Chapter 19

Garnizon I I , Zoloch Sector

Another stream of blaster fire impacted on the tall building as Major Petrova returned fire. This was the fifth attack against the building that day, and the most intense yet. Luckily most of the Imperial forces in the area had been wiped out, as there was no chance the small band of special forces soldiers, free confederacy insurgents, and civilian volunteers would be able to hold off a large Imperial force. But something a bit more than a hundred strong they could deal with.

"Are they going to stop already?" One of the civilians asked as he fired several poorly aimed shots, missing his targets completely.

"Probably not." Hans said, accurately hitting a group of stormtroopers advancing down the street. Several others were advancing down the road, but they had mostly succeeded in killing them beige they could get in range.

The tall building provided a good vantage point in which to attack the advancing stormtroopers. Due to the uncoordinated nature of their attacks, they lacked the ability to overwhelm the smaller force that was perched on the building.

"They should be sending reinforcements soon." Virten said. "It's taken Johnson long enough."

"He's on his way I'm sure." Taylor chided. "But it would be helpful to know when they got here."

"How long can we even hold out?" Jim Fennell asked as he fired another burst from his light repeating blaster.

"We have plenty of ammunition and enough food and medical supplies for several days." Perova said. "Blaster ammunition is smaller and can be held more easily than kinetic rounds."

"Bit of an understanding" Hans said, reloading his blaster rifle. The standard magazine for his weapon held 500 rounds. "We're going to run out of rations before we do ammunition."

"What about intel? Have those recon drones hit their mark? Or the vulture droids?" One of the members of the Free Confederacy asked a asked.

"They have kept us up to date on the approaching Imperials. The vulture droids have also helped destroy some groups of Imperial troops, but their coverage could still be more consistent." Gath Jorkan, a lieutenant in the Free Confederacy's army said. He was responsible for coordinating and managing the droids and drones. "The smaller recon drones mean we have a fairly consistent image of Imperial movements in the system."

A couple of minutes later the small handheld holoprojector buzzed, indicating an incoming call. Petrova exuded herself and went off the roof into the top level of the building. Everyone else could hold the line while she was gone.

Unsurprisingly it was Colonel Zark, the commander of the scattered Free Confederacy assets on the planet.

"Colonel, what can I do for you?" She asked his holographic figure.

"I have both good and bad news for you. The good news is that Johnson is about to launch his attack. He should be here within an hour.

"Finally. We haven't been doing this just for him to show up weeks after he launched his first attack." She said sarcastically. To be fair, she wasn't exactly giving her the benefit of the doubt. He had managed to conquer multiple systems in only a few days. Perhaps the uprising should have been launched a few days later, but the rationale behind when it currently had been launched was so it would distract from the fleets moving across other parts of the sector.

And the results hadn't been bad, in fact only a few of the troops under her command had been lost. Attacks across the planet were mostly successful, with Imperial forces on the planet were significantly disorganized to the point they were unable to respond in a major fashion to many of the attacks.

"He has relayed to me to be prepared for reinforcements. He's bringing in about 100,000 troops, which when landed should cripple what remains of the Empire." Zark said.

"What about the bad news?" She asked.

"The Empire has plans to initiate an orbital bombardment of several major areas under our control." Zark said. "The area you are in will likely be a target."

"Is there anything else?" She asked, slightly annoyed. "The Empire is launching another counterattack and I would like to help my troops."

"No, that was it. Good luck Major."

"Good luck Colonel." There was a pause and suddenly there was a number of loud crashing noises. The feed shuttered, and to Petrova this didn't look like a technical glitch.

"Colonel?"

"They have started the bombardment, I shouldn't have come to the area we secured." He said, his voice and image crackling and crinkling. "Evacuate the area and get to…" The feed finally cut out, indicating Zark was likely dead or if he was lucky heavily wounded.

Not pausing for a second, Petrova raced for the roof. When she got back up there, she told everyone the news. There was a sigh of relief after telling them the first of the part two reports, as they knew their job was going to get a lot easier.

"Took them long enough." Hans muttered.

"We should be able to hold out…" Taylor was about to say as she got interrupted by Petrova.

"The Empire has started an orbital bombardment of known rebel locations on this world." She said angrily. "We need to get out of here and somehow get ourselves to a place that can survive such a bombardment. Even if it isn't for long." She looked around at the ragtag group. "Does anyone have any suggestions?" She asked.

"I looked at the schematics and noticed there is a network of underground tunnels beneath the Imperial that lead to a secure underground bunker. The base we blew up. They are supposedly deep enough to survive a heavy orbital bombardment. But they are also likely inhabited by the remnants of the Imperial garrison." Taylor said.

"I thought you blew up the thing." Hans said.

"The underground bunker is a hundred meters below the surface. It should have survived any explosion that we would have hit them with." Taylor replied.

"Good. Then we will go there." Petrova replied.

"We might have to fight our way in there." One of the civilians said.

"That's why we are here." She replied.

"It looks like the Imperials are retreating." Virtanen said. "They must have received the news of the bombardment as well."

"Well let's get going then." Petrova said, looking at the group around her. "Get as much supplies as you can. Prioritize food and medical supplies, but get lots of ammunition as well."

"Should I blow this place up?" Jorkan asked. While his main specialty was controlling squadrons of drones and droids, he also had skills in the area of explosives.

Petrova considered his point. It was valid, but she had other concerns.

"If this place survives I don't want some civilian or person who has no idea this place is mined to kill themselves here. Besides, we need to get out of here."

Orbit of Garnizon I I , Zoloch Sector.

Four of Earth's task forces excited hyperspace above the world. It was a large force, with almost the same numbers as the attack on Njmok. Six ships had been lost in that attack, but the effect on the force's firewoper was negligible.

Today the tactics that Earth would use would be iterative rather than revolutionary. Like Njmok, fighters under the command of David "Deadlock" Davis would suppress the Imperial Ties while also helping strike their fleet. Corvettes and lighter frigates under the command of Admiral Rosa would play a similar role, getting in close to the fleet and delivering a deviststing barrage of torpedoes and missiles. Then Johnson along with all of the fleet's larger assets would use their now superior strength to win the battle.

The Imperial force they were up against was larger than the one at Njmok, with three Imperial Star Destroyers and a Tector, which held more firepower at the cost of having no star fighter complement. There were also two older Victory I I Star Destroyers that while older still had significant firewerpowe for their size.. Earth was only fielding four of the Revenge Class Battleships in this battle, as they were still too valuable to lose until more could be produced.

Admiral Picot stared out the window of his command, th Temperance. It was a massive fleet he was facing, but he had several advantages up his sleeve that these people of Earth didn't know about. Several golan space defense platforms, quietly reactivated from a hidden reserve, had been hastily ladened across the orbit of the planet. This was complemented by dozens of lighter satellites that while low tech could pose a danger to ships if they were not detected or expected.

He had his fleet positioned near the planet's orbit, away from where the Earth fleet came out of hyperspace. His goal was to wear down that force through probing attacks by fighters, satellites, defense platforms, and whatever else he could throw at the invaders, such as space rocks and debris before they reached him and his fleet.

Already, several squadrons o fighters were placed along the route of Earth's fleet. Powered down and hiding behind debris, T I E Bombers would try to launch ordnance at larger targets.

This was far from standard Imperial doctrine. In most other circumstances the Empire would not resort to such an unconventional defense strategy. But right now he did not have the local superiority needed to win the battle outright. That was the biggest flaw with Imperial fleet doctrine. It never imagined it would deal with an extended case of local numerical inferiority. While Picot had certainly partaken in this view, he may be considering it after this battle.

Inside he was somewhat nervous, considering he was still outnumbered and Earth's offensive had so far been an overwhelming success. None of the systems they had attacked so far had been able to fend off their attacks. Garnizon itself was under siege by many of the local rebel forces. They had overrun several major Imperial installations, including part of the capitol and main garrison. It would take a sustained campaign to drive them out, and while his fleet had been preparing for an orbital bombardment of rebel held areas on the world, that had been delayed by the arrival of Earth's fleet.

But outwardly he still projected his usual confident self that had helped him in many situations. He was an example of the Imperial Navy after all. And his charisma was having at least some effect on the crew. Any current doubts the men and women on the bridge had were being suppressed by his presence.

"Major, what is the status of your bomber wing?" He asked over the comms to Major Filipe Leward, the commander of the 976th Imperial Bomber wing. They were hiding behind a mass of debris, waiting to strike at the incoming forces of Earth.

"We are in position Admiral." His voice replied. "The intelligence you are providing us is very valuable."

"Good, continue on your duties." He ordered.

Across the layers of wreckage that had been hastily strewn hundreds 7 bombers awaited the advance of Earth's fleet. Every power source had been turned off except life support and a short-way encrypted communicator on Leward's fighter that would allow him to contact Admiral Picot.

Leward was somewhat skeptical of the plan. While it might be effective at knocking out some of Earth's larger ships, it would likely lead to the death of most of if not the entire wing after they were discovered. Perhaps more might survive if they were fighting a smaller force, but such a desperate tactic would not be used if fighting a smaller force.

He had suggested laying mines, and some of these were used, but the Empire did not have many that could even come close to damaging a capital ship. They were mostly used to enforce blockades on worlds against fighters, civilian ships, and small corvettes. Additionally, space was so large that most ships would just go around the field, meaning to cover any effective entrance to a place you were mining you needed a number so great that large anti-capital ones would be prohibitively expensive.

His opposition to the mission was not from a place of misgiving to the Empire, it had been an honor to serve within the Imperial Navy. The issue he had was more that he would be throwing away the lives of veteran pilots, with each one having thousands of hours of flight time invested flying their craft. From a crude, pragmatic standpoint it would have been a much better idea to send a group of green pilots, who had barely made their way out of flight school.

But while he might have personal objections to the mission, and due to his position relay these concerns to Picot orders were still orders. The men and women of his squadron had been silent as they had flown to their designated locations. This was not just due to protocol, but he had felt an eerie silence when he had told them what they were going to undertake.

He didn't have to tell anyone this was a sucide mission, they already knew.

During the brief journey he had reflected on what would likely be his last hours of life. 33 years ago he had been born, he and his parents survived the clone wars that mostly stayed away from their lives on Garnizon. T

The planetary conflict known as the Garnizon Civil War at the outbreak of the Clone Wars had been fairly swift, with the Republic sympathizers quickly fleeing to other parts of the galaxy as the world fell into Seperatist hands. Years before, when the Republic cared for this planet there might have been a different outcome. But as the republic began to focus more and more on the large corporations and core worlds that filled the coffers of its senators, these same corporations began to rule with unchecked authority over the region. The Trade Federation, Commerce Guild, Intergalactic Banking Clan all took hold of the backwater worlds of the galaxy and for a time improved the conditions on the worlds, which most were thankful for. They began to blame the Republic's shortcomings for the bad economy, turning the citizens against it while lining the pockets of the planetary governments, making them dependent on them. The companies might have helped in the beginning, but they only did so enough to make the world thankful and dependent on them.

So when the planet succeeded from the republic like thousands of others, no one was surprised. And due to this, the Separatists mostly kept the world away from the conflict of the war. Leward had grown up in what was comparatively a comfortable time. Sure, the prices of everyday items had gone up, but both of his parents had well paying jobs. He never thought this distant conflict, being raged on a scale not seen for thousands of years, would come anywhere near him. Oh, how naive he was.

The deactivation of the Droid armies spelled the end of the Confederacy. While some units were eventually reactivated, the decapitation of the movement's leadership as well as the transition of the republic to the Empire stopped any hope of peace until the Confederacy was defeated. The panic caused by these events led thousands of worlds to surrender, and soon the CIS was a true shadow of it's former self (not counting that the republic had started to gain the upper hand in the war beforehands). What remained of the Confederacy became desperate, using any tactics it could to survive the Imperial onslaught and control its population, many of which demanded it's surrender.

The lies told by the Confederacy angered the population. Soon tens of thousands marched in protest against the new order, with brutal reprisals as the local Confederate government clung to power. His parents had been among the protesters many times, surviving each encounter and eventually helping lead a major part of the movement for peace.

They were hunted down by a squad of commando droids, which led to their deaths as they resisted the authoritarian rule of confederacy. They bought him enough time to escape, sacrificing themselves for him. A sacrifice that would make them a myter to the people of Garnizon, and one the Empire took advantage of. Linda and Don Leward would become celebrated across the world, especially on Liberation Day which marked the end of major hostilities on the planet as Confederate forces retreated and surrendered.

His position and fame as the son allowed him to live a comfortable life if he so chose. Leeward could have chosen to become many things in life if he so chose.

But he decided to join a humbler path, one within the Imperial military. Hw saw it as natural, in their infant days they had liberated his world. His hard work and skill soon allowed him to rise through the ranks, and his quick thinking and reaction time from a childhood of sports gave him the skills necessary to comman fighter. He now was one of the best pilots of th bomber outside the core. He commanded some of the best pilots of that craft outside of that region as well, and he was honored to have his position.

As he let himself drift into his thoughts, Earth's fleet got closer and closer. It was one of the largest fleets he had seen outside the core regions of the galaxy, and he wondered for a moment how they had managed to acquire such a big fleet. From the reports he had heard, this wasn't even half of the total that had been seen, though he was sure it was a significant force.

First, fighters swept through the small field of debris, not seeing the powered down bombers. They were of a design he didn't recognize, but were nonetheless sleek looking with several missiles strapped to hard points on the bottom of the craft. He could see the utility in doing it that way, but hardpoints would be impractical on almost every type o fighter.

It was a minor miracle that none of his bombers had been detected, but it was mostly due to some very good placement and what looked like Earth's fighters' preoccupation with getting somewhere else. If they had been searching for him, he would be dead.

Next a line of smaller ships, corvettes and frigates traveled through the wreckage. He could see some going around the field, but that was not the path the larger ships would be taking. Which meant fewer escorts and more large ships, and that was definitely a good thing for him.

It didn't take long for the larger Earth ships to arrive, but it seemed to take ages. But when they were finally in close range, he sent a small signal to the 71 othe bombers. It contained an artificial targeting algorithm to tell them what to fire at. This would distribute their ordnance and ensure that the ships being targeted would be evenly hit.

With the bomber's ordnance arming rapidly, he uttered what would likely be his final message over the comm.

"Men and women of the 976th Imperial Bomber wing, it has been an honor." He said, pulling the trigger to unleash a fury of proton torpedoes at the nearest large ship.

All around him, massive flashes of light exploded across the vacuum of space, temporarily blinding him. After his vision returned, he flew his fighter as far away as he could from the battle, not turning to look back.

Maybe he could get away, but that was still uncertain.