Indeed.

-We must seek him out.

-I believe Agents in our stead would be more effective.

-I concur.

-Agreed.

 

Then, the voices spoke out again, "Mr. Fett, you have done well. You must discover the true reasons behind this vendetta and the extent of this plot, it has several repercussions that could change much and provide opportunities. You current payment is available to you should you decline."

 

The same Vice Admiral appeared from the shadows with a large briefcase, within was the systems for an electronic wire transfer...

[handofthrawn]

"If you're suggesting that I go after Wartide, then I accept it as my second job for the Empire," ShadowFett answered. "You can keep the credits a little longer--I'm not currently in need of them."

 

He waited a little longer, making sure that there wasn't anything else the Moffs wanted to tell him.

[Capt. Phillep]

"Go forth, Mandalorian. Report when you have intercepted him... give him our frequency, as we must discuss a great many things, directly."

 

With that the room's rear door parted open and the Mandalorian was escorted out of the facility to the hangar bay.

[handofthrawn]

ShadowFett nodded and left, boarding the Night of Vengeance moments later. "Twenty-two," he said, "we're going after Ronin Wartide. We've got to arrange a meeting between him and the Empire to clear up my suspicions about his vendette against President Devanus."

 

The droid set to work immediately, warming up the system and entering a computer query about the last time Wartide had been seen. Unfortunately, the pirate did a good job of staying hidden--the last report had come from the Golden Link Casino, and Fett was sure that he wasn't there at the moment.

 

Well, let's just take a good guess. Where would I be if I had a vendette against the head of the Rebel Alliance? the bounty hunter thought. Making a decision, Fett lifted off the ground and blasted through the atmosphere at high acceleration. Soon, black space approached and Fett entered hyperspace.

[Dagon]

::Dagon landed the Starweaver at the imperial research complex on Carida using his research clearance. An old lab subject that he had worked on was being kept here, and Dagon needed bits and pieces of him for his works. Old memories returned to him as he walked through the metal halls of the imperial research labs. Even without looking at a map he knew where the holding cell he was looking for was. It was a place of cold and dampness, and the nothingness within brought about waves of nausea before he even opened the containment barrier. Stepping inside, he gave into the inevitable and vomited into a side receptacle that was installed after the researchers realized that such a reaction was unavoidable when dealing with the subject.

 

The thing was tied to its rack, attempting to babble through the mouth gag. Dagon simply pistol whipped it in the head and it went unconscious, using sedatives may compromise the components he was here to collect. Using syringes and specialized tools, he collected blood and salivation from the pariah. When he was finished he left the chamber and sealed it shut, walking away briskly from the aura of foulness. If it wasn't so useful, he would have terminated that subject long ago, but at least he only had to come into contact with it for short periods of time. He was in need of a distraction.

 

Dagon took a different path back to his ship, walking through the special projects division of research. One of Dagon's favorite sections, this area housed projects that were too specialized or expensive to mass produce or incorporate effectively into the war machine. Essentially it was like a toy box for grown men who liked to play with heavy machinery and heavy firepower. The last traces of illness slipped away as Dagon took in new designs for weapons, vehicles and armor. drifting through the various labs he stopped at one and entered to get a closer look. It was a suit of armor that must have been designed for aquatic operations, utilizing a jet flow system to move quickly in the water. The suit had several "tentacles" equipped with tools and weapons that could be controlled by a neural link. Dagon's eyes were gleaming with excitement.::

 

I must have one.

 

::A few hours later, Dagon was leaving Carida with a new toy in his hull.::

[Lord MacLeod]

Luke's ship exited hyperspace over Cardia. He held his ship in standard orbit for about an hour while he scanned the planet. A short time later, he opened a comm up with the Imperial garrison.

 

--comm-- This is Luke MacLeod out of Courscant, requesting permission to land and speak to someone about join with the Empire. --end comm--

[Capt. Phillep]

Mr. Macleod, please land at these assault vectors, I trust your credentials and paperwork is in order.

 

The comm was clean, crisp and authoritarian, the way the Military Academy Brass often was...

 

Troops were marching about the Academy in uniform, the almost-robotic crash of plasteel armor on the ground echoed about the soon-to-be-inducted Imperial.

[Lord MacLeod]

Luke followed the assualt vectors given to him by the Imperial officer down to a landing pad outside of the academy. Shutting down the engines, he jumped down to the ground and stood by his ship waiting for someone to direct him as to where to go.

 

But as he waited, he looked around at all of the polished metals and orderly ranks of the men that were marching different places. A small smile crossed his face as he observed this order being carried out around him.

[Lieutenant Macleod]

Colonel Macleod exited his quarters and reported to the hangar bay. He was dressed as usual in his custom uniform. Much to the dismay of many of the higher ups, Macleod had never conformed to the dress code after he'd proved himself in combat. As long as Macleod kept performing well, he was permitted such luxuries. The man stopped before another Imperial.

 

"I was informed I was to report to the Academy to help in training. Do you have the details of my assignment?"

[Capt. Phillep]

The Senior Imperial Macleod, in his custom uniform stuck out... well, like a plant in the flooding monochromatic scheme of the Empire, it was easy to tell who he was and the younger Commandant of the Academy, saluted his superior accordingly, pointing him towards the new arrival and candidate for Imperial Pilot Training.

 

"Colonel Macleod, your student, Mr. MacLeod."

 

With the bureacratic exchange done with, the Commandant quickly departed the scene and left the two men to go forth as necessary.

 

((You two play nice, you hear... ))

[Lord MacLeod]

Luke nodded, then offered what could be considered a passable salute first to the officer that had greeted him, then to the officer that was dressed in a rather unusual uniform. Luke studied this man for a moment, looking him up and down. He noticed the manner in which the man carried himself.

 

He pondered for a moment, then asked. "So where do we begin, Sir?" Already he wanted to get at the training for the Imperial pilot's core. He glanced around again at all of the matching uniforms and armor then back at the Colonel. He thought for a moment. Well at least he is a Macleod.

[Lieutenant Macleod]

It had been a while since Macleod had been in charge of training new recruits. Part of him thought this a bit beneath his rank of Colonel. But Phillep undoubtedly had a reason for this assignment. After all, he was the most decorated pilot in the Empire at the moment. And this man did seem eager and willing to learn. Plus, as much as Macleod loved leading men into battle, he enjoyed training them almost as much. Macleod decided that this would be a welcome change of pace.

 

"You already have a head start if the blood of a Macleod flows through your veins."

 

In fact, Macleod was genuinely curious as to whether they might be distantly related.

 

"We will begin with combat simulation, almost immediately. But first I think you should tell me a little bit about yourself. How much piloting experience do you have? Why have you joined the Empire? That sort of thing."

 

Macleod began to walk to the simulation area, signaling that the younger Macleod was to follow.

[Lord MacLeod]

Luke nodded at the Colonel's words

 

"MacLeod blood does flow through my veins."

 

He began to walk with the Colonel, but remained just one step behind him out of respect. He looked again at the rest of the troops and shrugged slightly. He did really like the black uniforms that everyone was wearing.

 

"Well it is a family tradition to serve with the Empire. I have had over two hundred hours in the cockpit of a Tie Defender and claim two kills to my name. I come from an elegant family with strong Imperial sympathies and so as the tradition dictates the eldest son swears a life oath to the Empire."

 

" I am the eldest member of my family and so when i turned 17 I swore a life oath, that I would serve The Empire with my entire life. This oath was sworn on the honor of my family and I shall not break it."

[Lieutenant Macleod]

Macleod was pleased. This man was just the right type to serve the Empire. If directed properly, his strong loyalties would be a powerful asset. Especially if he turned out to be a halfway decent pilot. The Colonel and the recruit arrived at the simulation area.

 

"These simulators are not quite the same as flying the real thing. But they do their job well. If you can fly one of these, you can fly an Imperial fighter."

 

Macleod hopped into one, and ordered the younger Macleod to do the same.

 

"Listen up. We'll start off with something simple. Lead a squadron of seven TIE fighters in a survey mission over a jungle planet. You are to scout out Rebel bases. I will serve as your right wingman, but I'll only guide you. This is your mission to command. Don't worry if things go wrong, people rarely succeed their first time."

 

The simulators closed and began to rock, mimicking the motion inside the cockpit when a TIE fighter launches. The simulators were state of the art, and only experienced pilots could tell the miniscule difference between this and the real thing. The two pilots flew over a planet's jungle surface, with five other virtual TIE's.

 

"The map says the base should be up on the horizon there. Order the TIE's into a formation, and steer us over there."

[Lord MacLeod]

Luke could tell that the Colonel was pleased at what he had said. He continued to walk toward the simulators. He looked them over momentarily then climbed inside of one and shut the hatch he starpped himself in and turned on the comm system and heard the Colonel's command.

 

"Listen up. We'll start off with something simple. Lead a squadron of seven TIE fighters in a survey mission over a jungle planet. You are to scout out Rebel bases. I will serve as your right wingman, but I'll only guide you. This is your mission to command. Don't worry if things go wrong, people rarely succeed their first time."

 

"Yes Colonel." He looked over the inside of the simulator and memorized the systems controls and quickly check them over to make sure that they were all functioning in perfect order. The check was complete and efficent, proving that the systems were functioning at one hundred percent.

 

The simulator began to rock as it mimicked a take off. Luke opened the squadron's secure comm channel.

 

"Red Squadon form up on my command, we are on a scouting mission keep an eye on your sensors as we are searching out Rebel bases. I dont not intend to lose any body if at all possible so remain alert at all times. Form up. Colonel on my left wing, Red three on my right. The rest form up on their wings."

 

The TIE wing lifted into the air and streaked out over the jungle.

 

"Red Squadon, from here on out. We are on strict comm silence, We are entering Rebel space in a moment I do not want them knowing that we are coming."

[Lieutenant Macleod]

He used a V formation. This kid does know something about flying.

 

Macleod was happy he wasn't training a complete rookie. This other Macleod had a good leadership quality, he was officer material, that much was obvious. But now he needed to see how his piloting skills were. How would he lead these men when things got rough?

 

As they flew over the jungle, the simulation began. Out of the foliage, several Rebel turrets could be seen. None of these mini-fortresses had appeared on the map. They were equipped quad lasers, and began firing at the TIE's before the Red Squadron was even within range. Obeying the comm silence, Macleod said nothing. He waited attentively to see how the other Macleod reacted to this first challenge.

 

A little anti-aircraft fire isn't cause for panic. But some people freeze up at even the slightest change in what was expected.

[Lord MacLeod]

The TIE fighters flew over the jungle quickly covering one part of the jungle and finding nothing. He checked the positions of the others to make sure that they were in formation behind him.

 

He noticed that the fighter behind the Colonel had dropped slightly out of formation. Luke shook his head and opened a line of sight comm to Red Four. "Red Four tighten it up, you are out of formation. Watch yourself."

 

As he finished that comm, a bright red flash caught his eye. He turned to the left and noticed what appeared to be a mini-fortress firing at them but was just out of range. Luke opened up the comm channel for the fighter wing.

 

"Red Squadron,at my command we break in two seperate directions. the Colonel shall lead four fighters against the turrets on the left and I shall lead two fighters against the two on the right. Ready....Execute!!"

 

With those words the fighter wing broke into two parts. Luke took his group and broke right with his two wingmen behind him. As they came around onto their target, they were fired upon by the turrets on the fortress.

 

The bolts missed luke and his men as they fired upon the fortress, destroying one laser and disabling the second. With their job done they came around to the other side of the fortress to aid their wingmen.

[Lieutenant Macleod]

Colonel Macleod did as ordered, flying toward the turret with his two wingmen. The bolts came fast, and Macleod commanded the wingmen to roll out with him. The three ships barrel-rolled in unison to the right, firing simultaneously, and destroying the turret in a hail of sparks. Macleod checked his readouts.

 

The kid got his too. I have to admit, I'm very impressed. He looks read to lead our squadrons right now. I don't even think I need to train him.

 

But Macleod knew not to be too hasty. As they reformed with the other Macleod's ships, he knew what was coming. Below them in the forest, a treeless section disappeared, revealing a secret launch base.

 

"Watch it Macleod, ten o'clock, that part of the forest is a hologram."

 

Two squadrons of X-wings emerged from the base.

[Lord MacLeod]

"Affirmative Colonel, thanks for the heads up. Red Squadron, we got some company. We got two squadrons of X-wings coming from ten o'clock. Break and engage these bogies."

 

Luke dove down toward a single X-wing as it came up attempting to destroy Red Four. The X-wing broke from its formation as soon as it noticed Luke diving in on it. However it's evasive attempts were to no avail considering that Luke had fired his laser cannons at the X-wing.

 

The laser blast melted the engine core and caused the X-wing to go spiraling down to the secret launch site. The X-wing smashed into the launch floor and exploded, damaging several other X-wings in the process. Luke pulled his ship back up as he went into the pursuit of another X-wing that was in pursuit of on of his wingmen.

 

 

"Red Six pull out you've got a bogie on your tail."

 

Luke watched as Red Six cut her thrusters and let the x-wing go past him and trigger her lasers. The quick blast caught the x-wing and blew it into many pieces.

 

"Good work Red Six, now lets rejoin the rest of the wing and finish these x-wings off."

 

They turned their ships around and returned to the larger battle, where two more of the x-wings had been shot down and two more were damaged. As Luke quickly surveyed the air he found that only one of the TIE's had even been damaged.

[Lieutenant Macleod]

Macleod took out a couple X-wings himself, restraining his skill level to that of a normal Imperial pilot. He didn't want to give the younger Macleod an unfair advantage.

 

He doesn't need it. He needs combat experience, but his skills seem advanced already. I'll be more comfortable knowing someone like him is leading our squadrons.

 

Macleod had always gotten criticism from the higher ups for personally leading missions. If the younger Macleod worked out, the old Colonel would finally be willing to endanger himself less by participating directly.

 

"Macleod, the men are finishing off the TIE's. We must complete the mission. Now that we know where the Rebel base is hiding, we can destroy it."

 

Macleod sent a readout to the other Macleod's TIE, identifying the area where the hologram had been lifted and the X-wings had launched from.

 

"Finish the mission, and you'll be ready to get into a real TIE."

[darth shadowlord]

((Sorry wrong account))

[Lord MacLeod]

Luke noticed that the Colonel had taken out several x-wings and appeared to be waiting. A comm came in from the Colonel.

 

"Macleod, the men are finishing off the TIE's. We must complete the mission. Now that we know where the Rebel base is hiding, we can destroy it."

 

"Affirmative Colonel. Red Squadron, finish these traitors off then await final orders."

 

He watched his squadron re-engage the X-wings. while receiving a readout from the Colonel's TIE. He scanned over the readout and looked at where the hologram had been removed from.

 

"Colonel, here is the plan. We're going to make a couple of strafing runs over the target. I'll make the first run with you covering my wing. After we make the first critical run and disable any opposition, then we can gather the flight and destroy the base."

 

He waited till he had the agreement from the Colonel and began his strafing run. He came in from the west firing his lasers at the Rebel base. Each laser blast was precise in hitting it's target and reducing it to rubble and ruin.

[Lieutenant Macleod]

There was small anti-aircraft fire coming from the rebel vehicles fleeing the base. The younger Macleod seemed to be making short work of them on his strafing run. The Colonel watched his wing as ordered, but the base didn't seem to have any more aircraft to throw at them.

 

But the simulator always throws a curve. It seems I've spoken too soon.

 

"Watch your monitor Macleod."

 

The readout on the TIE's blared out red flashing lights and warning whistles. There was a large Ion Cannon was being set up somewhere in the forest outside of the base. It was a last ditch effort to destroy the Imperial TIE's attacking the base.

 

"Those type of Ion cannons can disable small starships in a single hit. We'll fall to the ground like rocks. They have to be found and stopped before they can finish."

[Lord MacLeod]

Luke finished the strafing run without a hitch. "Thanks Colonel. So whats next on the agenda?" He finished his question and looked at his scanner stunned then looked back up. He looked back down at his moniter and saw that there was a rather large Ion cannon somewhere outside of the base. Luke began to swear as the comm from the Colonel came over his comm system.

 

"Watch your monitor Macleod. Those type of Ion cannons can disable small starships in a single hit. We'll fall to the ground like rocks. They have to be found and stopped before they can finish."

 

Affirmative Colonel, thanks for the reads up. Red Squadron, fall back into formation again. We've got a rather large Ion cannon placed somewhere outside of the base and we have to take it out quickly."

 

Quickly the squadron formed back up behind him and the Colonel. They flew one last strafing run over the base and headed south away from the base. Suddenly a flash from the east caught caught Luke's eyes. He turned his head to see what appeared to a cannon barrel poking out from the forest.

 

"Red Squadron, we have a target due east. Prepare to break and engage on my command. Ready......Break now!"

 

The entire flight of TIE fighters broke on that command and headed east. Luke dropped his ship down to just above the tree line and had the rest of the wing follow him down. Within two minutes the flight was in range of the cannon. Luke counted to ten then fired his lasers as they flew over the cannon, his squadron did the same as they flew over the target.

 

Once they had cleared the target, Luke had the squadron report in. It turned out that he had all members accounted for. Just after the squadron reported in, they heard an explosion. Luke checked his scanner and saw that the target had been destroyed.

 

"Well done, Red Squadron."

[Lieutenant Macleod]

Macleod checked his monitor. The base had been neutralized, and Luke Macleod had overcome the simulations final twist. That one got most novices. Macleod had shown himself to be ready. The Colonel considered advancing his rank to squadron leader right then and there.

 

Slow it down. See how he handles the real thing first.

 

Macleod shut down the simulation, and the two pods opened. The older Macleod stepped first, waiting for Luke. He chose his words carefully, not wanting the man to get a big head.

 

"That was excellent work. Next you and I are going to take a little trip into space, to see you work with the Defenders. But I can give you a three hour break first. Get something to eat, and take a rest. But report to the hangar bay on time, don't be late. Dismissed."

[Lord MacLeod]

"Yes Sir, I will return shortly."

 

Luke walked away from the simulators and into the mess hall. He ordered a steak and sat down. He began to eat the steak all the while running over the previous mission in his mind. He sat for a moment unmoving as he went over what he could of changed or did differently.

 

Luke continued to think about it for the entire time that he ate. Finally satisfied that he had done everything right and by the book that he could possibly do. He nodded his head and stood to his feet. Luke walked back out of the mess hall and back to the hanger bay.

 

It turned out that he was early to be reporting. so he went over to his TIE Defender and began to check over the ship's systems and equipment, while waiting for the Colonel to arrive. Once his ship checked out, he climbed inside and left the hatch open.