SithLore

~Hyperspace on route to Sleheyron, Lambda Class Shuttle, Tribute~

In the escalating Imperial-Alliance war, military recourses were becoming more and more in demand. With the Hutts remaining neutral and happy to make a profit off both warring factions a minor Hutt by the name of Utesh sent a message to the Empire letting them know he was willing to ship them Tibanna gas for a hefty price. The Empire not willing to allow an opportunity to pass them by quickly put together a diplomatic mission to Sleheyron to meet with Utesh the Hutt. Whether on purpose or by accident the Empires newest Falleen Private had been assigned as part of the envoys escort.

“Is this some sort of joke to you Sergeant!?” Yelled Captain Fanle Tanvers, an ages man who’d probably been serving the Empire for longer than most and was probably still in the old Imperial mindset about nonhumans. Tanvers was from the Diplomatic Corps and had been less then pleased when members of the Four-Four-Six had shown up as his escort with a Falleen among their number. “Does Colonel Benroy think I need the help of a Falleen!?” His blue eyes darted over to the reptilian sitting with the other two soldiers before returning to the Sergeant who was clearly not handling the berating very well.

“Sir, if it’s any consolation, we’re merely here to escort you to the meeting with the Hutt, I’m not to participate in the talks,” Private Drallac spoke up from his seat, tired of watching the diplomats display.

“Good!” Tanvers spat back turning away from the sergeant and taking a step towards Zuno. “I don’t need your help just because your people have strong ties to the Criminal underbelly as well! I’ll have you know I’m a seasoned ambassador!”

Drallac smiled, “so you think I’m a criminal sir? That I’m here because I might have a similar mind set to the Hutt?” Zuno knew the older gentleman would know better than to confirm that, to do so would be asking for trouble.

Tranvers got red in the face as he realized his choice of words were a mistake, especially in front of the whole squad. He inhaled deeply. “Of course not,” he finally replied in a much more calm tone, befitting a man of his position. “I merely meant that I know how to handle this situation without any assistance, as you said your job is to get me to the location.” With that his polished boots squeaked on the durasteel floor as he marched off to the cockpit section.

Sergeant Lemsy let out the breath he’d probably been holding since the ship Tribute departed. “Bold move private, effective, but probably not the wisest. May I recommend you try not to make enemies with men who have political clout , they can make the life of a military man hell, especially for you since your career will probably be watched closely.”

Drallac looked to his superior. “Maybe sir, but I was hoping for some peace and quiet on this mission.” His smile turning into a grin. “And I’m sure I’ll grow on the good Captain.”

The sergeant gave a snort in response before taking a seat. “Guess I’ll enjoy the quiet now as well.”

Indeed the rest of the Tribute’s flight through hyperspace was quiet. Privates Krelain and Modis played several games of cards while sergeant Lemsy took a nap. How anyone could so easily sleep in these backseats was beyond Zuno. Most importantly though, Captain Tranvers didn’t come back to the hold. Private Drallac, uninterested in the card game and unable to put in a few zzz, decided to engross himself into his datapad. He began reading up on as much info as he could find about Sleheyron and the Hutts. He felt it best to be prepared for any potential situation that could occur during their short stay in Hutt Space.

“Disengaging Hyperdrive,” came the voice of one of the cockpit crew. “Be ready to disembark in twenty.”

Before Zuno could even look up from his pad, his three comrades were already out of their seats and heading to the the equipment hold to suit up. Private Drallac quickly threw his pad onto the seat next to him and followed suit. Within ten the four soldiers were in their Imperial grey combat armor and doing a final check on their E-11 Blaster rifles. Drallac grabbed his side arm and clipped it to his belt before returning to his seat where he retrieved his pad and slipped it into one of his belt pouches.

What was suppose to be twenty ended up being thirty and the four soldiers stood at attention waiting for the shuttle to finally land. Sergeant Lemsy and Private Drallac took the front of their formation while Privates Krelain and Modis took the rear. It wasn’t until the shuttle touched down and the ramp lowered that the good diplomat finally graced the soldiers with his presence again.

“Well Sergeant Lemsy, lead the way.” The Captain spoke, gesturing towards the lowered ramp.

In almost perfect synchronization the four soldiers reach up and tapped a switch in their helm that made a face mask drop, getting rid of any individuality they had. Minus Drallac who had slightly modified armor on his back to allow room for his protruding spinal ridges. As though to an unheard cadence the four soldiers marched out into the open air of Sleheyron with the Captain firmly between them.

Zuno was for once very happy to have the mask for as they marched out the view of a thousand smoke stacks hung over the city they’d just landed in. Countless factories hard at work creating the fuel for all of Hutt Space. The Falleen had to admit the Hutts were efficient in their work, destructive and cruel, but quite efficient.

At the edge of the landing pad was a Toydarian and two armed Gamorreans clearly waiting for them. The Imperial soldiers came to a halt several feet from this welcoming party, at which point Captain Tranvers stepped forward and entered into dialogue with the Toydarian. Private Drallac, as well as the rest of the squad, remained on alert watching for any potential trouble to show its face.

***Outer Rim Territories***
***Deep Space, Someplace in the Kessel Sector, Grid Coordinates T-10 ***
***CR-90 Corvette The Wayward***

“Is the information good this time?”

“Does it matter Treda?” the Captain asked his Bothan first mate.

“No of course not sir,” Treda’s frustrations were outwardly visible at this point.

“What’s on your mind Treda?”

“It’s just that we keep be tasked with being part to large assaults with limited options for the crew, especially the White Blades we’ve got on board, to get their piece of the action. Well, let's just say sir that if we don't find a way for the teams on board to take out some of their frustrations they'll start taking it out on one another.”

“I agree Treda. This time though, I think we have on good authority that there may be spoils that are ripe for the picking.”

“I sure hope so Captain.”

“Set course for Hutt Space. Elements of the Nightshade Division have sent down word that the Hutts are looking to sell some tibanna gas, and I have a hunch that there may be an opportunity that we can take advantage of.”

“Aye sir. We’ll be underway within the hour.”

“The sooner the better Treda, the sooner the better.”

----

***Outer Rim Territories***
***Hutt Space, Outskirts of the Sleheyron System, Grid Coordinates S-10 ***
***CR-90 Corvette The Wayward***

Several hours after receiving word that the Hutts were looking to sell some tibanna gas on Sleheyron, The Wayward dropped out of space on the edge of the planet’s system.

“Sir, we’ve arrived on the outer reaches of the system.”

“Has our presence been detected?”

“No sir, not yet.”

“Good, ready the crew at this point and sound general quarters. We need to be on our guard. We’re a likely a little late arriving to the party, but hopefully, none of the guests have left yet.”

“Aye sir.”
----
Fortunately for Rane, his team was up as far as any mission activities were concerned. The last several weeks had been a mixed bag for Rane. Most recently, he had been pulling a lot of security duty with Outback Trading, so his time with the crew of The Wayward had been limited. His time away also strained his relationship with his Quarren team leader, Bevek.

“I can still see spots on that boarding armor DeCola. Get it cleaned or I’ll use the skin off your backside to put a shine on it.”

“Aye sir!!”

As Rane continued working to polish and ready the team’s armor, along with an assortment of weapons and other equipment, the alarm for general quarters sounded throughout the ship.

“TEAM UP! You heard me, get your asses suited up now!!!” yelled Bevek.

Rane knew that it was ‘go time’ and he dropped what he was doing and focused his attention on the new task at hand.

The Wayward had gone looking for a fight, and it looked like the ship, her Captain and her crew may have finally found one.