The Dac shipyards have been upping their production recently, a new pair of Dreadnoughts leaving the shipyards as we arrived. The two ships, christened as the Jabiim’s Justice and the Baros’ Fist, were apparently heading out to Jabiim by way of Iego. They are to set up a patrol route there and secure the systems from Separatist advances as the newly reactivated 409th Outer Rim Section under General Koth’s theoretical command.

  I was not overly happy that High command had decided to send two perfectly good battle line vessels to a quinary posting while I was still struggling to ensure local security. However I suppose it was better than nothing, even if it was two further Captains, a Senior Captain Luke Thorr and a Junior Captain Arihnda Price, to keep track of during General Koth’s absence. I sigh at that. I was taking up most of the administrative duties of the North West Slice Command without any of the credit.

  I received my newest strategic update and had to stop myself from openly cursing out every single member of High Command on the bridge. General Koth and his unit have been removed from the theater on a permanent basis. He was supposed to actually take command within the week and instead I would have to wait even karking longer for even a semblance of permanent reinforcements. Looks as if my temporary duties have become a lot more permanent.

  The slight good news was that the Mon Cala light cruiser in development had been commissioned by the Republic to join my 347th on a permanent basis. The downside of that was the ship being a month away from finishing. After all, the Mon Calamari would never produce a ship of their own design through standardized methods, that would make too much sense after all.

  I didn’t know how I was supposed to secure Targonn now. I had Hope Company, all one hundred and sixty five of them. All one hundred and sixty five of which were specialized in boarding actions defensive and offensive in manner. I could muster maybe a battalion’s worth of Navy arms-men, but that would strip the ships of any semblance of internal security. I might be able to convince the local Toong’l and Prousley’s Rim Run militias to join, but with their personal local priority I would be surprised if I could gather more than a regiment’s worth. So in total I could hope for an absolute maximum of four thousand, maybe even five thousand, soldiers.

  Four thousand soldiers to seize an entire world. A Jedi might be able to do something like that, if they had additional local allies and heavy armor and air support. I meanwhile would not be able to do so.

  “Sir, a Diamond class cruiser just entered system.” I hear my sensor’s officer report, interrupting my train of thought.

  “What of it, Sergeant?” I ask.

  “Well, it’s unregistered, sir. Mon Cala dockyards have requested we board the vessel, since we’re the closest ship in the area.”

  “Very well. Hail the ship, inform it of our intentions. Get Lieutenant Dudd to choose a squad from Hope and a squad of arms-men to accompany myself.” I order.

  “Yes, sir.” I hear.

  “Actually best grab at least a technician or two as well. They could be having technical problems. Mi-Kus you have the bridge.” I amend. I receive a nod in affirmation from Mi-Kus and the sensors Sergeant, Welder, right Sargent Barrél Welder.

  I march down the halls towards the docking port. Sometimes it was best to conduct something small. It takes my mind off of the larger picture and shows the men I’m willing to et down and dirty with them. I receive the salutes from Lieutenant Dudd, unsurprisingly he choose a squad of Clones from his Second Platoon. The docking hatch hisses with the pressurization and reveals a nervous looking Human woman.

  “Sir, I am Captain Leia of the Prudent Service. As I told your comms officer you cannot board my ship.” The woman says, she’s standing at attention. She must at least have a military, militia or mercenary background.

  “I am sorry, but your transponder isn’t showing a registration. We are tragically in a state of conflict ma’am and I have been asked by the Mon Cala docks to investigate. This shouldn’t take long. I and my techs will simply take a look at your transponder while the fine men and Clones behind me check your cargo holds.” I explain keeping my tone soft and wearing an understanding and sympathetic smile.

  Her posture shifts slightly and she tenses up. She finally allows us through, but she’s still overly tense. The Clones and arms-men group up into twos before marching down into the cargo bays while I, the two techs and Lieutenant Dudd, with his cross-hair over his right eye and thin aegaen blue stripe running down his helmet’s center, finish walking onto the bridge. An empty bridge, for a cruiser sized transport.

  “Where is the rest of your crew, Captain … Leia was it?” I ask.

  “I fly this ship alone.” She answers and I unhook my holster.

  “Not even any droids?” I ask.

  My comm beeps and I activate it: “Dericote here.”

  “Sir, the ship has multiple I repeat multiple C.I.S. droids on board.”

  I pull my slugthrower out and aim it at the alleged Captain as she pulls her own blaster, in the end it’s Lieutenant Dudd who nails her in the arm with his DC-15 carbine. The woman falls to the ground, her blaster skidding away.

  “Search for a master control for the droids. Comm Captains Chain and Mi-Kus we need at least half of Hope Company and another two platoons of arms-men to begin searching this ship I want them armed for a boarding action. Lieutenant, comm your men, inform them to hunker down and to hold their positions. We will not risk activating any droids without numbers.” I order.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  I approach the wounded Separatist pawn and place the slugthrower against her temple, she is shuddering probably from the adrenaline. I speak after a moment: “You will inform us of the location of the master controller. You will inform us who hired you to transport these droids. You will tell us who the recipient party was supposed to be. You will tell us or you might find your mind blown to bits.”

  “I’m not afraid of a Republic Dog.” She responds, her eyes show determination.

  “A pity.” I reply before pistol whipping her across the head and watching her body crumple to the ground, unconscious.

  Lieutenant Dudd speaks up: “Sir, Captain Chain reports the first of the reinforcements have entered the ship. They’ve met up with two of our search parties and secured three cargo bays filled with droids, munitions and energy cells. Sir permission to speak freely?” I nod, “Shouldn’t we just evacuate the ship and blow it up from a distance?”

  “Not a bad idea, Lieutenant, but we need to secure any possible evidence available. If there is a local Separatist aligned faction we need to uproot them now before they can throw this world into civil war.” I say. I would be damned if I failed an entire world.

  “Sir,” One of the Techs, a Quarren female from the southern oceans says, “we’ve managed to figure out the registration, it’s definitely Separatist. They apparently stripped all weapons except the light lasers in an attempt to make the ship more inconspicuous. We don’t have an itinerary for the contents yet, but we know the ship and the contents within originate from Dellalt.”

  “’Course it would be Dellalt.” I mutter as my thoughts whir and I consider my options.

  “Sir, one of the search parties have triggered the activation of the droids.” Lieutenant Dudd says and I start massaging my forehead in an attempt to slow the onset of a headache.

  “Alright. All of you, form up on the door, blasters out.” I order and watch as the two techs pull out their pistols and set up on either side of the door while Dudd gets behind a console for cover. I meanwhile simply stand on the opposite of the door and aim my slugthrower towards the most likely entry point.

  I hear muted blasterfire from the other side as I give a silent prayer to the Maker. The door is smoldering when a metal hand pierces the damaged metal and slowly starts prying the doors apart. I hold fire until the aqua-droids head is clearly visible, then a crack and flash and the droid is thrown back. Two new pairs of hands begin to pry the door from both ends. A droid begins to try and squeeze through but a headshot from Dudd disables the foolish droid.

  I pull out my comm and punch in Captain Chains code: “Chain, get your sorry ass to the bridge. I have one of your Lieutenants and two Techs alongside an unconscious Seppy and Maker knows how many droids here. I can’t ensure us holding for longer than five maybe six minutes.”

  The door is finally wide enough for the droids to get through single file. They’re releasing torrents of blasterfire as they march through, stepping over the fallen bodies of their comrades. I move to the side to get out of their immediate line of sight and fire another slug into a droid who topples into the one behind it.

  The comm chirps in Captain Chain’s reply: “Sorry, sir. My men are trying to secure the hallway. I’ve got a squad of arms-men stationed at the docking bay in case of hostile breakthrough. We’ll attempt to arrive in a couple minutes, but there’s no guarantee.”

  “Understood. We’ll hold despite it all.” I answer and fire off another slug at the droids. The round smashes into a droid’s arm. The foolish droid attempts to fire anyway and causes the blaster to explode, taking it and a few other droids down.

  I wish I hadn’t left R4 on the bridge. An astromech would’ve been really useful now. I pull my reserve clip from my uniform and put a buckshot round in one of the third empty chamber. The Techs and the Dudd have taken out another three droids.

  “BACK!” I bark and the three move away from the door. I push forward and jump right in front of one of the droids attempting to enter. I pull the trigger and the slug pierces the underside of the droid’s head. I push myself and the droid outside of the bridge and find myself almost surrounded by a dozen droids.

  Fuck. I hold the trigger down as my arms move from left to right. The slugs leave the barrel one after another, the next crack sounding off as the last one finishes. The first slug slams into one droid, the second into another, the third into another, the fourth misses, a blaster round hits me in the gut and the fifth shot only grazes one of the droids, the final buckshot nails maybe four of them, but I feel myself being tugged back into the bridge as blasterfire flies past us.

  “WHAT IN THE NINE HELLS WERE YOU THINKING, SIR?” I’m pretty sure Dudd is yelling at me as he unloads his blaster clip into the immediate droids.

  “Got us some breathing room.” I moan out, the pain starting to settle.

  “If you got killed on my watch I don’t know who’ll get me, Senior Captain Strom, Junior Captain Mi-Kus, Captain Sicato or Captain Chain. So you, sir, are not fighting anymore.” The Lieutenant says.

  “Lizardshit, you prop me up. I can still shoot. We've only maybe fifty more on us. We'll hold firm.” I order and the Clone audibly sighs as he props me up against one of the control panels. I slowly, too slowly, reload the slugthrower four slugs, two buckshot and a bolo.

  Another droid enters the breach and it’s gunned down by the techs. I pull the slugthrower up and aim it down the hole and wait for the next droid to enter. The blasterfire is getting louder. Another droid enters the bridge and with a crack the bolo shot flies towards the droid. One of the balls slams into the front armor and the durasteel wire pulls the second one around and it slams into the head of the droid.

  Another droid and another crack and thud. More blasterfire, I’m starting to loose myself. My stomach feels like it’s being eaten from within. Another droid about to nail one of the techs. Crack and thud. A couple droids march through the breach and the buckshot fires off with a crack and the droids collapse under the impacts.

  “Sir … with us.”

  Another droid. Crack and thud.

  “Sir, Chain is al… stay with us.”

  “I’m not done yet.” I mutter, then darkness swallows my mind.

  Chain was not happy. Why would his fool of a superior officer personally do this? He could have easily delegated the entire operation to Lieutenant Dudd alone, or Sergeant Tick, or hells even himself. Slight move to the left, pull the trigger twice. The droid collapses and the Clone advances with two shield wielding men beside him and his own shield.

  “BREAK!” The Captain shouts and the shield carrying Clones open to let two other Clones with Z-6 rotary blaster cannons filling the gaps and unloading fire towards the droids before falling back behind the shield wielding Clones in the front who tighten up the formation again as they advance.

  They could see maybe two dozen Aqua droids slowly trying to get through the doors to the bridge while blasterfire was coming at them at almost awkward angles. Another shot from the blaster and one of the droids falls and half of them turn around to begin returning fire, most of the shots harmlessly hitting the shields or flying over the heads of the Clones.

  “THROW!” Chain barks and the second line of Clones start lobbing droid poppers over the rims of the shields. The EMPs bounce once, twice, roll under the feet of the droids, then discharge their electric fields. The first couple rows of droids collapse in a heap. Another row of the droids turn to face the advancing Clones, but the front row of Clones open fire before they can fully turn around, felling most of them.

  “BREAK!” Chain bellows again and the shield barring Clones move aside to allow their brother unleash the firepower of their Z-6s on the reforming droids. The Clones continue to advance, carefully stepping over the disabled droids as they march. Finally the last droid is felled from inside.

  “Full break.” The Captain finally orders and the Clones turn their steady march into a run as they approach the doors.

  “FRIENDLIES!” Chain yells before entering to see Lieutenant Dudd bracing himself on a control panel, three blasterbolts having left their mark on his armor. One of the techs is dead and the Commodore is lying in front of a different panel, his left arm draped over his stomach and his eyes closed and breathing heavy. The only person still conscious is the Quarren tech who has collapsed against a wall and is breathing heavily, probably dehydrated.

  “Meds, see to the Commodore. Nark comm the Little Revenge for a medical team. We have three wounded, including the Commodore and Lieutenant.” The Captain orders as his comm beeps, “What is it Daffy?”

  “Sir, we’ve secured all but two of the cargo holds. Lieutenant Wildhog and I were about to breach them simultaneously, would you be joining us, sir?” The Lieutenant asks.

  “No, go ahead. Tell Wildhog to not blow anything important up. The Commodore would want us to secure anything important.” He says.

  “Alright, sir. I’ll tell him, but I won’t guarantee it. You know how much he enjoys explosions.”

  “Just get on with it Daffy.” The Captain groans.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Why the kark am I in charge of all this shit.” Chain mutters as Meds starts applying bandages and bacta to the wounded and a different Clone, Mole, putting the unconscious C.I.S. Captain in binders.