Introduction
The Imperial Star Destroyer Emancipator orbited slowly above the planet Rixis, rolling slowly to keep the exposure of any surface to solar radiation a minimum. A flicker from the ship's main hanger indicated the lowering of the magnetic shielding for an imminent departure. Two tie fighters darted out, followed at a more sedate pace by a Tiderium class shuttle. As the wings folded down into the normal flight configuration the main orbital control computer signalled the shuttle's presence to one of the orbital control officers.
"Imperial Star Destroyer Emancipator, we have Shuttle ES112 on our scopes now."
"Roger, Planetary Orbit Control. Transmitting transponder frequency. She's all yours!"
"Thanks, Emancipator. POC out."
Shuttle ES112 dropped quickly away from the bulk of Emancipator hanging over the mottled white of the cloudy atmosphere, before her main sub-light engine kicked the shuttle forward into a low orbit of her own. The shuttle's orbit took her quickly west across the planet to the main continent, bathed in sun and free from the heavy cloud cover of the eastern hemisphere. The shuttle passed below a large, heavily armed orbital station, home to the POC, which stood in a high, geo-stationary orbit above the main continent. The next transmission came from the station.
"ES112, your landing rights are confirmed. You have pad 1 on the North Spaceport. Tune to frequency 769.2 and follow the signal in."
"Roger, POC. Can you confirm the arrival of our escort?"
The POC officer, sitting at his computer some 10 000 km above the speeding shuttle, raised his eyebrows to his neighbour.
"I'll just check on that for you, ES112".
The officer touched a light-pen to the icon representing ES112 on his scope, calling up a detailed report of the shuttle. Cockpit crew, 2. Passengers, 7. Departed ISD Emancipator 13.03. ETA landfall 13.22
Escort en route - ETA North Spaceport 13.20.
"ES112, your escort is on its way and will be waiting when you land."
"That's good to hear, POC. Starting landing cycle now, ES112 out".
Back in the station a neighbour turned to the POC officer.
"What was that about?" he asked, peering over at the officer's scope. "Who's on that shuttle?"
"Moff Garn!"
Pad 1 of the North Spaceport was quiet. A gentle breeze moved the tall grass surrounding the concrete pad, causing waves and ripples to move across the field. The first sign of the shuttle was a vapour trail coming out of the low, south-east sky, as the shuttle cut through the atmosphere. The shuttle slowed and circled at 10 km altitude, adjusting to low-atmosphere flight. Two tower mounted quad laser cannons, manned by blue uniformed soldiers, tracked the shuttle for 30 seconds before breaking off to sweep across the field perimeter. As the shuttle began its final approach a gate on the far side of the field opened and three land speeder type vehicles moved through. The first was piloted by an officer in grey uniform. Behind him on the speeder's flat back a Stormtrooper sat at a swivel-turret mounted heavy blaster. The second vehicle was a long, enclosed speeder with tinted windows and bearing a flag on the front of the canopy. The third speeder was similar to the first except the weapon emplacement was replaced by a bench on which sat six Stormtroopers, three facing towards each side. All had blasters held across their chests. The three speeders moved across in convoy to pad 1 before coming to a halt. The 6 Stormtroopers from the rear speeder jumped down to the concrete and took up a position in two lines, flanking the limo-speeder. A high whine of repulsor engines marked the approach of the shuttle. A cloud of steam and groan of hydraulics announced that she had touched down neatly, her ramp positioned to come down directly in front of the limo-speeder. As the ramp lowered the Stormtroopers moved to form a guard between the shuttle and speeder. One reached down and opened the limo door. A tall, grey skinned human emerged followed by a smaller man, bearing a cyborg implant around the back of his head. The two men stood nervously at the bottom of the ramp, waiting for the shuttle's passengers to emerge. It was two full minutes before footsteps indicated the passengers were at last coming down. Two Stormtroopers led the way, glancing quickly about them then standing to each side. Behind them, hidden by their bulk and height, was a small, grim faced human in grey uniform. His insignia indicated his rank to be that of Moff. Blinking twice in the bright sunlight, he approached the two men facing him, followed by two more grey uniformed men.
"Moff Garn. Welcome to Rixis Prime. I am General Codo and this is my aide, Teebot."
The 'borg nodded curtly to the Moff.
"General. Lets get on with it, shall we?" one of the Moff's companions cut in, guiding the Moff
between the two men into the waiting limo-speeder. As Codo and Teebot exchanged quizzical looks two more Stormtroopers also appeared from within the shuttle. As the original 6 and first two Stormtroopers from the shuttle seated themselves on the back of the third speeder the two new Stormtroopers moved to the rear of the shuttle and opened a hatch into the storage compartment. A moment later there was the sound of engines firing before the 'troopers emerged on speeder bikes. The convoy moved off with one bike in the lead. Next came the three speeders with the second bike at the rear. The convoy turned right through the gate before accelerating and rising to ten meters. In the distance the tallest towers of the capital city could just be seen.
"It will take us about 20 minutes to reach the Assembly building, Moff Garn. In the mean time, would you like a refreshment?"
General Codo, seated half way along one side of the limo's interior, indicated a drink dispenser opposite him. The limo had seats across each end of the interior and along one side. A range of screens, computer equipment and refreshment units was arrayed along the other side. The Moff sat in the middle of the seat across the rear of the limo, flanked by the two grey uniformed men who had arrived with him. The 'borg sat at the other end of the limo. The twinkling lights on his implant indicated heavy processing. The Moff showed no sign of responding to the General's question so he tried the Moff's companions.
"Gentlemen, how about you? A drink?"
"No thank you, General. We had lunch before departing The Emancipator. I am Lieutenant Torrail, Moff Garn's Chief Of Staff. This is Colonel Preters, his head of Security."
"How do you do, gentlemen. My aide" the general once more indicated the 'borg. Both men nodded to him, but got no response.
"Moff Garn, I think I should warn you before we arrive at the Assembly. The Rixian's are quite upset at the lack of Imperial help with this situation, and I have to say, so am I. The Legal Dictate pleaded for our aide after the last attack. Why was I ordered to keep my men in barracks?"
"General, be assured that we are here to help." Lieutenant Torrail replied. The Moff continued to stare dreamily out of the window.
"So we will be able to pursue these terrorists. I lost five men in the bombing of the market a month ago."
"General, you shall be able to hunt them down like the dogs they are" The Colonel assured.
"Excellent. My Rixian counterpart has some leads. He believes he knows where one of their safe houses in the city is. With our help the Rixian Home army should have no trouble in ...."
"General," Torrail interrupted, "I think you misunderstand. Do you think the Moff would have come all this way just to lend moral support to the Rixians?"
"Well, they have been hit very hard by these rebels. The last attack on the trade exchange was shocking. Over 1000 civilians were killed. I thought that The Emperor had finally taken note of the Rixian's pleas and wanted to help capture the criminals?"
"The Emperor wants that very much. More than you might think. That is why the Moff is here. He is going to declare Marshal Law and take full command of the situation. You will be personally responsible for hunting down the rebels."
"Marshal Law? That's absurd. The Assembly will never allow it. The Rixians are proud of their comparative autonomy. Rixia is a small world. Why would the Emperor have any interest?"
"The Assembly has no authority in this. They only preside over internal affairs at the will of the Emperor. The Moff will sign the declaration of Marshal Law in front of the Assembly. The Assembly is only required to witness this act. We will then leave and you will take charge. That is unless you feel you are not up to it?"
The general, turning red faced, looked from the Lieutenant to The Colonel, then back to Moff Garn. He was about to speak when the Moff cut him off, speaking softly.
"I like those flowers, in that field. I think we should stop so that I may pick some."
The general stared at the Moff for a second. Realisation of the true situation quickly came to him He understood where the power lay in this group. Colonel Preters smiled at the general and nodded.
"General, I think we all understand the situation, now."
"Yes, except why the special interest from the Emperor?"
"Ah, yes. You probably wouldn't. It concerns the rumours about the rebels' leader."
"A Jedi?"
"Quite. The Emperor has long suspected the Jedi of a certain duplicity. He has become concerned about the number of crimes committed by so-called up holders of law and justice. He believes the Jedi have too much influence and have grown corrupt. This is just another case in point. Over the last 18 months he has instigated undercover investigations into the Jedi as a whole and a few specific individuals. His aim is to neutralise their influence over galactic affairs. Any Jedi involved in criminal acts against Imperial Senate Law will be served with summary justice. You understand, of course, that this is not official policy, as yet?"
"Well, if you say so. I have to say that I'm surprised. So, what do I do if I find this Jedi leader?"
"You inform us. The Emperor has specific plans for any Jedi we find."
"Very well."
The landscape outside had turned from wide open fields to low built housing as the speeders entered the outskirts of the city. The passengers of the limo lapsed into a thoughtful silence as the journey continued. About 15 minutes after leaving the spaceport, the 'borg spoke for the first time. His voice was high pitched with a slight electronic tinge.
"Gentlemen, I have just been informed by City Traffic Control central computer that we are to be diverted from our route. There has been an accident on the main thoroughfare to the Assembly building. We will divert around the incident and arrive at the rear of the building. I am informing the other vehicles as we speak."
The two officers sitting with the Moff glanced at each other before sitting back. The convoy of speeders, lead by the front speeder bike, swerved off the main route about 500 meters short of the Assembly building. The Three Imperial officers saw the building through the tinted window. It was built in the typical Imperial style common on most worlds, lots of columns and galleries. This proved to be only a façade, however. As the convoy moved into the back streets and around the rear of the Assembly building it became another anonymous block of concrete. The front speeder bike dove down a ramp-way into the basement of the building followed by the three speeders. The speeder bike bringing up the rear was just coming onto the ramp-way when the doors to the basement slammed close in front of it. With no warning and no time to pull out, the driver dove off his machine allowing it to impact onto the heavy blast doors. The explosion picked him out of the air as he tumbled, throwing the Stormtrooper across the street and leaving him in a crumpled heap. Inside the basement the other escorting Stormtroopers responded quickly. Four jumped from the third speeder and spread out, searching for an enemy. Two more ran for the doors, hoping to open them or guard against enemy intrusion. Inside the limo-speeder all the occupants other than the Moff were shouting into com-links and at each other. The Moff stared serenely out of the window.
"Get those troopers down here, and try to get the door open" the general cried into his mike.
"Sergeant, secure the basement. We'll wait here until its safe" Colonel Preters calmly ordered into his com.
"Captain, This is Lieutenant Torrail. We've come under attack and need immediate extraction. Captain? Damn, we're being jammed."
The three soldiers looked at each other for a second.
"They couldn't do a blanket jamming or they'd alert the whole city." Colonel Preters explained.
"So they're here, in the basement?" the general continued.
The colonel reached over and activated his window. Peering out he called to the nearest Stormtrooper.
"Sergeant, we're getting out of here. Get rid of that door."
The trooper nodded and started to run towards the speeder with the swivel-mounted heavy blaster. The colonel was closing the window when the nearest wall blew out in a tremendous blast, sending pieces of concrete scything through the air. The speeder with the mounted blaster was picked up and turned over, crushing the weapon and sending the Stormtrooper gunner tumbling to the ground where he lay, unmoving. The colonel fell backwards onto the limo floor, blood pouring from a gaping head wound. The Lieutenant kneeled over him as the general turned to his aide.
"Teebot, tell the driver to get us out of here. Get that other speeder moving and get that door open. Drive through it if we have to."
By now all the remaining Stormtroopers were firing a continuous volley of blaster rounds into the gaping hole in the wall, hoping to pin down who ever had let off the blast. The trooper on the last bike joined in with his heavy laser mounted beneath the bike's chassis. The remaining speeders pirouetted round, pointing towards the closed blast door. As yet there had been no return fire from behind the rubble which littered the blasted hole. One of the Stormtroopers broke off from the group and dashed towards the door. Giving the inside of the door mounting a quick search he found what he was looking for, the door controls. The trooper smashed the control panel with the butt of his rifle and peeled off the twisted metal, exposing the wires. Two quick slices with a utility knife freed the appropriate wires which he then pinched together in his fingers. A small spark from the panel was immediately followed by the rush of air as the blast doors shot open. Both speeders leaped forward before sharply braking. Outside, at the top of the ramp, waited an armoured vehicle of some description, flanked by a dozen well-armed figures. There was a moment's silence as the two opposing sides sized up their opposition. Suddenly, at some unseen signal, the AV opened fire, raining down a terrible fire from its two repeater blasters and a roof mounted automatic laser cannon. The blasters concentrated on the speeders, making them buck and shudder form the force of the shots. Meanwhile the laser cannon raked across the line of Stormtroopers who had been caught off guard by attack from the rear and were just scurrying for cover. Only two were able to find protection behind rubble before the laser gave them a lethal blow. The laser, its job apparently done, now turned on the speeders. The soldiers also joined in, some firing at the vehicles whilst the rest tried to finish of the two troopers. Both speeders were showing signs of the terrible punishment by now. Suddenly the remaining speeder-bike screamed out from its concealment inside the basement, leaping up the ramp and out onto the street. Several of the soldiers were caught by the speeders blaster.
The AV moved slightly on its tracks, allowing the automatic weapon to be brought to bear on the bike. This gave the driver of the speeder-transport an opening. Gunning his engine the driver kicked the vehicle forward on full power. The speeder tore forward, up the ramp, ploughed through three soldiers and dove into the side of the AV. The crumpled speeder, wedged partly under the AV, exploded into a ball of flames and molten metal. The force of the explosion knocked the remaining soldiers off their feet and pushed the AV over and onto its side. Its tracks span uselessly for a few seconds before the noise from its engine cut out.
General Codo viewed the battle outside the limo in a state of shock. One by one he saw his men shot down and killed. Lieutenant Torrail, kneeling by the fallen colonel, looked up sharply as the AV outside the basement door opened fire on the limo.
"What the...? My god, where did that come from."
Seeing that the general was in no state to take charge, Torrail turned to Teebot.
"We need to get out of here. Now!"
Just then the other speeder pulled out of the basement and rammed the AV, knocking it over.
"Now! Get us out" Torrail screamed.
Teebot nodded and passed on the command to the driver, seated in the front compartment. The limo-speeder accelerated sharply, up and out of the basement and onto the street. They quickly overtook the speeder-bike who had turned around and was exchanging fire with the last surviving soldiers. Seeing the limo pass, the speeder turned again and followed. Codo saw the speeder-bike pull along side through a shattered window. The Stormtrooper riding the machine looked in and gave a nod just as a laser bolt impacted on the speeder-bike's rear quarter. The force of the bolt knocked the back of the bike up and the nose down and into the ground. The bike somersaulted and exploded, knocking the limo-speeder into the wall. The limo scraped along the wall for fifty meters, shattering the windows along the other side of the limo and showering the occupants with glass. The general, rolling from one side of the limo to the other as the speeding vehicle turned through several tight corners, looked down at the colonel, lying in a large pool of blood.
"Is he...?"
Torrail looked up at the general.
"Yes. He's dead. Are we out of the jamming zone yet?"
"Sorry? Oh, I haven't tried." Codo reached into his tunic and brought out a comm link.
"Give me that." Torrail snatched the comm from the general's shaking hands and barked into it.
"ISD Emancipator, this is Lieutenant Torrail. We have been attacked and need immediate extraction. I want a wing of Ties and a detachment of Stormtroopers on the ground by the time we reach the shuttle at the North Spaceport. Have a medical team standing by as well." Switching off the comm, Torrail turned to Teebot.
"How long to the spaceport?"
"Ten minutes at most at this speed."
"Good. Get onto Rixian Security and have an escort meet up with us. I want air support, got that?"
Teebot nodded and concentrated. Lights on his implant indicated the Lieutenant's communications were being relayed. By now the battered speeder had emerged from the city and out into the country. There was plenty traffic on the route they were taking which Torrail took to be a good sign.
General Codo reached across the limo and picked up one of the few unbroken bottles. Pulling out the stop he took a long swig and sighed.
"Is that alcohol?"
The general nodded. Taking the bottle, Torrail sat by the Moff who lay sprawled across the rear seat.
"Is he dead?"
"No, but he did get caught when the wall was blown. I'm going to use this to clean the wounds."
Torrail poured some of the brown liquid onto a piece of cloth and wiped the blooded face of the Moff.
"Here comes the air support." The general pointed out of the limo to the aircraft approaching from the city. The craft swooped in and took up a position behind the limo, about 50 meters above the road.
Peering out at the aircraft, the general suddenly gasped.
"That's not a Rixian Security Forces' fighter. Teebot, where's the air support. Get it here now and tell them to take this guy out, before he kills us."
The general's aide stared, motionless, at the general. The general turned to look at Teebot when, with a roar of engines, the impostor dove down and over the limo. A device of some sort detached form the craft's belly and landed in the path of the speeder ten meters in front. A second later, as the speeder passed over the device, it exploded. The speeder appeared to expand as it filled with flame before the roof split open allowing the super-heated air to escape. The speeder continued forwards but the explosion had picked it up and thrown it into the air. The chassis disintegrated into molten metal and only the engine, now a mass of welded parts, arced through the air, landing 200 meters from the crater marking the point of the explosion.
More Defender of the Empire
Defender of the Empire ©2000 Martin Assirati
The majority of characters, locations and plot lines are original creations of Martin Assirati.
Star Wars and the Star Wars universe are the creation of George Lucas and the legal property of George Lucas and any other entities who have a share in them.
Star Wars: Defender of the Empire is an original story written by Martin Assirati and is not intended for profit, or to infringe upon or undermine the established copyright of those mentioned above.
Created on ... July 04, 2000
e-mail assa@assa.uklinux.net