They met at the landing pad. Those of them who survived. Lucin's few stormtroopers lead the vanguard into the assault shuttles prepared for emergencies, while Lomeir and his warriors guarded the rear against the onslaught of Yuuzhan Vong troops flooding the complex. Inch after inch, Lomeir and his men gave ground, desperately fighting to give Lucin time to ready the shuttles and warm the cold engines. The hum of the engines melded into the chaos of the battle which dominated the small landing pad, and Lucin appeared, all muddy and bloody, and waved at Lomeir and his half dozen remaining warriors.
"Lomeir, lets go!"
They raced into the shuttle, a warrior fell to some stray thudbug as the ramp lifted, and the shuttle lifted with it. From the air they gazed at the aftermath of the battle, land riddled with stormtrooper bodies, assault transport ruins, and scores upon scores of Yuuzhan Vong. The complex itself was riddled with remains of suicide coralskipper runs, one of which took out the command tower... and Admiral Mitth with it. Thus the fate and command of the retreat fell into Lucin's lap.
"Sir, coordinates?" the pilot inquired through the doorway of the assault shuttle's cockpit.
"Head out to the mountain outpost private." Lucin said while applying a bacta patch to his forehead, before he turned to Lomeir.
"Your timely arrival saved us all, my lord."
"I rallied what warriors I could as soon as the Grand Admiral contacted me."
"I was wondering why did he miss out on this chance for getting our gunners and starfighter pilots more field experience." Lucin tiredly dropped into a seat as the shuttles assumed triangle formation and sped torward the mountain outpost.
"Aye, the Fleet was assembling at Iridonia when I left. Something big is about to happen, Thrawn gathered his best ships at Iridonia, and sent Torroro and his reavers to probe the hyperspace lines torward Yuuzhan Vong space." said Lomeir, holding a ragged bandage around his bleeding arm.
"Hmmm. Probing with fingers through different space lines. Then he will curl the fingers into a fist and punch, but where? The targets are many. The Belkadan coralskipper yards are nearly repaired from that attack a year and a half ago." Lucin mused.
"Never mind that man, what sorta troops do you have up in this outpost?"
"Maybe a thousand men. Mostly techies, but I'd say theres atleast three hundred scout troopers, and the outpost itself is in a good spot for defending." Lucin twisted his mouth in displeasure.
"Sir, ETA is under a minute, shall you hail the outpost? I'd hate having to go down by friendly fire after getting out of that carnage." the pilot said through his helmet.
"Aye." Lucin said, and grabbed the comlink.
"Outpost Fear's End, this is Commodore Lucin from Imperial Center, requesting permission to land, repeat, requesting permission to land."
"This is outpost Fear's End, go ahead Commodore we've been expecting you." the voice died as abruptly as the transmission was ended.
"Alright pilot, take us in. Carefully."
"Think its a trap?"
"Got no idea, but I didnt get where I am by being completely trusting."
The shuttle flew right into the mountain side, and right through the holographic image keeping the outpost hidden from plain sight. A docking bay as good as any stretched, it could probably fit a Lancer frigate in, if there was a need. Three battered shuttles were no problem. The ramps lowered as soon as they landed, and the lieutenant Cordero who commanded the northern parimeter around Imperial Center, came to greet commodore Lucin.
"Commodore! We feared you dead!" he said as soon as the wounded bunch of both Zabrak and stormtroopers came down the ramp.
"Heard from Center?" Lucin said coldly and officially as ever.
"Aye sir, half a hundred scouts came back from the battle with news." Cordero slapped his comlink "Medic teams needed in the docking bay, as soon as possible."
"My thanks, but my wounds are not too great. I'd speak with you in a more private surrounding, while my troops and Lord Lomeir's warriors are being tended to."
"Absolutely sir. If you would follow me to the war room?" Cordero said and extended his hand in an invitation torward the turbolift. Lucin followed.
They entered the room similiar to the one Lucin left to the fire and to the Vong at Imperial Center, though much smaller ofcourse. As befits an outpost.
"How bad is it sir?" Cordero said as soon as they seated themselves at the table.
"I'd say we are short of over fifty thousand troops, and under half a hundred armor units. How strong is your force here?"
"I have a thousand men stationed here, a few hundred stragglers came from Center - thats how I got the news - and from the southern outpost. The Vong overran it. I'd say I have a thousand and a half men here, a little under a thousand being techies. Six hundred green men sir. All I have at my disposal, most of them on speeders with scout trooper training."
"Alright, send out patrols of six to scout the area around the outpost in a radius of two kilometers. Send another fifty to other outposts with orders to abandon their posts and assemble here. Get your techies to start drilling out more space, I want to house all the other outpost personell here."
"A wise move. I'll get at it right away. Anything else sir?"
"Yea. I want a bed, and reports at my console every hour."
"As you wish sir." With that, Cordero rose, and Lucin rose with him.
* * *
"Is my admiral ship ready captain?" Thrawn's cold voice slashed through silence, sending chills down Cayel's spine as it straightened by reflex.
"The 'Inquisitor' is fully under your command my lord."
"Then prepare the fleet for hyperspace captain, and for battle. And tell every man in the fleet, of small or great rank, that the hour is at hand when the Empire will show the Yuuzhan Vong, how war is waged. The hour is at hand when all the small blades will be forged together into a great sword to cut down the tree of the Vong invasion, and leave naught but a stump and a falling tree. In those words." Thrawn said grimly.
Cayel obeyed, as always. The fleet captains reported their readyness, all was ready, if he forgot anything it was too late to fix it now. Battle is at hand.
"And so it begins." Thrawn murmored as the vanguard of the Fleet jumped forth, led by the ever-bloodlusty Torroro, combined of his handpicked reavers - the Star Destroyers 'Colossus', 'Lord of Blight', 'Champion', and the 'Guardian', all veterans of a hundred skirmishes. While the main fleet awaited the signal : the Admiral's flagship the 'Inquisitor', the 'Lord Vader', the 'Dominion', the 'Stormlord', 'Warlord', 'Tyrant', 'Avatar', and 'Darkness'. With over fifty minor starships, and twenty Carriers each with five full wings of TIE starfighters. Eight thousand TIE starfighters to swarm the sky, not counting those inside the Star Destroyers.
The fist of the Imperium was ready to strike - and woe to those who stood in its path.
"Here we go." Cayel muttered as the first report arrived from the vanguard. They've took the warfleet Vong by suprise, over a thousand ships at the Serpindal shipwomb. Then they jumped, and the doors of hell opened as they exited Hyperspace moments afterwards.
The wedge of Torroro's reavers has cut deep into the alien fleet of yorik coral, with their analogs of orbital platforms spitting death at the vanguard.
"Admiral Torroro, is the vanguard in position?"
"Aye my lord."
"Activate the cloaking device, record last known location of enemy warships and open fire half a minute after activation."
"I live to serve." Torroro's holographic image bowed, and the vanguard outside - dissapeared after a brief flash from their engines, perfectly simulating a jump to hyperspace. The Yuuzhan Vong warships turned torward the oncoming Star Destroyers, coralskippers poured torward them to meet the onslaught of eight thousand TIE's screaming at untold speed torwards them bringing forth green spears of death.
"GLORY TO THE EMPIRE!" a starfighter pilot roared over the comlink as a frigate analog detonated, only to be engulfed with last cries of death, cheers for good kills and usual pilot banter.
Thrawn on the other hand, had leaned forward calm as water, and Cayel could swear he could hear the clock ticking behind those burning red eyes. Tick, tock, tick, tock, NOW!
A few of the Yuuzhan Vong ships in the rear of their fleet detonated for no apparent reason, moments before four Imperial Star Destroyers uncloaked, deployed their starfighters, and did what they lived to do : to reap a harvest of death and destruction. A squadron of TIE's held wedge formation with iron discipline, and screamed as one through space, the best of the very best. Led by the original Kowes and his clones and few recruits who fit to his rigid standards. They fired as one, flied as one, lived as one.
The cavalry came in, as fifty minor starships exited hyperspace and hurried to outflank the alien warfleet which was being pounded from the rear and the front. 'Dominion' collapsed inwards before exploding in a ray of sparks.
*Thirty thousand good officers, dead. And more dying right now out there.* Cayel thought. The Star Destroyer 'Guardian' followed 'Dominion' with a fiery death as two Yuuzhan Vong warships, pounded beyond repair, slammed into it.
Blue lances began to streak across the sky, pure energy of the imploder lances had a short range, but in battles when it was up close and personal, they served well.
"Set course for the planet remains at half cruise speed, gunnery crew can fire at will on the enemy ships until ordered otherwise." Thrawn murmored into the comlink. They passed Torroro's warships soon enough, and most of the Yuuzhan Vong warfleet was in pieces of yorik coral. The main Star Destroyers advanced upon the planet remains of Serpindal.
"Main fleet, focus firepower on the shipwomb. Vanguard, rearguard, herd the Yuuzhan Vong warfleet and make certain none of them escape." Cayel ordered as soon as they reached the point Thrawn had foreseen in his time-table, and looked up to the Grand Admiral, who allowed a smile. A truly terrible thing to behold.
The Star Destroyers composing the main assault force opened fire, and scores of explosions erupted as the shipwomb was devastated, admiral Torroro's reavers did the bloody work of cleaning the Yuuzhan Vong fleet.
The fleet gathered again, and set course for Crimson Prime this time.
Only when they entered hyperspace, did Thrawn allow himself to ask for the butchers bill.
"Four, nearly five thousand TIE starfighters lost. Fourty minor starships and two Star Destroyers, medium damage on most of the main fleet warships, medium to heavy damage on the vanguard.
"Captain, do be kind and bring a brazier to my room." Thrawn said as he rose from the command chair.
"Pardon?"
"Admiral Naismith, or Lord Auditor Vorkosigan if you will, has told me how his people make offerings to their dead. I led nearly two hundred thousand people to their deaths today. I always thought myself an atheist, but recently Ive felt the need... the need to believe that people have souls."
"I understand sir. I belive I'll join you for that offering as well." Cayel said as he went in search for a brazier.
"Lomeir, lets go!"
They raced into the shuttle, a warrior fell to some stray thudbug as the ramp lifted, and the shuttle lifted with it. From the air they gazed at the aftermath of the battle, land riddled with stormtrooper bodies, assault transport ruins, and scores upon scores of Yuuzhan Vong. The complex itself was riddled with remains of suicide coralskipper runs, one of which took out the command tower... and Admiral Mitth with it. Thus the fate and command of the retreat fell into Lucin's lap.
"Sir, coordinates?" the pilot inquired through the doorway of the assault shuttle's cockpit.
"Head out to the mountain outpost private." Lucin said while applying a bacta patch to his forehead, before he turned to Lomeir.
"Your timely arrival saved us all, my lord."
"I rallied what warriors I could as soon as the Grand Admiral contacted me."
"I was wondering why did he miss out on this chance for getting our gunners and starfighter pilots more field experience." Lucin tiredly dropped into a seat as the shuttles assumed triangle formation and sped torward the mountain outpost.
"Aye, the Fleet was assembling at Iridonia when I left. Something big is about to happen, Thrawn gathered his best ships at Iridonia, and sent Torroro and his reavers to probe the hyperspace lines torward Yuuzhan Vong space." said Lomeir, holding a ragged bandage around his bleeding arm.
"Hmmm. Probing with fingers through different space lines. Then he will curl the fingers into a fist and punch, but where? The targets are many. The Belkadan coralskipper yards are nearly repaired from that attack a year and a half ago." Lucin mused.
"Never mind that man, what sorta troops do you have up in this outpost?"
"Maybe a thousand men. Mostly techies, but I'd say theres atleast three hundred scout troopers, and the outpost itself is in a good spot for defending." Lucin twisted his mouth in displeasure.
"Sir, ETA is under a minute, shall you hail the outpost? I'd hate having to go down by friendly fire after getting out of that carnage." the pilot said through his helmet.
"Aye." Lucin said, and grabbed the comlink.
"Outpost Fear's End, this is Commodore Lucin from Imperial Center, requesting permission to land, repeat, requesting permission to land."
"This is outpost Fear's End, go ahead Commodore we've been expecting you." the voice died as abruptly as the transmission was ended.
"Alright pilot, take us in. Carefully."
"Think its a trap?"
"Got no idea, but I didnt get where I am by being completely trusting."
The shuttle flew right into the mountain side, and right through the holographic image keeping the outpost hidden from plain sight. A docking bay as good as any stretched, it could probably fit a Lancer frigate in, if there was a need. Three battered shuttles were no problem. The ramps lowered as soon as they landed, and the lieutenant Cordero who commanded the northern parimeter around Imperial Center, came to greet commodore Lucin.
"Commodore! We feared you dead!" he said as soon as the wounded bunch of both Zabrak and stormtroopers came down the ramp.
"Heard from Center?" Lucin said coldly and officially as ever.
"Aye sir, half a hundred scouts came back from the battle with news." Cordero slapped his comlink "Medic teams needed in the docking bay, as soon as possible."
"My thanks, but my wounds are not too great. I'd speak with you in a more private surrounding, while my troops and Lord Lomeir's warriors are being tended to."
"Absolutely sir. If you would follow me to the war room?" Cordero said and extended his hand in an invitation torward the turbolift. Lucin followed.
They entered the room similiar to the one Lucin left to the fire and to the Vong at Imperial Center, though much smaller ofcourse. As befits an outpost.
"How bad is it sir?" Cordero said as soon as they seated themselves at the table.
"I'd say we are short of over fifty thousand troops, and under half a hundred armor units. How strong is your force here?"
"I have a thousand men stationed here, a few hundred stragglers came from Center - thats how I got the news - and from the southern outpost. The Vong overran it. I'd say I have a thousand and a half men here, a little under a thousand being techies. Six hundred green men sir. All I have at my disposal, most of them on speeders with scout trooper training."
"Alright, send out patrols of six to scout the area around the outpost in a radius of two kilometers. Send another fifty to other outposts with orders to abandon their posts and assemble here. Get your techies to start drilling out more space, I want to house all the other outpost personell here."
"A wise move. I'll get at it right away. Anything else sir?"
"Yea. I want a bed, and reports at my console every hour."
"As you wish sir." With that, Cordero rose, and Lucin rose with him.
* * *
"Is my admiral ship ready captain?" Thrawn's cold voice slashed through silence, sending chills down Cayel's spine as it straightened by reflex.
"The 'Inquisitor' is fully under your command my lord."
"Then prepare the fleet for hyperspace captain, and for battle. And tell every man in the fleet, of small or great rank, that the hour is at hand when the Empire will show the Yuuzhan Vong, how war is waged. The hour is at hand when all the small blades will be forged together into a great sword to cut down the tree of the Vong invasion, and leave naught but a stump and a falling tree. In those words." Thrawn said grimly.
Cayel obeyed, as always. The fleet captains reported their readyness, all was ready, if he forgot anything it was too late to fix it now. Battle is at hand.
"And so it begins." Thrawn murmored as the vanguard of the Fleet jumped forth, led by the ever-bloodlusty Torroro, combined of his handpicked reavers - the Star Destroyers 'Colossus', 'Lord of Blight', 'Champion', and the 'Guardian', all veterans of a hundred skirmishes. While the main fleet awaited the signal : the Admiral's flagship the 'Inquisitor', the 'Lord Vader', the 'Dominion', the 'Stormlord', 'Warlord', 'Tyrant', 'Avatar', and 'Darkness'. With over fifty minor starships, and twenty Carriers each with five full wings of TIE starfighters. Eight thousand TIE starfighters to swarm the sky, not counting those inside the Star Destroyers.
The fist of the Imperium was ready to strike - and woe to those who stood in its path.
"Here we go." Cayel muttered as the first report arrived from the vanguard. They've took the warfleet Vong by suprise, over a thousand ships at the Serpindal shipwomb. Then they jumped, and the doors of hell opened as they exited Hyperspace moments afterwards.
The wedge of Torroro's reavers has cut deep into the alien fleet of yorik coral, with their analogs of orbital platforms spitting death at the vanguard.
"Admiral Torroro, is the vanguard in position?"
"Aye my lord."
"Activate the cloaking device, record last known location of enemy warships and open fire half a minute after activation."
"I live to serve." Torroro's holographic image bowed, and the vanguard outside - dissapeared after a brief flash from their engines, perfectly simulating a jump to hyperspace. The Yuuzhan Vong warships turned torward the oncoming Star Destroyers, coralskippers poured torward them to meet the onslaught of eight thousand TIE's screaming at untold speed torwards them bringing forth green spears of death.
"GLORY TO THE EMPIRE!" a starfighter pilot roared over the comlink as a frigate analog detonated, only to be engulfed with last cries of death, cheers for good kills and usual pilot banter.
Thrawn on the other hand, had leaned forward calm as water, and Cayel could swear he could hear the clock ticking behind those burning red eyes. Tick, tock, tick, tock, NOW!
A few of the Yuuzhan Vong ships in the rear of their fleet detonated for no apparent reason, moments before four Imperial Star Destroyers uncloaked, deployed their starfighters, and did what they lived to do : to reap a harvest of death and destruction. A squadron of TIE's held wedge formation with iron discipline, and screamed as one through space, the best of the very best. Led by the original Kowes and his clones and few recruits who fit to his rigid standards. They fired as one, flied as one, lived as one.
The cavalry came in, as fifty minor starships exited hyperspace and hurried to outflank the alien warfleet which was being pounded from the rear and the front. 'Dominion' collapsed inwards before exploding in a ray of sparks.
*Thirty thousand good officers, dead. And more dying right now out there.* Cayel thought. The Star Destroyer 'Guardian' followed 'Dominion' with a fiery death as two Yuuzhan Vong warships, pounded beyond repair, slammed into it.
Blue lances began to streak across the sky, pure energy of the imploder lances had a short range, but in battles when it was up close and personal, they served well.
"Set course for the planet remains at half cruise speed, gunnery crew can fire at will on the enemy ships until ordered otherwise." Thrawn murmored into the comlink. They passed Torroro's warships soon enough, and most of the Yuuzhan Vong warfleet was in pieces of yorik coral. The main Star Destroyers advanced upon the planet remains of Serpindal.
"Main fleet, focus firepower on the shipwomb. Vanguard, rearguard, herd the Yuuzhan Vong warfleet and make certain none of them escape." Cayel ordered as soon as they reached the point Thrawn had foreseen in his time-table, and looked up to the Grand Admiral, who allowed a smile. A truly terrible thing to behold.
The Star Destroyers composing the main assault force opened fire, and scores of explosions erupted as the shipwomb was devastated, admiral Torroro's reavers did the bloody work of cleaning the Yuuzhan Vong fleet.
The fleet gathered again, and set course for Crimson Prime this time.
Only when they entered hyperspace, did Thrawn allow himself to ask for the butchers bill.
"Four, nearly five thousand TIE starfighters lost. Fourty minor starships and two Star Destroyers, medium damage on most of the main fleet warships, medium to heavy damage on the vanguard.
"Captain, do be kind and bring a brazier to my room." Thrawn said as he rose from the command chair.
"Pardon?"
"Admiral Naismith, or Lord Auditor Vorkosigan if you will, has told me how his people make offerings to their dead. I led nearly two hundred thousand people to their deaths today. I always thought myself an atheist, but recently Ive felt the need... the need to believe that people have souls."
"I understand sir. I belive I'll join you for that offering as well." Cayel said as he went in search for a brazier.
