Grand Admiral Rise'hara looked out of the viewport, his gaze tracing the beautiful hull of the Binder, his Interdictor-class cruiser where the prominent bulges of the field-generators interrupted the normally flat hull of the cruiser.
Given his rank, Rise'hara could have commanded an Imperial Star Destroyer or even an Allegiance battlecruiser. But there was something about the gravity projectors of the Interdictor that had drawn him towards it instead. An Interdictor can hold even an Allegiance captive given the chance, Rise'hara thought. Regardless of the ship he captained, the fleet he commanded was under his complete control. His resolve was well known and inspired both fear and respect. The officers knew he was zealous about only one thing: the Empire.
Rise'hara switched his eyes from his own ship, seeking the other ships in the Corellian Defense Fleet. The fleet had been of his own choosing—he'd wanted to guard a significant planet, not some backwater. Yes, he was more likely to find action guarding a less defended planet, but he was a Corellian by blood.
Eight hundred ships floated in formation in space above the planet. The fleet was a beautiful and delicate balance of massive capital ships like the Imperial Star Destroyer and many more corvettes and frigates. Rise'hara had to laugh whenever he saw an Imperial commander refuse support ships in favor of a half dozen ISDs. He'd seen that type of fleet die quicker than a smaller fleet with varied ships.
A beep sounded on a nearby board, noting the imminent arrival of the Coruscant Fleet, a large fleet of deadly Star Destroyers. The Empire had been burgeoning since Yavin, increasing its navy tenfold. But then the Emperor had become complacent, letting the Rebellion sit and rot the Empire. He had let the small fires of rebellion burn bright, showering a murderous light across the galaxy. He'd let them burn to see how long they would stay alive.
He'd thought of it as some sort of game.
Now those fires have destroyed the Empire, Rise'hara thought. We could have destroyed the Rebellion while it was still little mousedroids underfoot. The Empire could still have won after Yavin if they had pushed hard enough. Now the Rebels reign as a terrorist organization, promoted by certain worlds as a legitimate government.
And the Empire was in a precarious position. Warlords fought for scraps of the Empire instead of uniting into a front to destroy the Rebels. So-called "loyalist" commanders had surrendered their ships and crews to the Rebellion's power, adding to their fleet. In a galactic sense, the Empire had been transient —lasting only about twenty years—but it would likely stay the most respected government ever instated.
Now, Rise'hara struggled to pull the remnants of the Empire together. Coruscant had fallen, the remnant of its fleet disorganized and lost. Rise'hara had used his position as Grand Admiral to call the fleet to join his. If they could defend industrial Corellia, he could make it a home base and branch out to other planets to retake the galaxy. Then maybe the galaxy can rest from war.
He brought himself from his thoughts and looked out the viewport.
"Incoming ships, Grand Admiral," lieutenant Vhel said.
Hundreds of flashes popped into space as the Coruscant Fleet arrived. Across space, the ships were too small to make out large details, but something sent an alarm bell off in his head, making him wary. The ships had red streaks running along their hulls.
"Get me visual!" Rise'hara snapped.
The hologram that popped up beside him showed stark reality. Clouds of X-wings and Y-wings poured from the sides of the ships. No, no, no, no. A Rebel fleet. Almost two hundred capital ships and nearly a thousand more support vessels. Those ships could easily destroy the Rise'hara's Imperial Fleet stationed above Corellia.
Rise'hara motioned to Kjal, his second in command. "Get our fighters out there!"
The Y-wings began to barrage Imperial capital ships, destroying thousands of lives and all hope for a peaceful galaxy.