'All Hands Lost'
Admiral Tenvor bounded up the stairs to the communications station.
"Report, officer." Outside the window, he saw two TIE fighters break off from the main squadron. Preparing to intercept something?
"L-long range scanners indicate a m-mercenary vessel – known in these parts – is concealing itself in a nebula cloud." The young officer was nervous. It was her first posting in space.
"Options?" Tenvor knew that many of the staff were inexperienced. Now they shall taste the rigours of space conflict.
"I ... I notified TIE fighter command of the situation. They scrambled a pair of TIE fighters to intercept and destroy. I've also plotted the fastest route for the Vindicator, should ... the need arise."
"Good. Carry on." Tenvor returned to the bridge.
The nervous officer wiped her brow. Whew! Tass Nemi – Communications Officer Tass Nemi – was one of the last to graduate from the Imperial Academy. Since the birth of the Galactic Empire, the leadership had been dominated by the ruling houses of the galaxy: nobles and their heirs, wealthy merchants. Men. But it was a myth that no women served the Emperor. Women could be found in many "supporting" roles: communications, supply, gunnery. Some even managed to command armoured personnel carriers or supply craft. But women on a Star Destroyer – the finest war vessel ever to leave a shipyard – no, the leadership chose to retain that privilege for themselves and their sons.
The rise of the Rebel Alliance changed all that. Nearly half the graduating class were women. Nemi had her eyes on a combat role. And not just any squadron, but the elite Snowtrooper Corps. They answered to the snowtrooper commander based on the Imperial Armoury and Munitions base on Hoth. Snowtroopers, in turn, fell under the command of the Imperial Armoured Division – which meant AT-ATs ... and the personal command of General Veers.
"Did you hear me, Officer Nemi??" Lieutenant Reksil inquired.
"S-sorry, sir? Your orders, sir?" Nemi concentrated on her long-range radar screen.
"The mercenary vessel you spotted? It was a raider. One of Jabba the Hutt's minions hoping to pick off remnants of our scattered fleet. As you can see on your screen, it has been destroyed. Good job, officer." Then Reksil hushed. "Keep your eyes peeled, Tass. You're lucky we went to the Academy together. Veers is not so forgiving of daydreaming."
Nemi smiled. Yes, Lieutenant. She barely had time to refocus when – at the other end of the deck – another junior lieutenant climbed out of his sublevel station and sprinted to Admiral Tenvor.
"Admiral! We have a transmission from the Imperial supply ship, Restoration!"
Supply ship? Tenvor was pleased at this information. A supply ship had food rations, building materiel, logistics equipment and ... weapons cargo.
The junior officers watched as Tenvor dropped all protocol, removed his cap and leaped down into the sublevel station.
"Please respond, Restoration! This is Admiral Tenvor of the Imperial Fleet. Report situation."
The transmission had broken. Tenvor tapped the holographic console. An Imperial officer – likely a lieutenant – appears in a hazy blue hologram.
"Admiral! We request assistance immediately." The hologram blinked out, then reappeared. "Mutiny!!"
"Present location?" Tenvor demanded. General Veers knelt near the ladder to observe.
"Tatooine system. Half an hour from the rendezvous. Our captain is dead. Our squadron of TIE pilots have rebelled! They want to turn the vessel into a pirate ship! They're coming to the bridge! .... only a dozen stormtroopers here .... officers making stand in engineering ..."
It's begun, Veers thought. The weak-willed in our ranks are exploiting the leadership vacuum to tear the Imperial forces apart – seam by seam. The hologram was more erratic.
"... hold those doors ..." the lieutenant ordered ...
"Lieutenant! If you fail to retain the engineering deck ..."
The lieutenant gulped. He knew exactly what to do. "I shall self-destruct the Restoration."
The hologram flittered, then faded.
Tenvor looked up at Veers, who nodded. Tenvor climbed up the ladder and marched to the bridge.
"Activate hyperdrive. Prepare for hyperspace jump. The Restoration's last coordinates ..."
Points of light on the bridge window became long streaks. The Vindicator had joined the hunt.
[Tatooine system, rendevous point]
Captain Mitan of the Avenger observed the huddled remnants of the Imperial Fleet. Six Star Destroyers, a dozen smaller supply and carrier craft, and probably 70-80 TIE fighters -- left astray as the Alliance continued its final push and destroyed their bases and home vessels.
The hologram of General Veers continued the briefing. "You are hereby ordered to hold your positions. I want an inventory of all supply ships and a working estimate of ground troops. I'll worry about armoured vehicles when I arrive."
"And the Restoration?" Mitan had heard frantic communications from the captain.
"Traitors – TIE pilots if you can believe it! – are attempting to seize the vessel and intend to become privateers. I don't know how much longer the ship can remain in Imperial hands. The Vindicator will intercept in 10 minutes."
"Shall I deploy supporting ships ... I have a gunnery vessel here ..." Mitan suggested.
"No. We will put down the uprising ourselves." Veers hologram faded as Tenvor's appeared.
"Captain? What's your sense of the loyalty of those vessels that have arrived."
"All express loyalty to the Imperial Council ... and submit the usual declarations of sorrow at the death of the Emperor, etc. etc."
"That's not good enough." Mitan knew that only loyal commanders can inspire loyal troops. "Assemble ship captains and divisional commanders aboard the Avenger. The Council will update them on the situation as it stands." Tenvor's hologram faded.
Keep the fleet in Tatooine. That's simple enough, Mitan thought.
"Sir, the Relentless is breaking away from the main fleet!" a bridge officer declared.
"Course??" Mitan demanded.
"Present trajectory ... the Restoration!"
Damn. DAMN! That hot-head, Captain Silec, is itching for another fight. He clicked the communications panel.
"Vindicator, I'm sorry. You are going to have some – company."
[Aboard the Star Destroyer, Relentless]
Captain Silec watched as his ship zoomed into hyperspace. Within minutes, he would be atop the Restoration.
"Any reports, officers?" Silec demanded.
The communications station was in a flurry of activity. "None, sir. Last transmission stated that the Restoration was falling into the hands of the traitors."
Silec spoke into the speakers. "TIE bomber squadron Alpha. Scramble! I repeat. Scramble! Gunnery decks 1 through 10 prepare for battle."
The communications officers looked at each other in surprise. What's the captain up to?
Silec anticipated their bewilderment. "We're about to demonstrate why the Relentless is the finest Star Destroyer in the Empire's fleet."
"What of Admiral Tenvor's orders to stay put?" Commander Kosst, an intelligence officer asked.
"The Empire is crumbling!" Silec snapped, "We are the closest vessel to the Restoration. We cannot allow it to fall into the hands of pirates!!"
"A rescue operation?" Kosst wondered.
Silec looked at the main bridge window. There was the supply ship, Restoration. It appeared that several decks were in flames. "If we get there in time ... if not, I intend to destroy the vessel. Its supplies are much too valuable!!"
"Sir," Kosst insisted, "there are over 2,000 men aboard a ship of that size. Our reports suggest only the TIE squadron has rebelled!"
Silec ignored him. "Bridge, hail them." No response. Silec picked up the speaker. "This is Imperial destroyer Relentless. Respond."
A crackle of sound. "... they're breaking down the door ... E-Web cannon aimed at entrance ... if engineering falls, we're done for ..."
Silec pounded the monitor. This ship is lost! I must prevent that.
"We could ... use a tractor beam to disable the ship?" A stormtrooper commander suggested. His men only had six months' training and were in no shape to lead a boarding party.
"TIE bomber squadron Alpha."
The squadron commander answered. "Orders, Captain?"
"Destroy the Restoration!"
The bomber commander paused. "Sir??"
"Destroy the vessel!!"
The TIE bombers squadron broke formation and showered the supply ship Restoration with a hail of torpedoes.
Kosst pushed aside another officer and tapped the holographic console. "Restoration. Are you still in Imperial hands? Respond!!"
He heard screams. A lieutenant's hologram appeared. "We did it! Mutiny put down! Repeat ... mutiny put down!!"
The officer looked up at the bridge window. Too late. A TIE bomber had exploded the main engineering deck. A sickening purple halo boomed as the Restoration scattered into a million sparks of debris and flame. The hologram faded instantly.
A black-suited commander on the bridge took off his cap. "Two thousand men?! Dead. Just like that."
Kosst grabbed Silec by the shoulders. "Fool! The loyalists succeeded! You just sentenced thousands of Imperial troops and officers to their doom!!"
The stormtrooper commander took off his helmet. "The captain saw the threat. Who knows how many more of its crew sided with the pirates!!"
Kosst was on dangerous ground. Questioning an Imperial captain was an offense in itself. Six months in the punishment batallion. All prisoners stripped of rank. Waste collection and road building, followed by immediate discharge from the Imperial forces. Over two thousand of the Empire's troops vanished ... because of the actions of one stupid man. They did not die in vain. Not if I can do something about it.
"As an Imperial intelligence commander, I have authority to challenge a superior officer if his actions constitute dereliction of duty. You, Captain, have dishonoured the Empire with your rash actions, thus condemning thousands of loyal soldiers to their deaths. By article 699 of the Imperial Military Code ..."
No! He's going to strip me of my command, Silec feared. A few stormtroopers and officers began to gather around him to enforce the arrest.
"Treason! I have saved the fleet from an infection. Those traitors could have used the Restoration to raid our own vessels!!" I must act now. He glanced at the stormtrooper commander, who nodded at another group of troops.
The stormtroopers drew their blasters and seized Kosst, and bound his wrists with binders. The party of troops and officers who had moved to arrest Silec halted.
"I place you under arrest, Kosst, for defying an Imperial captain. Take him to the cellblock."
Silec glared at the group of officers and troops who almost arrested him. "I am captain of this vessel. If you disagree with that, you may serve under Commander Kosst – in detention!" The group quickly dispersed. No officer was worth incarceration, they thought.
A bridge officer interrupted. "We're being hailed." The imposing shadow of the Vindicator blanketed the bridge window.
Veers and his puppets, Silec scoffed. He walked to the command station to appease this so-called Imperial Council.
The black-suited commander entered the lift. The door slammed shut instantly. He pressed the console: gunnery deck. Commander Tev fought the rebels at Yavin, Hoth and in countless skirmishes. Men had died under his command – in battle. But two THOUSAND men? By orders of an Imperial officer?? He straightened his cap and wiped his eye. The doors whisked open. The gunners looked at Tev.
"Stand down. This battle's over!" he commanded.
My academy roommate was a logistics officer aboard the Restoration ...
Admiral Tenvor bounded up the stairs to the communications station.
"Report, officer." Outside the window, he saw two TIE fighters break off from the main squadron. Preparing to intercept something?
"L-long range scanners indicate a m-mercenary vessel – known in these parts – is concealing itself in a nebula cloud." The young officer was nervous. It was her first posting in space.
"Options?" Tenvor knew that many of the staff were inexperienced. Now they shall taste the rigours of space conflict.
"I ... I notified TIE fighter command of the situation. They scrambled a pair of TIE fighters to intercept and destroy. I've also plotted the fastest route for the Vindicator, should ... the need arise."
"Good. Carry on." Tenvor returned to the bridge.
The nervous officer wiped her brow. Whew! Tass Nemi – Communications Officer Tass Nemi – was one of the last to graduate from the Imperial Academy. Since the birth of the Galactic Empire, the leadership had been dominated by the ruling houses of the galaxy: nobles and their heirs, wealthy merchants. Men. But it was a myth that no women served the Emperor. Women could be found in many "supporting" roles: communications, supply, gunnery. Some even managed to command armoured personnel carriers or supply craft. But women on a Star Destroyer – the finest war vessel ever to leave a shipyard – no, the leadership chose to retain that privilege for themselves and their sons.
The rise of the Rebel Alliance changed all that. Nearly half the graduating class were women. Nemi had her eyes on a combat role. And not just any squadron, but the elite Snowtrooper Corps. They answered to the snowtrooper commander based on the Imperial Armoury and Munitions base on Hoth. Snowtroopers, in turn, fell under the command of the Imperial Armoured Division – which meant AT-ATs ... and the personal command of General Veers.
"Did you hear me, Officer Nemi??" Lieutenant Reksil inquired.
"S-sorry, sir? Your orders, sir?" Nemi concentrated on her long-range radar screen.
"The mercenary vessel you spotted? It was a raider. One of Jabba the Hutt's minions hoping to pick off remnants of our scattered fleet. As you can see on your screen, it has been destroyed. Good job, officer." Then Reksil hushed. "Keep your eyes peeled, Tass. You're lucky we went to the Academy together. Veers is not so forgiving of daydreaming."
Nemi smiled. Yes, Lieutenant. She barely had time to refocus when – at the other end of the deck – another junior lieutenant climbed out of his sublevel station and sprinted to Admiral Tenvor.
"Admiral! We have a transmission from the Imperial supply ship, Restoration!"
Supply ship? Tenvor was pleased at this information. A supply ship had food rations, building materiel, logistics equipment and ... weapons cargo.
The junior officers watched as Tenvor dropped all protocol, removed his cap and leaped down into the sublevel station.
"Please respond, Restoration! This is Admiral Tenvor of the Imperial Fleet. Report situation."
The transmission had broken. Tenvor tapped the holographic console. An Imperial officer – likely a lieutenant – appears in a hazy blue hologram.
"Admiral! We request assistance immediately." The hologram blinked out, then reappeared. "Mutiny!!"
"Present location?" Tenvor demanded. General Veers knelt near the ladder to observe.
"Tatooine system. Half an hour from the rendezvous. Our captain is dead. Our squadron of TIE pilots have rebelled! They want to turn the vessel into a pirate ship! They're coming to the bridge! .... only a dozen stormtroopers here .... officers making stand in engineering ..."
It's begun, Veers thought. The weak-willed in our ranks are exploiting the leadership vacuum to tear the Imperial forces apart – seam by seam. The hologram was more erratic.
"... hold those doors ..." the lieutenant ordered ...
"Lieutenant! If you fail to retain the engineering deck ..."
The lieutenant gulped. He knew exactly what to do. "I shall self-destruct the Restoration."
The hologram flittered, then faded.
Tenvor looked up at Veers, who nodded. Tenvor climbed up the ladder and marched to the bridge.
"Activate hyperdrive. Prepare for hyperspace jump. The Restoration's last coordinates ..."
Points of light on the bridge window became long streaks. The Vindicator had joined the hunt.
[Tatooine system, rendevous point]
Captain Mitan of the Avenger observed the huddled remnants of the Imperial Fleet. Six Star Destroyers, a dozen smaller supply and carrier craft, and probably 70-80 TIE fighters -- left astray as the Alliance continued its final push and destroyed their bases and home vessels.
The hologram of General Veers continued the briefing. "You are hereby ordered to hold your positions. I want an inventory of all supply ships and a working estimate of ground troops. I'll worry about armoured vehicles when I arrive."
"And the Restoration?" Mitan had heard frantic communications from the captain.
"Traitors – TIE pilots if you can believe it! – are attempting to seize the vessel and intend to become privateers. I don't know how much longer the ship can remain in Imperial hands. The Vindicator will intercept in 10 minutes."
"Shall I deploy supporting ships ... I have a gunnery vessel here ..." Mitan suggested.
"No. We will put down the uprising ourselves." Veers hologram faded as Tenvor's appeared.
"Captain? What's your sense of the loyalty of those vessels that have arrived."
"All express loyalty to the Imperial Council ... and submit the usual declarations of sorrow at the death of the Emperor, etc. etc."
"That's not good enough." Mitan knew that only loyal commanders can inspire loyal troops. "Assemble ship captains and divisional commanders aboard the Avenger. The Council will update them on the situation as it stands." Tenvor's hologram faded.
Keep the fleet in Tatooine. That's simple enough, Mitan thought.
"Sir, the Relentless is breaking away from the main fleet!" a bridge officer declared.
"Course??" Mitan demanded.
"Present trajectory ... the Restoration!"
Damn. DAMN! That hot-head, Captain Silec, is itching for another fight. He clicked the communications panel.
"Vindicator, I'm sorry. You are going to have some – company."
[Aboard the Star Destroyer, Relentless]
Captain Silec watched as his ship zoomed into hyperspace. Within minutes, he would be atop the Restoration.
"Any reports, officers?" Silec demanded.
The communications station was in a flurry of activity. "None, sir. Last transmission stated that the Restoration was falling into the hands of the traitors."
Silec spoke into the speakers. "TIE bomber squadron Alpha. Scramble! I repeat. Scramble! Gunnery decks 1 through 10 prepare for battle."
The communications officers looked at each other in surprise. What's the captain up to?
Silec anticipated their bewilderment. "We're about to demonstrate why the Relentless is the finest Star Destroyer in the Empire's fleet."
"What of Admiral Tenvor's orders to stay put?" Commander Kosst, an intelligence officer asked.
"The Empire is crumbling!" Silec snapped, "We are the closest vessel to the Restoration. We cannot allow it to fall into the hands of pirates!!"
"A rescue operation?" Kosst wondered.
Silec looked at the main bridge window. There was the supply ship, Restoration. It appeared that several decks were in flames. "If we get there in time ... if not, I intend to destroy the vessel. Its supplies are much too valuable!!"
"Sir," Kosst insisted, "there are over 2,000 men aboard a ship of that size. Our reports suggest only the TIE squadron has rebelled!"
Silec ignored him. "Bridge, hail them." No response. Silec picked up the speaker. "This is Imperial destroyer Relentless. Respond."
A crackle of sound. "... they're breaking down the door ... E-Web cannon aimed at entrance ... if engineering falls, we're done for ..."
Silec pounded the monitor. This ship is lost! I must prevent that.
"We could ... use a tractor beam to disable the ship?" A stormtrooper commander suggested. His men only had six months' training and were in no shape to lead a boarding party.
"TIE bomber squadron Alpha."
The squadron commander answered. "Orders, Captain?"
"Destroy the Restoration!"
The bomber commander paused. "Sir??"
"Destroy the vessel!!"
The TIE bombers squadron broke formation and showered the supply ship Restoration with a hail of torpedoes.
Kosst pushed aside another officer and tapped the holographic console. "Restoration. Are you still in Imperial hands? Respond!!"
He heard screams. A lieutenant's hologram appeared. "We did it! Mutiny put down! Repeat ... mutiny put down!!"
The officer looked up at the bridge window. Too late. A TIE bomber had exploded the main engineering deck. A sickening purple halo boomed as the Restoration scattered into a million sparks of debris and flame. The hologram faded instantly.
A black-suited commander on the bridge took off his cap. "Two thousand men?! Dead. Just like that."
Kosst grabbed Silec by the shoulders. "Fool! The loyalists succeeded! You just sentenced thousands of Imperial troops and officers to their doom!!"
The stormtrooper commander took off his helmet. "The captain saw the threat. Who knows how many more of its crew sided with the pirates!!"
Kosst was on dangerous ground. Questioning an Imperial captain was an offense in itself. Six months in the punishment batallion. All prisoners stripped of rank. Waste collection and road building, followed by immediate discharge from the Imperial forces. Over two thousand of the Empire's troops vanished ... because of the actions of one stupid man. They did not die in vain. Not if I can do something about it.
"As an Imperial intelligence commander, I have authority to challenge a superior officer if his actions constitute dereliction of duty. You, Captain, have dishonoured the Empire with your rash actions, thus condemning thousands of loyal soldiers to their deaths. By article 699 of the Imperial Military Code ..."
No! He's going to strip me of my command, Silec feared. A few stormtroopers and officers began to gather around him to enforce the arrest.
"Treason! I have saved the fleet from an infection. Those traitors could have used the Restoration to raid our own vessels!!" I must act now. He glanced at the stormtrooper commander, who nodded at another group of troops.
The stormtroopers drew their blasters and seized Kosst, and bound his wrists with binders. The party of troops and officers who had moved to arrest Silec halted.
"I place you under arrest, Kosst, for defying an Imperial captain. Take him to the cellblock."
Silec glared at the group of officers and troops who almost arrested him. "I am captain of this vessel. If you disagree with that, you may serve under Commander Kosst – in detention!" The group quickly dispersed. No officer was worth incarceration, they thought.
A bridge officer interrupted. "We're being hailed." The imposing shadow of the Vindicator blanketed the bridge window.
Veers and his puppets, Silec scoffed. He walked to the command station to appease this so-called Imperial Council.
The black-suited commander entered the lift. The door slammed shut instantly. He pressed the console: gunnery deck. Commander Tev fought the rebels at Yavin, Hoth and in countless skirmishes. Men had died under his command – in battle. But two THOUSAND men? By orders of an Imperial officer?? He straightened his cap and wiped his eye. The doors whisked open. The gunners looked at Tev.
"Stand down. This battle's over!" he commanded.
My academy roommate was a logistics officer aboard the Restoration ...