Star Wars - Aliit Nehutyc

Interlude: NIOF Backstory

A lone officer stood on the vacant deck of the newly constructed Imperial Star Destroyer, The Preeminent. She paced back and forth along the cold plasti-steel floors, waiting. Finally, the blast door slid open, and another officer, wearing a lieutenant's rank plaque on the breast of his uniform entered the bridge, followed by a small procession of stormtroopers.

"Greetings, Fleet Admiral Terra. I believe you wanted to speak with me?" the newcomer said, giving her a crisp salute, something that was very well rare with the lack of training that new Imperials were given.

"Good day, Lieutenant Evan. What is the status update on primary and secondary ion engines?" the admiral asked in her clear, smooth voice.

"Secondary ion engines are a go, but we still have a red light on primary engine one. Primary engines two, three, and four are a go as well. Permission to reboot primary engine one and run a diagnostic?" the lieutenant reported.

"Permission granted. However, I must speak with you first. Please, take a seat," Terra directed, gesturing to a set of plasti-steel chairs that were facing each other. The lieutenant signalled to his guards, who saluted and exited the room. He turned on his heels and walked to the chair facing away from the viewport, as was Imperial custom, leaving the seat with the view to his superior. She sat and pressed a button on the side of the cold, metal chair. A small round table rose from within a hole in the floor, with a glass pitcher of sashin-leaf mead and a bottle of blood-red Jogan fruit brandy sitting alongside two ornate chalices resting upon the table. Terra grasped the pitcher and gently poured the sweet, golden liquid into one of the cups and handed it to Evan. She poured herself a cup of the Jogan brandy and sipped it slowly.

"What was it you needed to speak to me about, Admiral Rayn?" Evan asked between sips of his mead.

"Patience, my dear friend. Enjoy yourself," the Admiral said, leaning back into her seat and gulping down another shot of the brandy.

Well, this is rather uncustomary, thought the lieutenant as he cautiously savored the sweet mead. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Admiral Rayn swallowed the rest of her brandy and carefully set her glass on the polished table.

"Now, pleasantries aside, let us discuss the topic I had intended. The creation of an Imperial Occupation Force. It's really been needed recently you see," she began to say. Evan abruptly choked on his mead and coughed a few times before regaining his composure.

"A what?! With all due respect, ma'am, we are in a time of very strained peace. If we commit any number of troops to occupational attacks, the New Repub- I mean, the Rebellion, will see it as a threat and take the offensive again," he remarked as he shifted slightly in his chair.

"Have you ever heard of the Noghri?" Rayn asked. Evan shook his head. "Ah, what a wonderful species they are. They were private death commandos of Darth Vader at the height of the Empire, and they now serve under another Admiral. You may have heard of Grand Admiral Thrawn?"

Evan shook his head again. Rayn stood and continued. "My dear lieutenant, I need my subordinates to be knowledgeable in all forms of things, including the species who serve our glorious cause, and our compatriots in this war. Anyway, the Grand Admiral is a man of... unusual distinction." She paused and began to pace around the table and behind Evan.

She persisted as suddenly as she had stopped. "He is an alien, who somehow entered the Emperor's good graces, (you know, of course, the ancient xenophobia of the Empire and the Emperor). That is, however, the least important information about this Chiss warlord. He is loved by all of his subordinates, and they trust him. He is a tactical genius. Rarely wrong in battle, but also rarely wrong outside of battle."

"What does this have to do with the creation of an occupational force?" Evan countered, obviously confused.

"I am getting to that, my good sir," Rayn replied. "This Grand Admiral uses the Noghri, specifically, an older Noghri by the name of Rukh as his personal bodyguard, and even at some points, as his spy and infiltrator, along with, of course, enslaving the rest of his species to the cause of the Galactic Empire. I wish to take this principle and use it for the occupation of worlds who," she paused and laughed. Terra continued, "who deny our authority. We will teach them a lesson, with small forces of highly trained infiltrators and assassins."

"And just where will we come to find these infiltrators and assassins?" Evan asked becoming suddenly interested in the idea.

"That, my friend, will be your task. Send out a call to all Imperial loyalists under encryption code Zeta-three. Inform them that we will rendezvous on Geonosis, near the old Battle Droid facility," Rayn answered, smiling warmly. Evan rose from his seat, stood at attention, and gave a sharp salute before calling back his guards and returning to his post.