Outpost Alpha-832

[Rhoden Carbine]

Another volley of turbolaser fire slammed into the Hydra, alarms blared and the deck shook violently. "Get us the hell out of here, Commander!" Rhoden yelled, squinting against the sting of smoke and brilliant flashes. "Where to?!" Lieutenant Commander Mercado screamed back, holding herself steady on a console. "Anywhere!" Rhoden said as he was thrown against the wall. "Go, go, go!" She yelled at the nav officer. There was a wheezing shudder and the stars vanished into the blue swirls of hyperspace. "That--that was a bling jump, ma'am." the officer said over the relative quiet that had fallen on the bridge. "I wouldn't recommend staying in hyperspace for more than ten minutes this way." he said. "Right, in ten minutes drop us out." she replied. "And then we can begin repairs--and transmit our distress signal." she added.


The hyperspace swirled away into the bright points of stars as the Hydra reverted to realspace. Rhoden looked out of the array of windows and received a shock. "Er--well I doubt we'll be running into anyone... but... begin scanning the area." he said. The Commander walked over and gasped "We're above the galactic disc." she said softly, several crewmen looked up. Reaching out for calm Rhoden asked in a steady voice, "Are long range communications intact?" the communications officer blinked and turned to her console, "Yes, Commander." she said wilting with relief. "Shall I begin transmitting a distress signal?" she asked. Rhoden nodded to her, relieved himself.

"Sir, we're picking up an object off the port bow." the sensor officer reported squinting at his display. "It appears to be several asteroids of varying size." Rhoden looked out and saw the asteroids, the largest was easily ten times the size of the Hydra, if not larger. "We're getting some odd readings, sir." the sensor officer added looking rather confused. "Hostiles?" Rhoden asked raising an eyebrow. "No, nothing like that, it's just something I've never seen before..." he trailed off.

Rhoden raised both eyebrows now, "Take us in." he said gesturing to the helmsman. The ship moved slowly--far too slowly, Rhoden though darkly as he looked out once more at the flames--towards the asteroids and stopped right next to them. "I'm no scientist, sir. But it looks like we've got some new microorganisms and metals scattered through here." Rhoden cupped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, when help gets here we'll have something interesting to report--aside from our damage anyways." he said. He also happened to be thinking about how distant the location was, far from prying eyes and unlikely to simply be happened upon. An ideal place for not only some research into this new discovery, but perhaps a base of operations for the Task Force.

Indeed Rhoden could see a base in such a location being of great use to his Task Force, and an ideal beginning to expanding the force. Of course the idea behind the Task Force Inferno was to operate on a smaller scale but there were always situations that could use more firepower, nothing near so large as a Star Destroyer of course... but a few more cruisers, perhaps some anti-fighter ships, just something to bolster the force and aid in its efforts.

"Vessel responding to distress, coming in now." the comm officer reported, eyes widening "Sir, it's... it's the Grey Wolf." Rhoden's eyebrows went higher still, apparently he would be pitching his plans for a base far sooner than expected. He only hoped the Grand Admiral shared his sentiment...

[Ben Kenobi]

Avenger Squadron, notably the foremost top aces in the Imperial Navy, was busy cleaning up the scraps and they did so with absolute and extreme prejudice. Precise volleys eliminated age old T-wing Interceptors and the last pair of ancient looking BTL-A4 Y-wing Bombers that were painted in some collage of greens and yellows to affiliate themselves proudly amongst their, now contained, pirate band. How the filth was allowed to operate this long was in the Grand Admiral’s ire and he would surely see to prod the Council of Moffs for additional funding this quarter to increase Assault Gunboat patrols in the aim to hunt brigands like these down.

Such an operation as this certainly didn’t demand the limited time of one such as Argus Kraiov, though rather than holding a subordinate responsible for tidying this situation up he’d found himself at the command throne of the Grey Wolf where the execution of the operation was done with flawless capacity. Some of the watch looked from the burning debris of the pirate’s owned pair of CR90 Corellian Corvettes as they twisted away, venting atmosphere and littering bodies for kilometers behind them, to look upon the raised setting only to see an emotionless commander rising from his seat and with a billowing trail of his cape he was moving off.

“Sir, well done with the mission. By my count those criminal reprobates suffered more than seventy-five percent casualties in the initial outset. Catching them off guard as you did, brilliant.”

Silence replied to the First Officer as Argus made away though he paused and turned. “Brilliant.” He rolled the word over in his mouth, tasting the syllables and pondering on the word as if he’d never encountered it. “No, Captain.” A blunt comment and another pause took the XO by surprise as the Admiral took a step towards him. With a calm demeanor Argus motioned to the viewport, taking in the destruction they’d caused in the Empire’s name. “Brilliance has no place in the prosecution of war. What would have been truly brilliant was if we’d have convinced these souls the folly of their ways long before the first shot was fired. Now, more than a hundred beings have been spent in pointless rebellion and a military crackdown where otherwise they may have served the Empire faithfully.” He simply shook his head in disagreement. “There is nothing I loathe more than piracy and to see the eradication of their kind is a long hearted goal of mine.” Glancing to the viewport his eyes solidified in resolve. “That this is only a speck of a so-called victory in a much longer and extended campaign that will surely never end; I take pride in the action of our men at arms, the glory of this victory belongs to them, Captain, not myself.”

Argus turned away and began to march towards the turbolift, “I want a salvage team on the wreckage immediately. Any and all survivors will be detained separately and interrogated until they have produced every notion of information our interrogators can squeeze from them. Once determined they are forthcoming with all the appropriate data, execute them for their treason and dump their bodies out an airlock.” The disdain Argus felt for pirates did not escape this situation and he was unrepentant in the sentencing of the survivors. “I’ve no need of prisoners and the Empire doesn’t hold a policy of rehabilitation for criminals of this sort.”

“At once sir, anything else?”
“Yes, Captain.” Argus snapped as he reached the turbolift and awaited for the doors to part. “Salvage their navicomputers as best you can. I want to know where they’ve been and where they were going. If we’ve not heard the last of this ilk then neither have they of us. We’ll track down their rebellious associates and reflect our displeasure to them as well. Any identifications you can key in on from the party in question, get them; I want home of origin, occupational history, prior teachers and instructors… family. Get Director Clara Sond on this; I want the ISB involved and I want arrests being made before the end of business today.”

“Of course, sir.” The Captain looked to his datapad as Argus entered the turbolift and the doors began to close. With a reaction of heavy interest the Captain shot his hand into the turbolift doors and the emergency sensors only just kept the lift doors from crushing his hand.

“Captain, you could have simply asked me to hold the lift a moment.” Argus retorted amusingly.

Stammering a response, he collected himself and delivered that which he’d just been made privy to. “Admiral Kraiov, sir. We’ve just received a dispatch on our priority frequency; The Hydra is transmitting a distress call.”

Argus’ curious grin vanished and he strode from the turbolift aiming to march right back to the command chair. “Out with it then, Captain. What details do we have?”

“They came under heavy turbolaser fire at approximately 0913 hours GST. Opposition sprang an ambush with overwhelming numbers. Hydra returned fire and began maneuvering. By 0928 hours the Hydra’s shields were failing though they’d maneuvered outside of the opposition’s gravity wells. At 0930 the Hydra initiated a… a blind jump, sir.”

“Blind jump.” Argus hissed back in both disgust and trepidation. Blind jumps were notorious for shooting ships right into stars or close enough to them that the jumping ship would survive the encounter only to ricochet off and be nothing less than atomized. Without calculating a jump, any number of variables could very easily send an officer and his entire command to their doom. They were only to be done with the utmost urgency and even then there was a high percentage of chance that they would never exit out of hyperspace on the other side again. “Continue, Captain.” Argus spat as he took a seat and brought up the holo of the distress signal and its location. A curious look spread upon Argus’ features.

“Well they seem to have survived the encounter, sir. At approximately 0940 the Hydra began her transmission and we responded in a general call.” He lowered his datapad and looked to his commanding officer, “Your orders, Grand Admiral?”

Argus studied the relayed information and noted, “This signal is… above the galactic plane. Not entirely unheard of but not something done without…” he smiled, “…an unwelcome blind jump through uncharted territory.”

“Captain,” Argus alerted his subordinate, “begin charting a course of intercept. We’re moving to go and assist our colleagues, though we will do so with a bit more care I should think.” He looked down to his command console, “Looks like we’re nearly wrapped up here, within the hour at best.” Returning his gaze to the Captain he nodded, “Get our best on this, Captain. I want those calculations in fifty minutes, and double checked as well.” Again Argus got up from his seat and departed the bridge. “Clock is on, Captain. And do respond to the Hydra. It shall take some doing but we’ll be to them as soon as humanly possible.”

“Aye sir,” responded the Captain as he began barking orders to the Navigations Station as well as the Comms Station. In a short time the response to the Hydra was delivered that the Grey Wolf was working on the situation and by then the Navigation pit of the bridge was deep in their process of calculating an accurate jump through hyperspace to the presented location…

[Rhoden Carbine]

Rhoden spent the next hour running around the ship overseeing various repairs and relaying orders personally. And inspecting personally the damage and losses of his charges. He entered the mess hall, now filled with the men, women, and bodies that would not fit in the medical bay. He saw the remnants of fires, the mangled remains of crewman and droid alike, he smelled the acrid smoke of burned electronics, the nauseating stench of charred flesh.

Finally he returned to the bridge, deep down he felt his emotions swirling. Anger, pain, sorrow, and many more--but an Imperial officer did not have the luxury of submitting to such things. No, Rhoden remained outwardly calm and composed as he consulted his datapad. "Shields operational, hull breaches sealed--further repairs pending, all damaged engines are back online--operating at minimal power only." he said. Lieutenant Commander Mercado gave a brisk nod, she was not taking the experience as well as Rhoden was--though he had admittedly had more experience with such matters than he was truly comfortable with.

Rhoden turned to Jorvan and Haly who were standing close together, speaking quietly. They looked up as he approached, "Rhoden," Haly said, glancing at Jorvan who simply nodded encouragingly "This... ambush..." she said, seeming to search for an appropriate word to describe the encounter "proves that we need a base of operations, besides the Hydra I mean." she continued, gaining confidence. "It could contain more advanced equipment covering a wider range than we have aboard ship, and right now we could use a repair facility." she finished. Jorvan nodded his agreement, "And it wouldn't hurt to squeeze a few more ships out of the Grand Admiral either." he said with a smile.

Rhoden grinned, "Way ahead of you, Haly. And you, Jorvan." he said. "Yes, I'll be seeing what I can do about that." he said. Haly's lip twitched as she walked off, brushing her hand over Rhoden's shoulder as she passed. Jorvan watched her go, looked at Rhoden for a moment, and left himself. Lieutenant Commander Mercado waited for the discussion to cease and moved forward, "Sir, the Grey Wolf has arrived." she said. "Acknowledged. Request a meeting and prepare the shuttle. You, me, Haly, and Jorvan." he said. The Commander nodded briskly and turned, her previous troubles had vanished under an air of professionalism. Rhoden left the bridge for his quarters, he would need to change into his uniform.

[Ben Kenobi]

Forty-two minutes.

It was the time that the Grey Wolf’s navigational team had taken to supply the navicomputers with appropriate coordinates of the Hydra and an acceptable course. By all means it should have taken many days for the Wolf to travel the distance through uncharted territory to safely arrive to the Hydra’s side though the time was diminished altogether due to the Hydra’s recorded data which the Grey Wolf used along with precise triangulation between the two Imperial Naval vessels and Bastion proper; and it would be foolish not to give credit to a bit of blind luck that the stars were aligned only so well that the trip only required some minor course corrections.

Needless to say the Grey Wolf entered hyperspace and arrived without incident, a point of fact that made Argus all too pleased to acknowledge though his pleasure was canceled out once his eyes fell upon the Hydra.

With a thunderclap the mammothian Star Destroyer, the Grey Wolf, breached hyperspace and translated at a short distance behind the Hydra, blanketing the Enforcer Heavy Cruiser in a grand shadow which only served to hide the freshly made scars briefly as the Grey Wolf pulled to the far side and came to a holding position. Immediately Avenger Squadron was launched as well as two dozen Viper Probe Droids.

The probe droids would make thourough scans of the area of which even these mighty starships may miss while scouting out the physical terrain of the vicinity; if there were any unwelcome guests here, they would be snuffed out. Avenger Squadron’s TIE Defenders broke apart into Flight Groups and began orbiting the Hydra and the Grey Wolf, providing a first line security element that if anyone was so foolish to pry where their noses didn’t belong then the Avengers would express the firm backhand of Imperial Justice upon them.

Within the next few minutes the bridge crew of both the Hydra and Grey Wolf coordinated with one another and in moments a small fleet of ships from the Grey Wolf began heading towards the Hydra’s hangar; primary medical teams with additional supplies to assist in the triage of patients. Those able to be moved would be transferred to the Grey Wolf for the larger medical bays therein. Those unable to be moved would be given priority as top surgeons made their way over to the Hydra where emergency care was to be given and Throne willing, good Imperial lives would be saved from a lesser fate that would otherwise seek them out.

The Grand Admiral remained onboard the Grey Wolf, intent on receiving the Commander and his cadre. Obviously there was some explaining to do and retribution to be delivered; Argus would not let this ambush go without fierce reprisal. In the mean time the next wave moving to the Hydra would be teams of engineers and technicians to assist in other critical repairs to further stabilize the cruiser and get her back into fighting shape.

In the nearest ready room from the Grey Wolf’s hangar, Argus awaited the arrival of Commander Carbine with a measure of patience, though he was very interested in hearing about the status of the Hydra and her crew but also about the most recent developments of the cunning fox who’d caught Rhoden in a trap and perhaps most intriguing of all… about this place he’d accidentally discovered by happen chance.

[Rhoden Carbine]

"Markus Bareil." Rhoden said after the formalities were out of the way. "He was the leader of the pirate group that 'rescued' me from my shuttle crash some twenty years ago." he continued feeling anger beginning to swirl in his stomach. "He used me as a very effective soldier until I began to piece together some of my lost memories--I slaughtered most of the group, it seems he crawled his way out of the hole I left him in." he said, his voice a growl. He felt indescribable rage at the man who had, by Rhoden's account, lead to many years of unnecessary searching and blaster dodging.

Rhoden took a deep breath and let it out, "We were investigating a small asteroid field for evidence of a destroyed Alliance Intelligence ship--hopefully containing something useful. Instead several CR-90's and Nebulon frigates jumped out of hyperspace, one of the ships was modified with a gravity well projector. We were massively outgunned and pinned between asteroid and Bareil. We managed to destroy the interdicting ship, but we were drawing heavy fire. We made a blind jump" Rhoden went over the necessary details, "And here we are, above the galactic disc next to this intriguing specimen." he finished.

Rhoden fixed his gaze solidly upon the Grand Admiral, "This locaiton is supremely secure given its unusual location." Rhoden said, "As such I think it may be time to consider outfitting a base for the Task Force to utilize." he continued, "The Hydra carries much advanced equipment but a base could hold more still, as well as provide us with more facilities for leisure, training, medical treatment and--as in this instance--repairs." Rhoden said. "Furthermore it would facilitate the eventual expansion of the force, for as I think has been aptly proven we cannot function in our intended role without more vessels." Rhoden finished.

Indeed, the Inferno Squad of the Task Force's origins had operated well from one vessel--a vessel smaller still than the Hydra, but its role had been by and large different from that of task Force Inferno. The Task Force was meant to operate as an elite force operating against enemies of the Empire--acting as a mobile strike group capable of dealing great damage to larger facilities and the like. Whereas their predecessors had been for all intents and purposes an elite infantry/fighter unit--and further considering their traitorous acts they had not been very good at that job.

"I have compiled a detailed list of requests for such a base, in addition to a full battle report including my personal notes on the battle--and Bareil himself." Rhoden said, pulling out a datacard and setting it in front of the Admiral. Jorvan and Haly, in their own uniforms, remained silent. Lieutenant Commander Mercado, Rhoden suspected, would have something to say at some point however she presently appeared to be in deep thought.

"in any event," Rhoden said, "We have detected several unidentifiable compounds and organisms in this area--and it would serve us well to look into setting up a research facility here, several of these asteroids are more than large enough to foster as such." Rhoden concluded, sitting down now and bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose--he had developed a rather severe headache. Lowering his hand he turned and waited while the Grand Admiral thought over his suggestion.

[Ben Kenobi]

Rhoden’s information wasn’t pleasing to the Grand Admiral and as he mentioned the pirate, Argus inserted the datacard given to him into the holoprojector terminal and a holo image of this so-called ‘Captain’ Markus Bareil phased into view; a strapping fellow with an over confident glare that was full of arrogance and self preservation, it was the look of someone that held a deep grudge and was foolish enough to pursue that grudge even if it meant reprisal so long as he held the last word in the personal dispute. Of course that analysis was only of Argus’ first glance at the man, but he couldn’t help but not profile the brigand. A man who held the capability to field such assets and harry a vessel of the Imperial Navy and who was bold enough to do so despite knowing that fact was a man that earned the chagrin of Kraiov.

Argus leaned back in his seat, never relieving his eyes of the criminal mastermind as Rhoden divulged his information. A full data logged report was also downloaded and presented, Argus pulled it up and frowned heavily at the sheer amount of damage the Hydra had sustained and the loss of crew incurred. Those men were handpicked to serve onboard the Hydra, their replacement wouldn’t come swiftly or without a cost.

Committing the man to memory and vowing a campaign of revenge against him upon the conclusion of such, Markus Bareil would be made an example of to all those who would oppose the Empire. He was prepared to move on and Rhoden’s presentation did just that in identifying specific needs and desires for a more expanded unit. It keyed on Argus’ own designs in how Inferno Squad had been broken down and rebuilt into Task Force Inferno, which even in the name implied a unitary investment of a larger detachment. Argus was pleased that this point wasn’t lost on Rhoden Carbine and as such the future of Inferno was set into motion.

What he was proposing was a vast investment however; it would require this endeavor to construct an outpost ‘above’ the galactic plane in which initially would be extremely vulnerable as in it would have nearly zero support. It would have to become a station that was capable of at least a full cycle of self sustainability since the star patterns were always in motion and hyper jump course calculations would constantly need to be remapped and maintained and on those occasions where mapping was impossible due to stellar complications; the station would need to be capable of surviving for long periods of time without resupply, reinforcement and naval support if needs be. It would need some of the most advanced power generation equipment available simply to ensure that the communications gear was strong enough to transmit in real time to any location it needed as well as powering the defensive arrays necessary for protecting the base itself and the outlying areas. Fuel concerns immediately piqued an interest as it wouldn’t be cheap to fund fuel shipments to this far flung station and running out of fuel would be a constant concern for if the station ever, throne forbid, go ‘dry’ then ninety percent of everyone onboard would perish within twenty-four hours from the horrific freezing temperatures alone.

It was also known that alien races from beyond the galaxy exist and so there were these concerns too as well as threats from within the galaxy. Piracy, if they discovered the supply routes to this outpost, would be able to make a substantial career of raiding the lanes. Rebels would stop at nothing to prevent the Empire from exploiting this sort of strike capability despite the fact that in truth, the strike capability was limited due to the stellar shift of the stars preventing jumps at will into the galaxy proper without express time in calculations and even then the danger was severe.

The numbers alone were deterrent enough. Argus remained impassive as Rhoden delivered his pitch. “As it stands, Commander, there are many concerns with this location. While the Imperial Military doesn’t need to ask permission from the Council of Moffs for strategic concerns, we do have to go to them for funding our operations. This is a tough sell.” He didn’t want to shoot the idea down; by all means Rhoden had found a fascinating place and it could be instrumental in executing the Task Force’s needs for a more effective unit, but the differences here were clear.

Why spend untold millions on building an outpost with massive risk and beyond support, when we could simply refurbish a decommissioned base that already has the foundations, prime location and support necessary for a fraction of the cost?

“I want Inferno’s needs and desires to be realized more than most. A well supplied fighting force is worth far more than one that doesn’t have fuel, food and boots.” He paused and nodded, “You’ll get your base, Commander Carbine, but you’re going to have to convince me as to why it needs to be here in this stretch of ‘nowhere,’ instead of safely tucked away within the Interior.”

He gazed out the viewport and took in the view. It was truly spectacular; not many get the chance to see the Galaxy from this angle. Then, the minerals took his interest, a byproduct of chance no doubt, though to see a new potential iron or fuel; that alone was a fantastic reason to at least send some mining droids out here to strip this place down. Rhoden’s research initiative would certainly benefit far more to know what these materials are capable of and how best to break them down and utilize them in a conservative manner. But shipping them back into the Interior would also be something worthwhile all the same.

Indeed, Rhoden was facing an uphill battle, yet Argus was willing to let him sell this pitch and see it done.

[Rhoden Carbine]

Rhoden listened to the Grand Admiral’s response and grimaced inwardly. “Yes, such an endeavor will be costly, but the benefits for Imperial operations would far outweigh the costs.” Rhoden said.

“Firstly, there are many communications, relays and sensors that are no longer in any term of widespread use today.” Rhoden said, “Most of these devices understandably come from the Empire’s experimental programs--there were many unique projects that were lost during the Battle of Scarif.” Rhoden continued, “Despite the waning presence of such systems--or their incompletion--there is sufficient data within Imperial databanks to build such a system.”

Rhoden paused now, to consider, there were several assets he could make use of, many more theoretical options as well, “I believe with this technology and some Shadowguard ingenuity we could produce a system capable of scanning, calculating jumps, and communicating with the rest of the galaxy--with ease.” Rhoden raised a finger in emphasis, “If this system worked--and I do believe it would--that would negate most serious issues with reaching the destination, and would also allow any vessel at this location to reach more systems in greater haste than would be possible within anywhere else in Imperial space.”

Rhoden remained silent for several more moments, then spoke again “Now, as for supply and such--even with communication and jump calculations presumably handled--this station would need to be more self-sufficient.” Rhoden keyed up a document and set it to appear on the table’s holographic display. “These biodomes would easily fit within the asteroid--leaving much room to spare--and would provide not only a natural oxygen supply but if populated with the appropriate organisms could be used to produce power for the station.” Rhoden said, keying another document “In addition we could store enough fuel cells, reactors, and equipment to keep the base running for several years on its own--critical systems only, to be sure, but it would not take quite so long to reach the station in instance of crisis.”

“Acting under the assumption that it would be rather difficult for hostile forces to locate--let alone attack--a base of this nature we can write threat to it as minimal, but implementing a well-rounded weapons array would be of minimal concern compared to the other needs of the station, fortunately.” Rhoden said, “The secureness and isolation of this location also provides benefits to Task Force Inferno’s delicate nature, as well as any secure research to be done.” Rhoden paused once more, and rubbed at his temple “I need not state the benefits to the Task Force for operating in shadows--so to speak--but as for research; the open space and isolation allows for experiments to be run without consequence, distraction, or concern of space.” Rhoden finished.

“There’s much more that could be said on the subject, to be sure, I have compiled several documents for the case. I need only consult with a few others for any additions and the like, and then I can present the data to you.” Rhoden concluded. His head was pounding, “Some refreshments, tea, perhaps.” he muttered. Haly turned, glanced at the Admiral, and called for the beverage. Commander Mercado was looking at Rhoden with some concern, “If you’d like, sir. I can continue your presentation--I’ve looked it over a few times.” she said. Rhoden smiled, “No, it’s simply been a long day. A nice cup of tea and I’ll be fine--besides, even if I leave the meeting there is much to do back on the Hydra.” he responded. The Commander grimaced, but said nothing more.

[Ben Kenobi]

Shadowguard technology, this was something Argus had always been a bit skeptical of; not for their efficiency in the field but rather that their origin wasn’t purely constructed from an Imperial Factory. Clearly the Shadowguard held a vast strategic value as they’d already proven, but it was the unknowns that gave the Grand Admiral discomfort, it was the nature of the man himself. Things he lacked understanding of instantly took a firm seating into a pool of dislike and mistrust. That said, this time, he brushed the phase away and instead of closing himself out he delved into the information Rhoden was presenting.

If Rhoden could find a way to make his theories into an active practice, the benefits of that alone were well worth the numerics that would litter the funding bill. Not to mention, if some of this tech were to be shared after it had been refined, Black Star Systems would be a private company bold enough to undertake shipping to this far flung reach of space at a potentially discounted rate to relieve costs.

Granted, anything developed for this case in point would be specific to the station and wouldn’t be Empire-changing, that said Argus still felt the raw value in pursuing this. The documents were very detailed and would take some time to study over them and do them some justice rather than a cursory glance and so Argus took the digital copies and saved a file to his personal terminal in his office on the bridge of the Grey Wolf. For the time being however his eyes shot to key elements and followed along with Carbine’s presentation. It was well constructed and thought out though the delivery was coarse,

Argus took note of Rhoden’s discomfort and added a small measure of an appetizer to the order of tea. Nothing meal worthy but something fitting enough to settle a twisted stomach that, of course, went well with a chase of some hot tea. They continued the meeting for some time when a silver protocol droid entered with the tray in question and exited promptly afterwards. Argus took up his tea and adjusted it appropriately, sipping it a moment before finally bringing this stage of the presentation to its final leg.

After a moment, Argus began. “I feel confident, due to your own extensive homework on the issue, to go to the Council and drum up the additional funding. Though due to the top secret nature that I wish to keep surrounding Inferno, it will be an increase to the general operations fund instead of revealing to the Council that we’re constructing a new Base of Operations. I want Black Star on this as well, I’ll leave you to those details as to how to recruit them for this initiative, it will not be easy but using them as our project lead would help to keep the word of this Outpost tight lipped. Also, initiate our emergency jump protocols; any jump into and out of this Outpost’s effective range for five lightyears distance needs to be executed via a three jump pattern to make tracing your jumps in and out of system virtually impossible. Anyone breaking that initiative will face punitive action and the full force of the Grand Inquisitor’s ire. Any communications need to be bounced to an outlying satellite array so that they also, cannot be easily traced.”

He took a nice length of tea in and enjoyed it as his mind raced through security measures and additional directives though he knew of very few that Commander Rhoden wouldn’t think of already that he’d not listed himself. “Obviously this is simply the first stage of this Outpost.” He slid the chair out a bit, an action that let everyone know he was about to get up and they responded in smart Imperial Military precision, “Let us adjourn for the night. Go and get some rest, you and your team; in the morning you should convene with your team and begin drawing up some design plans for the base and you can shoot them over via holo at,” he checked his datapad and nodded, “0900 hours. We’ll get some engineers to take a look and see if we have a prefabricated station that will fit your needs temporarily.” Argus also knew Rhoden needed to get back to the Hydra and oversee her immediate repairs; surely it would take weeks to see her fighting fit again but his presence alone was a big motivation to the crew, their efficiency depended on him.

“I,” he paused with vexation, “will deal with communication to the Council to acquire our funding.” He finally stood up and made to exit the Ready Room, “Do find some time to tend to your own wounds, Mr. Carbine. Sometimes a bleeding appendage is the least of our worries.” He of course referred to concussive trauma, if Rhoden had been knocked around on the bridge during the skirmish, his headaches could be connected to a low level or even a moderate concussion. Rest, the refresher station and a hot meal would fix him right as rain…

[Rhoden Carbine]

Rhoden noted the Admiral's discomfiture at the mention of the Shadowguard. The response was minimal, seen in the eyes and minuscule changes in posture. Rhoden smiled as he received a cup of tea, and some small biscuit--or some such item--and he felt markedly better after some of the refreshments.

Rhoden returned to the Hydra at the conclusion of the meeting and proceeded to submit himself to a medical droid, followed by a date with a refresher and several hours of sleep. He was awoken by a ping from the comm unit in his quarters, “Sir, we have two shuttles inbound--one Lambda and one Shadowguard. We have confirmed that Black Star has received your transmission as well.” Lieutenant Commander Mercado said. Blinking himself awake Rhoden responded “Acknowledged, have them meet me in Ready Room 1 along with the rest of Inferno Squad, and the senior officers.”

Ten minutes later Rhoden entered the ready room with his uniform on and a considerably more comfortable disposition than that which he had bore into the Grand Admiral’s presence. He surveyed the men and women within the room. The familiar faces of the Inferno Squad members, the familiar--if older--faces of some more distant Shadowguard acquaintances, and the new faces of several prominent and reliable Imperial personnel. “To the familiar faces: It is good to see you again.” Rhoden said, smiling slightly “To new faces: It is good to meet you.” he nodded to the Imperials “We are here to design a base of operations for Task Force Inferno, you have all been briefed on relevant information. Let’s begin.”

“Commander Grylstow, you and your team have the Shadowguard schematics and blueprints.” Rhoden indicated the grisled man sitting on the right side of the table. Grylstow gave a sharp nod, pressed a button and holoimages began flashing past in front of him. “Very good. Mr. Qoln and his team have the appropriate counterpoints to these.” Rhoden said, gesturing to the left now. “The Outpost will use minimal Shadowguard technology--minor upgrades only for it’s communications and sensor array. However the design of the base will be a hybrid between Imperial and Shadowguard.” Rhoden said. Brylstow simply raised his eyebrows, the Imperials shared similar responses to that of the Admiral. Rhoden smiled, “Shall we proceed?”

Qoln pressed another button and a large holoimage of the asteroid cluster appeared in the middle of the table. “Let’s begin with a general idea of what you’ve got in mind.” he said. Rhoden nodded, “Turbolaser and point defense arrays, including deployable weapons satellites, highest rating armor available, most advanced shield systems available, experimental advanced communications/sensor array, science labs to specifications of our consultants, a full Imperial database, analytic and forensic labs fully equipped, one fully equipped medical bay, extensive hangars, equipment, docking, and service bays for up to eight moderately sized ships.” Rhoden said, “There is more here, but I’ve covered the important pieces, now onto the more recreational facilities.” Rhoden consulted his datapad, “Biodomes, holographic facilities, firing ranges, flight simulators, training droids.” Rhoden said, “Personal request from the rest of the squad and senior officers will be compiled and provided.” Qoln nodded, and consulted his datapad, Brylstow rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

The group began discussing and modifying the holoimage as they planned what would be the base. The main asteroid now housed a large gash in its lower third, two large hangars and several smaller ones embedded within, and along the roof and floor of the gash were the skeletal outlines of docking facilities. Atop the asteroid could be seen a command tower, the main operations center of the planned outpost, the base of the command tower housed the generously sized quarters and officers of the Inferno Squad members and senior officers of the Hydra. Around the base of the tower the transparisteel roof of the biodome circled. The inside of the base was a well organized space-efficient array of facilities and rooms for most of Rhoden’s requests so far--the science facilities unrelated to Task Force Inferno’s operations had been moved to one of the smaller surrounding asteroids which was now connected to the main asteroid by a large armored section. The section had been modified to serve as a promenade with a transparisteel domed roof, beneath the floor of which the two asteroids were connected by a network of turbolifts.

Turbolasers and various point defense systems were located across the station and the unoccupied asteroids held torpedo launch tubes. Lining the side of the gash in which the hangars were located racks loaded with weapons satellites. The internal design was constantly in flux and would continue to be added onto as plans proceeded, the quarters for the Inferno Squad members and senior officers alone continued to be altered. The entire station was elegant in its design, where Imperial design was jagged and Shadowguard design sleek, the outpost was smooth curves and intricate yet functional. Rhoden, personally, thought it was rather beautiful. Of course, if this was simply the holographic rendering of the base, the final product would be perfection.

[Rhoden Carbine]

“Now we need to write up a report for the cost of this thing.” Commander Brylstow said, examining the revolving hologram of the station with a gleam in his eye. Rhoden turned to one of the Imperial entourage, “Ms. Eileen Saer.” he said, nodding in her direction. “Let’s first examine the command decks and the quarters associated with them.” she said, pressing a button. The hologram zoomed in on the specified section and several files came up. “Most of the cost here comes from the rare components in that sensor array. Consoles, viewscreens, and armor would be around a quarter million.” she spoke rapidly, typing hastily on a datapad. “A good half million for the communications/sensor array. And another quarter million for the quarters and offices detailed here.” as she spoke and tapped the datapad a running total appeared beneath the station.

“The hangar area,” she said, and the hologram switched to that section. “A full million for the docking and service ports. Let’s say a good one and a half million for the hangars themselves. A half million for the clamps and weapons satellite storage. Three million total, easy enough.” she said continuing to tap at the datapad. Rhoden didn’t even bother to respond, he knew a thing or two about finances but it frankly wasn’t one of his stronger subjects. “Internal corridors, barracks, droids, turbolift systems. I’d say that’s a good one and a half. The promenade is another million. Add another half million on there for maintenance and droid access throughout the station, etc. etc.” A running total of six million, not too bad, Rhoden thought.

“One million for the holographic systems.” she said next, causing Rhoden to splutter over his fresh cup of tea. She paused but he waved for her to continue as Jorvan and Haly laughed silently. “The holograhpic systems requested are extensive and advanced, so yes, a full million million. As for the various labs and specialized equipment--that takes about another three million.” she said. Ten million total, that escalated quickly. A full million for holographic systems? It was just lights! No matter.

“Now onto personnel costs.” she said. “Training costs would be around two million, datawork costs would be another two million.” Rhoden raised his eyebrows “Well this is a classified station, there’s going to be more work getting people in.” she clarified. “Further droid costs give us another million, feeding and housing add on four million.” Rhoden watched the total cost continue to count upwards. “Transportation, another full million.” Rhoden thought it would be rude to slump back in his chair asleep so he took a large gulp of tea, letting it sear his throat and wake him up.

“Construction and shipping is easy enough, a good ten million.” Rhoden nodded now with tears in his eyes as his throat continued melting. “That’s it, a good thirty million--add another five on there for anything else which might come up, maybe ten.” Rhoden breathed in carefully, “Thank you, Ms. Saer.” he said. “Now, Commander.” he turned to Lieutenant Commander Mercado “If you would be so kind as to deliver this to dear Argus, with my condolences.” She smiled pulled out a datacard--the hologram vanished--and left the room. “I would request that all of you remain on site at least during the initial stages of the station’s construction. Meeting adjourned.” Rhoden finished.

He waited while everyone except Haly and Jorvan left, he then set up a transmission--waited several minutes for it to get through the various security bounces--and then stared at the revolving Inferno Squad logo which was the waiting screen. “Who’re we calling?” Jorvan asked, “Black Star, they can begin work.” he said, Haly raised a single eyebrow “I thought the Admiral had yet to get us our funding?” she asked, “I have full faith in his abilities, besides, if the Moffs won’t fund it we’ll just go rob a bank.” he said. “A Rebel bank.” he added quickly. “Oh it’ll be so good to have somewhere to relax, a nice hot tub, endless supplies of dessert.” Haly said leaning back in her seat as her eyes glazed over, Jorvan rolled his eyes, “I’ll be running battle simulations all day.” Rhoden said, “I’ve still got my favorite Battle of Hoth program.” Jorvan brought his hand to his face, “You’re both ridiculous,” he said “I’ll be spending my free time in the biodome sleeping under a shaded tree.” Rhoden smiled and turned once more to the revolving logo to wait.