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The Avenger took station on the Executor and allowed Captain Lorth Needa to make his journey via TIE Shuttle to the flagship to make his report.
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As the TIE SHUTTLE Landed in the Bridge Tower Docking bay, Petty Officer McTyle stood waiting to greet the Avenger’s Captain. McTyle knew as many did, that Needa was due for a severe punishment.
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Word of the Millennium Falcon’s escape had already spread quickly throughout the Squadron of ships. McTyle knew that Needa would probably be fairly worried at this point.
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The Shuttle shut down it’s main engines and the distinct hiss erupted as the locking mechanisms on the doors were opened.
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McTyle waited patiently. Inside he was wishing that this duty would take a while, for when it was done, he would have to return to his menial task of monitoring the scanning operators.
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Captain Lorth Needa and a Petty Officer from the Avenger disembarked.
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The Chief Petty Officer snapped to attention and gave the normal greeting to a senior officer.
CPO McTYLE: Glory to the Empire!
CAPT. NEEDA: Glory to the Empire…
CPO McTYLE: Welcome to the Executor sir.
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CAPT. NEEDA: I am due to have an audience with Admiral Piett. I believe he is expecting me…
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CPO McTYLE: Aye sir. The Admiral and Lord Vader are on the bridge. We have been instructed to take you there immediately.
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CAPT. NEEDA: Of course. Of course. One thing Chief…you don’t be chance know what sort of a mood the Admiral is in do you?
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CPO McTYLE: If I am honest sir…it’s not the Admiral’s mood you need to concern yourself with. Lord Vader has been in a vile mood since we departed Hoth.
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CAPT. NEEDA: Very well, Petty Officer, keep the engines warm…I don’t expect this will be a long stay.
PETTY OFFICER: Aye Captain.
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CPO McTYLE: If you’d like to follow me sir.
CAPT. NEEDA: Well…what choice does one have?
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McTyle led Needa to the bridge deck of the Super Star Destroyer. The Design of the flagship was much the same as the Imperial Class. Needa felt well aquainted with it’s interior.
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But inside, Needa was worried. It was a deep rooted sense of fear that one got when apologising to a superior for a mistake. And in this day of warfare, mistakes could be fatal.
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Admiral Firmus Piett spotted Captain Needa’s approach. Flanked by the newly appointed Captain of the Executor, Piett greeted Needa.
ADM. PIETT: Captain Needa? I trust you have come to deliver your report.
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CAPT. NEEDA: I have Admiral sir.
ADM. PIETT: Well?
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CAPT. NEEDA: Sir, the freighter made for an attack on our bridge, and then, vanished. I can only conclude that she went into hyperspace.
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ADM. PIETT: Then why would she make an attack run? It could…perhaps should …have been fatal!
CAPT. NEEDA: I don’t know sir. But it is the only-
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At that moment, Lord Darth Vader arrived.
ADM. PIETT: Ah, Lord Vader, my lord, Captain Needa has come to make his report.
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Captain Needa turned to give his report, he felt that deep sense of fear building.
CAPT. NEEDA: My Lord, the Millennium Falcon…she…she has gone into hyperspace my Lord. It is the logical assumption that-
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LORD VADER: Assumption?! Captain, I do not take kindly to my senior officers making… Assumptions!
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Admiral Piett and his Captain tried to make themselves busy, trying not to get involved in what they suspected was about to happen.
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LORD VADER: You allowed them to escape because of your incompetence Captain!
CAPT. NEEDA: My Lord…I can only offer you my most sincere apologies, and plead your forgiveness.
LORD VADER: Forgiveness?! You have made an error of judgement Captain.
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At this moment, Captain Lorth Needa realised his fate. He realised that no matter what his service record was within both the Republican Navy and now the Imperial Navy, he knew that here today, his life would surely end. That was the ways of this modern war. Gone were the means of compassion and forgiveness that hallmarked the methods of the Republican Navy under the Jedi. It had taken Needa twenty odd years to finally realise that the Empire was different.
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LORD VADER: They were minor criminals and outlaws! You are inept.
Vader raised his hand and Needa felt the invisible talons that he had heard of constricting around his neck like a vice.
He gasped.
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CAPT. NEEDA: Lord…Lord Vader…P…Please.
LORD VADER: And ineptitude is of no use to me or the Empire.
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After a minute or so, Captain Lorth Needa fell to his knees, unable to speak, unable to get the last breath of air he so desired.
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And then with a final horrible gasp, Lorth Needa’s life escaped him and he fell onto his back, sprawled across the deck of the flagship.
LORD VADER: Apology accepted Captain Needa.
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Lord Vader gave the signal for the two Imperial Troopers who were standing on guard to move in and collect the body, much as had happened to Admiral Kendal Ozzel only a day beforehand.
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Lord Vader was furious.
He felt the anger building in him. Anger that had in the past caused so much pain and suffering.
Vader had no time for failure, and to him, failure was only punishable by death.
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Admiral Piett stood up to update the Dark Lord on the proceedings.
ADM. PIETT: Lord Vader, our ships have completed their scan of the area and found nothing.
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ADM. PIETT: If the Millennium Falcon went into lightspeed, she could be on the other side of the galaxy by now.
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LORD VADER: Alert all commands. Calculate every possible destination along their last known trajectory.
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ADM. PIETT: Yes My Lord, we’ll find them.
Deep down, Piett had a sense of dread.
He had seen two senior officers executed in the space of twenty-four hours.
He suddenly didn’t see his fate faring any better.
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LORD VADER: Don’t fail me again… Admiral.
Piett knew that Vader meant this as a threat.
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Admiral Piett didn’t reply, he gave a silent nod. Replying might just prolong the conversation, and deep down, he wished Lord Vader off of the bridge immediately. And as he thought that, Lord Vader turned and stormed off.
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Piett turned to his Captain.
ADM. PIETT: Alert all commands…deploy the fleet.
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Stalking the bridge like the snoop he was, Major Hainsa of the Imperial Security Bureau couldn’t help but smile districtly. He had arrived shortly after Needa’s own Shuttle.
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MAJ. HAINSA: Admiral, I find it disturbing how many of the senior officers of the Death Squadron have proven themselves to be failures and traitors.
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ADM. PIETT: There has been no mention of treachery amongst my Squadron Major! And it is Sir to the likes of you!
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MAJ. HAINSA: Very well… Sir. But I must stress that the ISB will be keeping a very close watch on your senior command from here on.
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ADM. PIETT: The ISB has no business in-
MAJ. HAINSA: Well…sir…we do. The Emperor wishes everyone to toe the line. And if that means culling the ranks, then so be it.
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MAJ. HAINSA: I am already putting into progress the removal of all of the Needa household from the Imperial Military. We cannot have a name that has disgraced our glorious Emperor in our ranks.
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MAJ. HAINSA: I would be careful… sir… to be sure that I do not have to come looking through the lists to find your family name.
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CAPTAIN: Admiral sir, we have given the hyperspace vector codes to the fleet. We are ready to proceed as a fleet into lightspeed.
ADM. PIETT: Very well. Go ahead and signal all ships.
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ADM. PIETT: I am too busy to be talking about this now Major. But be rest assured, you can be certain that my loyalties lie with the Emperor and no-one else.
Piett was slightly concerned about having a high number of ISB officers in the Squadron. Ever since the Civil War had erupted, the Emperor had become paranoid and the ISB had been given tremendous power. This…was worrying.
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