The middle-aged man walked into the office. He was wearing a uniform consisting of a high-collared tunic, flared-hipped breeches, and knee-high boots. From the office's window, he could see the entire city of Zhido. The city below was so far away it felt like another world, those ant-like people and all their problems vanishing. The Imperial officer sat on the wooden desk's leather chair. He had to admit, it was pretty comfortable. This was his first day in that office; it used to belong to Governor Travbri, but a day ago he surrendered to the Imperial Remnants after a battle that lasted over twenty days. Another defeat for the Republic, another victory for Marshal Xi.
The Imperial officer placed on the desk a holographic device and activated it. It was time to report to the Marshal. As the device activated, a blue holographic image of Marshal Xi appeared. He was a surprisingly young man for his rank, being only thirty-five years old. He was tall and built like a tank, with muscular shoulders and arms. He had dark short hair, beautiful almond eyes that seemed able to pierce into one's soul, a square jaw and rugged features that gave him a commanding but so handsome look. He was wearing a plain grey military t-shirt and matching trousers. He disliked insignia and rarely wore his officer's uniform.
"Captain Park," Xi said. "I'm waiting for your report."
"Marshal!" Park gave Xi a military salute. "We've successfully completed the conquest of Datu. Governor Travbri surrendered to our forces. We've taken three thousand casualties; about five hundred dead and the rest wounded."
"Excellent. You will be temporarily in command of Datu until I can send a civil administrator," Xi said. "You are to proceed with the redistribution at once."
'Redistribution' was a common tactic used by the Imperial Remnants upon conquering urban worlds. The new Imperial military governor would forcefully confiscate the wealth of the richest citizens of the planet and redistribute it amongst the masses in the form of monthly handouts. This policy proved highly popular and earned the Imperial Remnants widespread sympathy amongst the impoverished by the long war populace of the Outer Rim worlds. In the eyes of many the Imperial Remnants were no longer the tyrannical regime of the old Empire, but rather the champions of the common people and the punishers of the elites.
"Yes, sir!" Park said.
"I also expect you to eradicate the local gangs. Use whatever force is necessary to do so. Execute in public anyone found committing any sort of crime, no matter how insignificant. Law and order are to be restored!"
Park nodded.
Many of the Outer Rim worlds had seen crime and gang violence flourish with the end of the Empire. The New Republic did not have the resources and manpower to protect the citizens of those far away planets, who were left to their mercy. Xi's tough law enforcement agenda was thus always welcomed with relief and joy.
This combination of wealth redistribution and harsh crackdown on crime and disorder made the Imperial Remnants so appealing to so many people in the Outer Rim worlds. In many Outer Rim planets the citizens were actively sabotaging the Republic's defenses, in hopes the Marshal's forces would 'liberate' them from anarchy and crime. The Republic was losing control.
Space was like a dark curtain, contrasting with blacks and yellows, and the occasional white, which was shaped as a circle and sometimes a crescent. Thousands of bright stars and planets dotted that curtain in a intricate pattern. Suddenly, a menacing shadow overshadowed one of the smaller planets. It was the shadow of a Star Destroy traveling in space. Its engines emitted a sound like the singing of whales. It was the only sound that could be heard in the silent and empty coldness of space. On its bridge, overlooking the thousands of sequin-silver stars, was Marshal Xi.
A tall, slim blonde man in his late thirties wearing an officer's uniform approached the Marshal. It was Captain Andrew. A high-ranking officer for the Rebellion, he had grown disillusioned with the corruption and incompetence of the New Republic. Xi's dynamic leadership drew him, and so he abandoned his former allies to join the Imperial Remnants. Despite many Imperial officers arguing against it, Xi granted Andrew the rank of Captain; Xi cared about competence, he did not care about a person's origins. "We've reached Nildi," Andrew said. Nildi was the fourth moon of Sond. It was covered in dense jungles. "Shall we proceed with orbital bombardments?"
"No," Xi replied as he turned around to face the captain. "Intelligence reports indicate that they have strong shields covering the entire moon. It will be waste of ammunition that will give the enemy time to prepare. We'll be launching a land assault. We will enter the moon's atmosphere and land troops outside of where the enemy base is supposed to be located."
"Yes sir," Andrew said. "But if I am allowed to say so, I do believe that this plan is risky. Shouldn't we first wait for reinforcements? There are other fleets in nearby sectors that could assist us. Jungle worlds are always hard to capture as they offer natural protection to the defenders."
"That will give time to the enemy to call for reinforcements, which will complicate things. Nildi is the key to everything!" Xi exclaimed. "Nildi is the most significant Republic outpost in the region outside of Hoth. By taking it out, we will be able to invade Hoth without fear of the Republic launching counteroffensives from this jungle outpost. A takeover of Hoth will shake the Republic's tenuous hold in the Outer Rim. They've already abandoned most of their worlds to their fate. By crushing their regional stronghold, we will be driving them completely out of the Outer Rim. But all of this depends on neutralizing Nildi."
"Understood, sir!"
Andrew shouted orders to the bridge crew and the Star Destroyer began making its way into the moon's atmosphere. Unlike other Star Destroyers, this Victory-Class Star Destroyer was suitable for planetary combat. As it entered the atmosphere, the Star Destroyer lit up like a burning asteroid but the shields protected it from harm. As the situation stabilized, the flames subsided and the troopers began making preparations for the landing. They first pushed out metallic boxes holding supplies. The parachutes of the crates would be deployed at a predetermined height.
Next came the troopers, wearing their white stormtrooper armor and each holding a blaster rifle in their hands. They jumped down, dropping like stones towards the jungle canopy three hundred meters below. As they descended at an ever increasing speed, the troops released their parachutes. They billowed up like a white flower in that sea of sun-streaked greenery.
Xi was at the hangar, watching his men jump down. He was preparing for his own jump. Unlike other Imperial officers, he preferred a hands-on approach to command.
"Time for me to come down!"
Xi jumped down. The breath was dragged from his lungs. He released his parachute and floated down through the air, approaching the sea of green that was the jungle of Nildi. Below him, Xi could see chutes of crates nearing the dense jungle canopy. The first supply crates made contact with the canopy, becoming tagged on the treetops or smashing on down to the jungle floor. Following them were the troops, some finding themselves ensnared by the trees and others smoothly landing on the ground. Xi himself was approaching the jungle floor. Leaves, branches and creeping vines tried to ensnare him but he fell through them and landed on the ground.
Unfazed by the landing, he shook off his parachute and walked forward to meet up with his men. Soon enough, they had created a makeshift camp - protected with machine turrets all around it - in the jungle and had gathered most of the supply crates. Xi had feared that the Republic forces on Nildi would launch an offensive while his men were still disorganized from the rough landing, but they did not do so. Xi believed they hadn't done so because they were caught by surprise. The operation was a complete success.
Inside a grey makeshift tent, Xi and Andrew were discussing their next moves; the Captain had landed on the moon after the camp had been established.
"Aside from a few scouts," Andrew reported, "our men haven't noticed any other enemy movement. The enemy scouts were swiftly taken out."
Xi nodded. "Launch probe droids to scan the terrain ahead," he ordered. "In order to win this battle, we must use the terrain to our advantage. I am fairly certain that good knowledge of the topography of the area will allow us to ambush the enemy in some way. I also want the men to start cutting down trees, so we can land the turbo tanks."
The HCVw-A9 turbo tanks were designed to act as an infantry fighting vehicle, meant to carry troops into battle and protect them once deployed. They had lighter armament and armor than other tanks, but compensated with higher speed and a hull optimized for deflecting energy bolts. They boasted a pair of forward turret-mounted blasters for anti-personnel use and dorsal rapid-fire rotary laser cannon turrets for anti-aerial use.
Andrew rushed out of the tent to relay the Marshal's orders, leaving Xi alone to contemplate.
A few hours later, Andrew rushed inside the tent with news to report. He found Xi in a cross-legged stance on the ground meditating. Xi was no Force user, yet he had studied the meditations used by the Jedi of the past. He felt that they helped him concentrate.
Seeing Andrew, Xi got up. "Captain?"
"Sir, the probe droids have completed their examination of the area. The Republic base - a shielded pyramid structure made of stone - is protected by a series of trenches constructed around it. They also more than a dozen cannons and turrets. The only advantage we have is that there are no trees around the base. Most likely they must have been cut down during the base's construction. But this won't do us much good considering the strength of the defenses. There does seem to be a weak spot, on the northeastern side of the base. There are only a few trenches there and barely any turrets or cannons."
"I assume there is some kind of natural defense there?" Xi interrupted.
"Indeed. A marsh. The muddy waters mean our turbo tanks will get stuck, so there is no way to launch an offensive from there."
"Unless we launch an offensive on foot..."
"Sir, with all due respect, that is extremely risky. Without the tanks to support our troops, even the meagre defenses of this weak point will look formidable."
"I am fairly certain my men can take it," Xi smirked. "I want you to launch a frontal offensive with the bulk of our troops and the tanks. This will get their attention. Meanwhile, I'll be leading an elite squad of two hundred troops through the marsh and strike at the weak point. We will then enter the base and take it over. Simple and efficient."
It was early in the morning. Xi and his two hundred men were preparing for the assault. The soldiers were arming, checking and rechecking their weapons. Some cracked jokes while others were nervously tapping their foot. They could all hear what sounded like hellish symphony as screams and explosive blasts echoed over the landscape. The frontal offensive was well underway and their friends and colleagues were being cut down by enemy fire. The worst part of it was that they couldn't rush there and help them, as they had their own task to undertake. This weighted heavily on the troops.
"No sour faces," Xi sternly said. "We need steely resolve so we can avenge our fallen!"
The troops cheered, but Xi was unmoved by this display of loyalty. Only the battle was on his mind.
With Xi's command, the troops began their march. They walked steadily through the dense vegetation. About half an hour later, they reached the marsh. They entered the marshy water. It was hot. As they marched forth, the marshy water reached about knee high. Some of the soldiers slipped and fell into the marsh, but their comrades helped them get back on their feet. Exhausted and out of breath, the stormtroopers finally managed to reach to the other side of the marsh. The sound of the explosions and screams got louder as they approached the battlefield.
Xi grabbed a binocular from his backpack and scanned the area. Ahead were two lines of trenches and ten turrets. On Xi's command, the troopers charged at the enemy line. The Republic troopers manning the trenches and the turrets were caught completely by surprise. Their face turned ashen white and they rushed to organize some kind of defense. Some of them started firing without even aiming while others rushed back into the base to inform their command.
The stormtroopers opened fire. Their fire became steady and overwhelming. Some of the troopers sprinted forward, dodging enemy fire with zig-zagging maneuvers, and threw thermal grenades inside the first trench. As the grenades hit the trench and exploded, all hell broke loose. Men were screaming, going down, the dust was rising in sudden clouds, voices were hollering for medics. With the Republic troopers in disarray, the stormtroopers stormed the first trench. The stormtroopers were engaging in hand to hand combat, kicking and punching their enemies. Others were crushing the heads of Republic troops with their rifles. It was utter chaos.
Xi, seeing his men overtake the first trench, charged forward with the rest of his squad. He was going to keep the momentum going and overtake the second trench. As he and his men charged, they came under fire from the turrets. The explosions burst in his ears but the shrieks of pain of those hit seemed far louder. As Xi and his troopers marched forth through thick gray smoke toward the second trench, the fire volume grew in ferocity and density. Xi shouted his men to throw their grenades and they did so. The explosions shook the battlefield and silenced the enemy guns. The stormtroopers jumped onto the second trench. Bodies were strewn everywhere and injured Republic soldiers were screaming. After quickly finishing them off, the Imperials jumped out of the second trench and made their way to the pyramid-shaped base. With an overwhelming barrage of fire and grenades, they busted open the steel door and rushed inside.
Xi himself, armed with a pistol, made his way inside the base. With three men accompanying him, he sprinted through the corridors, searching for the enemy commander. Suddenly they came under fire from four Republic troopers. Xi fired rapid shots at them. One of the troopers leaped backward, blood pouring from his throat, and blood spurted from the chest of another trooper. The remaining two enemies were taken out by Xi's men. With their opponents neutralized, Xi and three men made their way further inside the corridor.
Suddenly they saw an officer getting out of one of the corridor's rooms. Xi recognized him as the commanding officer, from the insignia on his uniform. Xi leaped forward. When the officer saw him, he took out his pistol but before he could fire, Xi fell upon him, throwing him onto the ground. The officer grunted in pain as Xi bloodied his face with a quick punch. "You are to order your men to surrender," Xi threatened, "or I will punch you to death."
The officer, gritting his teeth in pain, nodded. He activated his comn device. "Men," he said with tears in his eyes, "I order you to surrender. I repeat! I order you to surrender. It's over. It's over. We've lost."
Naadir was sitting on the sofa of his hotel room, sipping a glass of whiskey and smoking a cigar. His eyes revealed how tired he was. Each time he sipped his drink, it hurt him. The casino guards had beat him up really good. His entire face was covered in bruises. 'And I didn't even get to have that drink with the cute dealer,' he thought.
Darren was seated on the bed, reading through the files he had stolen from Darndrew's office. Many of those files had nothing to do with Adam. They concerned the other - too numerous to count - criminal enterprises of the Exchange boss. Darren sighed. He was exhausted. He had been reading through those files for over a day. Suddenly he noticed a line mentioning an 'Adam'. His face at once brightened and he flashed a smile. "Yes!" he loudly exclaimed.
"Anything interesting?" Naadir asked.
"This file states that Adam paid the Exchange for a fake ID and a shuttle. It says the exact of the model of the shuttle. It is an X-VD34 type."
"Good luck with that," the agent chuckled. "There are Force knows how many such shuttles all over the Galaxy. There is no way we can find it."
"It also mentions something about Adam asking for some info about a man named... Saul Im-"
"Saul Imes!" Naadir exclaimed.
"Yeah... you know him?"
"Not in person, but I know of his reputation. He is one of the best information brokers in the entire Galaxy. If you need to find someone or something, he's the guy to hire. He's on Nar Shaddaa."
"It's worth checking it out. I'll be making a call too to Master Skywalker informing him of this."