He explains that his attempt to mediate between the Anders and Melanies had apparently failed. The bloody black rose will begin a war between the two crime families. Vyncynt didn't realize that Meliar "hadn't killed" Melanie's son, which undoubtedly hurt the negotiations. He agrees to pay the crew himself, and offers his services. The crew accepts, and appoints him to navigator to replace Meliar in the highly vulnerable chair at the front of the bridge...

The Imperial Fleet arrives at the Republic, and moves to engage the remaining defenses. Rather than slow to clear a minefield, Kress takes the rest of the crew onto the Klarg Star, activates the Stasis Shield, and moves straight in. As the mines fire, the stasis bubble flickers briefly, protecting the Klarg Star. Merlmer orders the Righteous Indignation to engage the Republican Fleet, which is soon destroyed. Several fighter sorties later, the Republican planetary defenses are hammered into rubble.

Several troopships land at key Coreen installations, and the Klarg Star, loaded with a hovertank and a platoon of Imperial troops, lands next to the Republican Hereditary Palace. As the troops begin the assault, Kress (in a modified exo-suit), K'yrth and Merlmer each destroy Coreen troop transports with HPP blasts. The tank makes short work of the Palace doors. K'yrth and Merlmer, with HPPs, blast their way into the palace itself. Ramirez blows the occasional troop apart with his blaster rifle, while Vyncynt moves in with the rearguard. Kress hides among the debris, and snipes at Republicans, three at a time, with his handy pistol.

Fighting their way to the main office, dual HPP shots blow the doors in, revealing Captain Fredricks and the Hereditary President, in his combat armor. Rather than surrender, he smiles, forcing K'yrth to obliterate him and a large portion of the office. Merlmer clonks Fredricks into unconsciousness, and telepathically scans him. He realizes the REAL President is trying to escape in a small ship under the palace. Rather than blow his ship away in orbit, the crew blasts their way into the elevator shaft and enters a small subterranean alcove.

A small fighter is warming up on a launch tube. K'yrth and Merlmer's combined fire collapses the far end of the tunnel. Vyncynt uses a Paralysis-Gun to short out the fighter, and knock out the President. The crew takes him, and Fredricks, back to the Klarg Star before securing the Palace. The entire Republic liberated, the crew returns to the Empire. During the trip, they introduce Captain Fredricks to "ze mind probe!" They also point out that, as they provided the superior technology to the Empire, this was all HIS fault...

At the Empire again, the crew turns their prisoners over to the Emperor. He expresses his gratitude, which Merlmer and Kress plan to take him up on shortly. Rather than take the long rest they've earned, the crew learns that FedInt has recently stepped up its activity near the Empire. Suspecting the oh-so-subtle hand of Nichols, the crew prepares to investigate reports of an odd archeological discovery on the coreward edge of Alliance Space. After, that is, they attend to a few details...

Continue to The Christmas Special, back to Episode 9, or return to the Main List.