The Inferno (Book 7)

[Akirapryde]

(7.18) The Kingdom of Lorta
The Kingdom of Lorta
Mid Rim World of Lorta
20 August, 1938

Lorta is commonly known for its deep blue oceans that nearly covers the entire world. A large number of of large islands dot the oceans as well as a series of large man made islands. Its capital city rests on the largest of man made islands, called Joff. The island is named after the pirate/slaver turned entrepreneur and local hero to Lorta. The entire island is one massive series of floats that has been Terra farmed to hold a wide range of tropical plant and animal life. Nearly two centuries prior to the fall of the Republic, Joff and her sister island AnaIel boasted some of the most luxurious resorts in the Mid Rim. A massive entertainment industry grew from these resorts and Lorta saw its largest growth during these years. While rumors persisted of illegal activities going on within the walls of the resorts, the well paid for authorities kept a safe distance from the Resorts to allow a reputation to build. That reputation was that for the right price, anything can be enjoyed on Lorta. Joff, the owner of the resorts even went as far as hiring hundreds of Zeltron to work within his beloved resorts. This only bolstered the reputation of the resorts. These years are known throughout Lorta as the Golden Years of Lorta.

Joff was many things, but he knew how to keep the locals happy. As long as they turned a blind eye to his Resorts, he invested millions of Galactic Credits in to the local economy. He funded new schools, roads, community centers, and space ports. Using his contacts deep within Hutt space, he set up factories which paid above local standards. These goods were shipped back to Hutt space to be sold. He helped created one of the best trade routes in the Mid/Outer Rims, the Joff's Twist. Along this trade route, Lortian goods were shipped to buyers across the region while tourists traveled back the trade route to Lorta. Once there, these tourists enjoyed the luxury of the Resorts and sampling the Lortian markets. Within years, the entertainment industry on Lorta exploded with off world cash flow. Even two holostudios were set up and both were owned by Joff. It was a known fact that had been largely ignored that the Resorts were filled with mostly slaves. Most Lortians opted to simply turn a blind eye to the rumors of rape and assault against the slave workers that took place within the walled Resorts. However, it all almost came crashing down around Joff when a pair of local teens were kidnapped as they were walking along the beach near one of Joff's Resorts. They were brutally raped over and over again by a group of Resort guests. The two teens were left for dead on the sands of the very beach they lived on. Once word broke out, protests nearly shut the Resorts down.

It was said that if this had been anyone else, the Resorts would have been shut down and Joff would have lost his head over the crisis. However, Joff was more than just anyone to let this cash cow out of control. By the time the reports of the rapes turned to crisis, those who were responsible for the rapes had fled Lorta. Demanding to take the lead on this, Joff sent his own daughters to hunt down the men responsible and bring them back to Lorta. He also raised two million credits for each victim and ensured that each victim received the very best in counseling to help them over come what he called, “A horrible, nightmarish event.” he turned the two young women in to poster images of a new campaign to help lower crime on Lorta. He funded two new Police Academies, offered to accept higher taxes on his Resorts to pay for new police officers on the streets and even set up Rape Awareness Programs. Joff took a early lead in the investigation and ensured that those who actually did the crime paid for it. The men were found guilty through a trial that turned in to a media event across Lorta. Joff took on the mantel of Bringer of Justice for all Lortians. By the end of the trial, which Joff made a point to over see from the visitors seats, public opinion of Joff had actually risen rather than was hurt by the rapes. In the eyes of the Lortians, Joff was seen as a public hero and defender of the weak.

When a group of Jedi Hunters arrived to arrest Joff for crimes against the Republic, the out cry actually forced the Hunters to back off. It appeared that Joff had a deeper darker secret than just his resorts. In fact, Joff who was a well known slaver from the Core Worlds and wanted on almost all of them. He was a criminal master mind who the Jedi had been hunting for some time. While Lorta was a member of the Republic, they outwardly refused to allow the Jedi to arrest their favorite stepson. It was a complete shock to the Jedi when they learned that Joff was on Lorta. He had been arrested nearly a decade prior and imprisoned on Korriban. It raised questions as to how he managed to escape Korriban. More importantly, the Jedi were faced with a crisis of their own. Lorta was defending and refusing to turn over the convicted criminal mastermind. Joff was known for praying on the children of the wealthy, powerful and influential. He would kidnap their children and either ransom them back to the families or sell the children in to slavery. For over five years, Joff terrorized the nobility of the Core Worlds till they finally put pressure on the Jedi to finally stop him. Even though he was not a force user, the nobility demanded that the Jedi unleash their hunters upon this monster. Joff was cornered by a team of Jedi Hunters and was arrested. The trial was short and he was sentenced to fifty years in carbonite. The Jedi Grand Master and his padawan Tra Via over saw the sentence carried out personally.

Now, that very Padawan turned Jedi Hunter/Knight Tra Via was locked in a struggle with a different kind of enemy. He was finding that the legal system of Lorta was much more difficult than any other enemy he had faced before. Even though they were shown the reports of Joff's past and suspected current crimes, the people of Lorta saw the action of the Jedi to be in direct violation of their sovereign rights. Twice the Jedi Hunters attempted to seize Joff at his home and twice they were forced back by the citizens of Lorta blocking their path. The crisis continued to grow out of control when a small fleet of three Jedi cruisers arrived in orbit as a show of military might. This only continued to inflame the situation. Still Lorta dug their feet in and refused to yield the the Republic or the Jedi. It was not that they believe that Joff was innocent of those crimes. Their prospective was that Joff had been sentenced for his crimes and considered his released to be debt repaid. A passionate plea from the two teenage girls who were in the center of a major trial and media event last year, came out and spoke on Joff's behalf during the height of the Crisis. There were even candle light gatherings where the Jedi had set up their base of operations. Songs were sung in hopes of showing the Jedi that their operation on this world was unjust. A deal was even offered by the government of Lorta to allow Joff to remain on Lorta as part of his sentence. The Jedi nor the Lortians were not giving in, and the smoke of conflict was seen on the horizon.

As the Lortian Reserves were called up at the hight of the crisis, it was clear that either a solution was found or Lorta was going to go to war with the Jedi. The solution came from a very surprising source. It was Joff himself who offered a compromise. He was not about to turn himself in, but he was not about to allow his beloved friends of Lorta pay for the 'Jedi's overreach'. He offered the Jedi the best deal they could possible hope for. He gave a speech which is still remembered in lore today across Lorta. “When I came here, I found a people that is more than deserving of respect and honor then I have ever found before. Before I was a criminal, this I do not deny. Here, I found a new life. Here, I found a life free from crime. I had believed that my past was behind me. But now that past has come back to hunt not only me, but those to whom I respect and honor. I can not allow one drop of blood to be shed in my name. Even though this overreach conducted by the Jedi is wrong. Even though our freedoms are being trampled upon by the Republic and the Jedi alike. Even though they have no right to do this. Even though we have every right to stand up and fight. I ask everyone, I ask everyone simple to, not to. I can not allow needless loss of life. I know what will happen. We may win this battle, but more will come. More after that and more after that. Till we will not be able to fight anymore. It is too much to ask of my friends. I offer the Jedi this, I will board my ship and leave Lorta. I will not enter hyperspace till I am out of system. All I ask is that when I am gone, leave my friends here in peace. IF you can catch me before I reach hyperspace so be it. IF not, and we all know you wont, then come find me.”

It was a double edged offer for the Jedi. Joff was right, catching Joff's famous ship, the Star Adder, was nearly impossible even for Jedi Starfighters. But unless they accepted Joff's offer the alternative was a great deal of needless death. The Jedi finally accepted the offer to allow Joff to flee the world in peace. Once he was in space, all bets were off. Joff's departure was filled with all the fanfare as if they were celebrating a hero's departure. The Jedi were also there watching very closely to make sure that Joff didn't pull any surprises. Jedi Starfighters circled in high orbit waiting for the Star Adder to break orbit. Everyone watched as Joff crossed the tarmac of the space port. He paused at the foot of the ramp to the Adder. He turned and waved to the people of Lorta. There was a great cheer as many waved back to their local hero. The Star Adder slowly lifted off once Joff was aboard. The cruisers moved in to seal the trap in space. However, the Star Adder would prove to be more maneuverable than the Jedi had predicted. She easily slipped passed the fighters and raced for orbit. The Cruisers moved in to cut the Star Adder off from deep space. It would end up being a foolish move as the Star Adder was as nimble as a fighter and dodged the maneuver. Once the Star Adder broke through orbit, the race was on.

Within minutes, the Adder had a comfortable lead on all of the Jedi ships. As she gained distance on the Cruisers, the Star Adder seemed to actually preform for the number of media ships attempting to follow the race. Every bar and pub on Lorta was watching the chase live as they cheered on their local hero. With each twist the Star Adder made to avoid the attacks of the Jedi, the locals rose their glasses and celebrated with cheers. There were count down clocks showing the distance that the Star Adder needed to reach before Joff could keep his word of going to Hyperspace. Some locals even shouted out to break his word and flee now. Nonetheless, Joff kept his word and remained in real space as the Star Adder raced for the boarder of the system. It almost looked as if Joff was going to make it to the edge of the system. That was till a Jedi Cruiser hyperspaced ahead of the Star Adder and hammered her with a pair of twin Ions. The hits had to of knocked out her hyperdrive engines as the Star Adder turned back for Lorta. Once more the chase turned in to a dance of acrobats as the Star Adder fought desperately to return to the safety of Lorta. However, another pair of Ion blasts from another Jedi Cruiser crippled the Adder and left her dead in space.

With media cameras watching, the Star Adder was towed back to Lorta orbit and boarded. The Leaders of Lorta watched helpless as the Jedi boarded the ship. The mood across Lorta slipped from cheers to sadness and even a few call to arms as they watched helpless as the Star Adder was boarded by Jedi Hunters. Shortly there after the Leaders of Lorta were allowed to board the ship also. What they found sent the entire world of Lorta in to cheers. Joff was no where to be found aboard the ship! His two lieutenants and daughters Anastasya and Arial were arrested for adding in Joff's escape. However, the Leadership of Lorta demanded that they be handed over to Lorta. They claimed that the Republic's arrest warrant only covered Joff, not his two lieutenants. It would become a long standing mystery of Lorta of how Joff escaped the Jedi Hunters.

Joff would late be captured and killed by Jedi Master/Hunter Tra Via two years after his escape from Lorta. His body would be brought back to Lorta by agreement within the Republic Senate for burial. Though his guilt was never in doubt, he would always be remembered in the hearts and minds of Lorta for the day that he stood against the entire Republic. His legend would long out live what crimes he was guilty or suspected of. Joff would become known as a folk hero for what he did that day. For that day, he represented the entire spirit of Lorta. It is this spirit that drives the people of Lorta as they survived the dark years after the fall of the Republic. Even with their own fall in influence, they would still turn to the folk tails of Joff. Criminal, Hero, Legend. And still 'Lorta's Favorite Stepson' as it is worded on a statue in his honor located at the steps of the Parliament building.

During the fall of the Republic, Lorta found herself in the mist of one of the most critical battles of the war. A major battle for control over the region was fought between Republic Forces and the Azgardians along the Corellian Trade Spine. During the final hours of the battle, the fighting spilled over in to the Lorta system. While none of the fighting reached the planet itself, the space battle was clearly visible by the citizens of Lorta. As the war drifted further up the Corellian Trade Spine, Lorta was soon forgotten by the rest of the Galaxy. Left alone to fend off raiders and pirates Lorta formed strong bonds and military alliances with her galactic neighbors. As the two Galactic super powers hammered away at each other, Lorta and her allies fought against a raising tide of raiders and pirates who were drawn to the world by rumors of Lorta's wealth. It didn't take Lorta long to become the heart of the Senex Military Alliance. Which was formed originally by twenty other worlds and systems near Lorta and within the Senex Region of space. The Alliance was more than enough to a match for the raiders and pirates. But they would be put to the test soon enough.

Well after the fall of the Republic and the retreat of the Sith out of the Core Worlds, raids across the Alliance grow sharply. Normally most of the raiders or pirates that the Alliance had to face with were home grown. However, these raider were different and gave concerns. These ships were not recognized and the level of death was not normal for pirates. Anger over the raids continued to grow and a emergency meeting was called on Lorta of the Alliance members. The mandate of the Alliance had been carefully drafted to act solely as a defensive pact. The Alliance was faced with the very real situation that they would have to go on the offensive. A move that many members of the Alliance stressed a need for, but worlds like Lorta, Javin and Isis deeply opposed. The Alliance finally reached common ground that allowed for the members to take a more offensive role against the Raiders, but not so much to break with Lorta's traditional views. A task force of five capital ships had been assembled with the Lortian Princess Laxi Phanan was placed in over all command of the task force. Coming from a long line of military leaders and schooled in Lorta's famed Military Academy made the Princess a logical choice for Task Force Commander. Within the compromise, the strong independent nature of Lorta would govern the mission. Princess Laxi would ensure that the mission didn't cross the line of infringing on rights and independence of other worlds.

The Task Force followed a small group of raiders to the world of Sump and the natives of this sad little world. The battle between the highly trained professional navy of the Alliance and the raiders of Sump was short lived. After the largely one sided victory, it was discovered that the natives of Sump, the Nuknog were behind the raids and had held a deep routed resentment for Lorta and the other Alliance worlds. Even though they had been soundly defeated, they demanded that the Alliance care for them and provide them with food and employment. Princess Laxi listened to the arguments and views of the rest of her Command Staff. It was clear that the Nuknog posed a very clear threat to the Alliance if something was not done to lessen their suffering. However, Princess Laxi could not over look the fact that the suffering of the Nuknog was self inflected. If the Alliance did nothing, the Nuknog would be able to rebuild their battered fleet in a matter of months. However provided the needed support for the Nuknog would go against what the Lortians valued so dearly. The ability for anyone to form their own success through their own hard work. In the end, Princess Laxi had convinced the captains of her Task Force that the only way to bring a true end to the Nuknog threat was to ensure that they do not repair their fleet or build a new one. This would give the Nuknog reason to focus on their own world instead of craving after what others have.

Princess Laxi hand delivered the decision of the Task Force to the Nuknog leadership. She informed them that in two hours the ships in orbit would blast the Nuknog's remaining ships, support facilities and space ports to dust. She advised them that they needed to evacuate those locations which had been deemed part of the support for the Raids. The Nuknog leadership blasted back at the Princess calling her names and demanding that she reconsider. They claimed that she had an obligation to support the Nuknog. The situation fall so sharply that the Lortian Royal Guard had to use force to remove the Princess from the meeting. Back aboard her ship, Princess Laxi waited an hour beyond their original deadline in hopes that the Nuknog would take her seriously. When it became clear that they were refusing to evacuate the sites, she reluctantly gave the order to fire. Within hours, Sump's ability to conduct space flight had been completely destroyed. Factories which built parts for their raider ships, space ports, the only three shipyards on the world, and hangers were all laid to waste. Even though Princess Laxi gave the Nuknog more than enough time, the loss of life was still very high. There were follow up bombardments to ensure that the task was completed. Once the inspectors ensured that not one facility remained capable of being repaired, the fleet turned and returned home. Just as her flagship was prepared to leave the world, Princess Laxi looked down from her observation windows with great sadness. “I feel that the anger of these people will never match their envy and resentment of other races who are more successful than them. I fear we will be back here repeating these events again.”

Princess Laxi returned to Lorta with a hero's welcome. The Alliance had faced off with its first foreign threat and bested it. Even though the Nuknog had the Alliance ships out numbered five to one, it was the superior training of the Alliance crews and the natural leadership of Princess Laxi which won the day. Princess Laxi would go on to lead other missions from beyond the realm of the Alliance and return home as a hero. She would help negotiate the membership of Subterrel in to the Alliance and would later follow her father to the Throne of Lorta. As Lorta continued to thrive and grow during the dark years after the fall of the Republic, other members of the Alliance benefited as well. The Alliance grew strong within their own ties and built a strong unified military that would protect their boarders. However it was the strong influence of Lorta which kept the Alliance military from growing so strong that it would be seen as a threat to their neighbors. During her last year on the Throne of Lorta, Queen Laxi met with King Elzian of the world of Tibrin. She met with the King for six days talking about the goals of the Alliance and the views of the Lortian people. It was the strong independence of Lorta which drew the Tibrin King in to negotiations. After the six days worth of talks, Tibrin became the last world to join the Alliance. It would become Queen Laxi's Great Grandson, Prince Bron Phanan, who would face Queen Laxi's fears of the future.

Once more the Alliance would be threatened by raiders. Before this, only a few daring pirates would dare challenge the military excellence of the Alliance. They have long since earned a reputation of being one of the finest combined militaries of the region. It was Prince Bron who started changes within the Alliance military that would have lasting effects on their over all battlefield performances. He set forth changes that would demand that the Alliance military would train together nine months out of the standard year instead of the current two times a year for one week. Three years after these changes had gone in to effect, the Alliance military would be tested once more. The world of Lutrillia would call upon the Alliance for help against raiders from beyond the Alliance. It wouldn't take long for the Alliance to learn that these Raiders matched the similar ship designs of the Nuknog. Their raids against the nomadic people of Lutrillia were uncommonly brutal. The slaughter of innocent men, women and children sent a rash of new fears through the Alliance. Once more a mission back to Sump was put together. Once more it was Lorta who was called upon to lead the mission. This time, it would be Prince Bron who would command the mission. Nearly all felt that this would be a reenactment of almost two hundred years ago. However, the Nuknog had other plans.

A fleet of seven Cruisers and a number of Corvettes made up the Alliance Fleet. And once they arrived in the Sump system, they were jumped by hordes of Nuknog raider ships. The trap had been laid with a sense of cleverness that was uncommon for Nuknog. Prince Bron ordered his ships to withdraw once the first of his cruisers were blasted from the skies above Sump. Beaten but not licked, the Prince decided to make changes to his attack plans and plotted his return to Sump once more. He knew that the Nuknog were not accustomed to victory in such endeavors, he bet on the fact that the Nuknog would over react to news of their victory. He sent a non-coded message home reporting of the disastrous encounter with the Nuknog and over inflated his losses. He even sent his location and requested tenders to help tow the remaining ships back home. With his own trap laid, he waited for the Nuknog to come to finish the job. He positioned his capital ships in deep space where they would be able to see the Nuknog coming from lightyears away. Sure enough, they came. However not nearly as many as there had been during the first encounter. The Prince sprung his own trap and destroyed the Nuknog raiders with little effort. He turned his attention back to Sump and pressed his advantage. Once more the Alliance ships arrived over the world and were greeted by the Nuknog raiders.

With their numbers cut by Prince Bron's trap, the Nuknog still fought hard against the Alliance ships. At first it seemed like they were defending the world but soon it was realized that the Nuknog raiders were attempting to flee the system. Prince Bron ordered his faster Corvettes to pursue the fleeing raiders. Once the battle was once, Prince Bron repeated the actions of his Grandmother and orbital bombarded the shipyards and facilities of the Nuknog. However, the Prince didn't stop there. He targeted any facility that could be used in the future to rebuild the Nuknog raider fleet. He captured a group of captains during his trap and the interrogations had been very fruitful. The Alliance learned of a major cash of Raider ships hidden on Sump's moon. The Prince ordered one of his Cruisers to the moon to locate the cash. Just as the Nuknog were preparing to launch their second wave against the Alliance ships, the Cruiser opened fired on their lunar hangers. Not one of the raider ships was able to lift off before being blasted to pieces by the heavy laser fire from the cruiser. Prince Bron spent nine days ensuring that Sump would never threaten the Alliance again. When the Alliance ships left the system, the fires from factories and ship yards could be seen from orbit. The Prince logged the following comment, “Lets see them rebuild their pirate fleet now” As his ships entered hyperspace.

Soon after the battle, Prince Bron ascended to the Throne of Lorta. A month after he took on the crown, he convinced the Alliance members to start a annual mission to Sump. Each year, a group of five Cruisers and escorts would travel to Sump. They would search out any signs of space travel and destroy it. A detailed report was kept of the level of destruction caused to the world of Sump by Alliance ships in an attempt to prevent them from reaching space travel once more. The Alliance ensured that these reports were made common knowledge as a means of ensuring other raiding cultures would be warned of attacking Alliance member worlds. King Bron Phanan was well known for being a much more harsher leader than most throughout Lortian History. He did see the largest expansion of Lortian influence across the region. He saw the creation of the Lortian Defense Force, A stand alone military that matched the Alliance's own combined military. While this did cause some strife within the Alliance, much of that strife was reduced when King Bron opened up the Lorta's Military Academy to all Alliance members. He also opened up Lorta's shipyards to building ships for any Alliance world.

During the time of his rain, much of his leadership choices were seen as very aggressive. However long after his death and the effects of his choices became known, they were seen as some of the riskiest bluffs ever. King Bron never had any intention to undermine the Alliance or threaten their neighbors. What King Bron did, was to increase the demand for Lortan products on the open market within the Alliance. During his time as King, hundreds of ships and fighters were built on Lorta for member worlds. Now those ships and fighters needed repair parts which were also built on Lorta. As the military leaders of the Alliance started to grow in influence within their own worlds, they would insist on young leaders attending the Military Academy on Lorta. These were only two areas that benefited from King Bron's rule. As many historians look back, most have decided to give this brash and cunning leader of Lorta a second look. Some have even rewritten the history books and removed the label of Military Tyrant from his tags.

With the coming of the Reich to the Seswenna Sector, it was Lorta who directly opposed the Alliance signing a nonaggression pack with the Reich. The debates were so intense that Lorta actually threatened to leave the Alliance should the Alliance move forward with the pack. Lorta's main issues with any pack with the Reich is that it could drag Lorta and the Alliance in to a war that they do not want to be a part of. In the event that a pack was signed and war came, the Alliance might be forced to side with the Reich. Or worse yet, be forced to the sidelines due to the previsions within the pack. It was King Keyan Phanan skill as a negotiator that kept the Alliance from signing any pack with the Reich. When war did finally come at the hands of the Reich, the Alliance was one of the first powers to step forward and defend their neighbors against the Reich. The Alliance had learned that the Reich had planned to invade the non-Alliance world of Virmeude. While the world offered little interest to most worlds, Virmeude was a trading partner with the Alliance. It was clear that no other world would come to the aide of Virmeude. The Alliance sent a large number of ships to Virmeude led by King Keyan's own son, Prince Arwen Phanan. It would be the first time any major power stood up to the Reich within the Seswenna Sector.

The Prince banked on two things for his plan to work. One, that the Reich did not want to loss its current reputation by going to war with the Alliance over such a small interest world like Virmeude. Two, that the distance that the Reich fleet was from their bases would mean that they would think twice before engaging in a major battle. To the surprise of Prince Arwen, his fleet beat the Reich ships to Virmeude by nine hours. Little did the Prince know, the Reich fleet got hammered by a Force Storm while in route to Virmeude. The Reich ended up returning to their bases as a result of the Force Storm. Neither fleet ever saw each other, but Prince Arwen was credited with successfully defending the world. Spies and reports came back that the Reich fleet had been torn to shreds. It is a common belief that Prince Arwen was responsible for the damages and the defeat of the Reich. No one knew that the Reich fleet ran in to a Force Storm along the way. Several months later, a small task force of five Reich ships ended up capturing the world of Virmeude as the Galactic war engulfed the Galaxy. And Lorta would play a key role in keeping the Reich in check within the Seswenna Sector. Working through the Alliance, Lorta would help arm rebels fighting against the Reich, offering save harbors for raiders that are attacking Reich convoys, and training rebel leaders at the Military Academy on Lorta.