Ask Away!

[Rax Halligan]

The Second Lance dropped out of hyperspace over Valmor. The corvette was a new ship. Very new. Like all very new things there was an irrational fear that if one was anything less than gentle it would shatter to pieces. The transition into normal space had not been gentle. The entire bridge had heaved with relief when status lights flickered green and the placid curve of the planet's rim filled the viewport, free of debris and spaced crewmen.

"Have the astromechs give us a once over," a man with a lieutenant's plaque had said. "I don't want to discover a hull breach when we enter the atmosphere and I'm suddenly in command of a very expensive piece of slag."

An ensign nodded, a short man with dark skin. He tapped at one of the consoles set into the wall, flipped a switch, and then there were four muffled thunks in rapid secession as the little black droids were launched from their chutes. They drifted for a moment. Their thrusters flared. Then they were sailing back towards the Second Lance's hull. As their rollers magnetized and they locked onto the metal plating the Lieutenant looked elsewhere.

"Ensign Maddox, our hyperdrive?"

"Nominal," a young woman said after a moment's pause. They were all of them, even the lieutenant, young, but she was the youngest. "I don't think the magnetic storm was as bad as you expected. It's fine, mostly."

The Lieutenant turned to look at her, hunched over her console at the back of the bridge.

"Mostly."

"That's what I said, Rax." Ensign Maddox nodded tersely. After a moment of looming silence her cheeks flushed and she corrected herself. "Lieutenant Halligan. It charges slowly, you know that, sir."

Her superior flashed a brief smile and then waved his hand dismissively.

"That's alright, Ensign," Rax said. "Nothing wrong the the hyperdrive, it's an advanced cost saving measure. Seems to be our specialty these days."

There was a quiet murmur of amusement from the bridge crew. One of the astromechs passed in front of the viewport, continuing its sweep of the ship's exterior. It was silhouetted against the faint glow of the planet. Valmor looked like an old painting, done up with faded greens and swirling blue as it spun. It was a shame that they had to come here.

"Our systems are fully online, Lieutenant," the dark skinned ensign, Mallacoste, reported. He was right. It had taken time, but the power sapped by the same magnetic storm that had harried them in hyperspace was fully replenished by the high-end reactor. The lights were a bit brighter, the controls more responsive; the dagger-shaped corvette had come out of its malaise.

"Platinum," Rax said, leaning on his command console. "Inform the envoy that we're about to make planetfall in the capital. I want him to be on the bridge before we do."

 

[Murith Severan]

Murith felt the transition out of hyperspace. No warning it seems from Lieutenant Halligan, it seems to have slipped his mind to alert his VIP. No point dwelling on it, Halligan had never been one to worry about the details. But he was popular with his men, something you could not say of everyone in the Imperial Navy. Murith received a ping on his datapad indicating that Lieutenant Halligan wished for his presence on the bridge before they made planetfall. Of course, he thought, the Lieutenant would observe all the pomp and ceremony common to his profession. The Stateroom he'd been assigned had a reasonably sized closet and he selected a formal but practical uniform for his official duties with the Lieutenant.

After the Envoy had changed into the uniform, which had been expertly ironed by a utility droid, he made his way down the hallway and to the bridge.

The doors opened onto the bridge with a hiss and the envoy immediately spotted the Lieutenant. Murith walked towards him and offered a greeting.

"Congratulations on getting us here in one piece Lieutenant. I knew that the admiralty made the right decision when they chose you to oversee this mission, have the sensors revealed anything about the planet that the briefing holo didn't?"

Murith knew deep down, he could sense with the force, the Lieutenant had not watched the briefing holo. He'd pretend anyways for the sake of Halligan's ego.

 

[Rax Halligan]

Rax half turned and gave a flat, barely amused smile. That scatter-brained fop. How could Murith have possibly known that he had only skimmed the briefing holo? Not that he ever did actually view it, but he was damn good at lying about it. The lieutenant's focus was on his center console then and he gave it a good smack. What interference there was cleared and sensor data scrawled.

"No, we're too close," Rax said. "I'd need to pull us a few million kilometers away to get a proper full-array scan and that'd be a waste of time."

He gestured to the space next to the command console. There was a low railing and along its length a handful of smaller panels. The Raider III was not a big ship but it was still designed to accommodate more men than it had aboard.

"We're hitting the upper atmosphere now, sir," Ensign Maddox called from navigation. Rax nodded.

"I'm sure you know something more than what they tell us in those briefings," he said as the envoy took up his position nearby. "What exactly do you intend to do about these...aliens?"

 

[Murith Severan]

Murith resisted rolling his eyes at Halligan's obvious disregarding of basic protocol around gathering intelligence. What Halligan didnt seem to realise is that Murith could sense his insulting thoughts, not that he needed the force to do that. A lifetime of reading people's faces as well as their minds had given him more then enough experience to do that without the aid of the force.

The fool Halligan had taken us out of hyperspace too close to the planet, any closer and we have may been in great danger.

"Indeed, I do know something of these aliens not included in the briefings that we all studied. While there were many details in the holos, im sure there is no need going over them again. The Velmoc are insectoid creatures, they can barely speaking basic. They are a warrior people relying upon animal instinct to survive. Some of them have been tamed by the planet's human settlers being used as labor and contributing positively to society. The majority live in the wildlands, launching barbaric raids on more advanced settlements. The fact is this planet cannot truly be settled and industrialized while large swaths of it remain under threat by these primitives."

 

[Rax Halligan]

"Typical," Rax said. The presentiment of a frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. He hadn't seen overmuch of the galaxy, but one didn't need to leave Taris to know that talking about your enemy in terms like that was begging for unpleasant surprises. Undercity gangers, giant bug men, was there really that much of a difference? Well, the bug men probably smelled better for one. "It's an opportunity for us if nothing else."

The ship buffeted, ever so slightly, as they cut through the upper atmosphere on their dive towards Den Velmor and its antiquarian spaceport. The whole city was old. Mostly in a charming way, but wide, flat spaces for landing starships lacked the appeal held by skyscrapers in the Alderaanian style with their curving lines and smooth edges. The corvette, at least for now, was the largest vessel there by a landslide.

The ensigns hurried from station to station, immersed in landing procedures as the two officers spared. When the thud of landing gear meeting duracrete rumbled through the ship Rax thumbed the bridge communicator.

"This is Lieutenant Halligan," he said, suddenly crisp and commanding. "Away team prepare for immediate departure. Away team prepare for immediate departure."

 

[Kolar Na]

Kolar was double checking his equipment in the cargo bay as the command for them to prepare their departure was sent out. Thankfully, him already being a stone’s throw away from the landing ramp allowed him to go through the paces of preparation at his ease, while he waited for the rest of his platoon to get down here.

His equipment was rather standardized for what was essentially a riot trooper. Blaster rifle, a pistol, a stun baton, some grenades for crowd control, and his lucky vibroknife. While his armor was a suit a black carapace covering him head to toe made out of duraplast that had to be custom made for him due to his hulking size of 7’8”. It was all certainly a step up from his days in a swoop gang. Better firepower, better protection, and better boys watching his back. Still couldn’t hurt to have some of the really big guns, but the IDF never got the good stuff that the Assault Corp runs around with.

Maybe he can see himself transferred to a more active role after this. It got boring butchering the same gutter trash dumb enough to start something day after day. Changes of scenery like this were needed from time to time.

After checking over his equipment and being satisfied with his gear he walked out and met the rest of his boys in black gathering by the landing ramp. Normally they would be rather rowdy but either the mission involving a high ranking diplomat or the fact that this was their first time off world had them rather solemn and focused on the task at hand.

Perhaps it was his luck or merely high command lugging off the undesirables onto him due to his status as a commoner on a planet run by nobility like Taris. But nearly all of his platoon were comprised of people smart or lucky enough to survive long enough to climb out of the undercity and make something of themselves. Not that having more ‘redeemed’ dwellers from the undercity bothered him, it was good that he got people that actually knew how to brawl unlike the softer bunch in the upper levels of Taris. No offense to his drinking ticket Rax, but there was a reason why he and the nobles were in the navy while people like Kolar were the boots on the ground. Murder wasn’t their talent.

Silently gazing down at his troops as they filtered in and lined up he gave an approving nod. It was good that they were so focused.

Kolar had very few rules with his boys: follow protocol while on duty, while off duty they can do what they want provided it stays out on the street. Meanwhile he would turn a blind eye if they wanted to take a couple credits off a corpse or someone lucky to not be a corpse. Easy rules that even a spiced up ganger could follow and if they didn’t, well he'd just make an example if he needed to.

Activating the inbuilt comm in his helmet he pinged the bridge. “This is away team, we are at the landing ramp and ready to disembark on your orders.”

If what he was allowed to know in the briefings were true there would be a lot of opportunities for examples.

 

[Rax Halligan]

The corvette had been landed to a nicety. Nestled between the mag-locks and illuminator posts it hissed as the internal pressure equalized. Even a slight difference could damage sensitive systems. The ventral boarding ramp descended on its sturdy hydraulics and gently tapped the paved pad. As the imperial procession disembarked a man - one of many, in fact - stepped forward. An entire procession was stood just outside of the Lance's shadow, draped in purple linens and polished brass finery. Most of them were formed up into sharp lines, ornate blasters with beautiful wooden stocks at their shoulders.

"By order of his royal majesty," the advancing man began. He was reading from a well-made if gaudy scroll. "Azaarian the Seventh, King of Velmor, Master of the Velmoc, and High Barrister of Den Velmor, we welcome this imperial delegation. May the ancestors watch over this meeting and grant all good fortune."

A sharp, trumpeting theme blasted out from the processional band stood behind the soldiers. The herald bound up his scroll and stepped back into place. Rax followed behind Murith and his two bodyguards as they moved off the ramp, eyebrows raised. He was in step with Kolar at the head of the platoon. There wasn't enough room, he realized, for all of them to disembark fully in formation. A few of the men would still be half-on the ramp once the envoy came to a stop. Not so much of a nicety after all.

"You think they practiced enough?" he asked, glancing over to Kolar then inclining his head towards the band. "Sounds a bit out of tune."

 

[Kolar Na]

Kolar shrugged, he wasn’t much for traditional music played on ceremony so he couldn’t really be sure. He was more of a Jizz enjoyer as it was commonly played in cantinas such as ‘the Clique’. “Maybe the original band got gutted by the natives.” The giant replied, keeping his tone hushed as he eyed the ceremonial guards.

They were dressed pretty but he could see that the band wasn’t the only thing out of tune. He could feel the uneasy expressions leveled on him and his men. Whether it was because they were imperials, the amount of troops they brought for a ‘diplomatic’ mission, or Kolar himself towering over them he had no idea. However he wasn’t the one being paid to read people or talk to them.

Though for a supposed elite core of guard they looked soft, each one dressed up like a peacock and probably with the skills to match if they actually fought with that equipment. “If these are the best their King has I can see why he went begging to the Empire.”

 

[Murith Severan]

Murith listened to the speech from the herald of the King. Through years of diplomatic training as well as those skilled afforded to him by his mastery of the force, Murith resisted any display of the contempt he felt towards this mewling display. The idea that Murith would care for the ancestors or the slew of self aggrandizing titles this petty king had stacked upon himself, it was almost amusing. If it wasn't so pathetic.

"On behalf of the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, we are thankful to King Azaarian the Seventh for the hospitality granted to this imperial delegation. Know that the Emperor is aware of your friendship and considers the Velmorian Monarchy as a fraternal people to our own in all things." Murith lied.

Following this exchange as the delegation now including Kolar and Halligan and their troops progressed, it became obvious the facilities were lacking. This Kingdom desperately needed Imperial aid if it was to endure. He felt the snark of Kolar and Halligan gossiping. He subtly spoke into his comm, telling them to quiet down as the Velmorians might be able to hear them. Murith would prefer to save the Empire a diplomatic incident so early in their voyage.

 

[Rax Halligan]

The herald bowed low, his voluminous robes of purple silk bunched up around his waist. He was balding. Badly. Sallow skin, dark circles under the eyes; Incredibly unhealthy in every aspect. The thick application of cosmetics had not been quite enough to hide it. He gave a sharp gesture towards the edge of the landing zone and into the city. Murith and the Herald fell into step and the bodyguards - Imperial and Velmor - led the group off. The boarding ramp hissed shut behind them. There was no one in the streets. The city was nearly silent.

"People are afraid to leave their homes," the herald murmured, almost conspiratorial. "Two dozen attacks by Velmoc radicals in the past month, all over the capital. They're seething about the new breeding regulations but the king doesn't want to anger them further by retaliating."

One of the royal guardsmen broke off from the column and slowed his pace until he was back with Kolar and Rax. He gave a curt nod, his expression grim beneath the visor of his plumed helmet.

"Lieutenant," a nod to Rax. "Lieutenant," a nod to Kolar. "I've secured one of the palace courtyards to get your men billeted in. I'm sure you've got pre-fabs you can bring in, but we've got the basics if they're needed. We really appreciate your help here. I served in the local militia but the royal guard isn't equipped to handle the Velmoc, frankly. We need real soldiers."

"I'm sure," Rax nodded curtly. "Insurgents are a nasty business. Nothing we can't handle though, eh Kolar?"

In truth, the fifty or so men under Kolar's command could hardly secure a city as large as Den Velmor, let alone the whole planet. Rax had a dozen naval security personnel, but that wouldn't make much of a difference. They were even less useful in a proper fight, especially on the ground. The corvette, he was sure, would be the lynchpin of the whole operation. He doubted the Velmoc were half as primitive as Murith had let on, but they didn't have turbolasers. He hoped.

 

[Kolar Na]

Kolar just gave an affirmative nod to the two. Internally however, he was a bit disappointed if they were just going to be forced to stand guard the entire time. He had read back on insurgents as well as the various tactics and cautionary tales about failing to deal with them back in the academy. They could be annoyingly patient until an opportunity presented itself and then the rebels went from passive to very aggressive. It was kinda like the undercity in some ways. Though insurgents were less like swoop gangers who were more pragmatic and closer to a desperate spice junky who was too gorged out of their mind to give up.

Maybe the Velmoc would find out about this diplomatic congregation and take it as reason to make a more direct attack? One could only hope.

“Are the Velmoc in the city itself or do we just have to worry about them attacking settlements from the outside?” Kolar questioned, if he was lucky he might be given the task to go hunt, if these insurgents were closer to the raider type.

In that case, it would be better to just strike them in their little hidey holes and burn them out. Especially with only a platoon and whatever Rax could spare it would be better to use him and his men as a strike force. Much better than playing law officer for half the planet, and he wasn’t even saying that because he wanted to kill something.