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Commander Hro Talak: decorated war hero of the Thanagarian Empire, captain of a Thanagarian battle cruiser, the Warhawk, and betrothed to the love of his life, Shayera Hol.
Hro is a patriot of Thanagar, plain and simple. He has served Thanagar for nearly all of his life, went into battle against its enemies, and found many friends and comrades along the way. He had suffered greatly in those great struggles, however, not only in terms of physically but spiritually, and he knows this.
The Gordanians, the universe's most vile, despicable, and savage race that crawled out from the cold recess of space, were the mortal enemies of the Thanagarians for almost generations now. He had fought them before; many of his men did as well and knew what they were truly capable of. But, with all of his courage and love for his people, it wasn't enough to escape capture from the reptiles those years ago.
He can still remember those years in their prison camps; he can still smell the utter foul stench from the disgusting conditions; he can feel the torture and suffering they inflicted upon him, as well as their laughter at him and all who fell victim to their sadistic games.
A grim reminder of those horrible days was written on the right side of his face in the form of a scar. He kept it not only for the badge of honor and the sign of sheer will to survive their camps, but it was also to remind him of the promise he made those years ago to himself and whoever was unfortunate to be a Gordanian's prey.
Never again. Never will the Gordanians spread their havoc across space with impunity. Never will they get victims without a fight. He promised to himself and to every sentient innocent life, Thanagarian or otherwise, that he would do his very best to stop the Gordanian reign of terror. Whatever it takes, he will stop them; he must.
Ever since then, he has been fully committed to the war effort against the Gordanians. Every battle he won against them; every world liberated from them or lost but defiantly defended; every Gordanian he killed was in the name of freedom and honor of all Thanagarians.
Hro's strong commitment was so unwavering, his victories so great, that even the ruling council saw his achievements as the pure embodiment of the indomitable Thanagarian spirit and promoted him. His prestige and status in the military from his victories gave him the privilege of being able to involve himself and his men into secretive but critical missions against the Gordanians.
There was one mission that could be a vital element in Thanagar's total victory over the Gordanian Empire. An investment that has been in the works for three years at this point and was to be completed in the next two years. One gambit that could help Thanagar end this destructive conflict. It was a plan that centered around the love of his life.
One could say Hro Talak was one of those men who married to the job; in this case, he was married to Thanagar. He dearly loved his people, his culture, and their way of life and will gladly do whatever it takes to protect it. But he was not the type of man that strayed away from personal love or ignored it either.
Shayera Hol, a lieutenant in the Thanagarian military and probably one of its best espionage officers, and his bride. They met some years ago. At first, they were peers and nothing more, but over time, they grew fond of each other. It was out of respect for one another's duty and commitment, but that too changed into something else. Some time after they met, he proposed to her, in Thanagarian tradition, of course, and she happily accepted. They were engaged, but not married, or at least officially at any rate. The wedding ceremony was postponed due to their duties towards Thanagar.
The gambit that could save Thanagar and end the long war it only knew for so long—the fate of the Thanagarian race—was set on her, his Shayera.
The secret risk that the Thanagarian high command and engineer corps devised was to create a chain of hyperspace bypass relays in select strategic areas where one could use them and go through the Gordanian static defenses that ringed themselves around their home systems and their homeworld, Karna. The bypasses would need to be carried and constructed onto several worlds and moons, then activated so they could carry this supposed invasion fleet and attack Karna.
The Thanagarian navy has made several attempts in the past to attack the defenses of the Gordanian home systems but found those defenses overwhelming. And so that plan was made so that instead of using full-on brute force to attack Karna and end the world, they could launch a sneak attack against them before they knew what hit them.
While they already surveyed, calculated, and projected which celestial bodies would need to have a bypass generator so this hyperspace chain could work, there was one world that could prove to be troublesome.
Earth, a backwater planet that really held no significance in the scheme of things in this war or even the greater Galaxy. Yet, it was the key to the Thanagarian-Gordanian war; it was the weight that could shift the balance between a Thanagarian victory or lean to a Gordanian victory—it could change life or death to the Thanagarians.
It was calculated that Earth was to be the last hyperspace fix point of this chain, and due to its proximity and positioning, a bypass on its surface could easily make a hyperspace jump make a straight trajectory towards Karna, and in that, victory. However, due to the extreme power and mechanics of a hyperspace bypass, with its artificial gravity well being created after its activation, any planet or moon that had a bypass will be destroyed when the device activates, including Earth.
The ruling council of Thanagar, the wisest, oldest, and most skilled hawkmen of all Thanagar, was disturbed by this consequence at first and came to the hard conclusion that Earth will play a role to end this devastating conflict, and therefore their deaths will not be in vain. Hro Talak couldn't agree more.
While Earth's defenses wouldn't put up a real fight, they held a select group of beings called the Justice League capable of repelling most standard Thanagarian attacks. Rumors of the world's "heroes" being able to repel most alien attacks made high command conclude that they will need a spy to infiltrate the world's defenses and feed Thanagar information for their future takeover.
That candidate to be the spy was his love, Shayera Hol.
He couldn't entirely argue against it; she was Thanagar's best of the best in terms of subterfuge and espionage; she even was a top-tier instructor of the infiltration schools. As a patriot, he let her go to Earth. But as a lover, he couldn't. She was to be sent alone, into hostile territory with a few resources other than her nth mace and a highly sophisticated holo-transmitter with an encrypted channel to feed information to Thanagar.
She was alone, and he couldn't do anything about it.
He knew that she would accept it; she was a patriot herself as well. He wished she didn't, though. But for the sake of all Thanagar, their love for each other will have to be kept on hold for the time being.
Three long years have passed since he actually saw her, kissed, and touched her; actually held a smile at her or looked into those jade eyes of hers that could rival the beauty of nebulae. Because of his extraordinary service accord, he was thankfully assigned to this secret project, though to assist Paran Dul and the engineer corps construct and guard the hyperspace bypass generators.
This also led him to be the project's main director for the time being, for high command, and the ruling council entrusted him with such an important task due to his leadership and history. All of this led to the privilege of receiving Shayera's encrypted holo transmissions for her reports. Which was better than not seeing her at all.
Regardless, it wasn't the real her; for every holo-call she made, a ghostly green image would be constructed through the camera. It looked like her, talked like her, had her voice and smile, and everything. But it wasn't her. Every time he tried pressing his hand onto her near-transparent cheek, it would go right through her.
Even then, she didn't make a lot of reports on her mission. She infiltrated Earth's defenses, was still gathering information, and even joined the Justice League as the disguise of "Hawkgirl". It was a silly name that made him laugh and, by result, her. She had gained their trust for the moment and continued to do so. But the severity and amount of Justice League missions she goes to while trying to not rouse suspicions forced her to transmit messages and calls ever so often. The distance between holo-calls could be weeks or months.
He didn't like it, and he found some sort of ironic comfort that she didn't like it as well. To him, it was torture to see her figure in a green holographic form—so close yet so far. He was sure that she thought of the same; he hoped at any rate.
But their love will have no bounds or limits. They will survive, just as Thanagar will survive this war, one way or another.
Currently onboard the bridge of the Warhawk, Hro stood in his command station as the men and women that made up his crew manned their respective duty stations. Communications and scanner sections of the bridge monitored any possible frequencies that they would be able to detect. The bridge's observation window showed a void that had only white dots sprinkled around its surface.
While the Warhawk was assigned to help construct and guard the hyperspace bypass project, it was called into action for a reconnaissance mission far away from contested space between Thangar and Karna, and especially away from Thanagarian-held space.
Just shy from the borders between Khundian space and Gordanian territory, she was called here in this region for a search and destroy mission of any possible Gordanian freighters that could venture out here. The Warhawk's communications array was one of the best in the whole navy, and her being alone meant she could travel lightly with no strings attached.
Standing next to him at his command station was Lieutenant Paran Dul, one of the finest officers amongst his crew and a soldier he greatly respected. A highly trained and distinguished engineer, Paran Dul studied amidst the greatest minds Thanagar can offer. She was so good at her craft that she has many great contributions to the hyperspace bypass, which was of her own design. A genius of her generation, for sure.
Not only does she have white armor to signify her unique rank and status, her personality was much different from any other Thanagarian. She wasn't cut from the same cloth as usual Thanagarians were. While some hawkmen can be boastful and loud, she was quiet and reserved. Many Thanagarians valued the overwhelming strength and courage; she valued the smartest, unexpected approach that saw less resistance.
She was a very calculating and observant person, a trait few Thanagarians can or are willing to have. This was not to say she was'machines-like'; there were times where Paran expressed some sort of anger, frustration, envy, or pride in the past; she was more…professional, which was valued by the Thanagrian military of course but not as much compared to strength and boldness.
They have been patrolling empty space, searching for any identified Gordanian ships, for at least a week or so. There were rumors from passing traders they've come across that there was some sort of new Almeracian empire not too distant from the Khunds, but after all, Thanagar does not have much reach or influence over this side of the galaxy.
Talaks's inner musings were interrupted when an electrical, buzzing alarm screamed out from the scanning station. Its operators click and go through the readout so they may decipher why such a call would be made.
It wasn't a good call at all.
"Commander!" The lead scanning officer said, alert and somewhat shaken, "We're detecting two…" he looked back at the scanning readout then corrected himself, "Three, three unidentified vessels coming into a conflicting vector to our front from hyperspace."
Hro pivoted to the scanner station with Paran doing the same; a grim possibility filled his gut, "Gordanian?" He didn't hide his feelings about the reptilian race.
The scanning officer looked at the readout again and said, "We think so; size and speed would suggest as such, sir. But we're not getting sufficient data on what ship class they might be."
Hro absorbed the developing information. He shouldn't be surprised that a small task force of Gordanian cruisers would intercept his own ship; after all, since the start of their search and destroy mission, they have destroyed at least seven Gordanian cargo freighters. Clearly, the Gordanians had enough of their hit-and-run tactics and brought a quick reaction force to stomp them out.
He looked over to Paran Dul who was studying the scanning readout data sent to her corner of the command station. "What are you thinking, Paran?"
Lieutenant Dul kept on gazing at the screen for a few seconds, eyes going to different spots and areas of data and calculated trajectories, then she faced him with an expression that showed she didn't like it one bit, at least in her way of not actually saying it directly. "They may have detected our ion trail." She said in a collected, cool voice that showed no sign of panic at that moment.
Hro considered her explanation as much time he could afford: "It could be a patrol that detected us."
"Perhaps," Paran thought about it but then indicated at the scanline-filled screen with her finger from her gauntlet. "But data suggests that they are at least cruiser size, and to be honest with you, sir, they are most likely Class-7s."
Hro sighed within himself. Gordanian Class-7 cruisers were known to be one of the deadliest assets of the Gordanian navy's arsenal. Their electrical shield being tricky to penetrate was one obstacle; those two powerful heavy laser cannons on their front were deadly in long-range engagements was another. Hro had dealt with the cruisers before and won, but only when he had more than one ship and developed tactics.
This was an ambush, preplanned or otherwise. Even if it was an escort near their defenseless ships that spotted them, it wasn't in Gordanian standard naval doctrine to drop everything and attack the enemy.
He didn't like the odds of this situation.
In a loud voice, he ordered out to the bridge, "All crew, Battlestations!"
The bridge crew immediately went into alert; instincts and trained responses kicked in; klaxons screamed across the ship; crew mates all over went from their daily routines and recreational activities to their assigned posts and prepared for a deadly conflict.
During the bust cacophony of relaying orders and crewmen shuffling around the bridge, Lieutenant Kragger entered the fray from the main doorway and to the command post. To Talak, Lieutenant Kragger was like any other Thanagarian: arrogant and predictable, bold and narrow minded sometimes.
Where Paran Dul was an individual who had many talents that set herself apart from other Thanagarians, Kragger was painfully normal and bland in comparison. Not that Hro Talak was immune from being too overconfident and aggressive; that goes for Paran Dul as well, but Kragger was nonetheless very mediocre. Still, Hro couldn't exactly complain about having the officer; the Empire was stretched too far for him to request a transfer or another officer to replace Kragger.
As Paran quickly briefed Kragger on the situation, the scanner officer warned Hro, "Sir! They'll be exiting out of hyperspace in thirty seconds!"
Hro could only nod understandingly and give out orders while Klaxons still blared out, yelling at the crew for the inevitable struggle soon coming. "Shields up!" He ordered, "Divert auxiliary power to the main batteries and ready fighter command that they will need to get out of their hangars now!"
While Hro continued to call out more orders and got done with them, Paran Dul went to him. "I believe the best course of action, sir, would be to retreat the fastest we can to the nearest nebula or asteroid field," she advised.
Kragger pivoted his head toward the chief engineer and gave her an accusing look. "And we run like cowards?"
Lieutenant Paran Dul replied that she held no vexation to Lieutenant Kragger. Hro, however, knew she deeply did not like Kragger or saw him to be beneath her, but she kept it to herself. "It is a tactical retreat," she answered, collected as ever, "we are not cowards by any means, Kragger."
She looked back at Hro, "If we make a jump to hyperspace now toward the closest star cluster or nebula, the dense gasses should interfere with their scanning equipment while we strategize our next plan of action. If they decide to follow us, we'll be the ones to ambush them."
Hro Talak thought about the strategy and rebutted, "And our communications and navi-computers would be just as equally jammed as theirs, Paran."
"Perhaps so," she conceded, "but if we are that desperate, retreating to an asteroid field might deter them to follow."
"Are we that crazy to consider going into an asteroid field?" Kragger disbelievingly said.
She glanced at him for a second. "If they aren't crazy, then they won't pursue."
"Enough," Hro issued, and both Lieutenants pulled their attention to their commander, "As much as I would like to pull back and regroup, going into hyperspace will make us more vulnerable than before." He shook his head and turned to the observation window where the battle would untimely occur within moments. "We will have to make a last stand here."
Paran nodded. Kragger had an invisible sense of petty pride come to him for being right. "Three Gordanian cruisers against one of our own are not good odds, Comamnder." Paran Dul warned.
"I know," said Hro Talak; the eve of battle was so close, he could smell it in the artificial air. "But the time of changing tactics is over. We make a stand... or we lose ourselves to space."
On que, three Gordanian Class-7 battle cruisers came out of hyperspace, kilometers away from the Warhawk. The orb-shaped cruisers in a triangle-like formation made no wait to attack and began firing their long-range heavy laser cannons at their front bows. The Warhawk's shield stood defiant, however, absorbing much of the shock, though the ship shuttered and rocked from the impacts.
Heavy galvanized beams of energy exploded from colliding on the Thanaganrian cruiser's thermal shielding, rupturing great balls of light like fireworks and creating short 'booms' that reverberated against the ship. Interior lighting flickered on and off with no pattern, then stabilized itself. She had strong shields, but Hro knew that even then it wouldn't last long if the bombardment continued. They will need to strike fast.
Class-7 cruisers were known to be deadly at long-range distances due to their two frontal cannons that were their main armament; however, the warship was vulnerable to medium- and close-range broadside brawling. A tactic the Thanagarian Navy would employ to counter against the Class-7s.
But at a number of disadvantages—a three-to-one fight—getting close was a short prospect; it was to think they'll be able to get broadsiding range if they don't die from the heavy vollies. Hro Talak knows what his ship can and cannot do and will do his best to lead his men to victory, disadvantage or not.
"Full thrusters ahead!" He commanded the helmsman, "Get the fighters out of their hangars and relay orders that they must harass the enemy." He turned to Paran Dul as his orders were being carried out amongst the bridge crew: "Go to engineering and see if you can reroute any more power to the shields."
Before Lieutenant Dul could issue an accepting reply, the Warhawk was arrested by a massive quake; the ship rumbled as the crew held onto the built-in equipment that made up their stations and railings for purchase. Paran Dul held onto a nearby console as Hro Talak and Kragger did as well.
When the large quake fell away and the commotion of battle became the sound that replaced it, Paran Dul made her answer, "Of course, Commander." She made a prideful chest salute as Talak returned the hardy Thanagarian gesture, and she made a brisk pace out of the bridge.
Hro hoped that there would be enough power to be rerouted to the shields, whether by removing it from certain life-support systems like lighting and HVAC systems or removing power altogether from unimportant components and rooms. Any available energy that can be transferred to the shield would be a gift at any rate; even the tightest fracture could be a saving grace.
The Warhawk got closer to the Gordanian line, returning hail storms of energy as well; formations of Thanagarian starfighters spewed out from its ventral hangar and made attack vectors to the Gordanians. The enemy sent their own starfighters as a protective screen in turn. The Warhawk's class of ship already had a reasonable fighter complement, which would've slightly overwhelmed a single Class-7, but with two more of the cruisers, the Thanagarian pilots in their claw-like fighters would be fighting against major odds.
He supposed that they were against the odds regardless altogether when he came to think about it. They couldn't retreat much to the dismay of Paran Dul. A full-on engagement would only quicken their fate. Hopeless, it may be, but to Hro Talak, nothing is ever hopeless. He had learned that hard lesson in the Gordanian camps. In those dark days of his life that will always give him horrible memories and scars to his being, he knew that one way of hope, one slither of a chance of survival was all it can take to strengthen one's resolve for their will to live.
If this was the Talak during his time in the camps, his resolve to fight and live wouldn't have been to take vengeance on the Gordanians. This Hro Talak was different, though that desire wasn't entirely forgotten either and still burned in him. This Talak in the here and now would fight back not only for his people or his personal vendetta, but for the love of his life—Shayera— and the chance to see her again. Even if he has more chances of surviving a black hole or being stranded on a desolate planet than ever seeing her again, he will fight to the bitter end just out of the microscopic chance of seeing her, the real her.
He'll fight these cruisers to see her. He'll fight a hundred, no, a thousand. He'll go back to the camps again and again so that one day, one beautiful day, he can see those sparkling jade eyes, her soft red hair, a bright smile that can illuminate the darkest days, and a personality to make any man proud to be hers.
He'll do all of that to see her, just one more time.
The ship shuttering hard rocked Hro out of his thoughts and brought him back to the thick of the fight. Quick flashes of discharging flak and energy beams glitter outside of the observation like miniature supernovae. Gordanian and Thanagarian starfighters danced in maneuvers out of the sympathy of death, twisting and turning away while chasing one another and blasting their quarry into superheated flames. Comm chatter and battle commands were heard.
As much as he could be confident in this battle with his previous engagement, this one looks grim.
Escaping was a fool's option; doing a tactical retreat prescribed by Paran Dul would only delay the inevitable; fighting head-on, though, wasn't any better. Perhaps they could ask for reinforcements? Yes, they could try to send an encrypted message to the nearest Thangarian installation that they are being attacked. Messages that might not even reach Thangar, seeing how they were far from any Thangarian-held space.
Maybe he wants to send a message out of the hope that an entire strike force comes from hyperspace in their more desperate hour. Or maybe it was because he wanted to send a message to Thanagar in the chance of them not returning—the chance of not seeing her. To give them clarity on what happened to Commander Hro Talak and the crew of the Warhawk; killed by a Gordaninan patrol that outnumbered them.
If anything, it was to give clarity to Shayera that if he perished, she would know that he fought to the bitter end for her and Thanagar.
"Kragger!" Hro yelled loud enough to be heard by the Lieutenant.
"Yes, Commander?" Said Kragger.
"Get our coordinates and ready the communications relay; we'll be sending a distress call soon."
***
"How many times do I have to explain about embracing me like this in public, Maxima?…" said Vader, a hint of annoyance broadcasted through his vocabulator.
Standing on his right side in the bridge of the Eternal Vigilance was his wife, Maxima, her left arm intertwined with his. Of course, she made it this way out of the show of her affection for him. She heaved her shoulders and rolled her eyes with her answer, "If they have any problems with me showing my love towards my husband, they can happily express them."
With a sharp head turning, she inspected the star destroyer's crew in their bridge command trenches and assigned stations. Some of them, if not most, saw their Empress's quick, heavy gaze on them, and all who noticed hastily looked away and either worked harder or pretended to do something. Satisfied, she smiled and returned her head back onto Vader's arm so she may view the blue, esoteric tunnel of hyperspace through the observation window as her husband was. "See…I told you."
Vader groaned internally.
It has been a couple of weeks since Maxima almost found out about Vader's secret. While she was convinced that nothing was wrong in the meantime, Vader knows he doesn't have much time. In that, he had increased the number of testing surgeries and experiments since then. In addition, he has been dragging out meditation sessions to help him control and maintain midichlorians in one's body.
He has been progressing, albeit slowly.
Using his test subjects with their less advanced copied body parts and organs from the matter changer, Vader has been using the force to attempt to manipulate the midichlorians already in their system and make them spread and fully integrate with the artificial organs. To assert his authority and will over the force-oriented organelles.
To Vader, the entire process felt like holding billions of grains of sand in his two hands and compacting them to whatever shape and size he desired. The same was true for the untold number of midichlorians that inhibit their living host. He would need to replace the force's will onto the microscopic intermediaries with his own will; instead of following the currents of the force, it would be his commands and desires they will enforce and perform.
Results varied. Some test subjects have survived the process of Vader's midichlorian expansion; others have succumbed to horrific deaths. In any case, while most of the sessions have been somewhat failures, Vader could sense that each time he performed the midichlorian integration, his will to command them was getting stronger and stronger. He theorized that eventually he would perfect the technique, and not only that, but he could do what Plagueis was said to be able to do and command the organelles to do his bidding indefinitely.
Without the restrictions and restraints Sidious put him on, Vader's power and strength on the dark side of the force have only been increasing since his arrival in this new realm. The Darth Vader today was stronger than the Vader that left his old realm. Like a small snowflake rolling down a snow-bound mountainside, his power will steadily increase to the point that it will devastate those who stand in his way.
Since his realization that his attunement to the dark side will continue to increase, he has wondered if now or soon if he would be able to defeat Sidious if the opportunity came up to him. Perhaps, but that question has no relevance here, not in his new second chance of gaining his destiny back from the past mistakes that young, brashful Vader made that day on Mustafra.
While his power was growing, it could never be stronger compared to what it could be if he had his full body repaired. After his "talk" with Maxima, he had decided that he would need to plan a trip to the Dominators and Psios very soon; no more excuses. Unfortunately, Vader's schedule lately has made that difficult. Managing his empire was already a nightmare in its own; Maxima being close to him wherever he went was another.
Though he had squashed her thoughts about possible infidelity, she had dedicated herself to be at his side, either being involved more in the Empire's affairs, managing, or campaigning to gain more territory. Apparently, in her own words, she would do better as an Empress and Wife if she were to 'stick around' with him.
A frustrating thing, considering how he was planning to visit the Psions and Dominators to hire them for their genetic engineering for the cloning aspect of his projects. So he compromised. If he couldn't go to them by himself, then he would have an intermediary to do so. Angelicus was that intermediary.
He had sent his Sith apprentice to the Dominator homeworld, The Dominion, as his personal emissary to negotiate any commissions they might be able to pick up for him.
He has been training the Havanian Princess in the Sith arts of force mind manipulation and guile for months, along with any other dark side practices and techniques any Sith Master would teach their acolyte. Her strongest talent was dominaning one's mind, especially the male variety, near effortlessly and with no strain on her part.
Much like in nature, there were seductive and tantalizing flowers of unique colors and aromas, only to have a horrible poisonous side to them that can lead to death if one were to get too close. She was a mirage; desirable and wonderful for those who come near her; by the time they realized their folly to do so, she already had her coils of the dark side trapped their wills into her own.
Desirable and dangerous, she was nothing but a perfect representation of the dark side. She would be a powerful Sith indeed, and because of that, he had grown wary of it.
At the present, he is confident that he can kill her easily or put her in her place; over time, that possibility of his power being the dominant factor in their master and apprentice relationship might change and she might be the one that is most powerful if he wasn't careful. He has learned the lessons of his former apprentice, Galen Marek and the Starkiller clone, and has not taught her everything nor any technique or ritual that can give her an advantage in her position over him.
While she can never truly take him on in a full confrontation for the mantle of master, in terms of force powers and marital might, she does have the ability to attack if he happens to let his guard down. Just like how the rule of two was meant when Darth Bane created it, Sith apprentices just need to be better at something than their masters in order to challenge their rule and kill them. Either backstabbing or trickery of any sort, this was the cycle that lasted for a millennium in the Sith order so that only the strongest can survive.
But those practices were irrelevant now and were of no use in this new ecosystem the Sith found themselves in; the Sith Imperative for a thousand years was to destroy the Jedi and Republic completely. Now finished, making the rule of two expire in the same manner and expend its usefulness permanently.
The new Sith imperative—his imperative—was to have complete hegemony and dominance in the realm of the force and this galaxy…or perhaps beyond the confines of the Milky Way. Whether in the limited form of a master and apprentice or a trained army of Sith Lords does not matter. The important crutch was Vader being the unchallenged Master of the Sith, and him leading the order to its natural conclusion of ruling sentient life.
Until then, Vader must be vigilant towards Angelicus or any other devotee of the dark side they might recruit, for that matter. Because of that, he has not told her the true meaning of her mission to Dominion, for if she were to learn about Vader's handicap in his suit, she most certainly would smell blood.
To stop that possibility of betrayal, he had told her on the pretense that they were needing the genius-level genetic expertise of the Dominators for a planned clone army for the Empire. This was a half truth. Vader had considered making and utilizing a clone army for his expanding empire for some time now. Especially how loyal and skilled the Jango Fett template was in the Empire; he even had his 501st Legion consist of the clones by the time he left his home galaxy.
Thankfully, she bought it and will contact him when her mission is completed.
While she has been performing a mission furthering his goal to regain his full potential, Vader was currently executing many cleanup efforts to dispose of marauders and pirates. A band of the bandits were suspected of stealing and pillaging Imperial convoys in the Empire's galactic south-west.
Maxima wanting to "get out" more and feeling a bit "bored," as she described it, told Vader they should exterminate the small band of raiders for a "romantic outing". Vader obliged, but only because he had nothing else to do other than listen to another report by Sazu or wait for Angelicus' return from her mission.
Having a small detachment of Battlegroup Obsidian Blade, the small task force consisted of ISDs INS Eternal Vigilance, Almeracia, Raacal's Sword, with the support of Venators INS Almaara's Shield and Stargazer. This was so to make it easier for the selected Imperial fleet to track and maneuver to find the pirates without the overwhelming weight of an entire battlegroup.
The rest of the battlegroup was ordered to make travel to Angelicus' homeworld, Havania, and…convince that Imperial authority would suit them just fine. Obviously, Angelicus doesn't know that her people will become Imperial subjects soon, nor should she care for her own sake. A devoted member of the Sith was expected to discard their past in service of the order and the dark side. Family and allegiances to one's people should make no difference to a pure follower of the Sith. Angelicus should not feel any sort of remorse toward her people.
At the moment, the fleet was traveling across hyperspace after a small skirmish with the fleeing pirates. As expected, pirates with different ships and dubious training were no match for Imperial Star destroyers or ruthless droid starfighters. It was expected that most would flee. Not that he cared to gain the credit for destroying mere bandits and ruffians; Maxima mostly took charge of the fleet after first contact was made, while Vader only watched. He was impressed, well, for the most part.
Though now out of imperial space, they continued the hunt out where the territories of the Khunds and Gordanians were close. This was to give out a clear message to any criminals who thought that they could skim off from the Galactic Empire. They will learn that Imperial judgment, fury, and justice had no bounds nor borders.
Vader gazed at the blue shimmering tunnel of hyperspace with his wife. Admiral Ultraa interrupted their sight seeing into the otherworldly dimension with a bow, "Excuse me, Majesties, but our sensors detected something you might find interesting."
Maxima regarded the admiral with a dismissive gesture, while Vader only kept staring at the mesmerizing, swirling blue tunnel. "At ease, Admiral," she said. "What is so important?"
"Our deep space sensor arrays have picked up distress signals." He explained, "Though it was difficult to formalize with its scratchy frequency, we've authenticated to be Thanagarian in origin."
Vader's interest piqued up.
Thangarians were a warlike avian race no different in appearance from Havanians, say their pigmentation of their skins. Their attitude and culture surrounded warfare and honor so much that it reminded Vader of the Mandolorians. Much like the Mandolorians, they possess a unique, near-indestructible metal that helped their empire rise; in this case, theirs was Nth metal.
Not much was known nth metal, other than that, it was an extremely valuable and strong naturally occurring metal that the Thangarians were only able to have and mine. It was rumored to have unnatural properties, though that could only really be said about the strange metal. Word says Thangar is notorious for keeping its most dearly held treasure a secret from the rest of the galaxy and will put any Thangarian or foreigner to death if they were to share the secrets without their ruling council's consent.
He would gladly construct a trade agreement of some sort between the hawks, which could set the seeds of a possible alliance.
Vader observed the Thangarians at the best he could and determined they would be a major player in galactic affairs. One day perhaps he might be able to convince the Thangarians to join the Empire in the idea of warfare and combat his new order will no doubt encounter. Much like the unruly Mandolorians, Vader suspected the hawkmen to most likely resent any form of subjugation and vassalization from a foreign ruler.
Though he would like to deploy their strength and warrior spirit under his banners in some future, they, on the other hand, would certainly not find it fair. Fairness has no part in this in any case, but the Thangarians would resist any diplomatic attempts that had more ambition than an alliance. When his empire eventually crosses most of the galaxy, the hawks will have to be dealt with. If he wants to absorb the Thangarians and their nth metals into his new empire, they will have to be either beaten into submission or convinced that the ideals of the Imperial cause can peacefully coincide with Thanagarian warrior culture.
A distress call would obviously suggest some trouble on the Thangarians part. If that were the case, then perhaps the Empire's next reaction in the coming time would set the fate of a possible alliance of sorts, or even the fate of the galaxy itself.
Vader turned to face Ultraa after making his decision. "Patch it through. I want to see what this call for help is."
Admiral Ultraa bowed and fished a flat, holo-emitter onto the bridge floor next to Maxima and Vader. After pressing some buttons, the distress signal that the Eternal Vigilance picked up was fed through the holo-comlink.
A cone of blue light shimmered out of the device, accompanied by heavy static and interference. The device, with some difficulty, then stabilized itself to cast a figure of Thanagarian descent made out of a blue scanlined aura. Adorned in metal armor around various parts of his body, he wore a helmet that had small wings on the sides; corners of his pecs and biceps were not wrapped by metal or fiber wear; a muscular built fitting for a warrior species; a set of wings distinct to his race; and the black bird on his armored chest that symbolized the Thanagarian crest.
For a moment, the holo-transmission blinked in and out of its solid picture, crackling much static. Ultraa gestures with his hand to the communications officers in the comms station to boost and refine the signal. After a brief moment of a crackling holo-transmission flickering in and out of existence, the image was finally stabilized to the form of the Thangarian, though periodically the transmission would crackle for a second or the image would shift like a glitch.
The moving picture of the Thangarian then said, "This is Commander Hro Talak of the Thanagarian Empire, I am broadcasting this message from my ship, the Warhawk, under the great need of reinforcements."
He explained, "To Thangarian forces who are able to receive this message, my ship has been ambushed by a contingent of Gordanian warships that consist of three Class-7 cruisers no longer than thirty standard minutes ago. I—," the video was interrupted by waving static, which lasted for an awkward moment. Vader placed his hands into his belt, and Maxima impatiently put a hand onto her hip. The transmission was then stabilized by much labor of the comms crew.
"We have taken mass—," the video was overwhelmed with static then took full control again. "And the Gordanian forces are too strong for any tactical withdrawal. I am requesting any Thangarian forces to assist the battle through the coordinates this message is sent along." Hro Talak made a fist salute by sending his right fist flat to his chest. "Commander Talak out." The image then disappeared back into the device.
Maxima looked at Vader with a curious expression. "Well…what do you think?"
The Dark Lord of the Sith had much to think about.
Coincidence and random luck have not brought Vader's attention to this stretch of wretched space; rather, the Force brought him here to take another opportunity for his continual rise as sovereign of this galaxy. Though it was a thought that he could let the Gordanians finish Hro Talak and his ship then jump to ambush the Gordanians so that the Empire would be the victor in the aftermath.
However, a war with the Gordanians was inevitable; they wouldn't be fine in Vader's Empire taking the galactic stage and will most likely be the first galactic powers to resist his efforts. Besides, though an unofficial declaration of war was not called on, Vader has taken multiple actions that could be considered so. Especially when months earlier, he had the Eternal Vigilance slaughter one roaming, pillaging Gordanian cruiser that kept the once Princess Bleez captive for months. Whether the Gordanians knew at the moment or cared about the rising power used in Almerac was besides the point; what mattered was that the Gordanians were a clear threat to the Empire.
The Thangarians though are not yet.
If he was correct, Almerac has not established contact with Thangar for centuries. In that, it would be not a stretch to say they do not know the reformation of the Empire, which would mean if Vader did his cards right, this would be the first contact between Thangar and the Galactic Empire.
Vader's diplomacy was never the best, and he knew that, but now it will be put to the test.
Emperor Vader finally replied, "Admiral Ultraa, track the coordinates to the signal and prepare the fleet for combat."
Ultraa bowed, "Of course, your majesty." He then attended to his new orders, giving out orders through the bridge.
Maxima's interest doubled. "So…what is that little head of yours thinking?" She teasingly tapped Vader's helmet.
Within his mask, his eye twitched but he chose to compose himself. "The Hawkmen and their rivals have been warring with one another for some time now; I plan to announce the Empire's stand within the conflict." She rubbed her chin. "Is there anything wrong with that, wife?" He asked.
She hummed, "Hmmmm, no not really, though I couldn't care less about the lizards or the birds."
"As do I," agreed Vader, "But their position in the galaxy cannot be ignored. Soon or later, the empire will have to engage with them. I have no interest in dealing with Gordanians, but I am willing to make…diplomacy with the Hawkmen. In any regard, I sincerely doubt the Gordanians will be alive to discuss what will happen very soon."
Maxima pulled herself closer to Vader in barely restrained anticipation. "Oh Vader, this will definitely be exciting."
"Yes…for some."
***
The Warhawk rocked and buckled like an unprepared boat caught in a storm out in the sea. This made Lieutenant Paran Dul grab a console station to brace herself in the violent aftershock. While the rumble did end at a point, it was one sound that ceased in a chaotic scene that blasted many more.
Klaxons and alarms still screamed on the bridge. Thin trials of smoke and put-out fires reeked in the air with the chemical scent of discharged fire-suppression foams dispelling the former. The technicians left available were working their best to repair any of the controlling systems that were damaged in the battle; the rest were spread too thin around the now injured ship. The crew that weren't injured or at least able to perform their duties continued on manning their stations.
Lieutenant Kragger, that fool, Paran said to herself, was barking orders to whoever could perform such tasks; Paran was in the command station, attempting to coordinate with fire reaction teams and the engineer section to keep the ship together; then there was Commander Hro Talak, the bravest man she had ever seen, could only helplessly watch as his ship was being torn apart by enemy fire and his crew was dying.
All of the Thanagarian starfighters they sent were all killed; they died honorably, she thought. Very few of the Warhawk's batteries actually worked; they either were destroyed or overheated. The shield was lost despite Paran's best efforts of bolstering them by siphoning every available amount of energy possible.
She was limping and badly wounded, though giving the Gordanians a good fight, but at the end, her time was coming.
The observation window showed the three cruisers still sending vollies of heavy energy bolts at the Thanagarian ship; the impacts reverberated from time to time.
A very hopeless time indeed.
Paran Dul doesn't believe in fate or anything that deviates from scientific procedure. Thanagarians have long abandoned such beliefs in destinies, dates, and endings along with any form of thought of religion and superstition. They were masters of their own fate, not a pantheon of self-imposed deities who only sought attention and praise from worshippers.
However, she couldn't help but feel an esoteric feeling that this was to be their fate—at the hands of their longtime enemies. She would never complete her work to finish the project that would surely bring Thanagarian victory.
Commander Talak looked at Paran and said wearily, "Paran."
Paran went to attention in spite of the shaking from reverberation action outside of the hull and said, "Yes, Commander."
"Ready the shuttles for any other ship we have left; call an abandon ship."
Surprise struck in Paran's eyes but ultimately fell in line. "I will sound the call, sir."
Before she could turn to do the order, Hro grabbed her arm in a firm and determined manner. "That includes everyone and you."
Paran's mouth slightly went agaped, "C-commander…I don't think—"
"Don't, Paran," he said desperately. "You all still have a chance to retreat back to Thanagar space in the fastest way you can."
"And you, sir?"
He heaved his shoulders in an honest way, "The captain goes down with the ship."
"Commander," she grew somewhat defiant but still having respect in her voice. "I must sincerely and respectfully protest this decision. You are an irreplaceable asset to Thanagar and wasting your life on the crew's retreat is nothing but—"
"And I must sincerely order you, Paran, that you will be in charge of my absence after you all abandon ship." Commander Talak interrupted her stonily.
Lieutenant Paran Dul was grasped by a breathless moment on what was happening and her inability to do nothing other than follow orders. Logically, it was a good decision in a time when any other will not work. Hro manning the bridge while the rest of the crew can try and find escape from the Gordanians will only double their chances of survival. Yet, in herself, she wanted to tell her superior officer that she would rather die by his side than leave him to a fate that will result in his death... alone.
Ultimately, the notion of this crew surviving for another day to fight the Gordanians triumphed over the inaction of all Thangarians perishing by staying on the ship. She gave him a grim nod. "I understand, Commander."
It was already hard to distinguish which klaxon and alarm went to what; one however electrically whined among the chaotic scene. One of the comms crew looked at it, eyes going wide and turning his gaze to Talak and Paran. "Sir! We're detecting more cruiser size ships coming our way—five at least—and are about to exit hyperspace!"
Talak regarded the soldier who did his duty admirably despite him having received a head wound and having a bloody bandage around his head. Talak eyed Paran, "You don't have long. Go."
A ship did in fact exit out of hyperace and entered reality in between two out of the three Gordanian cruisers. Expectedly, Paran and probably any other Thanagarian heard the new detection thought the ships in line with their position were more Gordanians to deliver more merciless action, a Class-7 even.
What actually happened was a surprise but a welcome one.
The ship was expected to be the orb-shaped battlecruiser utilized by the Gordanians and the same one to the ships blasting the Warhawk never came. The ship that actually exited out of hyperspace and went in between the two cruisers was a longer, taller, gray-colored battlecruiser that Paran has no idea what class it is.
In the shape of a triangle, almost dagger-like, the ship had some sort of command tower at the aft, where it had two orbs on either side of the tower with what possibly could be a communications array in the middle. Paran Dul had no clue what model and origin the cruiser was from, for surely the whole design would have been recognizable to anyone.
The appearance of this new ship stole the attention of the crew, including Paran, Kragger and Talak. At first, it seemed like the Gordanians had brought in a new line of warships, but jaw-droppingly, the new ship fired at the Gordanians flanked on its sides. Removing any instance and thinking of the new ship being Gordanian aligned. Pirates? Some faction out here in space the Thanagarians haven't heard about?
The new ship sent vollies of green energy to the Gordanian cruisers as well, with certain turrets on the ship firing blue lights, which could've been electric discharging weaponry, as she closely observed the new assailant. The beams of energy penetrated, pounded on their shields hard, or managed to break through altogether, causing severe damage already.
Seeing how the Gordanians didn't expect the newcomer, they were totally caught with their pants off and were not in a proper position to counter. They sent their own vollies, of course, but the new ship's shield held together; straying bolts that managed to penetrate didn't do as much damage, for the ship's armor was strong enough to withstand the blasts.
Since the Class-7s couldn't bring their frontal cannons to bear, the new ship reigned supreme as its broadsiding attacks were ripping apart the two ships. That wasn't the only surprise; however, two more of the incoming ships materialized through hyperspace. One flanking on sides of the Gordanians and being the same class as the new ship, or at least what Paran can gather.
They too fired upon the Gordanians, discharging heavy beams of devastating emerald light to the enemy. Miniature sparks of hot light ruptured from the Gordanian cruisers' hulls; smoke started to flow out from the ships.
That wasn't only the way these newcomers attacked. The two ships that came in had an untold amount of quadruped shapes walking across their hulls. It was unclear if they were people or something in that nature, but she was proven wrong when they morphed their legs and started to fly. It was when they started to swarm from the hulls of the ships and engage the Gordanian fighter in cruel fashion. They were, in fact, starfighters piloted by battle automa, or at least what she can theorize on.
They dogfighted the Gordanian starfighters, who were equally as caught at a disadvantage, for they weren't expecting this either. In a fast rate, the swarms of machine starfighters turned Gordanian fighters into balls of flames and debris.
While the newcomer's fighters were slaughtering Gordanian in breakneck speeds and turns with their dagger-like battlecruisers blasting away the Class-7s, it was noted that the other Class-7 on the side of the Warhawk realized the sudden ambush and was turning towards the new enemy to attempt to regain the initiative.
On que, the last two of the incoming cruisers of unknown origin dropped out of light speed and engaged the Class-7, one to the right of the Class-7 and one nearly on top of the Gordanian cruiser. These new ships were different; slimmer and smaller than the previous ones that surprised both Gordanians and Thangarian alike; it had two angled-up towers and somewhat kept the dagger appearance.
Like before, they attacked without warning, sending barrages of green fire to the caught-off guard Gordanian cruiser. Shockingly, the one new ship on top of the Class-7 birthed a tight beam of green energy from what could've been a ventral hangar and unleashed it to the Class-7. A big effect of illumination appeared almost too intense to bear, followed by a big ball of fire and debris erupting from the Class-7, completely shattering the ship into space junk.
While this occurred, the Thanagarians on the bridge were speechless. The crew, Kragger, Talak, and Paran Dul couldn't get their eyes away from the unfolding battle through the observation window. What was once a hopeless situation became a path where they could actually live. One minute, the end looks near; the next, the battle looks won even though it would be at the effort and mercy of these unknown forces. Paran noted the Gordanian bombardment of the Warhawk ceased shortly after the unknown faction attacked them.
A call from the comms officer spurred Paran and Talak from their daze. "Uh, Commander…" the tech said, even though he was still reeling from what was happening. "We are getting a hailing request from one of the ships."
Talak blinked, as the entire ordeal was still processing in his head. He scanned the battle that was soon coming to a close, viewed the damaged bridge and injured crew, and laid eyes on Paran Dul. To her, he had a mingling of vibrant relief and gut-wrenching worry. He deeply inhaled and exhaled before giving his reply. "Patch it through."
The comms officer nodded and began sending the transmission to the command station. Paran went to the side of Hro Talak as Kragger did, crossing his arms. They waited for a moment when the command station's holo-emitter projected a beam of green translucent light that made the figure of a man. Dressed in a well-kept gray uniform; polished boots that go up to his calf; black gloves; a hat in the same color of the uniform; two ranks of squares in a plaque that might've indicated his rank; his general physical appearance was unremarkable except for his slight younger age.
He spoke in a calm manner. "I am Admiral Ultraa, broadcasting from the INS Eternal Vigilance, commander of the 4th Fleet, of the New Galactic Empire. If it is possible, I would like to speak with Commander Hro Talak of the Thanagarian Empire."
Talak, standing straight, entered in view of the holo-projector's camera for this Ultraa and this "New Galactic Empire". "This is Commander Talak, Admiral." Talak announced.
Ultraa looked off to the side of something out of screen, as if someone were talking to him, and looked back after a moment. He was fairly pleased. "Ah, Commander Talak, it is good to see you are alive and not injured."
"That is nice and all, Admiral," Talak flatly said, "But I think you owe us an explanation on this whole matter."
"Rightfully so," said Admiral Ultraa, "A full answer will be delivered in due time, but to summarize Commander: This detachment of ships before you have detected your distress signal not too long ago. My Emperor and Empress believed that the Gordanian menace that cornered you should be dealt with in a swift fashion."
He paused, "If you find it acceptable, my Emperor and Empress are willing to make available accommodations on one of our cruisers to properly assist in medical treatment to your wounded and transfer medical personnel to your ship if you are not able to afford sending your wounded yourselves. In addition, they are also able to provide technical and maintenance services to assist in the necessary repairs of your vessel. This could be easily done if you so choose to travel to our command ship and personally talk to the Emperor and Empress in person."
There were many things to unravel as Ultraa finished. Talak only gave looks to Paran and Kragger as they were too staggered at the proposition that sounded too good to be true. This Galactic Empire, that they never heard of up until now, saved them from the Gordanian strike group and are willing to help them heal their wounded and repair the Warhawk if they decided to talk to this Emperor and Empress.
To her, the whole convoluted situation having a great deal in the end almost felt too good to be true…
She wasn't entirely convinced that both Kragger and Talak had these possible ideas in their own heads. Kragger would most likely have an answer ready, though it will not make it loose in the eyes of Ultraa. Talak seemed lost in his thoughts, trying to play back his memories of what happened and attempting to find some solution that would be the best for them.
He made his answer, "We accept."
Paran Dul and Kragger traded surprised looks, then viewed their commander with disbelief.
The holographic appearance of Admiral Ultraa looked out of frame again and returned to his side of the camera. He thinly smiled. "Myself and my sovereign rulers are pleased to hear this development. After the end of this transmission, coordinates will be provided so your shuttle may dock in the Eternal Vigilance. We will also send a frequency code in a secured channel between our ships so that we may better cooperate in destroying what's left of the Gordanian element."
Talak nodded understandably, "That is fine at the moment."
Admiral Ultraa bowed, "Thank you for your time, Commander. Hopefully, this is the start of a strong bond between Thanagar and Almerac. I look forward to seeing you in person along with Emperor Vader and Empress Maxima. Ultraa out." The holo-projected, green simulacrum of Admiral Ultraa then faded away.
In its disappearance, encrypted codes and data from the Eternal Vigilance was sent to the bridge so that both Thanagarian and Almeracian efforts could expel the Gordanians permanently. Blooms of superheated gasses and fiery cascades were becoming less frequent as the Gordanian cruisers lost power and the ability to fight due to the sheer amount of damage they took from battery fire and ion weapons. In short order, the cruisers would become nothing more than space junk thanks to the Almeracian battlecruisers.
While so, Kragger was the first to ask Commander Talak the obvious, in Paran's view. "Commander, if I can be as bold as to ask... is there an explanation on why you believe we should accept their assistance and meet their leaders?"
Talak put his gaze on Kragger and studied the Lieutenant for a few seconds. "It's clear why, Kragger." He then shifted looks at the observation window where the Gordanian cruisers had been completely taken care of with the Almeracian warships looking over their wreckage. "As much as I value a fight as any Thanagarian should, I know a lost battle when I see one, especially when they came along." Before either Kragger and Paran could comment, Talak continued on, "But I also know what an enemy looks like when I see one too."
He gestured to the Almeracian ships, "They're not looking for a fight with us but only the Gordanians from what I can gather. If they wanted us dead, they would have let the Gordanians finish us off." He gave Paran a look. "Correct me if I'm wrong if you don't think the same, Paran."
It was true. The Warhawk was in no condition to fully fighter before and after the Almeracians arrived. They could have simply waited when the Gordanians blasted the Thanagarians into space dust or just as easily dispatched them at this very moment. In either case, then and now, they are at the complete mercy of the Almeracians yet not a single point suggests they were hostile to Thangarians. Still, it was a fortunate coincidence that they happened to arrive right before the Thanagarians would have been destroyed.
"I can strongly concur with your assessment, Commander." Paran Dul said after her musings ended. She challenged the idea after a brief break of thinking, "But I must express my belief that we should not fully trust them, since they want to personally discuss with us whatever they wish to converse about." She narrows her eyes. "We should use caution."
Talak considered her words and agreed with a nod. "You're right, as much as they give their hospitality, we know next to little about Almerac, and their motives might be friendly at the moment; they can change for any reason." He faced Kragger, "I want you to stay here and oversee the repairs of the Warhawk. If they do send medics and engineers to help, they can do so, but make sure they stay clear of any classified areas."
"Of course, Commander," Kragger obliged.
Talak faced Paran, "You'll come with me. We'll have a security detail with us for added protection."
Lieutenant made no argument, at least openly. Leaving Kragger to deal with the Warhawk's repairs; Commander Talak, Lieutenant Paran Dul, and a team of soldiers in the regard of accompanying them to the Eternal Vigilance. Entering one of the shuttles still operational in the hangar, they left the Warhawk and guided the ship to Almeracian battlecruiser. Using the sent docking coordinates provided by Admiral Ultraa, they had the shuttle enter the ventral hangar of the Eternal Vigilance.
Landing procedures done, the boarding ramp mawed itself downward so that the Thanagarians could walk out in the chilled hangar. Organized sections of a variety of Almeracian soldiers greeted the Hawkmen in almost parade-like formations. From men in uniform technical suits, officers, to soldiers in armor that was white head to toe, they all stood to attention and were separated by their roles.
The welcoming formations of soldiers led a clear, neat path from the shuttle to the other end of the hangar. Greeting them at a nearby distance of the shuttle stood Admiral Ultraa with an entourage of important-looking officers.
With a warrior's mentality and military professionalism, Talak steps forward, Paran Dul shortly behind him, and the security detail behind them. They stopped at a comfortable pace away to exchange greetings with the Almeracian officer.
Admiral Ultraa bowed, "It is an honor to have you aboard and to see you in person, Commander."
To return the gesture, Commander Talak did a crisp and tough chest salute. "And to you, Admiral." He took a moment to collect himself, then made an appreciative smile. "By all Thanagarians, there is not enough gratitude I can express in the entire universe to show my appreciation for risking your livelihood towards fighting the Gordanians and saving my men."
"That is well and good, Commander Talak, but the Empire sees Gordanians as a menace to the civilized galaxy, we will gladly oppose their barbarism at any instance we can afford." The Admiral politely dismissed
Talak slightly tilted his head, "So, you too are at war with the Gordanians? I never heard any word about Almerac being at war with them."
"No," Ultraa answered, "not officially at least, but that might change soon." He then motioned for the Thangarians to exit the hangar. "But please, let us bring this discussion to the bridge; my Emperor and Empress are waiting there to meet you."
Talak traded pensive looks with Paran; neither said anything, but ultimately both silently conceded they would have to meet the rulers of Almerac regardless. "We will be honored to," said Talak.
Ultraa, with a squad of aptly named stormtroopers, guided the group of Thangarians out of the hangar and into the clean and polished interior of the Eternal Vigilance. Going through hallways cleared just for them and using turbolifts, their destination was the bridge. While so, Talak and Ultraa discussed several things, as this would've been Thanagar's first contact with Almerac for centuries.
Many things have changed, and the information they have on the Almeracians was severely dated.
Many months ago, an individual named Darth Vader, a 'Dark Lord of the Sith', married Lady Maxima after the Almeracian matriarch searched years for a worthy husband. After a failed coup attempt by a Couth Vitha and the Almerac's nobility council, Vader reorganized Almerac into the "First Galactic Empire". A very bold claim, Paran thought, but didn't openly remark. Since then, the Dark Lord has brought in many reforms to Almerac's industry, economy, and military where it was previously stagnant.
No longer Almeracian, they were 'Imperials', where any race could be an Imperial citizen and perform a great duty to the 'Imperial cause'. Though the amount of Almeracians she saw in the ship says otherwise about the diversity.
Many military technologies were introduced that completely reshaped the Almeracian army and navy to something new. The class of cruisers the Empire used was 'Star destroyers', a type of battlecruiser designed and used so that one star destroyer was able to patrol, garrison, and maintain one single star system. Its wedge shape was so that it could bring its main batteries, or 'turbolasers', to bear in most directions.
The specific type, the Eternal Vigilance was a Tector-class star destroyer; the other two similar shaped cruisers were Imperial-Is while the other smaller ones were of the Venators-class. The Venator that destroyed the Class-7, Almaara's Shield, with that super laser was a new variant of the Venator, a Typhoon-class, an up-armored version of that two towered star destroyer.
Ultraa has openly expressed his love for the star destroyers, for they were superior in terms of technology and firepower compared to the old Almeracian battlecruisers. He has also brought the details about the battle automa that took on the Gordanian fighters, Vulture droids as they were called, and discussed TIE starfighters with the interested Talak and Paran. However, he has not divulged too much, only giving their basic details.
Amazing pieces of technology and weaponry. The Stardestroyers were a military marvel of firepower and dominance, as the droid fighters were coldly brutal but efficient in their duty. A revolutionary element of starfighter and cruiser engineering that the Thangarians should deploy. Though they did outnumber the Gordanian cruisers by five to three, they made short work of the Class-7s. If they can gain these star destroyer designs, they may greatly improve the war in the favor of Thanagar.
The final turbolift they entered brought them to the command tower of the Star destroyer. Ultraa and the stormtroopers continued to escort the Thanagarians through the corridors. In a short time, they were near a blast door that sealed the command bridge on the other side of its heavy metal.
"I hope Lord Vader is just as talkative and interesting as you are, Admiral." Commander Talak said to Ultraa after their discussion ended and before the bridge doors opened.
A shaky chuckle exited out of the admiral's lips. "He is…unique."
The blast doors opened, and the bridge showed itself to the Thanagarians. Imperial technicians and sailors were conducting their duties; one section of the bridge had two trenches where they had computers and sensors with the crew performing tasks. Out in the middle of the bridge, on a walkway between the two control trenches, was Empress Maxima with her free-flowing red hair and flexible black combat armor adorned in a white, clean cape. Next to her was a tall, black-armored man choking an Imperial officer.
The Thangarians stopped in their tracks as their open eyes stared at the scene.
The black armored man couldn't really be considered a man, so to speak. Through Paran's mechanic and engineering eyes, she detected several details of the obsidian warrior. Taller than most humanoids, the dark figure was in black armor head to toe. A mask that slightly resembled a skull with a helmet cowl. Padded legs, arms, and gloved hands to finish it off. Shiny boots on the bottom with an armored upper shoulder carapace on the top of the torso.
Withon the look of the mask was a grilled vocabulator that might've been the respirator, for a deep chilling inhale and exhalation continued out of his mask in a cycle. Studying him further, Paran Dul saw the control panel built into the figure's chest. It blinks occasionally, but its true purpose remains elusive to her.
Was there some sort of control panel for a life support device? If so, if this figure is required to wear it under the necessary need from his species configuration? Could it be a control module for some defensive mechanism instead? Like a shielding array of some sort? That only seemed likely, for if it were a life support module, it was a very inconvenient and open place to have it right there in his chest.
She mused to herself as she suspected she would have been the only Thanagarian to spot these interesting characteristics; she was very mechanically inclined for a hawk after all.
The cyborg, with one black gloved hand, choked the officer as he raised the man from his feet. The man's face was turning a sickly blue; he was in extreme strain with futile attempts at trying to gasp for air. His feet were trying to find the ground to perch himself, but the cyborg's strength forbade the man to do so.
A deep, menacing voice growled out of the figure's vocabulator. "Your excuses are noted, Captain, let my thoughts of your failure be expressed openly…" then in one merciless flick of the cyborg's wrist, he broke the officer's neck. The cruel snap sounded like a twig cracking in half. The man went limp, arms and legs dangling. His eyes went still, and signs of life ceased.
The figure dropped the body no differently than one would drop trash. The officer crumbled to the floor with a pathetic thud. The dark figure then swung his attention at another officer, who was next to him, standing in attention, his face pale and sweat beading off his face. "Congratulations on the promotion, Captain." The obsidian warrior said.
The newly promoted captain shook his head up and down, "Y-y-yes my lord y-yes!" He said it in a frantic, uncontrolled, fearful pace.
"You may take to your new post when you return to the Stargazer."
"Y-yes your majesty! Anything for you, my emperor!" The man made a shaking bow and then walked off. The dead officer's body was dragged away by two stormtroopers.
As the body was being carried off, Maxima made an exaggerated, exhaustive sigh, "Oh Vader, that was the third officer this week." She stated in a mundane but somewhat annoyed voice.
"Perhaps I should pay a visit to that vaunted officers academy in Tae Tamarac to fix the problem of idiocy." Said Emperor Vader.
Maxima was going to go on but paused herself when she spotted the Thangarians. "Oh lovely, our guests are here." She said in what might've been a genuine surprise.
Darth Vader pivoted to the Thangarians, who only stood and watched the body dragged off by the Imperial stormtroopers. Vader studied the group for a moment, then advanced to the hawks.
Paran Dul felt a creeping hold over her as this 'Dark Lord of the Sith' approached her and her fellow Thangarian comrades. A sharp chill coiled around her spine; she did her best to labor her wings not to shiver. She registers these sensations as what she can describe as being extremely intense and uncomfortable. Fear is not what she would put it, but it was…unsettling.
She felt this feeling came from Dath Vader. The Dark Lord stopped a few paces away, with Maxima coming to his side and wrapping her arm along with his. Vader's gaze on them felt like being put under the deep abyss of an ocean. She reigned these unwanted feelings and did so with mixed results. She supposed Talak and the other Thamgarian had this same feeling, as they seemed to be struggling to contain their uncomfortable looks.
The mask of Vader, inanimate and expressionless as it was, made a piercing gaze to Talak and Paran. "Commander Talak, correct?"
Talak straightened, trying to remove any slack and gain the professional side of him, "You are indeed correct... Darth Vader, right?"
Darth Vader let his breathing come to an artificial inhale and exhale, "A sound observation. I am satisfied that you are alive and you have not lost any limbs with your engagement of the Gordaninans."
"That's…" Talak awkwardly said, "Comfortingly to know."
Maxima thought it was her turn to introduce herself with a flick of her red hair and an exaggerated posture. "And I am Empress Maxima, I'm happy that you're our guests."
Hro Talak seemed obliged to officially introduce himself then. "I'm Commander Talak of the Thanagarian Empire," he gestured to Paran. "This is Lieutenant Paran Dul, chief engineer of my ship." He looked back at the two Almeracian rulers, "While it was a surprising event, it was nonetheless one I take with gratitude, and I'm grateful for your help."
Vader looked at Paran then at Talak and said, "There is no need for such humility when I have only done so out of getting rid of such animals."
Paran was somewhat pleased that someone who wasn't a Thanagarian hated the Gordanians, Talak nodded and made a little smile. "It's good to know we are not the only ones to hate that wretched menace."
"Yes…" Darth Vader paused and added, "And, what is your answer to my hospitality on repairing your ship and healing your men?"
Paran glanced at Talak and the man seemed to be taken into heavy consideration. It was already a troublesome judgment call to allow these Imperials to win their fight; allowing them to enter their ship was a bigger one, and only a path of diplomacy that can either result in friendliness or disaster.
Some moments passed of Talak pondering the situation heavily, Darth Vader's breathing filling the awkward air with the electronic and computer control machinery along with it. Talak made his answer after standing tall and inhaling, "I accept your gift; there will be certain areas within the ship that will be barred from any Imperials entering, but the offer is accepted.
Darth Vader seemed satisfied and relaxedly gestured to Ultraa, and the Admiral began issuing orders to start the repair and medical effort needed to fix the Warhawk and accommodate the necessary equipment and personnel to heal the injured.
While this was happening, Maxima gave a small greeting expression, "Well, commander, I'm sure you're famished from all of that fighting; perhaps we could offer you dinner?"
Paran and Talak swung their heads to each other in questioning looks, Vader gave his wife an emotionless glance then turned back his gaze to the Thanagarians. Again, Talak took a moment for thought. Paran can only shift her mouth in show of wariness. He huffed, "I suppose we could eat something."
Maxima smiled greatly, "Lovely! Isn't that great, hubby?"
Paran arched an eyebrow in her white helmet at that stupid word. Darth Vader was indifferent to Talak's acceptance, that is, "Yes...that is great."
***
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