Asteroid mining facility, Near Ithor, Wednesday afternoon [FT]
As it turned out, Zayne was starting to get pretty good at setting up the pieces in the game he was playing. It started with getting a Mandalorian raiding party in the right spot. An anonymous tip to the Republic's defense ministry would get some Hammerhead cruisers to lay in wait. Zayne had no doubt one would be the Swiftsure, commanded by Admiral Karath.
And if by some chance the Mandalorians gave out an unscrambled signal that suggested there might be a battle, the Crucible would be lying in wait to swoop in and pick up any soliders who might be stranded after the battle. Recruitment was the terrain of Dace Golliard and the Gladiator. He was the reason Zayne set all of this up.
The Mandie and Republc ships had each other in their sights. Just as the Hammerheads took the first shots, though, every last Mandalorian ship jumped into hyperspace, leaving a very confused Republic Navy with plenty of firepower and nowhere to aim it.
It was show time.
As the Swiftsure accepted Zayne's transmission, he saw a small, blue version of Admiral Karath before him, asking in shock, "Zayne Carrick?"
"That's right, Admiral. And I'm here to warn you," Zayne said. "You've got pirates in the asteroid field off your starboard flank!"
"This is war, Carrick! We can't be bothered with pirates!" Karath snarled. Clearly, he still didn't hold Zayne in very high regard.
"It's someone you know, Admiral. It's Dace Golliard," Zayne said. He had done his research. He knew this was personal.
"Dace Golliard!" Karath said, his anger turning even darker. Karath turned away from the holo and started shouting orders to his crew before the transmission was cut. "Fire to disable! And tractor beams online! Capture that ship now!"
With the force the Republic had stationed by the asteroid field, they were able to find and swarm the Gladiator with ease. It was only a couple minutes before boarding parties made their way in to dock with the disabled ship.
"Dock us to the Gladiator over there, Slyssk," Gryph said, eager to join the rest of the group. "One more boarding party can't hurt!"
Zayne, meanwhile, put out another transmission. "It worked, Cassus. The people on that slaver ship can lead us to Demagol!"
Even as a holo, Cassus Fett was both regal and terrifying. And, in this instance, maybe a little amused. "Then the feint was worth doing, Zayne Carrick. I am not Mand'alor. I have no love for the Flesh Carver. You once saved my people from extinction. Consider our debt now paid." Cassus then turned to face his fellow Mandalorian. "And I expect continued silence about your existence, Rohlan Dyre, as we agreed."
"I swear it," Rohlan said. "Mando'ad draar digu, Cassus Fett."
"Remain dead, Questioner. And see that Demagol joins you," Cassus said. "Good hunting."
*****
Minutes later, Zayne and his crew were aboard the Gladiator, along with plenty of Republic troops and captured slavers. Fortunately, Zayne recognized the guy who seemed to be heading up the raid. "Captain Telletoh! What's going on? Where's Golliard?"
"He went out an airlock, heading to a mining site!" Telletoh said. "We've got to get our fighters down there before he reaches a shuttle!"
Zayne hustled to some panels and smiled. "Don't worry about that, Captain. If this control panel does what I think it does, we can just send some of his friends to pick him up!" After inputting some commands, several Skreaper drones launched from the Gladiator, locating and snaring Golliard on the surface of an asteroid quickly.
Shortly thereafter, Golliard was back on the ship, being restrained by troops while Karath made his way over.
"Running, Golliard?" Karath asked. "Just like you fled the Foerost Shipyards in the Sith War? Leaving people like my father to die? Time for that court-martial.... at last."
"Just a minute, Golliard," Zayne said, barging in, speaking quickly before anyone could stop him. "Your boss, Chantique, said Jarael's friends were hidden someplace ironic. When I told this to... uh, the person who took Jarael, he nearly fell over. It must be Osadia, where you captured them! And he's taken Jarael there now!"
"Amazing. The lady was right," Golliard said with genuine surprise in his voice. "We weren't off Volgax a day when Chantique up and left for Osadia. Some dream she had in the middle of dinner."
"Dream?" Zayne asked. "A Force vision?"
"I was hoping it was a stroke," Golliard said. "Whatever. She took off and took Bar'injar's crack security team with her. Little Snow-hair's walking into quite a welcoming party. Shame I'll miss the reunion!"
"The coordinates!" Zayne demanded.
"You'll find them anyway. They're in our databanks. Wipe each other out," Golliard requested. "To blazes with all of you!"
Gryph made his way over to a command console and started looking up Osadia's coordinates before giving a sigh. "This is a long way, Zayne. Jarael and her pals could be dead and buried by the time the Hot Prospect gets there!"
"I know. I know," Zayne said. But he wasn't out of options yet. "Admiral Karath! I need your help!"
"I'll give you this, Carrick, you've got nerve," Karath said. "After all you've put me through...."
"What I've put you through? I've seen the holofeeds," Zayne said. "You saved the crew of Courageous. Single-handedly protected Lord Adasca's ship against Mandie invaders. Thwarted the hijacking of the fleet at Coruscant. And just now, you discovered one of history's great fugitives, on your own! Seems you've come out pretty well. Now, some might say you had nothing to do with those things... that half your legend is a fraud. But I would never say that. Would I?"
Karath took a second to give Zayne the dirtiest look he had ever seen before snapping around to leave the Gladiator, shouting orders behind him. "Take them where they want to go, Telettoh. Just get them out of my sight!"
[OOC: See? I can do shortish posts! From Demon Part 3 by Miller and Ching.]
And if by some chance the Mandalorians gave out an unscrambled signal that suggested there might be a battle, the Crucible would be lying in wait to swoop in and pick up any soliders who might be stranded after the battle. Recruitment was the terrain of Dace Golliard and the Gladiator. He was the reason Zayne set all of this up.
The Mandie and Republc ships had each other in their sights. Just as the Hammerheads took the first shots, though, every last Mandalorian ship jumped into hyperspace, leaving a very confused Republic Navy with plenty of firepower and nowhere to aim it.
It was show time.
As the Swiftsure accepted Zayne's transmission, he saw a small, blue version of Admiral Karath before him, asking in shock, "Zayne Carrick?"
"That's right, Admiral. And I'm here to warn you," Zayne said. "You've got pirates in the asteroid field off your starboard flank!"
"This is war, Carrick! We can't be bothered with pirates!" Karath snarled. Clearly, he still didn't hold Zayne in very high regard.
"It's someone you know, Admiral. It's Dace Golliard," Zayne said. He had done his research. He knew this was personal.
"Dace Golliard!" Karath said, his anger turning even darker. Karath turned away from the holo and started shouting orders to his crew before the transmission was cut. "Fire to disable! And tractor beams online! Capture that ship now!"
With the force the Republic had stationed by the asteroid field, they were able to find and swarm the Gladiator with ease. It was only a couple minutes before boarding parties made their way in to dock with the disabled ship.
"Dock us to the Gladiator over there, Slyssk," Gryph said, eager to join the rest of the group. "One more boarding party can't hurt!"
Zayne, meanwhile, put out another transmission. "It worked, Cassus. The people on that slaver ship can lead us to Demagol!"
Even as a holo, Cassus Fett was both regal and terrifying. And, in this instance, maybe a little amused. "Then the feint was worth doing, Zayne Carrick. I am not Mand'alor. I have no love for the Flesh Carver. You once saved my people from extinction. Consider our debt now paid." Cassus then turned to face his fellow Mandalorian. "And I expect continued silence about your existence, Rohlan Dyre, as we agreed."
"I swear it," Rohlan said. "Mando'ad draar digu, Cassus Fett."
"Remain dead, Questioner. And see that Demagol joins you," Cassus said. "Good hunting."
*****
Minutes later, Zayne and his crew were aboard the Gladiator, along with plenty of Republic troops and captured slavers. Fortunately, Zayne recognized the guy who seemed to be heading up the raid. "Captain Telletoh! What's going on? Where's Golliard?"
"He went out an airlock, heading to a mining site!" Telletoh said. "We've got to get our fighters down there before he reaches a shuttle!"
Zayne hustled to some panels and smiled. "Don't worry about that, Captain. If this control panel does what I think it does, we can just send some of his friends to pick him up!" After inputting some commands, several Skreaper drones launched from the Gladiator, locating and snaring Golliard on the surface of an asteroid quickly.
Shortly thereafter, Golliard was back on the ship, being restrained by troops while Karath made his way over.
"Running, Golliard?" Karath asked. "Just like you fled the Foerost Shipyards in the Sith War? Leaving people like my father to die? Time for that court-martial.... at last."
"Just a minute, Golliard," Zayne said, barging in, speaking quickly before anyone could stop him. "Your boss, Chantique, said Jarael's friends were hidden someplace ironic. When I told this to... uh, the person who took Jarael, he nearly fell over. It must be Osadia, where you captured them! And he's taken Jarael there now!"
"Amazing. The lady was right," Golliard said with genuine surprise in his voice. "We weren't off Volgax a day when Chantique up and left for Osadia. Some dream she had in the middle of dinner."
"Dream?" Zayne asked. "A Force vision?"
"I was hoping it was a stroke," Golliard said. "Whatever. She took off and took Bar'injar's crack security team with her. Little Snow-hair's walking into quite a welcoming party. Shame I'll miss the reunion!"
"The coordinates!" Zayne demanded.
"You'll find them anyway. They're in our databanks. Wipe each other out," Golliard requested. "To blazes with all of you!"
Gryph made his way over to a command console and started looking up Osadia's coordinates before giving a sigh. "This is a long way, Zayne. Jarael and her pals could be dead and buried by the time the Hot Prospect gets there!"
"I know. I know," Zayne said. But he wasn't out of options yet. "Admiral Karath! I need your help!"
"I'll give you this, Carrick, you've got nerve," Karath said. "After all you've put me through...."
"What I've put you through? I've seen the holofeeds," Zayne said. "You saved the crew of Courageous. Single-handedly protected Lord Adasca's ship against Mandie invaders. Thwarted the hijacking of the fleet at Coruscant. And just now, you discovered one of history's great fugitives, on your own! Seems you've come out pretty well. Now, some might say you had nothing to do with those things... that half your legend is a fraud. But I would never say that. Would I?"
Karath took a second to give Zayne the dirtiest look he had ever seen before snapping around to leave the Gladiator, shouting orders behind him. "Take them where they want to go, Telettoh. Just get them out of my sight!"
[OOC: See? I can do shortish posts! From Demon Part 3 by Miller and Ching.]