[AUTHOR'S NOTE: I decided to piece together the chain of command so far,
since there are plenty of officers roaming around this story. I hope this
simplifies it for you.]
Imperial chain of command
Provisional Imperial Council
Loose association of high ranking Imperial military leaders formed to fill the leadership void left after the destruction of the Death Star and the Executor. This Council includes Admiral Tenvor and General Veers. Divisonal commanders of the various fleet and military corps also fall under their authority. At this point, no politicians ie – Imperial governors – are included. There is no one leader, but by virtue of his reputation and status among the rank-and-file, General Veers is considered the point-man.
1 Star Destroyer captains
The fleet consists of seven Star Destroyers:
Vindicator, the provisional flagship: Admiral Tenvor. By order of the Imperial Council, fleet admiral
Avenger: The renowned destroyer, led by recently promoted Captain Mitan
Relentless: Star Destroyer involved in Calamari.campaigns, led by Captain Silec (changed his name because he's the son of the late Admiral Ozzel)
Repulse: Survived battle with Corellian fleet and attempted insurrection, led by recently promoted Captain Sorris
Tyrant: Was disabled by ion cannon fire "Our first catch of the day" ... etc. in Battle of Hoth.
Nemesis, Eradicator: Two other destroyers that are part of the fleet
About a dozen gunnery, transport/supply and non-combat vessels have also attached themselves to the fleet, plus 70-80 TIE fighters left without a home port/ship after Endor.
2 Imperial intelligence
Aboard the Vindicator:
Commander Burvik, loyalist of Admiral Tenvor
Lieutenant Reksil, loyalist of Admiral Tenvor and friend of Tass Nemi
Aboard the Relentless:
Commander Kosst, previously the ship's ranking intelligence officer, but is currently in the ship cellblock for defying the captain.
3 The crew
Communications Officer Tass Nemi, recent Imperial Academy graduate and among the first women permitted to serve on a Star Destroyer, the Vindicator
I'm sure this list will grow. I am only mentioning the primary characters.
Now for the story ...
'Rank and File'
[Mess hall, the Star Destroyer, Vindicator]
Tass Nemi had been on corporate vessels before. They had luxurious dining lounges with panoramic windows. Live entertainment. Music. Laughter. Fun.
An Imperial mess hall would have none of those frivolities. She saw nothing but row upon row of steel tables, chairs and an endless sea of grey, olive and black uniforms. And the occasional stormtrooper armour.
She stared at her lunch rations. This certainly isn't fun, she thought. These rations were getting worse since the rebels cut their supply lines.
Cheers erupted in the rear. She turned around. General Veers had stopped in to chat with some of his former soldiers. Then he left.
"Generals and captains have their own dining rooms. I don't think the general will be trading war stories with you this time, Tass." Lieutenant Reksil sat in the chair across from her.
"Yeah, I guess so." Nemi poked at her rations.
"Why so down? Veers just breathed new life into the Empire ..."
"What Empire?" Nemi complained, attracting some irritated glances from other tables. "The rebels have us on the run, Coruscant is in Alliance hands, Imperial troops are defecting and ..." She prodded her rations again. "... I have to eat this slop for the third time this week!!!"
Reksil roared in laughter. "You're bored aren't you? It's not that much better for lower grade officers. If I could only be a Dantooine fly on the walls of the Vindicator war chamber right now ..."
"They'd likely swat you," Nemi joked. Reksil had a point, though. The captains and generals were plotting the next phase of their strategy. There were so many options. Should we take a stand on a loyal Imperial planet? Do we recapture a strategic shipyard, thus ensuring the production of more ships? Do we rally the fleet for one last, desperate push against the Alliance fleet? She pouted. Not my problem. I'm just a raw communications officer.
Suddenly, a steel table overturned. Everyone looked around. A group of grey uniformed troops – Imperial Army, Nemi guessed – were tangled in a minor brawl with a bunch of TIE pilots.
"Traitors, all of you!!!" one army officer growled.
"Our ship was destroyed! We had no option but to retreat!!" a TIE pilot protested.
"You did have a choice," another army officer yelled, "fight to the death."
"How dare you!" a naval crewman grumbled, "we lost our entire crew! How many has your Army division lost?!"
Now a dozen army and navy men were involved in the melee. Lieutenant Reksil nodded at a group of stormtroopers, who immediately brandished their blasters and separated the two groups. The room fell silent.
Reksil stood between the groups. "Both the Imperial Army and Navy have suffered tremendous losses. Even now, Imperial soldiers and pilots are fighting – and dying – for an Empire that no longer rules. Some may not have heard that the Emperor is already dead. They are placing their lives on the line ... while you rabble squabble over past losses! The choice is yours: serve the Imperial fleet here on the frontlines and restore order in the galaxy, or serve the Imperial forces in shame as part of a punishment battalion!"
One TIE pilot removed his helmet. "On whose authority, lieutenant?! This Imperial Council?? Don't you get it? Nothing's gonna change. The Imperial elite are only looking after their own ... while we die by the thousands! If the admiral isn't careful ..."
A stormtrooper was about to club the pilot with his rifle, but Reksil held his hand up stop him. "Are you suggesting ... mutiny, pilot? Are you telling me ... and the rest of your compatriots ... that your interests outweigh those of thousands in this fleet? If you are, I can hand your squadron over to someone who is willing to serve!"
"No, sir," the TIE pilot answered, "I am loyal to the Empire. Punish me if you must, but do not punish my men. If you will let this incident pass, I can ensure you that my squadron will serve the admiral with distinction."
The quarrelling men dusted off their uniforms. Reksil nodded at the stormtroopers, who slowly dispersed. "I appreciate your honesty, even though you were dangerously close to treason." He looked at the instigators. "Pick another fight again, and you can expect no mercy."
He walked over to the pilot. "Name, rank and squadron?"
"Squadron officer Vermic, TIE fighter squadron Beta ... of the Executor."
The chatter abruptly hushed to silence again. Nemi weaved through the crowd. "I'm sorry for your losses, officer. We all knew someone aboard the flagship." She patted his shoulder in sympathy. Vermic nodded briefly, then departed with the rest of his TIE pilots amid chants of 'Long live the Empire'.
A loud honk rang through the hall. "This is Admiral Tenvor. All crew report to stations." Lunch would have to wait for later.
Nemi adjusted her hat. Stormtroopers marched to their decks. A pair of TIE pilots jogged toward the fighter docks. Another officer barked some orders at a pair of technicians. A mouse droid bumped into her boot.
"Sorry, little fella, the command centre is that way." The mouse droid reversed and sped away.
"Tass!" Reksil hollered from a lift. "The fleet's deploying! Keep your eyes and ears open!" The lift door slammed shut.
Finally, some real action, she beamed. She hopped into another lift with two mouse droids and a protocol droid.
"Deck, communications officer?" the droid inquired.
"Bridge." Nemi stated. She could barely contain her excitement.
[War chamber, the Star Destroyer Avenger]
Veers nodded. It would be too risky to send an invasion force to occupy the Bespin system. If the rebel fleet was indeed going to reclaim Cloud City, this paltry Imperial fleet could not repel a sustained attack.
But he would send reinforcements.
"The Avenger alone will travel to the Bespin system. I shall remain aboard the Avenger to oversee the operation. Captain Mitan will deploy an insertion group to ascertain the situation on Cloud City. We will hold Bespin, if possible."
"And the rest of the fleet?" another officer asked.
"Admiral Tenvor and the remainder of the fleet will proceed to the Sienar Fleet Systems shipyard near Corellia. The ships will defend the yards against rebel seizures." Veers glared at each of the Star Destroyer captains, including Captain Silec. "You are permitted to engage the Rebel fleet, but you must not pursue ... I repeat ... must not pursue the fleet. We lack the resources at present to think of capturing Rebel vessels. My opinion is that the defense of the shipyards is vital if we are to repair our ships – or build new ones."
Some of the Army officers grumbled. Veers nodded again. "I realize that our troopers' supplies of blaster power are running low. The Rebels will undoubtedly have us fighting battles on multiple fronts. I hear your concerns. As an AT-AT commander, you have my word that the Imperial Army will have its supplies in the near future. You have your orders, gentlemen." The officers left for their ships.
"Captain Mitan?"
"Yes, General."
"Assemble a crack squad of your best troops, intelligence officers and pilots. Urban warfare requires cunning. We want to give the Imperial garrison on Bespin a fighting chance." Mitan saluted, then returned to the bridge.
Veers tapped the holographic console. "This is Admiral Tenvor. General?"
"Be wary of the other captains. Assess their strengths and weaknesses. Even some members of your own crew. Vigilance, admiral, is an on-going responsibility. I want you to know that you have my full confidence. As for the Relentless ..."
Admiral Tenvor understood. "... if he attempts another foolhardy stunt, I will arrest him – that I can assure you. Tenvor out." The admiral's hologram faded.
Veers was uncomfortable with these fleet deployments. It would have been safer to remain in Tatooine and wait for more vessels to arrive. If there were any left to arrive. Fortune favours the brave, however, and the rank and file want action ... something to fill their hours. And distract them from any though of mutiny.
Cloud City was engaged in an intense, messy firefight between the Imperial garrison and the local pro-Alliance militias. If the troops want action, they shall soon have it.
[Shuttle docking bay, the Avenger]
Lieutenant Mira Knessel worked tirelessly for her vessel, the gunnery ship Grenadier. It was a smaller ship: barely 100 crew in total. They enforced Imperial trade edicts against smugglers along the Kessel space route. She filed regular reports about vessel seizures, schemes between warring planets and unusual activities by Bothan traders. Spies who managed to provide the Rebels with crucial plans for the second Death Star.
The Emperor was enraged that the plans slipped through the Imperial dragnet. I could have been dismissed ... or worse ... if not for the protection of Admiral Piett, my mentor. And friend.
"The noble houses of the Galactic Empire will surely be the death of us all," Piett had confessed to her during some long-ago Imperial conference on Coruscant. "The future of the Empire lies in the professional officer. Officers like you. Be careful, Lieutenant. Use what you have learned. Rely on your instincts." Then one last, cryptic remark before taking command of the Executor: "The Emperor cannot rule forever. Your service is to the Empire, not its potentates and lords."
"The Emperor is dead," her helmsman told her, as frantic transmissions after the Battle of Endor flooded their console.
"And what of the flagship?" Knessel asked. The helmsman's blank look told her what she feared.
Piett, who – as a stormtrooper squadron commander – rescued her family from pirates. Piett, the captain who advised her on a new career in the Imperial Navy. Piett, the admiral who cried desperately to intensify forward firepower, before the Rebellion snuffed out his light forever in a hideous explosion above Endor.
"Admiral Piett, the Executor and its crew ... are lost," she reported clinically to her crew that day. In moments, she would leave the bridge, enter an empty cargo bay, lock the door ... and sob.
She held a moment of silence the next day -- to allow her crew to mourn for lost comrades. And prepare for the fight to come.
That day was today. Knessel wrapped her blonde hair into a bun. She adjusted the black uniform of the dreaded Imperial Intelligence Corps. Some of the enlisted troops detested intelligence officers. Others merely detested her gender. She endured both. But to what end?
She would not look out the window. Out there in space, Admiral Piett, my mentor, died in defense of the Empire.
Captain Mitan's ship, the legendary Avenger, offered her vessel a safe harbour as the New Republic's X-Wing squadrons moved to intercept stray Imperial vessels.
Lieutenant Knessel volunteered to lead the insertion party on Cloud City. The Imperial garrison was low on firepower and would surely fall by week's end. Despite the reservations of some of the Avenger's military officers (objecting to any involvement of the intelligence corps), Mitan granted her request.
"You have two squadrons of stormtroopers. About 300. Retake the main spaceport. Then I will land the remainder of the force. That should raise your numbers to 800 troopers. Then destroy the ion cannon defenses, which will be heavily defended. The Avenger cannot enter orbit if those cannons are still online! Only then will I send the Avenger into Bespin space to commence an aerial bombardment, if there is still resistance. Good luck, lieutenant."
Mitan's hologram faded. Knessel stepped into the main hangar. One Imperial shuttle and one transport vessel awaited her – as well as 300 of the Avenger's best stormtroopers. Admiral Piett will not die in vain. Not after this day.
"You have your orders. Long live the Empire!" she proclaimed. The troops rushed into their vessels. Knessel took one last glance at the hanger, then ascended the Imperial shuttle. By day's end, Cloud City would be in Imperial hands again, she pledged ...
Imperial chain of command
Provisional Imperial Council
Loose association of high ranking Imperial military leaders formed to fill the leadership void left after the destruction of the Death Star and the Executor. This Council includes Admiral Tenvor and General Veers. Divisonal commanders of the various fleet and military corps also fall under their authority. At this point, no politicians ie – Imperial governors – are included. There is no one leader, but by virtue of his reputation and status among the rank-and-file, General Veers is considered the point-man.
1 Star Destroyer captains
The fleet consists of seven Star Destroyers:
Vindicator, the provisional flagship: Admiral Tenvor. By order of the Imperial Council, fleet admiral
Avenger: The renowned destroyer, led by recently promoted Captain Mitan
Relentless: Star Destroyer involved in Calamari.campaigns, led by Captain Silec (changed his name because he's the son of the late Admiral Ozzel)
Repulse: Survived battle with Corellian fleet and attempted insurrection, led by recently promoted Captain Sorris
Tyrant: Was disabled by ion cannon fire "Our first catch of the day" ... etc. in Battle of Hoth.
Nemesis, Eradicator: Two other destroyers that are part of the fleet
About a dozen gunnery, transport/supply and non-combat vessels have also attached themselves to the fleet, plus 70-80 TIE fighters left without a home port/ship after Endor.
2 Imperial intelligence
Aboard the Vindicator:
Commander Burvik, loyalist of Admiral Tenvor
Lieutenant Reksil, loyalist of Admiral Tenvor and friend of Tass Nemi
Aboard the Relentless:
Commander Kosst, previously the ship's ranking intelligence officer, but is currently in the ship cellblock for defying the captain.
3 The crew
Communications Officer Tass Nemi, recent Imperial Academy graduate and among the first women permitted to serve on a Star Destroyer, the Vindicator
I'm sure this list will grow. I am only mentioning the primary characters.
Now for the story ...
'Rank and File'
[Mess hall, the Star Destroyer, Vindicator]
Tass Nemi had been on corporate vessels before. They had luxurious dining lounges with panoramic windows. Live entertainment. Music. Laughter. Fun.
An Imperial mess hall would have none of those frivolities. She saw nothing but row upon row of steel tables, chairs and an endless sea of grey, olive and black uniforms. And the occasional stormtrooper armour.
She stared at her lunch rations. This certainly isn't fun, she thought. These rations were getting worse since the rebels cut their supply lines.
Cheers erupted in the rear. She turned around. General Veers had stopped in to chat with some of his former soldiers. Then he left.
"Generals and captains have their own dining rooms. I don't think the general will be trading war stories with you this time, Tass." Lieutenant Reksil sat in the chair across from her.
"Yeah, I guess so." Nemi poked at her rations.
"Why so down? Veers just breathed new life into the Empire ..."
"What Empire?" Nemi complained, attracting some irritated glances from other tables. "The rebels have us on the run, Coruscant is in Alliance hands, Imperial troops are defecting and ..." She prodded her rations again. "... I have to eat this slop for the third time this week!!!"
Reksil roared in laughter. "You're bored aren't you? It's not that much better for lower grade officers. If I could only be a Dantooine fly on the walls of the Vindicator war chamber right now ..."
"They'd likely swat you," Nemi joked. Reksil had a point, though. The captains and generals were plotting the next phase of their strategy. There were so many options. Should we take a stand on a loyal Imperial planet? Do we recapture a strategic shipyard, thus ensuring the production of more ships? Do we rally the fleet for one last, desperate push against the Alliance fleet? She pouted. Not my problem. I'm just a raw communications officer.
Suddenly, a steel table overturned. Everyone looked around. A group of grey uniformed troops – Imperial Army, Nemi guessed – were tangled in a minor brawl with a bunch of TIE pilots.
"Traitors, all of you!!!" one army officer growled.
"Our ship was destroyed! We had no option but to retreat!!" a TIE pilot protested.
"You did have a choice," another army officer yelled, "fight to the death."
"How dare you!" a naval crewman grumbled, "we lost our entire crew! How many has your Army division lost?!"
Now a dozen army and navy men were involved in the melee. Lieutenant Reksil nodded at a group of stormtroopers, who immediately brandished their blasters and separated the two groups. The room fell silent.
Reksil stood between the groups. "Both the Imperial Army and Navy have suffered tremendous losses. Even now, Imperial soldiers and pilots are fighting – and dying – for an Empire that no longer rules. Some may not have heard that the Emperor is already dead. They are placing their lives on the line ... while you rabble squabble over past losses! The choice is yours: serve the Imperial fleet here on the frontlines and restore order in the galaxy, or serve the Imperial forces in shame as part of a punishment battalion!"
One TIE pilot removed his helmet. "On whose authority, lieutenant?! This Imperial Council?? Don't you get it? Nothing's gonna change. The Imperial elite are only looking after their own ... while we die by the thousands! If the admiral isn't careful ..."
A stormtrooper was about to club the pilot with his rifle, but Reksil held his hand up stop him. "Are you suggesting ... mutiny, pilot? Are you telling me ... and the rest of your compatriots ... that your interests outweigh those of thousands in this fleet? If you are, I can hand your squadron over to someone who is willing to serve!"
"No, sir," the TIE pilot answered, "I am loyal to the Empire. Punish me if you must, but do not punish my men. If you will let this incident pass, I can ensure you that my squadron will serve the admiral with distinction."
The quarrelling men dusted off their uniforms. Reksil nodded at the stormtroopers, who slowly dispersed. "I appreciate your honesty, even though you were dangerously close to treason." He looked at the instigators. "Pick another fight again, and you can expect no mercy."
He walked over to the pilot. "Name, rank and squadron?"
"Squadron officer Vermic, TIE fighter squadron Beta ... of the Executor."
The chatter abruptly hushed to silence again. Nemi weaved through the crowd. "I'm sorry for your losses, officer. We all knew someone aboard the flagship." She patted his shoulder in sympathy. Vermic nodded briefly, then departed with the rest of his TIE pilots amid chants of 'Long live the Empire'.
A loud honk rang through the hall. "This is Admiral Tenvor. All crew report to stations." Lunch would have to wait for later.
Nemi adjusted her hat. Stormtroopers marched to their decks. A pair of TIE pilots jogged toward the fighter docks. Another officer barked some orders at a pair of technicians. A mouse droid bumped into her boot.
"Sorry, little fella, the command centre is that way." The mouse droid reversed and sped away.
"Tass!" Reksil hollered from a lift. "The fleet's deploying! Keep your eyes and ears open!" The lift door slammed shut.
Finally, some real action, she beamed. She hopped into another lift with two mouse droids and a protocol droid.
"Deck, communications officer?" the droid inquired.
"Bridge." Nemi stated. She could barely contain her excitement.
[War chamber, the Star Destroyer Avenger]
Veers nodded. It would be too risky to send an invasion force to occupy the Bespin system. If the rebel fleet was indeed going to reclaim Cloud City, this paltry Imperial fleet could not repel a sustained attack.
But he would send reinforcements.
"The Avenger alone will travel to the Bespin system. I shall remain aboard the Avenger to oversee the operation. Captain Mitan will deploy an insertion group to ascertain the situation on Cloud City. We will hold Bespin, if possible."
"And the rest of the fleet?" another officer asked.
"Admiral Tenvor and the remainder of the fleet will proceed to the Sienar Fleet Systems shipyard near Corellia. The ships will defend the yards against rebel seizures." Veers glared at each of the Star Destroyer captains, including Captain Silec. "You are permitted to engage the Rebel fleet, but you must not pursue ... I repeat ... must not pursue the fleet. We lack the resources at present to think of capturing Rebel vessels. My opinion is that the defense of the shipyards is vital if we are to repair our ships – or build new ones."
Some of the Army officers grumbled. Veers nodded again. "I realize that our troopers' supplies of blaster power are running low. The Rebels will undoubtedly have us fighting battles on multiple fronts. I hear your concerns. As an AT-AT commander, you have my word that the Imperial Army will have its supplies in the near future. You have your orders, gentlemen." The officers left for their ships.
"Captain Mitan?"
"Yes, General."
"Assemble a crack squad of your best troops, intelligence officers and pilots. Urban warfare requires cunning. We want to give the Imperial garrison on Bespin a fighting chance." Mitan saluted, then returned to the bridge.
Veers tapped the holographic console. "This is Admiral Tenvor. General?"
"Be wary of the other captains. Assess their strengths and weaknesses. Even some members of your own crew. Vigilance, admiral, is an on-going responsibility. I want you to know that you have my full confidence. As for the Relentless ..."
Admiral Tenvor understood. "... if he attempts another foolhardy stunt, I will arrest him – that I can assure you. Tenvor out." The admiral's hologram faded.
Veers was uncomfortable with these fleet deployments. It would have been safer to remain in Tatooine and wait for more vessels to arrive. If there were any left to arrive. Fortune favours the brave, however, and the rank and file want action ... something to fill their hours. And distract them from any though of mutiny.
Cloud City was engaged in an intense, messy firefight between the Imperial garrison and the local pro-Alliance militias. If the troops want action, they shall soon have it.
[Shuttle docking bay, the Avenger]
Lieutenant Mira Knessel worked tirelessly for her vessel, the gunnery ship Grenadier. It was a smaller ship: barely 100 crew in total. They enforced Imperial trade edicts against smugglers along the Kessel space route. She filed regular reports about vessel seizures, schemes between warring planets and unusual activities by Bothan traders. Spies who managed to provide the Rebels with crucial plans for the second Death Star.
The Emperor was enraged that the plans slipped through the Imperial dragnet. I could have been dismissed ... or worse ... if not for the protection of Admiral Piett, my mentor. And friend.
"The noble houses of the Galactic Empire will surely be the death of us all," Piett had confessed to her during some long-ago Imperial conference on Coruscant. "The future of the Empire lies in the professional officer. Officers like you. Be careful, Lieutenant. Use what you have learned. Rely on your instincts." Then one last, cryptic remark before taking command of the Executor: "The Emperor cannot rule forever. Your service is to the Empire, not its potentates and lords."
"The Emperor is dead," her helmsman told her, as frantic transmissions after the Battle of Endor flooded their console.
"And what of the flagship?" Knessel asked. The helmsman's blank look told her what she feared.
Piett, who – as a stormtrooper squadron commander – rescued her family from pirates. Piett, the captain who advised her on a new career in the Imperial Navy. Piett, the admiral who cried desperately to intensify forward firepower, before the Rebellion snuffed out his light forever in a hideous explosion above Endor.
"Admiral Piett, the Executor and its crew ... are lost," she reported clinically to her crew that day. In moments, she would leave the bridge, enter an empty cargo bay, lock the door ... and sob.
She held a moment of silence the next day -- to allow her crew to mourn for lost comrades. And prepare for the fight to come.
That day was today. Knessel wrapped her blonde hair into a bun. She adjusted the black uniform of the dreaded Imperial Intelligence Corps. Some of the enlisted troops detested intelligence officers. Others merely detested her gender. She endured both. But to what end?
She would not look out the window. Out there in space, Admiral Piett, my mentor, died in defense of the Empire.
Captain Mitan's ship, the legendary Avenger, offered her vessel a safe harbour as the New Republic's X-Wing squadrons moved to intercept stray Imperial vessels.
Lieutenant Knessel volunteered to lead the insertion party on Cloud City. The Imperial garrison was low on firepower and would surely fall by week's end. Despite the reservations of some of the Avenger's military officers (objecting to any involvement of the intelligence corps), Mitan granted her request.
"You have two squadrons of stormtroopers. About 300. Retake the main spaceport. Then I will land the remainder of the force. That should raise your numbers to 800 troopers. Then destroy the ion cannon defenses, which will be heavily defended. The Avenger cannot enter orbit if those cannons are still online! Only then will I send the Avenger into Bespin space to commence an aerial bombardment, if there is still resistance. Good luck, lieutenant."
Mitan's hologram faded. Knessel stepped into the main hangar. One Imperial shuttle and one transport vessel awaited her – as well as 300 of the Avenger's best stormtroopers. Admiral Piett will not die in vain. Not after this day.
"You have your orders. Long live the Empire!" she proclaimed. The troops rushed into their vessels. Knessel took one last glance at the hanger, then ascended the Imperial shuttle. By day's end, Cloud City would be in Imperial hands again, she pledged ...