Previously, on LICC, the what? What was that? Wrong show? Well I'm sorr- What do you mean sorry isn't enoguh? I'm fired? Well f*ck you I quit!

Webber, you didn't post that, did you?

Actually I did. I thought the Announcer thing would be funny. It came to me while I was unloading the dishwasher.

Far from the Imperial City on Terrios Prime, one of Lord Adon's Bio-Mechs was waiting to be disassembled and studied. It was missing its head and both arms. The head, still covered in damaged armor, was sitting in a separate pile from the rest of the body. The chest plates were melted revealing a dark sphere buried in the chest. When a signal from the fleet reached what was left of the Bio-Mech's body, the sphere changed color, from black to bright red.

The head rolled off of the junk pile and stopped when it came in contact with it's former position on the body. The exposed flesh seemed to boil, as the head re-attached itself. The flesh around the shoulders also boiled and a pair of armed burst out of the body. They weren't covered in the armor and they looked disturbingly human, only much larger. The Bio-Mech stood up as several terrified workers fired weapons at the mech. They had absolutely no effect as physical shells and energy pulses alike bounced off an invisible barrier several cm from the body.

The Bio-Mech tossed its head back as the armor on its face cracked and opened, to reveal a mouth. The creature let out an inhuman scream shattering every piece of glass and transparent aluminum for a mile, and leaving everyone in the area moaning in pain as a thing trickle of blood came out of their ears. As the creature screamed, the armor regenerated itself, leaving the Bio-Mech as good as new, except for the armor around the mouth. When it stopped screaming, it took several deep breaths, and started running in the direction of the Imperial City.

Artillery pieces and aircraft only slowed down the Bio-Mech's progress since it stopped and destroyed any attackers that it came across. It had destroyed three waves of defenders when the order was given for all forces to pull back.

Cruising several km above the planet, several warships entered the drop zone. They fired two missiles at the Bio-Mech in a last ditch effort to stop it before it got close to the Imperial City. The first missile slammed into the Bio-Mech's face. The mech took a step back to balance itself, but the missile failed to explode. The Bio-Mech reached out and caught the second missile with the first still stuck to its face. Then, both missiles exploded.

The explosion removed over one hundred square kilometers of real estate from the Terrios Prime, and the shockwave leveled everything for hundreds more. The crater reached all the way to the nearby ocean and millions of gallons of water began to fill the new lake. By the time the new lake had filled, Float was able to get sensors to the area to try and gauge the damage and search for any signs that the Bio-Mech survived. Several warships were also dispatched to search the new lake for the Bio-Mech's remains.

Aboard Admiral Strahd's command ship, both he and Fleet Admiral Vong sat in a conference room facing a screen depicting the action on Terrios Prime.

Communications, break into the Imperial Emergency Channel and get me the Imperial Palace on Terrios Prime.

Within moments, the screen changed to show Emperor Float himself.

Good evening, your Majesty. I would like to propose a trade: You give me Lord Adon, and I will remove the Bio-Mech. I recommend that you make your decision quickly, as it should reactivate soon.

As if to underscore the admiral's words, an explosion in the lake sent water, fish, and little bits of a search ship raining down into the countryside. As ships raced to the source of the explosion, one near shore was suddenly caught on something.

The massive warship was slowly lifted out of the water by the Bio-Mech, cracking the ship's keel and sending men and machines tumbling into the water. The other ships opened fire, but the Bio-Mech simply tilted the crippled warship to intercept the fire, destroying most of the ship's upper decks. The Bio-Mech then tossed the ship into a nearby warship, destroying both craft. As the remaining warships hurried to rescue the crew from the water, the Bio-Mech waded ashore and continued to the Imperial City.

Fleet Admiral Vong: "Impressive, isn't it. It will continue to operate until the objective is destroyed, the internal power source is depleted, or it is destroyed. Currently, it should stop in about 150 million years.

From Vong's perspective, Float looks off-screen, and gives a signal. The audio shuts off, and Float seems to be talking behind a raised hand. Float drops his hand, gestures again, and the audio is restored.

What are your terms, Admiral? Surely you don't want me to send half my fleet to escort Adon to whatever hole in the universe you are hiding in. And all you want is Adon? You seem to have me in an uncomfortable position. You can ask for much more than your mad leader. He is truly insane, these days. Being torn from a position of power and having his dark abilities stripped away is not especially comforting to him.

And another problem: Adon is being held at a secret, remote location. It may take some time to retrieve him. My orders were that if anything were to happen to the Imperial City, that he should be immediately executed. According to our reports, your contraption will reach my capitol before a communique can be sent to his location. You have demonstrated the invulnerability of your gadget. If you can cause it to delay for a while, we can discuss terms.

Lord Adon sat in his cell. He was wearing a threadbare version of his old uniform. He was holding a bar of soap in his hand.

Ah... My beautiful ice cream bar! How I love to lick your creamy center!
He takes a bite out of the bar of soap.
And your delicious, chocolate covering!
He takes another bite.

The prisoner in the next cell was strapped to a handcart and wearing a strait jacket and a mask over his face.
Prisoner 24601: "You got ice cream with your dinner. All I got was some fava beans. What I really wanted was some liver, and a nice Chianti.

I knew that you were a reasonable man.

Admiral Strahd nodded to Fleet Admiral Vong, who tapped a few buttons on his desk. The Bio-Mech on the planet stopped moving and the eyes went dark.

The Bio-Mech is on hold, but the defensive field is still up. A cruiser is waiting at these coordinates.
A set of coordinates appeared on the screen for both parties to see.
The cruiser will wait there for five standard days. Once Lord Adon has been transferred to the cruiser, and it has been verified that he is the real Adon, the cruiser will be allowed to depart unmolested. Once the cruiser departs, we will take the Bio-Mech off of your hands.

Any attempt to attack either the cruiser or the Bio-Mech will result in the Bio-Mech's reactivation. Any attempt at treachery, and the Bio-Mech will be reactivated.
A timer appeared on the screen, with five days on it.
You have five standard days to return Lord Adon to us. If Lord Adon has not been returned when this timer reaches zero, the Bio-Mech will reactivate. You have five days.

The screen went dark, leaving only the counter remaining, which started counting down to zero.

A small freighter approached Terrios Vector Prime. Meeting no resistance it entered the atmoshpere.
Shimmer: Well, this place is pretty chaotic. We slipped in unnoticed. That Bio-Mech was quite a distraction.
Piker: Yes, it was. Land us at the Spaceport. If Adon is returned, we'll do the first plan. If he isn't, we'll do the backup. Hopefully, Float will comply.

Three days pass, and Float broadcasts a message on the Imperial Emergency Subspace Band that he will comply with Vong's demands. An armored passenger compartment is shuttled to the cruiser. Both sides watch intently as the compartment is scanned, revealing the presence of Lord Adon inside. The module is carefully loaded in the cruiser's cargo bay. Just as the compartment is secured, the cruiser's shields raised and a detachment of security guards sent to open the vehicle, several things of note happen within the next hour.

The passenger compartment within the cruiser's cargo bay detonates. The resulting directed explosion plows aft, through several thick bulkheads, directly into the cruiser's warp core. The dilithium chamber is instantly vaporized, and the destruction of the mechanisms powering the magnetic interlocks within the core allows the uncontrolled mixing of matter and antimatter from the fuel injectors. In less than two seconds, the cruiser explodes, the result of a violent matter/antimatter chain reaction.

The very microsecond that the compartment explodes onboard the cruiser, a missile is launched from a nearby air defense base. The powerful projectile takes 12 seconds at maximum velocity to reach the defunct BioMech. The defensive shields, of course, protect the BioMech from any harm resulting from the impact of the quantum missile, as well as the destructive power caused by the warhead. The shields, however, are directed to meet the attack head on, with increased power augmenting the forward shields and a decreasing of power in the aft screens. This is to assure that the Mech's power plant will not be overtaxed in a non-critical situation.

4 seconds before the missile impacts the Mech, three small modified air/space fighters race at top speed from a small airbase on the other side of the planet. Precisely as the missile's warhead detonates, the fighters engage the powerful tractor beams installed in their weapon/equipment hardpoints. The combined beams punch through the weakened aft shields of the Mech, and lock tightly onto the metallic hull. As the fighters pass overhead, their pivoting beam emitters track the Mech to preserve beam integrity. 6 seconds after the missile detonates, the BioMech resumes normal activity, activates its weapon systems and loads its primary directive from memory. By this time, however, it is at exactly 35,000 feet of altitude and rising from the surface at an extreme rate. By the time its sensors analyze the situation, its processors decide the appropriate course of action, and its targeting systems are brought online, 11 seconds, it has surpassed escape velocity and is outside the atmosphere.

On its way out, the towed Mech clips a small, nondescript freighter, crippling a nacelle and sending the cargo vessel spinning toward the planet surface. By the time the Mech targets one of the towing fighters, primes its weapon and fires, it is well on its way toward the primary star of the Terrios Vector system. After the Mech destroys one of the tractoring fighters, the remaining ships detach their tractor beams and reduce speed. The Mech passes the ships, at which point they reaffix their beams, powered to high, and set to repel.

8 seconds after the detonation of the passenger compartment, the carriers Valiant, Insurpassable and Unstoppable, assisted by a combat star group of battleships led by the brand-new dreadnought Freedom, the 864th Fighter Wing and the 27th Gunboat Wing, drops out of warp and attacks the assembled forces of Fleet Admiral Vong.


34 seconds after the trapped compartment detonates aboard the cruiser, the last chunks of bulkhead and hull from the doomed ship fall to the surface.

24 minutes after detonation, the Bio-Mech hits the star's corona and dies in flame.

45 minutes after detonation, all that remains of the battle between Vong's fleet and the Imperial forces is still-burning wreckage bearing both Adonian and Imperial markings, and many warp trails leading out-system.

General Tacoman sits aboard his flagship around a nearby planet, watching the events of the day
Hmm.. Things have certainly been busy lately
Open a channel to the captain of the Freedom
Greetings, Captain Freeg. That was the most impressive display I've seen in a long time.

At the Imperial City Spaceport Piker and company are just outside the doors when a low rumble is heard. They look up to see a small freighter flying at an extremely high speed right toward the large port. People scramble to take cover as the damaged and out of control freighter approaches. It hits and sends a shockwave that destroys a huge portion of the place. Ships and spaceport facilities are destroyed in the result, including Piker's. Half an hour later Piker and Commander Shimmer sit in one of the many dark bars of Imperial City. The report plays on a vid screen.
Shimmer: Well, there goes our transport out of here.
Piker: Float returned Adon to the fleet. How long until we get the information that we wanted?
Shimmer: We will meet with them in two hours, four blocks from here. They'll give us the PADD and we just have to find a way out of the system.
Piker: We're going to have to get out of here before Float's forces regroup. There's a flight heading out to Manta IV in six hours. We can probably get onto that. Hopefully, our ID cards will work. Now I guess we just wait.

Float DIDN'T return Adon to the fleet, it was all a devious and underhanded trap. I liked it. I don't care about it, but I liked it.

Several hours after Captain Piker's transport left the Imperial City, Emperor Float received a message from Fleet Admiral Vong.

He was sitting behind a desk in a dark room, so the only things that could be seen were the desk and the Fleet Admiral himself. He was leaning back in his chair with his feet on his desk.

Hello, your highness. That was quite a nasty little trick there. However, we shall have the last laugh.

I'm sure that you are wondering about the energy source that was powering our Bio-Mech. I'll let you in on a little secret... It had Trilithium as part of its matrix. Trilithium that is currently inside your parent star.
He looked at his watch.
I figure that you have about thirty seconds before the shockwave hits you. It has been nice knowing you.

With a final wave, Vong cut the transmission. Seconds later, the Imperial Throne World was reduced to dust by the expanding shockwave.

Well, that mission was a failure.
Shimmer: Yeah, Adon was never on that planet.
Piker: Well hopefully, the backup plan was put to good use. Oh well, you win some...
He pulls out a PADD that he acquired on the planet
...and you lose some

General Tacoman is waiting by the holodeck doors when Emperor Float exits
Now, aren't you glad we were in orbit around one of the moons of the planet?
I'm glad this ship was able to detect the trilithium and was able to evacuate you and your staff to the ship. Sorry about the planet, though...

As he walks out of the holodeck, Float's eyes burn with an unsoothable fury. He turns to Tacoman, who involuntarily takes a step back.

General, what would I have to give you to ensure...your loyalty to the Empire once again? My Empire.

Would you like my fleet to attack and destroy Captain Piker and the rest of them?

No, no General. I ask for you to swear allegiance to the Empire and join me in destroying these vermin. For your complete loyalty, I could make you lifelong governor of a wealthy star system, or perhaps give you a seat on the Senate. If we join our forces, Vong and Strahd will surely not be able to resist us.

Hi folks.

This is a story I just wrote today. I'm considering putting it on the Cybersoap site, but I wanted to post it on Nitcentral first. Since we're probably the only ones who care about Bizarro World, I'm putting it here. This is an account of the last day of Terrios Vector Prime.

---------------

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

It was a beautiful day in Imperial City. The sun shone brightly through the now-clear skies. The oppressing air pollution had been steadily filtered away by the enviromental conditioning plants just installed on the Retna Heights. If it were another sunny June day 300 years earlier, the citizens on their ways to and from work just might have heard the birds singing. Instead the steady traffic of gravcars and the grinding noise of the resource plants filled the air, as usual, but even that noise seemed bareable. On a day like this, life seemed like a gift, a feeling that few citizens of the most recent generations were able to enjoy. Now everyone walked to their jobs with a spring in their step, enthusiasm in their smiles. The sky was a beautiful blue, the air even smelled fresh, and life was good.

Not everyone bore a smile that day. Decker strode into the cafe, looking like an approaching rainstorm. The regulars there were used to his normal grim expression, but he had a look that made the toughest patron look away. Decker sat down at his usual stool and gestured for coffee. Charlie the owner, cleaning a water glass like usual, strode over.

"Hey Deck, how are you doin' this fine day?"

Decker scowls

"Fine day, yeah, it's a fine day, but it shouldn't be."

"What are ya talkin' about?"

"Nothin', nothin', Charlie. Just get me some coffee, quick."

As Charlie activates the drink replicator and produces a steaming cup of coffee, Decker glares out the window. The owner sets the mug in front of the mysterious man, who mutters something like "primitive stimulants" and then takes a sip.

"So why the mean face, Deck?"

"It's nothing, Charlie. I've been sittin' here on my butt for two weeks, waitin' for a decision from my bosses, but no answer."

"Oh...rough. Still, even you should find some cheer. The first of those new two-day breaks the Emperor promised us is coming tomorrow. Imagine, two days of no work, every single week!"

Decker looks even angrier, if such a thing were possible, and downs his coffee in a gulp.

"Hey, watch it, that stuff's hot!"

Decker, completely unfazed, gestures for another cup. Charlie wordlessly replicates another and hands it over.

"Tell me, Charlie, you prefer this new Emperor?"

"Sure! Who wouldn't? Look, I've seen four Emperors in my time, and none of those mugs even compares to this guy. He's makin' things easier for everyone. Look, two quads ago I could be arrested and iced for sayin' that, but with these new "freedom" laws, you can say any old thing you want about the Emperor and the cops can't touch ya! Not that anyone would put this guy down. So your bosses are slacking off on a decision? Does that have anything to do with the new breaks we're gettin'? Or those great new shows people are puttin' on at the old indoctrination theater?"

"More than you know, Charlie. Thanks."

Decker flips over a cred and stalks out. Charlie, still polishing the glass, shakes his head in bewilderment.

"Some guys."

Decker walks out onto the busy street, no longer populated with quan-thugs or phizzheads. A street-cleaner droid whizzes by, picking up decades of trash and grime and leaving the street spotless. Decker mutters under his breath.

"...Superiors. Why won't they answer?? The longer this timeline remains, the harder it will be to correct the devia..."

Just then...the sun goes dark. Decker and hundreds of passersby look up at the same time. The sun, Terrios Vector Primary. The once bright yellow Class L star is darkened, a deep, sullen blue-brown with splashes of burning orange. It seems to recede on itself. Billions of people in the sun-lit side of the planet wonder just what could be happening, but one knows. Knows all too well. For he's seen it before, in another timeline that was fortunately corrected, corrected in time to save the lives of billions of sentient people. Now this one doesn't know if the same can be true again.

Decker looks down from the sky, not willing to see the horrible shockwave emerge from the dying sun. He studies the faces of the people on the street. The middle-aged businessman, the young couple, the mother with a baby in her arms. The aged woman, the small child. He looks at the puzzled faces of the doomed, and cringes inside. In that second his mind, his will is filled with a overpowering determination to right what fate has in store for these innocent people. He sees everyone start back in fright and he knows that they are seeing what will soon destroy their world. Everything grows fearfully quiet. He turns and looks at Charlie, strolling over to the full-length windows of the cafe to see what the trouble is. Charlie looks up at the sky between the towering buildings of Imperial City, and...the glass slips from the old man's hands, and tumbles down...to shatter on the floor.

Decker knows he, along with everyone else, has just a short time left. He reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a small, crystalline device. With the thought that exposing it won't matter now, he slashes the air, opening a dimensional portal. As he begins to enter the rift, the despair that he can't save these billions of people from sudden, agonizing death burns into his mind, but with the overwhelming desire to survive and gain the chance to prevent their deaths, he forces himself to take a step forward. With a sizzle, the portal closes, and the silence on the once-bustling street is ear-shattering. The shockwave caused by the sun's destruction grows closer, and closer, and the inhabitants of Terrios Vector Prime can only wait...


and wait...


and wait...

Emperor, I hearby swear complete loyalty to you and the Empire. All of my resourses and ships are yours to use.
General Tacoman to the bridge, please inform all of my troops and ships that we will under the service of the Emperor and the Empire.

Excellent. Major Thrag, see to the redistribution of the Empire's forces.

Thrag bows and walks away.

Tacoman, you are hereby appointed Supreme Fleet Admiral. As such, you are given command of the Empire's flagship, the Advanced Dreadnought Freedom. Now, it is time to share my plans with you.

With our joined forces and territories, it is a matter of time before the remains of the Adonian forces are wiped out. They still believe Adon alive, so this gives us an advantage.

"Adon is dead?"

He was being kept in the ancient dungeons underneath the Imperial Palace. When the sun bid farewell, so did the Dark Lord.

Now, I have new deep-space spy data revealing the movements of several highly-armed, unidentafiable ships along the Middle Zones. If we deploy the 25th battle group along these lines...

Float and Tacoman discuss their plans far into the night...

Piker sat in his room with Commander Shimmer. He looked down at the glass of brandy in his hand. He downed it.
It's over.
Shimmer: How can you say that sir? We still have a huge fleet, men and women loyal to us...
Piker: No. We failed. Lord Adon may never come back. Float and Tacoman have allied. We haven't had a great victory in... I can't even remember when. Vong and Strahd can run the fleet but without Adon... He inspired confidence and he was a great leader. Without him-
Shimmer: You think it may be over.
Piker: I just don't think we're going to last much longer.
He pours another glass.
Here's to victory and defeat.
They clink glasses and drink.

Meanwhile... in the secret Imperial Prison.

Lord Adon stood in a corner of his cell holding a bar of soap. Several Orderlies were attempting to sedate him.

Oh, No! I know what you want! You covet my Ice Cream Bar!

Orderly: "Come on now!"

No you don't! You can't take it from me now! I've had this ice cream bar since I was a child. People always trying to take it from me. Why won't they leave me ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Must be the secret Imperial Prison in the Afterlife. Poor Adon can't catch a break anywhere. He gets blown to bits, and goes straight to that big jail in the sky. Not like I care.

General Tacoman steps onto the bridge of the Freedom. As Tacoman requested, the bridge is inside the ship, well away from surface. Tacoman walks over to his chair and sits down. Above him is a helmet, which when worn gives the wearer first person access to all systems. Tacoman puts on the helmet and begins to inspect the various bells and whistles of the ship.
Hmm.. multispectrum temporal shields... advanced weapon designs.. some of which were made by my scientists...
General Tacoman to the science lab.
As soon as Tacoman speaks these words, the image of his chief scientist sparks to life in front of him.
Chief scientist: Yes sir?
Tacoman: How do you like the science area of this ship?
Chief scientist: It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. My teams have transfered the items and equipment from your original ships to this one, and we're ready to make whatever you want, be it an advanced weapon, or more Furbies.
Tacoman: Very good. Tacoman out.
Tacoman presses a button, and the helmet returns to its original position
Helm, launch the ship and proceed on routine patrol at maximum warp.

"THIS IS A ULTRA-ENCRYPTED SUBSPACE TUNNEL COMMUNIQUE FROM THE PROVISIONAL IMPERIAL H.Q. STAND BY FOR A MESSAGE FROM THE EMPEROR."

Everyone present on the bridge snaps to attention as the Emperor appears on the viewscreen.

"Greetings, General. I trust you are satisfied with your new command. Intel has just handed me the locations of three major Adonian weapons plants. They are well-defended, but no match for your battle fleet. Your first orders are to blast them to pieces. Don't worry about getting information, I want them gone as soon as possible. That should break a few of the enemy's teeth. After we squeeze Vong a bit, then we'll find out where he's hiding. I have assigned the 356th Fighter Wing to your battle group. Use them to achieve space superiority and take out as many Adonian ships as you can. Your orders are complete. Imperial H.Q. out."

Vortex II. One of the major weapons production centers under Adonian control. A filthy, polluted planet, populated by a underclass just intelligent enough to run the machines, reproduce, and keep themselves alive. It is not a pleasant place. And it does not know what is heading toward them at the moment. Neither does Admiral Vong, who is orbiting the planet at the moment. One person knows, though, and he appears in a dimensional portal just outside the largest factory-city on the muddy hunk of rock. Just after he appears, Decker, with fury in his eyes, heads directly toward the Imperial Administration office.

Prefect Vech, a cruel, petty bureaucrat in charge of Vortex II, looks up, startled, when a stranger in Imperial clothing enters his cluttered office.

I need to talk to Admiral Vong. Now.

Vech adopts an expression of angered superiority.

"How DARE you barge into my office and demand to talk the Admiral, you filth, you disgusting peasant! I will have you shot immediately! Secur-ECH!"

Decker clenches one fist and immediately Vech is lifted out of his chair by invisible hands. An incredible pressure grips the bureaucrat's throat. Decker shakes Vech to within an inch of his life, then throws him down into his chair.

Vong, now.

Vech shakily hits a control on his desk, sending a hail to Vong's flagship. The Admiral appears on the small, dirty viewscreen set into the wall of the office.

"Yes, Prefect? What-?"

Decker places himself squarely in front of the viewscreen.

Admiral Vong, we need to discuss the future of the Empire.

Tacoman orders the fleet to proceed to the first of the weapons plants. This plant is situated on a small moon orbiting a beautiful blue-green planet. The moon is also class M, and is home to several native species. The species of both the planet and the moon are being used to run the machines.
Comm, open hailing frequencies to all ships in the fleet.
Comm: Channel open sir.
Tacoman: General Tacoman to all ships in the fleet, target the weapons plant and fire all weapons. Oh yes... broadcast this on all channels.
The ships do as ordered, and eventually, both the weapons plant and the entire side of the moon that the plant is on is destroyed, with nothing left but molten rock. The force of the weapons sets fire to the other half of the moon, leaving it charred and unhabitable. Tacoman's voice then is heard over the pictures of the devistation.
Consider this a test of the weapons potential of my fleet.

Good Kami! Everyone evacuate this planet! Now!

The planet Sahara was the perfect place for the Imperial Prison. Not only was the entire planet one giant desert, but it was also littered with Dilithium to power the various drives of the Empire. There was only one spaceport on the planet, and that was where prisoners were transferred in, and it was heavily guarded. Not even the minimum security prisoners were allowed to work near the loading docks. The heaviest security prisoners were confined to work in the Dilithium mines, while the lesser threats worked in the Ore processing planets. There were only a few "special" prisoners who did not take part in the mining operation.

Meet Roland Gil. When he was a boy of fourteen, he was running with the gangs that lurked in Terrios Prime as a hit man. That is, until Lord Adon discovered his talents and recruited the young man. Now Roland is in charge of all of Lord Adon's special forces, the small groups that went into enemy territory for specific missions... blow up this, rescue them, assassinate him, etc. He was wounded at the age of 16 and had to have his left eye replaced, prompting him to wear sunglasses almost all of the time. If any Imperial trooper were to find him, they are to terminate him with extreme prejudice...

The guard at the auxiliary loading dock for the Sahara Maximum Security Prison glanced at the wall clock when he heard the sound of a transport landing.

"•••• Haulers. They know that we won't be ready to load for another two hours, but they still show up early. Now I'm going to have to listen to them complain about how we are slowing them down."

After the craft was secured, the three man crew entered the waiting area and stood around in a small group. They all pulled out ettes and lit up. Ettes were sticks with dried plants in them that were smoked. Although they were borderline legal, they were enjoyed in many bars and taverns all round the Empire.

The guard felt a craving for an ette himself, even though it was against the regs. "One little ette won't hurt anything," he thought. So he opened the blaster-proof window and called out to the Haulers, "Hey, can you spare one?"

The Haulers looked at each other, shrugged, and handed the guard an ette.
"Do you have a light?" Asked the guard.
The biggest Hauler walked over to the window and pulled out a plasma lighter. The guard noticed that he was wearing sunglasses, but that wasn't uncommon since the sun was still up, and it was a desert after all.

The guard leaned out the window the the ette in his mouth, ready to be lit. But instead of a small flame coming out of the lighter, a high powered beam came out, punching a hole though the guard's head.

In one smooth movement, the largest Hauler stepped aside as the smallest one jumped though the window into the empty guard booth and began typing on the computer. The other two went back out to the freighter. When they came back into the waiting room, the heavy blast door to the main prison was open and the smallest Hauler stood in the center of the room and held up an isolinear chip.

"Smile," he said. "You're on candid visual sensor." Then he snapped the chip in two. "The internal sensors are down but the alarms are hardwired in. If they go off, then we're in trouble." The medium sized guard tossed him a rifle.

The trio made their way into the prison, the small and medium Hauler were armed with blaster rifles that had a funny looking attachment on the end of the barrel. The largest one was carrying an extremely heavy blaster pistol. It also had one of those attachments over the barrel.

They came to an open door without meeting any guards, and the biggest one stepped in first. The Warden looked up from his paperwork as the door closed and gasped "Roland Gil!" before Roland's blaster made a "pff" sound. There was no visible shot, but a portion of the desk exploded, knocking away the small blaster concealed there. The blaster made its odd sound again, and the Warden's right hand was severed from his wrist by the invisible shot.

The Warden screamed in both fear and pain as Roland walked up and took off his sunglasses, revealing the hideous mechanical sensor where his left eye used to be.
"That was business," he muttered as the sensor lit up, reading the Warden's right retina. When he was done, he put the sunglasses back on and pointed the blaster at the Warden's head. The Warden felt like he was looking down a dark mine shaft. "And this is for Lord Adon" he said as he fired.

The trio took the Warden's hand with them, dispatching any guards they came across. So far, the alarm had not been raised. When they came to the Extreme Maximum Security Block, they used the Warden's severed hand on the tactile sensor, as Roland took off his sunglasses and let the retina scanner scan the mechanical eye. The light flashed green, and the door opened.

Meanwhile, a guard stopped by the Warden's office to get some things signed. He waited and waited, but there was no response from inside the office. The guard activated his communicator. "Robertson to Command. I need an override to the Warden's Office lock. He isn't responding to my knocks."

"Roger, Robertson. Overriding lock."
The locked clicked and the door opened. Robertson stepped into the darkened office and turned on the lights. The scene that greeted him would haunt him for the rest of his life when he saw the headless and handless Warden sitting behind his desk. The young guard rushed out into the corridor and vomited all over his shoes. He gasped for a few minutes before he found his voice.

"Command... The Warden... is... dead... Lockdown... facility..."

The alarms sounded just as the trio reached Lord Adon's cell door. In the same instant, a number of cylinders around the door rotated into place, locking the door closed. The only tool that could open those cylinders was stored off planet, for security reasons. Roland cursed and started removing the device from the end of the blaster barrel, the smallest Hauler did the same. The third Hauler pulled out a spray can from his belt and started spraying what looked like shaving cream around the edges of the door.

When he was done, he placed a small box on the cream and peeked through the small window set in the door. Sure enough, Lord Adon was still huddled in a far corner. The Hauler stepped back from the door and pressed a button. The material sparked and cut a hole through the door, and Roland shot two guards that entered the block.

The middle sized Hauler stepped into the cell and slung his weapon over his shoulder.
"Lord Adon?" He asked. Adon looked up at him with haunted eyes. The Hauler reached down and picked Lord Adon off of the ground. He slung Lord Adon over his shoulder and stepped out of the cell. The trio made their way back to the freighter: Roland first, the Middle Sized one carrying Lord Adon, and the Smallest one guarding the rear. They were blasting guards left and right until they reached the freighter.

The Freighter lifted off of the ground and leapt into warp a few feet from the planet's surface. It was intercepted by a heavy cruiser, which promptly cloaked once the passenger was aboard.

A phone rang on Fleet Admiral Vong's desk. He picked it up and listened to it for a few minutes.

Yes... yes... I understand. Good work.

He set down the phone and turned to Vice Admiral Strahd.

Lord Adon is in our care once again. He is the real one this time.

Vice Admiral Strahd said nothing. He merely smiled, in a very eery sort of way.

Piker turned as an officer entered the bridge.

Piker: Report.
Lt. Ackeren: Lord Adon is on board and in the infirmary. They're trying to assess his condition.
Piker: Good. Is Gil aboard.
Ackeren: Yes sir. His freighter is in the landing bay.
Piker: Okay. ETA to rendevous with the fleet?
Navigation Officer: 3 hours.
Piker: Maintain course.

Meanwhile, a hail from Vortex II is signalled, and Vong's viewscreen activates. He turns to face it.

Prefect Vech's office appears on the holo-screen. An extremely angry man in a long coat of the type fashionable on the late Terrios Vector Prime steps in front of the camera.

"Admiral Vong, we need to discuss the future of the Empire."

Vice Admiral Strahd looked startled for only a split second when Fleet Admiral Vong faded out. Then the room lit up to reveal Admiral Strahd's office. He got up from behind the desk and stepped out of the office and into Combat and Control.

Tactical, charge the Satellite System. Since General Tacoman was diverted with the faux Weapons Plant planet, we should at least leave him a little going away present for his troubles.

As General Tacoman's forces were preparing to leave the remains of the production moon, the orbital debris changed. Before startled sensor tech's eyes all over the fleet, several pieces of debris changed shape: to a humanoid shaped robots, outfitted with four wings that formed an "X" shape on it's back, and a rather large bazooka over their shoulders.

The bazookas all fired, backed by the power supplied from Admiral Strahd's command ship several lightyears away. The blasts destroyed most of the smaller ships and damaged the larger ships.

After the initial barrage, the robots started flying around erratically to avoid being hit by the return fire from the surviving ships. At the same time, three distortions in time and space opened on top of General Tacoman's second largest ship, ripping it to pieces. Three ships came out of the distortions, a carrier and two escorts. The escorts began trading fire with General Tacoman's forces as the carrier collected all the robots. As soon as they all were aboard, the distortions formed around the ships and they vanished.

Tactical Officer: "Recovery complete, Admiral."

Excellent. Have all craft return to Ultraspace. We will wait there for His Majesty to make the next move.

A similar distortion appeared around Admiral Strahd's command ship, and it vanished from normal space.

Fleet Admiral Vong disconnects from the HoloComm system and faces the viewscreen as the room lights up around him, to reveal his office.

The future of the Empire? I am most interested in hearing who you are and why you chose to interrupt me.

Who I am? My name is Decker. That is all you need know. What if I told you, Admiral, that there could be found a way to not only remove the New Empire from power, but to ensure a way that it never existed at all?

Tacoman, having discovered he destroyed a fake production area, charges his fleet towards a real production facility. He orders his fleet to sit outside the system and fire special weapons at the system's star, causing it to go supernova. This takes out much of the inner part of the system, including the production facility and the moon that orbited it. He then orders the rest of his fleet to destroy the rest of the local system, just for the heck of it.

An officer turned from his station and reported to Vice Admiral Strahd.
Officer: "Sir, General Tacoman has destroyed one of our Production Planets."

Very well. Dr Moraan, respond.

Over the communicator, Dr Moraan replied.

How is the displacement project going?

Dr Moraan: "We have perfected the Ultraspace tap , but it only works while in Ultraspace. We get no response while in Prime-Space."

Ok. What about the Ultrawave Generator?

Dr Moraan: "The Generator is up an ready to go. We tied it into the Ultraspace taps. You can begin at any time."

Very well. Proceed with the operation.

The largest Ultrawave Generator every built came to life. In Space-Prime, a massive distortion appeared around the largest of Lord Adon's production facilities. The distortion vanished, taking the entire planet with it into Ultraspace, where the bulk of Lord Adon's fleet sat in wait.

Vice Admiral Strahd looked at the planet that appeared amidst the swirling chaos that was Ultraspace.

Officer: "Transfer is successful. The planet is in a temporary holding pattern, and repairs are already underway on the Ultrawave generator. All of your production facilities should be safely tucked away in Ultraspace within a month."

Vice Admiral Strahd entered the medical facility where Lord Adon was undergoing treatment after his ordeal. Lord Adon was in a private room that was under constant guard.

Vice Admiral Strahd: "I'm pleased to see that you are back safely, my Lord."

Yes, it is good to be back. Have my long term plans been carried out?

Strahd: "Yes, my Lord. Everything has been done as you have ordered."

Show me.

Strahd stepped to a screen built into the wall and inserted a datachip. Within seconds, the screen lit up showing Lord Adon all of the things that have been happening since he was taken.

When the plans for his new base (and eventual palace) came onscreen right next to the real-time video of the construction site, Lord Adon laughed triumphantly.

On board the Freedom, an intelligence officer is in a meeting with Tacoman
...And as you can see, it looks like there's construction for a base of some sort...
Tacoman: So, Lord Adon still lives. How many major production bases are left?
Intelligence officer: According to our sources, 3 major ones on planets, and 2 on life-sustaining moons.
Tacoman: Thank you, you have been most helpful.
Intelligence Officer: You're quite welcome, General.
Tacoman removes his helmet, with which he has been communicating with the Intelligence Officer and speaks to his bridge crew
General Tacoman to all ships in the fleet, set a course for the Gertis System, maximum speed. Once there, proceed to the fifth planet in the system.