[u][b]Edge of Hutt Space
Silver Fang Vessel "Guiding Light"[/b][/u]

Vorax Tezar stared out into the endless night and watched as the last of the of the four transport vessels of the Silver Fang fleet began positioning themselves for a group jump into hyperspace. The Trandoshan hoped that he had made the correct decision in instructing them to seek refuge among the Republic of Mandalore. The galaxy was a very dangerous place these days and although he knew many of the factions currently fighting for control considered him a pirate and an outlaw, he hoped they would at least give the families that had sought refuge among the Silver Fangs the benefit of the doubt. Those four transports contained the last civilians and rescued slaves of the Silver Fang fleet.

[i]They cannot be allowed to come to harm.[/i] The Trandoshan thought. [i]The Hutts would simply take them as slaves once again or worse yet, execute them to show the costs of defying the Hutt Cartel.[/i] As the Trandoshan stared out the window, he saw the rest of the fleet begin positioning themselves to cover the retreating transport vessels in the event the Hutts found them again. [i]I should have called for us to leave Hutt space sooner.[/i] Vorax thought as he saw the battle damage on the remaining vessels. Where he had once had a fleet nearly forty vessels strong, now only seventeen remained and many of them had taken heavy damage in the last engagement.

The trandoshan felt his blood begin to boil at the thought of his lost friends and those he considered close enough to be family. He had lost many in the past week. Many of the Hutts had thrown everything they could spare at the Silver Fangs and one Hutt in particular had made it his mission to wipe the Silver Fangs out to the last man. 

Obadah the Hutt.

[i]Figures the old slug would be first in line to try and kill us[/i]. In truth, Vorax could understand why the Hutt hated them so much. He had been one of the largest slavers in Hutt space and he had been raided by the Silver Fangs more than a few times. His musings were interrupted when his towering first mate approached him and stood at attention. The Trandoshan looked over at him and smiled a tooth filled grin. "At ease, Torro." He told the towering Wookiee. The former freedom fighter had been one of the first to answer Vorax's call to arms and although the two didn't always see eye to eye, there was no one Vorax trusted more. The wookiee looked out the window before turning back to Vorax. [i]"We've received word from one of our operatives in the Cartel: The Hutts are en route. They will be here in ten minutes give or take."[/i] The wookie's voice was flat and mechanical, his original vocal cords had been badly damaged years before which had force the wookiee to replace them with mechanical ones.

Vorax looked out the window. "How large a force?" He asked quietly as to not alarm the rest of the bridge crew.

"More than we can handle. At least twenty vessels."

Vorax looked at the transport vessels as they jumped into hyperspace and turned to look at his first mate. "Open a channel to the fleet. I wish to speak with those who remain." The wookie nodded and moved to the communications console before signaling that the channel was open.

[i]"My fellow freedom fighterssss...The last of our transport vessels have managed to flee into hyperspace. As you know, those transport vesselsss are full of innocentssss, those who simply wished to live their livessss free from slavery and oppression as all beingsss wish. We will make sure they will not once again be crushed under the fist of the cartel. The Huttsss have whittled our fleet to a sliver of our former numberssss and we can assume that they wish to finish what they have started, but I know in my heart they will not succeed. The Silver Fangs have freed thousands of slaves across Hutt Space and now we will do what must be done. We have received intelligence that a large Hutt force is closing in on us."[/i]

The Trandoshan sighed. 

[i]"The Silver Fangs have never retreated. We have always stood and fought even when the odds are against ussss, but this time is different. This time we are being faced with capture or worse yet: complete annihilation. I am ordering all vesselsss to disperse. The Guiding Light will stay behind and buy time while the rest of you escape into hyperspace. The fight against the Hutts must not die here. The fight against intergalactic slavery will not die here! One day, the slaves of the Hutt Cartel will know freedom!"[/i]

Vorax took a deep breath as the rest of the fleet began to maneuver into position for a group hyperspace jump. Moments later, klaxons began to sound across the bridge of the [i]Guiding Light[/i] as multiple vessels emerged from hyperspace in front of the [i]Guiding Light[/i]. The ships were in an attack formation.

"Battle Stations!" Vorax roared