C2P5

Tector-Class Star Destroyer, Justicar

Bridge

Standing in front of the great transparasteel windows of his flagship, Admiral Himler's lips thinned as his keen eyes swept over the grievously scarred warships sitting in front of him. Three Venators, three of the five that were protecting Iraknia, he noted. All three bore signs of an extensive battle, including what must have been a ramming attack. A terrible tear could be visibly seen along the starboard hull armor; and the Liberator was missing multiple turrets.

Along with a small chunk of her starboard wing.

"Hail Admiral Wezler," he ordered. The admiral ignored the clone officer's reply and glanced at the other two vessels alongside the Liberator. Both were terribly damaged, but no sign of the ramming vessels could be seen. How odd.

"Admiral?" Said an unfamiliar voice.

"You're not Wezler," stated Himler shortly, eying the young man in front him critically. "State your name and rank."

"Thracken Sal-Solo, sir," said the officer, straightening stiffly at his sharp voice. "I am the acting-captain for the Liberator. Admiral Wezler has been...incapacitated, sir. Until he awakes from his injuries sustained from the battle..."

"I see," says Himler, nodding slowly. "What happened?"

"We fought a large force of separatist frigates. Six were left when they decided to charge us head on. Admiral Wezler believed they were going to attempt to crashland planetside. The leading three sustained heavy damage and were destroyed, while Wezler ordered us to block the other three's way. Both of us suffered heavy damage, but..."

"I assume that that was a trap?"

"Aye sir," nodded Solo grimly. "Boarding parties were literally being thrown at us from their airlocks. They penetrated our hull and overwhelmed almost everyone. We beat them back thanks to Wezler, but a clanker got him in the back."

"Very well, with the fleet here, you'll not have to worry about any Separatist attacks any longer," declared Himler confidently. "Send all your injured personnel to my ship. I will reinforce your people with my own forces."

"Yes, sir," nodded Solo, grinning enthusiastically, "Thank you sir."

The Admiral waited until the corellian's hologram faded before barking to his men. "I want troopers shuttling to those ships right now. Have the Defender and the Pride take their Consulars on a full sweep of the system. Separatists don't give up so easily."

"Aye sir!" Chorused his officers.

Himler turned back to stare at the shuttles flying towards the Justicar and wondered what game these Separatists were playing at.

-

Venator-Class Star Destroyer, Liberator

Hangar Bay

Captain 'Fins' stepped out of the shuttle and gave a low whistle as he turned his head. The damage was even worse inside. A small war had been fought in here and he reckoned there were more blaster scores on the blackened walls than there were on the Justicar's firing ranges. Bodies were lined up along the entire length of the hangar bay, covered in tarps. There were only clones nearby and they worked slowly and silently.

A trooper walked up to him and saluted. Fins noted the scoring on the chest and the dents in the armor, "Report soldier."

"Not much to see here, sir," said the clone in monotone. The trooper glanced at the bodies arrayed on the ground before turning back to him. "Almost all the deaths belonged to the enlisted, there are less than a two hundred of us left on this ship alone. All the injured soldiers being shuttled to the Justicar, sir."

"Very well," nodded Fins. He motioned with a hand, "Zaps, get your men securing this ship. Bane, get your crew up to the bridge and see what you can do. Is Admiral Wezler conscious?"

"I'll take you to him," said the clone nodding as clone troopers and crewers ran out from their ships, barking orders.

As he walked after the clone, Fins felt something tingling around his ears. Something was off about all this, but what? The clone captain shook his head and followed the trooper hurriedly.