Galactic robbery
Their honeymoon was brief, for the call of duty was never far. Harry and the Strikers were soon summoned by Pre Vizsla to undertake a mission of the highest importance: the theft of starship blueprints and the acquisition of two Crusader-class corvettes on the planet of Kuat. The corvettes were docked at the orbital shipyard for repairs and presented Death Watch with an opportunity..
The operation was meticulously planned, the stakes higher than ever. The theft of such vessels would not only bolster their fleet but also serve as a declaration of intent to the New Mandalorians and the Republic. Harry's heart raced with excitement and nerves as he donned his armor once more, feeling the comforting weight of his lightsaber at his side.
The Strikers gathered around the holographic table in the war room of The Flaming Arrow, their eyes focused intently on the 3D models of the starship blueprints and the layout of the Kuat shipyard. Harry's mind raced as he studied the intel, the Force whispering strategies and contingencies. Each member of the team had a role, honed by years of training and experience.
The plan was a delicate dance of stealth and precision. They would infiltrate the shipyard by halo jump with their jet packs during a scheduled blackout, using the chaos to their advantage. They would split into two teams, Bo would lead team 1 with Skye, Darius and Ursa, they would be infiltrating the security station to release the docking clamps on the ships. They would bring the astromech droid R-9 with them to access a security port and download all the blueprints available. Team 2 lead by Harry with Jace, Cassius, Layla and Axel would secure the docking bay and prep the ships for launch. Once team 1 got to the ships they would take off, with the fighters from the flaming arrow providing support they would join with the flaming arrow and make the jump to hyperspace.
The night of the operation was a tense one. The stars above twinkled with mischief as if they were in on the plan. Harry took a deep breath, feeling the Force surge within him, a calming presence amidst the anticipation. He turned to his team, his eyes shining with determination. "We go in silent and swift," he said, his voice a low rumble. "Our ancestors watch over us. For Mandalore!"
The Strikers nodded in unison, their faces a mask of stoicism and resolve. With a hand signal from Harry they donned their helmets, with a click from their wrists controls, they sealed their armour and turned on life support and oxygen. The built in HUD’s up display counting down the time until jump.
They stood at the airlock of the Flaming Arrow, the cold metal beneath their boots, the only sound was the hiss of their suits pressurizing. Bo’s hand found Harry’s and gave it a firm squeeze. “May the Force be with us,” she said through the comn link, her voice a mix of confidence and a hint of nerves.
“Always,” Harry responded, his grip equally firm. With that, they stepped into the void of space, their jetpacks roaring to life as they streaked towards the unsuspecting shipyard. The blackness of space was pierced by the stark lights of the facility, a beacon of industrial might amidst the stars.
As they approached, the lights flickered and died, plunging the platform into a sudden, disorienting darkness. The Strikers activated their night vision, the world around them shifting to a stark palette of greens and blacks. It was as if the universe itself had shifted to match their covert operations. They descended through the vacuum, a silent spectacle of warrior grace.
Landing with the soft thud of booted feet on metal, they immediately sprang into action. The sound of clanking armor and safety’s being turned off filled the air as they spread out, sticking to the shadows like ghosts of Mandalore's storied past. Harry could feel the anticipation from his team, a silent vibration of readiness that hummed through the Force.
Bo’s team broke off, their movements fluid and precise as they moved towards the looming structure of the security station. The guards, ill-prepared for an assault from the shadows, were quickly overwhelmed. The muffled pop of silenced blaster fire pierced the night, echoing through the vastness of the shipyard. Each shot a silent death sentence, executed with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine. The Strikers moved with a unity born of countless battles, each step a silent promise of victory.
Meanwhile, Harry and Team 2 swiftly secured the docking bay, their lightsabers a blur of blue and green as they disarmed the automated sentries and hacked into the bay’s control systems. The smell of ozone filled the air as sparks flew from the panels, a testament to the power they wielded. The ships groaned to life, their engines purring like eager beasts awaiting the hunt. The corvettes, once the pride of the Republic, now stood ready to serve a new master.
As Harry's team prepped the vessels for launch, the sudden ignition of the engines could not be contained. The guards, alerted by the unexpected rumble, rushed to their posts, their blasters at the ready. The Strikers' infiltration had been flawless, but the roar of the corvettes was an alarm that could not be silenced. The calmness of the night was shattered by the shouts of alarm and the staccato of blaster fire.
Harry’s team took cover and returned fire, their precision shots were making a dent in the guards numbers. Cassius seeing more guards coming from their left flank, proceeded to blow up the star bridge with his portable rocket launcher. Jace had taken up position on one of the ships and was firing with his sniper down onto the platform.
Meanwhile Harry, Layla and Axel were covering behind some crates returning fire with their blasters.
“Bo, we need to exfil soon!”
“We’re almost done Harry, hold your position!” Bo’s voice was calm yet urgent in his earpiece.
Team 1 had breached the security station and found themselves in a labyrinth of corridors, the air thick with the smell of burnt wires and the acrid scent of fear. R-9 beeped and whirred, its little dome rotating as it sliced through the computer systems with surprising speed. The lights flickered and alarms blared as they made their way deeper into the bowels of the station, the very walls seeming to scream their presence to the defenders.
Bo lead them to the main security console. They threw a flashbang into the room before breaching. The guards were all disoriented and were easy pickings.
R-9 plugged into the security port and began downloading. Skye and Ursa began working on releasing the docking clamps while Bo and Darius took up defensive positions at the door. Suddenly the sound of the Corvette’s engines filled the station’s silence and an alarm went off. Soon enough they could hear the docking bay descend into blaster fire and explosions.
“We need to hurry, Harry’s team is engaged!” Bo urged as R-9 beeped the successful download.
Ursa and Skye worked in tandem, their hands moving swiftly over the security terminal's glowing buttons. The clamps holding the corvettes to the docking platform began to release with a series of mechanical groans. The ships shuddered as they were freed from their restraints, their engines pulsing with newfound life. The display on the terminal changed from red to green, and a message flashed: Docking clamps released.
“Hold fast, we’re on the way!” Bo voice came over the comn link. “Roger that, Cass time to make an opening for team 1” called harry over the comn.
Cassius, ever the explosive enthusiast, had been waiting for the perfect moment to deploy his new toy. He pulled out a mini-gun from his pack, a twinkle in his eye as he took aim. The heavy thump-thump-thump of the mini-gun filled the air, the bullets tearing through the oncoming guards like a lightsaber through butter. The ground was littered with the lifeless forms of those who had stood in their way. Harry, Layla, and Axel took advantage of the chaos, charging through the dust and sparks like avenging angels. Their lightsabers were a dance of deadly grace, blue, green and white streaks leaving a trail of fallen foes in their wake.
The guards were caught off guard by the sudden onslaught. They had never seen anything like it, the combination of brute firepower and elegant lightsaber strikes was overwhelming. They had heard tales of the Jedi and Sith, but this was something new, something terrifying. Harry's blade sang a tune of destruction, his movements a blur as he disarmed and dismembered, leaving a path to the corvettes.
"Move out!" Harry barked into his comn as Team 1 sprinted through the haze of the docking bay, the clank of their armor echoing off the walls. They reached the corvettes just as Team 2 was finishing up the preparations. The ships were sleek and powerful, the envy of any fleet, and now they were theirs.
Harry’s team boarded the lead corvette with Bo’s team taken the other ship. Both squads made their way to the ships’ bridges and after sealing the ships exits took off from the orbital platform.
Their escape was not unnoticed, as the alarm had alerted the entire shipyard and the planetary defenses. Security fighters screamed through the night sky, their red lasers streaking towards the stolen vessels. Harry gripped the controls tightly, his heart racing as he felt the ship lurch under the barrage of fire.
The Flaming Arrow, true to its name, streaked through the fray, its turbolasers blazing with fiery intensity. The enemy fighters scattered, unable to match the ferocity of the ship's unexpected defense. The Strikers' fighters, painted in the same dark blue as the corvettes, launched in a flurry of motion, their engines screeching as they roared into battle.
The space around the corvettes was a chaotic ballet of lights and sounds, a symphony of war. Harry's eyes narrowed as he piloted the ship with an uncanny skill that seemed to defy the very fabric of reality. It was as if the Force itself guided his hand, allowing him to weave between the incoming bolts with a grace that left the enemy pilots in awe and terror.
The fighters from the Flaming Arrow swooped and dove, their movements a harmonious tapestry of destruction. Each pilot had a silent understanding with their comrades, moving as one cohesive unit under Harry’s guidance. The fighters painted the night sky with streaks of red and blue, a fiery dance that sent the pursuing ships spiraling into oblivion.
Soon enough the enemy was destroyed and the ships had departed Kuat’s gravity belt.
“ All fighters return to Flaming arrow, we are making the jump!”
The comn crackled with life as the fighters peeled away from the corvettes, their engines singing a harmony of retreat as they flew back towards the safety of the modified freighter. Harry’s eyes remained glued to the sensor array, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the fighters return to the Flaming Arrow.
“ all fighters returned, commander”
“ copy that, all ships make the jump to hyperspace!”
With a flick of his wrist, Harry initiated the sequence, the stars around them stretching into lines of light as they hurtled through the galaxy. The sudden silence was deafening, the cacophony of battle replaced by the gentle hum of the corvettes' engines. The Strikers had done it. They had stolen not one, but two corvettes from right under the Republic's nose. The Force was with them.
After making 5 different hyperspace jumps across the galaxy to throw off any tail, the fleet of 3 ships returned to Concordia.
The news of their daring heist spread like wildfire across the planet. The Mandalorians, long divided, began to whisper of the prophecy once more. Harry could feel the tides of fate shifting, the whispers of the Force growing stronger with each victory.
Across the galaxy the holonet reported the daring robbery and showed security recordings of the robbery. Dutchess Satine recognised them as the same group that had broken criminals out of the high security prison on Mandalore, she cursed Deatch Watch, they were negatively spreading images of Mandalore.
On coruscant the Jedi council were holding an emergency meeting. What the security recordings on the holonet hadn’t shown was that the robbers used lightsabers. The Jedi were able to stop that being shown to the galactic public.
"The audacity of it," said Mace Windu, his eyes blazing with the intensity of a supernova. "Using the Force in such a brazen manner."
The Jedi Council chamber was ablaze with the light of the setting suns, casting long shadows across the circular room. The Council members sat in their usual places, their expressions a mix of concern and intrigue. Yoda's ears twitched as he listened intently to the report from the holonet and watched the unedited footage.
"disturbance in the Force, this is," he murmured.
“ you think it’s the Sith” suggested Master Plo Koon
“The Sith haven’t existed in 1000 years” scoffed Ki-Adi-Mundi
“ No, the Sith were destroyed after the seventh battle of Russan” lectured Mace.
“They were armour like that of the Mandalorian Crusaders, the order faced thousands of years ago” pointed Master Depa Billaba.
“Mandalorian Jedi?” Windu’s eyes narrowed. “Master Quoi Gon Jinn and Padawn Kenobi were on Mandalore a few years ago, perhaps they can tell us what this is.”
The council summoned Master Jinn and his padawn Kenobi to the chamber, eager to hear their insights on the mysterious event. They entered with a sense of urgency, their expressions solemn as they approached the Council. Windu spoke first, "Master Jinn, Padawan Kenobi, we've called you here to discuss recent disturbing events in the galaxy. Tell us, have you encountered any Mandalorians with knowledge of the Jedi arts?"
“We encountered none who knew of the Jedi arts masters, however the leader of the Death Watch, those that oppose Dutchess Satine Kyrze’s regime, wields a lightsaber known as the Darksaber. In Mandalore culture the Darksaber is supposed to be a rallying symbol and a right to rule. Death Watch suggest their leader is the legitimate ruler by this tradition” replied Master Jinn.
The Council members exchanged knowing glances. The Darksaber was indeed a relic of ancient times, but its significance was lost to most. Only those with a deep connection to the Mandalorian culture would understand its power.
"The Darksaber," murmured Yoda, his ancient eyes reflecting a hint of concern. "A weapon of the fallen Jedi, it is. The legacy of Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian Jedi."
“ yes Masters, but this security recording shows no sign of the Darksaber, I have no idea who these 3 force users are, and they clearly are lightsaber trained, the question of force trained is another question” Master Jinn spoke.
Obi-Wan leaned in closer to the holopad, his eyes scrutinizing the footage. "Their technique is unorthodox, not entirely Jedi nor Sith. It's as if they've blended styles."
The Council members leaned in, watching the footage with a mix of curiosity and wariness. "This could be a new threat we haven't anticipated," said Plo Koon, his voice echoing the gravity of the situation.
"Or," began Qui-Gon Jinn, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "it could be someone with a unique connection to the Force, one that doesn't conform to our usual expectations."
“ Vigilant, must we be, Master Jinn, you and your Padawan travel to Naboo you shall, act as negotiators for the senate you will” spoke Yoda.
Quoi Gon and Obi Wan noodles, understanding the councils dismissal.