Brief Synopsis: Whilst fighting rebels on Bonadan, General Veers discovers a frustrating issue in the command hierarchy.
XXX
Two Years After the Battle of Yavin
In the cockpit of the stamping AT-AT walker, General Veers watched the smaller AT-ST walkers pivot around the large T2-B tank trying to blast away at the stormtroopers taking cover behind a fallen scout walker. The two-legged vehicals fired with their light blasters at the heavy tank, drawings its attention away from the troopers. Its main cannons swiveeled around, trying to keep the scout walkers in their sights. It fired, skimming the cockpit of one. Come on, just a little further, he urged, his thumbs on the AT-AT's main cannons.
The scout walkers fired again, the light blaster cannons bouncing harmlessly off the superior armor. The tank, finally fed up with the dancing charade, spun all the way around to catch the walkers along their trajectory-
And exposing the fuel canisters foolishly placed behind the main guns. Veers thumbs pressed the triggers, and the AT-AT's powerful cannons shot like lightning into the tank's fuel. It erupted spectacularly, making it another charred heap on the battlefield.
"Press forward," he said into his headset, and he saw the walkers march forward, clearing a path for the previously bogged down stormtroopers. The Rebel encampment in the mountains was strongly fortified: it had to be, to hide the hidden Sorosuub ships inside. They would finally track them down, after Ozzel and Korast's previous blunders to catch them at Sullust before. The Rebels had a surpsing amount of hardware: this was the fourth heavy tank destroyed, and his scouts and reported they had three more, as well as several much more mobile flash speeders.
Then it will be a real battle. One mind to another. He frowned. In that base, he knew General Carlist Rieekan was directing his defenses just as Veers directed the offense. Rieekan had been one of the Empire's brightest, but had turned rogue inexplicably. Once a proud soldier, now just nameless scum.
"22nd Scout Walker Division, fire concussion grenades into the alcove on your right," he ordered, seeing the little cave's entrance appear. "It may be some sort of hangar." And if we leave it behind us, they can outflank us rather easily.
The walkers complied, as small explosions ripped the upper lip of the cave, causing it to tremble-
Four bright green flash speeders zipped out of the collapsing cave. "Bring us to bear," he snapped to the driver, and the AT-AT's head swung periously towards the mouth of the cave, where the walkers were caught off guard by the sudden emergence. The cave collapsed, crushing one of the speeders, but the other three sped out, firing their anti-vehicle blasters as they passed. The cockpit of the one of the AT-ST's popped like a balloon, making it topple, while a second's leg motor was damaged and forced it to awkwardly come to the ground. The rest fired wildly, but did nothing more than waste energy.
They're heading for the stormtroopers. "Commander Evast, get your men to cover!" he shouted. "Behind the fallen walkers, stone, anything!"
The white mass dispersed like ants on the brown planet's surface as the flash speeders recklessly came for them. Veers pressed the firing stud, but the flash speeders were coming in to vast. His blasts overshot, and he gave the rebel base a withering look. The other have of the Imperial detachment would be attacking from the south end, but Rieekan still had time to perfectly orchestrate his maneuvers, much to his annoyance.
Most of the troopers managed to find some sort of physical cover, but the rest were viciously mowed down as the flash speeders physically slammed into the indiividuals. It filled him with anger to see the troops so brutally killed, not even in real combat. Young men do not deserve a death like that. One of the speeders must have hit too big a clump of troopers, for it's repulsorlifts suddenly backfired and it went flying through the air, tumbling until it landed on its roof in the sand. The surviving troopers fired on it, and it went up in a plume of smoke.
Anti-personnel blasters came from the remaining two flash speeders, shooting from the armored hull as they speeders came back for another pass on the stragglers. He wouldn't be having that. He put his face to the targeting computer and fired another salvo. The third speeder exploded on dead impact, but the fourth was only clipped and still managed to charge forward, to where one stormtrooper was helping another one to his feet-
He bared his teeth. He couldn't fire without hitting the two stormtroopers, and neither could the other troopers. He watched as the speeder smashed into the duo, where even from his high vantage point he could see the fragments of armor go everywhere.
In space, it is simply two ships locked in battle, firing away with their big guns. On the ground, we fight the hardest, grittiest battle. And we cannot save everyone. His fingers pressed the firing studs again and the final speeder exploded as it tried to speed away. The stormtroopers came out of their cover and again ran towards the rebel base's final defense line. His scout walkers had already done a good job ofdismantling the turrets: doing a quick sort of drive-by with the last of their concussion grenades, he could see flames and smoke where turrets had formerly been emplaced. Tiny figures of rebel soldiers moved slowly about, trying to put out the fires.
Almost close enough for a final barrage. On the other side, the other AT-AT walker would reach the base around this time as well. The two walkers would both fire at maximum firepower into the rebel command center at the same time, overwhelming the shielding it had and crushing it with the two blows.
He pressed the comm for the walker. "Blizzard 2, are you almost in position?"
For a moment there was just static on the other end. Which didn't make sense: the Rebels had shown they had nothing capable of breaking into an At-AT's metal hide. "Blizzard 2?"
"Ah, is this General Veers?" A different voice from the walker's commander came to him. Bewildered, he replied, "This is him. Who is this?"
"This is Moff Voran, I've been trying to reach you for hours!"
"I've had all civilian channels shut off to focus on destroying the rebel compound," he said, confused. "Is there a matter you need to discuss with me?"
"Yes, I've been trying to notify you your plans have changed."
"Changed?"
"Yes, General. A small pirate group recently stole my custom XP-38 landspeeder and have been about to ship it off-planet. I've already detailed your secondary ground force to take care of them, but I want to be absolutely sure they're caught so I am also redirecting you to their location. You are only forty kilometers away-"
Veers stared at the comm unit in disbelief. "You took my ground troops away from me? In the middle of directing the largest rebel presence in the Bonadan Sector?"
The other seemed oblivious to the shock. "That XP-38 is worth more than even your precious walkers, General," the other said irritably. "I want it back. You have your orders. Moff Voran, out."
General Maximillian Veers looked from the cockpit's comm to the rebel base, which he now understood how Rieekan had been able to so precisely counter him. The two-front tactic would have forced him to split his views in two placed, giving the Imperials the advantage. But there was no advantage. The Moff had ordered his troops away on some sort of carrier mission! In the middle of this vital assault!
"Get me Lord Vader," he said coldly.
"The Executor is out of system range, General," the pilot reported. Veers swore softly to himself. There would be no point in attacking now: without the support of the other half of the battalation, many lives would needlessly be wasted.
And so would their chance to finally the missing Sullustan ships. But that could no longer be helped. With Lord Vader out of communications- and therefore command- Moff Voran was the superior here. And if he wanted Veers to go chase his stupid little speeder, he had no choice but to listen to him.
"Move Blizzard One in the direction of the pirate encampment," he said between gritted teeth. "Inform stormtroopers to return to their transports, and walkers to begin heading out."
The Empire is a beautiful thing, he told himself, everyday. Efficient, calculating, masterful, down to the most dedicated stormtrooper who carries out the Emperor's will. But what if those in command are not as dedicated? What if they only put themselves first before the soldier, and make their personal goals the priority ahead of the Emperor's? Lord Vader cannot control every sector head. If we cannot trust our leaders, what will the Empire become?
It was a question he hoped there would never be an answer for.