Yaga Minor's Open Orbit

Shel gave a short nod in response to the Emperor's explanation as to why Yaga Minor would no longer be under her purview. It had been nice, having a single place to orbit, instead of constantly being on the move. Regular shore leaves had also helped the crew moral. But as a Void Born, it was to her ship that she truly felt a kinship.

=Shel=
Of, course, I would not dream of wishing to deny Grand Moff Kasalle of this world, a very useful one at that. But to where my capital would be. I would, if it is all the same to you, my lord, wish to continue to operate from orbit. I have lived my whole life aboard this ship. It will also save us trouble and resources constructing new facilities planet side. It will also allow me to move as needed between my worlds, as need arises. Of course, if you would rather I choose a world to set as my capital, I would be inclined to choose Bilbringi.

Shel bowed her head to the Emperor once more.

=Shel=
Thank you, my Emperor. I will begin the process of moving at once. I look forward to furthering our mission in this new Oversector.

The Miraluka was already beginning to shift her crew's focus through her Battle Meditation. It wouldn't be long before they were ready to depart Yaga Minor and head for Bilbringi.

=Shel=
Is their anything else, Your Majesty?

The Yaga Minor shipyards were among the tireless locations of the resurgent Empire. Having been the first system taken by the would-be Emperor, before the formation of the First Order, it's shipbuilding capabilities became of vital importance to the fledging nation as it expanded, strengthened, and projected its power into the galaxy. Many remembered the days when it, alongside Bilbringi, churned out starships in droves to fuel the war machine that would ignite the Reclamation Wars and, eventually, the Third Galactic Civil War. Many a notable ship was built here and many legends were born within the ranks of the Imperial Navy at these docks.

With his arm almost healed, Saren ensured he departed the hospital at Taris to make his way to Yaga Minor. There, the Grand Inquisitor had utilized her newly founded influence to ensure a new fleet was formed for her Deputy Commander. Gazing at the star piece, a Regulator-class Star Destroyer, Vidarr knew that his days as an Admiral were over. He couldn't perform both the duty of a fleet commander as well as his obligations as the Deputy Commander of the ISB. And so, there was a reason why his trusted lieutenant, Val Cardas, was with him. Thankfully, the mutiny had spared his life as well as that of Arsus Bravanc and Gil Berend.

=Val Cardas=
...Are you serious?!

The reaction had come when Saren showed the officiated documents that raised Cardas from a simple Captain to the rank of Commodore, equaling him to that of Rear and Vice Admirals. His former superior nodded his head in affirmation of the promotion that was being granted to his lieutenant.

Command of the Hercules II and her sister ships will fall to you, Cardas. As Deputy Commander of the ISB, I will have new duties, ones that will keep me away from the fleet. Although the First Order has been generous to let me keep a rank within the Navy, a simple honorary title of Senior Admiral, the ISB work will certainly keep me more on planets and in cities.

Saren chuckles, never imagining his role would put his boots more on the ground now. Yet, Zariel requested his services and gave him his place, by her side, as her second-in-command, just as he had been before the Diarchy and during its minor existence. It seemed that the Grand Inquisitor's desire for his services would not be dying anytime soon.

You will have good persons to help you though. First Order has quite the academies and their regimens in education have churned out fine recruits and officers. Even Gil plans to attend one, officially, and continue his services in the Navy after. You might have a young new officer at hand soon enough.

Vidarr smiles as he pats Cardas on the shoulder. His time in the Navy had come to an end, perhaps permanently or perhaps for now. It had been good and bad years, but the experience had been fruitful. Now, the Imperial had a new job and a new station to report for. Arsus would be joining him as his favored subordinate as well as Maxir and his Gang of Five.

Stuffed into an overcrowded landing craft, Mavera and Dawntree waited eagerly. Dawntree's typically simple saddle and bridle bore more adornment than usual. Charms and wards that the Witch had crafted to help protect her already sturdy companion from harm. They were simple compared to the more skilled Sisters back home, but for now they were better than nothing. Since news of the chaos had reached her, Mavera and Dawntree both had held an anxious amount of energy, that only could be born by a den-mother separated from her cubs. She knew her duty as an honorary Imperial Knight was to protect the Emperor, but that also extended to his family, to his younger siblings and mother that were now out of contact and had become Mavera's first real connection outside of Dathomir. The shuttle was not large enough for her to already be mounted onto the back of her Rancor companion, so she stood beside her. Both hands gripping her saber hilts with ever whitening knuckles. From what was coming over the coms, their shuttle would be putting down in one of the hanger bays to secure a landing zone. The rocking and jolting of the ship, as it evaded incoming fire, didn't seem to bother Mavera at all. She knew her duty, the sooner Yaga Minor was re-secured, the sooner they could push for the Core. Here we go! The witch said through gritted teeth as she felt the shuttle shutter onto the deck and the hiss of the doors depressurize. Answered by and eager snort from the large beast beside her. Mavera's yellow bladed sabers leapt to life as she and Dawntree launched themselves out of the ship like bolts leaving a blaster rifle. Fighting in tandem, the pair ripped into the foes arrayed before them. Tooth and claw, saber and magick, rip and tear.

Using standard tactics, I would certainly agree. However you will find those odds drastically decreased thanks to the twentieth army...
He keyed some commands then, sending out orders to have the 501st begin their deployment. While he was not particularly eager about using such a limited resource, he would acquis to the Emperor's Request, for now. New pings started coming online on the tactical display as additional transports started launching from the fleet and heading to reinforce the advanced parties which were already touching down and unloading boarding parties within the defence stations. Lieutenant General MacCoinneach would be leading the charge alongside the Stormtroopers of the 20th Army and the Imperial Knight Witch whom had been assigned to Octavians guard. Hopefully their combined forces would be able to blitz the traitors positions and get into the shipyards in an hour, two at most. Beyond that, they risked Baltasars Rebellion gaining access to experimental technology that could help shift the battles ahead within their favour.

When questioned, Zahn pulled up a rough technical spec hologram for the TIE Imperium. It was more marketing material than actual blueprint, but it was good to have the visual reference as he multiplied them and highlighted several in red
Of those constructed, a dozen have functional Hyperdrives. The rest were for testing and have various systems missing, but could easily be finished once the blueprints were acquired. We'll make sure that doesn't happen.
It might not seem all that certain, given the current circumstances. But Zahn was quite familiar with the experience his own army had gone through alongside the training those out of Corulag had been subject to. Experience under most standard Imperial training might be on the side of Baltasars Rebels, but they had never faced the foes Zahn had out in the Unknown Regions

---

The AALs had disgorged their occupants the moment they'd touched down in the Hangar Bays. Initially there appeared very little identifying way to differentiate each side other than the opening firefight between those coursing out of the Landers and those holding defensive positions. However, the Grand Marshal had foreseen this issue and had ensured a mixture of identifying bands and marks were used to distinguish friend from foe. When the battle was underway, they would have only a moment to sort out who was who. This way they could do so at a glance.

More and more Stormtroopers continued to flood into the Golan III's as they pushed their way through the defending forces and kept the pressure on toward the Control Room

A dozen too many... if the reports were true, the defenders were hard pressed by the rebels and traitors advancing upon the facility where the prototypes were housed. Octavian seemed to go quiet now, almost similar to how his father had been when he thought. Damnable traitors. He recalled the stories of the Imperial Mutiny when his father ascended the throne after the sudden disappearance of Sinistra. Contained to the Deep Core, there were reports within the Imperial Military records showing various hunting operations against stragglers that existed till recently. Now another civil war was on hand, greater than the one before. Had he failed at something? Was this a sign that he, Octavian, was not ready?

His thoughts were interrupted by an officer coming up to him and the Grand Marshal. The Emperor waved his hand, allowing the male to speak.

=Officer=
Your Majesty, Grand Marshal, report from the defenses: the rebels have broken through. There is a scramble now for the TIE Imperiums.

Octavian knew what this meant. These prototypes were top of the line and, even without their hyperdrives, they could be an issue if in the wrong hands. Octavian rose from his seat, looking out at the space and the shipyard facilities. His eyes twitched to both places before he turned to the commanding Admiral.

Renew our pressure on those Star Destroyers! We can't let them get away!

The Emperor commanded as the commanding naval officer acknowledged the order. A flurry of new commands were sent to a handful of squadrons as they broke off from the main fighting and proceeded to the section where the TIE/Imps were being housed. Best to minimalize the damage as much as possible.

Grand Marshal, are the testing pilots present on the shipyards or planet side? Are they loyalists or not?

Zahn worked several controls on the command table and brought up the Test Pilot program for the TIE/Imps. 20 head shots appeared with the pilots name and rank. He then marked several pilots in green and several in red
It depends upon your definition of loyalist... But of the twenty pilots, twelve have been confirmed loyal to you and seven have been confirmed as siding with Baltasar. The Commander, however, remains an unknown. He could side with us, or... your Uncle. How his decision falls, will affect several pilots.
Working some more controls, the projections then shifted into 2 groups
These nine pilots were station side when the attack began and the rest were ground side. of those nine, they are split evenly with the Commander as the only neutral. Not enough to make off with all of the TIE/Imps or turn them all against us. Last intel reports were that they had been confined to quarters and locked down. But... Understandably if they do decide to side with Baltasar, they wont remain confined for long. That's assuming your Uncle is the only person in play here. Whoever your mysterious shadow is... He could represent a third side with loyalties to parties unknown...
A Communications Officer hurried over to the table then, his hand falling from his ear piece as a long range call was relayed to him
We just received a message from Captain Alastair Voz of Task Force Kingsword at Ralltiir. It appears Baltasars forces were defeated before their arrival, however... He reports Ren Forces in orbit above the planet with a... A Mandator Five?
The day was going from bad to worse. Zahn was not intimately familiar with the Mandator V project since it fell under the Navy, but he had been briefed on the Ships intended capabilities
Shit... dismissed!
The Officer gave a curt bow before returning to his station to await the further updates that had been offered. Zahn brought up the Mandator V files he could find and projected it on the table
Well, if they're not allies, that will complicate matters here further... The Obsidian Order was on Imperial Intelligences Radar before all this. its exact membership is unknown, but it could affect where loyalties lay if they are making a move... I mean no disrespect Your Majesty, but it is a possibility we need to consider. Harnan Ren is not ranking at the top of everyone's most loyal list...
It was a bold move to imply the Ren, and by extension his own Sister, were potentially traitors. But it was not his job to assume the best any more. If they had possession of the Mandator V, then they had passed through Kuat. Maybe they were just executing a pincer movement against Baltasar and Captain Voz would radio back soon with such news. But he had a feeling that was not likely to happen

---

Lieutenant General MacCoinneach led the charge alongside the 501st and 20th armies as the transports docked and came up in the charge behind the Rancor riding Imperial Knight. With the main fleets engaged, the 3 Veers-Class Legion Support Cruisers made their pushes into the shipyards, docking in dry docks and connecting to the yards bays. Forces from the 20th Army and those belonging to the Army Corps of Engineers streamed out from their ships to provide a larger reinforcement pool to deal with the rebels rear guard

If we can make contact, I'll be sure to relay your message...
The last contact that had been made with the test pilots had been before the attack had begun. But with their forces now landed, it should be a lot easier to reach them, as long as they were not already released or held at gunpoint by the Pretenders Forces

---

You have your orders Gregor. Make quick time!
Gregor pulled up in cover behind some crates as Mavera Nako and Dawntree continued their rampage forward through the rebels ranks. He ran a quick reload of his powerpack as he activated his comm link
Remind me nae tae git oan her ill side... Understaun sur. We'll be thare soon, th' wee lassie oan th' rancor is ferr th' scary sight tae behold. Pure tearing th' steid up.
He left the comm link on receiver mode as he lifted up his pistol and looked to some Stormtroopers nearby
C'moan ye cowards, push onwards!
As ever always, Gregor was not one to simply lead from behind as he pushed over the crate and lead the charge up behind the Imperial Knight and her Rancor Companion, shooting out several rebels that had been trying to get in close. Blaster bolts whizzed and burned by in near misses, grazing his armour. the 501st and the 20th Army, however, were more more skilled marksman and were dropping targets. Whereas Baltasars Rebels were trying to hastily adapt to rebel tactics, Gregor and the 20th Army had been forged in the crucible of the Unknown Regions in dealing with such rabble.

The push through the shipyards was a long haul, but they were finally nearing the labs area where the Imperiums were being produced. The Lieutenant General was dismayed to find the quarters where the pilots had been holding up were now empty. With Mavera pushing on, he gave the place a once over as he activated his comm link
Ill speirins sur, th' pilots ur gaen...

---

Zahn hadn't held high hopes that the pilots would still be in a secured location, but it definitely would have been nice
It seems the Commander either made a choice, or was forced to make one...
There was an alert as several explosions tore holes in the shipyards and several TIE Imperiums broke free of their hangar bays. The Communications Officer approached the table with a grim expression
Captain Voz just sent through an update sirs... Begging your pardon, but Fiora Ren has claimed herself as Empress and declared you a failure. The Forces under the Grand Admiral are still engaged and making progress.
The Communications Officer quickly hurried away back to his post, not wishing to intrude upon the Emperor and Grand Marshal's time any more than he absolutely needed to, especially with such news