It is a period of stability, yet in many systems of the Outer Rim an Insurgency is thriving, determined to fight the growing stranglehold of the Galactic Empire. The organisation, calling itself The Insurgency against the Empire, has struck at the Imperials from a hidden base in Wild Space. After 18 months the conflict has grown into a stalemate with neither side capable of gaining the advantage. Grand Moff Tarkin's young protégé, Admiral Howden has been tasked with leading the Counter-Insurgency Command a taskforce intended to prevent any force from standing up to the Emperor.
Yet despite the stalemate the Insurgency's military leader 'Colonel' Rieekan has found a way for the Insurgent's to display their military might, plotting to launch a bold strike against Howden's secret operations base on Taloraan. Selecting some of the Insurgency's best pilots to lead the effort, the notorious Blue Squadron, led by Kal Cato and his right hand Anna Sanco have been deployed to the Taloraan to overrun the Imperial base.
Chapter I
Laser beams, fire and shrapnel streaked across the skies of Taloraan. Taloraan was all sky, a gas world with no solid surface and settlements which floated eerily in its atmosphere. A fighter squadron of Insurgent fighters and a mass of Tie Fighters raced across Taloraan's skies, engaged in a vicious dogfight. Just beneath them an Imperial base floated in the gaseous atmosphere, an Insurgent craft landing on its outermost docking bay.
The sound of an explosion echoed through the comms systems of Kia Harif's Starfighter.
"We've lost Blue Seven and Blue Nine", Kia says, panic edging into her voice. She always keeps her cool but in her mind panic often sets in during the heat of a fight. Kia, the farmer's daughter has come far in the six months since she left her home world of Dandoran to fly against the Empire.
"Blue squadron, all wings make a run past that landing platform, we need to protect the dropship" yells their acting commander, Robben Locke. 8 Starfighters rush over the landing platform providing covering fire to the seasoned Insurgent dropship known as The Defender.
One of the pilots, a blue-skinned Nautalon named Nisto, takes out an enemy Tie with a precise series of shots – sending the enemy fighter careening off into the distance.
"Good shot Blue Six" commends Locke as nearby Ties scramble through the air and begin to regroup. Kia has spent six months flying with Blue Squadron, in which Locke is a rising star and a comrade she has grown to respect. She pulls her fighter downwards taking an alternate route to her wingmates, skirting beneath the Empire's floating complex and pursuing a Tie. Kia's fighter of choice is different to her comrades, a BTL M-Wing, cousin of the Republic's Y Wing. The M Wing is distinguished by its green colouring and its three jet thrusters, it is faster but less powerful than the bomber which inspired it. The M Wing is less manoeuvrable than the Z-97 Fighters used by her wingmates but more effective in just about every other specification.
The Tie Fighter pulls into her sights as she narrows the distance between the two craft. Kia sends a string of blasts directly into the enemy fighter's hull – "gotcha". "Nice work Harif" yells Gaila Marish, Blue Five, as her Z-97 pulls up next to the M-Wing.
"More Ties inbound, all wings regroup, this is Blue Two" crackles Locke on the intercom, "we've got to buy our guys enough time".
Kal Cato, nominally Blue Leader strides through the entrance of the Imperial base as battle rages above his team. Cato is more or less the founder of the Squadron, as well as the pilot responsible for recruiting several of its key members including Locke and the woman who stands behind him. The bald grey-skinned Rattataki woman Anna Sanco, Cato's right hand woman, fierce as ever. "Time to waste some Imps" she remarks dryly as she follows Cato through the entrance. Ten more soldiers, among the more talented members of the Insurgency's ground forces stride in behind them. The group includes two Trandoshan fugitives named Chisska and Raskk, both among the toughest fighters in the Insurgency.
The group picks up pace as they jog through the black corridors of the base, an Imperial comms station, being used as regional HQ for their nemesis Admiral Howden. "Stormtroopers, dead ahead" bellows Cato as half a dozen Imperial troopers rush toward them guns blazing. Shots graze the walls and the Trandoshans throw themselves to the front of the fray, giving it their all. The gunfight is over quickly, the Insurgent's superior accuracy and bigger group getting the better of the Stormtrooper squad.
"We need to find the control room, that way we can get this over quick" urges Cato.
"Precisely, detonators ready friends?" hisses Sanco who glances at the Trandoshans.
The two reptilian soldiers nod eagerly but remain silent, waving their arms to urge the other Insurgents to hurry up.
In the skies, Kia Harif rolls her ship in an attempt to evade the shots of a pursuing Tie, the shots miss but the gap between the two fighters narrows.
"R2 reroute more power to the ship's thrusters" she insists, hoping her red astromech droid R2-E4 can save her from certain death. Moments late she feels the difference as the M-Wing picks up speed, "You haven't got me yet Imperial scum".
Gaila is the youngest pilot in the squadron as well as her most trusted wingmate. She is also something of a romantic interest to Kia and that has only solidified their abilities to work together. The two fighters skirted atop the durasteel surface of the Imperial comms station their sights firmly on a pair of turbolasers attempting to disrupt the Squadron.
They see Locke's Z-97 and Nisto's weaving amongst the clouds and shooting at the Ties, if they don't hold back these fighters their mission will surely fail. Hold back the Imperial forces until Kal Cato and his troops wreck the base, simple. A few straight shots and both turbolaser turrets are reduced to mere shrapnel.
"Some kind of enemy transport, Kia, Gaila we need you" crackles Locke who is presumably too engaged with enemy fighters to be of much use.
"Pull up, let's do this" Kia instructed the younger pilot doing just that and heading toward the signatures on her scanners. Two three-winged Imperial Landing Craft emerge from the clouds above, seemingly to reinforce the Empire's defences within the base. They won't get that far Kia thinks. We can ensure that, we will ensure it. Without a word the two pilots open fire at the Landing Craft closest to the base, their weapons thudding against the vehicle's shielded hull.
Shields or not the craft seizes and shakes as it makes its approach. Gaila takes the initiative blasting a concussion missile out of her Z-97 fighter. The rocket cracks the Landing Craft square in the centre of the cockpit. Fire and shrapnel consume their vision and the two zoom past the second ship to do a second run. With the craft in front of them their efforts are even easier. Their target can't see them and its cannons only face forwards. Gaila and Kia pound the Landing Craft with everything they've got, eventually Kia's M-Wing strikes the craft right in its starboard engine. The craft tilts heavily to one side, shaking as it does. A moment passes and the Landing Craft loses control, spinning and writhing as its pilot attempts to prevent the inevitable. And then it is gone, falling fast through Taloraan's atmosphere.
"Nice, now we need supporting fire", crackles Locke once more.
"On my way Blue Two" replies Kia firmly as the pair head back to the others.
The Empire's forces are more numerous but typically less effective. "Let's win this" growls Kia.
Kal Cato presses his thumb slowly to the panel by a door, knowing what will be behind it. The blast door slides open revealing the belly of the beast. They stand on a balcony level of a two floor control room with holo-maps, communications devices and computers covering the entirety of the first floor. Communications officers and other uniformed Imperial lackeys fill the room, they stare for a moment up at the Insurgents. The room lights up - a group of Stormtroopers open fire, Kal whips out his shatter gun, Sanco is firing, enemy officers draw pistols and join the fray. Outnumbered two to one Kal Cato can handle these odds, his faced worse from the cockpit of his Z-97. The shatter gun's muzzle flashes and an officer falls to the floor, next he eliminates a Stormtrooper, then trains his sights on a trooper covering behind a computer.
He doesn't have time to talk out the Stormtrooper as Cato himself looks for effective cover. Shots are nearing him and he doesn't have time to play sitting duck. He makes his way to a crate. The room shakes as something hits the ceiling. He swings his shatter gun upwards so it's perched on the crate – aiming at a Stormtrooper across the room. BANG. Cato is too quick for the trooper and the shot sends the white armoured soldier flying backwards.
He glances across the room Anna Sanco, Chisska and Raskk are sending blaster bolts at anywhere with movements. Three Insurgent soldiers are dead on the balcony area. Some fifteen Imperials lay strewn across the room, two troopers and two officers are all that remain. One of the troopers sends a flash grenade up on to the walkway. Cato dives to the floor, head pressed against the steel grate of the balcony. Thirty seconds pass before he can see again and he can still here the distinctive sound of blasters being fired. Another Insurgent is dead by the time he peers round to look at his comrades. A female human lays dead a few feet from Sanco, blood strewn across her face. There is a mangled crater where the woman's nose once was. He didn't even know her name.
Cato flushed with anger. He pulls himself up and sends a shot straight into a Stormtroopers head. The Trandoshans do the same with the other and Sanco is concentrating her fire on the grey uniformed enemy officers. One of them is wounded. Sanco pulls a Fragmentation Assault Grenade, an Imperial device, from her belt and throws it down into the control room. Fire wracks the room sending equipment and computers flying everywhere.
Now only one officer remains. The Imperial officer pick himself up and makes a break for the opposite door, he won't make it. Sure enough the blaster bolts of the eight remaining rebels sees to it that their quarry doesn't get far.
Miles above the comms station on Taloraan its commanding officer awaits. Steely faced and clad in the uniform of an Imperial Admiral, Holluff Howden peers out over Taloraan's bright skies. "Our transports didn't make it sir" an older officer tells Howden. Howden may be in charge of the Counter-Insurgency Command but his deputy, Vice-Admiral Maranac, was every bit as intimidating Howden himself. Admiral Howden is in his late thirties promoted young and quickly for his spectacular victories against uprisings on far flung worlds. That had impressed Governor Tarkin, a man who was known to think of Howden as a protégé. The pale dirty-blonde haired Admiral had been given full autonomy in fighting the Insurgency and some of the Empire's best forces to command. His deputy, Wald Maranac, was a decade older, inevitably more experienced and lethal in a variety of situations. Maranac was a brutal, psychotic strategist – seen as a loose cannon by some of their superiors, including Tarkin. His appointment to Howden's side was partly a response to the Vice-Admirals militant tactics. Tactics which Howden admired. Together the two hoped to go far. Howden expected that within five years he would be the Galactic Empire's youngest Grand Admiral. When that day came the Counter-Insurgency Command would be handed to Maranac, or so he hoped.
"Vice-Admiral, gather a platoon, bring Storm Commandos and board your Landing Craft". Howden referred to the bulky four-winged Landing Craft used by the Vice-Admiral, a brutal assault craft which had been used in many successful battles against the Insurgency. The Landing Craft was near unique and large enough to transport 70 Stormtroopers.
"Do what damaged you can, then depart the comms station – The Salvation will bombard it, better to destroy the intelligence banks than let it fall into enemy hands". The Salvation was Howden's pride, a prototype Star Destroyer triple the size of the conventional 'Imperial Class' Destroyers. Its shielding system was superior to the other capital ships used by the empire and while bristling with turbolaser turrets, some of its weapons were hidden. Now it was stationed in Taloraan's upper atmosphere, a few miles from the battle. "Bring more Ties too". Fighters would be necessary to repel the incessant nuisance of Blue Squadron. His lip curled as the Admiral thought of the vile Insurgents who had pestered the Empire for months. Howden would do his duty, terrorists could not be allowed to overrun the Empire.
"We're detecting more fighters and something larger" echoed a semi-robotic voice through Kia's comms. It belonged to Valen Doal one of their new recruits, a Kel-Dor from Dorin. His mechanised sounding voice was a consequence of Doal's breathing mask, which he required to process oxygen. Doal was an effective pilot, hardly the best in the squadron, but that was simply testament to Blue Squadron's skill.
Doal's Z-97 zoomed through the skies behind Kia's M-Wing it's supporting fire helping to send the remaining Ties scattering. One of the enemy fighters exploded into a ball of flames. Doal's handiwork. "Damn good shot", she noted. Gaila Marish sped past in her Z-97 chasing another enemy fighter. Locke and Nisto were stilling fighting side by side through the skies. Jacen Cowlin a veteran human pilot had taken a hit but his fighter was continuing to limp along, haven taken out three Ties already.
The first wave of new enemies emerged from the skies, a malevolent miracle. Fifteen Tie Fighters. Just what they needed thought Kia. She could see on her scanners a second ship, a transport, was approaching – approximately half a minute away
Corpses litter the control room. Dead men and women, one side fighting against the oppression of the Empire, the other convinced that the Empire is the last defense against the collapse of proper civilisation. Kal Cato's comlink crackles, "Blue Leader, this is Blue Four, Kia Harif, do you read me?"
"Affirmative we've overrun the control room, can you tell The Defender to prepare to pick us up from the rear landing platform?"
"No problem, there's a large enemy transport heading your way"
"Then it's time for us to leave Blue Four"
A moment of apprehensive silence followed, interrupted by an exclamation from Kia's end.
"BLAST, looks like there's a capital ship inbound, Admiral Howden's command ship. We got time but not long."
"The Salvation? Kia? Tell all wings to prepare to evacuate. That's an order".
Cato didn't wait for a reply he beckoned to Sanco and the others and ran toward the rear landing platform. The eight Insurgents sprinted out and across a bridge onto the next section of the complex. The group took a left turn, moving down a dimly lit steel-walled corridor and often a short while entering a black antechamber of some sort. "Is this the wrong way?" Sanco asked, "I think we took a wrong turn".
Sure enough the group had wound up heading to some sort of dead end. A black metal column jutted out of the floor and it was this which caught Sanco's attention, who pressed one of the glowing buttons on the device. Parts of the walls begin to light up in a luminous blue. It takes a few moments for Cato to work out what exactly he is looking at
"Archives?"
"This is some sort of Imperial data room" explains Sanco matter of factly. After a look round, she begins interacting with the console, while the others observe uneasily.
"Shouldn't we get the hell out of here?"
"This intel might just be as valuable as the mission itself" she insists with a calm gravity.
She pulls a device from her belt and swiftly plugs it into the interface. They won't have much time though, not much at all.
"Guys, I want a perimeter around this room. Chisska, Raskk, you're the toughest fighters here – that means you both take the lead"
"We'll draw some Imperial blood" Chisska insists with a calm malevolence. The Two Trandoshans lead the others out of the room and up towards the corridor. Cato glances back at Sanco yet remains silent. He proceeds to bound down the corridor, shatter gun at his side. They reach the turning that leads back to the control room and begin to point guns toward the door. A group of seven versus several times more Stormtroopers is the likely scenario.
Reaching for his comlink Cato attempts to get through to Blue Squadron. Locke responds, "Blue Two standing by, what's the situation sir?".
"We've found valuable intel, how are things faring?"
Shots on both sides interrupt Cato and Locke. The first group of Stormtroopers are heading toward them blasters blazing. A trio of black Storm Commandos are at the head of the group. The commandos look like black armoured Scout Troopers with thicker armour and beefier guns, they also shoot with precision. He, Chisska and the others open fire – taking out Stormtroopers, wounding one commando and slowing the advance of the rest. Within moments Raskk is down and out having taken two shots to the throat. The second Trandoshan snarls concentrating fire on the closest commando. Together their shots bring down the nearest Storm Commando and force the wounded commando to dive into an alcove.
"Thermal detonator" Cato demands.
A hairy Bothan soldier delivers the explosive sending the Stormtroopers backwards and killing at least three in the corridor ahead.
"GO GO GO" Sanco is bellowing behind them, she has the data. "Move out" affirms Cato with a shout, sending a series of shots into the smoke that clouds the corridor. As they smoke clears and Cato heads out he recognises the outline of an officer, Vice-Admiral Maranac.
As the group flees, Maranac's parting gifts head their way. A well-placed shot strikes Chisska dead between the eyes. The Trandoshan falls with a surprised hiss and thuds against the durasteel flooring. There's a flash as the remaining Insurgents rush down the correct corridor. The flash grenade doesn't land near Cato but it still hurts his eyes and impairs his vision. In the madness he opens up his comlink and patches through to their ride home.
"Defender? This is Captain Kal Cato, we'll be arriving at the rear landing platform in seconds – Imperials are in pursuit. Rally all wings at the rear platform.
Kia's M-Wing screeches over the top of the complex. She's seen that huge four-winged landing craft arriving and countless Stormtroopers spilling out. Valen Doal and Jacen Cowlin had strafed the platform twice, taking out perhaps as many as twenty troopers. The Ties had mostly rallied to the defense of the Landing Craft largely abandoning the Insurgent fighters as targets.
She screeches to their destination, the smaller read landing platform. The Defender a ship the shape of a cylinder, with a round cockpit one end and an access door in the middle lands quickly. Cato, Sanco and four other Insurgent soldiers rush onto the platform and board in seconds. It looks like half of the squad didn't make it. At least they succeeded, at least Locke and Sanco are alive. Kia feels a hint of guilt, she cares for the two members of the team she knows but she feels little loss for the brave soldiers she's never got to know.
Ties are inbound. Half a dozen of the fighters come their way, evidently hoping to destroy The Defender. Not a chance. Kia's M-Wing and the rest of Blue Squadron move into gear and engage the fighters. One evades her sights, banking heavily to the right. Kia responds with an elegant pirouette. Once she's flying straight again the Tie has fallen into her sights and she lets rip.
"Easy" she mutters relieved.
"Don't get complacent Blue Four", chides Gaila, "Time to scram".
The Defender lifts up and heads toward the sky, all of Blue Squadron heads with it, knowing full well that Tie Fighters are in pursuit. Then she sees it on her scanners. The Salvation is just above them, more Ties are being deployed.
"All ships turn starboard" urges Locke.
Each of the fighters, along with The Defender, head away from the oncoming onslaught and accelerate to full speed.
"R2, re-route more power?".
The droids bleeping replies indicate the droid lacks the ability to do any more. As they head up through the atmosphere, Kia quickly sees that there most immediate threat isn't the Ties. A section of The Salvation's hull, just in front of the bridge, opens up revealing seeking-missile launchers. Usually a capital ship is relatively ill-equipped to combat a decent Starfighter. Ships like Kia's M-Wing can usually evade turbolaser fire and turrets. Yet the missiles like these are much more tricky. Whoever is flying The Defender takes the initiative. The vehicle's front facing blaster cannons spin 180 degrees so that suddenly the transport is directing its cannons towards the missiles. Shot after shot misses and the missiles close in. Then all in a moment one of the missiles strikes a Z-97, blasting it into oblivion and the cannon fire of The Defender finally hits the second missile. Kia gasps and attempts to get a proper bearing of which fighter belongs to which pilot. Is Gaila alive? Her head told her that it was somebody else who's craft had been struck but the fear was palpable, almost enough to overcome her. Who was it?
"This is Blue Two, I repeat this is Blue Two… We lost Dalmo. Blue Ten is down."
Lucien Dalmo, a relatively new pilot from Chandrila. He had been with them for just a month. He'd been older than Harif but simultaneously less experienced. A good pilot and a true-believer in fighting the Empire. Dalmo was a good man no doubt. Those feelings of guilt mixed with relief were returning. Gaila, Locke, Nisto were alive – all things that were unequivocally good. Yet Blue Squadron had not made it out unscathed. Their ships approached the atmosphere, Ties attacking like Massif pups yapping at the owner's heels. Fighters were damaged but the rest of them were alive. A handful of seconds passed before the Insurgent Starfighters were out into open space, preparing to make the jump to light speed.
"R2, the co-ordinates for Teth". The scarlet astromech droid beeped and whistled in affirmation. It's time to go home". Kia opens her mouth to sigh with relief.