Following Horizons, Yridia II is under siege by the Halberd. House Tarentum calls on House Odan-Urr for assistance in bombing and boarding the flagship. A non-aggression pact is formed between Tarentum and Odan-Urr following their success.
Synopsis
In the events following the Horizons plague, the planet of Yridia II faces the threat of one of Zoraan's last remaining flagships, the Halberd, headed on a direct course for Yridia II. With the other Clans and Houses on the defensive against Zoraan's remaining fleets or unresponsive to Tarentum's plight, Anshar Kahn Tarentae calls on Drodik Va'lence al'Tor for his aid in repelling the Halberd while Oberst mobilizes Tarentum's assets from the bridge of the Magnus Kaerner.
Reviewing the data collected of the ensuing battle, Deo Sol strategizes with Morotheri and Drodik in the Halls of the Watchmen on planning a full-scale assault against Zoraan's mercenaries. A plan is formulated, arming Odan-Urr's bombers with a series of Tarentum-manufactured proton torpedoes loaded with small quantities of baradium, designed to disable the Halberd in time for Tarentum to lead a boarding party. At the Ordain Vonoro Spaceport's Spacefarer’s Diner, the pilots of the Call of Freedom Squadron celebrate their “last meal” in the usual pre-flight ritual.
Positioning the Halberd's fleet to expose the flagship's flank, Oberst instructs the Phlegethon to hold its position, while the Requeim draws the mercenary fleet further from the lead flagship. Jumping out of hyperspace on the Halberd's exposed flank, Call of Freedom squadron commences its assault on the Halberd, with the rest of Odan-Urr's squadrons mobilizing in attack formations. Oberst orders the Cocytus and Requiem back into position, while the Phlegethon retreats for repairs.
Offline, the Halberd's defences allow for a an immediate boarding of the flagship from both houses. Alongside the Fourth Platoon Rangers of Odan-Urr’s Tanduran and Dac Unified Commandos, the A Squad 1st Special Operations Detachment of Tarentum is among the first to board, clearing the landing zone for additional reinforcements with Raiju and Jason Hunter in accompaniment. Leading a diversionary force within the Halberd, Kaira Rohana is charged with leading the Melewati Bushfighters in splitting the defenders' attention from the bridge assault. Rumors begin to circulate of a possible counter-attack from the mercenary fleet.
Cornered in the Halberd's Engineering Deck while communications are cut, the Melewati Bushfighters when a handful of Jedi and Tarenti arrive with the Ratchets Maintenance Department in tow along with Tarentum’s own combat engineers to restore communications, finding a bomb among the various compartment aboard.
Barricaded within the bridge, the remaining defenders stave off Jason Hunter's attack force with several E-web emplacements guarding access. Dispatched against the Aedile's knowledge of the Force, the bridge is surrendered to Tarentum, and the commanding officer arrested. Routed, the enemy forces retreat while one of the vessels breaks towards Yridia II on a collision course, far from the planet's inhabited areas. As it crashes against the polar ice sheet, Tarentum's fleet returns for repairs.
In the aftermath, Drodik meets with Anshar at his private estate on Messina to discuss the terms of a non-aggression pact and assistance in the contruction of the Sanctuary Space Station. Drodik accepts the pact with a grain of salt, while a reduction in tarrifs between the clans are reduced thirty-five percent, to Odan-Urr's benefit.
Credits