Chapter 31

Admiral Picot stared out the window of the command ship of his fleet: th Temperance. His efforts to gain ships had been overwhelmingly successful, and thanks to donations from other sectors and new ships being procured from the nearby shipyards.

It led a force of 11 other I S D's, along with half a dozen Vindicator cruisers, two dozen arquitens light cruisers, a dozen Nebulon B frigates, and half a dozen of the rare and expensive Lancer Class Frigates, designed to counter the growing threat of rebel starfighters. These ships were armed with fast-firing quad laser cannons and ant fighter concussion missile launchers, and were capable of creating a no-fly zone around them for starfighters. They were also very fast, capable of starfighter-like speeds which made them even more deadly to small craft.

This decisive strike would be able to defeat Earth's puny forces in the system. Perhaps they had grown in the past three months, but not enough to rival the full invasion force that was backing him up. He only had a third of the Star Destroyers and a quarter of the smaller ships of the total force that would be in the attacking force. Hopefully, this attack through the secret hyperspace lane deep into enemy territory would cause enough confusion to cause a panic retreat, allowing him to retake lots of territories.

Despite often being arrogant, the Moff had been grateful for the help of Moff's Kleen of the Ghalia Sector, as well as Moff Jareen of the Tsundre Sector and Moff Kralen of the Query sector. Moff Parker of the Powerful Beano Sector had even said that he would come to his aid directly. Despite his sense of superiority, he was grateful for everything these Imperials had done to him. He only wondered what strings were attached to the deal.

"All ships: launc 's, and fire when ready at your assigned targets" He ordered the fleet.

Orbit of Tibannas I I I, Tibannas Sector

Moff Karla Illustrious of the Tibannas sector stared out the window of her quarters, lost in thought as she stared down at the datapad below her. The Moff s from the other sectors had connections with several of the major customers of her Tibanna gas, and due to her residual to participate in the conflict with Earth, they had mostly canceled the contracts.

She was furious not at the companies, who were simply making a poor and irrational financial choice by switching providers, but at the Moff's who were trying to blackmail her into sending her local military to die fighting an enemy that would cause major damage to any attacker. Not to mention she had agreed with Admiral Johnson that she would not attack and was growing more sympathetic to their cause.

What angered her the most was who these Moff's were and how effective they had been. Sure they had mostly kept crime and rebel activity down, but this was more so due to the priorities of the Rebel Alliance. If they wanted to take or at least undermine any of those sectors it would be possible. But these sectors had stagnated economically since their moffs had come to power. Their populations did not particularly love the Empire, they only tolerated it.

How dare these incompetent fools to tell her how to run her sector! She did not respect them, in fact, she respected few Imperials anymore. Grand Admiral Thrawn had been one such figure who had returned the respect, believing that she had found the key to effectively ruling an Imperial sector. But he was out on an expedition to the Unknown Regions, perhaps prompted by his failure to snuff out Rebel activity in the Lothal sector. In truth, its people had been so determined to rebel that little if anything would be able to stop them. There were others that she respected, such as Imperial Army General Maximilian Veers, who had innovated the forces' armored doctrine. Also, many of the younger officers who had more junior positions or the ones under her command had good intentions and had not been corrupted by the bad systems of the Empire.

But she was starting to believe that many of the Imperial officers who led the empire were more interested in their personal gain and were incompetent when faced with the rebellion. Not to mention they were incredibly trigger-happy, willing to kill innocent civilians at the slightest hint of rebel activity.

She knew she could always cave to her fellow Moffs and join the attack against the Empire. Now apparently it was in her best interests to fight alongside them. But perhaps maybe not. The Empire was starting to feel the consequences of an overly cruel governing system. Many sectors were seeing economic stagnation due to the exploitation of the average person and an economy based heavily on the military-industrial complex. If the economy was better and people had more freedom, there would be a far better situation with the rebellion.

The galactic situation was changing rapidly. While in the long term the Empire could win a conflict against the Rebel Alliance, it would come at an incredibly high cost. Imperial industrial superiority was being constantly undermined by rebel attacks and covert operations. In this area, Earth and the Free Confederacy were starting to establish themselves in an area that mostly lacked rebel presence. Some of these sectors were only just about at full strength and many others were under strength, with their forces siphoned off to help in other battlefields. While her neighboring sectors were at full strength, their ships and armies had mostly been relocated to the borders with Earth and Free Confederacy forces.

While the actions of her neighboring Moff's had created a crisis, they had undoubtedly created an opportunity. An opportunity that she would definitely take advantage of. But she would need some sort of cover for this. It would help make the controversial action she was about to undertake more justifiable to the general public.

Some of her slicers had created a number of false statements and messages from several of the Moff's on her instruction. Using a complicated set of relays the signal would be traced back into the heart of the Ghralia sector, and when all was said and done, would give her the justification needed to do a controversial action that would tip the balance of power within her sector. It would also manage to eliminate some who threatened her power.

Flask System, aboard th Ventriloquist

All the way across the sector Imperial Security Bureau Agent Tamils Tigre received a message that was supposedly from Moff Kleen of the Ghralia Sector. It was a slightly surprising message, but considering recent events it became more understandable. The message implicated Moff Illustrious in a plot to aid Earth and the Free Confederacy along with many of her officers. His orders were to begin attacking those officers and the ships they commanded.

The commander of the Star Destroyer, Captain Sanious Qareg, was not very independent-minded, which probably explained why he had gotten to the position he now had. He would believe this order and would not hesitate to open fire on the other ships guarding the planet.

He met with the Captain and like he had expected decided to follow the order. Over the ship's comm, he informed the crew of the treachery of the Moff. Some were skeptical, but most followed his lead as they should. When the Captain contacted the other ships in orbit, consisting of another Star Destroyer, four Arquitens light cruisers, half a dozen frigates, and ten corvettes there was division within their ranks. The Captain of the other Star Destroyer was questioning the orders, and wondering if it had been false. In a rage, he invoked a clause that gave him the ability to order the Captain to stand down. Battle lines were drawn and after a short period, th agent ordered Captain Quarq to open fire on the opposing Star Destroyer. He did, firing the opening shots of what would become a sector-wide civil war.

In other systems within the Tibannas Sector, similar situations played out. About four Star Destroyers and some smaller ships decided to follow the orders, along with several ground-based divisions. Within Moff Illustrois's flagship, the Bellator Class Star Dreadnought Decisiveness, the Imperial Security Bureau Lieutenant Iog Alin decided to relay the message to his superior officer, Captain Rla Arxs. She had told him to not do anything until the message was further analyzed, and personally was very skeptical of both the message and the ideologically minded Lieutenant. Taking his own initiative, he gathered a group of loyal agents and stormtroopers and prepared to arrest Illustrious for treason.

But he did not know that the Moff had predicted his treachery against her. She monitored the group, and let them be stopped by a squad of her stormtroopers. There were a number of exchanges, and the squad leader was suspicious. He decided to wait, but then came his superiors.

Near her quarters they were stopped by her personal guard of Stormtroopers, who were not impressed by the order and refused to let the group through and see her. Enraged, the Lieutenant opened fire on the guards and began preparing to storm the room. Illustrious ordered reinforcements and took cover behind her large desk, blaster drawn. It took them a little to get in, but when they did, they opened fire. Behind her desk, the Moff returned the favor, killing several of the attackers. Moments later the group was ambushed by the same stormtroopers who had let them through at first. They had been trying to follow the group as they were suspicious of their reason to capture Illustrious. Unprepared to defend from the rear, the group was slaughtered with no hits on Illustrious or the squad that came to reinforce her.

The stormtroopers who came to rescue her would all be getting metals, and Illustrious began hearing reports of the attacks by the rebel faction of her sector forces.

The attacks were largely unsuccessful, with 1 Star Destroyer destroyed by loyal forces, another surrendered, another forced to retreat to the Ghralia Sector, and one more being retaken by loyal forces after the ship's chief engineer arrested most of the command staff, including the Captain for treason. Most of the smaller ships on the rebel faction's side were either destroyed or captured, with a few escaping and fleeing to other sectors. In the case of the loyalist losses, one Star Destroyer was destroyed, along with a heavy cruiser and some smaller ships. While the loss of any Star Destroyer was significant, most of the sector's fighting abilities were intact, and it would give the Moff the cause she needed for war for succession and war with the Empire.

Illustrious meanwhile began to order her fleets and armies to the border systems and told them to prepare for combat. Reserves were mobilized, and companies were ordered to begin configuring their production for war materials. Less than an hour after she had begun the false flag attack against herself, the Moff was giving an emergency comm speech delivered over the holonet. Several reporters were also present in the battlecruiser's wardroom, ready to ask questions and jump down each other's throats at a moment's notice.

"Citizens of the Tibannas Sector, I bring news that will be disappointing to many. After several major galactic corporations decided to halt their purchases of our goods due to our neutrality in the recent conflict, a group of rebels that affiliated with the sector forces of several of our neighbors attacked several of our fleets and made an attempt on my life due to a false report. This was a poor decision, and the attacks mostly failed due to the valiant efforts of our brave men and women in uniform. However, we have clear evidence that these attacks were ordered by the Moffs of the surrounding sectors such as Vincent Kleen of the Ghralia Sector, as well as both Moff Jareen of the Cundre Sector and Moff Kralen of the Query sector, as the orders of the files were both in the name of the Moffs and the messages have been traced back to the Ghralia Sector. We have already contacted the Moff's involved and they have all denied ordering the attack like everyone in there would do. With overwhelming evidence to state that they were responsible for these attacks, I have no choice but to determine a state of war exists with them and the rest of the Empire, and that we are no longer under their boot. This at first sounds like we are in a hopeless position, but in fact, we are ready to take advantage of one of the greatest galactic upheavals in recent history. Due to the offensive, these three Moff's have launched against the territory of Earth and the Free Confederacy, their systems are lightly defended. Despite the attacks against us by their proxies, our forces are ready for war."

"Some may question our succession from the Empire. They might say we are only as prosperous as we are due to them. I would disagree. We are not prosperous because of the policies of an Emperor across the galaxy, we are prosperous due to the hard work of our citizens and a skillfully crafted economic policy that both encourages trade and development while protecting the rights of workers and small businesses. In so many ways, the rest of the Empire is merely jealous of our wealth while squandering the opportunity to grow and surpass us. While Major Imperial backed companies may not trade with us to their own detriment, we will be able to seek out new trade partners in a galaxy that is growing with new factions that we once opposed. And we will be free from the laws, rules, and customs that govern us and constrain the Galactic Empire. All nonhumans in this sector will now have equal rights, and as long as they meet the physical and mental requirements will be able to join our military and help us wage war on those who would topple us. Democracy will also be introduced, and many of the rights that were removed after the Empire was formed. I know many of you might be skeptical of war and succession from the Empire and I will tell you this: the Empire is no longer serving our interests. The galactic stage has changed, and now new players are taking the stage. We are no longer in the period of unipolarity where the Empire is all-powerful and not challenged is over, and quite frankly we are not going back to that time anytime soon. Even if the Rebel Alliance was to be defeated, which would take a massive amount of Imperial strength and would likely just turn them back into a guerrilla force, there are numerous other groups vying for power in this galaxy. The Hutts are building a modern military for the first time in millennia, the Corporate Sector Authority is trying to dominate galactic markets in many areas, the Hapes Consortium is colonizing new worlds. We will find our place in the galaxy through our own volition, not under the boot of the Empire!" She roared, and across the sector, people cheered.

After a few minutes, she continued. "Tibannas will take its place in the stars. Thank you for your time, and thank you and good luck to the brave men and women who are going to face their ultimate challenge. I have time for several questions." She said.

"What are your thoughts on the Rebel Alliance, and how will you be dealing with them?" One reporter in the front asked.

"We will be extending the hand of cooperation to them as well as any other party we can benefit from. There is potentially a lot of good that can come from cooperation with them, though currently, my priority is to establish relations with Earth and the Free Confederacy." Illustrious answered. "Next question."

"Won't this war hurt the economy?" Another journalist asked.

"Potentially, but if we are able to gain access to more territory and develop it like we have developed this sector our economy will grow." She answered. "I have time for one more question." She said.

"What is going to be your first move in this war?" A reporter asked.

"Some of the fleets will start advancing to the lightly defended systems around us, with a reserve force kept to reinforce it if necessary. I will be taking this ship along with six Star Destroyers and their escorts to Garnizon I I to relieve the Imperial force that is attacking the combined Earth and Free Confederacy fleet there. This will inflict major damage on the reported 12 Imperial Star Destroyers there, and serve as a gesture of goodwill to both of those factions. More details will come, but we need to get all of you off so we can depart in 15 minutes." Illustrious said and the journalists nodded and got up. It was time to go to war.