[The skies above Cloud City]
"Commander!" the pilot on his left wing was frantic. "Those X-Wings are closing in on us!"
"Stay in formation!" TIE bomber squadron Alpha's commander barked over the comlink. He heard the blast of X-Wing laser cannons. His left flank was now exposed, as a ball of smoke and flame indicated that the Rogue Squadron had made another kill.
Another TIE bomber joined in the formation. Two more explosions in the sky. An A-Wing and a TIE bomber had collided.
The commander checked the coordinates hologram. The defense compound was approaching. "Prepare for torpedo launch." The torpedo bay doors opened below each of the three bombers in formation. "Lieutenant Knessel, we have commenced our attack run. Take your troops to cover."
"Acknowledged." Knessel replied. The commander could now see the defense compound. The landing party had taken cover behind the burning hulls of cloud cars.
"On my mark. Fire!" Several torpedoes rained onto the heavily shielded defense compound. The first few torpedoes had little effect, but the subsequent bombardment caused the blast doors to crumple and crack.
Success! Knessel instructed her grenadier troopers to plant charges in the breach. They ducked as the explosion caved in the rest of the entrance. As the troops flooded into the compound, Knessel waved in gratitude to the TIE bombers.
"Bomber squadron Alpha requesting further orders, Avenger" the commander inquired.
"Return to the ship. Engage those starfighters only in self-defense. You have done your duty for now. The Avenger will be there momentarily."
"Alpha squadron out." The commander and his pilots broke formation and began their flight from Bespin airspace.
Rogue Squadron had other ideas. If those bombers return, Wedge thought, we'd have to fight them again.
"All squadrons. Intercept and destroy!" Dozens of A-Wings and X-Wings swarmed the retreating bombers.
The commander pulled up his bomber. "All pilots! Do not engage the enemy. We cannot match their speed! You have your orders." Suddenly the Avenger appeared out of hyperspace.
The rebel starfighters were already picking off stragglers from the bomber squadron. The commander spun his bomber over the group of X-Wings and A- Wings.
"Rogue 3, where did the lead bomber go?" Wedge demanded.
"Rogue 3 here. He slipped out of radar." Then he looked up. Oh no! The bomber was zooming fast towards them. "Rogue Squadron, evasive action!"
The bomber commander waited for the last of his squadron to escape, then set loose his entire hold of torpedoes.
"Evasive action, Rogue and Gold squadrons!" Wedge shrieked. Many of the fighters streaked away in all directions, but dozens of them did not react in time. The torpedoes soon turned the airspace into a hailstorm of sparks, debris and smoke.
Wedge powered his engines and pursued the TIE bomber commander. Those A- Wing and X-Wing fighter pilots did not die in vain, he pledged. May the Force be with us. The TIE bomber tried to avoid his targeting range, but Wedge persisted. The commander checked his radar. The remaining bombers had returned to the Avenger. My men are safe, he thought. And they will fight again. Alarms rang in his cockpit.
"Captain Mitan, mission complete," he announced over his comlink. If I could only see my wife just one more time ...
"Gotcha!" Wedge locked the TIE bomber in his targeting range. He zapped a wing, then the main engine of the bomber. It exploded, but the Rogue Leader had little time to relish the victory. The Avenger was already approaching, led by a vengeful swarm of TIE fighters.
"All fighters prepare to form a defensive perimeter around the frigates!" Wedge ordered.
So the rumours are true. The Imperial Fleet is still active. And ready for battle.
[The bridge, the Avenger]
Captain Mitan pinched his forehead. Alpha's squadron commander was one of the best in the galaxy. He marched over to the communications officer. "News from Cloud City?"
The officer reviewed the communications logs. "The landing party have captured the defense compound. They are prepared to take those ion cannon offline ... or ..."
The captain raised an eyebrow. "Or?"
"We could turn those cannons against the Rebel fleet. We may be able to force them to withdraw."
The captain glanced at General Veers. "Something's not right." Mitan reviewed the radar again. "X-Wings and A-Wings have assumed a defensive position around the frigates. Were there not Y-Wings at their initial attack run?!"
Y-Wings are slower than the faster X-Wings and A-Wings, Mitan thought. They do, however, have formidable bombing capabilities. Bombing ...
"General Veers. It's a trap! The Rebels ... it was their intention all along to destroy the defensive compound ..."
"Blast them!" Veers cursed. "They were baiting the landing party ... waiting for the opportunity to ..."
Mitan checked the radar. "A squadron of Y-Wings are descending on the defense compound." The captain looked towards the communications station.
The communications officer slammed the comlink button. "Bespin landing party. Evacuate the compound. It's a trap!"
[Central defense compound, Cloud City]
Knessel and her troops investigated the main command centre. They had already disabled the ion cannons and turbo lasers. Overhead were the screeches of starfighters.
"Repeat, Avenger ... your channel is breaking up," she yelled into her comlink.
"It's a trap! Get out of the compound, now!!" The officer's voice was frantic. On the radar, the Y-Wings were racing towards the compound.
"Everyone out!" Knessel ordered her troops. "Those are Y-Wings beginning their attack run!!" Scores of stormtroopers poured out of the breach in the entrance. Did everyone make it out?
A dozen Y-Wings soared unopposed over Cloud City. "Activate targeting computer." Green Leader ordered. "A few more seconds ..."
On the ground, a stormtrooper interrupted Knessel. "About 20 stormtroopers went to the munitions level to check on small arms, rifles ..."
Knessel looked up. The Y-Wings roared, preparing to deliver death to their squadron. She began to run back to the compound. "Everyone out!" TK-7222, the new stormtrooper squadron leader, held her back. "It's too late, lieutenant!" They ducked behind a speeder as the Y-Wings barraged the compound with their bombs. The defense compound's roof buckled, then gave way. Fire billowed from the breaches in the walls.
Knessel had hoped that they could use the turbo lasers and ion cannons against the invading Rebel fleet. Those rebels knew that and were prepared to destroy those very defenses. Now their invasion would be unopposed. Within the hour, tens of thousands of Rebel troops, vehicles and ships would overwhelm their pitiful landing party. She turned on her comlink.
"Knessel to the Avenger."
"Captain Mitan. Report, Lieutenant."
"The defense compound ... the rebels destroyed it ... most of my squadron survived. Another squadron is providing support for the main Imperial garrison."
"Proceed to the main civic building. We are sending an extraction party. Link up with them there. We will try to extract you and the garrison's defenders before the main Rebel force arrives."
"A retreat? But, sir, if we could just hang onto the civic building, that would give us effective control of the planet ..."
"Lieutenant, you have your orders. Several transport ships have already departed the Rebel frigate. If we don't act - now - to rescue the garrison, they will all be lost."
"Acknowledged." Several stormtroopers gathered around for their orders.
"We have orders to regroup with the other squadron and repel the Rebel militias until the extraction force arrives ... for evacuation."
Knessel hated those words. Evacuation. Any thought of holding the planet evaporated when those Y-Wings destroyed the defense compound. Right now our goal is survival. The civic building was across several bridges. Her troops were already under fire from Rebel snipers atop the surrounding buildings and towers.
"Keep going!" she ordered, as she exchanged fire with one of the enemy snipers. At the other end of the city, she could see Rebel transports hovering, then landing. Hordes of Rebel soldiers streamed out. Towards the civic building.
Her squadron advanced over one bridge, losing several troopers to sniper fire. A wide courtyard. Several grenades were lobbed towards them. A few more troopers died. A dozen grenadier troopers neutralized the partisan defenders. One last bridge. 100 or 120 Rebel soldiers already rushed across the bridge. Too close for blaster fire or grenades.
The lead Rebel soldier grappled with Knessel. "Surrender, officer!"
Knessel punched him in the chin. "The city is ours, rebel scum!" She climbed over a few fallen rebels and lunged at another soldier - tossing him over the bridge. By sheer volume of troops, the Imperial force slowly pushed the Rebels back. One by one, the Rebels fell back and retreated across the bridge.
The stormtroopers formed a defensive line, flanked by the grenadier and heavy rifle troopers. Knessel watched as the surviving rebels crouched behind walls, crates and debris.
"Stand down, rebels!" she ordered. "The garrison stays in Imperial hands." If they could just hold on, perhaps the rebels will choose to withdraw instead of fighting.
The rebel commander could simply surrender and allow this landing party free access to the civic building. Those few moments could give the Imperial garrison the opportunity to finally repel the Rebel force. We must give Calrissian's force ample time to arrive, he thought.
"The Empire is finished!" the commander taunted. "On my mark. Fire!" Several stormtroopers in the front line fell to enemy blaster fire.
"Grenadiers!" Knessel ordered. They knelt and fired their concussion grenades. The main plaza before the civic building was soon littered with the charred remains and lingering screams of the Rebels' last line of defense.
A stormtrooper placed a detonator on the main door. A burst of fire and shrapnel, and the civic building's outer walls were theirs. She spotted several hundred troops of the Imperial Garrison of Cloud City.
"We're here to lift the siege. An extraction force will be here in moments," Knessel announced, expecting a sigh of relief. There was none.
She noticed several Imperial and Rebel soldiers - dead or dying - throughout the courtyard. The surviving garrison and the reinforcements had huddled together in one last, desperate square. Something at the centre of the room was draped in the Imperial Insignia. "Our commandant fell during the Rebels' final thrust," an olive-uniformed lieutenant explained, "We tried to hold the inner building, but we were overwhelmed."
"My, my, what have we here," a voice boomed from the upper ramparts. "The so-called landing party that was supposed to keep the city ... MY city ... under Imperial control! As you can see, the siege was lifted. We broke it!"
"Lando Calrissian!" Knessel snarled, and aimed her blaster.
Lobot, Lando's confidant and aide, immediately fired his blaster, knocking the E-11 out of Knessel's hands.
"Surrender, now, lieutenant," Lando ordered, "Tell your men to drop their weapons. The garrison commandant forced my hand when he unleashed destroyer droids on my soldiers. Drop your weapons, and I promise you'll be fairly treated, lieutenant ... umm ..."
"Lieutenant Knessel of the Imperial Intelligence Corps. We will not surrender, since we are expecting reinforcements at any moment."
"Don't wait too long," Lando scoffed. "Alliance soldiers have recaptured half of the city. I intend to bring the Bespin system under Rebel protection. Effective immediately. Even now, our starfighters are decimating your TIE fighters. Pretty soon, your Star Destroyer will be defenceless. My two frigates have enough firepower to disable your ship. Permanently!"
Lando had heard the reports about Cloud City under Imperial "protection". The Imperial commandant was ruthless in his suppression of Cloud City's citizens. He had heard tales of torture, imprisonment and executions. Those days end today. Even if he ordered his men to stun these Imperial troops, many would simply ignore the order. They had witnessed the Empire's oppression of their peoples across the galaxy. They wanted revenge and were prepared to shoot to kill.
"For the last time, stand down and drop your weapons." Lando saw that Knessel and her troops were determined to make their stand here. More bloodshed, he thought. Regrettable, but necessary. Cloud City has suffered Imperial persecution for too long.
Lando instructed Lobot to move the prisoners behind the Rebel lines. With the potential collateral damage out of the way, it remained a tense stalemate. Most of the garrison refused to surrender. Knessel's party - less than 100 now - remained in the centre.
Lando then cleared his throat. "Rebel commanders, if any Imperial trooper or officer remains armed within ONE minute, order your men to cut them down! For one ... last ... time ... stand down and surrender!"
"Aim your fire at General Calrissian!" she ordered. "If he wants to be a martyr, that's his mistake."
Lobot's trigger finger itched. In a micro-second, he could strike down the foolish young lieutenant with one shot from his laser pistol.
Lando wiped his brow. The Empire has fallen. Why can't she see that? "Rebel commanders, prepare to fire on the Imperial landing party. Use ... whatever force you feel is necessary to subdue them."
Knessel wiped the sweat off her forehead with her hand. A few stormtroopers glanced hesitantly at her. They don't want to die today, she thought, but they're prepared to follow me to hell. I wanted to prove myself to this new Imperial Council. To prove my loyalty. It appears that the Empire is going to lose this round. I hate failure ...
"Commander!" the pilot on his left wing was frantic. "Those X-Wings are closing in on us!"
"Stay in formation!" TIE bomber squadron Alpha's commander barked over the comlink. He heard the blast of X-Wing laser cannons. His left flank was now exposed, as a ball of smoke and flame indicated that the Rogue Squadron had made another kill.
Another TIE bomber joined in the formation. Two more explosions in the sky. An A-Wing and a TIE bomber had collided.
The commander checked the coordinates hologram. The defense compound was approaching. "Prepare for torpedo launch." The torpedo bay doors opened below each of the three bombers in formation. "Lieutenant Knessel, we have commenced our attack run. Take your troops to cover."
"Acknowledged." Knessel replied. The commander could now see the defense compound. The landing party had taken cover behind the burning hulls of cloud cars.
"On my mark. Fire!" Several torpedoes rained onto the heavily shielded defense compound. The first few torpedoes had little effect, but the subsequent bombardment caused the blast doors to crumple and crack.
Success! Knessel instructed her grenadier troopers to plant charges in the breach. They ducked as the explosion caved in the rest of the entrance. As the troops flooded into the compound, Knessel waved in gratitude to the TIE bombers.
"Bomber squadron Alpha requesting further orders, Avenger" the commander inquired.
"Return to the ship. Engage those starfighters only in self-defense. You have done your duty for now. The Avenger will be there momentarily."
"Alpha squadron out." The commander and his pilots broke formation and began their flight from Bespin airspace.
Rogue Squadron had other ideas. If those bombers return, Wedge thought, we'd have to fight them again.
"All squadrons. Intercept and destroy!" Dozens of A-Wings and X-Wings swarmed the retreating bombers.
The commander pulled up his bomber. "All pilots! Do not engage the enemy. We cannot match their speed! You have your orders." Suddenly the Avenger appeared out of hyperspace.
The rebel starfighters were already picking off stragglers from the bomber squadron. The commander spun his bomber over the group of X-Wings and A- Wings.
"Rogue 3, where did the lead bomber go?" Wedge demanded.
"Rogue 3 here. He slipped out of radar." Then he looked up. Oh no! The bomber was zooming fast towards them. "Rogue Squadron, evasive action!"
The bomber commander waited for the last of his squadron to escape, then set loose his entire hold of torpedoes.
"Evasive action, Rogue and Gold squadrons!" Wedge shrieked. Many of the fighters streaked away in all directions, but dozens of them did not react in time. The torpedoes soon turned the airspace into a hailstorm of sparks, debris and smoke.
Wedge powered his engines and pursued the TIE bomber commander. Those A- Wing and X-Wing fighter pilots did not die in vain, he pledged. May the Force be with us. The TIE bomber tried to avoid his targeting range, but Wedge persisted. The commander checked his radar. The remaining bombers had returned to the Avenger. My men are safe, he thought. And they will fight again. Alarms rang in his cockpit.
"Captain Mitan, mission complete," he announced over his comlink. If I could only see my wife just one more time ...
"Gotcha!" Wedge locked the TIE bomber in his targeting range. He zapped a wing, then the main engine of the bomber. It exploded, but the Rogue Leader had little time to relish the victory. The Avenger was already approaching, led by a vengeful swarm of TIE fighters.
"All fighters prepare to form a defensive perimeter around the frigates!" Wedge ordered.
So the rumours are true. The Imperial Fleet is still active. And ready for battle.
[The bridge, the Avenger]
Captain Mitan pinched his forehead. Alpha's squadron commander was one of the best in the galaxy. He marched over to the communications officer. "News from Cloud City?"
The officer reviewed the communications logs. "The landing party have captured the defense compound. They are prepared to take those ion cannon offline ... or ..."
The captain raised an eyebrow. "Or?"
"We could turn those cannons against the Rebel fleet. We may be able to force them to withdraw."
The captain glanced at General Veers. "Something's not right." Mitan reviewed the radar again. "X-Wings and A-Wings have assumed a defensive position around the frigates. Were there not Y-Wings at their initial attack run?!"
Y-Wings are slower than the faster X-Wings and A-Wings, Mitan thought. They do, however, have formidable bombing capabilities. Bombing ...
"General Veers. It's a trap! The Rebels ... it was their intention all along to destroy the defensive compound ..."
"Blast them!" Veers cursed. "They were baiting the landing party ... waiting for the opportunity to ..."
Mitan checked the radar. "A squadron of Y-Wings are descending on the defense compound." The captain looked towards the communications station.
The communications officer slammed the comlink button. "Bespin landing party. Evacuate the compound. It's a trap!"
[Central defense compound, Cloud City]
Knessel and her troops investigated the main command centre. They had already disabled the ion cannons and turbo lasers. Overhead were the screeches of starfighters.
"Repeat, Avenger ... your channel is breaking up," she yelled into her comlink.
"It's a trap! Get out of the compound, now!!" The officer's voice was frantic. On the radar, the Y-Wings were racing towards the compound.
"Everyone out!" Knessel ordered her troops. "Those are Y-Wings beginning their attack run!!" Scores of stormtroopers poured out of the breach in the entrance. Did everyone make it out?
A dozen Y-Wings soared unopposed over Cloud City. "Activate targeting computer." Green Leader ordered. "A few more seconds ..."
On the ground, a stormtrooper interrupted Knessel. "About 20 stormtroopers went to the munitions level to check on small arms, rifles ..."
Knessel looked up. The Y-Wings roared, preparing to deliver death to their squadron. She began to run back to the compound. "Everyone out!" TK-7222, the new stormtrooper squadron leader, held her back. "It's too late, lieutenant!" They ducked behind a speeder as the Y-Wings barraged the compound with their bombs. The defense compound's roof buckled, then gave way. Fire billowed from the breaches in the walls.
Knessel had hoped that they could use the turbo lasers and ion cannons against the invading Rebel fleet. Those rebels knew that and were prepared to destroy those very defenses. Now their invasion would be unopposed. Within the hour, tens of thousands of Rebel troops, vehicles and ships would overwhelm their pitiful landing party. She turned on her comlink.
"Knessel to the Avenger."
"Captain Mitan. Report, Lieutenant."
"The defense compound ... the rebels destroyed it ... most of my squadron survived. Another squadron is providing support for the main Imperial garrison."
"Proceed to the main civic building. We are sending an extraction party. Link up with them there. We will try to extract you and the garrison's defenders before the main Rebel force arrives."
"A retreat? But, sir, if we could just hang onto the civic building, that would give us effective control of the planet ..."
"Lieutenant, you have your orders. Several transport ships have already departed the Rebel frigate. If we don't act - now - to rescue the garrison, they will all be lost."
"Acknowledged." Several stormtroopers gathered around for their orders.
"We have orders to regroup with the other squadron and repel the Rebel militias until the extraction force arrives ... for evacuation."
Knessel hated those words. Evacuation. Any thought of holding the planet evaporated when those Y-Wings destroyed the defense compound. Right now our goal is survival. The civic building was across several bridges. Her troops were already under fire from Rebel snipers atop the surrounding buildings and towers.
"Keep going!" she ordered, as she exchanged fire with one of the enemy snipers. At the other end of the city, she could see Rebel transports hovering, then landing. Hordes of Rebel soldiers streamed out. Towards the civic building.
Her squadron advanced over one bridge, losing several troopers to sniper fire. A wide courtyard. Several grenades were lobbed towards them. A few more troopers died. A dozen grenadier troopers neutralized the partisan defenders. One last bridge. 100 or 120 Rebel soldiers already rushed across the bridge. Too close for blaster fire or grenades.
The lead Rebel soldier grappled with Knessel. "Surrender, officer!"
Knessel punched him in the chin. "The city is ours, rebel scum!" She climbed over a few fallen rebels and lunged at another soldier - tossing him over the bridge. By sheer volume of troops, the Imperial force slowly pushed the Rebels back. One by one, the Rebels fell back and retreated across the bridge.
The stormtroopers formed a defensive line, flanked by the grenadier and heavy rifle troopers. Knessel watched as the surviving rebels crouched behind walls, crates and debris.
"Stand down, rebels!" she ordered. "The garrison stays in Imperial hands." If they could just hold on, perhaps the rebels will choose to withdraw instead of fighting.
The rebel commander could simply surrender and allow this landing party free access to the civic building. Those few moments could give the Imperial garrison the opportunity to finally repel the Rebel force. We must give Calrissian's force ample time to arrive, he thought.
"The Empire is finished!" the commander taunted. "On my mark. Fire!" Several stormtroopers in the front line fell to enemy blaster fire.
"Grenadiers!" Knessel ordered. They knelt and fired their concussion grenades. The main plaza before the civic building was soon littered with the charred remains and lingering screams of the Rebels' last line of defense.
A stormtrooper placed a detonator on the main door. A burst of fire and shrapnel, and the civic building's outer walls were theirs. She spotted several hundred troops of the Imperial Garrison of Cloud City.
"We're here to lift the siege. An extraction force will be here in moments," Knessel announced, expecting a sigh of relief. There was none.
She noticed several Imperial and Rebel soldiers - dead or dying - throughout the courtyard. The surviving garrison and the reinforcements had huddled together in one last, desperate square. Something at the centre of the room was draped in the Imperial Insignia. "Our commandant fell during the Rebels' final thrust," an olive-uniformed lieutenant explained, "We tried to hold the inner building, but we were overwhelmed."
"My, my, what have we here," a voice boomed from the upper ramparts. "The so-called landing party that was supposed to keep the city ... MY city ... under Imperial control! As you can see, the siege was lifted. We broke it!"
"Lando Calrissian!" Knessel snarled, and aimed her blaster.
Lobot, Lando's confidant and aide, immediately fired his blaster, knocking the E-11 out of Knessel's hands.
"Surrender, now, lieutenant," Lando ordered, "Tell your men to drop their weapons. The garrison commandant forced my hand when he unleashed destroyer droids on my soldiers. Drop your weapons, and I promise you'll be fairly treated, lieutenant ... umm ..."
"Lieutenant Knessel of the Imperial Intelligence Corps. We will not surrender, since we are expecting reinforcements at any moment."
"Don't wait too long," Lando scoffed. "Alliance soldiers have recaptured half of the city. I intend to bring the Bespin system under Rebel protection. Effective immediately. Even now, our starfighters are decimating your TIE fighters. Pretty soon, your Star Destroyer will be defenceless. My two frigates have enough firepower to disable your ship. Permanently!"
Lando had heard the reports about Cloud City under Imperial "protection". The Imperial commandant was ruthless in his suppression of Cloud City's citizens. He had heard tales of torture, imprisonment and executions. Those days end today. Even if he ordered his men to stun these Imperial troops, many would simply ignore the order. They had witnessed the Empire's oppression of their peoples across the galaxy. They wanted revenge and were prepared to shoot to kill.
"For the last time, stand down and drop your weapons." Lando saw that Knessel and her troops were determined to make their stand here. More bloodshed, he thought. Regrettable, but necessary. Cloud City has suffered Imperial persecution for too long.
Lando instructed Lobot to move the prisoners behind the Rebel lines. With the potential collateral damage out of the way, it remained a tense stalemate. Most of the garrison refused to surrender. Knessel's party - less than 100 now - remained in the centre.
Lando then cleared his throat. "Rebel commanders, if any Imperial trooper or officer remains armed within ONE minute, order your men to cut them down! For one ... last ... time ... stand down and surrender!"
"Aim your fire at General Calrissian!" she ordered. "If he wants to be a martyr, that's his mistake."
Lobot's trigger finger itched. In a micro-second, he could strike down the foolish young lieutenant with one shot from his laser pistol.
Lando wiped his brow. The Empire has fallen. Why can't she see that? "Rebel commanders, prepare to fire on the Imperial landing party. Use ... whatever force you feel is necessary to subdue them."
Knessel wiped the sweat off her forehead with her hand. A few stormtroopers glanced hesitantly at her. They don't want to die today, she thought, but they're prepared to follow me to hell. I wanted to prove myself to this new Imperial Council. To prove my loyalty. It appears that the Empire is going to lose this round. I hate failure ...