Chapter 4: The Battle of Sullist
The call had come in easily three hours before the wake-up call. All the same, Tash's eyes shot open and in a matter of minutes he was dressed and out the door. When he reached the bridge, the comms officer had already brought up the Admiral's holo image, prompting Tash immediately to a salute. "What's our destination, sir?" he said, eyes momentarily shifting to the main viewport and the Home One in orbit beyond.
"Sullist," Ackbar said, giving a nod and waving off the salute. "Only fitting that the Empire strike yet again where Rollo Sparkz' own light was snuffed out about a month ago."
Their way of saying "We silenced your voices once. Time to reinforce the lesson," Tash thought grimly. "Do we have a strategy, Admiral?" Giving the helm a nod, he bent his legs lightly as the Trident changed course, aiming its bow for the edge of Mon Cala's gravity well.
Ackbar lifted a hand and his holo shrank, the Sullist system appearing beside him and dominating the display. "There is an outpost station just within the system limits. It is lightly armed and situated between the planet and the hyperlane," the admiral explained. "We've already sent word to General Pul-lar, he is en-route now and we should be a step ahead of the combined imperial fleet."
"Happy to hear it," Tash said just as the helm gave him the all-clear for hyperspace. Returning the gesture, the front viewport became a wash of white lines and then bright-blue void. The holo-transmission fizzled a moment before re-solidifying.
"It is highly recommended that the both of you set up a defensive line behind the station to give you cover against the incoming destroyers," Ackbar continued. "We've also received word from the smuggler who you met on Mygeeto. He and his crews have been paid and will meet you at the station as well." Tash held back an eyeroll. Classic outer rim mercenaries, the moment the credits flowed, they'd be loyal enough. All the same, the captain himself had a measure of professionalism about him and he also had no love for the Empire, so that added an extra level of reassurance.
"Roger that Admiral, my crews and I will be ready upon arrival. We won't let Sullist fall."
The admiral's image once again took up the majority of the holotable, allowing Tash to see the confident smile on his face. "I believe you, Lieutenant Commander. May the force be with you and your crews." With a nod, the Mon-cal faded from the display and the transmission ended.
Tash turned to the comms technician. "Call up the main docking bay. I'd like to speak with Cardinal and Cobalt Squads; I have some unusual orders for them."
Cora Sunrider watched with bated breath as the universe outside of her X-wing's viewport remained nothing but the blue tunnel of hyperspace. Cobalt and Cardinal squadrons now had their orders and, to say the least, they were a little nerve-wracking going into a fight like this. It would be the clashing rage of two separate fleets and, while she knew to trust Tash's orders, working with this other general was at-best a wild card for her and her pilots. All the same, in the heat of battle they'd be relying on whatever ships could grant them support, General Pul-lar's "Pegasus" included. Still deep in thought, she almost jumped when the X-wing's link to the Trident's hyperdrive announced the reversion to realspace. All around her white lines dropped back to stars and the expanse of space was soon filled with the nearby planet of Sullist. Opening the comms, she cycled on the fighter's engines and unlinked her life support from the Nebulon-B. One more button press and the fighter unlatched from the docking tube along the ship's dorsal structure. "Cobalt squadron, form up behind me. The Lieutenant Commander's given us order to backup the Pegasus and her squads," turning the snubfighter toward the distant outpost, Cora could just make out the shape of two cylindar-cockpitted ships in the distance: a CR90 "Blockade Runner" corvette and a Pelta-Class command ship. Her R3 unit beeped and whistled as a few friendly blips appeared on her radar between herself and the station. Her helmet's hud IDed them as other X-wings, their formation that of a loose patrol. "This is Commander Sunrider of Cobalt squadron, we're joined by Cardinal and Gold squadrons. We're all wondering where the party's happening."
One of the X-wings banked a bit closer, giving Cora a good look at the inky-black fuselage. "This is Major Weaver of Blackbird squadron," another feminine voice replied. "Just form up behind us and we'll lead you to the staging ground. Thanks for bringing the Neb-Bs, by the way; we can definitely use the extra long-range firepower. The hammerhead too." Giving a good-natured scoff, the leader of Cobalt squadron slipped in behind the other X-wings as they circled back toward the already in-place fleet. As they drew closer, Cora noted just how many X-wings were with Task Force Majestic, no doubt normally making their home aboard the pelta and its shockingly large ventral hanger-bay. Those weren't the only ships present though, as there was also a VCX-100, a HWK-290 and several Lancer-class pursuit craft (no doubt recruited from Mandalore just a cycle ago).
Finally, just leaving the station were three freighters: two YT-2400s and a YT-1300. The three drew close and then shifted trajectory to run alongside Cobalt squadron, matching speed. "This is Captain Stagg of the Golden Hound, my boys and I are at Lt. Commander Walden's service… so long as the Alliance's credit is good. Nice to see you again Commander Sunrider."
"Always nice to know where you're heart's at, captain," Cora tossed back, rolling her eyes as she did her best not to add the last word with a mocking tone. "So long as you're not leaving us to the wolves this time, I'm happy to have you."
"Please, commander," even through the comms, she could practically see the smuggler's smarmy smirk. "I'm a professional. You paid, I'll deliver. What kind of reputation would I have otherwise?"
A far more honorable one, probably, Cora thought, but didn't say it aloud. "Just make sure that you keep those imperial mercenaries off of us and your reputation will be fine." After hearing a semi-joking "yes ma'am", she closed out the comms and settled into position, watching as the two Nebulon-Bs turned and moved in opposite directions, aiming to circle either side of the station. The Morning Star followed the Ramora this time, the Trident moving over to settle into position just starboard of Task Force Majestic. The formation essentially put Task Force Trident in position to cover the flanks while Majestic ran up the center. Hopefully whatever way the Empire entered into the system, this would result in them being caught in a pincer maneuver between the two Nebs. The two fleets would still be facing down twin VSDs and GSDs, but even then the Rebels outnumbered the Imps 5 to 4. The icing on the cake was the split was even more intense squadron-wise, if Cora had read the briefings correctly. Just six enemy fighters; that had to give them some kind of edge in this coming fight. At least… that was the hope.
Tash eyed the starmap carefully. He and Pul-lar had gone over this strategy a few times now. They'd left almost nothing exposed and the two Neb-Bs would be able to start firing the moment the VSDs entered their killbox… but that didn't stop him from wondering what he could have possibly missed. Maybe he'd set the frigate too far to the side or maybe the other two ships weren't in a good position. By the time the warning signal from the starmap announced the imperial fleet's arrival, he was already almost sweating through his uniform.
"Two VSDs and two GSDs entering the system now sir," the radar tech announced. The agonising calm was finally over; here came the storm. The imps had arrived in a shockingly similar formation to their own: the two Victories making up the center of the spear-tip while the Gladiators stood at either side to flank.
Stepping up to the front viewport, Tash breathed out and nodded to helm. "Bring the engines online, ahead slow. Gunnery, stand at the ready and keep the main turbolasers aimed at the nearest Destroyer. If the GSD gets past us, start plugging away at the Vic," both stations answered the affirmative before he turned to the comms station. "Send the same message to the Ramora. She's going to be something of a secret weapon for us." He said, allowing himself just a small smirk. The Lieutenant commander couldn't quite put it into actual words, but something about giving the opening orders had banished his jitters. Strategy was full of what-ifs, maybes, and worst-case scenarios. Now that the enemy was laid out plainly for both himself and Pul-lar to see, he could react to what they were giving him. There was almost a crazy reassurance, even being overall outgunned if not outnumbered. Whatever came of this fight, the planning was done. Now, it was all in the gunners' and the pilots' skill… and the role of command was to make sure not to make any errors that would bring them all to ruin.
"Ramora copies sir," the comms officer reported. "They say 'we're looking forward to seeing what these upgraded guns can do'." Tash had to agree himself. After the successful blockade run at Mygeeto, the weapons engineers back at Mon Cala had set aside a chunk of the tibanna gas for some special upgrade to the Ramora's fore turbolaser cannons. They'd originally offered to give it to the Trident, but when Tash saw the kind of energy draw it would require, he declined. His ship was already diverting power from the maneuvering thrusters to accommodate its Mon-calamari approved shield array. Besides, the other Neb-B deserved to have something unusual about it. After all, the Imperial Navy had never thought much of the Nebulons within their ranks; and an unsuspecting target was always an easy one. Even so, the clincher would be the squadrons and exactly how much damage they could do to the big ships before getting locked into a furball.
It's all on you Cardinal, Gold, and definitely Cobalt.
"Lock S-Foils in the attack position, lock and load ordnance, and follow my lead," Cora called out over the comms as the first VSD began to brave the asteroid fields around the station. Her astromech beeped a warning, the text on the display reminding her of those Imperial fighters, but they weren't her concern right now. General Pul-lar had ordered all fighters to begin their first bombing run, and with all of them hidden within the space-borne debris, the risk of flak damage was slim to nil. The time to strike was now. "Target acquired… Cobalt squad, fire when ready!" Like a swarm of Kashyyyk fire-wasps exploding from a nest, the X-wings unleashed hellfire on the bow of the Victory-class Star Destroyer. A couple of the torpedoes went wide, the squadrons keeping up speed to avoid the panicked shots of the medium-sized warship, but just as Cora was pulling back toward the asteroids, she saw a shock of blue light lancing across those from shields. "Can't resist a chance to show off, can you Gold Leader?"
A chuckle came over the other end as the Y-wings lazily swooped past the command bridge and into the destroyer's blind-spot. "What can we say, Cobalt lead? It had our name on it in big, golden letters." Cora was about to toss back a reply when there was a sudden alert over the radar. A squadron of TIEs was approaching… it was the Defenders.
Adjusting her X-wing's yaw, she turned to face the approaching interceptors. "Blackbird, we've got bogies, coming in on your 10!"
"Roger Cobalt," came Blackbird leader's reply. "We'll keep them b-" In a moment that seemed all too unreal, Cora watched as several glints jumped over the far asteroids and several green laserblasts filled space.
"Blackbird? BLACKBIRD REPORT!" Only static came back. Cora could see a couple of Blackbird's energy signatures still glowing faintly on the radar. The defenders had scored direct hits, but thankfully it seemed their aim was more to disable their targets and prevent further assaults on the VSDs rather than outright annihilate the rebel fighters. Small blessing though, as Blackbird was only the outer edge of the squadrons' perimeter. Cobalt had only received the warning because, yet again, the Ramora was on the far edge and still feeding them tactical data. "Pegasus, this is Cobalt Leader, I have eyes on some enemy squads. Permission to engage?"
"Negative Cobalt, we need you to keep up the attack on that VSD. We are already sending other squadrons to intercept," despite her desire to protest, Cora knew better than to disobey direct orders.
"Copy that, loading up for another attack," she said. Suddenly off in the distance, she saw a massive barrage of scarlet laserfire slam into one of the Gladiator Star Destroyers. Even though it seemed only to be a glancing blow, the imperial ship's shields sparked and fizzled before conking out altogether. Tracing the shots, Cora recognized the white nose of the Ramora poking out from just behind a group of asteroids. Feeling her mouth curl into a smirk, she returned her attention to the closest Victory and reopened the comms to the rest of Cobalt Squad. "Alright everyone, enough appreciating the fireworks, let's get setup for that second attack run."
Tash was standing at the command bridge viewport, hands white-knuckled on the railings as the Trident drew ever-closer to the approaching GSD. Just ahead and to the Trident's 10-clock, he could see the CR90 from Task Force Majestic letting loose a barrage of turbolaser fire. Naturally, the small ship's blasts splashed harmlessly against the Star Destroyer's shields, but at the very least that meant those shields would be softened when the Neb took its shots. Now though, he had to wait for the corvette to get clear. On cue, the small vessel's engines ignited as the blockade-runner did its best to live up to its name. Just as the corvette crosse the port-side the Gladiator, however, fire erupted from the destroyer's ordnance bays. The cylinder-bridged ship's shields sparked for just a moment and then the hull was downright engulfed in explosive fury. "Open a line to the Griffon, now!" Tash ordered the comm officer, who quickly gave him a nod. "Griffon, this is the Trident, come in!"
The reply took a moment and was a bit garbled, but it was an answer. "Lieu… Walden, we copy. We're still spaceworthy… front and starboard shields are gone… comms… lost power… using emergency breathers!"
All the bad news was easily overshadowed by the fact that the ship was still flying. "Just aim for the edge of the combat zone, we can handle the mop-up. No heroes today, Griffon."
"Roger…" the affirmation came across just before the transmission cut out. The CR90's engines flared brighter as the corvette rushed toward the edge of the system. The Trident had eyes on the offending GSD, but the small destroyer had slipped behind some asteroids. Despite the Trident's advanced targeting, there was still too much interference to make a worthwhile shot. However, the nearest Victory was now in-range as well and it was wide open and begging for punishment.
"Gunners, take aim at that VSD's port hull zone," Tash ordered, the whir of the turbolasers sounding off as the guns turned to track their new target. "Steady… open fire!" The loud reports signaled the linked turbolasers' barrage, the red bolts piercing through the open vacuum and connecting with enemy ship.
"We have a confirmed hit sir! Enemy's port shields are down."
Tash pumped his fist downward in celebration. "Helm, keep us pointed at the big triangle. I want to see them either in-pieces or running for hyperspace after the next few volleys!" Steadily, the Neb-B banked well to port, keeping the now shield-less imperial destroyer firmly in its 12. However it was from this vantage that they were able to see the larger ship's own fore-turbolasers open fire… their target, the Pegasus and the squadrons supporting her.
Cora swore aloud as the big ship loosed hellfire upon all squadrons making their latest attack run. When the Trident had knocked out the shields, she'd thought the chance to really bring the VSD down had come. "All squadrons, report!" she ordered, her radar still fuzzy from the energy blasts that had only narrowly missed her. What followed with a slew of semi-garbled answers, reporting the other squadrons in various states of damage. Cardinal and Gold had to break off as well as one of Task Force Majestic's X-wing squads. As she visually studied her surroundings, she noted just two other X-wing squads in addition to cobalt nearby. The smugglers had slipped past the VSDs and had engaged the TIE Defender squadron; how long that would last, she couldn't guess, but it was one more issue that she didn't have to deal with at least. It was then that she thought of one more detail that had slipped her mind. "Pegasus, this is Cobalt Leader. Come in Pegasus, what's your status?"
A crackle of interference answered back before the Pelta's signal strengthened once more. "We read you, Commander Sunrider," it was General Pul-lar, his upbeat tone still present, but bogged down with what could have been worry, fatigue, or any number of similar emotions. "Our shields are fading, so I've ordered the crew to be ready for a jump. I fear we may not be able to offer you much more support if this keeps up."
Cora shook her head. "That's hardly what I'm worried about, sir. We can handle ourselves, I just want to make sure that you and your crew are alright. That heavy volley ravaged most of the squadrons and the Pegasus isn't anywhere near as small of a target."
"Fear not, Commander. We have the rally-point coordinates set and will be organizing rescue and recovery if we have to make the jump," Like he sensed her unease, the general was once again projecting his infectious positivity. "Besides, we have one more little trick to try on the next volley. Just make sure you stay out of the crossfire." She wanted to protest, to say something to the effect that it was her duty to keep the carrier safe… but before she had the chance to, her R3 beeped a warning. The enemy VSD's guns were once again leveling at the Pegasus and Cora knew she was dead in the crossfire. Wordlessly, she punched the throttle and aimed for the edge of the blast zone. Behind her, space seemed to go bright with a blinding flash; the next second, the sounds of turbolaser fire filled her ears.
As the volley ceased, Cora maneuvered her X-wing back around, worried she'd see the Pegasus in pieces. To her shock, while parts of the hull had some fresh burn marks, the command ship was still flying. Checking the sensors, she was seeing remnants of some kind of debris that looked like cargo crates floating near the smaller ship. It must have been some kind of improvised flash-bang to throw the VSD's targeting sensors off. It was clever… but the larger vessel was now on a collision course with the Pelta. Just before impact, the Pegasus' engines sparked and the ship leapt forward into hyperspace, leaving the weakened VSD in its exhaust fumes. Giving a relieved sigh, Cora reoriented her fighter's nose toward the wedge-shaped warship. Between it and the other VSD, the remaining Rebel fleet should have enough strength to take down at least one of them. The far VSD might still be a bit of a tall order…
As she was mentally figuring how much more defeating one of the large ships would take, space once again was filled with a cacophony of explosions; this time it was coming from the bow of the further VSD. Checking her radar, she noted a friendly ship transmitting from close range: it was the Morning Star. Not long after, the Hammerhead Corvette also made the jump to hyperspace, leaving the VSD I smoldering with no shields. Right after that, a brilliant cadre of scarlet strikes leapt forth from the Ramora which was now also turned to face the larger ship. The entire superstructure of the destroyer shuddered and began to smoke.
"Come in Cobalt Squadron, Cobalt come in!"
It was the Ramora's comm officer. Fumbling just a second with the frequency controls, Cora tapped her helmet. "This is Cobalt Leader, go ahead Ramora!"
"We have good news and bad news," the officer said, his voice a mix of excitement and desperation. "Good news is we've opened a major structural weakness in the VSD I. Bad news is, we've drifted into the nearby debris field and some of them damaged the engines! We have to limp out of here, and that Destroyer's going to try and pick us off when we clear it. We need bomber support, stat!"
Cora didn't need any more orders than that. "Copy Ramora, delivery on its way," she then switched over to the squadron frequency. "Cobalt, form-up. We're going in!"
Tash had been watching as the Pegasus made its retreat. Between it and the Morning Star, there were decidedly too few of the Rebel forces left to protect the system. The Trident still had its main guns pointed directly at the VSD II and with the massive ship's shields down, it was only a matter of a bullseye in a critical system to bring the ship down. "Gunners, aim for just below the superstructure," he ordered, his eyes focusing from his vantage at the spot he'd named. Back when he and Canth had been part of the Imperial Navy, he had never really paid much attention to Star Destroyer anatomy, having only ever been stationed on smaller warships, but something he remembered from a distant cantina conversation was ringing in the back of his mind. "Steady… open fire!" The crimson shots rang out as they tracked the VSD's center of mass. Seconds later, the shots exploded across bare hull, melting the structure before causing a second explosion as the main ion turbines detonated. The blue flames that engulfed the port side of the Destroyer were a sight to behold; moments later, the vessel's engines brightened and it escaped into lightspeed. "Excellent shooting," Tash praised as he stepped back toward his command chair. "Helm, full-speed, let's get after the second…" However, before he could finish, the other large destroyer ignited in blazing orange-purple flame. Moments later, the VSD I was limping into hyperspace as well. "Scans, report?"
"I'm seeing the Ramora, Cobalt and some of the Majestic squads in the area, sir," the sensor officer reported. "We'll very likely know which one gave the finishing blow after the battle is complete."
"Oh I'm certain," Tash said, a small chuckle laced into his voice. "Give me a sit-rep on the rest of the Imperial forces."
"The Gladiators are settling into a defensive formation and are not moving to engage our remaining ships," the holo-display just off the center console designated the two smaller destroyers as well as several small blips further afield. "Unfortunately the station wasn't as lucky. They report significant damage from the GSDs and are no longer combat-worthy. Basic life-support is still functional and comms are patchy but functional. The enemy squadrons are attempting to chase after the Griffon, but the smugglers are giving them plenty of trouble still."
Tash nodded and turned to the comm officer. "Tell the Ramora to take over squadron command, instruct them to keep the Griffon safe, we'll angle in for support as well and shoulder some of the flight controlling once we're in-range."
"And the Gladiator's sir?"
"Oh, keep some guns on them too," Tash said, eyeing the twin-pronged destroyers in the distance. "Gunners, if they slip back into range, let them know where the line is."
It took another 30 minutes before the remaining enemy squadrons and the Gladiators retreated. Cora had brought the remainder of Cobalt Squadron in for a landing at the station. The Ramora was busy watching the hyperlane while the Griffon had jumped out to the rally-point to assist the Pegasus and the Morning Star with rounding up the prodigal squadrons (after getting their essential systems running once more). The smugglers had suffered a couple casualties, Stagg's own YT-1300 included, the captain himself having punched out in his escape pod during the main furball with the Defenders. She was certain the Lieutenant Commander would get an earful about a new ship from the scoundrel before the day was done, but all the same, it was a substantial victory.
Hitting the release switch for her R3, Cora opened the canopy and climbed out of the cockpit. She was happy to see the Sullistinian crew were in good spirits and eagerly at work repairing the damage to the blue-nosed X-wings as well as the various parts of the hanger that needed post-combat TLC. It made sense. After the execution of Rolo Sparkz, a local holonet evocateur who supplied heavy critique of the Empire, Sullist had seen a major crackdown hit their planet. Having the Imperial fleet turned away, this meant the garrison below would be getting no reinforcements and that the people could once more breathe with the proverbial boot removed from their throats.
The Trident had docked with the station as well to help with repairs and medical attention. Apparently the lieutenant commander had begun his report back to Mon Cala moments after the battle had truly ended. For the most part, she understood the reasoning behind it: this was a significant moment, a time when the Alliance had successfully stood in the Empire's way and come away victorious. But, at the same time, she really had hoped Tash Walden would take at least a moment or two to savor the victory. Then again, being the C.O. for not just a ship, but an entire task force was an honor she was fairly glad she didn't have at the moment. It was still a long war and, if she lasted as long as she hoped, Cora expected she'd be forced out of the pilot's-seat and into command sooner or later. As such, now was the opportunity… no, the duty, for her to help her pilots enjoy the night. "Excuse me," she said, stepping over to one of the Sullistinians who seemed like a foreman or officer of some sort. "I don't suppose this station has a cantina on-board, does it?" The wide-eyed alien studied her for a moment, before a knowing grin spread across his face. Seconds after a rather hush-hush bilingual exchange of information, Cora was beckoning her fellow pilots to follow her. Her Sullistan vocabulary was still a bit rusty, but she was pretty sure the bar that the foreman had described was translated to something along the lines of "The Healing Spring"; a name that sounded perfect right now.
It was hard to say exactly how much time had passed between when Cobalt Leader had had her first ale and when she sobered herself up enough to declare the rest of her squadmates had had enough for the night. Honestly, if she really focused, a couple games of poorhouse Sabaac, a rather pitiful impromptu karaoke session, and a worryingly hazardous game of holo-darts should have labeled the party over a while ago; but how many more times would they get the chance? No, so long as she kept things above pass-out territory, Cora was prepared to call this "just chaotic enough". Their hosts certainly didn't seem to mind, as a good number of the Sullistinians either joined the festivities or cheered the pilots on from the sidelines. All the same though, it was getting late and Cora could have sworn she saw a number of battered X and Y-wings flying in as she glanced out the transparisteel. The task force was almost back together, which meant it was time for Gold and Cardinal to relax a bit as their ships settled in for repairs.
Making sure she was the last one out, Cora gave The Healing Spring one last appreciative glance before slipping into the turbolift and heading up toward the main docking bays. As she leaned against the side of the car, half-exhausted half-swimming, she almost missed the sound of her helmet chiming in her left hand. Lazily, she lifted the unusually heavy piece of plastoid to her ear and activated a switch on the side. "You've got Sunrider… until she sets for the night. Go ahead."
"Well then, I should probably make this quick, shouldn't I?"
Like ice water suddenly injected into her spine, Cora stood up and quickly transferred the call over to the handheld comm in her flightsuit's pocket. "Sorry, lieutenant commander. It's... been an exhausting day," she said, hoping her speech had sounded more tired-slurred than drunk-slurred just seconds before.
"I don't doubt it," Walden tossed back, his voice jovial. "But I will have to pull rank on you and order you to the Trident's bridge, if only just for 10-15 minutes. How far away are you?"
Giving a sigh away from the comm-link as the doors slid open revealing the Neb-B just out a nearby window, Cora stepped forth at a fairly stable fast-walk. "Be there in three… sir."
When the Trident's own turbolift opened, Cora was met with the eager faces of the rest of Task Force Trident's command as well as, to her increasingly self-conscious unease, Admiral Ackbar's hologram. Putting on her best smile, and hoping her dark hair wasn't too shiny with sweat, Cora stepped in and took her place among them. She did her best to avoid eye-contact with anyone holding a drink right now and instead focused on the holotable in the center as the Mon-Cal spoke.
"Let me extend my congratulations to you all!" Ackbar beamed, lifting a hand in praise. "The incredible valor and heart you have all shown today has been exemplary to the war effort. All across the Outer Rim, whispers of dissent within the Empire's rule has now become that of a low roar. Thwarting this show of force has done a wonderful job in enhancing the Alliance's presence within the galaxy as a legitimate force to take on this tyranny. Slowly, we are receiving more and more support from those who were previously unconvinced this fight could be won. Between you all, and the valiant efforts of Task Force Majestic, we have struck the first real blow against the Empire's grip." The Admiral then seemed to take a bit of a less grandiose tone as he eased into a more simple smile. "While this does not stop here, you all deserve the chance to enjoy the moment, so I will dismiss you all in just a moment after I give one final announcement."
He then turned and nodded to the Lieutenant Commander. The younger officer seemed an odd mixture of expecting something along this line, even hoping for it, and yet still being a bit too ill-equipped to receive it without reddening a bit at the cheeks. "Tash Walden. I am well-aware thanks to your elder brother that you would be the last to accept an honor before one is given to your entire Task Force, but as any great commander knows it is both the burden and the honor of command to lead from the front. As such, with agreement from senator Mothma, Organa, and the rest of Alliance high command, I hereby promote you to the rank of Commander, effective immediately. May you serve the Alliance and her fleets with the courage and the distinction you have shown in the campaign thus-far." Turning back toward the other officers, Ackbar lifted both hands. "Task Force Trident, join me in honoring Commander Tash Walden!" A chorus of applause and cheers rang out from the rest of the officers as Tash bowed reverently to not just the Admiral but everyone assembled. Cora couldn't help but appreciate how awkward her C.O. seemed receiving such an honor. It was true, different cells in the past had awarded different titles for their leaders, but receiving it from the established Alliance was a weighty responsibility indeed. Tash Walden wasn't a flawless commanding officer, not by a long shot, but she couldn't at all say he didn't care about the people he served with. That, along with glimpses of plain old common-sense she'd seen from him in the heat of battle, was enough to trust that he deserved this honor. That was why as she clapped, even in the remaining alcoholic haze, she knew it was genuine.