Heavy is the Hand (Imperials, Ben, Silas)

[Neive Undant]

Prazutis went over the proceedings of this situation quietly as he followed the captain, noting the exchange of Vassyl and the commodore. In his mind, he would have been just perfectly fine with obliterating the capital building of the ship and replacing Eshan’s former leadership with ones that would prove to be more loyal to the Empire. However, he knew not only that the Empire wished to handle this with as little bloodshed as possible, and as well-seen to the public eye as possible. That was the main reason prazutis kept the risk of civilian lives and collateral damage to a strict minimum.

Prazutis kept to a meditative state as he followed Vassyl to the hangar, letting his senses wander through the area around himself to ensure that there was no threat to Vassyl or the other imperials around him. Always on his guard was the force adept, Prazutis thought to himself. However, that was more often a good thing than not.

[Ben Kenobi]

“No confirmation as of yet.” Came word from the pilot as the tiny flotilla of GR-75 Medium Transports continued to ply onwards, every passenger that beheld a window seat was plastered to the viewport, watching as the absolute titanic form of the Ultimatum grew ever larger. For such a vast ship it was certainly impressive of speed. It was that and the slow pace of the GR-75s as they fought through atmosphere which by the comparison was a sloth’s pace next to even the slowest starship that cruised through the vacuum.

Even as the flotilla picked up speed once they began to break out of the atmosphere and dive deep into the extended reaches of low orbit into high orbital anchor and beyond into the outlying space, they still had no way of outpacing the Executor for its angle of attack and prestigious use of her mighty drives pressed an advantage that could never be expunged. It was mentioned before and it was all too concurrent in Ferro’s mind; all it would take would be the grouchy disposition of a gunner and their worlds would come crashing down. “No,” Ferro spoke aloud, “the confirmation is set already.” The pilot kept his eyes on his displays though no doubt he and all who heard him would be curious. “Our confirmation is that we’ve not been plucked out of the sky by now.”

Looks grazed Ferro with disbelief though few with understanding. “I’m the last man who’d ever express gratitude to the Empire. But gentlemen,” he pointed to the lengthy dagger approaching Eshan, “there’s someone aboard that ship right there that is reasonable and determined to see things done right. We owe him our thanks and our lives.”

“Shall I open a channel then sir?”

“Only if you’re out of your kriffing mind pilot.”

The pilot did not respond.

The ten GR-75s finally broke out of the atmosphere and the turbulence melted away into the wake of a dark blanket of glittering stars. Behind them the gemstone of Eshan still dwarfed the view and would do so for quite some time. Current estimates mentioned that they would reach the natural gravity well of Eshan in roughly thirty minutes though the scans interpreted the ongoing spatial anomalies would continue to divert their jump for an additional two and a half hours of flight time. Ferro knew that these were the Interdictors still affecting the area. Honestly he didn’t blame them, he’d have done the same thing in this situation. To be honest the current projection was lenient on the Empire’s part; Interdictor Cruisers were capable of either passively projecting their artificial gravity wells over a vast area or actively projecting a more concentrated bubble or a series of them at a great distance. If they Imperials so desired they could deny hyperspace to the GR-75 formation for an extreme amount of time without even so much as altering their own course.


Needless to say, they would be flying in a straight line and as casually as possible. A lot could happen in two and a half hours and short of requesting the Imperial Navy lower their gravity well projectors, which they most certainly would not nor would the question be asked, they were stuck on this course of action.

By the good graces of the Imperial Navy were they still alive and would they remain that way in addition to the fact that they were even permitted to exit the system under these circumstances. Ferro would not complain, it could be much worse…

[Silas Karn]

There were no fakes or elaborate schemes to employ as Idaan’s transport made its way past the sundered heap of an orbital station. The imperial gunships were swift to join the lumbering shuttle as they began to guide it to the targeted destination. The former monarch steeled her nerves as she awaited the final docking procedure. The point of no return was soon reached as a tractor beam was applied to the final approach. Within the hour the transport was stowed within the Ultimatum’s auxiliary hangar.

“It has been an honor serving as your leader. Just remember these humans lack our longevity and this may eventually be seen as just a minor hiccup,” Idaan spoke bidding her attendants farewell Idaan exited the shuttle. There was little left to be done until the empire completed its logistical procedures. As the company assigned to receive Idaan arrived to meet her the noble bowed before speaking first, “As promised I have arrived without condition. If you would allow I am sure those who have brought me here have matters to attend to.”

[Professor Mors]

"Your compliance does not go unappreciated M'lady", Doren affirmed, inclining his upper torso to reciprocate the noblewoman's greeting, "If your shuttle crew's desire is to accompany the departing Prince, they are free to leave". The Captain paused, and raised a stern, emphatic finger, "I would caution them to make haste however, as the gravity wells will be deactivated for a punctually short interval". Turning to the side, Vassyl extended a guiding hand, and invited Idaan to walk astride him, "I trust your journey here was agreeable if not comfortable. For future travels, I can assure you that only the finest luxury liners will be at your full disposal". A knot formed in the Captain's stomach. He was doing his best to dodge the gundark in the room, but reality was seldom conspicuous.

If the Queen Mother went anywhere, it would be far more similar to relocating an inmate than an actual scenic get-away. Of course, she would have no binders, and have the freedom of personal possessions, dietary options, and sites of internment. So long as she behaved, there would be, in theory, no issue. Still, periphery concerns about the contamination of Idaan's ideals had not been voiced subtly or modestly. The arranged meetings between mother and daughter were a pressing debate, even as the actual reclamation of Eshan was well underway. At this time, there was no clear consensus on what was to be done. To that end, in private, Doren felt the utmost pity for the woman, and Her Esteemed Majesty.

"Ah", Vassyl exclaimed, switching gears to a slightly-more neutral topic, "I seem to have forgotten my manners". Turning about, Doren brought the procession to a pause, and extended another explanatory hand out to two masked individuals at the immediate flank, "To ensure Your Ladyship's safety and wellbeing, I present Captain Yeltov, and his lauded colleagues from the Imperial Guard". The crimson-clad warrior said nothing and remained silent, almost motionless. The slightest lowering of the head was all the acknowledgement the silver-haired aristocrat would receive for the moment. Vassyl's gaze shifted from one peerless warrior to the next, as he moved to introduce one iron-clad Zabrak, "Likewise, Inquisitor Prazutis, one of our best field agents, will assist the Guard Unit while you travel to the Deep Core".

Far above the Captain and his sordid attempts at keeping an air of harmony, hangar operators and their various comm techs quickly relayed the acquisition of the Lady Null to the command bridge. A sullen Yaht Yawehb was hardly amused, especially at the thought of disengaging the interdictor generators. Still the man, despite his volatile nature, was a loyal servant of the Empire. He had his orders and missions parameters. Even if he fundamentally disagreed with the present game plan, he would honor the will of the High Command. "Hail the Detainer and the Grappler", the Commodore groaned loudly, "Have them freeze their fields for the next thirty minutes. If the traitors can't make their exit in that span of time- good riddance".

[Neive Undant]

Prazutis thought to himself as he watched the incoming ship, resting his armor's right hand near his lightsaber in case of any foolish attempts to fight. There would be no point in these traitors fighting, as they were aboard the largest ship in the entire fleet, and one of the largest the Empire owns. However, it was always best to stay aware of what others around you were doing. They could have a group of suiciders or guerrillas in the ship and without people on watch... they would never see it coming when a captain is gunned down.

Prazutis waited for Vassyl to finish his talk with the Queen, only giving an obligatory bow and a "M'lady" as his name was mentioned before returning to his silence, keeping his senses focused both on those within the ship and on the Queen. These were the rogues in the situation. No matter the name, no matter the reputation, Prazutis needed to keep watch of all of them. because he knew how the Alliance worked... if they were in league with them, he had to keep a close eye on them. If he didn't, then it could very well spell disaster for the Empire.

However, hearing that Prazutis would be on the detail taking the Queen into the inner core sectors, Prazutis stayed silent, yet cursed within himself. This whole ordeal was only a glorified prisoner transfer, he thought to himself. Although she was a priority, he didn't like the idea of sitting on a transport while people like Vassyl were still handling things above Eshan, with hardly any security. One individual with ideas of defecting, betraying the Empire... and the Empire could suffer losses that Prazutis could easily stop.

But not while he was guarding a lone prisoner.

However, he made no protest, as it was the will of his superior ranked. And because of this, he only hoped he could soon have the opportunity to become a high inquisitor. His reputation was one that many inquisitors would see as a glorified Sith, what with his interactions with the holocron, his jedi kill count, and his brutality towards his enemies. However, what many didn't notice:

No count of civilian harm or death from his missions
No counts of friendly fire
And only one count of failure. However, it could hardly be called that, as he obtained what he needed, even after he was beaten.

Altogether, only a few steps stood between him and moving up the ladder of the inquisitorious ranks. However, he knew there were a few that would despise such an act. And for them... he had to prove that his intent was for the Empire alone. The end justified the means, in his opinion. It always has.

[Zuno Drallac]

Two grey dots in a sea of white, that’s all private Zuno and his comrade were in the welcoming committee. The use of so many stormtroopers in addition to the royal guard to receive one high priority asset was outrages. It was a complete overstep of one’s position just to show off his influence and command. Yet standing here amongst it, Zuno couldn’t help but relish in the show and it made him long for a day he could command legions.

Zuno and the other soldier from the Imperial Armed Forces stayed two steps behind the Captain and the Inquisitor at all times despite their little significance. They would not drop their guard just because they were surround by their betters in the Stormtrooper Corp and the Royal Guard. The Falleen watched the Lady of Eshan, studying here for anything that might betray her but found none. Either she had nothing to hide or the Echani woman was quite adept at controlling here outward emotions.

[Ben Kenobi]

The GR-75 formation continued to plough through the depths of space at a steady pace. Sometime during the flight, a testament to the power and speed even of such a mighty behemoth, the Ultimatum also continued its flight towards Eshan and in doing so the mammothian vessel speared itself through the sun and cast its heavy shadow over the GR-75s. It was a frightening thing as they were still well over fifty kilometers or more away from it and yet it still was massive enough to block out the sun. Ferro failed to hide his worry as his eyes were still glued to the viewport.

Many times the Colonel rushed to the cockpit and asked the crew if they were still even moving or not as he expressed his frustrations. Time and again they responded that their engines were in the red lines and being over taxed, clearly there was nothing that could be done at this time. That was fact until oddly enough the signal came from the Ultimatum to the receipt of the Heir Apparent Zell. A firm farewell and advisory note stating that the gravity wells would be lowered for a thirty minute window. With a gracious smile the crews of the GR-75s eased their engines to cruising speed as not to stress them more and then they awaited the Imperial Navy to show them the door.

Within moments just as proffered the anomalies that were distorting the navicomputers dissipated and ‘clear skies’ presented themselves. Immediately the crews got to work with jump calculations and by the time the ten craft formation reached an appropriate jump point the preliminary jump coordinates had been set.

The jump was nothing intricate but rather it was just something to get them outside of the Eshan System in an immediate sense where they would then exit hyperspace and be given the necessary time needed to plot a more specific route through Imperial Space and across the Prelemian where they would find final asylum within the Alliance. The journey in these slow civilian transports would likely take days and they would be long boring days full of defeated thoughts of a homeworld lost, but they were days that had been given to them all the same.

Zell appeared at the cockpit window and he gazed upon the length of the Executor’s daggered form, he spoke nothing but his eyes held a quiet disposition of checked anger in them. The Empire had ruined his life. They’d taken his sister from him, his father was a fugitive, now they’d robbed him of his mother and his home. From a certain point of view and a little conversation some of these factors could be swayed, but Zell was young and impressionable even though he was highly intelligent for his age. This day would be long remembered for him and it was likely he’d harbor animosity in his heart for a long time. It was hard to say though… time healed wounds of the heart, perhaps in time he would see this differently too.

Ferro placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “I’m sorry Zell, I truly am.” He nodded to the pilot and the piloting pair activated the hyperdrive. One after another the ten GR-75 Medium Transports shot away from Eshan… they would likely never return…