| abstract
| - Another uneasy night, though with none of the information operations run by rank amateurs of before. The streets are deserted, especially after the brief exploding speeder action of the previous evening, and only a few beings walk here, mostly by twos for safety. But it is quiet and still, a city in waiting. A slightly larger group moves along the edge of the street, their postures slightly hunched like the rest and the collars of their coats turned up. Karrde walks between two of his security, slightly back, wearing a dark coat with a waterproof hood and a long cut down to his knees. "One less to worry about, anyway," he murmurs to the others as they walk. "The more who find their own way out of the city, the better." The Imperial Defense Fleet consisted of several Star Destroyers, mostly Victory-class as the more modern Imperial-class were required for the Corellian operation, and other smaller craft. The Defense Fleet monitored traffic into and out of the system constantly, but they couldn't check every vessel. One such vessel was the Wild Karrde, but it did not go unmonitored. And recently reports of weapons falling into the hands of the Chandrilian insurgents has caused the Imperial High Command to call in Captain Danik Kreldin and the Conqueror to quell the insurgency and find this 'third party' and destroy it. Imperial Intelligence and the ISB were hard at work gathering information, monitoring communications, and interrogating to eliminate the insurgency and reveal the weapon supplier. The Commerce Square of Hanna City was one such spot where Imperial activity was larger than usual, mainly due to the businesses and concentration of wealth here. The square was of importance to the Empire. Agent Sarbuk was wearing a black trench coat over a blue suit, and was keeping himself rather on the down low. That was kind of hard in an area like this, however, since it was rather empty and it was late. But that also made it a nice location for him to monitor any supicious fellows. There were stormtrooper patrols nearby, some visible while others less so, and if the Agent needed a few would be at his assistance in a few minutes. Sitting on a bench between two trees, the Agent leaned back and took a deep breath of air. It was refreshing, and he needed to relax. It was an uneasy night. And it became more uneasy when he saw a rather large group of people walking the square. Immediately his curiousity was touched upon, and his hands reacted instantly, grabbing for his datapad and punching buttons in. His datapad was connected to the Imperial database which now incorporated Chandrila's, so if the group was something the Empire watched over, or a group of Chandrilian citizens, the group could be identified. He aimed his datapad towards the group, waiting for a good shot, and pressed a button. The holoimage was sent to the Imperial database where their images would be cross-referenced and hopefully an ID would be found. Indeed, despite two of the men wearing hoods up, including Karrde, there's little effort to actually hide their faces. Walking the Hanna City streets at night with bandanas, as one of the men suggested prior to this trip, was immediately laughed down. Nice way to draw suspicion instantly, and possibly get shot by a terrified citizen first before anything Imperial saw them. And so they chose to blend in, making like a group of wary, hunched people trying to get from point A to point B. Except for Karrde's comlink, which emits a muffled chirp in his pocket. Biting back words, the smuggler chief dives a hand in there to silence it, before smoothly diverting into a wide alley as though they were planning all along to head down there. The two move easily with him, the whole group stopping a few meters in to let Karrde have his short conversation. Agent Sarbuck wastes no time in following the group as they walk along; the ID, if there was even one, would take a few minutes to verify, and he wasn't about to let the group walk away before he had an ID, especially now that they were walking down an alley. An alleyway this late? Placing his hat on, the agent got up from the bench and quickly followed the group towards the alley. He stopped at the entrance of the alleyway, leaning his back against the wall of the building. His head leans a bit to the left, his eyes quickly scanning the alleyway. They had stopped, fortunately, but he wasn't sure what they were up to. Moving his head away, the agent reached into his coat to feel for his holster. He unclipped the holster, so he could quickly reach into it to grab his pistol if need be, but he didn't take it out, yet. He still didn't even know if these people were up to no good. It took another minute before his datapad bleeped, confirming that an ID had been found. His eyes darted over the datapad. An ID had been found on the center man, and he was quite surprised to know it was actually Talon Karrde, smuggler extradionaire. Biting on his lip, the agent put a finger to his ear where an earpiece had been set up and talked in a low, muffled voice. "This is Agent Sarbuck, patrol 1 come in. I need assistance in the Commerce Square, possible enemy activity. Over." He made sure to note possible enemy. Reaching into his coat, he placed his datapad away and pulled out his Kylan-3. Only to have it drop to the floor in an extremely clumsy action and have it discharge a blast. To the group of three's credit, they don't return fire immediately. The urge is great, but they are professionals in a city with a lot of problems. Even... right at the alleyway mouth? Al three have weapons out within seconds, and Karrde stows his comlink a few seconds after. Not speaking, the smuggler chief signals for one of his guards to scope the square. Nodding, the guard without a hood, Thom, moves to the entry of the alleyway quickly, his weapon at his shoulder as he presses against the wall just around the corner from Agent Sarbuck. The other split to either side of the alley with only the slightest sound of boots on pavement. Sarbuck curses himself incessantly as he quickly picks his pistol up from the floor. He was pretty poor with weapons. The shot that rang out caused patrol 1 to rush to the square faster, but they were still not close enough to Sarbuck to provide any assistance. The group in the alley obviously heard the shot and were responding, which caused Sarbuck's heart to sink. His breathing picked up a little as he heard the foot steps from within the alley and he knew he was in trouble. Realizing that if he didn't act now they could possibly escape, or worse, kill him, Sarbuck sucked in his gut and quickly turned the corner with his Kylan raised - only to come face to face with the guard. His pistol, raised, quickly pointed at the guard, his mind not even registering Karrde or the other guard. Sweat trickling down from his forehead as his adrenaline increased, Sarbuck shouted out "Freeze, freeze, gun down now!" Patrol 1 consisted of three stormtroopers and they were making haste towards the square. They had heard the shot and feared the worse. The leader made a quick report to the Imperial base on planet, which relayed the report to Captain Kreldin aboard the Conqueror. Trouble was brewing in Commerce square, and these three stormtroopers were the first responders. Any help at all would take a while to arrive, and the patrol leader didn't bother to ask for help either - he was overconfident, and didn't figure help would be required. As the figure steps into view at the mouth of the alleyway and shouts, an answering word is barked by one of the men further in, and Thom fires to kill without hesitation, hoping to be the first one on the trigger at the tail end of Sarbuck's shouted orders. Karrde and the remaining guard, Frey, surge forward against the walls, ready to add their own blasts to the fast exchange possible at the front. "Out and split home," Karrde hisses, his DL-44 ready. The Agent didn't sign up for combat, but that's what he always found himself in. Before he could react the young agent was quickly blown back by a well-placed shot to his knee. The agent dropped his blaster and fell to the pavement, wincing in pain as he held his wounded knee. Patrol 1 heard the shot and finally made it to Commerce Square. They spread out, moving in towards Agent Sarbuk and the alley. Their boots slamming against the pavement disposed of any chance for surprising Karrde, but that didn't matter; the stormtroopers were experts at this. They stopped in front of the alleyway, the leader getting on his knee and aiming down the alleyway. "Nobody move!" Thom, fortunately, is either a good man or a very bad shot; the outcome remains to everyone's benefit, really. Glancing down at the man, the smuggler kicks Sarbuck's weapon away, looking up in time to see three figures in white bearing down on their position rather fast. "Snowmen!" he grates back at the others, his pistol coming back up as the lead man head back into the alleyway at speed. A few curses drift back in response, and as the Troopers cover the mouth of the alley, the Imperial order is not only ignored, but given insult additionally. Karrde and company start back into the alley, sending a concerted volley of blaster bolts back at the armored figures blocking the way back. No one ever listened, of course. Why did he even bother to tell them to freeze? It just never worked, and now they were on the run - and shooting at them. Fortunately their shots were not well-placed, as they were on the run. But, at the same time, the stormtroopers could not advance very far due to the supressing fire. However, it did let them aim their blasters towards the group, and they fired without hesitation. Since they weren't on the run, their shoulds would be slightly better placed, but the supressing fire kept them from getting anything better. Once their shots had been fired off, the stormtroopers advanced upwards in the alley. Agent Sarbuk, meanwhile, slowly got up and leaned himself against the alley wall, still in pain from the shot to his knee. Tapping his earpiece, the agent spoke once more. "This is..Agent Sarbuk. Talon Karrde is on Chandrila...Hanna City.." he then passed out, unable to finish his report. That's the way things go with the guilty, always thinking it'd be better to get away than to stop and see what the Stormtroopers might want. Afterall, why carry heat if you can't use it in times like this, if not to compound any possible loitering charges you might have gained with assault on Imperial forces? Thom, unfortunately, takes the brunt of the better return fire, trying to run backwards for accuracy. He trips, going down with a shot in the upper thigh and an angry shouted curse. Karrde and Frey keep going, sacrificing their aim for speed. The alleyway comes to a T-juncture and, without speaking, both men glance back at their downed friend, and each take one turn; Karrde to the left, Frey to the right. They know the drill. The three stormtroopers rush down the alley in pursuit of the smugglers. One of them stops, however, by Thom and quickly kicks the blaster away. The trooper then inspects Thom's body and quickly locks some stun cuffs around the wounded man's hands. The trooper would then take the wounded man to the Commerce Square where he would wait for reinforceemnts to arrive, where Thom would be taken to a prison for some medical attention, and of course, interrogation. The other two troopers, meanwhile, make it to the T-junction and both go separate ways; the leader tails Karrde, and the sergeant tails Frey. The leader fires sporadic, poorly aimed shots at Karrde, hoping to put some supression on Karrde and maybe even get a lucky shot. They're wily smugglers and can give a good chase, Frey no less than Karrde, even if the chief knows the ways of the city better. As the remaining security guard deals with his own problem, Karrde keeps close to the left wall of the new passageway, occasionally answering fire backwards with similar limitations and hopes. As he passes a ragged row of metal barrels, a kick to one returns hollow, and the smuggler chief sacrifices a few seconds in overturning the first five of them and glancing back, before sprinting off again. The stormtrooper watches with despair as the smuggler overturns the row of barrels. He tries in vain to shoot at the smuggler as he's doing it, but fails; realizing his only hope is to turn around and run, the stormtrooper makes way, only to fall down as the five barrels run over him one after the other. He was out of it. The other stormtrooper, however, continues to chase Frey. His armor and equipment were slowing him down, giving Frey a much better advantage; but the stormtrooper was not about to give up. He wasn't even out of breath yet. He opened up with a few more shots at the back of the smuggler, knowing that the smuggler couldn't run forever. Frey is, possibly, more creative than his boss, and has the bright idea of taking the chase upward, snagging a lightly hydraulisized ladder and pulling it down to climb up. The idea is too close, the stormtrooper too close for the time needed, and two shots catch the smuggler square in the torso before he's up to rungs. With a gurgle, Frey topples over backward, his legs catching in the ladder and suspending him, hanging upsidedown, eyes staring deadly. Karrde waits until the next intersection before pausing, breathing heavily and every nerve alert. Quiet, but for the two shots in the distance. The metal bump of one of the barrels hitting a wall, but no booted feet. Swallowing, the smuggler chief heads down another alley, seeking the sewers and a better way back to 'base'. The situation was over, for now. Reinforcements had arrived in the square, repulsor convoys moving in and stormtroopers filing out as they quickly secured the area. Several TIE Interceptors flew over the city now. Danik Kreldin was taking no chances with this insurgency. The stormtrooper returned to the square with the lifeless body of Frey, but it took a search party to find the unconcious body of the patrol leader. Thom was moved to a high-level prison in Hanna City while Agent Sarbuk was taken to the medical facility so he could give a proper report. Talon Karrde had escaped, but Danik Kreldin was going to make sure that didn't last for long. The insurgency would be crushed, and now that they knew who was supplying the weapons, that too could be stopped. Kreldin still had an ace up his sleeve. One hour passes. ============================================================================== The Imperial sunburst appears on screen, which soon fades to the IGNews news room. Laura Glaston appears sitting at her desk, hands folded as she begins her report. "We bring you live to Chandrila where Captain Danik Kreldin of the Imperial Navy is prepared to make an announcement regarding Chandrila and its future." The screen fades to the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer overlooking the planet Chandrila, recently liberated by the Imperial military. Captain Danik Kreldin, an old veteran of the Navy, appears on screen in the center of the bridge. "Recently there has been anti-Imperial activites on this planet. This insurgency has interfered with the peace that we, the Empire, have brought to Chandrila. As a result I have become disheartened and angry, and I see no other alternative to what I am about to say. These insurgents have one hour to surrender and turn themselves into to Imperial authorities on Chandrila before the Imperial Navy orbitally bombards Hanna City, the capitol of Chandrila, and eradicate it off the face of the planet. I wish it did not have to come to this, but I have been brought to this decision by these anti-Imperial forces. They are to blame and the blood of those will die if they don't surrender will be on their hands. This will be my only warning. Surrender now, or Hanna City will perish." ============================================================================== Middle of the night, and the patrols about the Wild Karrde are as alert as any at this time of evening. Six are at points around the massive ship, creating a close perimeter of armed men. The cargo ramp is open, spilling light out onto the grass, and a few of the younger refugees sit there with parents, talking quietly. The bridge and comm center are, as always, manned. A single figure trots from the direction of one of the sewer entrances, gun out. Karrde, winded from the experience and the faster trip back, lifts his comlink to his lips, murmuring into it, "Prep for launch and stow all cargo." "Eh, boss? Right, about thirty to space." "Fine," the smuggler chief replies tersely, still trotting. Imperial Intelligence worked feverishly to locate Karrde's ship, the Wild Karrde. It wasn't in any public port, or any obvious location, so patrols were were sent out almost all over Hanna City where a ship could be landed to locate the Wild Karrde. It took about forty minutes to find the ship, out in the Open Valley east of Hanna City. Farmland and fields, it was a nice hiding spot for the Wild Karrde, amongst the trees, hills and valleys. But the Imperials had found it, and Kreldin wasted no time in ordering a task force to be sent out to capture the ship and its occupants. A company was dispatched under the command of Captain Baggins, with two hover tanks as back up in case the powerful Corellian Action VI turned its weapons on the infantry. Above the Wild Karrde three TIE Interceptors flew over, exploring the land scape and reporting the exact location of the ship to Baggins. But, however, the roar of its Twin Ion Engines made it obvious to anyone on the ground that they had been found and the Imperial troops were not far behind. As the engins on the ship roar to life, Leia jumps up from where she is sitting on a stone just beside the ship. She claps her hands over her ears and darts out beside the extended ramp. Her gaze sweeps over the area, finally finding the figure of Karrde approaching rapidly. She frowns, the knowledge that something had gone wrong coming clearly to her and not just through the Force. Turning, she walks rapidly toward the ramp, ushering the younger refugees and their families before her, "Quickly now. Get aboard. Hurry. We have to leave now." Though muffled by the fertile farmlands of Chandrila, the distinct sound of marching can be heard as a company of Stormtroopers, lead by Captain Baggins, makes their way towards predetermined coordinates. Row after row of men, white armor glowing faintly in the darkness, two hover tanks humming lightly as they glide effortlessly on the right and left flanks. Moving through the farmland, Baggins mutters to himself lightly as his eyes fall upon the Corellian Action IV. This shouldn't be too difficult, not with the resources that he had been granted by Kreldin. Raising a hand, the captain stops, the remainder of the ST's moving in. Beginning to surround the small group, Baggins walks closer, speaking through his helmet's com. "*click**static*/By the order of Captain Danik Kreldin, I order you to drop your weapons and surrendor. *static**click*" Karrde reaches the perimeter, which is much more alert since the flyby overhead and the signs of the ship coming to active life. "Frey and Thom are dead, we're leaving," he tells them. The meaning is clear. Boss with gun in hand, cold as ice, sounds that are familiar to them all for one reason or another nearby. Word is relayed along the line and the guard begins converging on the ramp, half heading in to help secure the refugees and prep. Karrde lingers outside, gun in one hand and comlink in the other, and he turns to peer through the darkness as the Captain's order comes out of the night at him. "Like hell," he remarks to himself coldly. His comlink chirps twice and he lifts it to his ear to listen. The stormtroopers filed out of their transports, quickly getting into combat mode as they came face-to-face with the Wild Karrde and the enemy. The stormtroopers are quick to get themselves set up, their blasters ready as they surround the Wild Karrde and the surrounding area. The two hover tanks go to opposite ends of the Wild Karrde, their barrels pointing at the Corellian Action IV. The hover tanks were more or less there as a show of force, psychological warfare; if the ship did take off, the hover tanks would be hard pressed to actually shoot it, if not impossible. Catching the command to stop and stay, Leia ducks into shadows by the top of the ramp. She draws her pistol and stands ready to help cover the retreat of anyone else. One leap sideways and back and she will be inside the ship's belly. "Hurry. Get inside." She scans the area for any stragglers, "Get inside!" Repeating the order, her voice carries into the no longer silent night. Captain Baggins continues to walk forward, his head shaking at the insurgents stubborness. ST-II in hand, he scans over the group, his eyes falling upon the Corellian Action IV multiple times. "*click**static*/Drop your weapons and surrendor immediately, failure to do so will result in death.*static**click*" He says nothing else, the troopers now fully in place and ready to attack should the order be ignored yet again. Karrde remains unmoved at the foot of the ramp, a measly six guards around him trying to work out which Stormtrooper to focus on. "Dravis, patch me through to external speakers," the smuggler chief murmurs. After a moment, his speaking returns to the surrounding Imperial forces with all the loudness of something rigged for carnival announcements. "Attention Imperial forces," boomed the voice, far from sardonic now. "This is Talon Karrde. We are leaving. I urge you to lay down arms and allow us, before useless death occurs here. To your leadership, I also say... if you go through with your plans on this planet, I will make damn sure it's much more costly to the Empire than any insurgency here could be to you. Your answer will be in your actions." Clicking the device to another channel, Karrde murmurs, "External off. Prep one turbolaser battery, focus on the leader whose been so demanding, but don't fire yet." The three Imperial TIE Interceptors circled over the area again, as a show of force and as first responders in case the Wild Karrde took off. The stormtroopers were unmoved by Karrde's little speech, and continued to inch closer towards the Wild Karrde with weapons raised. Meanwhile, aboard the Conqueror, Kreldin received confirmation that the Wild Karrde had been surrounded and was assured the capture of Karrde was inniment. At last the final family of refugees darts up the ramp to enter the ship. Leia's gaze drops to Karrde, then lifts to those surrounding them. "You don't have to live this way. You could be free." Not that she is really offering their attackers refuge in Karrde's ship, but the final family needs a little more time, "Don't you realize that what you are doing here is horribly wrong?" Baggins lifts his ST-II, firing off a solitary shot at the Wild Karrde. The ST's that surround him all raise their rifles, aiming at Karrde and the insurgents. His voice once again sounding over the helmet's com "*click**static*/Talon Karrde, we will NOT ask you again to drop your weapons and surrendor.*static**click*" This would be their final warning before the troopers were ordered to open fire. No one ever figured it out. Tell a smuggler to stop and surrender, and they always seemed to... not do that. Very odd. The Captain's words are, at least, believed, and Karrde turns swiftly, barking orders at the six surrounding him, and the whole group heads the few steps to the Wild Karrde's ramp and starts a swift boarding. There is no firing, nor order to do so, considering they're so close to the ship. Leia is practically run over by the first flood. As if Karrde's loud message were his first and final warning, a large panel slides open on the side of massive freighter, and a heavy turbolaser slides out and into place, swiveling to train on the Imperial troopers below. The Imperials are slow to react to the smugglers as they board the ship, fleeing to safety aboard it. That is when they move in, their blasters opening fire towards the ramp as a squadron charges it. But then, Karrde reveals a heavy turbolaser, and that strikes some fear into the stormtroopers as they disperse to get out of its line of fire. The two hover tanks, however, still in position, are quick to react to the revealing of the heavy turbolaser. Immediately their barrels aim at the Wild Karrde and each let off a blast of energy towards the Wild Karrde, though not towards the ramp, in order to avoid the death of Karrde who was a capture-only target and the men who were still bravely charging towards the ramp. As the first wave of Karrde's people dart up the ramp, Leia turns with them. One takes her elbow to keep from running her over, and this eases in hustling the petite woman aboard the ship and out of the line of fire. She turns back to try to see that Karrde and the others all make it aboard but there are chests, arms and heads in the way. The barrage of blaster fire from the Troopers is intense, and a number of the fleeing people are hit, though fortunately in the legs. Hands grasp them from inside as they fall, and Karrde is even helped in as the ramp begins a rather swift raising. The turbolaser and the speedy ramp hint at a modified smuggler ship indeed. So does the reaction to the tank fire. The model should crumble, but little is gained from shooting at the Wild Karrde but heavy scorching. The turbolaser makes a sound that normally isn't heard in the vacuum of space and sends a single volley smack into the middle of the Stormtroopers below. Inside, Karrde sits on the deck a moment, wincing at a shot in his leg. "Get these people to the medbay, and secure the passengers," he orders. "ETA to liftoff?" to the comlink. "Ten minutes, boss, we're hurrying as best we can." "Fine," comes the reply, and Karrde seeks out Leia, his expression composed into a mask. Within, Leia has tucked her blaster into her belt and bends to assist one of the wounded, "Here. Over my shoulder. Up now." She extends her Force touch to ease the pain of those near her. Once the smuggler is up, he is taken by his crew members and helped off to medical. Turning, the woman comes face to face with the Smuggler chief and she looks up at him, her eyes wide and startled. "Yes?" At this point, she is not going to try to guess what the man wants. A whole squadron of stormtroopers are thrown in every direction as the turbolaser energy slams in the center of their line, wounding some and killing the others. Another squadron of stormtroopers runs up to the Wild Karrde, where its ramp was, and hurries to plant several pieces of explosives against the hull to create an opening where the ramp normally would be. Uncertain if it would be enough, considering it held out against a tank barrage, the troopers quickly pulled back from the ship as the explosives rang off. The two tanks, meanwhile, began to move around the ship to make them harder targets, but still targeting the same area as they hit earlier, using the scorching as indicators. If one shot wouldn't do it, they would continue to slam the two weak points until it gave through. The three other platoons of stormtroopers are running about outside, doing their best to avoid the turbolaser while still barraging the Wild Karrde with explosives and small, rather useless blaster fire. However, the three TIE Interceptors were still circling above, though had not yet engaged due to the trees and the troopers that were down below. Karrde shakes his head, moving to stand, when the explosives go off below him. The concussion is great; they got enough right. A speaker in the airlock crackles to life. "Boss?? We just took a hit down there? It won't hold us in vacuum, need to seal that level before we get out of here. Five minutes." The smuggler chief grits his teeth and forces himself up, comlink coming up. "All weapons systems, engage. Ion cannon, do something about the tanks, please." The man has settled into a rare state of being So Angry that he's reverted back to something akin to calm. The state radiates, to Leia's senses, in unusual waves of tension. Outside, indeed, two other panels on other fronts of the ship slide open, two more turbolasers add to the din. Another smaller panel opens, and a heavy ion cannon drops out, turning toward one of the tanks and firing a sizzling blast. The turbolasers are controlled, picking out targets as close to the ship as their range of motion will allow. The tanks just continued to pound the already damaged portions of the Wild Karrde as they continued to circle one the Corellian Action transport. But, to the despair of the troops, and the tank commanders, even more turbolasers and an ion cannon became visible. One of the hover tanks fell victim to the ion cannon. It stopped dead in its track. Captain Baggins realized his men would only be slaughtered by the turbolasers, so he called for a slow withdrawal into the trees while throwing their grenades at the Wild Karrde. And with the stormtroopers pulling back, their grenades flying through the air towards the Karrde, the three TIEs took this opportunity to fly in low right above the trees to release a volley of laser fire down on the hull of the ship. Captain Baggins, meanwhile, contacted Fleet to get them ready in case the Karrde escaped, which he was beginning to feel was. Karrde's anger is like a slap in the face or coals raked over a raw nerve. Leia winces and half turns away, hiding the pain of the emotional barrage as well as she can. She gasps a moment, then and turns from him. Having been close enough, she did hear the part about sealing the level and latches onto that as something to refocus on. Anything to shut out that tension. At first, her movements are slightly fumbled, but she regains fairly well. "Off this level. Right." Moving away from the source of the emotional onslaught, she touches the button that calls the lift to help the wounded up and away. Gaining his feet, Karrde steadies and follows everyone into the turbolift. He's quiet, but for the bursts of command, spoken clearly and firmly. As he reaches Leia during the evacuation of level two, he unexpectedly reaches and grasps her gently by the arm, an oddly gentle gesture that is as brief as it is out of character. Then the smuggler chief is into the turbolift with the last batch and Leia herself. The ion cannon is swiveling to try for the second tank when the main engines fire up, catching anyone unfortunate enough to be in the way in a blazing backblast. The heavy ship, pocked with dark spots and visible dents now, lifts off with a nimbleness that belays it's size. The weapons systems stow without firing any longer as the ship climbs into the domain of the TIEs... and the fleet beyond. The engines on the Wild Karrde started up, catching the last remaining hover tank in its blaze, reducing it nothing more than dust. The stormtroopers, however, can only watch from their safe distance in the trees as the Corellian Action Express VI takes off to the stars above. The three TIE Interceptors are quick to give pursuit; the three fighters, faster the Wild Karrde, begin to assail the already slightly damaged ship with laser fire while Captain Baggins gets on the horn to contact Kreldin and give him the bad news: the Karrde had escaped, and it was now up to Danik Kreldin himself to make sure they did not get out of the system entirely. There is an advantage to being smallish. When ships rock unpredictably, it is easier to remain on one's feet. If one is not buffetted by other people. Or, if the buffetting is expectted. Some was. Some wasn't. Leia catches herself against the back of the turbolift and turns in time to have Karrde's hand close gently about her arm. She blinks once, then smiles up at the man. Brief though the touch is, it lends her strength in a nice sort of way. As the Captain of the Wild Karrde goes about doing what he does best, Leia tries to stay out of the way. As the Wild Karrde strove out of the planet's gravity well, it is pestered by TIE Interceptors and offers the occasional attempt to hit the fast ships with the turbolasers. The crew seems mainly focused on what waits them in spades above. As the turbolift head first to the bridge to let the Captain out, Karrde is speaking into his comlink again. "I want internal cameras 36, 37, 58 and 14 activated and recording, vid and audio. All bridge commo should be focused on the task at hand, no external feeds active. Leia," he adds, lowering the device. "Join me on the bridge? The refugees are in good hands, as you will be able to see on the monitors there." Unfortunately the mood is unchanged, even if he's softened his tone for her. Captain Danik Kreldin was a proud man, and the best pilot in the Galactic Empire. Once an admiral and a former Neo-Imperial, the captain had a long career in the Empire of one of professionalism and rarely losing. He was just good at what he did. And right now he had his prey walking right into him. The Imperial Fleet under Kreldin's command consisted of the Maligant, Vindictive, Conqueror, and various support vessels ranging from Marauders, Lancers to Strike cruisers. Kreldin had ordered the immediate dispatch of the various TIE Wings throughout the defense fleet to intercept the Karrde well before it broke the atmosphere. The three behind the Karrde were nothing compared to what laid ahead; two wing of TIE Interceptors, with War Shrike Squadron leading the way, moved in to intercept the Karrde head-on while the mighty Star Destroyers moved into attack formation to lay fire on the Wild Karrde. Their objective was to disable the craft, not to destroy it, so ion cannons were included in the barrage of turbolasers that would come once the Wild Karrde was in attack range. The Interceptors, however, were much faster than anything in system and had already reached the ship; the TIEs, dozens of them, were quick to open fire. Practicing a shielding technique that Luke had tried to show her, Leia is able to buffer the waves of anger from Karrde. She smiles at him and nods, silently accepting the offer. Stepping out onto the bridge with the ship's captain, she keeps near enough to the man's side to be present but far enough to be out of the way. Her gaze lifts to the displays as they light up one by one and she moistens lips gone dry. Her own anger at the entire debacle is contained and controlled. When one of the crew moves to give her a seat, the woman shakes her head, "No, please. You are needed at your post, I am sure." Though, really, it is Karrde's call. Karrde hobbles to the central chair and sinks into it, his own eyes scanning the situation. It's... pretty bad, as the gaping faces of the bridge crew can attest to. "Alright, they weren't content with the tanks," the smuggler chief remarks, pushing dry humor into his tone. "Make use of the planet, that's what it's there for. Everyone knows what to do. How are we on level two?" The crew snaps out of their staring, though slowly, and the buzz of work builds up again as things report in. Karrde listens a moment, before looking to Leia and motioning to a seat nearby, which happens to have shoulder restraints. "There's a good seat there, Leia," he offers quietly. "The ride's going to be a little bumpy. The Wild Karrde gains the edge of the atmosphere, before it turns, skimming the upper gaseous layer of the planet with a burst of speed unusual to her type. Still not nearly the speed of the fighters coming to meet it, but it's admirable for the flying vacuum cleaner. Danik Kreldin, hands folded behind his back, walks up to the viewport window looking out into space. His eyes set upon the battle outside, the TIE Interceptors engaging the Wild Karrde. "Wait until it gets into range, and then open fire immediately. I do not want that ship getting away. If it does, it will be on the chief gunner offcier's head," he said, his eyes still glued to the battle. The TIE Interceptors, many in number, swarmed around the Wild Karrde, laser blasts hitting the hull of the ship incessantly. Although the Karrde picked up speed, it did not do much besides bring it closer to the Fleet. Finally the Wild Karrde was in range and turbolaser and ion cannon bolts from the various Star Destroyers opened up on the Corellian Action Express. Angling to the offered seat, Leia just catches it's back before the ship picks up speed. Pulling herself around the chair, she falls into it as the cannon bolts begin to lick the ship. Pulling on the restraints, she watches the mayhem outside. After a moment, once the restraints are in place, she closes her eyes. Pushing out with the Force, she tries to redirect the shots away from the Karrde and at each other. Oh, she is not as proficient as her brother or Jessalyn or Aurejin, but... she is not entirely without effect. The barrage from the TIEs outside does little against the shields and hull, and as the big ship rolls into a series of evasive maneuvers, it's almost like the Wild Karrde were halfway trying to knock a few of the Imperial fighters about physically. "Incoming," one of the beings at fire control says sharply, and the warning is followed by a severe jolting blow and a number of alarms. "Star Destroyer," someone explains, perhaps unnecessarily. Someone else, necessarily, curses fluently enough in Duros as to be almost amusing, if eminent danger weren't involved. Karrde, gripping the arms of his chair, ungrips long enough to key open an outside channel. "Imperial Star Destroy fleet, this is the Wild Karrde. We have two hundred unarmed civilians aboard. I ask you to halt your attack, they are not involved in this conflict." Danik walked over to the communications center to respond upon hearing the transmission. "This is Captain Danik Kreldin of the Conqueror. We will gladly cease our attack under the condition you turn yourselves in to us. We will let the civilians go and allow you to live - we are not as merciless as you may think. You got yourselves into this, and you can get yourselves out - surrender now and we will let you and the civilians on board live. Otherwise, I'm afraid, we will have no other alternative," he said bluntly. He was speaking the truth, and maybe that was heard through his voice, but not many people ever believed an Imperial, even when they were honest. But the attack did not cease, either, not until Karrde came to his senses. The Imperial Fleet continued to barrage the Wild Karrde as it made its escape. To some of the gunner's surprise, some of the turbolaser blasts were actually coming back at them. Though few in number, and not exactly accurate, a few hit against the shields of a few of the Star Destroyers, but did nothing more than cause some flickering in the shields. Leia deepens her concentration, held in place by the shoulder restraints. The flight was in Karrde's capable hands and she trusted the man. Reaching out with the Force, she attempts to direct at least a few of the charged energy bolts into things like gunnery stations. If she can knock out some of the guns, their chances would improve somewhat. "Shields holding, hull alright," another bridge crew on the Wild Karrde reports firmly. The twisted piloting continues, as the ship speeds across the top of the atmosphere, all turbolasers and the ion cannon firing at the flurry of fighters around it. Their very thickness seems fortunate, as less aim is required. "How long until hyperspace?" Karrde asks. "Well, sir, it'd bring us a bit closer to those Star Destroyers, o' course, but now is better than later, 'course, while we still have shields, like," comes the answer from the navacom. "Right," breathes Karrde. "Calculate as best you can from here. Bring us out of the gravwell, angle the shields to compensate. I'm less worried about the fighters." The captain glances to Leia, checking on her, and watches a few seconds before looking back to the scenes outside. Feeling kind of angry that they didn't respond, much less take his words into consideration, the captain returns to the window to view the battle. "How long until they get in the range of the fleet's tractor beams? Any of our ships is good enough," he asked. "Momentarily, Captain," came the reply of one of the bridge officers. Danik smiled and ordered the charging up of the tractor beams amongst the three Star Destroyers. Meanwhile, the TIE Interceptors were taking heavy casaulties - not just from the Wild Karrde, but from their own Fleet. Turbolaser blasts sometimes missed and slammed into an unlucky TIE Interceptor, causing it to wink out instantly. The Wild Karrde was certainly a powerful ship, though, and Kreldin felt a certain admiration for it. She was a tough one. Leia seems utterly at ease when Karrde looks back at her. However, as though struck by inspiration, or given a glimpse of something within the Force, the woman speaks softly, "Mr. Karrde, I have the feeling that, if you change your angle to arch up that way..." Lifting a hand, she actually points around to the stern slightly, "We will improve our chances." The faintest gleam of pirspiration touches her brow. She licks her lips a little, then sinks again into the Force in an attempt to do what she can. Karrde and a few of the crew who can see her look to Leia, puzzled, but the captain immediately says, "Track on where she's pointing." Oddly, the crew takes this strange order, and amid another jarring smash and heaving ship, the vessel changes course as indicated. "Navacom..." Karrde says, sounding a touch impatient. "Almost got it," comes the tense reply. "Sir, shields on the port side are going." The voice sounds almost sorry to report this fact. "Just get us to hyperspace," Karrde says, watching Leia a long moment before looking to his own console and focusing on it. A turbolaser blast, that was intended for the Wild Karrde, came surging back towards the Conqueror and splashed against the shields surrounding the bridge. Danik saw this and frownded, wondering how exactly the Wild Karrde was capable of deflecting the Conqueror's blasts. Danik had a fair knowledge of Jedi, as he met many of them - usually fighting them, too. And he knew a Jedi was in the Wild Karrde. "If that ship doesn't make it to my hangar bay there will be Hell to pay, gentelemn." The Wild Karrde's course changed slightly, putting it out of range of the fleet's tractor beams. Things were looking bad for the Empire. The dozens of Imperial TIE Interceptors continued to tail and surround the Wild Karrde, but they were proving to be useless, especially as they sometimes got in the way of precious turbolaser blasts from the Fleet. Danik bit his lip as he watched the Wild Karrde make its escape. Had he failed..? As the ship turns to her heading, Leia seems almost to smile though her concentration does not break. When things come into alignment, she nods once only. Sweat trickles down her brow and her throat, and she swallows a little. Luke could do this without a thought, but for his sister it was work, pure and simple. Hearing about the loss of shields on one side, she tries to bridge the gap with a shield of the Force. Unfortunately, she is not proficient enough to hold that while continuing to deflect many bolts. So, more may get in than before. The ship stays on the course indicated by the distinguished passenger and the fire control works on blasting all weapons to fore to clear the space, the navacom station gives a woop and the ship gives a happier kind of shudder as the stars streak to lines in the chaotic viewscreens. There's is a collective sort of... melting about the bridge, several beings looking a little ill from the experience but grinning. Karrde lets out a breath, toggling the ship's communications to the hold, where the refugees are lying flat on the deck in fear. "We're clear, everyone. Things are fine." Well, fine is a bad statement, as the continued alarms indicate. Karrde clicks off the comm and looks to Leia with a faint smile. "Thanks, whatever that was." Danik watched as the Wild Karrde entered hyperspace. The fighting stopped and everything turned into an eerie calm. Danik slowly turned around and walked down the bridge corridor, the crew watching with an ominous look on their faces; whether it was for their safety, remembering what Danik said to them, or knowing what waited for Danik when he reported his failure to capture the Wild Karrde. Danik exited the bridge and made his way to his office. The Imperial fleet slowly returned to its former defensive position while the TIE Interceptors returned to their respective ships to lick the wounds they received while in battle and to remember those who died. The insurgents had only a short time left to make their decision that Danik presented them with. The survival of Hanna City laid in the balance as the Imperial fleet continued to orbit the planet. As the ship leaps forward into hyperspace, Leia releases her hold on the Force. She slumps in the chair, gasping for breath like a fish tossed to shore. Lifting her head, she looks at those around her, their joy riverberating through the Force as clearly as Karrde's anger earlier. Her gaze catches his and she nods, her smile warm, "You are welcome." She does not go into whatever it was just now. Her limbs feel as though they are made of water. Lifting shaking hands, she pushes sweat dampened hair from her forehead and breaths a slow sigh of relief. From SW1ki, a Wikia wiki.
- Another uneasy night, though with none of the information operations run by rank amateurs of before. The streets are deserted, especially after the brief exploding speeder action of the previous evening, and only a few beings walk here, mostly by twos for safety. But it is quiet and still, a city in waiting. A slightly larger group moves along the edge of the street, their postures slightly hunched like the rest and the collars of their coats turned up. Karrde walks between two of his security, slightly back, wearing a dark coat with a waterproof hood and a long cut down to his knees. "One less to worry about, anyway," he murmurs to the others as they walk. "The more who find their own way out of the city, the better." The Imperial Defense Fleet consisted of several Star Destroyers, mostly Victory-class as the more modern Imperial-class were required for the Corellian operation, and other smaller craft. The Defense Fleet monitored traffic into and out of the system constantly, but they couldn't check every vessel. One such vessel was the Wild Karrde, but it did not go unmonitored. And recently reports of weapons falling into the hands of the Chandrilian insurgents has caused the Imperial High Command to call in Captain Danik Kreldin and the Conqueror to quell the insurgency and find this 'third party' and destroy it. Imperial Intelligence and the ISB were hard at work gathering information, monitoring communications, and interrogating to eliminate the insurgency and reveal the weapon supplier. The Commerce Square of Hanna City was one such spot where Imperial activity was larger than usual, mainly due to the businesses and concentration of wealth here. The square was of importance to the Empire. Agent Sarbuk was wearing a black trench coat over a blue suit, and was keeping himself rather on the down low. That was kind of hard in an area like this, however, since it was rather empty and it was late. But that also made it a nice location for him to monitor any supicious fellows. There were stormtrooper patrols nearby, some visible while others less so, and if the Agent needed a few would be at his assistance in a few minutes. Sitting on a bench between two trees, the Agent leaned back and took a deep breath of air. It was refreshing, and he needed to relax. It was an uneasy night. And it became more uneasy when he saw a rather large group of people walking the square. Immediately his curiousity was touched upon, and his hands reacted instantly, grabbing for his datapad and punching buttons in. His datapad was connected to the Imperial database which now incorporated Chandrila's, so if the group was something the Empire watched over, or a group of Chandrilian citizens, the group could be identified. He aimed his datapad towards the group, waiting for a good shot, and pressed a button. The holoimage was sent to the Imperial database where their images would be cross-referenced and hopefully an ID would be found. Indeed, despite two of the men wearing hoods up, including Karrde, there's little effort to actually hide their faces. Walking the Hanna City streets at night with bandanas, as one of the men suggested prior to this trip, was immediately laughed down. Nice way to draw suspicion instantly, and possibly get shot by a terrified citizen first before anything Imperial saw them. And so they chose to blend in, making like a group of wary, hunched people trying to get from point A to point B. Except for Karrde's comlink, which emits a muffled chirp in his pocket. Biting back words, the smuggler chief dives a hand in there to silence it, before smoothly diverting into a wide alley as though they were planning all along to head down there. The two move easily with him, the whole group stopping a few meters in to let Karrde have his short conversation. Agent Sarbuck wastes no time in following the group as they walk along; the ID, if there was even one, would take a few minutes to verify, and he wasn't about to let the group walk away before he had an ID, especially now that they were walking down an alley. An alleyway this late? Placing his hat on, the agent got up from the bench and quickly followed the group towards the alley. He stopped at the entrance of the alleyway, leaning his back against the wall of the building. His head leans a bit to the left, his eyes quickly scanning the alleyway. They had stopped, fortunately, but he wasn't sure what they were up to. Moving his head away, the agent reached into his coat to feel for his holster. He unclipped the holster, so he could quickly reach into it to grab his pistol if need be, but he didn't take it out, yet. He still didn't even know if these people were up to no good. It took another minute before his datapad bleeped, confirming that an ID had been found. His eyes darted over the datapad. An ID had been found on the center man, and he was quite surprised to know it was actually Talon Karrde, smuggler extradionaire. Biting on his lip, the agent put a finger to his ear where an earpiece had been set up and talked in a low, muffled voice. "This is Agent Sarbuck, patrol 1 come in. I need assistance in the Commerce Square, possible enemy activity. Over." He made sure to note possible enemy. Reaching into his coat, he placed his datapad away and pulled out his Kylan-3. Only to have it drop to the floor in an extremely clumsy action and have it discharge a blast. To the group of three's credit, they don't return fire immediately. The urge is great, but they are professionals in a city with a lot of problems. Even... right at the alleyway mouth? Al three have weapons out within seconds, and Karrde stows his comlink a few seconds after. Not speaking, the smuggler chief signals for one of his guards to scope the square. Nodding, the guard without a hood, Thom, moves to the entry of the alleyway quickly, his weapon at his shoulder as he presses against the wall just around the corner from Agent Sarbuck. The other split to either side of the alley with only the slightest sound of boots on pavement. Sarbuck curses himself incessantly as he quickly picks his pistol up from the floor. He was pretty poor with weapons. The shot that rang out caused patrol 1 to rush to the square faster, but they were still not close enough to Sarbuck to provide any assistance. The group in the alley obviously heard the shot and were responding, which caused Sarbuck's heart to sink. His breathing picked up a little as he heard the foot steps from within the alley and he knew he was in trouble. Realizing that if he didn't act now they could possibly escape, or worse, kill him, Sarbuck sucked in his gut and quickly turned the corner with his Kylan raised - only to come face to face with the guard. His pistol, raised, quickly pointed at the guard, his mind not even registering Karrde or the other guard. Sweat trickling down from his forehead as his adrenaline increased, Sarbuck shouted out "Freeze, freeze, gun down now!" Patrol 1 consisted of three stormtroopers and they were making haste towards the square. They had heard the shot and feared the worse. The leader made a quick report to the Imperial base on planet, which relayed the report to Captain Kreldin aboard the Conqueror. Trouble was brewing in Commerce square, and these three stormtroopers were the first responders. Any help at all would take a while to arrive, and the patrol leader didn't bother to ask for help either - he was overconfident, and didn't figure help would be required. As the figure steps into view at the mouth of the alleyway and shouts, an answering word is barked by one of the men further in, and Thom fires to kill without hesitation, hoping to be the first one on the trigger at the tail end of Sarbuck's shouted orders. Karrde and the remaining guard, Frey, surge forward against the walls, ready to add their own blasts to the fast exchange possible at the front. "Out and split home," Karrde hisses, his DL-44 ready. The Agent didn't sign up for combat, but that's what he always found himself in. Before he could react the young agent was quickly blown back by a well-placed shot to his knee. The agent dropped his blaster and fell to the pavement, wincing in pain as he held his wounded knee. Patrol 1 heard the shot and finally made it to Commerce Square. They spread out, moving in towards Agent Sarbuk and the alley. Their boots slamming against the pavement disposed of any chance for surprising Karrde, but that didn't matter; the stormtroopers were experts at this. They stopped in front of the alleyway, the leader getting on his knee and aiming down the alleyway. "Nobody move!" Thom, fortunately, is either a good man or a very bad shot; the outcome remains to everyone's benefit, really. Glancing down at the man, the smuggler kicks Sarbuck's weapon away, looking up in time to see three figures in white bearing down on their position rather fast. "Snowmen!" he grates back at the others, his pistol coming back up as the lead man head back into the alleyway at speed. A few curses drift back in response, and as the Troopers cover the mouth of the alley, the Imperial order is not only ignored, but given insult additionally. Karrde and company start back into the alley, sending a concerted volley of blaster bolts back at the armored figures blocking the way back. No one ever listened, of course. Why did he even bother to tell them to freeze? It just never worked, and now they were on the run - and shooting at them. Fortunately their shots were not well-placed, as they were on the run. But, at the same time, the stormtroopers could not advance very far due to the supressing fire. However, it did let them aim their blasters towards the group, and they fired without hesitation. Since they weren't on the run, their shoulds would be slightly better placed, but the supressing fire kept them from getting anything better. Once their shots had been fired off, the stormtroopers advanced upwards in the alley. Agent Sarbuk, meanwhile, slowly got up and leaned himself against the alley wall, still in pain from the shot to his knee. Tapping his earpiece, the agent spoke once more. "This is..Agent Sarbuk. Talon Karrde is on Chandrila...Hanna City.." he then passed out, unable to finish his report. That's the way things go with the guilty, always thinking it'd be better to get away than to stop and see what the Stormtroopers might want. Afterall, why carry heat if you can't use it in times like this, if not to compound any possible loitering charges you might have gained with assault on Imperial forces? Thom, unfortunately, takes the brunt of the better return fire, trying to run backwards for accuracy. He trips, going down with a shot in the upper thigh and an angry shouted curse. Karrde and Frey keep going, sacrificing their aim for speed. The alleyway comes to a T-juncture and, without speaking, both men glance back at their downed friend, and each take one turn; Karrde to the left, Frey to the right. They know the drill. The three stormtroopers rush down the alley in pursuit of the smugglers. One of them stops, however, by Thom and quickly kicks the blaster away. The trooper then inspects Thom's body and quickly locks some stun cuffs around the wounded man's hands. The trooper would then take the wounded man to the Commerce Square where he would wait for reinforceemnts to arrive, where Thom would be taken to a prison for some medical attention, and of course, interrogation. The other two troopers, meanwhile, make it to the T-junction and both go separate ways; the leader tails Karrde, and the sergeant tails Frey. The leader fires sporadic, poorly aimed shots at Karrde, hoping to put some supression on Karrde and maybe even get a lucky shot. They're wily smugglers and can give a good chase, Frey no less than Karrde, even if the chief knows the ways of the city better. As the remaining security guard deals with his own problem, Karrde keeps close to the left wall of the new passageway, occasionally answering fire backwards with similar limitations and hopes. As he passes a ragged row of metal barrels, a kick to one returns hollow, and the smuggler chief sacrifices a few seconds in overturning the first five of them and glancing back, before sprinting off again. The stormtrooper watches with despair as the smuggler overturns the row of barrels. He tries in vain to shoot at the smuggler as he's doing it, but fails; realizing his only hope is to turn around and run, the stormtrooper makes way, only to fall down as the five barrels run over him one after the other. He was out of it. The other stormtrooper, however, continues to chase Frey. His armor and equipment were slowing him down, giving Frey a much better advantage; but the stormtrooper was not about to give up. He wasn't even out of breath yet. He opened up with a few more shots at the back of the smuggler, knowing that the smuggler couldn't run forever. Frey is, possibly, more creative than his boss, and has the bright idea of taking the chase upward, snagging a lightly hydraulisized ladder and pulling it down to climb up. The idea is too close, the stormtrooper too close for the time needed, and two shots catch the smuggler square in the torso before he's up to rungs. With a gurgle, Frey topples over backward, his legs catching in the ladder and suspending him, hanging upsidedown, eyes staring deadly. Karrde waits until the next intersection before pausing, breathing heavily and every nerve alert. Quiet, but for the two shots in the distance. The metal bump of one of the barrels hitting a wall, but no booted feet. Swallowing, the smuggler chief heads down another alley, seeking the sewers and a better way back to 'base'. The situation was over, for now. Reinforcements had arrived in the square, repulsor convoys moving in and stormtroopers filing out as they quickly secured the area. Several TIE Interceptors flew over the city now. Danik Kreldin was taking no chances with this insurgency. The stormtrooper returned to the square with the lifeless body of Frey, but it took a search party to find the unconcious body of the patrol leader. Thom was moved to a high-level prison in Hanna City while Agent Sarbuk was taken to the medical facility so he could give a proper report. Talon Karrde had escaped, but Danik Kreldin was going to make sure that didn't last for long. The insurgency would be crushed, and now that they knew who was supplying the weapons, that too could be stopped. Kreldin still had an ace up his sleeve. One hour passes. ============================================================================== The Imperial sunburst appears on screen, which soon fades to the IGNews news room. Laura Glaston appears sitting at her desk, hands folded as she begins her report. "We bring you live to Chandrila where Captain Danik Kreldin of the Imperial Navy is prepared to make an announcement regarding Chandrila and its future." The screen fades to the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer overlooking the planet Chandrila, recently liberated by the Imperial military. Captain Danik Kreldin, an old veteran of the Navy, appears on screen in the center of the bridge. "Recently there has been anti-Imperial activites on this planet. This insurgency has interfered with the peace that we, the Empire, have brought to Chandrila. As a result I have become disheartened and angry, and I see no other alternative to what I am about to say. These insurgents have one hour to surrender and turn themselves into to Imperial authorities on Chandrila before the Imperial Navy orbitally bombards Hanna City, the capitol of Chandrila, and eradicate it off the face of the planet. I wish it did not have to come to this, but I have been brought to this decision by these anti-Imperial forces. They are to blame and the blood of those will die if they don't surrender will be on their hands. This will be my only warning. Surrender now, or Hanna City will perish." ============================================================================== Middle of the night, and the patrols about the Wild Karrde are as alert as any at this time of evening. Six are at points around the massive ship, creating a close perimeter of armed men. The cargo ramp is open, spilling light out onto the grass, and a few of the younger refugees sit there with parents, talking quietly. The bridge and comm center are, as always, manned. A single figure trots from the direction of one of the sewer entrances, gun out. Karrde, winded from the experience and the faster trip back, lifts his comlink to his lips, murmuring into it, "Prep for launch and stow all cargo." "Eh, boss? Right, about thirty to space." "Fine," the smuggler chief replies tersely, still trotting. Imperial Intelligence worked feverishly to locate Karrde's ship, the Wild Karrde. It wasn't in any public port, or any obvious location, so patrols were were sent out almost all over Hanna City where a ship could be landed to locate the Wild Karrde. It took about forty minutes to find the ship, out in the Open Valley east of Hanna City. Farmland and fields, it was a nice hiding spot for the Wild Karrde, amongst the trees, hills and valleys. But the Imperials had found it, and Kreldin wasted no time in ordering a task force to be sent out to capture the ship and its occupants. A company was dispatched under the command of Captain Baggins, with two hover tanks as back up in case the powerful Corellian Action VI turned its weapons on the infantry. Above the Wild Karrde three TIE Interceptors flew over, exploring the land scape and reporting the exact location of the ship to Baggins. But, however, the roar of its Twin Ion Engines made it obvious to anyone on the ground that they had been found and the Imperial troops were not far behind. As the engins on the ship roar to life, Leia jumps up from where she is sitting on a stone just beside the ship. She claps her hands over her ears and darts out beside the extended ramp. Her gaze sweeps over the area, finally finding the figure of Karrde approaching rapidly. She frowns, the knowledge that something had gone wrong coming clearly to her and not just through the Force. Turning, she walks rapidly toward the ramp, ushering the younger refugees and their families before her, "Quickly now. Get aboard. Hurry. We have to leave now." Though muffled by the fertile farmlands of Chandrila, the distinct sound of marching can be heard as a company of Stormtroopers, lead by Captain Baggins, makes their way towards predetermined coordinates. Row after row of men, white armor glowing faintly in the darkness, two hover tanks humming lightly as they glide effortlessly on the right and left flanks. Moving through the farmland, Baggins mutters to himself lightly as his eyes fall upon the Corellian Action IV. This shouldn't be too difficult, not with the resources that he had been granted by Kreldin. Raising a hand, the captain stops, the remainder of the ST's moving in. Beginning to surround the small group, Baggins walks closer, speaking through his helmet's com. "*click**static*/By the order of Captain Danik Kreldin, I order you to drop your weapons and surrendor. *static**click*" Karrde reaches the perimeter, which is much more alert since the flyby overhead and the signs of the ship coming to active life. "Frey and Thom are dead, we're leaving," he tells them. The meaning is clear. Boss with gun in hand, cold as ice, sounds that are familiar to them all for one reason or another nearby. Word is relayed along the line and the guard begins converging on the ramp, half heading in to help secure the refugees and prep. Karrde lingers outside, gun in one hand and comlink in the other, and he turns to peer through the darkness as the Captain's order comes out of the night at him. "Like hell," he remarks to himself coldly. His comlink chirps twice and he lifts it to his ear to listen. The stormtroopers filed out of their transports, quickly getting into combat mode as they came face-to-face with the Wild Karrde and the enemy. The stormtroopers are quick to get themselves set up, their blasters ready as they surround the Wild Karrde and the surrounding area. The two hover tanks go to opposite ends of the Wild Karrde, their barrels pointing at the Corellian Action IV. The hover tanks were more or less there as a show of force, psychological warfare; if the ship did take off, the hover tanks would be hard pressed to actually shoot it, if not impossible. Catching the command to stop and stay, Leia ducks into shadows by the top of the ramp. She draws her pistol and stands ready to help cover the retreat of anyone else. One leap sideways and back and she will be inside the ship's belly. "Hurry. Get inside." She scans the area for any stragglers, "Get inside!" Repeating the order, her voice carries into the no longer silent night. Captain Baggins continues to walk forward, his head shaking at the insurgents stubborness. ST-II in hand, he scans over the group, his eyes falling upon the Corellian Action IV multiple times. "*click**static*/Drop your weapons and surrendor immediately, failure to do so will result in death.*static**click*" He says nothing else, the troopers now fully in place and ready to attack should the order be ignored yet again. Karrde remains unmoved at the foot of the ramp, a measly six guards around him trying to work out which Stormtrooper to focus on. "Dravis, patch me through to external speakers," the smuggler chief murmurs. After a moment, his speaking returns to the surrounding Imperial forces with all the loudness of something rigged for carnival announcements. "Attention Imperial forces," boomed the voice, far from sardonic now. "This is Talon Karrde. We are leaving. I urge you to lay down arms and allow us, before useless death occurs here. To your leadership, I also say... if you go through with your plans on this planet, I will make damn sure it's much more costly to the Empire than any insurgency here could be to you. Your answer will be in your actions." Clicking the device to another channel, Karrde murmurs, "External off. Prep one turbolaser battery, focus on the leader whose been so demanding, but don't fire yet." The three Imperial TIE Interceptors circled over the area again, as a show of force and as first responders in case the Wild Karrde took off. The stormtroopers were unmoved by Karrde's little speech, and continued to inch closer towards the Wild Karrde with weapons raised. Meanwhile, aboard the Conqueror, Kreldin received confirmation that the Wild Karrde had been surrounded and was assured the capture of Karrde was inniment. At last the final family of refugees darts up the ramp to enter the ship. Leia's gaze drops to Karrde, then lifts to those surrounding them. "You don't have to live this way. You could be free." Not that she is really offering their attackers refuge in Karrde's ship, but the final family needs a little more time, "Don't you realize that what you are doing here is horribly wrong?" Baggins lifts his ST-II, firing off a solitary shot at the Wild Karrde. The ST's that surround him all raise their rifles, aiming at Karrde and the insurgents. His voice once again sounding over the helmet's com "*click**static*/Talon Karrde, we will NOT ask you again to drop your weapons and surrendor.*static**click*" This would be their final warning before the troopers were ordered to open fire. No one ever figured it out. Tell a smuggler to stop and surrender, and they always seemed to... not do that. Very odd. The Captain's words are, at least, believed, and Karrde turns swiftly, barking orders at the six surrounding him, and the whole group heads the few steps to the Wild Karrde's ramp and starts a swift boarding. There is no firing, nor order to do so, considering they're so close to the ship. Leia is practically run over by the first flood. As if Karrde's loud message were his first and final warning, a large panel slides open on the side of massive freighter, and a heavy turbolaser slides out and into place, swiveling to train on the Imperial troopers below. The Imperials are slow to react to the smugglers as they board the ship, fleeing to safety aboard it. That is when they move in, their blasters opening fire towards the ramp as a squadron charges it. But then, Karrde reveals a heavy turbolaser, and that strikes some fear into the stormtroopers as they disperse to get out of its line of fire. The two hover tanks, however, still in position, are quick to react to the revealing of the heavy turbolaser. Immediately their barrels aim at the Wild Karrde and each let off a blast of energy towards the Wild Karrde, though not towards the ramp, in order to avoid the death of Karrde who was a capture-only target and the men who were still bravely charging towards the ramp. As the first wave of Karrde's people dart up the ramp, Leia turns with them. One takes her elbow to keep from running her over, and this eases in hustling the petite woman aboard the ship and out of the line of fire. She turns back to try to see that Karrde and the others all make it aboard but there are chests, arms and heads in the way. The barrage of blaster fire from the Troopers is intense, and a number of the fleeing people are hit, though fortunately in the legs. Hands grasp them from inside as they fall, and Karrde is even helped in as the ramp begins a rather swift raising. The turbolaser and the speedy ramp hint at a modified smuggler ship indeed. So does the reaction to the tank fire. The model should crumble, but little is gained from shooting at the Wild Karrde but heavy scorching. The turbolaser makes a sound that normally isn't heard in the vacuum of space and sends a single volley smack into the middle of the Stormtroopers below. Inside, Karrde sits on the deck a moment, wincing at a shot in his leg. "Get these people to the medbay, and secure the passengers," he orders. "ETA to liftoff?" to the comlink. "Ten minutes, boss, we're hurrying as best we can." "Fine," comes the reply, and Karrde seeks out Leia, his expression composed into a mask. Within, Leia has tucked her blaster into her belt and bends to assist one of the wounded, "Here. Over my shoulder. Up now." She extends her Force touch to ease the pain of those near her. Once the smuggler is up, he is taken by his crew members and helped off to medical. Turning, the woman comes face to face with the Smuggler chief and she looks up at him, her eyes wide and startled. "Yes?" At this point, she is not going to try to guess what the man wants. A whole squadron of stormtroopers are thrown in every direction as the turbolaser energy slams in the center of their line, wounding some and killing the others. Another squadron of stormtroopers runs up to the Wild Karrde, where its ramp was, and hurries to plant several pieces of explosives against the hull to create an opening where the ramp normally would be. Uncertain if it would be enough, considering it held out against a tank barrage, the troopers quickly pulled back from the ship as the explosives rang off. The two tanks, meanwhile, began to move around the ship to make them harder targets, but still targeting the same area as they hit earlier, using the scorching as indicators. If one shot wouldn't do it, they would continue to slam the two weak points until it gave through. The three other platoons of stormtroopers are running about outside, doing their best to avoid the turbolaser while still barraging the Wild Karrde with explosives and small, rather useless blaster fire. However, the three TIE Interceptors were still circling above, though had not yet engaged due to the trees and the troopers that were down below. Karrde shakes his head, moving to stand, when the explosives go off below him. The concussion is great; they got enough right. A speaker in the airlock crackles to life. "Boss?? We just took a hit down there? It won't hold us in vacuum, need to seal that level before we get out of here. Five minutes." The smuggler chief grits his teeth and forces himself up, comlink coming up. "All weapons systems, engage. Ion cannon, do something about the tanks, please." The man has settled into a rare state of being So Angry that he's reverted back to something akin to calm. The state radiates, to Leia's senses, in unusual waves of tension. Outside, indeed, two other panels on other fronts of the ship slide open, two more turbolasers add to the din. Another smaller panel opens, and a heavy ion cannon drops out, turning toward one of the tanks and firing a sizzling blast. The turbolasers are controlled, picking out targets as close to the ship as their range of motion will allow. The tanks just continued to pound the already damaged portions of the Wild Karrde as they continued to circle one the Corellian Action transport. But, to the despair of the troops, and the tank commanders, even more turbolasers and an ion cannon became visible. One of the hover tanks fell victim to the ion cannon. It stopped dead in its track. Captain Baggins realized his men would only be slaughtered by the turbolasers, so he called for a slow withdrawal into the trees while throwing their grenades at the Wild Karrde. And with the stormtroopers pulling back, their grenades flying through the air towards the Karrde, the three TIEs took this opportunity to fly in low right above the trees to release a volley of laser fire down on the hull of the ship. Captain Baggins, meanwhile, contacted Fleet to get them ready in case the Karrde escaped, which he was beginning to feel was. Karrde's anger is like a slap in the face or coals raked over a raw nerve. Leia winces and half turns away, hiding the pain of the emotional barrage as well as she can. She gasps a moment, then and turns from him. Having been close enough, she did hear the part about sealing the level and latches onto that as something to refocus on. Anything to shut out that tension. At first, her movements are slightly fumbled, but she regains fairly well. "Off this level. Right." Moving away from the source of the emotional onslaught, she touches the button that calls the lift to help the wounded up and away. Gaining his feet, Karrde steadies and follows everyone into the turbolift. He's quiet, but for the bursts of command, spoken clearly and firmly. As he reaches Leia during the evacuation of level two, he unexpectedly reaches and grasps her gently by the arm, an oddly gentle gesture that is as brief as it is out of character. Then the smuggler chief is into the turbolift with the last batch and Leia herself. The ion cannon is swiveling to try for the second tank when the main engines fire up, catching anyone unfortunate enough to be in the way in a blazing backblast. The heavy ship, pocked with dark spots and visible dents now, lifts off with a nimbleness that belays it's size. The weapons systems stow without firing any longer as the ship climbs into the domain of the TIEs... and the fleet beyond. The engines on the Wild Karrde started up, catching the last remaining hover tank in its blaze, reducing it nothing more than dust. The stormtroopers, however, can only watch from their safe distance in the trees as the Corellian Action Express VI takes off to the stars above. The three TIE Interceptors are quick to give pursuit; the three fighters, faster the Wild Karrde, begin to assail the already slightly damaged ship with laser fire while Captain Baggins gets on the horn to contact Kreldin and give him the bad news: the Karrde had escaped, and it was now up to Danik Kreldin himself to make sure they did not get out of the system entirely. There is an advantage to being smallish. When ships rock unpredictably, it is easier to remain on one's feet. If one is not buffetted by other people. Or, if the buffetting is expectted. Some was. Some wasn't. Leia catches herself against the back of the turbolift and turns in time to have Karrde's hand close gently about her arm. She blinks once, then smiles up at the man. Brief though the touch is, it lends her strength in a nice sort of way. As the Captain of the Wild Karrde goes about doing what he does best, Leia tries to stay out of the way. As the Wild Karrde strove out of the planet's gravity well, it is pestered by TIE Interceptors and offers the occasional attempt to hit the fast ships with the turbolasers. The crew seems mainly focused on what waits them in spades above. As the turbolift head first to the bridge to let the Captain out, Karrde is speaking into his comlink again. "I want internal cameras 36, 37, 58 and 14 activated and recording, vid and audio. All bridge commo should be focused on the task at hand, no external feeds active. Leia," he adds, lowering the device. "Join me on the bridge? The refugees are in good hands, as you will be able to see on the monitors there." Unfortunately the mood is unchanged, even if he's softened his tone for her. Captain Danik Kreldin was a proud man, and the best pilot in the Galactic Empire. Once an admiral and a former Neo-Imperial, the captain had a long career in the Empire of one of professionalism and rarely losing. He was just good at what he did. And right now he had his prey walking right into him. The Imperial Fleet under Kreldin's command consisted of the Maligant, Vindictive, Conqueror, and various support vessels ranging from Marauders, Lancers to Strike cruisers. Kreldin had ordered the immediate dispatch of the various TIE Wings throughout the defense fleet to intercept the Karrde well before it broke the atmosphere. The three behind the Karrde were nothing compared to what laid ahead; two wing of TIE Interceptors, with War Shrike Squadron leading the way, moved in to intercept the Karrde head-on while the mighty Star Destroyers moved into attack formation to lay fire on the Wild Karrde. Their objective was to disable the craft, not to destroy it, so ion cannons were included in the barrage of turbolasers that would come once the Wild Karrde was in attack range. The Interceptors, however, were much faster than anything in system and had already reached the ship; the TIEs, dozens of them, were quick to open fire. Practicing a shielding technique that Luke had tried to show her, Leia is able to buffer the waves of anger from Karrde. She smiles at him and nods, silently accepting the offer. Stepping out onto the bridge with the ship's captain, she keeps near enough to the man's side to be present but far enough to be out of the way. Her gaze lifts to the displays as they light up one by one and she moistens lips gone dry. Her own anger at the entire debacle is contained and controlled. When one of the crew moves to give her a seat, the woman shakes her head, "No, please. You are needed at your post, I am sure." Though, really, it is Karrde's call. Karrde hobbles to the central chair and sinks into it, his own eyes scanning the situation. It's... pretty bad, as the gaping faces of the bridge crew can attest to. "Alright, they weren't content with the tanks," the smuggler chief remarks, pushing dry humor into his tone. "Make use of the planet, that's what it's there for. Everyone knows what to do. How are we on level two?" The crew snaps out of their staring, though slowly, and the buzz of work builds up again as things report in. Karrde listens a moment, before looking to Leia and motioning to a seat nearby, which happens to have shoulder restraints. "There's a good seat there, Leia," he offers quietly. "The ride's going to be a little bumpy. The Wild Karrde gains the edge of the atmosphere, before it turns, skimming the upper gaseous layer of the planet with a burst of speed unusual to her type. Still not nearly the speed of the fighters coming to meet it, but it's admirable for the flying vacuum cleaner. Danik Kreldin, hands folded behind his back, walks up to the viewport window looking out into space. His eyes set upon the battle outside, the TIE Interceptors engaging the Wild Karrde. "Wait until it gets into range, and then open fire immediately. I do not want that ship getting away. If it does, it will be on the chief gunner offcier's head," he said, his eyes still glued to the battle. The TIE Interceptors, many in number, swarmed around the Wild Karrde, laser blasts hitting the hull of the ship incessantly. Although the Karrde picked up speed, it did not do much besides bring it closer to the Fleet. Finally the Wild Karrde was in range and turbolaser and ion cannon bolts from the various Star Destroyers opened up on the Corellian Action Express. Angling to the offered seat, Leia just catches it's back before the ship picks up speed. Pulling herself around the chair, she falls into it as the cannon bolts begin to lick the ship. Pulling on the restraints, she watches the mayhem outside. After a moment, once the restraints are in place, she closes her eyes. Pushing out with the Force, she tries to redirect the shots away from the Karrde and at each other. Oh, she is not as proficient as her brother or Jessalyn or Aurejin, but... she is not entirely without effect. The barrage from the TIEs outside does little against the shields and hull, and as the big ship rolls into a series of evasive maneuvers, it's almost like the Wild Karrde were halfway trying to knock a few of the Imperial fighters about physically. "Incoming," one of the beings at fire control says sharply, and the warning is followed by a severe jolting blow and a number of alarms. "Star Destroyer," someone explains, perhaps unnecessarily. Someone else, necessarily, curses fluently enough in Duros as to be almost amusing, if eminent danger weren't involved. Karrde, gripping the arms of his chair, ungrips long enough to key open an outside channel. "Imperial Star Destroy fleet, this is the Wild Karrde. We have two hundred unarmed civilians aboard. I ask you to halt your attack, they are not involved in this conflict." Danik walked over to the communications center to respond upon hearing the transmission. "This is Captain Danik Kreldin of the Conqueror. We will gladly cease our attack under the condition you turn yourselves in to us. We will let the civilians go and allow you to live - we are not as merciless as you may think. You got yourselves into this, and you can get yourselves out - surrender now and we will let you and the civilians on board live. Otherwise, I'm afraid, we will have no other alternative," he said bluntly. He was speaking the truth, and maybe that was heard through his voice, but not many people ever believed an Imperial, even when they were honest. But the attack did not cease, either, not until Karrde came to his senses. The Imperial Fleet continued to barrage the Wild Karrde as it made its escape. To some of the gunner's surprise, some of the turbolaser blasts were actually coming back at them. Though few in number, and not exactly accurate, a few hit against the shields of a few of the Star Destroyers, but did nothing more than cause some flickering in the shields. Leia deepens her concentration, held in place by the shoulder restraints. The flight was in Karrde's capable hands and she trusted the man. Reaching out with the Force, she attempts to direct at least a few of the charged energy bolts into things like gunnery stations. If she can knock out some of the guns, their chances would improve somewhat. "Shields holding, hull alright," another bridge crew on the Wild Karrde reports firmly. The twisted piloting continues, as the ship speeds across the top of the atmosphere, all turbolasers and the ion cannon firing at the flurry of fighters around it. Their very thickness seems fortunate, as less aim is required. "How long until hyperspace?" Karrde asks. "Well, sir, it'd bring us a bit closer to those Star Destroyers, o' course, but now is better than later, 'course, while we still have shields, like," comes the answer from the navacom. "Right," breathes Karrde. "Calculate as best you can from here. Bring us out of the gravwell, angle the shields to compensate. I'm less worried about the fighters." The captain glances to Leia, checking on her, and watches a few seconds before looking back to the scenes outside. Feeling kind of angry that they didn't respond, much less take his words into consideration, the captain returns to the window to view the battle. "How long until they get in the range of the fleet's tractor beams? Any of our ships is good enough," he asked. "Momentarily, Captain," came the reply of one of the bridge officers. Danik smiled and ordered the charging up of the tractor beams amongst the three Star Destroyers. Meanwhile, the TIE Interceptors were taking heavy casaulties - not just from the Wild Karrde, but from their own Fleet. Turbolaser blasts sometimes missed and slammed into an unlucky TIE Interceptor, causing it to wink out instantly. The Wild Karrde was certainly a powerful ship, though, and Kreldin felt a certain admiration for it. She was a tough one. Leia seems utterly at ease when Karrde looks back at her. However, as though struck by inspiration, or given a glimpse of something within the Force, the woman speaks softly, "Mr. Karrde, I have the feeling that, if you change your angle to arch up that way..." Lifting a hand, she actually points around to the stern slightly, "We will improve our chances." The faintest gleam of pirspiration touches her brow. She licks her lips a little, then sinks again into the Force in an attempt to do what she can. Karrde and a few of the crew who can see her look to Leia, puzzled, but the captain immediately says, "Track on where she's pointing." Oddly, the crew takes this strange order, and amid another jarring smash and heaving ship, the vessel changes course as indicated. "Navacom..." Karrde says, sounding a touch impatient. "Almost got it," comes the tense reply. "Sir, shields on the port side are going." The voice sounds almost sorry to report this fact. "Just get us to hyperspace," Karrde says, watching Leia a long moment before looking to his own console and focusing on it. A turbolaser blast, that was intended for the Wild Karrde, came surging back towards the Conqueror and splashed against the shields surrounding the bridge. Danik saw this and frownded, wondering how exactly the Wild Karrde was capable of deflecting the Conqueror's blasts. Danik had a fair knowledge of Jedi, as he met many of them - usually fighting them, too. And he knew a Jedi was in the Wild Karrde. "If that ship doesn't make it to my hangar bay there will be Hell to pay, gentelemn." The Wild Karrde's course changed slightly, putting it out of range of the fleet's tractor beams. Things were looking bad for the Empire. The dozens of Imperial TIE Interceptors continued to tail and surround the Wild Karrde, but they were proving to be useless, especially as they sometimes got in the way of precious turbolaser blasts from the Fleet. Danik bit his lip as he watched the Wild Karrde make its escape. Had he failed..? As the ship turns to her heading, Leia seems almost to smile though her concentration does not break. When things come into alignment, she nods once only. Sweat trickles down her brow and her throat, and she swallows a little. Luke could do this without a thought, but for his sister it was work, pure and simple. Hearing about the loss of shields on one side, she tries to bridge the gap with a shield of the Force. Unfortunately, she is not proficient enough to hold that while continuing to deflect many bolts. So, more may get in than before. The ship stays on the course indicated by the distinguished passenger and the fire control works on blasting all weapons to fore to clear the space, the navacom station gives a woop and the ship gives a happier kind of shudder as the stars streak to lines in the chaotic viewscreens. There's is a collective sort of... melting about the bridge, several beings looking a little ill from the experience but grinning. Karrde lets out a breath, toggling the ship's communications to the hold, where the refugees are lying flat on the deck in fear. "We're clear, everyone. Things are fine." Well, fine is a bad statement, as the continued alarms indicate. Karrde clicks off the comm and looks to Leia with a faint smile. "Thanks, whatever that was." Danik watched as the Wild Karrde entered hyperspace. The fighting stopped and everything turned into an eerie calm. Danik slowly turned around and walked down the bridge corridor, the crew watching with an ominous look on their faces; whether it was for their safety, remembering what Danik said to them, or knowing what waited for Danik when he reported his failure to capture the Wild Karrde. Danik exited the bridge and made his way to his office. The Imperial fleet slowly returned to its former defensive position while the TIE Interceptors returned to their respective ships to lick the wounds they received while in battle and to remember those who died. The insurgents had only a short time left to make their decision that Danik presented them with. The survival of Hanna City laid in the balance as the Imperial fleet continued to orbit the planet. As the ship leaps forward into hyperspace, Leia releases her hold on the Force. She slumps in the chair, gasping for breath like a fish tossed to shore. Lifting her head, she looks at those around her, their joy riverberating through the Force as clearly as Karrde's anger earlier. Her gaze catches his and she nods, her smile warm, "You are welcome." She does not go into whatever it was just now. Her limbs feel as though they are made of water. Lifting shaking hands, she pushes sweat dampened hair from her forehead and breaths a slow sigh of relief.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)