[Cloud City, industrial suburb]
Lieutenant Knessel descended from the Imperial shuttle. Her party arrived in a remote industrial sector of the city. In the distance, they could hear blaster and cannon fire. Cloud cars were dropping concussion bombs on the main civic building. That must be where the remaining Imperial garrison was making its stand, she thought.
"TK-4201, keep your squadron out of sight until my signal. Keep your comlinks open! It seems the main spaceport is already in the hands of Bespin partisans, but if we can recapture the secondary spaceport to the west of us ... that should provide a safe spot for more Imperial landings."
"Yes, Lieutenant." The stormtroopers marched quietly to a vacant hangar. Knessel and her squadron began the long trek to Cloud City's secondary spaceport. A smaller port, it would have been used for deliveries and trans- planetary freighters. If we could only have two or three more Imperial squadrons here, the city could be ours, she imagined.
The firefight in the centre of the city remained intense. Plumes of smoke rose from the main civic building where the Baron Administrator once conducted his affairs. Until the fall of the Empire, it housed the Imperial commandant and a garrison of troops. The entire system feared that any resistance would force the Empire to annex the system completely.
The destruction of the Death Star inspired them with other ideas.
"The partisans have already seized many of the planetary defenses -- shield generators and cannons – under their control. We must capture that spaceport!" Knessel drew her blaster. The squadron was approaching an intersection where a rusted walkway extended across the square.
She heard a shout. A pair of stormtroopers had been squashed by a hulking piece of mining equipment. Stormtroopers began firing into the sky. Knessel looked up towards the walkway.
Ughnaughts! The pig-faced workers of Bespin were hurling equipment, metal blocks and rods at the stormtroopers. Even as the squadron's accurate blasts toppled several of the vermin, dozens more flooded the walkway and pelted them with any number of metal scraps.
This is ridiculous! I'm not going to have a fiasco like that Ewok victory on Hoth. Knessel opened a trooper's backpack, grabbed a thermal detonator and set the timer.
"All troops, proceed to that storage building!" As the stormtroopers fled, Knessel flung the thermal detonator towards the walkway. Then she ran.
TK-7221, the squadron officer, was holding open the door, yelling at her to hurry up. The explosion propelled her to the ground. Two stormtroopers dragged her into the building. She caught a glimpse of what remained in the square. The walkway had completely collapsed, except for shards of metal that hung precariously from the opposite building. Scores of Ughnaught bodies lay strewn across the square.
Knessel coughed as the debris and smoke enveloped the surrounding streets. The ever-present blaster fire was coming closer.
A stormtrooper pointed towards another bridge. Dozens of Bespin security personnel, armed civilians and a handful of white-helmeted Rebel troopers ran towards them. Backed by orders to hold Cloud City until the arrival of the Alliance forces, they intended to hold the spaceport at all costs.
"Alliance soldiers!" Knessel cursed. She had hoped that she was merely facing a lightly armed, poorly-led partisan militia. The presence of professional Rebel soldiers – among them a few deserters from the Imperial Army – told her that they were expecting a Rebel force to support their uprising.
The stormtroopers instinctively formed two lines. Those troops with heavy rifles and grenade launchers formed the first line, providing the bulk of the squadron with potent artillery fire. In the rear, the remainder of the regular troops aimed their E-11 blasters.
"Fire!" Knessel ordered. Bolts of lasers criss-crossed the street. The squadron was pinned between the building to the rear and the charging resistance fighters.
Many Bespin guards fired, but missed their mark. The stormtroopers would not miss. Screams soon filled the street. The civilian fighters were the first to retreat. The surviving Bespin guards – unaccustomed to the disciplined fighting of Imperial soldiers – formed a defensive line. Their mistake.
A stormtrooper fired a concussion grenade from his rifle. It landed in the middle of the Bespin line, incinerating dozens of guards. Only the Rebel soldiers wisely took cover behind building walls and burnt speeder hulls. One by one they retreated across the bridge, as their comrades hurled grenades at the front lines.
One grenade landed mere feet from Knessel. TK-7221 jumped onto the grenade. The explosion created a hideous crater in his armour. Some troopers hesitated.
Knessel glared at them. "They're fleeing! Keep up the pursuit. We must take that port!!" TK-7222 took command of the squadron. Troopers provided flanking fire as the squadron dashed towards the bridge.
"Lieutenant ... take the city ..." TK-7221 coughed. "For the Imperial Army."
Knessel clutched his glove. "By nightfall, the Imperial Insignia will fly atop Cloud City." TK-7221 gasped, then died. He knew his duty. I still have mine. She took his blaster and rejoined her squadron. If we don't retake this spaceport, we may never get out of here alive.
[Bridge, the Avenger]
The communications officer stood up. "Captain Mitan! I think I may have a Rebel transmission!"
Mitan and Veers hurried to the station. It was an open communication. The rebels weren't even trying to scramble the signals.
"This is a general hail from the Alliance fleet. We are notifying all remaining Imperial vessels in this sector to surrender yourselves to the nearest Alliance planetary governor. The war is over. If you choose to resist, Alliance vessels have strict orders to pursue, capture or destroy your ship. Surrender and you will be spared."
"It's a repeating message. Ackbar's trying to demoralize the Imperial fleet." Veers scowled. Quite cunning, he thought. Propaganda to weaken the resolve of our forces. "Block that message! I don't want the Rebels to flood our communication lines with that drivel!"
Mitan interrupted. "General? It's another hail."
General Lando Calrissian appeared on the monitor. "Imperial destroyer. Stay out of Bespin space. This system is now under Alliance protection."
Veers frowned. "This is General Veers, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army. Bespin is under Imperial jurisdiction. We do not recognize the authority of your petty Alliance. We are merely – supervising – a police action on Cloud City. I order you to withdraw at once!"
Lando laughed. "Veers! Your Emperor is dead. This isn't Hoth. You can't simply brush away the Alliance this time!! I intend to take Bespin back ... without your permission. Recall your troops from Cloud City now, or I'll hunt them down myself."
Veers shut down the communications channel. Damn! The Rebellion is now aware of our activities in this sector.
"Is that THE Lando Calrissian? Of the battle of Tanaab?! The battle of Endor??" a junior officer blurted.
"Captain?" Veers needed to know the strength of the Rebels' forces. Now.
Mitan checked the long range scanners. "It's not a ruse. Two Rebel frigates and several starfighter squadrons have just entered hyperspace and will be in orbit around Bespin in about five minutes!"
"We cannot engage Calrissian. It's not merely a scouting patrol. He means to liberate Bespin! To confront a well-armed Rebel assault fleet would be foolish."
"And the landing party on Cloud City?" Mitan wondered.
"Perhaps we can provide them with aerial support. That is your arena, Captain."
"Right." Mitan tapped the bridge console. "TIE bomber squadron Alpha. Proceed to Cloud City."
The TIE bomber squadron screeched out of their hangars and into space. If we can't claim Bespin, Mitan scoffed, the Imperial Navy will turn its precious city into a wasteland.
If Lieutenant Knessel could only capture one spaceport, we could turn the tables. If the city fell under Imperial control, Calrissian would have no choice but to accept our possession of Bespin. The city's ion cannons could keep the Rebels at bay until the Imperial armada arrived to chase them out of the system.
"Rebel fleet now in Bespin! Rebel fleet in Bespin!" a bridge officer declared.
Come on, Knessel, hang on, Mitan hoped. The odds were certainly turning against her.
[Rebel command frigate, Resolution]
Great, Lando thought, an Imperial Star Destroyer. One hyperspace jump away from Bespin.
Admiral Ackbar's hologram appeared. "Report, General."
"Admiral, advise the fleet that there is Imperial activity in this sector. Things could get toasty if the Imperial Navy's survivors decide to ignore our warnings and resist us."
"I shall hold the fleet here." Ackbar suggested. "We are about three hours away from the Corellian sector. We could send you supporting vessels."
"I suggest that the fleet continue on its present course. For all we know, the Empire may be setting up the fleet for an ambush. Most of Bespin is in Rebel hands. We just need to dislodge the Imperial garrison from Cloud City."
"Acknowledged. But if we do not hear from you by day's end, I will direct the fleet to return to Bespin." Ackbar's hologram faded.
Lando tapped the bridge console. "Rogue Leader. You have an hour. I've notified our people on Cloud City to evacuate the defenses when you begin your attack run."
"Copy that, General, Rogue Leader out." Wedge was confident. He had a half a dozen squadrons of X-Wing fighters, A-Wings and Y-Wings behind him.
Wedge tapped his comlink. "Squadron leaders, you have your orders. May the Force be with you."
Within minutes, they would be over Cloud City. The Imperial troops were in for a nasty surprise.
Lieutenant Knessel descended from the Imperial shuttle. Her party arrived in a remote industrial sector of the city. In the distance, they could hear blaster and cannon fire. Cloud cars were dropping concussion bombs on the main civic building. That must be where the remaining Imperial garrison was making its stand, she thought.
"TK-4201, keep your squadron out of sight until my signal. Keep your comlinks open! It seems the main spaceport is already in the hands of Bespin partisans, but if we can recapture the secondary spaceport to the west of us ... that should provide a safe spot for more Imperial landings."
"Yes, Lieutenant." The stormtroopers marched quietly to a vacant hangar. Knessel and her squadron began the long trek to Cloud City's secondary spaceport. A smaller port, it would have been used for deliveries and trans- planetary freighters. If we could only have two or three more Imperial squadrons here, the city could be ours, she imagined.
The firefight in the centre of the city remained intense. Plumes of smoke rose from the main civic building where the Baron Administrator once conducted his affairs. Until the fall of the Empire, it housed the Imperial commandant and a garrison of troops. The entire system feared that any resistance would force the Empire to annex the system completely.
The destruction of the Death Star inspired them with other ideas.
"The partisans have already seized many of the planetary defenses -- shield generators and cannons – under their control. We must capture that spaceport!" Knessel drew her blaster. The squadron was approaching an intersection where a rusted walkway extended across the square.
She heard a shout. A pair of stormtroopers had been squashed by a hulking piece of mining equipment. Stormtroopers began firing into the sky. Knessel looked up towards the walkway.
Ughnaughts! The pig-faced workers of Bespin were hurling equipment, metal blocks and rods at the stormtroopers. Even as the squadron's accurate blasts toppled several of the vermin, dozens more flooded the walkway and pelted them with any number of metal scraps.
This is ridiculous! I'm not going to have a fiasco like that Ewok victory on Hoth. Knessel opened a trooper's backpack, grabbed a thermal detonator and set the timer.
"All troops, proceed to that storage building!" As the stormtroopers fled, Knessel flung the thermal detonator towards the walkway. Then she ran.
TK-7221, the squadron officer, was holding open the door, yelling at her to hurry up. The explosion propelled her to the ground. Two stormtroopers dragged her into the building. She caught a glimpse of what remained in the square. The walkway had completely collapsed, except for shards of metal that hung precariously from the opposite building. Scores of Ughnaught bodies lay strewn across the square.
Knessel coughed as the debris and smoke enveloped the surrounding streets. The ever-present blaster fire was coming closer.
A stormtrooper pointed towards another bridge. Dozens of Bespin security personnel, armed civilians and a handful of white-helmeted Rebel troopers ran towards them. Backed by orders to hold Cloud City until the arrival of the Alliance forces, they intended to hold the spaceport at all costs.
"Alliance soldiers!" Knessel cursed. She had hoped that she was merely facing a lightly armed, poorly-led partisan militia. The presence of professional Rebel soldiers – among them a few deserters from the Imperial Army – told her that they were expecting a Rebel force to support their uprising.
The stormtroopers instinctively formed two lines. Those troops with heavy rifles and grenade launchers formed the first line, providing the bulk of the squadron with potent artillery fire. In the rear, the remainder of the regular troops aimed their E-11 blasters.
"Fire!" Knessel ordered. Bolts of lasers criss-crossed the street. The squadron was pinned between the building to the rear and the charging resistance fighters.
Many Bespin guards fired, but missed their mark. The stormtroopers would not miss. Screams soon filled the street. The civilian fighters were the first to retreat. The surviving Bespin guards – unaccustomed to the disciplined fighting of Imperial soldiers – formed a defensive line. Their mistake.
A stormtrooper fired a concussion grenade from his rifle. It landed in the middle of the Bespin line, incinerating dozens of guards. Only the Rebel soldiers wisely took cover behind building walls and burnt speeder hulls. One by one they retreated across the bridge, as their comrades hurled grenades at the front lines.
One grenade landed mere feet from Knessel. TK-7221 jumped onto the grenade. The explosion created a hideous crater in his armour. Some troopers hesitated.
Knessel glared at them. "They're fleeing! Keep up the pursuit. We must take that port!!" TK-7222 took command of the squadron. Troopers provided flanking fire as the squadron dashed towards the bridge.
"Lieutenant ... take the city ..." TK-7221 coughed. "For the Imperial Army."
Knessel clutched his glove. "By nightfall, the Imperial Insignia will fly atop Cloud City." TK-7221 gasped, then died. He knew his duty. I still have mine. She took his blaster and rejoined her squadron. If we don't retake this spaceport, we may never get out of here alive.
[Bridge, the Avenger]
The communications officer stood up. "Captain Mitan! I think I may have a Rebel transmission!"
Mitan and Veers hurried to the station. It was an open communication. The rebels weren't even trying to scramble the signals.
"This is a general hail from the Alliance fleet. We are notifying all remaining Imperial vessels in this sector to surrender yourselves to the nearest Alliance planetary governor. The war is over. If you choose to resist, Alliance vessels have strict orders to pursue, capture or destroy your ship. Surrender and you will be spared."
"It's a repeating message. Ackbar's trying to demoralize the Imperial fleet." Veers scowled. Quite cunning, he thought. Propaganda to weaken the resolve of our forces. "Block that message! I don't want the Rebels to flood our communication lines with that drivel!"
Mitan interrupted. "General? It's another hail."
General Lando Calrissian appeared on the monitor. "Imperial destroyer. Stay out of Bespin space. This system is now under Alliance protection."
Veers frowned. "This is General Veers, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army. Bespin is under Imperial jurisdiction. We do not recognize the authority of your petty Alliance. We are merely – supervising – a police action on Cloud City. I order you to withdraw at once!"
Lando laughed. "Veers! Your Emperor is dead. This isn't Hoth. You can't simply brush away the Alliance this time!! I intend to take Bespin back ... without your permission. Recall your troops from Cloud City now, or I'll hunt them down myself."
Veers shut down the communications channel. Damn! The Rebellion is now aware of our activities in this sector.
"Is that THE Lando Calrissian? Of the battle of Tanaab?! The battle of Endor??" a junior officer blurted.
"Captain?" Veers needed to know the strength of the Rebels' forces. Now.
Mitan checked the long range scanners. "It's not a ruse. Two Rebel frigates and several starfighter squadrons have just entered hyperspace and will be in orbit around Bespin in about five minutes!"
"We cannot engage Calrissian. It's not merely a scouting patrol. He means to liberate Bespin! To confront a well-armed Rebel assault fleet would be foolish."
"And the landing party on Cloud City?" Mitan wondered.
"Perhaps we can provide them with aerial support. That is your arena, Captain."
"Right." Mitan tapped the bridge console. "TIE bomber squadron Alpha. Proceed to Cloud City."
The TIE bomber squadron screeched out of their hangars and into space. If we can't claim Bespin, Mitan scoffed, the Imperial Navy will turn its precious city into a wasteland.
If Lieutenant Knessel could only capture one spaceport, we could turn the tables. If the city fell under Imperial control, Calrissian would have no choice but to accept our possession of Bespin. The city's ion cannons could keep the Rebels at bay until the Imperial armada arrived to chase them out of the system.
"Rebel fleet now in Bespin! Rebel fleet in Bespin!" a bridge officer declared.
Come on, Knessel, hang on, Mitan hoped. The odds were certainly turning against her.
[Rebel command frigate, Resolution]
Great, Lando thought, an Imperial Star Destroyer. One hyperspace jump away from Bespin.
Admiral Ackbar's hologram appeared. "Report, General."
"Admiral, advise the fleet that there is Imperial activity in this sector. Things could get toasty if the Imperial Navy's survivors decide to ignore our warnings and resist us."
"I shall hold the fleet here." Ackbar suggested. "We are about three hours away from the Corellian sector. We could send you supporting vessels."
"I suggest that the fleet continue on its present course. For all we know, the Empire may be setting up the fleet for an ambush. Most of Bespin is in Rebel hands. We just need to dislodge the Imperial garrison from Cloud City."
"Acknowledged. But if we do not hear from you by day's end, I will direct the fleet to return to Bespin." Ackbar's hologram faded.
Lando tapped the bridge console. "Rogue Leader. You have an hour. I've notified our people on Cloud City to evacuate the defenses when you begin your attack run."
"Copy that, General, Rogue Leader out." Wedge was confident. He had a half a dozen squadrons of X-Wing fighters, A-Wings and Y-Wings behind him.
Wedge tapped his comlink. "Squadron leaders, you have your orders. May the Force be with you."
Within minutes, they would be over Cloud City. The Imperial troops were in for a nasty surprise.