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It is a time of peace in the Empire. Under the paternal leadership of the Emperor, the galaxy is going through a new age of prosperity. Even so, there are malcontents and renegades in the outer regions that spread sedition and foment rebellion.

The influence of this "rebel alliance" has reached the world of Lanzar. Goaded by their lies, the Osokans have risen up against their democratically elected leader Matadan. Now a political renegade called Drakkon controls Lanzar and Matadan has been executed for treason following a show trial.

Shocked and sickened by such an act of barbarism, the Imperial Senate has condemned the revolt on Lanzar and has sent a diplomatic mission under distinguished senator Coran Andran to demand the resignation of Drakkon and to over-see fair and impartial elections for a new leader.

Drakkon has no intention of handing over power. Instead he is cynically manipulating the senatorial mission to delay the decision, while he and his rebel friends arm for war. The Emperor is not fooled however, and has reluctantly decided that direct action is needed. With a heavy heart he has sent an Imperial taskforce to Lanzar with orders to remove Drakkon from office and restore democracy to the world.


Welcome to the brand new Original Trilogy game! There's really not much more to say here that has not been said in other threads. It's a simple plot which has been made to fit whatever characters play, so there are no personal plotlines (except one surprise one, which is there for a different reason).

You have chosen to play an Imperial. Yay! Playing the Imperials can be nothing but fun. You have vast forces behind you, get smart suits and cool gear, and get to go around being theatrically evil as you fill those around you with sheer terror! Try not to take it all too seriosuly- Star Wars is just a bit of fun, after all, and we know the Empire loses eventually. But before then, crush all opposition!

That said, please do remember that this game has both a political and active side, and try to respect both! If you are new to one of my games, this is a great place to start, but please do also respect the experience of the veterans; following their lead is never a bad thing.

BTW, this is an opposed game, the first for a while. No rule is in place trying to stop people looking at the Rebel thread, but you may wish to have the experience of not doing so; I leave it up to you if you think that will be better.

Let's go...

A brawny, middle-aged man with chiseled facial features and sandy brown hair, combed neatly to the side underneath his military cap, strides onto the bridge of the Deviator, eyeing everyone in a seemingly suspicious manner with his dark brown eyes. A scar that laced down the side of his face made him seem ever more sinister.

These new Star Destroyers are quite an improvement over those aging Victory-class ships... he thinks to himself.

He pauses to straighten his dark green uniform, then moves to a window.

General Vantos Coll turns to peer down into the crew pit of the bridge.

"Where can I get into touch with General Atar?" Vantos asks, folding his hands behind his back neatly.

"All staff on the Revenge and the Victorious are currently preparing for the arrival of the Commissar and cannot be contacted, sir," says a communications Lieutenant.

"Most unfortunate," Vantos sighs, annoyed. "Perhaps I should be with them. Do you know where they are meeting?"

A young figure walks slowly into the Deviator He smiles as he sees the updated material, He always loved to fly He was rathe rgood at it as well. He walked in his short Black hair covered by a rey hat he waleked in wearing pilot clthe sready for business. He looked to someone . "Excuse me...I am looking to find teh IMperial Task Force...." he said looking at them.

Hey, I am not seeing much admin work going on here...

"You won't find them here," Vantos says, sneering at the newly arrived man. "You must be the Squadron Leader. Narrik, I presume?"

I was planning to wait for our little own political terror to jump in, assuming that General Coll knows nothing.

If he could, he would like to start planning how to initiate a full-scale invasion of Lanzar...

I also meant about positions on ship, who was worked with whom, and so on.

A planning meeting will indeed follow soon.

"Narrik Elias at your Service!" he said with a slight bow as he walked in in his slightly retained goofy manner. His blaster wacking his kneee every so once in a while, he smiled his boots clacking on teh floor.

Just changed the timescale to five days, btw, to account for some factors.

I assume then, Elias, that you are brand new to this ship?

that was my plan yes Itought everyone was and we were meeting each oteh rfor teh first time unless I was supposed to be a veteran

Like I was saying above, I wanted people to be working this stuff out between them.

General Coll is 34, and enlisted in the military immediately after the end of the Clone Wars. I intend that he is a familiar to most of the personnel, with the exception of whoever decides that they are newer to things, like Narrik or that Lomax fellow.

He expects Lt. Bast (his ally) to be close at hand when he is able, and wishes to be stationed aboard the Deviator, in order to be of service to Cpt. Trebeis.

Arvus will station himself aboard the Deviator, as a familiar to General Coll, perhaps contracted to this mission?

Arriving onboard the Deviator, Karn looked around the massive ship. Seeing the typical grey walls, grey roof, grey doors, he wasn't impressed at all. Wandering around, he found his way into the command bridge. Searching for the man in charge, he saw someone who seemed to know what he was doing (General Coll). Karn lazily saluted and introduce himself. "Karn Stirge, sir, reporting for duty," he said with very slight disgust. He had never liked formalities.

"Ah, Agent Stirge," General Coll, returning Karn's salute with a firm, correct one. "Glad to see that the Emperor has assigned you to us. You were of great use in the Belthos Uprising."

Rylis will be on the Deviator as well...

Hey, what a coincidence! You get to hang out with me.

Arvus steps out on the bridge, but then moves back into the hallway leading to it.

"Greetings, General," Arvus says, quietly, leaning against the bulkhead.

Whooo

*has idea*

*PMs you*

Well, whilst we are waiting... Bast has a datapad for you, Coll, containing the ground survey of Lanzar you requested.

Deviator crew- what sort of mood do you think the ship should be in for Esgabath's arrival?

General Coll snatches the datapad from Bast. "Thank you, Bast..." He begins to review it.

The mood of the ship? Strictly serious and with a sense of pride!

Originally posted by Captain REX
"Ah, Agent Stirge," General Coll, returning Karn's salute with a firm, correct one. "Glad to see that the Emperor has assigned you to us. You were of great use in the Belthos Uprising."
Lowering his arm, Karn said, "Ah, yes, Belthos. I remember that vividly." He stared off in the distance for a few seconds, as if he were looking for something. Snapping back to reality, he said to General Coll, "Well, I'll probably be in the hangar if you need me." Saluting again, a little less lazily than before, he walked out of the doors and took the nearest elevator down.

On board the Deviator Imperial Commander Janthis inspects his troop equipment to make sure everything is in top order.
He is waiting to be called up to mission briefing until then he will be with his troops.

Vyse notices Commander Janthis inspecting his equipment and walks over.

"Hey, Don't believe I've seen you around before, the name's Vyse. Pleasure to meet you."

Vyse offers his hand out to shake the man's hand.

As Melkor`s shuttle aproaches the fleet, he works with his Assistant to find as much information as possible about the situation, including searching Imperial Records( I assume Ties:Emperor grants me acess, and my Secretary is very skilled with working with Data.). He tries not to think too much about this mad timeframe.

"His Majesty knows what he is doing, his political genius brought Peace and Order to the Galaxy. I will prove I am worthy of such difficult task, even if Lanzar has to burn! But what about the Senate Mission, those ineffective fools will never accept radical solutions! His Majesty doesn`t give second chances, Senate can`t turn against us." With angry hand motion he spills one of the best wines in galaxy. Sareitha gives a nervous look, but continues her work.

"Before we aproach the ship, connect me to Senator Raedgar, I must speak with him concerning the Senate Mission."( Ush, contacting my ally, could I contact Senate Mission Leader too?)

I'll need to know who is Commodore before anything happens at all.

Do I know something about Nidar`s or Jarek`s loyalty? Jarek`s record is ecxellent, I assume.

What I have given you is all important factors the file gives you. You have no reason to doubt their loyalty.

Jarek as most experienced should be the Commodore. Unless..... Nidar`s rise in rank was quick, more connected to his great talent or family influence?

Jarek is militarily sound but politically nothing.

Nidar is actually a bit of a golden boy in all areas but obviously has less experience.

You may also wish to consider that the Commdore's geenral will be the senior General.

Hmm, Atar definately beats Lomax, I don`t want senior General with no field experience facing against Osokans!

I assume that we have no time for personal interviews? Damm the lack of time!

As Melkor prefers young people like himself, who are not afraid to do what is necessary despite old customs, he will choose Nidar with Adar as Senior General. I will inform him personally, and imply that we could rise high together if this Mission suceeds, Emperor himself may honor him!

Oh, Nidar will have been informed well ahead of time- the task force would need to know. Indeed- no time at all!

In that case it is Commodore Nidar in charge of the task force! Everyone note that.

And in that case, Commodore Nidar has requested that all senior personnel in the fleet- and any retinue they wish to bring with them- should report to the Victorious immediately now that the Commissar is arriving.

Can you tell me what kind of areas you want to find out information about?

You can indeed ask your Senator contact- any specific questions? He'll answer the first one for you immediately, which is that the leader won't give you the time of day until you get there.

First priority- information about Lanzar, its political system and recent history. Do we know if some of former leader`s allies are still active( not killed by those barbarians).

Second priority- information about the leader of Senate Mission, than Captain Nidar, than other Senior Taskforce members.

I will ask my ally about the feelings in the Senate concerning the mission, and how much does the Imperial Security Commision knows. In exchange I can give some info about Commisariat, propably not relating to the plot of the game, but something ambitious Senator could like to know.

Maybe one of player Commanders could be with Nidar, to become the Senior Commander?

The file on Lanzar is somewhat complicated. It had a relationship with the 'previous' (pre-Empire) Administration, though that Adminstration had the same leader at the time, of course. That relationships was the basis for all current interest in the planet.

What really did for Lanzar was the civil war which started shortly before the Clone Wars did. The Guilds have been slaughtering each other for these last two decades or so, which is a shame- apparently they had quite a network of trained aggressive operatives that worked for the Chancellor's office, but once the war started they were no longer being trained and more and more of them got sucked in as time went by. There's precious little left of that system now.

The Emperor was trying to re-start that whole deal when he backed Matadan to become leader (the central and most important point was always a strong Guild Master who could ensure the loyalty of the Hunting Lodges), but it is clear now that long-term prospects with the Osokans are roughly zero. Frankly the Emperor does not care if Matadan is alive or dead; he has failed. Unfortunately the last two years on Lanzar have been so totally chaotic that no-one in the Imperial administration really has much idea about who was supporting whom and who is dead or alive. Maybe if the Osokans had all killed each other it would have been fine, but the Emperor's biggest headache is Lanzar becoming stable under a leader he has not backed.

Still, that does not explain his haste.

Nidar was placed upon these task forces- which carry a certain amount of prestige- as a result of pressure applied by his family. He only needs a major victory under his belt and his career will go stratospheric; he might be an Admiral inside a few years and from there, who knows?

Your contact has some very firm points to make.

"The leader of the Senate mission os Coran Andran," he says, and you can feel the dislike immediately. "He is a man of strong... convictions, shall we say? And as far as I am concerned he's a pain in the backside. He opposed my appointment to this commission and had two of my comrades blocked from similar appointments as a result of the Drobenite Protests- which, incidentally, he was the ringleader of."

No, I said before that there is a pre-set senior Commander.

"Let`s say that Emperor himself agrees with your opinion concerning the likes of this Andran. But his generation is dying out, as are they useless values, which failed to save the decaying Republic. They are all bunch of hypocrites, all about values, democracy, fairness, etc, but how can you protect those without using all possible means to defend your principles? Most beings in Galaxy are ignorant and greedy, only truly great individuals can guide them to achieve something far greater than sum of the elements. If Andran and his fellow bumbling, indecisive fools were left in charge, we would now all be serving Neimodians and similar scum. Yet his Majesty saved the Republic, and now no one will be allowed to distrupt Imperial Peace, as those Osokans shall learn!..... "Melkor`s voice gets less loud again, and there is suddenly more sinister, calculating tone to it.

"Tell your collegues my only mission is to restore Imperial Order on Lanzar. Osokans are one of the most barbaric races in the Galaxy, that New Republic was too weak to do anything about. Emperor gave them a chance, offering them a place in the New Order. Yet they didn`t prove to be civilized enough- for last two years they have been slaughtering one another, wasting their potential and planet resources. His Majesty will not tolerate an Imperial World to be the source of discord and violence!

And I wonder how will our noble Andran be able to communicate with those barbarians, who have no respect for old man, they wil only listen to force of arms, they had to be pacificated by the Jedi once. It is obvious that his old style inept Diplomacy will resolve nothing..... So what is his intention? Perhaps he and his collegues want to distrupt the efforts of my Taskforce? If so... there will no future for Andran in New Order, and you my friend, may well replace him as the President of the Security Commision, I mentioned your good will to the Emperor himself. Keep your good work, and make effort so the information spreading in the Senate reflects what I mentioned.

And one more question: Do you think that some of Senators with Andran could be more willing to listen to reason than him?"

"Based upon his action plan for Droben, Andrna is almost certainly looking for a peaceful solution.

It's possible others will listen differently. It is a trimuvirate of three, after all, and it will take a majority decision. Andran will break a tie if a Senator abstains, but if outvoted then he can do little. But Sartorius is a new Senator and I know little about her; Senator Ardonel keeps his cards close to his chest."

"So this Ardonel is likely to support the view that could prove to be more beneficial for him?"

Melkor immediately asks Sareitha to check the Records on them.

They really don't tell you any more than your contact does. They have not done much before; this is their first notable appointment.

"Thank you for your help, I assume that most Senators are well aware of the barbaric nature of Osokans? If not, I hope you will enlighten them. Your efforts will be awarded." - Melkor finishes unless there is anything else Raedgar considers important.

Ush, does it seem that the civil war erupted mainly because of inner or outer politics( like, was relationship with Empire the main controversy)?

Reviewing your notes, you can find only one proximate cause for the start of the civil war, and that was the death of the previous Guildmaster.

So now, time for big conference on Victorious? It would seem logical I would stay on Victorious then, not Deviator, will it be trublesome for the game?

Or maybe I could contact my Mentor, Tarkin, first?

Time is running out for any more pre-arrival chit chat I am afraid.

Indeed, it is time for people to meet on the Victorious. The Commissar's shuttle is arriving now, with large squares of stormtroopers in formation all around, and all the players are there to meet him, either as senior officers or as part of the guard...

(except you Scum and Villainy types, who arrive with him, and you Agents, who are skulking umcomfortably near the Generals)

Melkor proudly marches out of the shuttle, appearing full of confidence and authority. He will greet the Senior Officers, complimenting the veterans(like Jarek) on their previous accomplishments, and will emphasize the importance of this mission to Commodore Narik, suggesting that he has chosen the officer whose Star will rise high, and Melkor`s connections may help with Narik`s career( I will not speak of it when Jarek can hear).

What are attitudes od Senior Staff towards me(Observation rolls)?

Respect as far as the bounds of duty command.

"Good afternoon, Commissar," says the Commdore. "Welcome to the Victorious, a name I think you will find will be apt for our missions together. Did you have a pleasant journey?"

A Heavily modified TIE-Fighter glides into the Docking bay of the Deviator. The sever Techs in the area immediately notice the Special markings in the Solar Panels. "This is definitely some big-brass. I Wonder who it is." One of the Techs whispers to the other. The man does not get the chance to reply. With a loud Snap-Hiss, the Cockpit hatch pops open, and out steps The Captain Trebeis. The techs rush to make themselves appear busy.

Entering the Bridge, The Captain is nearly tripped by a small droid. With an obvious deal of satisfaction, he raises his left boot and sends it flying with a kick. Noticing the people gathered around, he slowly makes his way to the front of the bridge, and waits for silence. Everyone pauses- Except for a solitary General, who continues talking despite Trebeis's obvious attempts at getting everyone's attention.

"Excuse me General! May I please address my crew?" He Asks Snidely, sneering in the Gruff man's direction. Rhodes, noticing the commotion, Rushes to the Captains side.

"Yes, the journey was comfortable for me and my companions, thank you Captain." - Melkor urges his little coterie to come closer:

"This young lady is my personal Secretary and Intelligence Expert, Sareitha Adeleas. I would also like to introduce Rylis Tavel, one of the finest Bounty Hunters in the galaxy, who was pardoned after she decided to work for New Order. And this deadly looking man is Arvus Oakmead, he has considerable skill in Sabotage and Stealth. I am sure both of them wil be a great help in our mission, though they are not part of military and answer to me." -Melkor carefully watches the reaction to the duo, wondering if Narik despises Bounty Hunters and Mercenaries as many Officers do.

"And I would like to emphasize the importance of our mission, it is urgent and difficult, but Emperor himself shall observe it. If we conquer difficulties, which I firmly believe, we will both rise high, but if we fall..... I put a great responsibility on you, Captain Narik, but I am sure you will prove a great Commodore. You are the youngest Captain to command one of this new Star Destroyer class, and I hope we will achieve understanding, as were both raised in New Order and are determined to do what must be done. We will suceed, no matter the costs!"

"And you General Atar, I heard about your excellent service record, I hope this mission will overshadow your previous accomplishments".

Note to Rylis and Arvus: you were not on Deviator as you posted, you came with me, and now I introduce you to Commodore.

Captain Trebeis, you are long overdue on the Victorious...

"I am certain the Emperor will be well satsified by the efforts of this task force," says Nidar.

"Do you bring additional orders from the Emperor?" interjects Atar, pretty much ignoring what you said to him, Esgabath.

Lyle is standing near the back of the group, wearing an old hedre-skin jacket. The common polyfibre top's hood under it is lying outside of the jacket's collar. He was unconsciously rubbing his hands in their black formal gloves, as he held them in front of himself.

On te journey here, he had spoken with the normal stormtroopers, and a few of their commander, while eating with them in the cafeteria. He'd done this to the extent of getting to know a few commanders, one in particular, going by the name of Modun, who he'd dined with four times. Snatching two hours from his sleep pattern, he had tried getting his hands on information about the planet Lanzar, as well as checking for any contacts he might have had on the planet.

Now, however, he was feeling a little uneasy. Lyle liked to have a way out if something went wrong, but he was surrounded by stormtroopers and their guns. He let a sigh escape his lips as the shuttle flew into the docking bay, even managing to ignore that almost imperceptible straightening of stormtroopers in their formations.

Looking around, he saw a few faces known to him in the motley collection arrayed to meet the new Comissar. General Coll, over there, standing with the other generals. And Lyle was sure he recognised the man standing some way off, another agent. Wait a moment! Stirge? Karn Stirge? Damn, that was a long way back. Lyle wondered if the other agent would remember him at all. Fighting an urge to walk over and start a conversation, Lyle decided he'd look him up later, and returned his attention to the incoming shuttle.

"Straight to the point General?"- Melkor gives an understanding smile. This man clearly has a mind of the soldier. "Well, it is good, since time is the one thing we lack. Emperor wants this situation to be resolved in 5 days."

"Five days?" says Atar, raising an eyebrow. "That limits our options."

The rest of you can react to that news as you like.

"Well," says Nidar. "Such as it is the Emperor's will, I am sure we will not disappoint. And talking of strategy, I have called a planning meeting immediately. We can all meet in my conference room and talk over our options."

"Very well, Commodore. Let`s start the conference immediately"- Melkor hopes that Nidar is as at least half as competent as he is eager. Atar should compliment his personality nicely anyway.

Is Jarek present?

Commodore is a rank above Captain so in the capacity as the military leader of the mission you should call him that.

And yup, they all are.

The generals had, as protocol dictated, moved ahead of Lyle. They were already talking, so he decided he'd waited long enough. Walking forward just in time to catch the news, he scaned the group, recognising the Comissar from his insignia. Glancing at his face, he recognised the face from several holo-shots he had. The assassin, he didn't know, but what was Rylis Tavel doing here? One of Lyle's eyes raised momentarily.

It hadn't been all that long ago that they'd worked together on a project. She'd certainly risen in the ranks from when she had just been a defector from the criminal underworld. Another person he'd have to meet up with later.

"Greetings, Commissar," Vantos says, standing at a relaxed attention. "I am pleased to hear that you found your journey satisfactory. I am famiiliar with Arvus Okmead, but the bounty hunter I have only heard of."

"Five days, though? Cutting it close, I would say. However, the Emperor is wise. We should be able to accomplish our task within that time."

Following the commanders and generals, Karn listened to what they were talking about, but soon grew bored of their discussion. Looking around at the others who were walking along, Karn noticed some that he knew; Arvus Okmead he had seen while on a job for Nebba not long before he joined the Empire; Rylis once received a bounty on some Rodian's head from that same Hutt; and Lyle he knew from a mission back when he (Karn) had first joined, still learning the ropes. Karn chuckled at his memories, thinking of how far back those times were and how far he had come since then. He and Lyle could probably talk for a while after the conference. Turning his attention back on the conversations, Karn listened carefully for any information he might be able to use.

Right then! We can move the action onto the planning meeting.

The conference room has one of those large round tables that we saw the Death Star personnel sittng and talking around in ANH; people are sat all around.

"Present here," says Nidar, "are all senior staff on the mission, along with some of our auxilliary personnel and the Comissar's... 'companions'. Also some of the senior troop commanders that would be expected to lead any assaults during this operation.

"I'll keep this simple, then. Lanzar, homeworld of the Osokans, vicious, violent, barbaric- but deadly one to one. Luckiy for us, their deadliness is like that of a wild animal; ferocious they may be but they are of limited intellect and dedication to sophistication; despite their alent atr creating toy whips and other such personal technologies, their macrotechnology is pitiful. They have no offensive space force, no heavy war vehicles... in fact nothing that we would recognise as a war machine at all. They will be unable to resist us.

"We have five days, then, to bring Lanzar under total Imperial control, by any means necessary, and if that means widespread destruction and extermination then so be it. Five days does not give us long, especially in view of the political situation there, which involves us making sure the Senatorial mission is safely out the way before any war starts, but I have no doubt we are up to the task.

"I want to open the floor to discussions, ideas and tactics, then. Any of you may speak, low or high, but be sure that what you say is worth hearing. We have no time to waste on frivolities."

Speak away folks.

Arvus steps off of the shuttle behind Commissar Esgabath and silently looks over the military suits present at the assembly. He took a quick mental note of the presence of General Coll and Agent Stirge, but did not recognize anyone else. One of the Commanders seemed to be a former clone trooper, which he found slightly unnerving.

"Hallo," he says softly, when Esgabath introduces him, but is immediatley ignored by the high-ranking personnel.

"Well, it zeems ve haf landed another mission for zee Empire," Arvus mutters to Rylis, in his thick Arkanian accent. "Zat can only mean seferal credits for ourselves, after our work 's done."

Once the meeting starts, Arvus asks a question.

"I haf wondered how you intend to make use of my talents?" he asks. "No doubt the Osokans vould be confused with-out their leader, but...assassinating a Guildmaster of Lanzar is a difficult task. The unlimited strength and regeneratif abilities make it quite demanding."

Janthis sat pondering. He heard all and laughed to himself. They may be primitive but you should never underestimate an opponent as he rubs the scar on his eye. Then returns to hear what everyone else has to say.

Leaning against one of the walls, Karn casually asks, "How adept would you say this primitive species is in close combat? Or should I stick with using these guys when I meet them?" He pats one of his blaster holsters, which hold his DL-44's.

Vantos, you came prepared for this meeting.

Lanzar is an averagely sized world with no problems of atmosphere, temperature or pressure.

However, for a modern Imperial world it is VERY wild. There are plenty of irritating atavistc species- Wookies being the most famous- that have left the natural features of their planet intact, and so have the Osokans on their jungle world. Precious few have left the killer wildlife so entirely intact as well though. At all places between the island cities of Lanzar, the background is highly hazardous.

Lanzar City itself is the only target of any strategic significance, One of the few Osokan concessions to heavy technology is the shield generator that protects it. It might be possible to slow-land shuttles down there for brief operations- though you would expect causlites from whatever anti-air defences there are as they drift slowly through the shield- but it makes any direct landing at the city effectively impossible.

Standard tactics, then, are for a landing near the city and to attack with the army to destroy the generator.

Problems there, though. You havr two choices of terrain- jungle and lake. Ruling out the great lakes for obvious reasons, that means you have to land somewhere in the damn jungle. You have no time to perofrm anything but the most cursory of clearing efforts; the cloest clearing that could even vaguely provide a good landing site is at least 12 hours advance from Lanzar city- 12 hours through jungle, anyway. No matter how All-Terrain your transports are, armies move more slowly through jungle than plains.

Unable to mount a sudden struke, your favoured option would then be to place heavy artillery all around the City and bombard it into submission, However, in five days you could barely get the guns into place (NOT designed to be wheeled through jungle), let alone bombard the city long enough for the sheild to collapse and the city to crack. Not that you really know how strong that shield is.

It will have to be your heavy mobile units that destroy that generator then- which means AT-ATs, which are certainly up to the task if you can geth them there. Any final blow on the city will have to be done by the Infantry, the only unit you have that can clear streets and buildings.

But all in all, the terrain is a real problem.

"I must say that I have been wondering the same as Arvus, namely, why exactly I am needed here for this task." Rylis says, leaning back in her seat. "Somehow I do not think that my reputation, which is the main reason I usually am hired for Imperial missions, will cause the Guildmaster any worry."

Atar fields Karn's query.

"The average Osokan is lethal in close combat," he says. "Luckily there are few of them left that are trained killers but even the citizens are more than a match for any stromtrooper. It's very difficult to keep them dead as well; they regenerate faster than I would have otherwise thought possible.

"Meanwhile, I personally do not think in terms of assassination; I guide armies."

Nodding his head, Karn takes that as a "yes" for his second question.

"I am sure the Commissar has some good ideas for your use," says Atar.

"Most likely."

Arvus looks to Esgabath and awaits his answer from him.

Janthis speaks, "Do we have any info on the number of them we will face and are we dealing with creatures that will surrender or will they fight to the last person?"

~yeah Narriks a Comadore! and is Narrik in the meeting he is the Commadore~
Narrik smiled. "I promise not to fail you in this new position. But stil...Five days....Not to close My piloting skills we'll be there soon and can get our job done twice as fast!" Narrik smield and then looked over to Rylis his sl=moilefaded. "I want you not to be offended that I don't trust your type..." He said to teh Bounty Hunter.

"I am sure that their regenerative constitution is of little concern if they are vaporized," General Coll says, with a grim sneer. "Even they will not be able to stand against the power of our war machines. The All-Terrain vehicles should make quick work of them. The only problem there is the terrain. We cannot land in the great lakes, obviously; perhaps the Osokans were a water-based people, we could send in the AT-AT Swimmers, but they are useless for this situation."

General Coll will put up a holographic display of Lanzar City, if possible, as a diagram of the shield generator, the surrounding jungle, and the city itself.

"The shield generator is our primary target, for it will keep us from bringing in my infantry by air, as well as prevent Leader Narrik's squadrons, in the form of fighters and bombers, from providing aerial support. How he executes his usefullness with the squadrons, I leave up to him."

He gestures with his pointer and the shield in the hologram covers the city and extends into the jungle. He jabs his pointer into the jungle, and then whisks it around the edge of the shield, causing it to flicker slightly.

"The shield generator extends out into the jungle, and I have judged that, even with the abilities of our transports, it will take the infantry approximately twelve hours to navigate the jungles, due to the density of such places, as due to the fact that those ignorant Osokans have not eradicated those ancient beasts that live there. I suggest we find a means of protecting the stormtroopers from these beasts until we reach Lanzar City. Any ideas will be welcome."

A blip in the hologram, representing the infantry, moves through the shield and there is a small explosion as the shield is brought down.

"Once the shield is down, the TIE squadrons can bomb various targets that we select for them that will not put ourselves at risk of friendly fire, and additional stormtroopers can be flown in on landing shuttles. From there, victory is assured."

General Coll pauses, to let this all sink in, and see what the other Generals have to say.

"General Coll," says the Commodore, "whilst I am happy for you to plan contingencies, please do not take it upon yourself to make strategic decisions for the task force; that is MY job. I haven't even requested a surface landing at this point."

~is Narrik in teh Planning room?~

Everyone is.

"Personally, even if my opinion doesn't matter, I think General Coll's idea seems reasonable. But, of course, I'm not much of a military person."

~OK thanks~
"Well then not to over step my bounds but, Why not lanuch our Assasin in there sneaky like a few slealthy types in there. The break in while teh enitial Battle is outside, They go in take out That Generator, and Ar mthem with enough Armor and Weapons to start a War as if we need another..." he said leaning back in his chair casually he very little seemed to belong with The Empire being as Casual as he was.

"Oh, my apologies, then," General Coll says, his dislike for Nidar rising ever so slightly.

He may have skill and have risen through the ranks quickly, but so have I, that little inexperienced git... Vantos thinks. I hope the Commissar knows what he is doing...

"That was only my suggested approach to the issue. Unless you have something in mind?"

"This meeting is to discuss such options, not to lay out battle plans as if an option has already been chosen."

Narrik layed back in his chair annoyed He wondered how this was going. "What excatly ARE teh options we are looking at?" he asked openning his eyes more.

"In that case, I am laying out the option of obliterating Lanzar City," General Coll says, his sneer returning. "We need to find a way to remove the Senatorial mission, first. Do they know what brutish fiends the Osokans are?"

Originally posted by Captain REX
"In that case, I am laying out the option of obliterating Lanzar City," General Coll says, his sneer returning. "We need to find a way to remove the Senatorial mission, first. Do they know what brutish fiends the Osokans are?" Janthis waits for the General to finish speaking, "Yes what about the Senatorial Mission it must be of the most important of tasks to get them out before anything else should be done?"

Narrik openned his eyes. "A little Desperate seeming blowing up a whole city, sure we can't easily take them down, without some Sbatoge of course but Blowing up a whole city seems a Wee bit Extreme.... I like the fromntal Assault Plan with Some Sbatoge mixed in...." Narrik looked over to Th eGenerel. "Unless you have a better less destructive Plan of course..."

"It not extreme in regards to cowing the Osokans," Vantos says. "They are an extreme people."

Narrik Grimaced at this He knew all to well of teh Osokans Pwer adn Furosity, From his small memory of his Fathe rhe was told he met is end against Osokons th eFierce Savages! Narrik was angry not knowing truley how he came to live here except for teh Story Many had told him. "I agree they are extreme How Many Osokans Are there?" he asked contemplating Blowing them all to Hell.

Looking around the cluttered room. A single figure caught Atillian's eye. A five-oh-first! He thought suddenly, recognising Janthis. If he was a member of the 501st, perhaps this mission will be easier than expected.....

"Gentleman- And lady." Trebeis began, nodding to Rylis " I suggest that we follow the coarse of action laid out by General Coll. If he is willing to attempt a Landing, perhaps it is possible to cause a big enough of a distraction to throw of these Pigs. What I have in mind is a bombardment of the Shield with Turbo-lasers and Photon weapons. There is the chance that they will be concerned enough with that to not notice Coll and a detachment making their entrance. I have used this tactic before, however it works best if used in conjunction with a smaller force of Special Forces...."

"Distraction!...Thats my Department..." he said calmly rembering the quick rapid Fir eof his Tie Fighhter The Imperial Pride! "I can fly out there and my Team while this happens......" he looekd over to the others "But I see this is only our OPTIONS at the moment so I shall keep my thoughts to myself..." he said annoyed he looked to a Window peerinf Out into Space

"An orbital bombing of the shield before we move in, Captain Trebeis?" General Coll asks.

"Will they go for such a distraction?" Rylis asks. "And how exactly will we go about getting the Senatorial mission out of there? Even I realize that we cannot take any action while they are in the city."

"No, General Coll. It needs to be done in tandem. The Drop ships move in as the bombardment begins. This will provide cover. Naturally, extreme caution on the part of the gunners is necessary." Turning to Rylis, he added "The Senatorial mission could be retrieved before any real damage is done to the city. Besides, the Emperor never specified that accidents cannot happen." He finished with a wink.

"Logic tells me that the anti-aircraft weaponry will be inside the shield," Vantos says. "And I doubt Rylis wants a price on her own head for harming Senators."

"No, I would not like that in the least." Rylis said shortly, remembering that not too long ago, that had been the case for a short time.

"The idea is to put enough firepower into the shield to make it very hard to target incoming craft. For one, the heat of the Turbo laser beams would be enough to throw off many targeting systems. And I doubt the Pigs have much advanced weaponry anyway."

"Simple we combine my idea, We send in The Assasin, Our Agents and a few stealthy types tehy sneak tehre way in, retreive teh Senatorial Mission...Then Blow up the SHeild possibley taking down there Anti Air Craft Devices. " he smiled at this. "The Bounty Hunter," he Grimaced again. "And myslef a few otehr Pilot Types Should Hold teh outside Distracting them and taking down some Things that would be ValueAble we getthose Out of the Way tehn fly into Orbit then Launch us a Bomb Blowin them Straight to hell....."

"I'm sorry, but I'm a little confused here." Rylis said, inwardly hiding a smile at his discomfort with her presence. "Steal what thing? Last I checked, we aren't here to steal anything."

~retreive Teh Senatorial Mission~

"Oh, do hush, Narrik, you're rambling on again," General Coll sighs.

"We have to end the Senate mission somehow," General Coll says. "Kidnapping them would be the last thing we would want to do. It would cause much dissent, and the Emperor would be rather displeased with us if we were to be arrested for kidnapping senators and prematurely ending their mission with it.

"We simply need a way to get them to drop the mission, or at least speed up the process and have them fail as well."

Nidar slams his fist down onto the table.

"Enough of this babble! I refuse to waste time here talking of plans that may never happen! We must determine our objectives upon arrival. ONLY when we have our objectives defined can we make plans.

"In my opinion, our first objective is to seal off Lanzar from the outside Galaxy. Our Star Destroyers will be used to form a blockade, with our fighters making regular patrols, each ship responsible for covering one-third of the planet.

"Once Lanzar is sealed we can ascertain the situation and act appropriatelt. But I can see no reason," he says, gesticulating animatedly as he strolls around the outside of the table, "why we should not act in the most efficient way possible to end opposition on Lanzar forever. I see no particular reason to get bogged down in a surface landing at all. These new Star Destroyers have more firepower than these primitives could imagine. Combine the firepower of three ships at the appropriate time, and our bombardment could easily overwhelm their inferior shielding and we can then destroy Lanzar City at will from orbit."

He looks at Narrik, with a sneer.

"Unless you don't have the stomach for such measures, of course..."



Trebeis- that's an interesting idea. As it was, it seemed to be panning out that the Generals would get all the glory on this one. Nidar's pure naval solution would make the Captains the victors...

General Coll's grin is wiped off of his face.

"That still does not solve the problem of the presence of the Senatorial mission, Captain," Vantos says.

"Not a problem," says Nidar, confidently. "The targetting systems on these ships are so precise that we can knock out enemy targets without endangering the Senators. As for any political considerations, I am sure the Commissar here will have those all in hand without trouble."

Raising an eyebrow, Karn begins to wonder if he will actually be able to do anything on this mission.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
"Not a problem," says Nidar, confidently. "The targetting systems on these ships are so precise that we can knock out enemy targets without endangering the Senators. As for any political considerations, I am sure the Commissar here will have those all in hand without trouble." "Well then Coomdore," Janthis says in his heavy clone accent, "If we can knock out their shields then we can also knock out their air defences and any jamming signals meaning a small group could fly dwon a nd retrieve the Senators just in case these ships aren't as accurate as one would hope. I'm sure the Emperor would not like the added stress of having to explain the deaths of Senators on a diplomatic mission."
Janthis stops for a second looking around at everyone. He enjoys the emotions he raises from people being a clone of the 501st.
"We'll simply land and tell them they must come with us that their lives are endanger as we've heard tell that a reknown assainain has come to kill them hired by the Osokans themselves."

Melkor listens carefully, nods with approval as Coil and Trebeis speak, than smiles darkly upon Nidar`s words.

"Well, I am not expert on military matters, but the analysis of General Coils`s was convincing, plan you and Captain Trebais started to form sounds reasonable. Yet I must admit that Commodore`s solution is quite covincing in its simplicity. Those Osokans were given their chance, but their barbaric culture is unable to evolve beyond primitive, destructive level, perhaps it is in the best interest of Galaxy to see it eradicated? His Majesty has lost his patience, certainly, and surely the demonstration of overwhelming force such as destroying Lanzar will force those barbarians to comply with the Imperial Order. If not... they would make great labour force for our needs

But at the political level..." -Melkor`s smile fades and look of concern returns- "We have to solve the issue of Senate Mission. There is distinct possiblity that I can convince 2 of 3 Senators that those negotiations are pointless, as the Osokans wil not listen to soft words without demonstration of armed force, and those seeding the discort must be punished. The main problem remains in Andran, leader of the Senate Mission, stubborn old fool. He is respected in the Senate, there would be great uproar if something happens to him, unless.....

Melkor looks at Oakmead, Rylis and Agents carefully: "Unless it seems like Osokans harmed him. I wonder if we can sneak some of our men that are skilled in covert operations. They could try to contact followers of deceased Drakkon , previous Guildmaster, loyal to us, and infiltrate the Senate Mission, perhaps masquerading as journalists? ( i assume there are journalists in this galaxy, they were even mentioned in PT books, if not I am not saying it).

I repeat, destroying the shield is secondary goal, and I am sure our firepower is sufficient. Neutralizing the Senate Mission, preferably without them giving a hostile report to Senate, this is the primary objective."

Originally posted by Lord Melkor
Melkor listens carefully, nods with approval as Coil and Trebeis speak, than smiles darkly upon Nidar`s words.

"Well, I am not expert on military matters, but the analysis of General Coils`s was convincing, plan you and Captain Trebais started to form sounds reasonable. Yet I must admit that Commodore`s solution is quite covincing in its simplicity. Those Osokans were given their chance, but their barbaric culture is unable to evolve beyond primitive, destructive level, perhaps it is in the best interest of Galaxy to see it eradicated? His Majesty has lost his patience, certainly, and surely the demonstration of overwhelming force such as destroying Lanzar will force those barbarians to comply with the Imperial Order. If not... they would make great labour force for our needs

But at the political level..." -Melkor`s smile fades and look of concern returns- "We have to solve the issue of Senate Mission. There is distinct possiblity that I can convince 2 of 3 Senators that those negotiations are pointless, as the Osokans wil not listen to soft words without demonstration of armed force, and those seeding the discort must be punished. The main problem remains in Andran, leader of the Senate Mission, stubborn old fool. He is respected in the Senate, there would be great uproar if something happens to him, unless.....

Melkor looks at Oakmead, Rylis and Agents carefully: "Unless it seems like Osokans harmed him. I wonder if we can sneak some of our men that are skilled in covert operations. They could try to contact followers of deceased Drakkon , previous Guildmaster, loyal to us, and infiltrate the Senate Mission, perhaps masquerading as journalists? ( i assume there are journalists in this galaxy, they were even mentioned in PT books, if not I am not saying it).

I repeat, destroying the shield is secondary goal, and I am sure our firepower is sufficient. Neutralizing the Senate Mission, preferably without them giving a hostile report to Senate, this is the primary objective." Janthis sits back in his chair he hates politics. The only thing he hates worse is Massacres though and he feels no matter what he is about to see another one.

Correction: I meant Matadan not Drakkon who killed him and is hostile to Empire.

Who elects Guildmaster, Ush? Are there any classes or castes among Osokans?

You are a bit hazy about how a Guildmaster is appointed; there is no solid information other than that a candidate has to be Master of one of the Hunting Lodges. All you know about their Caste system is that the Hunter is the top caste, but much of that has been destroyed in the war.

There are journalists in the Galaxy, but there are no Osokan journaists. You would be amazed if Drakkon allowed followers of his political opponents anywhere near his Lodge, which is where the Senatorial mission is.

"The idea of a retrieval team for the Senate is praciticable," says General Atar. "But this is not an elite special forces outfit; for a highly skilled job like that, we could probably pull together one team and no more, so I hope you have no other such 'commando' requirements. Any such operations would also require careful planning so we would need to know in advance. And whether it happened uring the bombardment or having to navigate through shields, we would lose shuttles on the way down. Casualties would be heavy; I doubt we could mount a second mission. We would also need one of our best Commanders ready for such a mission."

"I would be interested to know," speaks Captain Jarek, who is leaning back at his chair, idly scracthing a slighy wrinkle on his face, "what our intentions are for the Guildmaster."

"I'd do it!" Vyse exclaims towards General Atar. "I'm not the greatest of commanders but I'd be willing to try."

(What I meant with journalists was some excuse for Agents to join the Senate Mission. I assume it is not plausible?)

Melkor notices that Jarek has finally spoken:

" So-called Guildmaster Drakkon has murdered the previous Guildmaster, started the last, extremally violent civil war, and is known to oppose the Empire. He will be executed for his crimes, and his followers will be be either eliminated or imprisoned and taken from Lanzar, as I mentioned they would be very valuable prisoners, as strong as Wookies, but those regenerative qualities would make them able to work in most dangerous circumstances with low costs. If possible, we will try to appoint new Guildmaster and take his family as hostages.

However, we may fool Drakkon that we shall keep him in Power if he complies with Imperial Order. Though I doubt he will go for it, nevertheless I would try to contact him and Senators immediately."

(Ush, could the communication between us and Senate mission/ Drakkon be established quickly?)

Yes.

And no press I am afraid, no; they have not been allowed on Lanzar.

"Officially executed?" inquires Jarek.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
"Not a problem," says Nidar, confidently. "The targetting systems on these ships are so precise that we can knock out enemy targets without endangering the Senators. As for any political considerations, I am sure the Commissar here will have those all in hand without trouble."

"You seem very sure of that, Commodore." Rylis replies. "But I don't think I need to remind that one single accident could be catastrophic."

Originally posted by Ushgarak
You are a bit hazy about how a Guildmaster is appointed; there is no solid information other than that a candidate has to be Master of one of the Hunting Lodges. All you know about their Caste system is that the Hunter is the top caste, but much of that has been destroyed in the war.

There are journalists in the Galaxy, but there are no Osokan journaists. You would be amazed if Drakkon allowed followers of his political opponents anywhere near his Lodge, which is where the Senatorial mission is.

"The idea of a retrieval team for the Senate is praciticable," says General Atar. "But this is not an elite special forces outfit; for a highly skilled job like that, we could probably pull together one team and no more, so I hope you have no other such 'commando' requirements. Any such operations would also require careful planning so we would need to know in advance. And whether it happened uring the bombardment or having to navigate through shields, we would lose shuttles on the way down. Casualties would be heavy; I doubt we could mount a second mission. We would also need one of our best Commanders ready for such a mission."

"I would be interested to know," speaks Captain Jarek, who is leaning back at his chair, idly scracthing a slighy wrinkle on his face, "what our intentions are for the Guildmaster." I thought losses were always accpetable. Loosing a few shuttles will mean nothing. Timing it up between the bombardment of the shields and the landing will be key. Hopefully the bombardment will help the forces stay to undetected while we land. After that it is simple search and retrieve. We should have an outline of the city and the location of the Senators so finding and getting to them won't be hard. All this while you continue to bombard key locations should help to still reduce our chances of being discovered until we can find the Senators. Then before we take off make sure that the air defences have been destroyed. After that we can take our time for a full scale invasion should we wish to take the planet intact or simply bombard them into oblivion."

"Yes, I assume those people enjoy violent and spectacular deaths, and it would be the first move of new Guilmaster. It would be better than if he died in combat, though it isn`t the matter of great importance. Why do you inquire so much on this subject?"

"There will be no accidents," states Nidar.

"Losses are significant if the demand for more missions arises," says Atar. "Like I said, we could only manage such a thing once, after which we would not have the personnel or the craft to do it again.

"And the bombardment will not cease. If it does, the integrity of the shield might be restored. At the very least, the generator would have to be pinpointed and destroyed by thr bombardment; then you also wish the air defences destroyed.... in short, there will be no opportune moment to land troops safely if we plan to annihilate the city by air. It will be a heavy loss scenario."

Originally posted by Lord Melkor
"Yes, I assume those people enjoy violent and spectacular deaths, and it would be the first move of new Guilmaster. It would be better than if he died in combat, though it isn`t the matter of great importance. Why do you inquire so much on this subject?"

"Because I heard rumour that Drakkon was a wanted war criminal."

Originally posted by Ushgarak
"There will be no accidents," states Nidar.

"Losses are significant if the demand for more missions arises," says Star. "Like I said, we could only manage such a thing once, after which we would not have the personnel or the craft to do it again.

"And the bombardment will not cease. If it does, the integrity of the shield might be restored. At the very least, the generator would have to be pinpointed and destroyed by thr bombardment; then you also wish the air defences destroyed.... in short, there will be no opportune moment to land troops safely if we plan to annihilate the city by air. It will be a heavy loss scenario." Then Bombard and destroy the shields first along with the generator. "Between finding the senators and getting there and getting back you should have plenty of time to take out the generator and the air defences before we take off. And we can easily avoid the bomabardment if you kepp it at those locations if these weapons are as accurate as you say."

Originally posted by Ushgarak
"There will be no accidents," states Nidar.

"Losses are significant if the demand for more missions arises," says Star. "Like I said, we could only manage such a thing once, after which we would not have the personnel or the craft to do it again.

"And the bombardment will not cease. If it does, the integrity of the shield might be restored. At the very least, the generator would have to be pinpointed and destroyed by thr bombardment; then you also wish the air defences destroyed.... in short, there will be no opportune moment to land troops safely if we plan to annihilate the city by air. It will be a heavy loss scenario."

"It is not wise to believe that a mistake can never be made; even the best person can slip up once, and once is all you need." Rylis replied, narrowing her eyes. "It would be far smarter to get the Senatorial mission out of the city before any attacks begin."

Originally posted by newjak86
Then Bombard and destroy the shields first along with the generator. "Between finding the senators and getting there and getting back you should have plenty of time to take out the generator and the air defences before we take off. And we can easily avoid the bomabardment if you kepp it at those locations if these weapons are as accurate as you say."

"If you would excuse me," says Atar, "I thought I was merely a General, and therefore also merely your superior officer who may well be responsbile for planning any such operation. The nicities of the bombardment I leave to the Navy. All I can tell you is that my training and experience says that trying to launch a shuttle mission down to a city we are attacking from space is inevitably going to have high losses. Would you not agree, Commodore Nidar?"

"Of course," he says, "which is why it is not necessary. A precision bombardment makes the removal of the Senators a secondary consideration." Nidar turns to Rylis. "And that migh be true on whatever place you call 'home', but myself, my crew and my ship make no mistakes. Of course, if the Commissar wishses to arrange the removal of the Senators first, then that is all well and good, but I believe the sooner and swifter we strike, the better."

"You are right, Captain, though the Osokan culture is more a problem than any single individual. Feel free to share any rumors that concern you, even Commisariat sometimes overlooks things." -Esgabath answers Jarek( Observation- how he feels about Nidar).

Melkor raises an eyebrow upon the talk of retrieval misssion:

"I fear that Osokans will execute the Senators if we start bombardment, I would prefer the retrieval mission to happen before the attack. Rylis speaks wisely."

Originally posted by Lana
"It is not wise to believe that a mistake can never be made; even the best person can slip up once, and once is all you need." Rylis replied, narrowing her eyes. "It would be far smarter to get the Senatorial mission out of the city before any attacks begin."
"I disagree Rylis, If we exacuate the Senatorial mission during an attack, it might give us the upper hand with a nice distraction." said Vyse.

Originally posted by Lord Melkor
"You are right, Captain, though the Osokan culture is more a problem than any single individual. Feel free to share any rumors that concern you, even Commisariat sometimes overlooks things." -Melkor answers Jahar( Observation- how he feels about Nidar).

Melkor raises an eyebrow upon the talk of retrieval misssion:

"I fear that Osokans will execute the Senators if we start bombardment, I would prefer the retrieval mission to happen before the attack. Rylis speaks wisely."

He seems quite professional with Nidar; he's not continually undermining him or anything like that.

"No more than that," says Jarke, "though the press reports about Drakkon have been very... severe. I had imagined that a war criminal warranted war crimes."

Originally posted by Ushgarak
"If you would excuse me," says Atar, "I thought I was merely a General, and therefore also merely your superior officer who may well be responsbile for planning any such operation. The nicities of the bombardment I leave to the Navy. All I can tell you is that my training and experience says that trying to launch a shuttle mission down to a city we are attacking from space is inevitably going to have high losses. Would you not agree, Commodore Nidar?"

"Of course," he says, "which is why it is not necessary. A precision bombardment makes the removal of the Senators a secondary consideration." Nidar turns to Rylis. "And that migh be true on whatever place you call 'home', but myself, my crew and my ship make no mistakes. Of course, if the Commissar wishses to arrange the removal of the Senators first, then that is all well and good, but I believe the sooner and swifter we strike, the better." "Yes Sir" is Janthis's only reply to the General.

Hmm, did I ever read those press reports Jarek mentioned? What we know of Drakkon?

You know that there is favourable Senate Sympathy (check the thread) if Drakkon is arrested for trial...

And Senate Mission members are negotiating with wanted war criminal? How credible those negotiations can be? And does anyone believe Senate can enforce any terms?

Following the Conversation, Trebeis finally speaks up again " I don't see why so much preparation is being put into this when we are still half a Galaxy away from the actual hot point. May I suggest departing for Lanzar early to gain time to review the situation and make proper plans." Turning to Nidar, He scowled and continued "One must wonder how one so inexperienced could be so damn arrogant as to assume that nothing will go wrong. If thats honestly what you believe, then you are a damned fool." He slowly cracked a grin, and nodded for the others to continue.

Ah, well, see, he's not actually a wanted war criminal, Melkor. The press, under direction, has been screaming out about it, but there is no warrant and no charge. You don't have any evidence against him...

... except possibly for treason for the coup against Matadan. But that is most definitely one of the areas that the Senate is dealing with.

Finding evidence, of course, is another objective on the Sympathy track...

You have no idea how the Senate wants its terms enforced; finding a way to do so would be part of the mission's job.

-

"Captain Trebeis," says Nidar, reminding you that he has been appointed as your superior by authority derived from the Emperor himself, "I am sure that if you think this task force is being led by a fool, you can explain your opinion on the choice of its leader at first to the Commissar and then to the Emperor himself, if you wish. I can arrange that. And as some of our decisions- like the blockade I mentioned- will have to be out into action IMMEDIATELY as we arrive, then it is obviously relevant to talk it oer in advance."

Disrespect shown by that Captain, Melkor. You don't like that.

"General Trebeis, your concerns might be valid but I would advise you to treat Commodore with respect. I don`t want to hear such words again." -Melkor gives stony look to Trebeis.

Lyle, who is resting with his arms on the back of one of the tall chairs, looking toward the Commissar and Commodore, he asks,
"I would like to know something. How long will it take for any of these theorised landings to take place? An orbital bombardment I assume to be very brief, but all these other landings? 12 hours travel time, then however long a combat will be, will still leave us days to spare.

"Surely, then, it would be more sensible to use those days in an attempt to convince the Senators to leave, as well as find a way to bring down the shield generator."

Looking at Esgabeth directly, he continues,
"Is it specified that we have to use force to subdue the Osokan race? Might it not be more favourable for us to simply arrest this Drakkon, and put in place a leader with more respect for the Empire? Instead of using the crack commando team to retrieve the senatorial mission, we could use it to arrest Drakkon. Without their leader, the rebel Osokans would be forced to surrender."

"Well," says Atar, "a number of points there. First of all, 12 hours is the estimated time to go from any landing site to the target city. But that doesn't account for the time taken to get troops from our ships to the surface, and set-up camp down there for any such move to be administrated. These timeframes are harder to predict but could easily add on another half day, at which point we have to consider adequate time to rest.

"A bombardment to bring down the shields is an unknown quanitity, depending on the strength of the shield. Maybe hours, maybe a day, who knows?"

"It will not be more than a day," says Nidar. "Their technology is inadequate to the task. I will be surprised if it holds even for hours."

"Regardless," says Atar, "any ground solution would most definitely leave plenty of time for such things. Under an orbital bombardment, it is hard to see any form of negotiation being possible at all."

"It's not necessary," says Nidar. "And the added value of demonstrating the power of our new ships should not be ignored."

"Perhaps. As for Drakkon... as I said before, we have resources enough for ONE mission, with ONE objective. Not more."

"Maybe," says Jarek, "the Commissar's personnel could help in that department?"

Originally posted by Trickster
Lyle, who is resting with his arms on the back of one of the tall chairs, looking toward the Commissar and Commodore, he asks,
"I would like to know something. How long will it take for any of these theorised landings to take place? An orbital bombardment I assume to be very brief, but all these other landings? 12 hours travel time, then however long a combat will be, will still leave us days to spare.

"Surely, then, it would be more sensible to use those days in an attempt to convince the Senators to leave, as well as find a way to bring down the shield generator."

Looking at Esgabeth directly, he continues,
"Is it specified that we have to use force to subdue the Osokan race? Might it not be more favourable for us to simply arrest this Drakkon, and put in place a leader with more respect for the Empire? Instead of using the crack commando team to retrieve the senatorial mission, we could use it to arrest Drakkon. Without their leader, the rebel Osokans would be forced to surrender."

"You raise good points, Agent Lyle. But Emperor wants the problem to be definately resolved, I am not sure he will be satisfied with temporary solution. What if we take Drakkon, install new Guildmaster, than leave and Guildmaster is killed again?

But as I mentioned, I intend to speak with Drakkon to see the extent of his defiance. It will be beneficial if we prove the ineffectiveness of Senate`s negotiations. Indeed I will contact him and the Senators at once....

But before I do it, what is your opinion concerning the favourable strategy, General Jarek? And General Lomax?"

"Well," says Lomax, "I think it is disgraceful to not send in the troops. I mean, what does the Empire stand for if it is not the sight of our splendid legions bringing order to the Galaxy? Doing it all from space seems like the behaviour of a space rat."

"Personally," says Captain Jarek, "as Nidar called this meeting for in the first place, I want to make sure I know precisely what it is the Emperor requires before being certain on any strategy."

Lyle nods his thanks to General Atar,
"Indeed. That's why I am recommending extracting, or at least encouraging to leave, the senators and their staff before any military move."

Turning to the Commodore, he says
"Perhaps it would not be for the best if you enacted a navy blockade immediately. Leaving the routes open for a few hours would allow myself, Agent Stirge and the Comissar's companions to descend to the planet without immediately marking us Imperial troops. If we did that, whilst lacking clout, we could pose as simple merchants or civilians.

"An alternative way to get a recon team down there would be attaching us to the senatorial staff. Doing that would also allow you to move some stormtroopers as bodyguards to the senators. We could time it so that when the senators leave, through non-violent persuasion, the bodyguards - made up of crack troops, move in to arrest Drakkon.

"At the same time, Agent Stirge and I could attempt to shut down the shield generator, allowing for your bombardment of anti-air emplacements. The troopers and Drakkon could then meet with us for extraction by a brief landing."

(Ush, Emperor wants Lanzar to be pacified, not just Drakkon removed? What is his defintion of resolved, I assume the definitive solution. Melkor worked for him before, so he should know what is expected.)

Lyle nods in agreement with Jarek,
"Yes. What exactly are our goals here?"

"Delay on the blockade would simply give malcontents time to escape," says Nidar. "A better plan would be for those who do not wish to appear overtly Imperial to turn up in advance on their own resources."

Unfortunately, Melkor, you know too well that fudging with the Senate is a lengthy process. You could easily get an Imperial presence attached to the Senatorial one but that would quickly be seen as interference in the mission, and the Emperor has, in any case, decided on the simpler option ofnot biothering with said mission and leaving handling it to you.

The Senate has its own guard also, and it would also be seen as interference to mess with it whilst it is on site doing its mission. They would have to agree to it.

So attaching Agents to Senate mission will be too suspicious? Maybe if one of the Senators agrees to take them as his Staff...

Melkor, that is all you have to go on. But as I mentioned before, you know that the Emperor has no more plans for Lanzar. He doesn't care what happens to them so you have a free hand, as far as he is concerned, to make sure Lanzar never troubles anyone again, anywhere. And as you rightly say, no, he is not interested in trying to support Osokan leaders any more; he has no patience there. Your instinct of suggesting a 'definitive' solution is a good one, based on your time with him.

Drakkon MUST go, no question, and the Osokans must take at least a serious battering, and you suspect that the Emperor would have no trouble with genocide.

Anything is possible with the Senators if they agree to it.

"That sounds fair, Commodore. We will only do that, of course, if our abilities are needed," Lyle says.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
"Well," says Atar, "a number of points there. First of all, 12 hours is the estimated time to go from any landing site to the target city. But that doesn't account for the time taken to get troops from our ships to the surface, and set-up camp down there for any such move to be administrated. These timeframes are harder to predict but could easily add on another half day, at which point we have to consider adequate time to rest.

"A bombardment to bring down the shields is an unknown quanitity, depending on the strength of the shield. Maybe hours, maybe a day, who knows?"

"It will not be more than a day," says Nidar. "Their technology is inadequate to the task. I will be surprised if it holds even for hours."

"Regardless," says Atar, "any ground solution would most definitely leave plenty of time for such things. Under an orbital bombardment, it is hard to see any form of negotiation being possible at all."

"It's not necessary," says Nidar. "And the added value of demonstrating the power of our new ships should not be ignored."

"Perhaps. As for Drakkon... as I said before, we have resources enough for ONE mission, with ONE objective. Not more."

"Maybe," says Jarek, "the Commissar's personnel could help in that department?"

"Yes, we could, I suppose." Rylis says, glancing at Arvus. "However, I would first like all the information that is available about Drakkon. I try to make it a point to never go after someone with no knowledge of them."

"Like most recent events on Lanzar, as far as I know we know little," says Atar. "He was the head of one of the Hunting Lodges, evidently an opponent of Matadan. He overturned the previous Imperial peace deal and led the rebellion that unseated Matadan and became Guildmaster shortly after. Being a Guildmaster means he must be of considerable combat prowess, else he would never be accepted, but to be able to lead such a rebellion and not yet have suffered any counter-coups must mean he is no brainless idiot. I suppose the only way to get his true measure would be to meet him."

"I was afraid that would be the case, though I am not surprised. What of Osokans in general, then? Any information that you have will I would very much appreciate...and I am to assume that we can use any force necessary to capture this Drakkon?" Rylis says.

"Yes, and there I would imagine you have a considerable advantage, because in common with all Osokans, Drakkon will be exceptionally difficult to kill, eventually regenerating all wounds that have now blown him to pieces. Therefore you could likely use maximum force and still take him alive.

"Staying at range will keep you away from his neurowhip, but then it might be hard to bring him down with small arms fire."

(Ush, to clarify:

-Is the Senate Mission on Lanzar yet?

-Are there any non-Osokans so Agents, Rylis and Oakmead could pass as mercenaries or traders(weapon traders perhaps?)

"I believe my armor will be able to help protect me against the neurowhip's effects, making that less of a problem. If Arvus and I work together for this, I believe that it is perfectly feasible that we can capture Drakkon."

The Senate mission has been on Lanzar for a long time. Lanzar City is a trading port and there are plenty of non-Osokans around.

Ush, I want to contact Senators now. Can I speak separetely with each of them, starting with Andran? And could I spend the Fortune point to help to choose which of the other 2 aproach with offer of cooperation?

As your contact told you, Andran won't give you the time of day until you arrive at Lanzar.

Afraid not, no; it's not a matter of luck but of judgment. However, Jarek's point was that all this talk of taking Drakkon is irrelevant if you are just going to level the city from space. That's why he said 'officially executed?' He means that if Drakkon is just blown up with the city there will be no resolution of war crimes at all.

I meant to communicate with Andran through holocron or something similar. What about Drakkon and other two?

At this point I am not certain, I am trying to find a balance between Nadir`s and Coil`s suggestions. Anyway, two of the things I am certain of:

"Rylis, Oakmead, I want you and the Agents, perhaps also one of Commanders, to arrive at Lanzar before the blockade is established. We wil stay in contact, I will try to mix some of you as Senatorial Staff, if not you can try to find information about Drakkon and Generator, we badly need some reports from the planet( Ush, are there some Empire agents or officials on Lanzar, contacts at last?)

If we can agree on something, I would like the blockade to be established immediately after we arrive and the special team is on planet."