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"By the way," Vanessa began. "Aren't you a little young to have your own freighter?"
She and Ferb were on top of the Sunspring. It had been two days since the Battle of New Syvris. Under Lieutenant Commander Shan's orders Ferb had been pressed into service as a mechanic to help repair the Sullust. He was now spending his free time hard at work using a carbon chisel to scrape away the carbon scoring the Corellian freighter had suffered at Gosruuk (his last task with his own ship, now that all other repairs had been completed) while Vanessa was reclining with her eyes closed. Ferb usually would've been bothered by someone hanging around him without volunteering to help out, but for some reason he was actually…glad Vanessa chose to spend her time with him.
You and I of course can see what's so obviously happening here, but this was a first for young Ferb and he was quite at a loss to understand these feelings.
"I guess," Ferb said quickly. Each time she spoke to him his heart raced and he found it hard to focus on whatever he was doing.
"You know…" she said. "It is a little strange for a kid to be traveling by himself."
"I suppose." Ferb said neutrally.
Vanessa leaned over and rested on her side, looking at Ferb. He blushed and tried not to look at her chest. She noticed this and wanted to tease him, but decided to spare his dignity. She decided to change the topic.
"It's been quieter around here lately, hasn't it?" she said.
"Yeah," Ferb agreed. "Since, uh, like, you know-everyone's at the-the other base and all."
Just a few hours ago the majority of the infantry at Degul Outpost had departed aboard the C-9979 transport and Wayfarer-class transports for Keilosren. Major Reaches the Rice Slowly and Lieutenant Ran'o had stayed behind to coordinate Maroon Squadron's operations in the area, but most of the soldiers were now with the rest of the General's forces.
"Yeah," she said.
"Are, uh, all your friends there?" Ferb asked. He was awkwardly trying to find things to talk about and landed on asking after her friends in the Rebellion.
"Huh?" Vanessa said, seeming caught off-guard.
"Your friends." Ferb repeated. "Since, y'know, you're actually a rebel. And not some galactic drifter like me."
Vanessa appeared uneasy all of a sudden. "Oh…yeah…"
Ferb frowned. "Is something wrong?" She looked away, shaking her head.
"No, no, not at all." Vanessa sighed. "No."
The Imperial II-class Star Destroyers War Hammer and Vehement, together with the ships of Atrisa Squadron and a single Razor-class frigate, were all Vice Admiral Etrim Autren could scrape up for his attack on the Rebel base. He had this small force gathered at the Sector Marshaling Station in the Bigthe system, waiting for orders on where to attack.
"Scout ships report the Ea'br system appears to be devoid of rebel presence," said General Baker via hologram. Vice Admiral Autren was on the bridge of the Star Destroyer War Hammer. Standing next to him was its commander, Captain Lara Tybur.
"We're narrowing it down, then," said Vice Admiral Autren. "That leaves…just four or five possible systems."
"Yes," said General Baker. "We're taking note of the repeated skirmishes near Gosruuk-they keep sending fighter craft to attack the convoys we send to resupply Commander Freidgren's troops. We're hoping that provides us with a clue to their base's location. Baker out."
The hologram of General Baker disappeared.
Captain Tybur said nothing as Vice Admiral Autren muttered angrily to himself.
"We must win!" he declared suddenly. The entirety of the bridge crew glanced over and then quickly looked away again, not wanting to get caught up in an emotional outburst from a flag officer.
"Yes sir," agreed Captain Tybur.
"We shall win." Vice Admiral Autren said.
"Yes sir," agreed Captain Tybur.
"Without the help of those TIEs Vice Admiral Smith and the regional governor keep pushing. Firepower is all we need."
"Yes sir," said Captain Tybur, but she didn't agree.
Eighteen hours later, an Imperial probe droid dispatched to the Kesbaisbs system spotted one of Red Flight's patrol starfighters. It tracked the rebel V-Wing through the Daral belt back to Degul Outpost. Upon discovering what appeared to be a space station built into a large asteroid, with a CR90 Corvette and a HC-556 light cruiser positioned near it, the probe droid reported its findings to the Naval Intelligence Agency's sensor suite at the Imperial station in the Bigthe system. The analysts matched the images of the corvette to the description of the corvette that had appeared at the Infkuenxe Nebula and New Syvris.
When informed, Vice Admiral Autren could tell that there must be other rebel bases in their sector of the Outer Rim. The images Naval Intelligence's analysts showed him depicted a space station far too small to house all of the starfighters, soldiers, and ground vehicles that the rebels had used across the sector in the past few weeks. Furthermore, he could not see a Pelta-class frigate anywhere near the station. Clearly this was not the only rebel outpost in the Zoraster sector.
But, time was running out for our Imperial friends. Vice Admiral Autren wisely recognised that a quick strike on yonder newly-found enemy base would yield results and limit the offensive capabilities of the local rebel forces. Gathering the ships Moff Irion had given him, he depart'd for the remote Kesbaisbs system.
Not too much later the two Star Destroyers, the carriers of Atrisa Squadron, and the lone frigate dropped out of hyperspace on the edge of the Daral belt.
Vice Admiral Autren stared at the holographic map of the Daral belt. The rebel base was deep inside the asteroid field, where his Star Destroyers could not travel without risking severe damage.
"Captain, launch your fighters!" he ordered.
"Yes sir," responded Captain Tybur.
Despite Colonel Jag's protests, Vice Admiral Autren had opted to hold the 467th Fighter Wing's forces back during the initial attack. The smaller Razor-class frigate, the Modarrin, would move into the asteroid field's outer edges to support three squadrons of TIE fighters loosed from the War Hammer's docking bays.
Vice Admiral Autren was quite fortunate to have launched his attack when he did, for you see Degul Outpost had precious few starfighters to sortie in defense. Boom Squadron had been transferred over to the Keilosren rebel base not long after Major Reaches the Rice Slowly had sent his soldiers there, and most of Maroon Squadron was out launching a hit-and-run attack against a TIE fighter patrol above Foe. Lieutenant Commander Darius Shan had only the three starfighters of Red Flight and two of Commander Harkson's Z-95s on hand.
On the other side of this newly-birthed battlefield, Major Reaches the Rice Slowly and Lieutenant Ran'o raced into Degul Outpost's command centre. He had put on his favourite coat and his tricorn hat.
"How many?" he asked.
"Two destroyers, some carriers, a frigate," answered Lieutenant Commander Shan. "They're already sending out TIE fighters."
"Get the Sullust into a defensive position and have our few starfighters sortie now!" Major Reaches Slowly ordered. "Sound a general evacuation order!"
All they had left was a single Taylander shuttle and Coryn Polo's freighter Sunspring. They also had a single cargo orbiter but it lacked a hyperdrive and would only be able to travel anywhere if docked with a larger ship, such as the corvette Sullust.
"We have twenty minutes until our evacuation is complete," Lieutenant Commander Shan said.
"We have to hold out until then!" Major Reaches the Rice Slowly said.
Lieutenant Ran'o went to the hangar to commandeer (much to Ferb's discomfort) the Sunspring and oversee the evacuation of personnel. Red Flight's three starfighters and the pair of Z-95s had lifted off and were heading to engage the TIEs. The Sullust was preparing to fire on the incoming TIEs while the HC-556 light cruiser moved to put itself between the Imperial fleet's firing line and the base. The Rebel fighters met the TIEs and opened fire.
On the War Hammer's bridge, Vice Admiral Autren watched as the opening stages of the battle unfolded.
"Sir, Colonel Jag is requesting clearance to launch." said the ship's lead communications officer, a dark-skinned human woman.
"Denied!" Vice Admiral Autren said. "We shall prove our good friend Commander Smith wrong! The Navy needs no elite fighter units! We can triumph with our firepower alone!"
Now, you no doubt are baffled as to how Etrim Autren could employ such cognitive dissonance-here he speaks of using solely turbolasers while at the same time, in front of his very eyes, the only Imperial units engaging the enemy were TIE fighters. But you see, the good Vice Admiral was not wholly a foolish man-these TIEs he had sent out were merely a feint! This was a strategy he had used since his days fighting marauders beyond Pertouran-he would use his starfighters as bait to lure out his enemy's starfighters, then cut them down with the guns of his capital ships. On his orders the TIE squadrons he did send out broke formation and scattered. The Razor-class frigate sent into the asteroid field opened fire on where the Rebellion's snubfighters were. The rebel pilots scattered in the face of this new Imperial threat. One of Red Flight's V-Wings was vaporised by the turbolaser fire from the Imperial frigate while a Maroon Squadron headhunter's wing got blown off, causing it to crash into an asteroid. In a stroke of luck for Autren, the remaining fighters misjudged the Imperial strategy and continued to pursue the TIEs instead of falling back to protect their space station.
Then, the next phase of the Imperial attack began. On Vice Admiral Autren's orders, the Star Destroyers War Hammer and Vehement targeted the Daral belt's asteroids and opened fire. The bright green energy bolts zoomed across the void of space and hit asteroid after asteroid after asteroid, vaporising several and blasting many others into smaller pieces. Once they had cleared enough of a path, the Star Destroyers put all power to their forward shields and began moving in. Despite Colonel Jag's repeated requests-which by now were verging on insubordination-for the 467th to sortie, Vice Admiral Autren ordered that the frigate and three carriers of Atrisa Squadron remain behind so the 467th could act as a rearguard.
In Degul Outpost's command centre, Lieutenant Commander Shan and a single Duros tactical officer were the only personnel who still remained at their stations-the others having been dismissed by Shan to evacuate. They knew that by now it was too late to make it to the transports. They knew that they had chosen to do their duty, and they knew it meant they would die. They would die so others could live.
Lieutenant Commander Shan and the nameless Duros are but two of the countless forgotten heroes of every war whose small sacrifices tend to be overlooked in the larger scheme of things, but were far more crucial than one could ever realise. Like the brave clone trooper Hevy on the moon of Rishi who gave his life to foil General Grievous' evil scheme; like the elder Daragons who died running supplies to besieged royal troops on Kirrek; like Jedi Master Kao Cen Darach who gave his life above Korriban so that his apprentice might escape and warn the Jedi Council of the Sith armada's fierce strength; like Biggs Darklighter being shot down while covering Luke Skywalker at the Battle of Yavin…
"I've finished wiping our computers," said Lieutenant Commander Darius Publicus Shan. He would not let his station give the enemy any intel.
"Turbolasers still functioning." the Duros reported. "I'm going after those TIEs, but we got Star Destroyers inbound-they're blasting away the asteroids."
"Heh," snorted Lieutenant Commander Shan. "Them shields's taking a beating from the asteroid debris, no doubt. Target those ISDs."
"Sir!" said the Duros officer.
The War Hammer and Vehement were indeed putting all power to their forward shields. The largest asteroids had been blasted to smithereens by the turbolasers, but that still left debris and smaller asteroids to deal with. With Degul Outpost's turbolasers now firing on them, their shields were being hammered twice as much.
But Vice Admiral Autren did not worry-one space station and a few smaller ships against two Star Destroyers? This was clearly going to be an Imperial victory. Now you and I may think that perhaps he ought to have sortied more TIEs for the purpose of harassing Degul Outpost and the rebel ships, so they would not be free to fire on his cruisers. But, as you and I are well aware, Vice Admiral Autren possess'd a rival in Vice Admiral Smith. Smith positioned himself to be a champion of the Starfighter Corps, so therefore Autren sought to prove the Navy's longstanding doctrine of supremacy through capital ship firepower.
It should not be difficult, my dear reader, for one of your intellect to recognise the flaws inherent in this strategy. The TIEs of the 467th would have had no trouble clearing away the few rebel starfighters and drawing Degul Outpost's turbolaser fire. Instead Vice Admiral Autren had sent merely a few squadrons of TIE fighters from the War Hammer. These TIEs had suffered casualties trying to evade asteroids while under fire from the Sullust. As a result the evacuation ships remained wholly unmolested as Autren slowly moved his ISDs through the asteroid field. The frigate Modarrin's own push towards Degul Outpost was stalled as the remaining three Rebel starfighters harassed it.
At this moment, Maroon Squadron returned from its skirmish above Foe. The X-Wings and Z-95 Headhunters reverted to realspace just outside of the Daral belt, right between the carriers of Atrisa Squadron and the back ends of Vice Admiral Autren's Star Destroyers.
Most of the pilots swore out of sheer shock. Commander Harkson, always the ideal leader, reacted quickly and assessed the situation.
"I'm scanning no shields on those Impstars' sterns!" Harkson said. "Before they respond to us-fire there!"
"Copy that, chief!" Jsall said.
Maroon Squadron made an attack run on the engines of the War Hammer and Vehement. Neither destroyer having shields covering their rears meant even a single hit from blaster cannons could cause some damage. All of Commander Harkson's pilots were firing full blast and some were even launching proton torpedoes. They managed to cause a sizable explosion on the hull of the ISD Vehement.
"We hit it pretty hard!" said Neil Dustor.
"Aye!" said young Marcus Antillies.
"Commander Harkson!" the radio suddenly shouted. "Degul Outpost to Harkson, do you read me? Harkson!"
"Aye, this is Harkson!" Commander Harkson said. "I read you, Degul Outpost. I didn't know y'all were hosting guests. If you'd told me I would've picked up some fancy cheeses and wine as a gift!"
"Harkson, this is Commander Shan!" the radio said. "We're almost finished with our evacuation. We're glad you made it back-we need you to cover us and draw the Empire's cannonfire."
"Copy that, Lieutenant Commander." said Harkson. "You hear that boys?"
An enthusiastic chorus of assent on the com channel indicated his pilots' understanding.
As the rebel fighters curved back around for another attack run on the enemy fleet the Imperials finally began reacting. Captain Tybur of the War Hammer and Captain Hove of the Vehement both ordered their TIEs launched. Colonel Jag's fighters had sortied the moment Maroon Squadron jumped out of hyperspace. Commander Harkson and his pilots began moving to intercept.
At the same time, Major Reaches the Rice Slowly, assisted by Corporal Parker and the chef George, had gone and run through most of Degul Outpost to confirm the evacuation was complete. Both the Taylander shuttle and the cargo orbiter had already filled up and lifted off. Only the Sunspring remained. A Kedorzhan guard stood at the bottom.
"Lieutenant Ran'o says Polo's got the ship ready to launch, Major." the Kedorzhan guard said.
Major Reaches the Rice Slowly nodded. He took out his comlink.
"Shan-we're lifting off!"
"Copy that." the Lieutenant Commander replied. "We'll cover you."
"Right then." the Major said. "Shan..it's been an honour."
"L-kwise, Major." Shan said. "Godspeed."
The radio could've just cut out when the Lieutenant Commander said "Likewise". Major Reaches the Rice Slowly hoped it was that, and not that Lieutenant Commander Shan had choked up when facing his imminent demise. The Major knew it was selfish of him, but he didn't want to imagine his friend facing death with anything other than stoicness. Reaches the Rice Slowly didn't know if he could handle it emotionally if Shan was choking back tears just like he was.
George the chef was the last one aboard the freighter. The boarding ramp closed behind him.
Major Reaches the Rice Slowly made his way to the cockpit. Coryn Polo was in the pilot's chair with the Twi'lek girl Vanessa acting as his copilot. Lieutenant Ran'o sat in the seat behind her; Major Reaches the Rice Slowly took the seat behind Coryn Polo.
"Shan?" asked Ran'o. The Major shook his head and Ran'o nodded to show he understood.
"We're lifting off!" Ferb said. He eased the Sunspring up and out of Degul Outpost's main hangar bay.
The War Hammer had moved closer to the space station. Its turbolasers were mostly occupied trying to pick off the fighters of Maroon Squadron, but one cannon was currently pounding away at the shields of the HC-556 cruiser. The Vehement had suffered damage to its engines from Maroon Squadron's attack and was stuck. The Sullust was docked with the cargo orbiter and preparing to jump, but was forced to trade cannonfire with the Imperial frigate Modarrin. Degul Outpost continued to fire its cannons at the approaching Imperial ships.
Colonel Jag had ordered Atrisa Squadron's ships to form a cordon and close behind the ISD Vehement; accordingly Captain Sora had his three carriers and corvette position themselves so that any exit from the asteroid field by way of the "path" the Star Destroyers had cleared. Jag had split the 467th; half of his fighters were engaging Maroon Squadron while the other half moved to attack the rebel outpost directly.
Maroon Squadron and the remnants of Red Flight drew back as the rebel ships prepared to move. The Sullust, the cargo orbiter dock'd with it, jumped first. The HC-566 light cruiser moved to follow, but a squadron of TIE interceptors under the command of Major Civ Darklancer attacked it and disabled its engines. A minute later and it was destroyed, cut to pieces by the War Hammer's turbolasers. A squadron of TIE Fighters under the command of Lieutenant Jeremy Johnson attacked Degul Outpost directly. Lieutenant Johnson himself landed a shot that destroyed one of the station's main turbolasers.
The sole remaining V-Wing of Red Flight, as a starfighter which lacked a hyperdrive, docked with the Taylander shuttle before it too jumped to hyperspace. The Sunspring was the last to leave. Right when it jumped the War Hammer began firing all its cannons at Degul Outpost. In only a few minutes the entire base was destroyed. Lieutenant Shan and the few crewmen who'd remained to buy time were dead.
Chief Bansoro's warning had proved correct. A stormtrooper, irritated by Mann City's townsfolk not heeding the unreasonable demands he was making of them, had opened fire without warning. The rogue stormtrooper had fatally wounded a local Selkath merchant named Quintus Goshap and blasted off the right arm of a Chagrian miner named Arn Zurirl before his commanding sergeant ordered him to stand down.
Mann City was already on edge from multiple rebel incursions into the city. Much of the local garrison had been taken out of commission in less than thirty-six hours. The great clock tower that had stood in the Imperial Forum for years was left in ruins. Quite a few policemen known to the community had been killed-including, at the hands of Quayle, the adopted son of a prominent businessman and his husband. This new act of injustice visited upon the population was only adding to the unrest. Mann City was now like a closed pot of water being heated; once the boiling point was reached its lid would be blown sky-high.
"Madam Prefect," Captain Orsho said. I assure you, my disciplinary personnel will deal with trooper MD-913."
They were in her office. Captain Orsho was standing in front of her desk.
"That won't help," snorted Chief Bansoro, who was leaning against the wall. Orsho whirled around in anger.
"School yourself on the virtue of silence and stow thy tongue, you damned policeman!" the Imperial officer snarled. "Do not presume to-"
"Captain!" Stacy shouted.
"Madam Prefect," Orsho said, managing to hold back his anger when speaking to her. "These soldiers are under my jurisdiction and-"
"-and that, Captain, is where you're wrong."" Stacy interrupted. "The Stormtroopers are formally under my control."
They were. The Stormtrooper Corps was organised under the Imperial Army for logistical purposes, but they technically existed outside of the Imperial Military's formal chain of command. The Imperial Army's hierarchy could tell Captain Orsho what to do, but Stacy could override any commands he in turn gave to the Stormtroopers stationed on Ivort Four. He could give any orders to the Army Troopers and other garrison staff but the Stormtroopers were fully under her authority.
"Ma'am?" Captain Orsho said.
"Trooper…" she looked down at her datapad to check his designation. "Trooper MD-913 will be stripped of his armor, given a dishonourable discharge, and handed over to the city's Magistrate to be tried for murder like any other Imperial citizen."
"You-you cannot be serious!" Orsho said. His face was growing red. "The integrity of the Imperial armed forces demands that he face military discipline, not be tried by yonder civilian authorities! This would be an insult upon the Army!"
Prefect Stacy Hirano stood up and looked out the window at the Imperial Forum. Work crews had already cleaned up most of the debris from the ruins of the clock tower.
"Captain, does the Army remove its officers' eyes during training?"
"Ma'am?"
"Do you not…" Stacy said, "...see?" She gestured out the window. "This city is ready to blow. Our people are disturbed. This rouge stormtrooper killing a civilian is merely more fuel to the fires of agitation. Handing him over to be tried under civilian laws for murder will mollify public outrage, somewhat."
"Ma'am, I-"
"My decision is final, Captain." Stacy said. "Announcements are already being sent out. In an hour there will be a group of policemen ready at the gates to escort him to the Magistrate's office. You will have him, bound and stripped of his armor, there."
Captain Orsho scowled. "Yes, Prefect."
"I've also received word-the Star Destroyer War Hammer will be arriving tomorrow to dispatch reinforcements for the garrison. Be prepared to accept them."
"Yes, Madam Prefect."
An hour later Stacy would contact Governor Tiberian's office to update him on the situation, only to learn that he had despaired over the growing crisis across the sector and committed suicide.
Commander Friedgren watched from afar as AT-ST walkers advanced upon the insurgent positions. The Gosruuk Uprising would be crushed soon.
His supply lines had been hard to secure; rebel snubfighters repeatedly raided convoys in the Foe-Gosruuk system. But the Imperial Navy had eventually established an interdiction zone above Gosruuk.
The hard part of his campaign had been organizing the Imperial Army forces on the ground. The garrison in the capital city Marcagin was hit pretty hard by the initial rioting; rebel spies had killed the garrisonmaster and insurrectionists had set patrol vehicles on fire. Restoring order in Marcagin had been surprisingly easy, given this chaos, as most of the actual rebel fighters had retreated from the city nearly immediately to begin guerilla warfare against Imperial forces. By the time Commander Friedgren had actually arrived on Gosruuk to take command, Marcagin was secure.
Upon his arrival Commander Friedgren had immediately set himself to work. Disgusted with the incompetence of the remianing command staff on Gosruuk, he unceremoniously executed the worst offenders to make an example out of what happened to Imperial officers who failed the Empire to which they had sworn their lives.
There were reports of unrest from all across the planet, but most of it was concentrated on the southern continent where Marcagin and most of the other cities were located. Once Commander Friedgren had an idea of where they were operating, he tightened the noose. He firebombed the towns of Checon and York, which were providing supplies to the insurgent forces, and sent in his troops. The rebels dug in and the fighting became even uglier. Commander Friedgren brought in offworld forces, including a capable unit of Imperial shock troopers commanded by Captain Taylor. The shock troopers led a charge on the Ludim salient that managed to drive the Gosruuk rebel forces back.
Unfortunately, Commander Friedgren was unable to pursue them effectively. This was partly due to environmental hazards wreaking havoc on Imperial ground vehicles, partly due to incompetence by field officers, and partly due to the supply lines into the Foe-Gosruuk system still being under attack by Rebel starfighter units. Now Commander Freidgren was an aggressive strategist but not a foolish one; he knew he could not advance without proper supplies in terrain hostile to his armoured units.
Now Commander Friedgren's right-hand man was Sergeant Major Astarot, an officer of some renown who had seen success in the Pioku Border Wars and the Imperial annexation of Ord Bueri. The two of them had first served together during the Pacification of New Origab, where Friedgren found a kindred soul in Astarot after they worked together to level an insurgent hospital (technically it was a civilian hospital which some insurgents had been treated at, but in Friedgren's book that was enough justification to firebomb it). Astarot arrived on planet Gosruuk not long after Captain Taylor had taken the Ludim salient, bringing more troops and vehicles with him.
"I love peace, Major." Friedgren said aloud, watching as an AT-ST blasted an enemy position to pieces. "Truly. That's why I hate the damned rebellion so kriffing much." He laughed nastily. "Because you see, my dear Major, if people just understood their place…understood what the Emperor is trying to accomplish and that sacrifices are required…then we wouldn't have any more wars eventually, would we?" He laughed again. "What's wrong with living in submission? Huh? If they'd just do that, there'd be no war. It's not hard. In fact, it's literally the fucking defualt option!" He was on the verge of shouting now. "But no! NO-NO-NO! People just have to rebel! They have to disrupt peace!" Friedgren clenched and unclenched his left fist. "That is why we call them 'rebel scum'. Because they are scum. Scum who think disrupting peace is preferable to being told what to do by the Empire. Anarchists and criminals, too proud or too stupid to just do what they're told. And that's the heart of it-there'd be no issues if everyone just did as they were told. It's not hard to just follow orders; the very existence of the Imperial Army as a cohesive unit proves that. But these people, either out of arrogance or stupidity, think it a fun li'l game to just step out of line. And like a child being disciplined, they throw tantrums when sternly told to get back in line. The very idea insults and confuses them, and they disrupt peace out of some hairbrained desire to create a world where there is no line at all. Scum. Scum, every damn one o' them."
"Lord Vader's fleet is moving." Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik said. "Their position near Mustafar was our anchor in that party of the Outer Rim and now we could be at risk there."
The conference room located in Coruscant's Federal District held the ranking officers Grand Admiral Teshik and the advisor Janus Greejatus felt needed to discuss this new development.
(Of course, dear reader, it should be noted that those whom Janus Greejatus had gathered could be considered 'dissident voices' among Imperial High Command, likely to oppose whatever the status quo was.)
"Indeed," said General Byuro. "Death Squadron was to wait on standby until we called them into the Mid Rim once we had a greater feel of where the Rebel Fleet's operations theatre is. Now what is he doing?"
"Targeting the Zann Consortium in response to the suspicion that they're plotting something big." Admiral Mils Giel said. "That's what Admiral Ozzel said when he reported his orders to the Admiralty."
"Zann hath proved quite the threat to Imperial interests, indeed, I do concede that." said General Jylia Shale. "And he is a brutal warlord, enslaving untold tens of thousands of innocents in his quest to dominate the Outer Rim."
"But Lord Vader was to wait," said Byuro. "We've tracked rebel attacks-at Ultaar, at Durkteel, and elsewhere. And our scout ships spotted rebel warships in the Gavos system, but they jumped to hyperspace before Sleanon's forces could intercept them. Once we have a picture, Vader's fleet of Star Destroyers was to move and trap them!"
"Perhaps we're too cautious." Admiral Giel said. "If Lord Vader felt his fleet was being underused, I don't blame him for moving suddenly." He snorted. "We have been fairly disorganised since Yavin after all. All the rebel attacks across the galaxy afterwards-Naboo, Cymoon 1, Taloraan, Grange, Belnar…we're still reeling. We need to move against them."
"Yes," said Janus Greejatus. "Zsinj's cautious approach is getting old whether the Emperor supports it or not."
Fleet Admiral Zsinji had largely been taking command of the military's overall strategy since Darth Vader executed Grand General Tagge at Kuat. Zsinj and the officers loyal to his manner of thinking had thus far focused on containing the rebel incursion into the Empire's vast holdings in the Mid Rim.
"Admiral Giel, what would you propose?" Teshik asked.
"We need big operations." Giel said. "A large-scale counter-offensive. But first? We need one surgical attack designed to shake the Rebellion."
"What dost thee propose?" Byuro asked.
Giel smirked and explained his plan. All but General Shale were impressed with his cunning. The long-term ramifications of this one meeting on Coruscant would not be clear until years later but I shan't speak of that at the moment, dear reader, for it is not the time yet and we must now return to General Fenwhudn's campaign on the edge of the Outer Rim.
Colonel w'Acon, an aged Kadrillian from the planet Gyndine, was on paper merely a logistical officer employed by General Fenwhudn. In reality he was a trusted intelligence officer loyal to her. While Harkson commanded her starfighter forces, Slagtimiq her fleet, and Brucosl her soldiers, w'Acon had taken control of her intelligence-gathering operations. Major Reaches the Rice Slowly disliked him.
w'Acon's chief subordinate, a Ganimed woman named Ace Simpson-Inoue, had ordered the Twi'lek girl Vanessa to come with her the moment the Sunspring landed on Keilosren. The boy Coryn Polo had tried to follow but was stopped by two guards from General Fenwhudn's core battalion, the First Division.
As much as he would've liked to see to their care, Major Reaches the Rice Slowly left the billeting of the evacuees from Degul Outpost to Lieutenant Ran'o. He and Commander Harkson had to proceed to the General's office.
Colonel w'Acon was there, and so was Colonel Brucosl. General Philoswa T. Fenwhudn herself was seated at the desk.
"Gentlemen." the General said.
"Ma'am!" Commander Harkson and Major Reaches the Rice Slowly both saluted their commanding officer crisply.
"General, I take full responsibility for-" Major Reaches the Rice Slowly began but General Fenwhudn held up a hand.
"No one is at fault." General Fenwhudn said. "This was always a risk once we stepped up attacks. We're fortunate losses were minimised."
"We lost the light cruiser Axe," said Commander Harkson. "A few starfighters, Lieutenant Commander Shan and other base crew…"
"And we're fortunate we didn't lose more." said the General. "Especially not now, with our move on Ivort Four fast approaching."
Everyone in the room knew the importance of this. Altor 14, the Blastiron, New Syvris…all of them paled in comparison to the scale of what the General had planned for Ivort Four.
"And with this new weaponry we've been gifted…" Colonel Brucosl trailed off.
'Gifted' wasn't exactly the right way to put it, Major Reaches the Rice Slowly felt. It had come at a price, but General Fenwhudn had made a beneficial arrangement with her shady allies.
The moment the freighter Yi Resistance had docked with the Freedom, Kaji had proceeded directly to General Draven's office. The delivery of the Tenloss Syndicate's discovery was met with predictable shock and outrage.
General Draven swore. Major Hologram stiffened noticeably.
"The Zann Consortium." Cassian Andor said. "You're sure of this? Fenwhudn's working with the Zann Consortium?"
"The evidence our Tenloss Syndicate friends gave us is irrefutable," Kaji said evenly. "That's her supplier."
"Tyber Zann's no philanthropist." Andor said. "He wouldn't just hand out weapons and droids like this."
"She's clearly worked out some kind of deal with him." Kaji said gravely.
"It's certainly possible," said Ensign Carl, Major Hologram's young aide. "The Consortium would benefit from deepening the divides in the Rebel Alliance."
"We need to remove her from command of the forces we have in that sector," said General Draven.
Kaji chuckled. "She's very popular among her troops. There's a reason we've got a man undercover-she's always been hard to control."
"How'd you know that?" Major Hologram asked.
"Agent Kaji knows a lot of things," General Draven said evenly. "It's hard to keep secrets from a man like him."
Major Hologram snorted in irritation but said nothing.
"We'll move immediately." General Draven stood up. "I'll tell General Dodonna and have him inform Admiral Ackbar, but we need to prepare to act now. Captain Andor, I want you to put together a team. If we need to assassinate the rogue General Fenwhudn for the sake of the Alliance, then so be it."
Vanessa had been taken to an empty office and left there. She'd been alone for near half an hour before General Fenwhudn and Colonel Brucosl came to meet her. It was exactly the same as when she'd first arrived on Keilosren. They'd debriefed her personally and then requested she help them out on Altor 14.
"Your mother is displeased." Fenwhudn said. "We weren't supposed to let you hang around for too long. The Consortium's rules-"
"Oh who cares." Vanessa grumbled.
"Hey!" Colonel Brucosl shouted. "Don't interrupt the General, kid! Show some respect!"
"The Consortium's rules…" Fenwhudn continued firmly, a tint of annoyance in her voice, "…are quite clear on the level of contact you should've had with my soldiers."
Vanessa snorted. "Honestly, 'The Consortium' frankly don't care. 'Tis my mother who imposes such restrictions upon thee. She's the controlling type."
Colonel Brucosl wrinkled his nose in disgust, evidently irritated by Vanessa's flippant attitude. General Fenwhudn merely folded her incredibly-muscled arms across her broad chest in quiet disapproval.
"Either way, you'll be limited in your movements until we can return you to the Zann Consortium." Colonel Brucosl said.
Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Fine, I suppose."
Fenwhudn silently regarded her for a long moment. Then, with Brucosl following like a loyal dog, she turned and left the room.
Vanessa, in fact, did not suppose it to be anywhere close to "fine".
The week or so she'd spent with the Rebellion felt a helluva lot more impactful than anything she had ever done on behalf of the Consortium.
Fucking hell, she'd hate to go back.
In order to distract the local fleet even further, General Fenwhudn dispatched the Leaveykurarupid and Maroon Squadron to destroy patrol ships and an enemy base in the Lodviek system. Lodviek was an agricultural world with a modest Imperial presence. Its location on trade routes saw a few space stations in the system, and prospectors scoured the asteroid belt on the system's outer fringes for valuable minerals.
One of the space stations, Yom Outpost, had been taken over by the Empire. There had been a Gozanti-class cruiser stationed there until it was called away to support Imperial patrols as the sector group's forces dwindled. Now all that was left was a single squadron of TIE fighters and two IPV-1 System Patrol Craft. There were additional ships on the ground on Lodviek and a bounty hunter in the Empire's payroll, a Duros woman named Klaro Lore, often prowled the system in her gunship to catch smugglers.
"See that IPV-1 there?" Harkson ordered when Maroon Squadron formed up into attack posiiton. "Straight at it, no fear, and vape that fucker!"
"Aye-aye Maroon Leader!" said Jsall. "Maroon Six, ready to move closer to an ace?"
"Yes sir!" Marcus Antillies said enthusiastically. Antillies had shot down one TIE at the Infkuenxe Nebula and another while buying time for the evacuation at Degul Outpost. That left three until he had the necessary five kills to make an Ace.
"Look sharp!" Harkson ordered. "Lock S-Foils in attack position!"
They opened fire the moment they came in range. The IPV-1 fired off some defensive shots but the rebel pilots all deftly evaded those, spinning their starfighters out of the way.
Harkson and the pilots he was leading fired their cannons, bright red beams shooting through space and hitting the enemy corvette's shields. The flight Jsall led locked torpedoes and fired those; the corvette's shields began to weaken. Maroon Squadron's pilots brought their fighters back around as the Leaveykurarupid fired its cannons at the patrol corvette. IPV-1s were tough little ships, well equipped to chase down smugglers and outlaws, but against a full fighter squadron and an armed rebel frigate a single one stood little chance. Yom Outpost launched the four TIEs it had on hand-the other six in its squadron were patrolling the rest of the system-as the second IPV-1-class corvette received orders to move around from the far side of Lodviek to support the defense.
"Tracking incoming bandits!" Jsall said.
"Looks like less than half a squadron!" said Dustor.
"Bruh!" laughed Marcus Antillies.
"Right, move!" Harkson ordered. "Jsall, you take your flight and keep harassing that corvette. I'll take the rest and vape those eyeballs."
"Copy that, Maroon Leader!"
Jsall took his X-Wing and the two other X-Wings under his command back towards the enemy corvette while the other fourteen snubfighters followed Commander Harkson to engage the TIEs. It was certainly overkill for a number that small, but Harkson wanted to clear the zone of enemy fighters as quickly as possible. Their real target was Yom Outpost itself.
Now while primarily a military installation, Yom Outpost did possess a small civilian population: contractual workers manning the canteen and repair bays, interstellar traders stopping to get their paperwork in order with Imperial Customs, travellers passing through the station on their way in or out of the Lodviek system via Imperial Transport's bus-pods, and local merchants selling goods to the military personnel and all the others I just mentioned. Colonel w'Acon had made sure General Fenwhudn was aware of this. When planning the attack she had told Commander Harkson and during the pre-mission briefing he made it clear to his pilots that in attacking the space station Yom Outpost they would kill civilian non-combatants along with Imperial personnel.
This does seem rather, uh, fucked I suppose one could say. These were innocent people.
…
Look, war is inherently a nasty and horrid affair. People get caught in the crossfire all the time. You have to be prepared for that. There are civilians aboard Yom Outpost, aye indeed, but Yom Outpost is an enemy military installation. Its presence in the Lodviek system allowed Imperial warships to stop to resupply as they patrolled across the sector. This was a valid military target.
For example: in our own world, during The War, the Allies bombed German and Japanese cities producing materiel for the Axis war effort, did we not? And did countless civilians not die in those bombings? But that is different from, say, many American war crimes in Vietnam or the 9/11 attacks perpetrated by Bin Laden's terror network. The former were unavoidable, sadly. The latter were explicitly civilian targets that were targeted with the evil intention of killing civilians. The same is true here.
Maroon Squadron made short work of the four TIEs in their way. Yom Outpost fired its defense cannons but the pilots all dipped out of the way.
"Lock torpedoes on!" Commander Harkson ordered. A chorus replied over the comm in the affirmative.
"Fire!" Harkson shouted
"Torpedoes away!" said Jsall.
"Aye, away they go!" said Dustor.
Yom Outpost was an XQ4 Platform. It had three large landing platforms, ray-shielded enough to keep atmosphere in. Each platform was connected to a smaller hangar, which poked off the central habitat module like spokes off an axle. XQ4 Platforms generally came equipped with both turbolaser batteries and light cannons, six each, for defense. Commander Harkson was lucky that one of Yom Outpost's turbolaser batteries was malfunctioning.
The torpedoes hit the hangar closest to them. The shields barely held and damage was noticeable.
As they came around Commander Harkson saw the IPV-1 corvette explode, having succumbed to the damage dealt to it.
"Maroon Leader to Sullust, we-" Harkson began, before stopping and correcting himself. "Maroon Leader to Leaveykurarupid, we've begun our attack on the station itself. Do you scan any incoming enemy ships?"
"Negative, Maroon Leader." replied the Khil woman serving as the frigate's communications officer.
"Aight,"
Maroon Squadron made two more attack runs while the Leaveykurarupid bombarded Yom Outpost. It wouldn't be long before the shields were depleted and the station itself would be destroyed…
But suddenly a Quasar Fire-class carrier dropped out of hyperspace!
"Fuck, Commander I'm scanning an Imperial ship entering the system!" Jsall said over the comm.
"I see it!" Harkson said. "Maroon Leader to Leaveykurarupid, you see this?"
"Yes Commander," said the Khil. "Transsssponder sssignature ID'sss it as the carrier Atrisa 3."
Commander Harkson's astromech droid beeped in excitement. A data readout appeared on the screen in Maroon One's cockpit. Apparently Colonel w'Acon's intelligence indicated that the Atrisa Three was the same carrier that had show'd up to defend the Blastiron at the Infkuenxe Nebula. The astro droid itself agreed, after a preliminary scan, that this was the same ship. Harkson growled.
"Scanning multiple eyeballs!" Jsall said.
"Dank farrik!" Harkson swore loudly.
Major Darklancer refused to lose this time. Vice Admiral Autren's disgraceful command during the action at the Kesbaisbs system had provided Vice Admiral Smith the necessary means to again promote the 467th as a means of keeping the peace.
Lieutenant Garavle had been ordered to bring the carrier in fast and hard, cannons firing, while her pilots mov'd on in.
She opened fire on a nearby Headhunter and clipped its wing. She fired again, barely missing. Her wingman fired and hit one of its engines, causing the Headhunter to spiral out of control and explode.
Commander Harkson ordered his pilots to engage the recently-arrived TIEs. Marcus Antillies shot down a TIE starfighter in one blast and Maroon Eleven, a Duros pilot from Ord Mantell named Kevin Oal, provided Maroon Thirteen, a Weequay named Jecix Tir from Desevro, with an assist on vaping a TIE interceptor. The two opposing fighter units were evenly matched; the Imperial TIEs held a just-more-than-slight advantage in numbers but the Rebellion ships had the advantage in speed and also had shields.
Harkson pulled the joystick to the side and Maroon One turned starboard. Laser beams and torpedoes exploded all around him, giving him the feeling he was in the middle of a dozen simultaneous supernovae.
The Imperial carrier began moving so it was between the Leaveykurarupid and Yom Outpost. Harkson gave a silent curse; with his X-Wings distracted and their frigate now unable to target the Imperial station, they could very well lose their chance of destroying Yom Outpost before they spent too much fuel and had to retreat.
He watched in fury as two squints ganged up on an X-Wing that had been split from the group.
"This is Eleven, requesting assistance!" Oal's voice rang out over the comm. "Repeat, I-AUGH!"
The lead squint and his wingman landed direct hits on the back of Oal's fighter and it exploded. Harkson growled in a rage.
"Maroon Leader, this is Two!" Jsall said. "Requesting permission to break and make another attack run on the station."
"Granted," Harkson allowed. "See if you can draw some of those eyeballs or squints in with ya, force 'em to run a gauntlet with the base's cannonfire."
"Copy that."
Four X-Wings ducked away from the rest of the squadron and sped towards Yom Outpost. Four TIE interceptors spiralled into position and followed them.
Commander Harkson's astromech beeped in alarm-a TIE fighter was following them. He pulled his joystick so Maroon One was flying to the side. The eyeball's pilot matched his maneuvers.
"Maroon Leader here, requesting an assist!"
"Copy that Leader, this is Six, on my way." Antilles said.
Despite the situation, Harkson almost wanted to smile. If Antilles vaped the eyeball on his tail, then the boy would be only one kill short of an Ace. Harkson increased power to Maroon One's rear shields and ceased evasive maneuvers so the TIE would follow suit and Antilles would have an easy time lining up his shot.
"I'm locked on!" Antilles said over the comm. "Torpedo away!"
Commander Harkson's astro droid beeped in celebration as the pursuing TIE fighter exploded.
"Thanks for the rescue, Maroon Six!" Commander Harkson's face split into a grin. "You have just one left now!"
He heard Antilles laugh on the other end of the comm. "Yes sir! That I-"
He was cut off as his X-Wing exploded. Marcus Antillies died as he lived, an endearingly cheerful freedom fighter.
"NO!" Harkson shouted. His astromech beeped in alarm-three squints had snuck up behind them. Harkson pulled Maroon One into a nosedive and then angled hard to port. He saw Jsall and company fly away from Yom Outpost, explosions erupting behind them. Escape pods were launching from the space station.
"We hit them hard, Commander!" Jsall whooped over the comm. "Another run and this platform's vaped, I'd wager a full bottle o' tsiraki on it."
Even if he hadn't been focused on evasive maneuvers Commander Harkson would've had trouble finding the will to muster up cheer in response to Jsall's banter. The young rookie Marcus Antilles had been killed.
Harkson was still brooding on that when his pilots destroyed Yom Outpost completely and he ordered the withdrawal.
"Lieutenant Mosk!" someone shouted. Mosk turned. Major Reaches the Rice Slowly, wearing his usual tricorn hat and cape, walked across the landing pad to him. Lieutenant Ran'o followed close behind. Mosk set his datapad and stylus down. He was supervising an inventory effort, trying to take stock of the supplies from Degul Outpost that were now added to what was already on planet Keilosren.
"Sir!" Mosk saluted.
"At ease, Lieutenant," the Major said, returning the salute.
"Is there an issue, sir?" Mosk asked. "We've just completed our survey of the backup blaster gas canisters. We're 'bout two dozen short of what we thought we had."
Major Reaches the Rice Slowly grimaced. "Yes, those would've been left behind at Degul. Unfortunate, but that's not what I'm here to ask about."
"Of course, sir." Mosk nodded.
"Lieutenant Mosk, at New Syvris you defended our artillery and the landing zone."
"Aye, sir." Mosk said. "That was th' mission I was given."
"I wanted to talk to you," Major Reaches the Rice Slowly continued. "Captain Daoi spoke highly of your leadership when Imperial forces attacked your position. You held the line and protected the flank."
"You flatter me, sir." Mosk said.
"I assure you, I don't speak falsehoods." Major Reaches the Rice Slowly said. "You've proven yourself a committed and capable soldier."
"Thank you, sir."
"Such bravery is commendable." the Major continued awkwardly. "We thi-I..I wanted to, uh, impress that upon you, Lieutenant.
"Thank you, sir."
"Just…" Major Reaches the Rice Slowly paused to figure out what he was saying. "Just take care not to put your men in harm's way if a superior is giving unreasonable orders."
"Sir?" Mosk said.
"That's all, Lieutenant." Major Reaches the Rice Slowly said, speaking at a normal volume now. "Back to work!"
"Sir!" Mosk said, saluting and turning back to his job. Whatever that was about, he could figure it out later.
Half an hour later, while he and Sergeant Devoria were puzzling over how they had two extra crates of grenades then the prior month's inventory said they should, the young spacer Coryn Polo walked up.
"Mosk!" the kid shouted. "'Ey, Mosk!"
"Oh, Polo." Mosk said casually. "Can I help you?"
"Vanessa!" the kid said loudly. He looked agitated. "Where is Vanessa?"
"Excuse me?" Mosk said, arching an eyebrow. He turned to Devoria. "Matt, keep working. I'm gonna talk with him over somewhere else."
"Yessir," Devoria said.
Mosk and Coryn Polo walked over.
"Where is she?" Coryn Polo said. "I haven't seen her since we fled the space station."
"Vanessa the Twi'lek girl?" Mosk said. "Why are you asking me?"
"You're the only other one I know who also knows her," said Coryn Polo. "I-I know there's a lot of people here, many of whom are Twi'leks, and-and-and-"
"Hey!" Mosk said. "Kid. Calm down. I'm sure she's fine. What're you worried about?"
"I'm not worried, I know she can take care of herself!" Polo said testily. "I just-I, uh…"
He was blushing. Mosk nodded in understanding.
"I see." he chuckled. "She's a little old for you, Polo."
Ferb blinked. "Ayo, what?"
"Kid, I'm busy." Mosk said. "Not to be a dick, but if you could move off? Sorry, but I gotta get all this inventory done."
Ferb walked off.
Second Lieutenant Jeremy Johnson, the commanding officer of the 467th Imperial Fighter Wing's Squadron Ten, was scraping away some carbon scoring on the hull of his TIE interceptor when Major Civ Darklancer found him.
"Second Lieutenant Johnson!" the Major barked.
"Ma'am!" Jeremy stood up quickly, dropping the carbon chisel in his hand. It clattered to the ground as he saluted the Major. Behind her was the carrier's captain, Senior Lieutenant Garavle.
"Excellent work out there, Lieutenant Johnson." Major Darklancer said. She was not smiling, but in the past few weeks Jeremy had learned not to let this worry him. Major Darklancer seldom smiled. "Your squadron had two kills."
"Thank you, ma'am." Jeremy said. He didn't relax his posture.
"The Colonel and Vice Admiral Smith aren't happy that we arrived too late to prevent the base's destruction," said Major Darklancer.
"It was an important refueling outpost. It'll be a lot harder for Imperial warships to move around the sector now." Senior Lieutenant Garavle said glumly.
"And the civilians!" Jeremy said angrily. "There-there were civilians aboard Yom Outpost! These rebel scum killed Imperial citizens!"
When travelling to the Bigthe system from Eriadu after receiving his transfer orders, Jeremy had spent a two day layover aboard Yom Outpost while waiting for the Lambda-class shuttle Hai Kamu to pick him up.
Senior Lieutenant Garavle looked upset by what Jeremy'd said, as if it had not originally occurred to him but now that he realised it, he was greatly distressed.
"Such…such, uh, is the-the, uh, reality of war," Garavle said uneasily. He swallowed. "It's sad and one wishes we could've prevented it."
"But we did not," Major Darklancer said flatly. She scowled. "This on top of our failure to prevent the destruction of the light cruiser Blastiron at that nebula…our group might be considered the lame nerf in the herd."
"-and Vice Admiral Ragab reports an inconclusive engagement with a group of four Imperial Star Destroyers and a few bulk cruisers at Diado Five." Thaneespi finished.
"I assume Ragab withdrew?" Admiral Ackbar asked.
"Yes," confirmed his First Officer.
"Good," Ackbar said. He leaned back in his chair. "We can't afford to risk his ships again so soon. The frigates Tyvarex and Angelus, the Star Cruiser Independence…"
"And the cruiser Aspiration," Thaneespi added helpfully.
Ackbar nodded.
"Indeed, Captain Torrie's new command, that's right." Ackbar said.
There were countless other ships in Ragab's fleet, of course, including an ancient Centurion-class battlecruiser named the Shawken, and Ackbar was loath to risk losing any of them. The Rebel Alliance's navy was growing considerably and Ackbar felt at this juncture, caution was unfortunately necessary. The rebellion had capitalised on the post-Yavin Imperial confusion by pushing into the Mid Rim and putting the Empire on the defensive, but they had to keep the main fleet units moving quickly so Imperial task forces directed by Fleet Admiral Zsinj would not find and destroy them. The hit-and-run attacks and light skirmishes were meant to keep Imperial forces on their toes, and then larger fleet units would be sent into battles to further the goals of the ongoing Mid Rim Offensive.
Outside his office window he could see witness proof of the Navy's growth with his own eyes. Two Pelta-class frigates and the corvette Persuasion were passing alongside Home One while six Y-Wings and a light freighter flew past in the opposite direction. Past them was the Star Cruiser Nautilian, command'd by Captain Meeta Cors, and a mobile repair station that the rebel heroes Han Solo and Luke Skywalker had spirited away from a very infamous crime family. The repair station was currently dismantling a captured Imperial Neutron Star-class bulk cruiser so its components could be used to repair larger warships. A Hammerhead corvette and a pair of Gozanti-class cruisers guarded the space near the repair station while the fleet's primary medical ship, the Nebulon-B frigate Redemption, lurked nearby. Beyond the Redemption were three GR-75 medium transports, one of which looked to have undergone a combat retrofit and now possessed turbolasers. Several other ships were not visible from his office.
"Tell Ragab to hold his ships for now. He's near friendly territory-Sarka is not far from his current position and most of the Imperial forces in the area are tied up fighting against General Ambigene's Bryx Sector Force. I want his fleet ready to attack the Imperial base on Mooga in two weeks. He's to keep a low profile until then; I want him to avoid any engagements if possible. Only do battle if the Empire attacks our Sarkan allies or if he happens to witness Imperial atrocities that basic morality dictates he absolutely must intervene against."
"Yes, Admiral." Thaneespi said. "And-"
The door chimed. Admiral Ackbar pressed the comm-buzzer on the console of his office desk.
"Who is it?" the Admiral asked.
"Cracken," came the response.
"Come in." Admiral Ackbar said, pressing the button on his desk which opened the door. It slid open and General Airen Cracken, followed by two Bothans and a Rodian, entered.
"I've received a message from General Draven," he said gravely. "Our allies in the criminal underworld have uncovered links between General Fenwhudn and the Zann Consortium. That's how she is supplying her war effort."
"Star's End!" Thaneespi swore.
Admiral Ackbar was quiet for a long moment as he processed the severity of this revelation.
"I must inform Senator Mothma," he said at last. "To mutiny against the senior command and launch a private war against Imperial forces with Alliance assets is already beyond insubordination. But to outright ally with an enemy faction? That is pure treason."
The three great C-9979 landing craft, filled with troops armed by the fruits of General Fenwhudn's treason, dropped out of hyperspace above the gas giant Ivort. The Gladiator-class Star Destroyer Shogun and its accompanying light cruisers had been lured o'er to Mubon by Banner Squadron so the space around the moon Ivort 4 was now unguarded.
The large transports were escort'd by the Dornean gunship Fist of Pammant and three X-Wings from Maroon Squadron, but they encounter'd no trouble.
The landing zone-codenamed 'Point Atlas'-was located about four kilometres to the north of Mann City. Two shuttles-the same Auxiliary Shuttles that carried both Obitn'Pa's and Zhal's teams to Ivort 4 just three weeks prior-had landed a day ago. An advance team under Captain Daoi had secured the surrounding area and set up landing beacons.
Daoi was waiting to welcome Colonel Brucosl and Major Reaches the Rice Slowly when the transports landed. The Major was wearing his usual tricorn hat and cape while Colonel Brucosl's head was covered by a shako.
He saluted them as they walked over.
"Captain Daoi," the Colonel said. He adjusted the shako to keep it from falling off.
"Colonel!" Daoi said. "Welcome, sir. We've secured the area and sent two scouts to observe Mann City's defenses, per your orders. What we know thus far is that they've tightened security. Patrol walkers are stationed outside the city limits, and they did observe troop movements."
"We'll send in a light attack force to open the battle, draw them out to get a feel on what we're dealing with." Brucosl said. He adjusted his shako again. "Captain Daoi, recall your scouts."
Daoi saluted. "Yes sir."
A few hours later the same Ubrikkian tanks that had performed so well as cavalry under the General at New Syvris sped across the Ivortian plains. The opening shots of the Siege of Ivort 4 were merely a few rounds of cannonfire that destroyed a single AT-DP walker just outside Mann City. Captain Orsho would dispatch scout troopers to investigate and they too would be cut down by snipers. The final act of Philoswa Fenwhudn's great drama in the Zoraster Sector had begun.
Colonel Rilvert could tell the stress of the repeated insurgent strikes were wearing Moff Irion down. The governor looked like he had not gotten a wink of sleep in days.
"Ivort Four." Moff Irion said dully. His tone of voice and inflection made it clear he had registered the information but not fully processed it. "They're on Ivort Four."
"Yes, Governor Irion." Colonel Rivlert said. "Reports from the Prefect there indicate it's a massive attack force sitting a distance outside the main city." He frowned. "They're not doing much of anything. There's been some harassment of the Imperial forces there but they haven't moved at all. It's very odd, very odd indeed."
"How is Mann City holding up?" Moff Irion asked. "The garrison-are they keeping the city safe?"
"Prefect Hirano has dug in to defend her position." Rilvert said. "The reinforcements delivered by Captain Tybur's Star Destroyer are enough to defend the city at the moment, but she has neither men nor firepower enough to mount an effective assault on the rebel position."
"Huh." Moff Irion said. "Can we bombard them?"
"The Shogun already tried." Colonel Rilvert bit his lower lip. He dreaded having to convey this next piece of news. "It seems they have an ion cannon. It disabled one of the Shogun's accompanying light cruisers. They had to move quickly."
"An ion cannon, ha!" Moff Irion laughed joylessly. His left eye was twitching. "Did we recover the light cruiser."
Colonel Rilvert looked at the ground for a second. "Erm, no sir. Torn to pieces by a Dornean gunship and three rebel snubfighters."
"So we can't bombard them from orbit, then." Moff Irion said. His left eye was twitching just a tiny bit faster now. "Authorising TIE Fighters to do strafing attacks is pointless because that pesky fleet of starfighters they have will tear ours to pieces." He sighed and placed his head in his hands. "Call up General Forgus. We'll have t' do a full ground assault."
"Sir, respectfully, this could be a trap." Colonel Rilvert warned. "It's very strange that they're just sitting there and waiting, instead of moving to take the city. Whoever is commanding these rebel attacks has shown themselves to be very cunning." He sighed. They knocked out the ion cannon on New Syvris to ensure we'd be forced to station more ships there to protect it, they attacked L-sei IV because that was where most of our ground vehicles were stored and then they ambushed the troop convoy above Ivort Four so the Mubon system would be facing a manpower shortage…they've planned this and the whole time we've been the ones responding to their actions just the way they planned."
Moff Irion stared at him. Colonel Rilvert forged ahead. "Sir, moving in with a large-scale ground assault immediately looks to me like exactly the bloody thing they want us to do. It feels like a trap so very much. Our first step should be to just blockade the system to trap them there, and then wait them out!"
"No." the Moff said, shaking his head. "No, Colonel Rilvert. I am the sector governor. I will decide, and we need to move now to destroy this rebel force. Contact General Forgus and tell him to ready his troops."
Colonel Rilvert stiffened, but nodded and saluted. "Yes, Governor Irion."
"We're really doing this, huh?" Princess Leia Organa asked. "I don't like this but I guess that's what it is."
"Yeah," Lieutenant Candance Flynn said. She was wiping down her blaster rifle.
"Captain Andor requested you specifically for this." Leia said. "He seems to hold great respect for you as a soldier."
"Well he's had plenty of opportunities to see me in action." Candace said. "The dismantling station mission, foiling Admiral Goba's plot on Aiore…we've worked together more than once."
"This won't be the kind of mission you're used to." Leia said.
"A mission is a mission," Candace snorted. "I've received my briefing. I'm prepared to do what must be done."
Leia didn't say anything.
"I'm surprised the council authorised this, to be honest." Candace continued. "This isn't Mothma's style."
"I'm told General Cracken convinced them of the necessity of this measure," Leia said.
"Hmm," Candace said. She finished cleaning her rifle and stood up. "I better get to the hangar. Andor's already got a U-Wing outfitted and fueled. I think Buford and Baljeet should be down there. See you around, Leia."
As Candace turned and left, Leia allowed herself a small smile. It had taken months of effort, but she'd finally convinced the rebel soldier to drop formalies around her. Leia wasn't sure if it was Candace's background as a stormtrooper or just her true nature, but she had been reluctant to refer to the Princess with anything other than "Your Highness" or "Ma'am". It had taken effort to get Candace to see her as a friend. She was glad it'd succeeded.
Mr. Gaange took off his fedora and overcoat as he entered into the darkened communications chamber. His loyal henchman Magos Cern was guarding outside. None would enter.
Each of the holographic monoliths had already activated.
"Leaders, to." Mr. Gaange spoke reverently. "Worrisome news from the Smuggler's Moon. The Parliament sent its most trusted captain to negotiate with the Yellow Devil and his foul kin."
"Your distaste for them is hypocritical, Gaange." said the monolith marked "04".
Mr. Gaange knew what 04 meant. But his hatred of the devils who hid themselves among the criminals on Nar Shaddaa was more than an aversion to the secret nature of theirs that was similar to his own power. The beings of whom they spoke were detestable, inherently wrong.
"The communications between this operative and The Yellow Devil…that is concerning but not surprising." said the monolith marked "02". "What worries me is the recent news from Mustafar…Darth Vader's forces move against the Zann Consortium."
"The Zann Consortium itself is a threat," said the 03 monolith. "Do not forget that."
"Agreed," said 05. "Zann's ambitions are concerning."
"His recently-uncovered investment in the sector of space around New Syvris is especially concerning." said 03.
"Yes, if he's moving the way we think he is…" 01 said darkly. "That will cause problems. We have enough of a headache with Mr. Howell running around out on Kaddak. His alliances with the Cularin Syndicate and Corellia's Chirq Council provide 4CG with inroads towards what's left of the old power structure's core."
"Indeed," said 02. "Zann is one thing. But 4CG, given its leadership…"
"Gaange." 01 spoke loudly and authoritatively.
"Master," Mr. Gaange said. He tensed up.
"You have fought Howell once before."
"Yes, Master." Mr. Gaange said. "He is strong, but not big. To, he is not invincible."
"We can defeat him then." the 05 monolith said confidently.
"Howell serves The Witch." said 03. "To move against him would be…"
"I do not fear her," laughed 05. "Far more terrifying beings lurk in the uncharted shadows west of the Core."
"But it would create blowback." said 03. "That would be an issue."
"And with the Church on our tails again…" said 02.
"The Church can be fended off." said 04. "Gaange will see to that."
"I will my best, Leaders." Mr. Gaange said respectfully. He bowed.
"The Son of Gold will one day soon be cleft." the 01 monolith said. "It is foretold by doctrine, but know not anyone does who shall seduce him. If the Church were to enlist his support and he become another agent of their Parliament…"
"Still there are those pathetic people," chuckled 05.
"Regardless, the Elders of the Parliament are directing the Church's efforts on tracking down the Dragon's Loyal Sons, as they always have." said 03. "We be not but a distraction to them."
"But The Yellow Devil knows otherwise, if only because of his brother…" said 02. "He might counsel them to be concerned about us, if only so his rivals may eliminate one another…"
"The Yellow Devil keeps his true strength hidden for now," said 03.
"But if pushed, he would revealied all he commands…" said 05. "Gaange, that would is your assessment, correct?"
Mr. Gaange bowed his head in respect.
"Yes, Leader." he said. "He would respond to acts of open aggression."
"Drawing him out would be costly." warned 03. "Very costly."
"I do not choose any of the measured values of life." the 05 monolith retorted smugly.
"I expect no other sentiment from yourself," the 03 monolith replied.
"Mr. Gaange," 02 said. "What is your take on all of this?"
"Leader, I can how say?" said Mr. Gaange. "It is still dangerous to move openly…as I say many times these past twenty years, even with the Jedi vanquished the Emperor's power is very big." He looked up. "But we cannot ignore our enemies for much longer." Mr. Gaange scowled. "As they all become bolder, our hand may yet be forced."
This chapter didn't advance things as quickly as I wanted, but I wanted to go ahead and get something out. We've finally moved to attack Ivort Four. Next chapter will be a big long one I promise, where everything in the Zoraster sector that I've had planned since chapter 22 will come to a head. A lot of stuff that's been in the works for nearly two years is about to come to fruition. Oh, and Candace appears! Remember Candace, from when this was still nominally a Phineas and Ferb fanfic?
If this is the AO3 version, I believe this chapter puts it past the 200K wordmark, since AO3 doesn't count author's notes as part of the word count.
Originally Published October 18, 2022
