Chapter 26: A matter of survival
July 12
The negotiations on Mon Cala didn't take long. Since both the Rebel Alliance and the Imperial Federation were eager to create a pact of mutual defense, all that Mon Mothma, Prince Claudio and the respective delegations had to sort out were the specific terms to put on the holographic pages of the treaty.
Eventually, on July 10, it was declared to the two galaxies that the Universal Allied Cooperation Treaty (UACT) was born. The name itself was a statement the any nation, in the future could join freely, as long as it respected sentient rights and was committed to consider armed resolutions of conflicts as a last resource.
The name of the chart was Treaty of Mon Cala, and it also drew the first plans for an economic, technological and political cooperation between the signatories.
Most of the time, Ezra had to act like the personal bodyguard of Mon Mothma, since there was no guarantee that the Empire didn't have any agent waiting on the planet to attempt on her life, which left Sabine and Moreena explore the city, admiring how fast the main services had been restored by the Mon Cala and witnessing the endless stream of civilian shuttles that brought countless resources to the orbital shipyards.
While the Mon Calas were expanding the Rebel Fleet, Mothma and the delegation had already returned to Yavin IV, only to find themselves in front of a new emergency.
It was early morning when Jaral had the Specters summoned to the command room for what seemed like an urgent mission. Ezra, Moreena, Sabine and Zeb were walking inside the ancient temple, heading toward said room.
"I wonder what could she find so urgent." Moreena commented.
"I don't know," Ezra replied. "but if Jaral of all people is alarmed, prepare for the worse."
They accelerated the pace. On that level of the temple, they noticed, there seemed to be a more chaotic atmosphere than usual, with officers and soldiers moving around with haste.
"I hope it doesn't involve Lothal, somehow." Zeb said with worry in his voice.
"If that was the case, she would have already told me with the bond." the Jedi replied.
Regardless, they quickly passed the door into the command room, spotting Jaral with her back toward them, talking to someone on the holotable.
"Hey sis, what's happening?" Ezra said.
Jaral first turned her head, then stepped aside to let the other teens look at the hologram, leaving Ezra and Sabine stunned.
"Mother?!" Sabine exclaimed.
Ursa Wren's hologram was standing on that edge of the holotable, on a smaller scale. She made a friendly nod toward Sabine, even though her face remained serious.
"It's good to see you, Sabine. Ezra…"
"Countess…" Ezra said respectfully. "What's going on? Are you in danger?" he added immediately after.
Ursa sighed. "I'm ashamed to say so, but yes. The Empire has started a massive invasion of Mandalorian space from Taris and Krownest is under siege."
Sabine's eyes widened with preoccupation and she quickly stepped in front of her mother's hologram.
"How bad it is?"
"We're holding, for now. But the Star Destroyers will arrive soon, and they will probably just bomb the planet until it melts. We need help, even if it's just some transports to bring away my people and our most valuable assets."
"I've already ordered a regiment to be sent to Krownest." Jaral said. "Ezra, get the Silver Bullet and move there at once, I'll head for Mandalore with my X-Wing, in the meantime."
"On it. Come on, guys!" the Jedi replied eagerly before heading out of the room, followed by the Lasat and the girls.
Ursa looked at them go, before making a half-smirk and comment to the Grand Marshall. "Looks like Ezra has become a real leader."
Jaral made a witty smirk as well. "He only needed to convince himself, I just gave him the opportunity to show it."
"Since he might become the future Count, I'm not complaining. So, what reinforcements can we expect?"
"The regiment I said with the attached GR75, plus I'm sending in my best fighter squadron, Rogue, and a bomber squadron as well. I'll see if the Federation can send us some help, as well, but we shall be there in less than two rotations."
"Understood, see you soon, Grand Marshall." and the hologram disappeared.
The young woman turned toward the various seats of the operators, who were supervised by Darvos.
"Captain Tanis," she said (they had both decided that they had to sound professional in front of the others) "call up Generals Draven and Iblis, meanwhile inform Admiral Edrix of our problem and see if they can send any kind of assistance."
"Yes, ma'am." her husband replied. He tapped the shoulder of one of the operators, who then announced:
"General Draven and General Iblis, please report to the command room. General Draven and General Iblis, please report to the command room."
Meanwhile, Darvos managed to find a safe channel and forwarded the request to the Federation, while Jaral studied a series of reports that were coming from Ursa, but also some first mails that were being sent by Bo-Katan herself, where she seemed to propose the idea of the united mandalorian clans to join the UACT.
Finally, the Generals arrived and Jaral gestured for them to reach the holotable.
"Gentlemen, there has been a change of plans. I have to leave for Mandalore immediately and I don't know how long it will take. I trust both of you will be able to carry on Operation Market Season without my assistance." she said simply.
The two older men looked at each other, but then nodded.
"It might be a bit more difficult, but we will make it, ma'am." said Iblis.
"Good. General Draven, you'll be in charge of the strategic support for our cells while I'm away."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good luck, gentlemen." she concluded with a salute.
"You too, Marshall." Iblis said as the two returned the gesture.
Jaral started walking toward the door, signaling Darvos to reach the transport as soon as he could, but then her path was stopped by Hera, with her hands on her hips and looking annoyed.
"What's going on, Jari? Why haven't I been informed?"
Jaral didn't budge. "Hera, we're sending an entire regiment to help the Mandalorians, but it won't operate for long without supplied. I need you here to organize the routes and gather support from the other cells."
"I can do it from Mandalore, if necessary, I want to come with you!" Hera insisted.
"No, Hera, the Empire will surely cut Mandalore out of communications soon enough, you have to stay here. That's an order!" the Grand Marshall replied sternly.
For how much she hated it, Hera knew that her kinda-daughter only cared about her pregnancy and the well-being of the baby, but she still resented being kept on the ground. She sighed and lowered her head.
Jaral put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I promise, when the baby is out and safe with Mum on Lothal, you can take on every field mission, but for now, he takes the priority over everything else." she said in a conciliatory tone.
Hera gently squeezed that hand and gave her a proud smile. "I know."
Jaral returned with a kind expression before Darvos reached her and they walked outside.
"Where are we sending the transport?" asked Darvos.
"Straight to Krownest," Jaral replied. "you help our men from behind the holotable, meanwhile I'm going to meet with Bo-Katan at Sundari."
"Understood, see you soon." he said before pecking her cheek and sprinting away toward the elevator that led to the underground hangar where the GR75 was sitting and being loaded with troopers and materials to withstand the cold weather of Krownest.
Jaral instead headed toward the fighter park right outside of the temple that hosted the command. She saw Wedge and Hobbie mounting on their X-Wings, followed by the other members of Rogue Squadron.
She was fast-pacing toward her X-Wing, which was being prepared by engineers. Raze was attached to the magnetic winch and was being allocated in his post.
Then, Lieutenant Poshur of Rhino squad appeared in front of her, already loaded with his armor and weapons.
"Grand Marshall, the squad is loading our shuttle, we will meet you on Mandalore." he said quickly as he still walked backward to reach his team.
"All right, Lieutenant, but don't get too worried, I'll be among friendly Mandalorians, I should be safe." she quipped.
"Sure thing, but it's our job to make sure nothing happens to you, so don't get into any trouble until we arrive." he quipped back.
Jaral chuckled. "I'll do my best." she concluded, waving a hand while Poshur made a quick salute with his hand and ran away.
She approached her X-Wing and materialized her armor.
"All set, ma'am." the chief engineer said.
She acknowledged the fact and climbed the small stair, then entered the cockpit. Raze warbled something.
"I know, buddy. I've missed flying as well." she quipped.
The engineers stepped away and she started the engines, right when the giant door of the subterranean hangar started to open in the nearby field.
As all the fighter-crafts and bombers also lifted from the ground, Jaral waited for the signal of the operator on land, who eventually signaled her with the glowing stick and she finally lifted the X-Wing.
The group of small crafts formed around the transport and headed toward the atmosphere.
As he waited in the command room of the base, an operator suddenly spoke up.
"Admiral, Lord Vader's ship has just entered the system."
"Thanks, Private." Iulius calmly replied, then took his comlink. "Cody, have two platoons ready at the landing pad."
"Right away, sir."
He then turned toward Qathora and tilted his head, signaling her to follow.
When he said 'two platoons', Iulius meant the usual squad of stormtroopers ready to welcome Lord Vader, but the second one, on the other side, would have been the squad of Carunoans who had officially joined the 101st Fleet as Auxiliaries.
Iulius wanted to show them immediately to Vader, partially because he wanted to go immediately back to work.
Just the day before, thanks to the broadcasting that one of the refugees was doing from the base, the Imperials had made radio contact with what seemed an official military cell, probably one of the last remainders of the old government of that continent, and Iulius wanted to organize a meeting with them, to see if he could ally with them as well, maybe convince them to establish a force that would accept the protection of the Galactic Empire over the planet.
He headed toward the zone of the landing pads. Number 4 had been reserved for Lord Vader's shuttle. Cody had already deployed a group of white stormtroopers and Burk's squad on the two sides that should have been aligned with the shuttle's ramp.
After a couple of minutes, the Lambda-class shuttle appeared in the sky and, as it lowered close to the landing pad, its wings folded upward.
Iulius put his hands behind his back and stood at attention, while Qathora stood a couple meters away from him, as dictated by the protocol for a servant.
The shuttle landed without any problem. A moment later, the exhaust ports released a massive cloud of white steam while the ramp moved down and finally touched the ground.
A tall man completely clad in a black armor and cape started to walk down the ramp, a massive mechanical breathing was the first sound that came out of his helmet.
What caught Iulius' glimpse was the weapon attached to the left hip of the man. He was sure that was a lightsaber, after seeing one in the hands of the Bridgers, but he didn't let that thought trail him away from paying attention.
"Lord Vader." he said with a bow as the black-armored warrior reached the end of the ramp and started to walk between the two lines of soldiers. "Welcome to Titan Base."
The Sith Lord didn't reply, instead he simply looked at his right, where the Carunoans were standing at attention with a discipline that clearly showed that they had a past in a real military.
"So…" Vader spoke up with his mechanical voice. "these are your candidates for the 'Dark Trooper' project?"
"They are, My Lord." Iulius replied firmly. "You will see them in action, very soon. If you agree, I suggest we get to work right away." he added with a perfect balance of due reverence and dutifulness.
"A wise proposal, Admiral." Vader replied. "I don't like people who waste my time."
"Of course. This way, please." the Admiral concluded as he motioned Qathora to lead the way. The Togruta made a small bow and complied.
There was no conversation until they reached the headquarters and Iulius started to explain everything as shortly as possible, but it still take him a whole ten minutes.
"Thus, My Lord, the reason the Emperor sent you here is because we need someone who can use the Force and help us find where the main fleet of the Yavzakhs is, before it strikes into imperial territory."
"And you believe we can find their location inside their main tower?" Vader asked.
"I'm positive, My Lord." Iulius replied, before inputting a command in the holotable, which then changed and showed the hologram of a nightmarish creature, with four tentacles and a body which seemed like a giant gas bag ready to burst out.
"According to Doctor Kimovir, the Yavzakhs are mind-controlled by these creatures. We nicknamed them 'Surveyors', and it's safe to assume that there is only one left on Carunoia. And it most likely is...here." he tapped another command and the holotable showed a giant tower of the Yavzakhs, located at the northern end of the continent where Titan Base was built.
Vader looked at the hologram for a while.
"What do you know about that tower's defenses?" he then asked.
"So far, all the probes we've sent have been destroyed, and the tower is out of our reach, from here. Therefore, I suggest we made contact with the Carunoan military force as soon as we can. They have a base not far away from the tower, perhaps they have intel on the enemy forces."
"These people have already lost this war." Hopler commented with a tone that could only be called as arrogant. "What could they ever teach us?"
Iulius was about to talk back, but Vader anticipated him.
"Do you have another suggestion, Colonel?" the Sith asked rather annoyed.
And everybody knew, it was better not to annoy Darth Vader.
"N...No, My Lord…" Hopler replied timidly.
"Then refrain from interrupting us again."
"S...Sorry, My Lord."
When the heavy atmosphere toned down a bit, Iulius decided to resume the briefing.
"Anyway...if we can get the help of the locals, not only we would increase our numbers, since they are soldiers, they might instruct our troopers on the tactics necessary to deal with the various types of enemy forces. Aside from that, we need a forward operative base to launch our assault on the tower."
"When do you intend to move?"
"We can leave right away, My Lord. Just a few minutes to call up the troops and for me to gear up."
"Good." Vader concluded. "I'll be waiting at the gunships, Admiral, don't make me wait too long."
"As you wish, My Lord." Iulius answered with a polite bow and a firm tone.
Vader turned around and walked outside of the room while the officers got back to their duties.
Iulius gently grabbed Qathora's arm. "Go get Cody and tell him to prepare a squad, plus Victor Team, on two gunships. Then you gear up as well." he whispered. Victor Team was the codename of Burk's group of four combatants.
"You sure you want me out of the base?" Qathora asked calmly, giving a fleeting gaze toward Hopler.
"That idiot wouldn't dare to make a move with Lord Vader in charge. Besides, the Carunoans might be unwilling to shoot on a beautiful alien lady." he quipped at the end.
Qathora smirked and shook her head. "You know, flirting with your subordinate is against the rules."
"What flirting? I'm just recognizing that my personal Agent can easily appear friendlier to unknown subjects." he replied, trying to sound serious even though he was grinning.
"Oh, cut the crap, Admiral." she replied jokingly. "I'll go get ready."
With that said, they left the room. Qathora headed toward the barracks, Iulius toward his quarters, where his armor was.
The trip to Krownest actually didn't take long, because it just so happened that Yavin's sector, the Gordian Reach, were actually pretty close, if one managed to avoid imperial patrols and use the Hydian Way. With Jinx keeping an eye and jamming on Imperial frequencies, of course, the expeditionary force had no problem doing just that, and in two hours they entered Mandalorian space, first passing the Kalevala system, where it seemed like many clans were gathering their forces for a stand against the Empire, since that planet had an extremely harsh but easily defensible terrain, it could be used to slow down the enemy force just with a planetary shield.
Then the expedition passed Krownest, and they noticed a view that they didn't expect in the slightest.
There were warships. Mandalorian warships. Mostly frigates, but it appeared like they had even managed to build two Battle-cruisers which were clearly inspired in their design from the Star Destroyers.
Ezra, Sabine and Moreena were looking at the orbital shipyards with incredulity.
"Did you know anything about this, Sabine?" Moreena asked.
Sabine shook her head. "Nope. I guess my family had to keep the secret."
"Can you blame them?" Ezra commented.
Then, the X-Wing of Jaral flew in front of their cockpit and she spoke up on the comlink.
"All right, I got permission to land. Proceed to Krownest as instructed, Specter-7."
"Yes, ma'am." Ezra replied. "Say hello to Lady Bo-Katan for us."
"I'll make sure. May the Force be with you." Jaral concluded before veering her fighter toward the planet.
But just as she disappeared, a group of Fang-class fighters moved in front of the Silver Bullet, as if they wanted to lead the convoy. One of the fighters slowed down and moved next to the Gauntlet.
"I see you restyled that ship, Bridger." a familiar voice spoke up in the comlink.
Sabine and Ezra grinned and the young mandalorian answered. "You wouldn't expect me to keep those horrible colors, would you, Rau?"
The old Protector laughed in the comlink.
"I heard you've become a General, Ezra. Feel ready for commanding in your first real battle?"
"Hey, I was on Mon Cala, you know. Are you here to escort us?"
"Even better. Me and my pilots are going to provide some additional cover in the air."
"That's good news." Sabine answered. "Are those new Protectors?"
"Yeah, now that we actually have someone on the throne, more people have decided to join our ranks, and it seems like lady Kryze has managed to make herself popular."
They were nearing the end of the planet's gravitational field, so they stopped talking for a moment and took the time to enter hyperspace and proceed toward Krownest. During the rest of the journey, Fenn Rau updated the group on the latest developments in mandalorian space.
After the Specters had helped liberating the planet, and the Federation started sending resources in secret, Bo-Katan had worked hard not only to reunite the numerous clans and Mandalorians scattered across the galaxy, but also employed some corporations, like the MandalMotors and other companies to start building a fleet. While the clans had managed to steal some imperial ships, it was vital that they managed to build a real fleet as soon as possible.
The Mandalorians had managed to keep the construction secret until a week ago, after which the Empire quickly assembled a fleet on Taris and launched its offensive. Despite being a bit rushed, the imperial Task Force still outnumbered the mandalorian fleet, which was still building its best ship on Mandalore.
"That's what we're actually going to do on Krownest." Rau concluded.
"What do you mean?" asked Ezra.
"Despite looking like a frozen wasteland, Krownest is very rich in minerals. Both precious ones and those necessary to build alloys for spaceships." Sabine explained.
"That's right. Countess Wren was about to send us the last batch of resources that will allow us to build our dreadnought, the Keldabe."
"Do we have an estimates of the imperial forces on Krownest?" Moreena asked.
"According to the latest report, there are only two light-cruisers escorting the landing transports, but we have to move quickly before Star Destroyers start to pour out of hyperspace."
"Copy that." Ezra said.
The hyperspace controls started beeping. A few seconds later, the convoy left the blue tunnel and found itself in front of Krownest.
As Rau said, there were two Arquitens cruisers overlooking a group of transports of various types and were surrounded by numerous TIE Fighters.
The Imperials had detected the convoy coming out of hyperspace and one of the Arquitens was already steering to intercept, along with most of the TIEs.
"They saw us." Ezra said in the comlink of his unit. "Battle stations, everybody."
Sabine powered up the weapons, Moreena went at the panel of the sensors and Chopper plugged into the socket of the cockpit.
Then Ezra picked up the comlink again.
"Rau, you and your men follow me, we'll meet those fighters head-on."
"That's what I like to hear." Rau replied before giving the order to his men.
"Specter-7 to Rogue Leader, form up around the transport and protect it until it reaches the land defenses. Taiga Leader, stand by and wait for an opportunity to bomb that cruiser."
"Rogue Leader, acknowledged."
"Taiga Leader, acknowledged."
And so, the Mandalorians were the first to start the fight. The Gauntlet was less maneuverable, but had shields and Jinx making difficult for the imperial pilots to get a lock on the ship.
In total, the allied forces counted 15 fighters, while the imperials had 30, plus 12 interceptors. Even though they eventually lost 6 Protectors, the allied still had a relative superiority in armaments and skill, and after decimating the imperials, the remaining fighters fled.
This left the cruiser completely open for the bombers and Taiga squadron didn't waste any time in hitting it with ion torpedoes, disabling the ship and letting it vulnerable to precise attacks of the allied crafts. It didn't last much longer after that.
"Good job, everybody." Ezra complimented. "I'm heading down to meet Wren clan, Rau, keep an eye on the imperials, will ya?"
"Yes...General." he said with a bit humor.
Ezra made a lopsided grin and veered the ship toward the surface.
Ursa had sent them not the coordinates of the fortress, but for another series of fortifications. Because the main fortress was protected by an energy shield, and the anti-ship batteries given by the Federation were deployed in a wise manner around the perimeter, the Imperials effectively could land only in a specific area, where they still would have to face the brunt of the Wren warriors, who were dug inside bunkers and trenches. Among those fortifications, there was also a command bunker where they would meet Ursa.
Ezra received clearance for landing near said structure, while the rebel transport landed a km behind the lines. Zeb and Rex, in charge of the regiment, oversaw the unloading of troops and vehicles, since they had a platoon of five Scorpion tanks, fabricated for the Army.
Leaving Chopper to guard the ship, Ezra materialized his armor except for his helmet, Moreena put on a heavy coat and they left the Gauntlet. They were met by a Wren warrior, who led them into the trench and into the command bunker, while all around them there was quite the movement of mandalorians bringing supplies or reinforcements to the frontline.
Inside the bunker, they quickly spotted Ursa and Tristan around the holotable, along with one of their Lieutenants.
"Mother. Tristan." Sabine greeted.
Ursa took a moment to put her hands on her daughter's shoulders in a mild hug.
"Welcome back, Sabine." she said with a bit of affection and Sabine smiled.
"You too, Bridger." Tristan added cordially, then spotted the red-haired girl. "Who's she?"
Ursa too was listening.
"This is Moreena Krai. An old friend of me and my sister, now part of the Rebel Intelligence Department."
"Hi." Moreena said with a small gesture of her hand.
"Nice to meet you." the Countess replied. "Now, we should prepare for the fight."
"I agree. Show us what we are facing." Ezra concluded as they gathered around the holotable.
The gunships flew for around two hours. Aboard the gunships of the imperials, the presence of Darth Vader was enough to make everybody unsettled and nobody said a word. The only ones who seemed to not care were Cody and Iulius, who were instead openly discussing the possible scenarios they were going to face.
From time to time, though, the old clone had his helmet turned toward Vader, who was standing silently in the middle of the cargo hold, only breaking his silence because of the breathing machine that only seemed to make the men uncomfortable. Even Qathora was trying her best to ignore the uneasy feeling that the Dark Lord seemed to propagate with his mere presence.
"What's going on, Cody?" Iulius had to ask when he saw the clone staring at the Sith once again.
Before Cody answered, though, Iulius noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that Vader had slightly turned his head toward them when he said the name 'Cody'.
"I don't know, Admiral. It's just...somehow, all of this seems...familiar."
Silence fell, and it looked like Cody and Vader were looking at each other, even through their helmets.
Iulius honestly couldn't grasp what was going on, and stood there, unsure what to do.
Luckily, the pilot of the gunship came to the rescue.
"Admiral, we're approaching the Carunoan base, but it's under attack." she said through her helmet.
Iulius immediately stood up and got into the cockpit to take a look outside.
Indeed, there were muzzles coming that way, both from slug-throwers and Yavzakh ionic weapons. The weather was clear, and Iulius, especially with his range-finder, could distinguish the Humans defending a barricade of sandbags and other type of military fortifications, while the Yavzakhs were attacking from a narrow pass.
The base was situated atop of a mountain, so the Carunoans had the advantage of the position, but they were under heavy artillery fire.
"We can't jump in there." Iulius mumbled.
He took another look around and saw a raised level where they could strike the Yavzakhs on the flank and get the high ground as well.
"Get us there, and tell the other gunship to do the same." he ordered.
"Yes, sir." the co-pilot answered.
Iulius stepped back into the cargo hold.
"Get ready, we'll have to jump down fast." he announced.
Everybody stood up and prepared their weapons, while the Admiral called the fleet.
"Tanis to Admonitor, we're about to engage enemy forces, send air support and prepare the walkers." he said calmly.
"Affirmative, sir. The TIEs will be there in three minutes."
Iulius grabbed his E-22 from his back and got near the doors, pushing a button to make them open.
The gunships were passing over the Carunoan base. It was clear that the few buildings on the outside were just the entrance to an underground complex that was hidden in the mountain.
There were bodies littered on both sides, and even if the Carunoans were suffering less casualties because of their advantageous position, they were still very outnumbered and they weren't going to last long.
Then, without any warning, while Iulius was still assessing the situation, he saw that Darth Vader was jumping down toward the battlefield, his lightsaber's hilt in his right hand, and probably using the Force to slow down his fall.
Admiral Tanis was taken aback for a second. He looked at the spot where Vader was just a second before, then downward again, then inside again.
"Oh...now I get it." Cody commented with a calm tone.
Iulius sighed. All he could do was let the pilots do their job and bring down the gunships.
When that happened, he was the first to jump down. He ordered the two squads to regroup at the edge of the crest.
Looking downward, they easily spotted Vader with his crimson blade, cutting through the Hybrids like they were nothing. Even the Carunoans in the base were watching in awe.
"Does he really need our help?" Qathora asked jokingly.
"Well, since we came here, I say we participate." Iulius replied as he aligned his E-22 and shot at a Hybrid in the rear of the Yavzakh formation, blowing up the alien's implant on the back.
"Take cover and fire!" the Admiral ordered, and everybody complied, especially because a group of Yavzakhs was very angry, now, and they charged up the hill.
The gunships took off and moved to provide a bit of covering fire. The Yavzakhs that ran up the hill were easily mowed down by the precise fire of the Humans and the Togruta, while Vader kept mowing down the aliens ruthlessly.
Soon, the TIEs also started to fly over their heads, and the squadron easily spotted the Yavzakh mortars and bombed them out of the face of the universe.
Still, the creatures didn't flee, this time. Instead, they kept attacking until they were all wiped out.
Iulius ordered the group to walk down the slope and they reunited with Lord Vader, who was standing among the brutalized corpses of the aliens, silently looking at them, with his lightsaber back on his belt and his cape covering most of his body.
Deciding that he didn't want to argue with him over the idea of jumping down a flying gunship to meet the enemy in a way that wasn't the plan, Iulius simply walked past Vader and headed toward the gate of the base. He put away his weapon and raised his hands.
"Burk, talk with them." he ordered at the man next to him.
"Yes, sir." the soldier replied. He was wearing some armor pieces, like the rest of his team. Pieces of armor that had been developed with the help of the imperial engineers by stealing Yavzakh technology. Since the Imperials didn't have many weapons to spare for the Carunoans, Iulius had decided that the Fleet should at least help fabricate them.
Burk raised his weapon in the air with a hand, holding it in a way that clearly showed he wasn't going to shoot with it, and started talking in Imirgesh.
Soon after, the soldiers of the base lowered their weapons and used to opportunity to tend to their wounded comrades.
Some of the soldiers on the barricades had black uniforms with helmets and iron masks that hid their faces, the others had green uniforms, like the one Burk had when Iulius first met him, but more elaborated, with backpack, canteen, pouches and a helmet, their faces were visible.
They all had a standardized weaponry, which clearly showed they were from the same Army, just from different units.
The Carunoans opened the main steel gate and a man with a lighter version of that black uniform, escorted by two other soldiers, stepped out. Iulius understood that the guy was the commanding officer.
The two groups met in the middle and Burk presented himself with a salute, just to remember Iulius that he had been a soldier of that same Army until a few years before.
Burk quickly addressed the officer to Iulius, who removed his helmet to show his face and establish a little bit of trust.
The officer stepped forward and tended a hand.
"Greetings." he said in Imirgesh. "Captain Rissard Kimby." and then something else that Iulius didn't completely understand, but he knew that it was the name of his division.
Iulius shook hand. "Admiral Iulius Tanis. Imperial Navy."