NationStates Jolt Archive

In the heart of the Imperial Republic, in the land of the Leaf, a mission is about to take place. A mission so secret that only three members of the High Council knows about it and even so, it's not recorded in any of the databanks.

There is, in a hangar bay protected by the best security available, a shuttle. Modified for stealth while retaining powerful passive sensor capabilities wasn't easy, but this Lambda-class shuttle is one-of-a-kind, although it lacks any weapons. Three beings, two people and a droid were tasked with the use of the shuttle. The two people, for the purposes of this mission, were only known as Ninja One and Ninja Two. The droid was even nameless, tasked with the potentially voluminous task of data-mining and interpreting said data.

Ninja One was designated as the pilot. She will fly the ship into the danger zone and out, or die trying. Ninja Two is the co-pilot, navigator and all-around handyman for the mission. Both are versed in many subjects, necessary for this Unranked mission.

They and their droid entered the shuttle and lifted off without so much as an acknowledgement from the traffic control. Soon, they were free of the planet's gravity well and entered hyperspace. Only then, did Ninja One open the sealed documents containing his orders.

Ninja One, Ninja Two:
You are tasked with entering the *scrambled coordinates* and gathering as much information on this location as possible. Be aware that the Empire will show no mercy if you blow your cover, so this may be your one and only chance at serving the ideals of the Alliance. Good Luck, and may the Force preserve you.

~Daniel Alexander Masaki, Emperor of Coredia

Once they destroyed the documents, there was a slight heightening in heart activity as they inputted a coordinate into the computer.

They have been tasked with entering the devil's lair, Tarkin's Fang.

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OOC: I had no idea what to do for this placeholder, until you exit the hyperlane at the edge of the Gravity Well, I really have nothing to post.

An alien incursion was not uncommon in Tarkins Fang, so many people knew of the system, so many races had heard of the designs and operations lurking with her lair, but very few species had ever managed to get in and get out alive, and even then, make it back home intact.

It was the same old same old really. They would enter in with a cloaked vessel, manage to gather visual signs, avoid gravity sensors and then open up for a risky full sensor scan. This was their downfall, always has been and always will be. No spy can ever risk the treasures of Tarkins Fang. The ominous hoods surrounding the gas giant, and the lurking lair of a shipyard unfamiliar even to the bulk of Imperial technicians.

“If you are to witness any vessel without proper clearance.” Captain Tachin announced. “You are to open fire without hesitation. Any vessel that attempts to proceed under vocal persuasion, you are to eliminate it. Any vessel that is witho.....” As if to illustrate the point, a brief glimmer of green illuminated the viewports as some lone transport was vaporised in the solar winds. “Oh, and if you refuse to input the correct codes, the stations open fire automaticly. Such Efficiency!”

The shuttle neared the exit of the hyperlane and Ninja Two began to set up the cloaking device. Top of the line, it will be raised as soon as they exit hyperspace. One second to show themselves.

It will be the first stage.

The shuttle's navicomputer beeped, alerting the Ninjas that reversion to realspace will come momentarily. Ninja One gripped the controls, preparing to evade if the cloak somehow failed. Then...they reverted. And cloaked. And moved out of the possible line of fire.

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Tarkins Fang is a system without note. Large and spacious covered by fields of Imperial defences and fortifications the Empire holds her secrets tightly and with pride. Inhibitor fields overlapping everything encompass the bulk of this star system, providing merely one point of entry. A dangerous, narrow causeway between two Golan Battlestations.

For the most part the system appears to be barren, the occasional Imperial Star Destroyer can be found lurking in some hidden corner somewhere, hiding in a malevolently in the darkness.

Filled with only three planets, the system is without remark. Two dead worlds, their atmosphere burned off, and a third, a great gas giant which just yearns to become a sun.

For it all, for everything, the empire has one space station lurking in the shadows, spherical and vast, shielded and infamous, it waits and plots, and in her shadow, a shipyard unknown to the rebellion, unknown even to the emperor himself. Allowing the construction of a new breed of battleship, it's size, it's name, only revealed by her carnivorous bulk.

The tiny shuttle noted the giant space station. A Death Star, perhaps? It took note of the numbers of defenses and fortifications and their current locations. Impressive and will prove troublesome in the event of an assault. The shuttle's passive sensors then detected a presence in the shadow of the battlestation and moved silently for a closer look.

It turned out to be a shipyard with a large battleship currently under construction in the docks. Ninja Two held a breath when he realized that this was a totally different design from the usual Imperial war machine. It was...next generation.

The war could get worse if these beasts were unleashed. As such, the shuttle continued to move around the shipyard to get more readings.

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Laying in wait, the silent defenses of Tarkins fang loomed over the dark void of space. They laid waiting, waiting for anyone foolish enough to get close to the new project of the Empire. They hung over every possible vector, waiting for the potential spies and rebels to be foolish enough to scan the system.

And foolish they were. The cloaked vessel hung near the new ship, it’s size and power undeniable, it’s purpose clear. It was to spell certain doom for the insignificant rebellion. It’s dark purpose had to be concealed at all costs.

The small vessel began it's passive scans with impunity. Undetected the small vessel seemed to be suceeding where all others had failed. The guns reamined silent, holding back their deadly fire. The huge vessel appeared to the sensors, but something else loomed. Smaller ships, by the hundreds, Bigger than fighters, being constructed, but an unusual reading occured. The ships were alive.

Laying in wait, the silent defenses of Tarkins fang loomed over the dark void of space. They laid waiting, waiting for anyone foolish enough to get close to the new project of the Empire. They hung over every possible vector, waiting for the potential spies and rebels to be foolish enough to scan the system.

And foolish they were. The cloaked vessel hung near the new ship, it’s size and power undeniable, it’s purpose clear. It was to spell certain doom for the insignificant rebellion. It’s dark purpose had to be concealed at all costs.
"Hmm. The sensors show an outer hull, nothing more." Ninja Two said.

"Internalized weapons, maybe. That isn't good." Ninja One mused. "Without active scans..."

"Yeah. But then we'd be dead." Ninja Two groused. "I hate it when the Empire makes it hard...hello, what's this?"

The small vessel began it's passive scans with impunity. Undetected the small vessel seemed to be suceeding where all others had failed. The guns reamined silent, holding back their deadly fire. The huge vessel appeared to the sensors, but something else loomed. Smaller ships, by the hundreds, Bigger than fighters, being constructed, but an unusual reading occured. The ships were alive.
The passive sensors couldn't exactly detect anything from the smaller ships as they only emitted heat and their hulls were black, but the two ninjas could feel the life force flowing from them. They were alive! The ninjas looked at each other.

"Yuuzhan Vong biotechnology?" Ninja Two asked, then shook his head. "No, we wouldn't feel them if that was the case."

"Well, it's something new. Let's go for a closer look." Ninja One suggested.

"Be careful. I have a bad feeling about them."

On that ominous note, the shuttle moved closer to one of the bioships to get visual scans of them, moving carefully so as to not get detected.

Blackhawk Call sign “Lunar Cry.”

“We have a problem Talsis. I have detected a cloaked vessel on the outer realms of my distortion wave. Class two Coredian shuttle according to the database.”

“Can you relay the coordinates to the rest of the fleet?”

“I could, but then they might be aware of it, and I do like to kill things when they’re not looking.”

“How long have they been there?”

“Less then a minute. I’m not detecting any significant scanning activity, looks like they’re remaining on passive sensors for the moment. Shall I alert my brothers, I doubt these aliens know how to deal with our methods of communication.”

“Give it a few more seconds, wait until I get to the command chair, you know what I’m like.”

“I have loaded five combat wasps into the tubes, I can prime them at any minute.”

“Won’t they be aware of it?”

“On passive sensors, hardly.”

“Just, hold on until I get to the chair.”

“You know, I don’t even know these Coredian types and I already loathe them. They sneak in and then do the job miserably.”

“Well what do you expect. They hardly have the level of training that you or I have gone through.”

“But still.”

“Okay I’m in the chair, feed me through your telemetry, and close in on the shuttle.”

“Accelerating at five gravities, we’ll be on them in fourteen seconds.”

“Send the location across the system, we should have them destroyed in a few moments. What wasps do you have loaded in the bays?”

“I have prepared for tonights menu a Five Gigatonne Nuclear Combat Wasp. A Gamma Cutter, ECM and an Anti Matter warhead.”

“Bit much don’t you think?”

“From our records, dealing with Coredians, nothing is ever too much. Launching first combat wasp now. Enemy location has been transmitted across the fleet. Now jamming their communications.”

“How long until they reach the edge of the Inhibitor field?”

“Five minutes at least.”

The commander of the Lunar cry, the human element that is, became one with the serene telemetry being uploaded from the four combat wasps. There was of course no visual, just a red blip where the enemy shuttle was.

The combat wasps accelerating at fifty gravities, launched their own countermeasures and ECM protocols. Detonating, at the perfect moment, when in range of the shuttle.

“The Nuke will detonate in five, four, three, two, one….”

There was a disturbance in the Force. Ninja One immediately sank into the Force and let it guide her actions. The shuttle moved at an uncannily sharp angle, accelerating greatly. A great flash of light occurred behind the shuttle, rocking it slightly, but it was clear that they managed to steer out of the lethal zone. They were detected, but how?

There was a sinking suspicion that the Bio-ships took more leaves out of the Yuuzhan Vong book than just looks. That could be a problem if they were to attack Coredian space. No matter now, it was time to leave for they have done all they could in Tarkin's Fang. The ship rocketed towards the exit, towards freedom. At all costs was their mission to be a success...

“They’re climbing above the elliptic.”

“Yeah I see that. Ask the Argon to move her Interdiction field to intercept.” The human officer in the hybrid glanced around his mental map, seeing a blinking image of an interdictor.

“It will be close.”

“Well we either destroy or disable the shuttle or they escape home free. Which one would you rather?”

“I would prefer them destroyed.”

“I thought you might. Order the Gamma Wasp to close in and fire continuous bursts. And have the anti matter warhead detonate no more than one kilometre from the target. Should be enough to knock them out.”

“My brothers are asking if they can be of any help.”

“Where are they?”

“Five are above the elliptic, three below, two on an intercept course, all combat wasp ready.”

“Order them to launch Gamma pulses.”

“They have complied.” Several more blips appeared on the mental map, each one accelerating towards the shuttle. “They’re trying to take evasive action.”

“You have one kilometre to play with, just get within range.”

Two combat wasps accelerated towards the shuttle, the Gamma blast fired several Maser bursts at the enemy target while the Anti Matter warhead continued to close in. Consistently accelerating at Fifty G’s the warheads fuel supply was quickly dwindling, passing through the wash of radiation that covered a nice five KM area from the nuke, the was closed in for the kill.

“The warhead is three kilometres from the shuttle. They are still too far to make a jump. Detonation in five, four, three, two, one.”

All sensor telemetry was blinded for a moment as the sensors were awash with radiation.

“Track target.”

“Scanning.”

Unfortunately for the Empire's new toys, the shuttle had a consistent acceleration of 1400 Gs, allowing it to easily outrun the enemy's missiles and dodge the gamma lasers (although that was mainly the Force). That's just what the shuttle did as Ninja One pushed the accelerators to the max. Another explosion occurred behind them, that one more powerful than the previous, but it too has failed. The shuttle then noticed an encroaching Interdictor cruiser, it's gravity well stretching to try and trap the ship into sublight. It will be close, but not close enough.

Finally, the shuttle broke through Tarkin's Fang, and the hyperdrive indicator turned from red to green. Wasting little time, Ninja Two pushed a predetermined hyperspace coordinate and the ship disappeared in a flash. The mission was over.