Star Wars: Empire of Treason I/III

[Lord Darkness]

This is a trilogy fanfic I'm currently writing with help from my friend. This is something from part one, more coming soon.
Hope you enjoy this.




Empire of Treason I

The three Star Destroyers glided smoothly over the quiet night-side of planet Thyferra. These were mighty ships, the new Imperial-II Star Destroyers, and these three were some of the first manufactured Mark-Twos. From the planet rose a single dot of light, steadily streaking towards the leading ship – the Doomhammer. Slowly, it dissolved into a Lambda Shuttle. As it approached, it’s wings raised and the ship disappeared under the Doomhammer’s hull.
Now the shuttle was passing through the magnetic field that held the atmosphere in the hangar bay, landing gears slowly extending. With perfect precision, the heavy craft settled in the center of the landing bay. The landing gears gave a slight groan under the ship’s weight and then the hissing sound of a hatch opening was heard. Two squads of stormtroopers jogged towards the shuttle in columns. Each column stoped on one side of the lowered hatch. Boots clang inside the ship and a man wearing Imperial Admiral’s uniform came marching down the opening.
Stormtrooper squad commander saluted, but the Admiral ignored him – his attention was fixed on the man standing in front of him. Captain Yannoc saluted and a slight smile crossed his face, but was quickly gone.
The Admiral, on the other hand, didn’t hide his smile. He returned the salute and gestured in the general direction of the bridge. “Everything under control, Captain Yannoc?â€
Yannoc nodded and straightened his tunic. He raised his chin just a notch. “Yes, sir, Admiral Dennox. Everything under control. I hope your extended shore leave went well?â€
Dennox started walking in the direction of the turbolift, his hand behind his back. “Indeed it was, Captain. It’s always good to come home after an extended campaign.â€
They crossed the rest of the hangar bay in silence, Yannoc ocassionaly glancing in Admiral’s direction. The Admiral seemed more concerned than he should be – with all the shore leave he had. They entered the turbolift and headed to the bridge. Admiral’s expression seemed to be even more concerned now, when they were away from the eyes of other crew. Yannoc even thought he saw some sadness there, some regret. He reached out and stopped the turbolift.
“Dennox, tell me. What’s bothering you?â€
The Admiral leaned heavily against the wall and sighed. He stared at the plating in front of him, not meeting Yannoc’s gaze. Dennox opened his mouth and hesitated. Finally he turned to Yannoc and looked him directly in the eyes.
“Something terrible is going to happen. I can feel it since Ryssa and the kids went to Corellia.â€
Yannoc put a hand on Admiral’s shoulder and gave him a smile. “Dennox, I’m sure they are fine. They’ve probably reached Corellia already.â€
But the Admiral did not return the smile, nor did he seem to relax. His lower lip trembled but he managed to regain control. He looked at the floor, and his voice came hoarse and ragged. “Syras, I haven’t had this feeling since…†He steadied himself by reaching to the wall. “…since the day my parents…†Suddenly, the proud and powerful man that came out of the shuttle just minutes ago seemed terribly weak. Weak and old.
“Listen to me, Zarl. Nothing is going to happen.†Yannoc patted him on the shoulder. “People become depressed sometimes – it happens to me also. But don’t worry, everything is alright. There is nothing that can happen.â€
Dennox raised his head and smiled weakly. He turned to his friend. “Yes, you’re probably right, Syras.†He straightened his tunic and raised his chin. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, then turned to Yannoc, all professional again. “Take us to the bridge, Captain.â€
Yannoc grinned and reached for the turbolift controls. “Yes, sir.â€



Turbolift doors flung open and the two officers came out, looking around the bridge.
“Admiral on the bridge!†one of the ensigns shouted and all other bridge crew turned and saluted. Dennox returned the salute. Floors, walls and ceiling were polished to the maximum and viewports were gleaming. Admiral Dennox approached the main viewport and gazed out into the endless and utter blackness of space. He turned on his heels and slowly walked toward his chair, looking down in the crew pits. Among the many familiar faces he saw a few new ones. Like the tractor beam operator and few other, not on so important posts. When he finished his tour, Dennox sat in the command chair and gestured to the comm officer. “Inform the Thyferra Command that we will leave the system in…†he glanced at his chrono. “… twenty minutes.â€
Comm officer nodded and got to work on his console. Few seconds later, he turned to Dennox and nodded. The Admiral punched a few keys in his datapad, reviewing his orders one more time. When he finished with the pad, he looked at the helm officer. “Helmsman, take us ninety degrees to port then bring us about to nine-oh-three-point-seven.†That course would bring them past the Thyferra’s orbiting facilites, a nice display of power for the locals. Again he turned to the comm officer. “Comm, relay orders to the—“ But the comm officer interruped the Admiral.
“Sir, a priority one transmission from Thyferra Travel Corps! They say it’s private!â€
Dennox closed his eyes, his stomach tightening. That feeling was back again. “Patch it through in my quarters.†He raised from his chair. “Captain Yannoc, you have the bridge.â€
Yannoc nodded and moved in the command chair as the Admiral hurried past him and entered the turbolift.



Dennox reached his quarters under the bridge and punched the security code on the door panel. In answer he got a soft beep and the doors hissed open. He approached his desk and activated the holo projector. The bad feeling in his stomach now expanded to his whole body, and his vision got blurry for a few seconds. He steadied himself as the rotating Imperial logo was replaced by a man wearing a lieutenant’s uniform. It was not a recording. That told Dennox that this was indeed very important. He stepped into the projection field and the lieutenant snapped to attention. Dennox didn’t return the salute.
“This is Admiral Dennox of the Doomhammer.†he said. “What is this urgent private message you have for me?â€
The lieutenant swallowed. Dennox could not see this on the small holo, but it was obvious to him that the man was nervous.
“Sir,†the lieutenant began. “We regret to inform you…â€



Helmsman pushed a few buttons and the mighty ship surged into hyperspace, turning stars into lines and then mixing it all up in a twirling mess of blue and black. The bridge was silent save for the low chatter of techs in the back and the ocassional sound of doors opening.
Captain Yannoc stood and glanced at the helmsman.
“Time of arrival?†he asked.
Helmsman consulted his screen. “Four hours twenty seven minutes, Sir.â€
Yannoc nodded and left the bridge. He didn’t use the turbolift, but instead ran down the stairs to the officer quarters level, just below the bridge. The stairs ended and he turned around the corner to his left. Suddenly, he heard the sound of breaking glass and loud thuds…coming from the Admiral’s quarters. He drew his blaster and ran at top speed down the hall. When Yannoc reached the Admiral’s door, he found them unlocked. He burst in, blaster at ready. He tried to look in all directions at once. When he was certain that there was no intruder here, he ran towards the Admiral’s office. Yannoc kicked the door in with full strength and pointed his blaster at the only occupant of the room.
Admiral Dennox. He was lying on his desk, face down, shaking and trembling. The office around him was in total chaos. Not a single thing was in one piece. The holoprojector was ripped out and all the shelves were cast down. Yannoc holstered his blaster and approached the Admiral.
“Zarl, are you alright? What happened here? Were you attacked?â€
The Admiral didn’t look at him. “They killed them, Syras. They killed them…â€
Syras raised his friend and looked him in the eyes. Eyes that were wet. Full of tears.
“Who, Zarl? Who did they kill?†Yannoc whispered.
Dennox slumped in a chair, his hand covering his face. “They killed them…they killed them…†Suddenly he sprang up again, face red with rage, eyes full of lust for blood. “Those alien-huggin’ lowlifes! You killed my family! You killed them! Again you!†Yannoc jumped back from the sudden onslaught of rage. “Why do you always come and ruin my life?!â€
Yannoc put both hands on Dennox’s shoulers, trying to calm him. “Zarl, I’m sorry… I…I…†his words left him and all he could do was stand there. He knew full well that nothing he could say would calm Dennox now, nor make any difference. He just looked at his friend, hoping there was something he could do. But there wasn’t.
Finally, Zarl Dennox broke down and tears poured over his uniform.

 

[Lord Darkness]

More....

Lance stroked his mustache as he flipped the switchon his datapad with the other hand. He took another smoke of his expensive cigar and slowly blew it in the air, making smoke circles. He snatched the bottle of Corellian ale from the makeshift table on his left. “Hey, did you know that Emperor Palpatine had a secret affair with some two hundred women, fifty six of them were aliens?†Lance looked at his partner, grinning widely.
His partner – an atractive Twi’lek female, called Eyx – glanced at him and snorted. “Gimme a break, Lance.†she said. “Don’t tell you believe that stuff. Just look at their name : The Galactic Truth.†Eyx flipped a few switches on the control board in front of her, making some minor course adjustments. “Those are just some kids with lots of money and imagination.†Lance payed no attention to Eyx’s comments, but continued to read the pad, still grinning.
The red skinned Twi’lek just shook her head.
Ten minutes later (with Lance still reading the papers, giving an ocassional laugh) their ship jumped to hyperspace. Eyx turned to Lance, clearing her throat to get his attention. But Lance just ignored her.
“Lance?†Eyx hissed.
No response.
“Oh, sithspit…†She jumped to her feet and tore the datapad out of his hands. Lance tried to grab it, but the Twi’lek was too fast and got him flat-footed. Eyx tore the datapad in two with one swift move, tossing the remains into a corner.
“The hell did you do that?†Lance yelped.
Eyx glared at him. “You’ve had enough fun for one day. Time for some work.â€
She sat at the controls, running through the controls. “We’ll be arriving at target in thirty minutes, and I want us to be ready.†Lance sat down, grumbling about Twi’lek women.
When he finished, he looked up at his partner.
“So you have no idea yet where are we going?†he asked.
Eyx shook her head. “No. I just followed the coordinates given to us by the Command. They said that the location of this place must be kept secret, at all costs.†She glanced at the timer. “So, you know the plan. Don’t blast anyone unless they try to blast you. Keep a low profile and try not to dress in flashy clothes.â€
Lance groaned. “Alright. I’ll go check the weapons, and you just – “
Without any warning, the ship jerked violently. Lance tried to maintain his balance, but failed miserably. He was sent flying over the ****pit, and into the rear wall. Eyx had no more luck than her partner. She tried to grap the chair but her hand slipped, and she hit her head in the fall. With a loud thud, the Twi’lek fell on the floor and rolled towards Lance.
The ship was calm once again, and Lance jumped to his partner. He made a quick check of her pulse, to make sure she was still alive. She was. In one leap he was in the pilot’s seat, running a system check and a sensor scan at the same time.
Most of the systems were fried, including hyperdrive. The sensors were still working, barely. Lance caught one huge blip just on top of him, and seconds later that blip dissolved into four smaller ships.
“What the…†Lance tried to identify the ships but the sensor system just short-circuited at that moment. Then the small ship was shaken again, this time by a tractor beam. Lance could tell that by the faint green glow outside his viewports. Only if he had more power in the engines, he could try to break free.
Just as Lance’s fingers danced over the controls, the ship twisted and gave him a clean view of the attacking ships. To his surprise and dismay, these were not some pirates who got their hands on an Interdictor cruiser.
It was the Empire.
More Imperials than the entire Rebel fleet as it was at this moment could handle. But the things were about to get worse, as Lance soon found out.
A huge, really huge, spaceship cut out of hyperspace above the four ships. It was larger than Lance had ever seen. But Lance recognized it from Intelligence reports, though he never saw it.
It was a Super Star Destroyer.
At that moment, only two words crossed Lance’s mind.
“Holy Sith…â€



Admiral Dennox stood at the bridge, looking out the main viewport. His face was grim, and looked much older. At his side was Captain Yannoc, also wearing a similar facial expression. They watched as the little ship struggled to escape the tractor beam, sparks flying from the strained engines. Dennox managed an evil smile. It was by pure chance that they were captured. The Abductor’s gravity wells were not supposed to be powered up, but a malfunction with the ship’s electronics powered them up. Dennox walked over to the sensors officer.
“What have you got, Lieutenant?†he asked.
The lieutenant punched a few buttons, and the captured ship’s readout came up. “The ship is running under the name of Star Scream, but our records have matched it with the rebel ship Galaxy Lance.†He frowned. “It appears that the ship was captured sometime ago in an Imperial supply convoy.â€
Dennox nodded and turned to the tractor beam officer. “Ensign, I want that ship inside the hangar bay – don’t let them escape. Captain Yannoc!†Yannoc stepped to the Admiral’s side, his expression stern. “Prepare a boarding party, see to it personally.â€
“Yes, Sir!†Captain Yannoc gave a slight nod of his head and hurried out through the nearest turbolift. The bridge was now full of activity, due to the unexpected events. Dennox walked over to the communications console. “Comm,†he said. “Contact the Executor and inform Lord Vader of the situation. Ask him if he wishes to have the prisoners transferred over to him.†The other man nodded and got to work. Dennox strode over to the front viewport, to watch as the tiny ship was brought in. He allowed himself an evil grin. Now, if only they could get some valuable information from the ship’s crew, maybe he’ll even get the chance to exact vengeance on the rebels. The Admiral killed his smile as the comm officer called from the back of the bridge. “Sir, incoming transmission from the Executor!â€
Dennox straightened his tunic and walked back to the holoprojector. “Put it through, Lieutenant.â€
The circle on the ceiling in front of Dennox glowed white and the towering life-size figure of Darth Vader materialized out of nothingness. Vader looked down on Dennox, his hands on his hips, the sound of his breathing seending chills through the bridge crew.
“Congratulations on fast reaction and succesfull capture, Admiral Dennox,†he boomed. “I wish these prisoners to be shipped aboard Executor along with their spacecraft. After their interrogation, you and the other two ships under your command will make sure they are delivered into right hands.†There was an uncofortamble silence, with only Vader’s breathing cutting sharply through the air. The Sith Lord turned his head slightly to the side, as if listening to someone outside the holoprojection field. He glanced at Dennox one more time, then cut the transmisson, leaving only gray plating where he once stood.
The Admiral noticeably relaxed, and exhaled softly. He never met Darth Vader in person (never wanted to, also) and even this was too much for him. The man – if he ould still be called that – was simply radiating with dark power, striking terror into people’s hearts with his very presence. The tractor beam officer’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Sir, the ship is in our hangar bay,†he said.

Yet more coming soon...