"Call to Arms"
Karn Tenvor, provisional admiral of the Imperial Fleet, watched as a squadron of A-Wings bombarded two of his forward turbo laser batteries into oblivion. A sickening orange glow erupted on the port side of his flagship, the Vindicator. The battle for control over Correlian space would not be easy.
The Correlian Defense Fleet – commanded by Han Solo – numbered seven heavy assault cruisers: a formidable navy. The Imperials had seven Star Destroyers and enough TIE fighters to challenge the unified Correlian and Alliance space fighters pilot-to-pilot. The Imperial vessels had aligned themselves parallel to the Sienar Fleet Systems' orbiting shipyards, in order to pour cannon fire upon the flanks of the Correlian fleet. Tenvor was confident that the Imperial forces would prevail – but only if General Veers' daring strategy to open up a second front on Correlia itself lured some of the Correlian and Alliance forces away from the naval battle.
"Can we stand for an hour?" Veer asked, observing the dogfights beyond the main bridge's window. In an hour, the bulk of Admiral Ackbar's fleet would arrive from Bespin and the combined Correlian and Alliance fleet would outnumber the Imperials three-to-one. The Imperial fleet had to prevail before Ackbar's arrival.
"We have to," Tenvor grimaced. "We must." They could see the Millennium Falcon weaving its way between the Imperial dragnet of TIE fighters. The modified freighter picked off turbo laser towers and secondary command bridges at will.
"General Solo's presence in the battle is worth an entire legion of Rebel fighters," Veers said. "We need to take him out of the picture. Suggestions?"
"Our bombardment of Correlian military targets may not convince them that the attacks are more than just diversions," Tenvor replied. They were interrupted when a loud alarm honked throughout the main bridge. A Correlian cruiser attempted to outflank their flagship in order to separate it from the rest of the fleet, but it had come too close to the starboard side.
"Alert all commands!" Tenvor barked. "Evasive manoeuvres!" The Vindicator swerved violently and both Tenvor and Veers had to cling to control consoles to steady themselves. Alarms honked and the star destroyer groaned as the steering thrusters ignited and venting panels flapped open. A collision seemed unavoidable, but the Correlian cruiser managed to nudge itself past the Vindicator's starboard side. TIE fighters were already in pursuit, harrying the Correlian vessels' own laser batteries.
The Repulse and the legendary Avenger soon filled the gap that the Correlians had created. The Imperial Navy's defensive line still held. Tenvor took off his cap and wiped his brow with a handkerchief.
"Estimated time of arrival for the Rebel fleet from Bespin?" Veers asked. He clicked a panel, which launched a three-dimensional HoloScreen. The entire battle unfolded before him, while a distant red icon represented the horde of Rebel frigates, cruisers and vessels in the Bespin system.
"The Alliance fleet will arrive out of hyperspace in fifty-three minutes, General," replied one of the bridge radar controllers. The lad could be no more than twenty-one or twenty-two, Veers noted.
Despite his concerns about the fleet officers' lack of military experience, Veers felt that he could trust these men and women. They fought valiantly at Bespin, despite the overwhelming odds. The Alliance referred to the Siege of Cloud City as the 'Liberation of Bespin'. Veers winced; he was not used to losing a battle. He was accustomed to having control over all factors in a battle, but he recognized that he must place his faith in Imperial Navy's professionalism. He hoped that their training would prove its worth today.
"We must prepare for the reality that only a surface invasion of Correlia will draw their forces away from the naval battle," Veers admitted. His mind was already calculating the logistics required to land a small army onto the surface. The troops aboard these destroyers were enthusiastic, but only one-third of them had any frontline experience. They must be tested, he thought, and they will smell the iron stench of laser fire today.
The roar of a TIE fighter squadron momentarily distracted the general. Tenvor anticipated Veers' plans. "We have freighters, gunnery vessels and shuttles, General," he said. "Enough to land a legion."
Veers began to smile. Space warfare was the realm of the Imperial Navy. On land, he knew he had no equal. Not even the cunning and strategic brilliance of the Alliance's General Madine could match his battlefront tactics. "Yes," Veers said, almost as an afterthought.
"General?" Tenvor asked. "Say the word, and we could have a legion at the gates of their capital before Ackbar arrives."
"I want freighters, enough to supply one legion," Veers said, oblivious to the frantic firefights just beyond the bridge's window. "And supporting corps: Gunnery, Intelligence and Droid Command. Add a battalion of Navy troopers. The flyboys need to see how real fighting is done." He said that last remark with a wink. Some of the junior officers and troopers on the bridge cheered at the jest, aware of the constant rivalry between the Imperial Army and Navy forces.
"We begin the invasion of Correlia now," Veers announced. "The Alliance won't be able to tell which battle is real and which one is a diversion." He clicked another panel on the HoloScreen, depicting the forested topography of Correlia, zooming towards the ancient Correlian fortress: Widow's Claw. It was the home of the former kings and queens of Correlia. Now it was the headquarters of the Correlian Defense Forces. It was a military target with symbolic and strategic value. The fortress guarded the main highway to the Correlian capital, and Veers hoped that the Correlians would believe that an assault on the fortress heralded an Imperial conquest. "I leave the bridge in your hands, Admiral," Veers said. Tenvor nodded and returned to the main bridge, barking a flurry of orders to the bridge crew and squadron commanders.
The general casually acknowledged the salutes of two TIE pilots in the turbolift. The pilots departed at deck 14, while Veers descended three more decks. When the lift's doors opened, he was in the ship's naval armoury. An endless row of lockers bristling with blasters, grenades, pistols and ammunition greeted him. Stormtroopers of every corps were there: light infantry scouts, AT-class drivers, deep space combat, heavy assault, snowtroopers, sandtroopers and the Navy's own black-uniformed troopers. Some were reassembling their BlasTech rifles and sidearms, while others were preparing field packs. All of them had assumed that they would be called upon as a reserve force if the battle for the Sienar shipyards were to go poorly.
General Veers had other plans for them. "Veterans of Hoth – step forward!" Veers barked. In moments, hundreds of troops assembled in parade formation. Half of them were snowtroopers, while the remaining veterans were those who had been transferred into other corps during the civil war. The recent conscripts and Academy graduates looked upon them with envy because the veterans were Veers' 'Invincibles'. The Rebels had given them that nickname. They also called them the Empire's Devils or the less-flattering Bantha Foodoo Brigade. They had not lost a single battle since Hoth. The Rebels attempted to reconquer Yavin 4 during the chaotic days after the destruction of the second Death Star, but a legion of Hoth veterans had repelled it. This recent Imperial success only added to their legend. Although they no longer served together in a single legion, they took pride in their unique status as the elite of the Imperial forces.
"You were the vanguard of the Imperial Army," Veers began. "I was never more proud of my soldiers than on that day – the day we drove Leia, that smuggler Solo and the arrogant Rebels from Hoth." A few men cheered as they recalled their great victory.
"You served the Empire well on that accursed, icy battlefield," Veers continued, "and on every battlefield since then. The civil wars have separated you from your comrades. Today, I ask that you serve the Empire and unite once again."
Dozens of stormtrooper commanders from every veteran corps stepped forward. "The Invincibles are ready to march under your command again, General," bellowed one snowtrooper commander. The others nodded or cheered underneath their soot-stained, dented, laser-burnt and sand-blasted helmets. They were proud of their battle scars: it proved their experience and success.
"I'm told that the Invincibles have a motto: Never to Fall, Never Defeated," Veers said, as he inspected the line of veterans. "Let's show these Rebel space pirates and brigands how a real army fights!"
"We're with you, sir!" growled one stormtrooper. "To another victory!" chanted another.
"We depart at once to capture the Correlian capital," Veers said. "I will brief the corps officers aboard the frigate Impervious momentarily." He cast aside his diplomatic posture. Among these men, his beloved veterans of Hoth, he was a soldier once more. The invasion of Correlia was meant to be a feint. The general decided that for the ruse to succeed, the attack had to be real. With the Alliance fleet less than an hour away, Veers was determined to wrest a planet from the Rebels – or die in the attempt. He was convinced that the Empire would survive or fall in the space above Correlia or upon the gates of the Correlian fortress below. He consciously blocked the doubts from his mind and shared a few kind words with his soldiers. He was about to send many of them to their deaths; he felt he owed them that small courtesy.
One conscripted stormtrooper – a youthful lad who was barely eighteen – was swept up in the patriotic fervour. "Look at them! They are ready to fight at any cost for the Empire!" One of the veteran commanders, who had seen service on Yavin, Hoth and Bespin, chuckled at the boy's naivete.
"For the Empire, you say?" he smiled as he carefully assembled his blaster rifle. The boy, already out of earshot, joined the ragged chorus of 'Long live the Empire!'. The veteran grinned. "No, son. We serve the Empire – but we fight for Veers."
NEXT: Luke Skywalker returns from the Endor campaign, anticipating time for rest and meditation. But his arrival on Coruscant soon reveals that peace under Alliance rule is far from reality, as a much darker situation emerges. For the Jedi, his own personal war is about to begin.