The Gray and the Unchained: Limits of Liberty

[Lord_S_Gray]

Chapter 15 – Rolls of the Dice - Part 3

Battle of Aestis Minor

Fatigue bit deep into Lofthar’s bones.  There had been no rest for the Son’s since, honestly, Hypori - even in transit between systems the gnashing bite of anxiety and despair had kept him awake.

Keeping his Defender moving in a tight formation with the rest of the formed Hammer squad led by Tu-Tu he tried to keep himself sharp as possible, not wishing to yield to the Consortium’s plan to exhaust the Son’s but knowing his body could only hold out so much longer.

Every member of the Son’s on the base or amongst the fleet was stretched to the limit, repeated losses, constant fighting and travel, the losses of friends and family, blow after blow that was manifested in bleary eyes, tight dehydrated skins, twitching muscles and pangs of hunger.

They had barely had time to recharge their fighters power banks, they only had enough missiles and torpedoes to equip a handful of fighters.

It was the old days once more, scavenging, scraping by, trusting in the righteousness of their cause to move the Great Forest Spirit to bless their aim and confound their enemy.

The entirety of the Son’s TIE fleet was in flight, positioned just behind the Unchained as the two fleets lined up on either side of the ISD prize that seemed to the wookie more trouble than it was worth.

Despite that he knew Scrubber would have never contemplated handing over the Unchained as the price of peace, for the Consortium, like the Hutt’s, could never be trusted.

“First launches detected, Vipers and Blast boats under Corvette cover on a heading for the Unchained,” the tactical officer of Thinkers Dream called across, the Ajuur Cruiser still only partially operational after damage at Dilbana, but with the Unchained now evacuated - the last Zeta transports sliding away under the TIE’s leaving only and Brute and Ranger defenders - it was the operational flagship for the Son’s now. 

Everything was clustered tightly behind the Unchained, Capital ships and defence platforms just peeking out enough to fire on the stand-offish Consortium fleet.

Tahn kept his ships at a secure distance from the maximum range of the Ground to Space cannons, not wishing to commit anything more than was absolutely necessary as three of his corvettes flanked by fighters and blast boats escorted the Dekard’s toward the Unchained.

The fighters and Corvettes clustered together shields double front on a measured approach as the Son’s TIE positioned where they could for fast run’s to intercept the fighters and boarding craft - and hopefully punch some of the Corvette’s themselves.

Sala, from the still sparking deck of Thinker’s Dream to which she had been evacuated, noted the rather rudimentary positioning of the Consortium fleet and the ‘conservative’ approach

This wasn’t the same commander as any of the other space battles, this was someone who lacked Sykes naval acumen that would favour a wider encirclement or Zann’s brash creativity that might try to get behind the Son’s even at the risk of the ground to Space cannons- she could use that cautiousness to her advantage.

She had only two surprise cards to play, neither could offset the weight of the enemy ships numbers, but both could make their inevitable victory so costly as to be not worth it.

All she needed was for the Son’s on the Unchained to make sure they didn’t shift the ISD from its role as ‘cover’ for her ships…

“What They want we give to them!” Was the first pillar of Ravge’s tactics to repel the boarding ships they knew were coming in seeming opposition to Sala’s plant’s.
“What they Need we deny them!” was his booming second point.

Point defence turrets - those handful still operational - along the Unchained fired underpowered shots into the Dekard boarding craft crammed with the disposable Droideka’s as the Crusader Corvette passed the threshold range for the Turbo-laser batteries of the Son’s fleet.

Integrated with the Unchained’s targeting systems the ten ships snapped what limited shots the cannons could while remaining behind the ISD as the TIE’s swung about behind the Defence Platforms to begin accelerating for an attack run.

A handful of bright green blasts hit the overlapping Corvette’s forward shields, the Crusaders taking the brunt for the moment as the Dekards stayed within their escorts point defence range.

Ravge led the Son’s that remained - Brutes, Rangers and Eurydicen Guard to the mid decks, letting the Consortium waste its gases and reveal its hand by focusing their boarding actions on the bridge, and more importantly waste time learning the ISD didn’t have enough hypermatter fuel to make another jump to hyperspace.

Harm and Ranger 1 were setting up their traps and trip wires, fully expecting largely a force of Droid’s - it was what he would do - use disposable assets up first, when the Imperial caught sight of a figure move up a head.

“Yekeht, zero that!” the Weequay already had his sniper rifle zoomed in

“Hold, Friendly!” he called

“Come out!” Harm demanded as Scaari tied off another charge wire, Hosto jump starting a fixed position cannon with cells from E11’s

“Apologies Honoured Warriors…” Jal’ina said cautiously approaching.as Harm raced over annoyed.

“Emperors Black Bones what are you doing here, all the med staff were meant to evacuate!”

“I could not leave my adored,” she lifted a First aid kit she was carrying
“Not while he fights and certainly not while he is injured, I can assist you too in the coming battle,”

There was hardly much choice in the matter Harm thought ruefully as she stepped closer, the officer breathing deeply with a sigh that cleansed his anger swiftly.

A medic will be useful, helpful…

“Where is my adored, where is Scrubber?” she asked insistently her face pleading and vulnerable, empathy washing over him

“He…he’s near the entry to the Hyperdrive maintenance section, the final defensive line behind the Rad shield walls…”

Why did I just say that? he wondered, shaking off some fluttery jitter in his head.

“Scaari get a MSE-6 to show her the way,” he ordered.

<<<<>>>>

“There is of course the matter of the Justicar” Cha noted as their negotiations progressed rapidly

“Spoils of war, the Son’s couldn’t support two ISD’s anyway,” Zann waved the issue away

“And the Unchained?” Cha added leering forward, his hand gripping the thighs of his girls on either side, squeezing hard enough for them to wince.

“A clever ploy Tyber, ensure our agreement stipulates all such ‘spoils’ from recent battles are to be kept…and capture the Unchained a bare few moments before the agreement is made - did you really think I wouldn’t be getting second by second updates of what is occurring at Teth?”

“I was using my best Comm’s scramblers in that hope,”

“Tut Tut Tyber, we have no need of crude machines to communicate,”

“I feared as much, but it doesn’t change anything, you want the armistice and this deal, you have to accept I keep both ISD’s”

“Be satisfied with what you have Zann,” Cha’s tone took on a sharper edge, “Pull back your ship’s, they are only dooming themselves,”

Zann was walking a tightrope and Cha knew it, if he hurt the Son’s too much, he wouldn’t leave this Casino alive, if he backed away fully then he had nothing to stand on in the negotiations of an armistice.

Ironically the instability of the live battle was the only way to keep the negotiations on an even footing.

Zann could win the Unchained at any moment, but Artemis could drive a wrecking ball through his fleet at any second - assuming of course they had the resources to do so, of which Zann was uncertain. 

He was risking a lot to win even more, the gamble an exhilarating tingle across his body.

“Let’s live dangerously,” Was Zann’s reply,

<<<<>>>>

[Lord_S_Gray]

Chapter 15 – Rolls of the Dice - Part 4

Battle of Aestis Minor

“Shields forward, full acceleration!” Ornil ordered as the Vipers swept in.

A full third of the Son’s TIE divisions, Interceptors, Avengers and Defenders screeched over the edges of the Unchained with a whining screech that was the sound of imminent death for so many rebels over the last twenty years, the solar panels glinting malicious black as merciless grey cannons spat yellow-green energy into the oncoming Vipers.

The X shaped Consortium fighters loosed concussion missiles in return, blast boats seeking targets from behind the corvette’s as the Son’s focused on the Dekard’s trying to whittle down what they could of the 15 ships committed to the initial boarding.

Close to ‘hand to hand’ combat as a dog fight could be, Vipers and TIE’s raced past each other dangerously close, only fine piloting avoiding collisions as the Vipers tried to ensure they didn’t get too close to the Unchained’s still operational defence cannons, and the TIE’s tried to keep out of the Corvette’s anti fighter range.   

Ornil twisted her Avenger between the Wookie piloted Defenders, hammering her cannons into a Viper’s sides before it could blast an Interceptor - almost immediately she was forced to jink left to avoid incoming missiles from the blast boats.

“Tu-Tu pull round and try to stem that tide!” she demanded

“On it!” the Gran replied weariness in his voice as he sat hunched in a seat he felt like he hadn’t left for years.

“Hammer squad with me!”

Only Loftharr, Shorykam and Meido Llm’ar could break free, the four Defenders speeding ‘under’ the battle braving the barrage of fire from the Consortiums main fleet that was intended largely to keep the Son’s ships hiding behind the Unchained.

Pushing the Defenders hard as they could the four pilots used every counter measure they had left to avoid the missiles from the blast boats, and heard the groans of the struts as they reached the limits of the TIE’s maneuverability to keep the Corvette’s from slicing them apart.

Their diversion of Corvette cannons was used to good effect, Teiro in an Avenger on Ornil’s Mallet squad firing his lasers rapidly and his sole proton torpedoes into the bridge of the Cleanser, the shields flickering from his shots and the fire from the Cor’al Son’s Nebulon frigate peeking out just enough to let the torpedo land - the white blue micro star burst the front of the Corvette open.

The other Corvette’s seemed to take the success as an affront increasing their acceleration and rate of fire, blasting two interceptors and an Avenger. 

The Blast boats were already scrambling but too slow to avoid Tu-tu’s furious speed, his cannons lancing one, one of only two concussion missiles punching through another's.

The Wookie Clever Fyler and Lethal Dancer were just as successful in crashing through the slow blastboats while Meido skirted the edge to ‘shephard’ a few blast boats back into their sights.

Vipers pulled back from the dog fight to support their slower flight mates, but ultimately little damage had been done against the Dekard’s, only three of fifteen damaged, of those only one was truly destroyed.

Quickly out of range of the Son’s capital ships, the First Dekards rammed into the Bridge of the ISD from above, frigid laser beams slicing neat round holes into the doonium for the Sarex gases to be jetted into either side of lager openings through which Droideka’s rolled out two by two, Hunter-Killer programming active, aiming to eliminate any life form their sensor’s detected.

There were none on the entire command deck, or any below it.

Scrubber’s skin tingled in proximity to the Magnetic Radiation Inflection Beams encased behind thick lead-alloy walls near the Hyperdrives. 

Soon enough the Consortium would learn the ship lacked hyper fuel. 

Then there were only three paths to the Hypermatter refuelling and transfer bays, one from the hangar, one from main storage, and one from the upper level maintenance workshop - every one of them fortified with defence in depth traps and weapons to repel the attack.

He was fighting a war of attrition; he needed to make the cost of taking the Unchained so high the Consortium was forced to pull back.

Scrubber was banking everything on the fundamental philosophical difference between the two sides.

The Son’s of Kessel were willing to fight knowing they would die for Cause but the Consortium Mercenaries would never head into a battle they thought they were certain to be killed in.

And yes he knew very well that he had much more to lose with every brother or sister, every ship and cannon that fell, but he trusted in his commanders, in his Sires and Sirra’s to take more than their share of lives in return for their own.

A hope that dwindled as the first Rangers and Brutes in the Unchained heard the now all too familiar roll of Droideka’s approaching, the disposable bulk of Zann’s forces used to cut down the irreplaceable Sons.

The first trip wires sprang - coiled springs launched sharpened beams of doonium into one droideka pinning it the the floor, the others choked as the corridor could only admit two astride as the Rangers snapped out with a PLEX missile into the one beside it.

Still yet to deploy it was unshielded, the missile tearing it apart and filling the corridor with choking smoke and flame, the droid behind it clogging up, having to deploy to blow the wreckage away to get past.

By the time they were able to creep over with their pointed feet the Son’s had already pulled back to the next line in a pattern repeated across the mid decks, the Ranger, Brutes and Eurydicen Guard working together to clog up access to the Hyperdrive Core with droid bodies.

Ken was in the mid section grasping wall panels with the Force and hurling them into the Droid’s path as Scaari, Yekhet and Hostor fired beneath along the floor, under the Dorids angle of targeting to blast their leg’s off once they broke the shields, Ken’s saber batting back what shots he couldn’t sink into a piece of the Unchained’s interior panelling, dozen of pieces of Imperial Navy Grey with familiar cylindrical wall light opening piling up ahead.

The Battle Song was high pitched, a tense cord that could snap at any moment into uncontrolled disaster, yet through it he could hear a whisper, as if intended just for him.

...ber… He pushed forward and drew deep as another drodieka fell, still active but now immobile blocking the others
..Scrubber…Protect Scrubber…
“Ash?” he said out loud over the din of battle

Zeltron…Protect Scrubber the Maenowan was sweating as she sat in one of the evacuation transports lifting off from Eurydice for its long trip to the other side of the planet before heading into space.

His eyes narrowed with focus, balling his energy he hurled a blast of kinetic energy straight ahead tumbling the next droid over.

“Harm, I need to go!” he called back to his Ranger colleagues. “Scrubbers in Danger!”

“Go!” the Captain agreed any memory of having earlier directed Jal’ina toward Scrubber while setting traps elsewhere seemingly wiped from his memory.
“We’ll hold them here!”

The losses of droids were piling up - that hardly mattered Tahn had hundreds - but getting them to  the ISD was the problem - the dog fight made reinforcing his boarding forces difficult.

“Defiler, enemy vessels planet side are leaving their base, 12 so far,”

Damn it another diversion he didn’t need - in frustration he squeezed Argeni’s collar tighter, the Mirlian’s green skin turning blue.

Striding over to the main tactical overlay he allocated vessels to pursue.

“Send these on an intercept course to blast them as soon as they try to leave orbit,”  he didn’t want to waste resources on the crumbs, Two aggressors and a vengeance frigate would be enough.

Of course this presented it’s own problem for Sala as she saw the Consortium ships move far earlier than she thought they might.

“Cleaver, Mattock and Hatchette squads divert to escort the transports,” she ordered as the dogfight around the ISD intensified, another two TIE’s lost - she needed to divert their efforts now.

“Hauler group jump now.” she demanded on the Bridge of the Thinker’s Dream her cool demeanour in contrast to the pulsing heart beneath her tight Imperial tunic as the heavy scent of burnt metal from the damage the Cruiser had taken on Dilbana still filtered through the vents.

Vent’s that on the ISD were crammed with the muscular cords of Ravge as he waited for the Droideka’s to pass him as Sala waited anxiously for her Tugs to arrive.

Wheeling machines passing he tensed and pulsed his malleable form from the vents with bone crushing force slamming into the back Droideka’s while his Brutes first at the front with their slug-guns and flechette cannons.

Cracking the machines between them the maintenance tunnel, hexagonal in shape with glossy dour grim gun-metal walls was filled with the red light of laser cannons as the Droideka deployed, screams and swearing as some brutes were hit. 

Ravge pulsed out slamming with what limited strength he could as so much of his body was yet to regrow.

Another dorid was brought down but the cost was rising, and the Son’s were being pushed further and further back, as the few techs in sealed suits on the Sarex tainted bridge discovered the ISD was incapable of a jump due to limited fuel even if their slicer could break the control lock outs the Son’s had left.

A message that filled Tahn with further irritation, as his boarding forces depleted faster than expected.

“Send the rest in,” he ordered of the remaining 15 Dekards.  The vessels chugged with Viper escorts round the Dogfight, avoiding the Sons capital ships sniper like shots as best they could, but still the Freedom fighter managed to down a few.

They were not the only ship boarding the Unchained  - a lone Triangular Fighter of Abyssal black slipped in the cavernous emptiness of the ISD’s hangar, hovering on repulsors rather than touch the ground its sole occupant flipped out in full armour, then landed in a sprint to see the threat to Scrubber - the most valued of the Sons to his Superior Race - ended swiftly.

A task Ken was already intent on the Song pulsed with fractal shards of Danger sense ice through his spine - but not for himself despite the Droideka cannons that bounced against his saber - but for Scrubber and the Son’s as a whole.

Skidding around corner Jal’ina raced away from the rolling Droideka as even more burst in several levels up - 9 of the 15 Dekards having broken through the Dogfights despite Tu-Tu and his Defenders best efforts to bring them down.

A Eurydicen Guard scout saw her coming and fumbling quickly deactivated the trap set for the dorids- it saved her from being incinerated by two droids passed the threshold with her before he could retrigger the thermal mine.

A wall of heat blew the Zeltron woman forward into the arms of the Death Trooper Armoured Elite Son’s soldier, beside him his comrades firing their E11-D Carbines into the two front droids, the armour soaking much but damaging it enough.

The Eurydicen Guard pulled her round a corner as the Droids fired back through the flames.

“N’Wah! What do you think you’re doing!”

She pushed out another wave of Pheromones and Telepathic inducement - the scent would have no effect given his sealed armour, but the Emote-Telepathy soothed the irritation.

“I must find Scrubber to treat his wounds, take me to him,” she insisted, pulsing emotions of fear, empathy and concern for his beloved leader all too easily.

“This way!” the Guard grabbed her forcefully and led her desperately as Brakhest Tahn’s Tactical Map suddenly burst with new activity.

12 Turbo-Laser equipped Defensive Satellites pulled by auto-tugs dropping out in range of the Defilers main fleet - targeting instructions rapidly uploaded from Colonel Sala’s best tactical officers made sure they would maximize their slow  rate but powerful fire.

8 blasts of yellow energy slammed into the Medley of Torments shields.

<<<<>>>>

“You know playing for time is not to your advantage, Tyber,” Cha noted as they continued to wrestle over some of the finer details before sealing their agreement.

“You would say that wouldn’t you…” Zann noted
“...a years time with the Consortium’s unofficial help your pets will be back to where they were,”

“Of that I’ve no doubt,” Cha mused his fingers caught in the luxurious hair of one of his girls,
“It’s your reputation that concerns me, a second defeat will not look good for you,”

Zann offered an overdramatized expression of fawning
“I’m flattered you care…But I assure you there won’t be a problem,”

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret Tyber, for the next four minutes your fleet can escape relatively unscathed. Seven minutes after that it will take a moderate, but bearable loss. Now twelve minutes after that…well you’ve rebuilt the Consortium before after your stint in Jabba’s prison, do you really want to do it again?”

“You’re very confident Nimmin,” Tyber replied idly, scrolling through the summary of the armistice agreement yet to be ratified on a gold inlaid data-pad.

“Do not test the patience of the God’s Tyber, they are fickle and cruel and you have already angered them.”

“I didn’t take you for a religious man, Nimmin,”

“Better to be the right hand of the Goddess than to stand in her path,” Cha replied
“And that’s the difference between us,” Zann noted leaning back taking all the time in the galaxy as the Son’s were bled.

“I’d rather reign in the Seventh Damnation than kneel in the Sixth Pure-Land,”

<<<<>>>>

Shields overloaded the Keldbade Class Battleship Medley of Torment rattled as its escort vessels fired on the Son’s Turbo-laser cannons.

Tahn’s red-armoured fingers dug into Argeni’s shoulder as things turned against him, Sykes officers quick to respond, but it was clear he had been too cautious giving the Sons time to shift those damn cannons.

His former Ranger slave winced at his grip as he decided to take a more aggressive approach.

“Split the remaining fleet, headings North 257 and South 122, their ground to space cannons should have minimal range at hose angles, we blast them from behind,”

“As you command,” was the reply, the micro-jump-coordinates quickly determined as they blasted another two of the turbo lasers but not before the Medley had taken a few hits - the cannons were old and slow but still a pest.

Sala quickly saw the repositioning of the enemy vessels and began to order her own.

“All fighters pull back, we can’t help the Unchained now.”

With a Roar Loftharr pulsed a few more shots into a Viper- his power not enough to do much damage - the TIE’s couldn’t escape, trapped and overwhelmed by the Corvettes and Vipers, Tu’Tu’s fighter barely able to leave, Ornil constantly racing away from blastboat concussion missiles.

Juddering out of existence the Consortium Fleet vanished completely for a brief few moments that seemed to last an eternity for Ranger 1 as more and more droids rolled in - their traps spent they had to fall back toward the Hyperdrive Core where Scrubber and the last Eurydicen Guard were encamped.

Several stories high and dominated by a vast block of Radiation absorbing material and huge spinning gyro’s that stabilized the space-time distrional effects of such large hyperdrives, the area was a maze of pipes, platforms and bulky metal boxes filled with radiation generating machinery.

Black Death trooper armour of the Eurydicen guard dulled the metallic glints of the machinery as they moved about constantly waiting for the enemy to arrive.

Other Rangers and Brutes had already begun to trickle in as the toll of the Droideka proved too much, many other groups were cut off or hiding elsewhere trying to take the boarding parties from the flanks.

Ken found himself among them trapped with Ravge and his Brutes between groups of droids, the corridors steaming with heat from blaster fire, bodies and acrid smoke of damaged dorids as they fought to get through, the Song an actively painful needle in his spine pushing him forward.

“We need to get to Scrubber!” he yelled over the Din to Ravge whose three ‘arms’ were pummeling a Droid with far less force than usual given his injuries.

He was not alone, feeling the ominous presence of a Black Armour soldier somewhere on the ship - but the Oblivion clad warrior was equally frustrated having run straight into the Consortium's key capture force.

The ‘Third’ of the ‘Black Armours’ that had served as Enforcer over the years alternating he was the youngest - but no less deadly. 

As if gravity did not apply to his godlike physique he ran on walls and along ceilings, blade and blaster shredding Droideka’s apart - the machines moving in what seemed like slow motion to his superior reflexes - only their sheer number on the path to the Hyperdrive core slowing him down.

Tahn and the End of Day’s reappeared ‘below’ the ISD, the Medley above with their escorts, Aggressor Destroyers Plasma beams firing straight into pre-programmed targets, Vengeance Class frigate mass driver cannons cracking out rounds across the void to shatter the Son’s orbital defences and hit the shields of their capital ships.

Sala had repositioned as best she could, but she was largely trapped now, Tahn had positioned very well to avoid most of the Ground to Space Cannons by a very narrow margin - he was clearly a ‘hit and miss’ naval commander, very good moves offset by the mediocre ones she had thus far exploited.

“Ornil we need those TIE’s round here!” she insisted through the tinny Ajuur class destroyers comm panel, the Imperial leaning down a few strands of hair breaking from their tight bun representative of a situation spiralling out of control.

“We can’t break free! We need reinforcements to create a gap,” the Kel’Dor replied
“Redirect the Interceptors on this vector,”

Sala’s eyes snapped over to the battle-scape imaging screen impressed Ornil could plot such while avoiding missiles- her suggestion would work but would cost too many Interceptors.  In the grim calculus of war Sala could not expend that many ‘lesser’ fighters’ to save the remaining ‘better’ fighters.

She had only one recourse now.  Gripping the Oblivion marble Scrubber had given her tightly to summon her inscrutable and unpredictable employers she muttered.

“Attack,”

<<<<>>>>

[Lord_S_Gray]

Chapter 15 – Rolls of the Dice - Part 5

Battle of Aestis Minor

[On Approach] - the voice was sudden, unexpected and itched in every sentient's ears as it was splayed across every band width and seemingly no bandwidth.

A few degrees off Ornil’s suggestion four Dagger shaped Abyssal scars cut into the gap between the Consortium corvettes and the Dogfight, never seeming to decelerate from whatever propulsion had got them there unseen, red Mega-maser shots fired with uncanny precision tore through Vipers, Blastboats and the Corvettes with equal ease immediately relieving the TIE’s as they had at Saleucami.

Tu’tu’s three eyes widened as he saw Viper after Viper pop apart, Shorykam roared with excitement as he saw this time the mystery Oblivion fighters were not doing a simple fly by but staying to fight.

The Corvette’s tracked their fire and dedicated every shot against them, the green rapid fire bouncing off Tri-Repulsor shields more than able to handle such lesser weapons.

The Four Dagger fighters scattered throughout the melee, taking the brunt of every shot even as they unleashed multiple forms of terror.

On the Crusader Corvette Liminous the Capitan experiencing a sudden violent urge to attack his own officers, on the Rattan one weak willed Mercenary simply detonated his own grenades on his belt near the bridge blast-door filling it with smoke and rubble.

Any relief was short lived as the pressure on the Son’s fleet intensified from without, and the Droideka’s and mercs made headway within the Unchained.

The Gozanti cruiser Unbound lost shields as Jal’ina reached the Hyperdrive core just ahead of the largest Consortium party, Ken and Ravge two levels below, slogging through the seemingly endless number of tough machines as their bodies and resources were depleted.

Despite firing a full broadside at the End of Days and the Aggressor Mauler the Nebulon B Stalwart did little damage compared to what it received, the front of the vessel losing chunks of mass in super heated divots that ripped through it’s lower levels.

Ranger 1 found themselves cut off from the rest of the Son’s retreating to horizontal turbo-rail tracks and letting the flood of Droid’s pass them by, their power cells depleted the team unable to fire off a single round at their back - a tide that crashed into the Eurydicen guard at the Hyperdrive core, briefly cutting Jal’Ina from reaching Scrubber.

The Togruta stood atop a catwalk section, blasters in each hand firing down, ducking behind a solid slab of metal then hurling over a frag grenade, biting through the pain of his own injuries with utter hatred toward his enemies and all they represented.

The Eurydicen guard triggering explosives and charges to take down Droid’s by two’s and three, all soon replaced, the Merc’s in heavy power armor coming up behind, confident the Son’s would be depleted against the worthless dorids before the had to risk their own skin.

Tyber Zann’s hand hovered over the Armistice as the first of Cha’s warning times passed, the nano comm in is ear transmitting live feed from the End of Day’s indicating he was very close to success.

<<<<>>>>

Jal’ina was very close to Scrubber, the Eurydicen guard who had escorted her shot to pieces by the droid whose targeting completely ignored her as  she scuttled along the ground toward her adored, determined to be with him at the last, clambering between pipes, ducking from missed shots, feeling her skin tingle and hair stand on end from the space-warping energies of the drive cores nearby.

Sala fell forward as Thinker’s Dream took a heavy hit, the Vegnance Frigates had wiped out most of the Son’s orbital defences, the Aggressors were recharging for their next plasma beams - there were mere minute till total defeat when another ship erupted from Hyperspace dangerously close to the Medley.

Tahn leaned forward with puzzlement on his grizzled space-pale features as Tyber’s Flagship the Merciless suddenly appeared - hadn’t it been captured during the battle of Saleucami?

Seeming not to slow a bit it’s Krayt dragon claws flung out straight into the back of the Medley, beskar teeth rending into beskar-alloy hull of the Keldabe Battleship, the cables taught as the Aggressor Cruiser came in dangerously close, barely stopping before it rammed it.

Across those thick cables designed to drag capital ships to their death two Abyssal figures ran the length to the Consortium ship, then along it’s upper hull.

Black Armour - the first and original -  and his Granddaughter drove their blades into the hull, slicing open a wide plug that was kicked off with impunity into the void as they dropped inside - Black Armour not fully recovered from his battle with Urai Fen, and his Granddaughter still slightly depleted from teleporting a nano-explosive into Tyber Zann’s face twisted on their heels with uncanny synchronicity shoulder rammed the closest blast door open, spinning to their knees to fire hell-red rounds into the startled Mercs behind it.

Scrubber knew they were on the edge of the blade between victory and defeat, the slightest nudge could tip them either way, from what he could hear over the fragmented Comms, the Consortium couldn’t get any more troops on the ISD - they only had to wipe out the last few Dozen droids and Mercs who had helpfully brought Coaxium with them.

A resounding crash signalled the breach of the last hard line and Droideka’s rolled in by the score beneath the Eurydicen Guard withering but only semi-effectual fire.  Popping up once more Scrubber fired at everything he could, spying Jal’ina as he sought the droids with lower shields.

“What are you doing here!” he yelled over the din taking cover once more to change out a power cell in his trusty S-5 Naboo Blaster pistol.

“I had to be with you my adored!” she said leaping across a small gap between catwalks to reach him as Scrubber felt the heat of balster shots coming through the metal his back was pressed against.
“Stay down!” he called as if by rote, the fact that the droids were firing at him behind cover, yet completely ignored her out of cover for several seconds lost to his immediate focus on fending off the machines that seemed certain to kill them all.

“Double fire power, wipe them all out!” Tahn demanded as communications with the Medley were lost - and worse the Battleship began firing on its own escorts, the Aggressors nearby taking unexpected hits to their shields allowing the Son’s fire to bite deeper.

“What the Hell is happening over there!” he yelled into the microphone, the Defiler in command of the Medley unable to reply as his head was now several meters from his lungs - but his voice did draw his killers attention - the Oblivion clad woman tracing Tahn’s tone to his mind and pushing in.

Tahn’s eyes blinked, then blinked again as he saw space ripple outside the viewport of the End of Days. 

An instant later the stars vanished behind the enormous bulk of a Super Star Destroyer.

Staggering back the Defiler gasped for air at the sight of the enormous ship, emblazoned on its sides with the Son’s Broken chain symbol, dozens of fighters pouring out of it. 

“How? Where?” Tahn’s mouth was agape - How could the Son’s have obtained such a vessel! Where had they been hiding an entire Super Star Destroyer! How had Zann’s spy missed THAT!

Tyber Zann only cared that his spy hit one particular target, and that was what he awaited as the next threshold of Cha’s warning became closer.

Son’s TIE’s free of the dogfight sped toward the End of Day’s and it’s escorts, now absent any fighter support or corvettes, the Aggressors and Vengeance class frigates were easy targets given their relative lack of anti fighter defences and the hard won experience of the pilots who now came at them.

Loftharr, Tu-Tu, Ornil, Shorykam, Teiro, Meido and a dozen others tore at the Consortium capital ships with all the power they could pump into their lasers, the shields weakened from the Son’s own capital ships allowing them to blast chucks from hard points on the ships relatively quickly as they flew tight and close.

As close as Jal’ina was now moving toward Scrubber, just a few cover sections on the upper catwalk between them, perhaps 15 meters. 

Undaunted he kept firing into the droids below as he heard a vast bellow that could only be Ravge - the Gen’dai bursting in behind the main bulk of Dorideka’s smashing one into a wall, a blue saber flying through the air to pierce another - followed by a blast of what appeared to be an electrical overload that struck three more dorids causing them to burst apart in clattering pops of overloaded servo’s.

Battered but utterly dedicated to the fight, Ken, Ranger 1, Ravge, the Brutes a Black Armour moved as if by some unified instinct that perfectly blended their abilities to tear into the droids.  Armed with the Black armours rifle and pistols Ranger 1 took up high positions on top of machinery to fire down covering the brutes advance, Ken and Black Armour taking the flanks, deflecting blaster shots and using their powers of telekinesis and Lighting respectively to blast any weakened droid.

From the second main access way the last dozen droids and the Merc team in Power armour arrived, with a simple nod to Ken Black Armour headed straight at them, leaving the Mak’Tor knight with a far greater responsibility.

Firing into the Power Armoured mercs a snapshot hi Scrubber in the shoulder, the Togruta crashing down, Jal’ina rushing toward him even as Ken tried to reach them both - his saber bouncing back shots, Ravge leapt to his side to use his malleable body to cover the Mak’tor even more - a vast bundle of the Gen’Dai’s muscular cords gripping Ken’s back and hurling him upward.

As the Son’s fired on the droids and Black armour lifted four Power Armor mercs from their feet -their arm mounted repeaters firing wildly as their throats were constricted  Ken landed on the catwalk just as Jal’ina hovered over Scrubber a bacta patch in one hand from her med kit.

The force drew Ken’s eyes were drawn to her other hand, where what just seemed like a few strands of hair were between her fingers moving to hold Scrubber legs as she applied the patch.

Jal’ina flew back hitting the opposite rail of the Catwalk to where Scrubber was slumped and confused.

Undeterred she reached toward Scrubber once more
“I need to help him!”

Ken was having none of it, pinning her in place and leaping forward saber pointed at her throat.

“You’re the SPY who caused all of this!” he seethed as rage boiled across his body, hatred at the betrayal that had caused Ry to be captured and tortured, grief at the loss of so many Son’s fighting for what was Right and Just, all his emotions were prime to explode in a blade through the skull of the one responsible for so much destruction.

The Zeltron’s expression was one of disbelief, fear, confusion - yet Ken could feel her aura was that of unrepentant irritation at being discovered.

Her hand moved forward and Ken’s saber raised to strike.
 
“KEN! NO!” Scrubber yelled

The Mak’tors hands fought against each other, the cold cybernetic one willing to slice her apart, the flesh one heated from hours, days, weeks of warfare held it back, the saber trembling as it cast Jal’ina’s red hued skin a purple in it’s blue glow.

Ken took a step back, she was beaten, she would be arrested, put on tri…

<THVUMP>

Heaving rather than breathing Scrubber’s hand trembled as the smoke hissed from his blaster, but he had not missed, hitting the Spy responsible for so much chaos in the throat.

Gasping, clutching Jal’ina felt the cauterized burn of her own flesh as she swallowed for the last time,  blood no longer able to reach her brain as arteries were blaster seared through her neck.

Ken’s head switched between Scrubber and Jal’ina at least a dozen times as she finally fell unconscious from lack of blood to her brain, then slowly her body began to spasm and die.

His eyes finally settled on Scrubber, the Togruta, dirty, injured, weak and yet looking as resolute and focused as ever he had been. 

Scrubber hadn’t told Ken ‘No’ to stop Jal’ina’s execution - he had wanted to do it himself.

Not that long ago Ken would’ve considered such an action an unwarranted murder, Maker knew in his first tenure with the Son’s he would certainly have.  Now…now he understood.  The war he was part of didn’t restrain its violence to the battlefield, he couldn’t expect the Son’s, or himself, to either.

Scrubber tossed the blaster aside, he had made many mistakes in his life - that was not one of them.

<<<<>>>>

“Divert all power to shields! Full retreat immediately, any rendezvous point!” Tahn yelled as the Super Star Destroyer’s cannon fired the ship rattling with the impact - they couldn’t survive another shot he was certain!
 
His tactical officer looked confused for a moment.

“Defiler are you certain?”

Quick a draw as ever he was Tahn put a blaster bolt through his head as fear of utter desolation overtook him.

“DO IT NOW!” he demanded as the swarm of TIE’s gathered and huge turbo lasers swung toward him.       

“Increase forward fire, divert energy from shields!” Sala ordered as the Consortium fleet weakened.

Tahn had made a drastic mistake in splitting it up, and combined with Artemis carefully placed interventions the Son’s had a genuine chance of chasing them off.

Remaining cannons on the Son’s vessels burnt hot as they pulse shot after shot into the Consortium ships, on the one side dealing with the Medley or Torment firing on them, on the other a hallucinating Commander and vengeful flights of TIEs.

True to Scrubber’s estimation Captains on the other Consortium vessels felt the change - it was unlikely they would lose the battle, but there would be more losses than expected, and none were willing to be part of that Butcher's bills.

Barely ordered the Consortium fleet began to disengage, two black figures rushing back to the Merciless leaving the Consortium to keep the Medley so as to not overly damage Zann’s organisation as the man himself seated in luxuriant comfort felt his collar tighten as a hasty retreat of his ships commenced.

Pressing his thumb to the Signation-Validator a prick took a blood sample as well as his thumb print to affirm his agreement to the Armistice.

“A wise decision,” Cha said in a paternal tone, his posture forward and dominant as he clasped his arm candy tightly

“Hot streaks never last,” Zann replied philosophically.

“You gotta know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em…”

<<<<>>>>

[TheDutchman]

I'll give Zann this much: the man LOVES to live dangerously.  Had he NOT been under the auspices of Nimmin Cha's hospitality (and the protection that it offered), I suspect that the gangster would've very much regretted having pushed his luck so far.  Not to mention just what could have been once the Oblivion ships attacked in earnest, shredding the remainder of the Consortium's resources.

Again, this demonstrates the strength of solidarity that the Sons have given their Cause (and experience fighting together) resulting in lasting bonds.  As Cha eluded to: loyalty is worth more than its weight in credits.  But more than that, Artemis actually IS vested in the Sons successes, more than just as a resource.  The Aethans are intelligent; they've learned to adapt and that includes interpersonal relationships beyond their own species (Kazic wasn't necessarily wrong; he just didn't take into account the MUCH longer timetable).  That said--and it should be noted--that Artemis DID allow for the Consortium to wreck the Sons thoroughly before their timely intervention (a "favored pet" may be favored but that hardly puts them in the same echelon as the "owners").

Apropos of such, Zann's meeting with Cha is an almost twofold purpose: yes, to stave off the necessity of "looking over his shoulder" the rest of his life but also as a final throw of the dice/spin of the wheel/pull of the trigger (after all, even the worst of odds produce winners from time to time).  Of course, nothing guarantees that Artemis need uphold their side of the armistice...except their word.

Meta-note: Excellent action, I do like that Zann just HAD to give it ONE LAST TRY.  Of course, he wasn't the one facing an enemy armored in Oblivion materials, nor the collective anger of a renewed Sons.  Another bit that I appreciate are the "Tactical/Troop Movement" posters (especially helpful given space battles    But I think that my favorite parts are Ken coming into his own (great pic!) and Scrubber giving Jal'ina precisely what she so richly deserves (good job Ash w/ putting together the clues) 

...Now we just have to contend with the butcher's bill (poor Eurydice Base)...

[Lord_S_Gray]

Chapter 16 – Limits of Liberty

Brakhest Tahn

“You had them on the verge of defeat and you retreated!”

“Tyber there was a Super Star…” his words ended with yet another smack to the face from his employer.

Brakhsent Tahn knelt barely clothed in a parallel to how he kept his slaves, leash around his neck, beaten whenever he spoke out of turn.

Around him were his peers - Zann’s Defilers in Crimson armour looking to him and Zann for an explanation for the summons and turn of events against the Consortium after seemingly having an overwhelming advantage.

“You had more than enough ships and troops to take the Unchained and Destroy the Son’s - I would’ve have accepted at least one of those objectives if you couldn’t manage both…” Tyber Zann seethed his face cruel and tight with newly grafted skin cultures that were not obvious in the dim light of the interrogation room deep in the End of Day’s.

“Instead I lose two Corvettes, an Aggressor, dozens of Dekards, Blast boats and Vipers and some of my best techs and slicers, against what, a ‘highly trained counter boarding force’ and a ‘Phantom Super Star Destroyer’?  Not a chance - It was your stupidity.”

Zann knew it was a lie, this was all theatrics, but it was theatrics that served him, and Tahn was the perfect scapegoat for the shambling retreat at Aestis minor.

“I don’t expect unfettered success from any of you,” Zann went on adopting a more conciliatory tone
“I’ve had more than my share of failures, sometimes the dice turn on you, not every hand is a winner…but what I won’t accept is persistent incompetence and pathetic excuses,”

Standing behind Tahn to emphasize the point he kicked the bound Defiler in the back to the ground.

“Despite the embarrassing position Tahn put us in, I managed to make a deal with Artemis Industries to not only mitigate our losses but also make decent profits for all of us,” Zann explained to his Defilers.  

He needed to emphasize the profitability of staying part of the Consortium, that overall the Score against the Son’s was a massive success in terms of credits and materiel with the new ISD Hand of Damnation, the losses in the final two battles had caused that to be forgotten.  

“We can move on from this conflict to other ventures, and exploit a number of lucrative new business opportunities…” with each word he took another step in revolving circles around Tahn.

“As for this failure…” as easily as breathing Zann pulled his holdout blaster and fired through Tahn’s brain, blood mist wafting up to the vent’s overhead.

Without Urai - who remained an unconscious lump of flesh in a cellular re-gestation pod in the corporate sector - he had to remind his Defilers of the brutal consequences of betrayal himself - or until he found a new equally potent Enforcer…

“...his Operations on Lantilles are now up for Auction. What am I bid?”

<<<<>>>>

 

D’Kev

Beneath his flamboyantly ruffled blue and yellow coat and indifferent negotiators gaze Glonar D'Kev, ambassador of the Son’s of Kessel, fumed.

Nimmin Cha sat opposite in the very same opulently appointed penthouse room he had a few days earlier entertained Tyber Zann - victorious smile on his face having, without any reference to D’Kev, let alone the Sons leadership, completed a deal to end hostilities, which involved, quite simply, paying the slaver bastard off.

Never had D’kev seen a man so satisfied to have paid such an exorbitant ransom - 10 million was the figure Cha would admit to, D’kev wouldn’t be surprised if it was triple that.

“I might remind you,” Glonar said evenly, all four of his hands calmly on his lap, the Besalisk the very image of diplomatic restraint
“The Consortium is responsible for hundreds of deaths, the destruction of dozens of our ships - the Son’s will not be pleased to hear they have been rewarded with millions of credits for doing so.”

D’Kev dared not comprehend what Ravge alone might do.

“Then they simply don’t hear about it, tell them the Consortium decided to quit while they were ahead,” Cha shrugged.

“In better news,” Cha went on denying D’kev a chance to reply

“We have secured not only a new smuggling network of 25 ships initially with a wide range of markets at very competitive prices, but also the release of several thousand slaves - most direct to us in case any might wish to join Artemis Manufacturing Internship program…the others will be provided with transport to chosen destinations, and those who wish to volunteer for your cause will be ferried to Eurydice base soon.”

D’kev felt his heavy reptilian brows crease down over his orange eyes, his countenance darkening in stark contrast to his flamboyantly bright clothes.

“You bought them off Zann…” This was getting worse, buying slaves only encouraged the trade in the same way paying a ransom encouraged a kidnapper to do it again.

“You seem displeased Glonar,” Cha said an edge of annoyance in his voice

“This is a disgrace. It undermines everything I thought we both believed in!”

“Well then you’ll like the rest of the deal even less,” Cha’s smile never left his face
“For the next 8 months there are to be no operations within the Baxel sector to ensure the Consortiums deal with Durga the Hutt is honoured, and thereafter a non-aggression policy toward the Consortium for no less than five years,”

The Besalisk remained unmoved as he held his diplomatic mask in place over simmering rage.

“You paid a small fortune to a slaver and now demand we do not interfere with his or Durga’s ‘business’, seek no reprisals?”

Oh if you only knew… Cha mused. The Vice President had ensured Artemis benefited from both sides of the slave trade - an instant supply of new workers to boost their industrial output, while still progressing their goal of setting up the Sons as a puppet nation-state.  The war with the Consortium would be a mere blip in progress.

“The Consortium had you on your knees,” Cha reminded him “Artemis industries' time, manpower and physical resources are limited, but the one thing we do have in abundance at the moment is credits - would you have preferred we not used them and allowed the Consortium to deliver the killing blow?”

“We would have preferred you not pay Zann directly!” Glonar displayed a rare flash of annoyance
“You could’ve hired the Ailon Nova Guard to go after the Consortium, put a price on Zann’s head, paid off Mandal Hypernautics workers to sabotage his fleet maintenance, bribed some Defilers, anything but pay that bastard direct!”

And fracture the Consortium when it is more valuable as a business partner whole and functioning? was the secret joke to which Cha smiled

“You seem to forget Mister Cha, the Sons of Kessel are a brotherhood of freed slaves and volunteers seeking to free others, not a subdivision of Artemis Industries,”

Cha’s mercurial smile switched to a vicious scowl in an instant, the air seeming to darken around him.

“Don’t you forget Ambassador,” his words were silken as Bane-Back venom
“The only reason Zann was willing to negotiate is because he fears Artemis - the man carried a Ysalamiri around with him because he knows he has no other way of delaying our assassins.
It was Artemis credits and resources that raised the Sons from the depths of obscurity and still keep your heads above water - “
With each word his tone had been increasing in firm bitterness, now it sunk to a growl.
“ - and we can sink you back down too,”

D’Kev understood all too well, and knew he had no room to maneuver, his nostrils flaring with a large breath out.  

“Duly noted,” Glonar finally replied, any emotion stripped from his deep voice.

<<<<>>>>

Ken

The anticipation was draining.

They returned to Eurydice base, set up barricades, traps, waited.  Watched.  Worried.

For hours. and Hours.  Then a Day.  The follow up attack everyone expected never came.

The Senior leadership were constantly meeting then breaking up.  Something was happening, but the rank and file were kept in the dark.

The silence from command was filled by rumour, whisper and chatter.

Ken spent his time doing what he could to help Doc Wolfe, healing motifs on his lips as he put his first aid training to good use,
When he could work no more he went back to the empty quiet of his small bunk, finally allowing himself to feel the absence of Ry.

He didn’t know where she was, or what had been done to her, only who she was with.  Cynical, if realistic, he trusted Artemis not to harm her, if only to keep things cordial with M’tzigon and his father….

My father

Worn, he sat on his cold bed staring at the hilt of his saber as he idly dismantled it for a routine post battle check and realignment.

Would his father - his mother, or grandfather even consider what he had done of late ‘Good’? Knightly? In accordance with the Way of the Maker?

He didn’t know, and for the first time, he felt it didn’t really matter.

The Galaxy, Life, all the things within and beyond, and his place within them was too expansive for anyone’s opinion to matter any more.  He’d seen and done too much already in his short life.

But being free from that burden of looking for validation, meant he now faced the Maker, and his own conscience, alone.

The latter at least felt no guilt or regret. The former, well hopefully it would be a long time before he had to face that Judgement.

Idly eating, bathing and preparing to sleep he was interrupted by a chime at the door.

It was Ash.

“Thought I’d check in you,” she said looking him up and down, noting he looked far more world weary than even a week before.

“Scrubber’s gonna make an announcement soon, a shake up is coming,” she paused noting the small holo of Ry on the tiny desk
“Sorry ‘bout your girl, still no word?”

Ken shrugged
“There’s still a chance for her,”

“But either way you’ll survive,” was Ash’s callous response.

Ken nodded, too tired to contemplate anything other than waking to find Ry with him,

“I’m heading back to M’tzigon - first time in 10 years for some R&R, get this leg sorted…guess that leaves you as the Liaison…” Ash added turning with her crutches

“Sleep well, Knight Mack,”

Whether the last word was of endearment or irony Ken was too beyond exhausted to care.

<<<<>>>>

Ravge

He sat in stone cold silence as the details of Artemis deal with Zann were read out, every member of the leadership and D’kev himself visibly backing away as they flinched and winced at the chains being placed around the Son’s necks in exchange for ‘salvation’ from the Consortium.

The only ones present were the Freed - Scrubber, Ornil, Ziach’ch, Kal, Yras A’Rann, Loftharr, Tu-Tu, and a link to Big Brain in the levels below. Sala and her coterie of Imperials were not invited.

They didn’t seem to realise this was nothing new - this was Artemis tightening the existing leash.  That was Ravge’s one and only unique insight, and he knew it.

“...and after the 8 months armistice, we are free to recommence operations in the Baxel sector, if we so wish.”

For a moment D’kev was silent. The ambassador had been at least pleased to hear that Scrubber had been returned to his position of leadership, making delivering the news that much easier.

“That is all that they told us.”

Eyes turned to Scrubber as bodies leaned away from Ravge.

The Togruta kept his face even, astonishing given all the shocks he had experienced of late.

“We are slaves to them,” Ravge finally broke the silence
“They make treaties to bind us, accommodate our abusers!” he glared at the Togruta
“Scrubber this cannot stand!”

“Probability of the Consortium adhering to this arrangement is 14.4 per cent,” Kal added

Scrubber remained still, his raptor-like gaze looking somewhere past D’Kev, watching as some last part of his honour was auctioned for the Cause.

“Sires, Sirra’s….though we are free, there are still chains that bind us” he began his speech with simplicity

“The Limits of Liberty are Fate, Time, Resources - constraints all sentients - all life forms - face.  What we fight for together is not freedom from these - such is a utopian fantasy - but the freedom to choose the life we desire and pursue it with the means available to us.  To have within those limits some Liberty…”

He looked at his exhausted and disappointed brethren.

“That is what I will tell the Sires and Sirra’s, and that is why I will agree, on behalf of the Son’s to this arrangement. The Son’s have fought for millenia, Artemis and the like who try to use us will come and go, but the Cause will endure, even through this tainted peace, the Cause will endure.”

He turned more pointedly to Ravge

“I was elected to make decisions such as this, and I will bear the consequences in the next election after the stated two months of peace if the Brethren find it unacceptable.  And that is why I will rely on you Ravge to oversee the operation of free and fair elections when that time comes.”

With a feral snort the Gen’Dai complied.
 

<<<<>>>>

Scrubber

The message was delivered, the Son’s informed as they went about their work trying to repair the battered remains of what they had once been.

Barely half the force they were, some 3,500 in all, bitter and hardened, Scrubber knew his ambitions for them had led to this.  He had pushed too hard too fast, centralized too much believing in strength in numbers.

He would not make that mistake again.

With only the light of his datapad to illuminate the cold isolation of his bedroom he looked to the bunk where even today he had found strands of Jal’ina’s hair.

He had to do it, he knew that.  It didn’t mean he didn’t regret it. However false her affections for him had been, those he had felt for her were real.

The Jal’ina he was in love with had died - a costume the Zeltron spy had worn she might have been - but he still grieved for the loss nonetheless.

People came and went he sighed, but the Cause remained, and on his pad were the outlines of his new strategy.

Resources had been promised, a new supply network, new intelligence sources that he would prefer not know whom Artemis was paying to acquire, but also direct assistance.  

No longer would Black Armour be a lone figure, instead a full 15 of his kind would be available to assist the Son’s, Kage Er’Lav of the Mak’tor promised to permit up to four more knights to assist them should they volunteer, and would speak with another Gray Jedi Order known as the ‘Vahl’Dan’ regarding assistance.

Scrubber knew only a little about them, mostly that Jorya had been a member - but that alone was reason enough to be hopeful they would prove a powerful ally.

He had plan’s, a flattery of the Consortium perhaps but partially imitating the decentralized structure had advantages.  

With Eurydice base remaining as the hub he would establish cells comprising a group of Rangers, Brutes and Liberators across a dozen sectors - notably the Rings of Kaferene, Outland Station, Socorro and most importantly Glottal and Nadiem - while they couldn’t hold those worlds as planned he would not let the populace there think they had been abandoned.

Each cell would include either a Knight or Black Armour to act as a means of ensuring any…’rogue elements’...were kept in check and avoid- as far as possible - infiltration by enemy agents.

Many might not agree, but recent experience had taught Scrubber the semi-independence of the Knights and Oblivion Warriors, to say nothing of their unique skills, was a useful restraint on deviation from the Cause that Scrubber knew could easily occur.  

Each Cell would have broad goals but make it own operational decisions, linking with others when needed, aiming to spread hope, send fresh recruits back to Eurydice and expand the Son’s footprint - Eurydice would coordinate the supply of credits, supplies and trained operatives in return while  re-building a central army and navy.  

Over time the cells would grow, split off into their own new cells. Thinker’s Dream of a free Slave nation was not dead, not at all, but it was delayed for the time being, between the central operations and the Cell’s, he hoped to grow faster and more sustainably while presenting no single target for the Slavers to hit.

Let them Destroy Eurydice if they wished, they would still have a dozen, two dozen perhaps, cells across the galaxy still fighting for the Cause.

The short term focus was on first establishing the cells and supply routes to them, rebuilding their numbers, and then getting workers to Artemis who were promising for every 1000 workers they could get, they would be a month closer to supplying the Son’s with a new fleet of custom designed fighters and capital ships.

For now Scrubber set all this aside, dimming the pad screen and moving to lie back on his bunk, faint traces of Jal’ina’s pheromones remained embedded in the fabrics.

He allowed himself, for a brief time to be Hymra Naro once more.  

To think of Syffa, and what life she must be living back on Shili, to remember Jal’ina, murdered by the Zeltron Spy, and imagine what life he might have had with her if she had been real.

The one truth the Zeltron spy had told him was that his dedication to the cause was killing him, for his own health he needed to not be Scrubber for but a brief few moments sometimes.  

But he would always return, his pledge made lifetimes ago remained engraved on his heart, surrounded by an ever widening graveyard of those who had died for it.

It would kill him, of that Jal’ina had been correct, but Scrubber had never doubted it.

Every being left this life, there was no way around it, he hoped only to leave the Son’s, and the Cause, in a better state than he’d found them.

<<<<>>>>

[Lord_S_Gray]

Chapter 16 – Limits of Liberty - Part 2

Ken

He felt the call in the dead of night, nearly three weeks after the Battle of Aestis minor.  

He’d settled into a new rhythm that was to be swiftly disrupted.  

Just two days before he’d received his new orders - Ranger 1 along with Brute Esk and two Corps of Liberators were to set up one of Scrubbers new cells on Outland Transit station, the fleet would get them on there via several circuitous routes then they were on their own for two months to get the lie of the land and establish their own plans.

Walking through the dimly lit halls there was little trace of the fighting that had occurred here apart from the odd memorial shrine and shallow blaster crater in the ferrocrete.

He turned into Queen hangar, only the night watch and maintenance techs were there, Scrubber standing alone  as two Oblivion vessels slid inside from the Jungles black night, the ships emitting a seemingly ‘anti-sound’ as they entered and hovered just over the deck.

He stood beside the Togruta, Scrubber’s sharp gaze never moving from the ships even as he whispered to Ken.
“I know what they are,” the words crisply amplified by the Oblivion vessels anti-sound, neither explanation nor apology for remaining bound to them, yet Scrubber still seemed to want Ken to know he understood the nature of his ‘allies’.

In silence the Oblivion warriors stepped out in perfect lock step, all in the same light eating armour, Ken noting some were shorter with a more feminine silhouette -  six from each vessel came initially, assembling in two rows of three either side of an invisible promenade for the remaining three.

Of the last three only one was distinguished from the others by thin blood red lines on the pauldrons and helmet indicating some kind of higher rank if Ken had to guess.

“Welcome to Eurydice base,” Scrubber said warmly with a bow.

The Black Armour returned a nod, then to Ken’s absolute shock removed her helmet, crimson locks flowing free before settling in luxuriant curls around an inhumanly perfect face near, alabaster skin near glowing.

“Our People wish to assure you and the Son’s of our ongoing support, however recent events demand a change in strategic direction and personnel, I will be taking my Grandfathers prior place as the key contact while he recovers fully from his injuries and undertakes a period of rest,”

Grandfather… that puzzled Ken for a moment, but then that species didn’t seem to age at all, or at least not visibly.

“Please send my regards and thanks on behalf of the Son’s to your Grandfather, he is a cherished member, and personally, a great friend,”

The new ‘Black Armour’s’ Emerald eyes now hit Ken like a punch to the face.

“Bring her,” she said, two of her men immediately complying heading back into the vessel on left

“I can walk on my own…” Ken heard familiar tones chide

Coming round escorted by the pair of warriors was Ry.

Ken couldn’t move, could hardly breath as she approached him
“What?” Ry asked with a grin as Ken continued to stare

She seemed to have no inkling of what had happened to her, no trace echoes of her interrogation and torture in her aura he could feel - Black Armours People had not just freed her from the torment device but also seemingly removed the memory of the entire event.

“Nothing, you…I…,” he shook his head, then leapt forward to grip her in his arms
“I love so so much Ry’lak,”

“Kriff Probie not in front of the walking murder machines!” she remonstrated but hugged him back all the same, Scrubber with a sad smile watching the pair’s reunion with a shade of jealousy.

“Apologies it took so long,” the Black armour lady said to Ken directly, he was still holding Ry closely

“We do not typically treat outsiders and needed some new Bacta…she is now fully recovered from the effects of the lack of oxygen and vacuum she suffered before we found her unconscious floating over Hypori,”

Ken took in the words carefully, that was the ‘story’ they had obviously given Ry, she had ejected as she remembered, then - so far as Ry knew - woke up being treated by the BA’s.  

Ry didn’t need to know anything else, and Ken had no intention of telling her.

“Thank you,” Ken said as he locked the woman’s eyes, a painful experience as he felt red sharp tendrils scuttle across his brain.

"What do I owe you" he thought knowing the BA could read his thoughts.
"Consider this a gesture of goodwill. One we expect you and your father to remember."

Ken felt the weight of an obligation fall on his shoulders, but it seemed it was a relatively light one compared to what might have been, and, frankly had they asked for his life long service he would’ve given it for Ry.

“I’m sure your warriors will see to their own accommodations,” Scrubber noted speaking to the demi-god as an equal

“If you will follow me there is much to do,”

<<<<>>>>

[Lord_S_Gray]

Epilogue

The itching never ended, raw exposed dermal cells exposed to mineral rich liquids as they slowly - very slowly - duplicated.
Every few days mechanical hands would layer on tissues grown from sample outside of his confined universe, patched onto skeletal frames of carbon cells that replicated the shape on nonexistent limbs.

Growth stimulants made of cultures of his own harvested stem cells were layers on in burning slathers during his even more occasional removal’s from the liquid world.

Such was Urai Fen’s existence now.  .

The year, if not decades long process, of being rebuilt cell by cell, tissue by tissue, organ by organ

His mind floated in a semi-conscious state of frustrated rage, replaying his defeat over and over and over again, so that when he was restored -whether it took 10 years or 20, he could once more prove he was Predator, and they the Prey.

Death was not yet his Fate.

<<<<>>>>

He was on Glottal, or was it Nadiem. It was something in between the two, a never-world that was all and none of them at once.

And he was fighting, hundreds’s thousands of barely clothed slaves rushed at him.  His sabre separate them one after the other after the other.

He hated himself for it, yet could do nothing else.
“Vyponin” he yelled as if the drug that fuelled their crazed violence was an excuse for killing them, as if his life mattered more than theirs. 

Ken hated this dream but it kept coming.  The worst of it though was yet to come.

The worlds about him shifted but the tide kept coming, his sabre once blue was now yellow like his fathers, as if he was his father on some far flung world performing the same grim task of execution on the innocent.

Blood sloshed at his knees, rivers of it flowed, bodies hung from poles by the thousand around him, a world of death driven to the drum beat of a deep macabre song that was beyond alien.

Indeed it seemed the very inverse of everything the Song was, once he might’ve ascribed it to the Black Armours, but now he knew their Song better - it was certainly strange, dark, an antithesis to much, but it had a primal visceral simplicity, a hatred for the Other but a love for the Self.

This was different, this was a hate for everything that lived - everything that Was.  How could such a thing even exist, what perversion created an utter disdain for all the Maker’s creation, as if Creation itself was some kind of perversion of a Perfect Eternal Destruction.

Wiry figures loomed over the slaves as he kept killing, beings that delighted in the Anti-Song and turned it to their sick purpose.

He squinted, trying to see who, what they were….

Probie
“PROBIE!” Ry yelled, shaking him awake, he was dripping in sweat.

Ken sat bolt upright trying to catch his breath as the memory of the dream slipped through his fingers though each time he desperately tried to hold onto it.

Swallowing hard he spoke
“I’m sorry I…”
“shhh…” she soothed stroking his hair
“It’s alright…” she whispered clasping him gently
No…not it isnt’ Ken knew.

<<<<>>>>

[TheDutchman]

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
-Friedrich Nietzsche

...Or so we've been led to believe.  From Ken to Scrubber to Ravge to even Tyber Zann, our characters have been through the fires of conflagration, burning away much of what was and leaving a tempered galvanized core.  The problem here is this: that which does not kill you can (and will) still hurt.  When one considers the cold equations where numbers are concerned--the Sons having lost almost half of their members, Ken coming close to losing Ry, Ry having lost those horrible hours of torture at the hands of the Extractor, even Zann having lost many of his resources (to say nothing of his friend and enforcer, Urai)--all of those involved will have been indelibly changed, and not necessarily for the better.

Except Artemis.

It seems that they have come out of the conflict quite intact, their associations between themselves, the Sons, and the newly-"acquired" services of the Zann Consortium a seeming windfall.  Granted, they expended much of their own materiel, supplies, and manpower but--again, using the cold equation--have come out stronger for it.  The next question then becomes: is it business as usual or will Artemis alter their practices and ideology?  The most frightening part seems to be that no one is asking that...

As for the lives of the survivors--Scrubber, Ken, ...Urai--they now find themselves treading unfamiliar waters.  I'm looking forward to seeing just where this new path leads them and under what circumstances their new lives will be influenced with.

Meta-note: Outstanding conclusion to an already excellent story, LSG!  Truly, there WERE certain limits constraining our characters throughout, further promising uncertainty and more. 
Another bit: those pics that you found/made-wonderfully stunning, supplementing perfectly the narrative and giving an already fantastic story.

CanNOT wait to see what's next!