01.01 : The Light Begins to Dim

Chapter 01 : The Light Begins to Dim​

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[22 BBY]

[Executive Security Solutions Frigate Bright Eagle, In Orbit, Solem]

Captain Jurdan Ironhill, of Clan Thund, frowned as he watched the data from the sensors being displayed on the small screen on his command chair. Scrolling down he glanced over at his sensor officer, one of his former haulage ship's crew and well used to black market deals and the need for being watchful....usually against proper authorities, but that was past here in Solem. For now at least "Is this what I think it is?"

"Think so Cap'n, looks like packets of encrypted data or message going between Clan's Yarad and Uskil, and the Fells are claiming their seeing armed crowds in the suburbs of Gai'Solem, Gai'Uthkar and Nur'Kathan"

He nodded, turning to his communications officer "Turaya, contact the military at Central, and then relay what we're seeing to the Thund, Fell, and Herdk Clan Compounds as well..." then he pressed the buzzer to a fellow shareholder and owner of ISS who was currently in a meeting in the lower decks, holding a moment to get attention before speaking into it "....Captain-General, we have a situation developing"

The voice of the younger male came back a moment later "Serious problems Captain Ironhill?"

"Looks like the Yarad and Uskil clans might be making their move"

"Kriff....their earlier than I'd have thought if they are...." the voice muttered back with a stifled retort "...right, I'll be up the bridge momentarily. Signal the other ships and raise alert status"

"Understood" he replied turning off the connecting and nodding at his second in command to do just that. It was odd, mildly offensive the first few months, to have the youngster in charge, but....not too much once he himself had moved up from one heavy freighter to another, to this beauty of a retrofitted and rearmed former Banking Clan Munificent class frigate. Repainted midnight black and given a hefty barrier and weapons upgrade to military specifications it looked impressive to him and everyone else in system.

Only a frigate of course, but right now it was the Flagship of ESS as a Private Military Contractor, and one of the more powerful ships in the Solem system right now. It had been a rapid, if bumpy, ascent from a lowly bunch of free traders into two successful companies; the cargo and courier trade with Outer Republic Express, and then getting into the mercenary trade...in only four years. Pirate hunting, bounty hunting, and mercenary worked a steady, if deadly, income alongside their 'secure haulage and courier' service...

Though that, of course, had drawn them into galactic...

No, more it had made existing problems more obvious as his crew brought the barriers up to strength and began what was very likely going to be pre-battle system check. He'd never much liked the Republic, corrupt and incompetent, but it was where they were making their money right now, and inter-clan politics and violence looked like they were about to blow thanks to the recent arrival of these two 'trade-ships' from the Trade Federation. Somewhere they'd never bothered with before, ever, and only a year after ESS had signed its deal with the Outer Regions Security Force over in Eriadu.

'As if they'd any interest in our system till they started planning their rebellion or whatever it is the Trade Federation and Banking Clan are plotting' he mused watching ship status reports update as he ordered the Bright Eagle to move and form up with Glasnock heavy freighters Stormcrow and Shady Saia, and to prep the piloted and droid fighters for launch. Refitting the wreck in Eriadu had been...expensive, but it had proven damned useful over the past year in the more dangerous jobs. Trade routes had been getting steadily deadlier over the past decade since that fiasco in Naboo, and he and his crew had been forced to learn fast on the job; the reworked droids and automation had certainly helped with that learning curve.

"So, what we got?" the young Captain-General of the armed wing of their trading group queried calmly striding through the door into the bridge, and up beside Jurdan to gaze at the displays "...surprised they'd go for it while we're here"

"We're always here in some form since we setup, but yes warship" he answered back motioning at the displays for the Solem System Defence Force ships in system "...but I think there's the answer. I know we'd been worried about that thought, but it looks like they've got support enough to launch a coup with us here in-system"

For the moment nobody was moving in SSDF vessels from dock or normal duties in orbit, but the SSDF was really only neutral in-theory as he and the other Board Members had discussed as tensions rose on planet between the various clans. The Express, and ESS guarding it and offer extensive mercenary work, had caused a fairly heft shift in wealth to the associated clans, and now the formerly challenging 'reformist' clans were having a nasty downturn in fortunes. Whenever that happened violence happened; and the general rise in corruption and piracy within the Republic, let alone the Secessionist movement growing in popularity of late, just made that explosion a matter of when rather than if.

"Or at least they think they do..." Captain-General Daron muttered one hand under his chin in thought as they both studied the flow of information on the screens "....but I'd guess your correct. Either that or they've out-system support capable of taking out us and the SSDF. Those two freighters, regardless what we think is in their holds, aren't going to be enough to do that along with the few ships and fighters the Reform Clans might have"

"Yeah, I agree, either they've got one, or then we're in trouble both, of those ancient cruisers over to go over to them, or got more friends than we thought....right, your scrambling fighters so I'll head down and take charge of our star-fighters. Guess you're now Admiral for the battle Senior Captain"

Jurdan grunted, he was getting too old for this "Looks like don't it?"

"Fraid so, keep monitoring and update me and the other Captains. Looks like we're going to have an non-paying but expensive job soon enough"

"Aye, Captain-General, will do" he acknowledged as the warrior strode towards the exit after taking a data-slate into hand and motioning for one of the ensigns to follow him. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl after that, a rising tension on the bridge as the ship's 'action stations' alert had brought everyone to readiness and their trio of ships was soon joined by the armed freighters Cinnamon Wind and Mercy's Lament. Neither was much use in a direct fight, but the Cinnamon Wind had damned good sensors, and the large bulky former haulier Mercy's Lament had a complement of Vulture Droids bought from Valhallan in its holds ready to join the fight.

Fighting, or street fighting at least, soon started to break out on the channels; some idiots trying to assault the ESS compound even as he watched the feed. It was chaos on the ground, soon turning into full on blaster fighting in the capital as organised groups of clan-males loyal to the Reformists made themselves known by trying to seize various buildings like the Spaceport Authority building. Once he saw interceptors rise from Uskil lands, and the two trade-ships begin to move away from orbit towards them it was pretty clear things were about to take that nasty turn he'd feared. He pressed down on the internal command communication circuit.

"Bridge, Saber-1; looks like we're about to get customers; all flights ready for launch?"

The flight mask adjusted voice of the Captain-Genera came back an instant later "Copy Bridge, all flights ready for launch. Report green across the board. Sitrep?"

"Those two merchant-ships are moving towards us....launching star-fighters; look like droids as expected. Not responding to System Defence Commands orders or queries, and there's a lot of kriffing chatter on ship to ship. If I had to guess a few of the SSDF plan to sit this out, patrol boats Indusu's Revenge and Oltun's Hope are moving away from planet, us, and the fighting looks like from here"

"Copy, we'll launch...." the Captain-General began to reply before his reply was interrupted by a frantic gesture and a 'Captain!' from the female he'd put on communications. Gesturing at the comms array on her head, and then at the screen. Asking his fellow Captain in the Company to hold a moment he motioned at the comms officer to speak as battle drew near and the ships across the system swung into motion. If this had been a Core or Mid-Rim system that would have a great quantity of traffic, but out here in the Out Rim over Solem the numbers were easily kept track of.

"Captain, the Valour of Horjivk just signalled us asking us to withdraw from the system in the name of what it's calling the Provisional Government"

"Of course they are..." he muttered holding back a curse that one of the two aging cruisers available with the SSDF had decided to turn on them "...and the Hammer of Yendun?"

"Claims this isn't any fight of theirs Captain"

"Hmph, kriffing cowards...." he muttered, pressing down on the internal command circuit again "...you get that Captain-General?"

"Copy...that's a problem, but can we deal with it if we've been sold what we've bought. We launch and form up everything we've got, relay our loyalty to the High Minister Fell's Government you agree Senior Captain?"

"I agree Captain-General. Now, let us win this battle"

That done he switched to the 'ESS fleet-net' circuit "Captain Jurdan Ironhill to all ships, launch all starfighters, combat posture one-delta-nine; target priority is those two freighters that launched those droid-fighters before the Valour of Hrojivik can get into firing range. We're going hot and hard warriors so do your duty! Half burn, 47 degrees, maintain formation"

It was pretty much chaos in the orbitals, as it was on the ground, and as the eternity ticked by and it became clear there wasn't much cooperation on the other side. Or perhaps a very dangerous trap being prepared, but he couldn't do anything much for that now as the screen filled up new star-fighter icons from his and the Trade Federation vessels as the group accelerated towards them. The enemy had launched over a hundred droid fighters, though surprisingly only seven manned ones had exited the Valour of Hrojivik which had four times that aboard for anti-piracy operations; they and aging heavy cruiser were also very sluggish, almost holding back from the fight.

There was other fighting breaking out over system, a loyalist patrol boat and an armed merchantman engaging some star-fighters that had risen up from the southern continent, but none were focusing on his group. The Captain-General's star-fighter had taken the centre of the squadron formation in their purchases from Republic Sienar Systems. Personally he'd been wary of purchasing what was essentially a prototype star-fighter, one based on a courier and only now coming on the market, but the youngster and his allies loved it....and it was certainly worth once they'd modified these Twin Ion Engine Fighters. They were certainly superior to the more numerous Vulture droid-fighters that ESS used he'd found.

"Enemy vessels adjusting transit path Captain, enemy fighter formation doing likewise" came from his sensor officer and he nodded in response clicking a series of commands into the console beside him. It made sense, the Mercy's Lament had just launched her full complement of droid-fighters, thirty-two, and that had swung the balance from 3:1 to not even 2:1 in the Feddies favour. Judging from the few clashes with them over the past few four years that wasn't a happy thought for their Captains; now they wanted to get near their supposed allies on the heavy cruiser for support....

...sadly for them it was too late. They were at the wrong 'angle' to easily retreat back towards the sluggish heavy cruiser, which itself was still edging slowly towards, yet away, from a fight it looked like. If he and the others could take out the freighters then the droids-fighters would be useless per standard Feddie operating procedure "I see it, they've changed their minds now they've seen the numbers we've put out. All Ships; Full Combat Burn, adjust vector to match enemy forces, ECM Full Deploy, let's tear them apart"

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