39:11:1 GrS
Black Fifteen Shipyards, In orbit above N'Zoth
From the bridge of the Adamant I looked down on the planet N'Zoth. Home to a burgeoning Imperial colony and the cluster's native Yevetha, as well as the site of the Black Fifteen shipyards.
It looked like a ball of mud. Some cloud banks that I could see on this hemisphere, but pretty much a ball of mud. The real jewel of the planet was the shipyard in orbit around the planet. A spindly white-gray superstructure that was formed in the rough shape of a square from that central square branched half squares and each side of the branches could dock a ship. I could see many dagger shaped ships in the docks. The entire shipyard was ringed by star destroyers, surrounding the central square on the four sides horizontally and then vertically. While I couldn't see it from my angle, I knew there was also a secondary central square below the primary one, allowing even more ships to be serviced at Black Fifteen. Aside from the extra square, it was rather typical of the Type II Orbital Repair Yards that KDY produced.
"Impressive." I commented to Masal.
"Yes sir. The largest in this command." He nodded along, consulting his datapad. "Black Fifteen currently has forty-four star destroyers in its docks, three of them meet the super star destroyer classification."
His black eyes gleamed with desire. I could understand his desires. To command a Super Star Destroyer was to be as close to godhood as a mortal could ever get. An Imperial Star Destroyer could let you conquer systems but a Super Star Destroyer could conquer a sector as the saying went.
Black Fifteen did not just have one Super Star Destroyer, it had two ships of that classification. I stared at the hulking leviathans that were larger than any single doc in the entire shipyard they were berthed at in disbelief. They were gigantic.
I knew that in theory but I had never seen one of them before now.
First there was the Intimidator, reports stated that it was the latest of the Executor-class and it had been sent to Black Fifteen on its maiden voyage for final outfitting before being deployed. Nineteen thousand meters long and enough firepower to break moons open. From my fleet's position we had a good view of the shipyard as the Intimidator had been berthed between the planet and the rest of the shipyards. If any cared to observe Black Fifteen from planetside, they would see nothing but a hulking shadow obscuring it.
Then there was the Aramadia, a strange ship that came in at just over three thousand meters in length. I guess she was a prototype design that never caught on after being completed because our records had just the Aramadia listed for that length classification. Not that I considered three thousand meters to be small, it was three Imperial classes lined up one after the other. But less intimidating compared to the Intimidator.
Sharing in the shipyard with their massive cousins were four Imperial I-classes, two Tector-classes and two immobilizer classes.
"All of these ships register as having been at Endor." Masal said after consulting his datapad further. "Looks like they were sent here for repair."
"Anyone we might have come across?" I asked, referring to the three years of rebel hunting I had commanded the Adamant on before this whole fiasco kicked off.
Masal did some more tapping on his datapad. I noticed he was growing a goatee. I didn't think I had seen him as anything other than clean shaven in the nearly four years we had worked together. I wondered what had caused the change but put it off as unimportant.
"The Redoubtable was in the same sector as us one time." Masal offered.
"Close enough." I shrugged.
"Strange." Masal muttered. He looked up from his datapad and stared at the shipyard. "Have communications run an ident check for the VSD Harridan."
The check results quickly came back. The Harridan was nowhere to be found in this system.
"That is irregular." Masal explained to me. "The latest reports from this sector says that the Harridan was reassigned to the front last month but the records still show it listed as the guard ship for Black Fifteen. I had assumed that she had just been temporarily reassigned but if it's not here.."
"Then there is no guard ship." I finished. Well then, that was a major breach in doctrine but it supported my decision to start at Black Fifteen for my acquisition campaign.
"Our mission has gained greater importance than before." I spoke up. As far as Masal knew, we were here to kill aliens who were planning a revolt. A minimal effort search of imperial databases would show that Black Fifteen was mainly run by indentured aliens from the planet below with the command staff and security contingent being fellow imperials. "Flash my clearance to flight control and bring the fleet over the shipyard. Start a series of high powered scans once the fleet is in position, I want to know if the aliens have any outside support waiting to assist."
"It will be done my lord." Masal said.
"Have the naval trooper companies from us, Pacer and Relentless prepare for boarding operations and tell Commander Atten I will require an escort." I ordered.
"Is it wise to land on the planet without communicating with this Commander Paret to inform him of our presence?" Masal asked. I could even feel his concern. Rather touching.
"The planet is of secondary concern to us. The shipyard is our main objective. It is also where the alien insurgents are making their primary attack." I told him.
"Seize control of any of those ships would give them orbital supremacy." Masal followed along with my train of thought.
"Rendering the colonial garrison useless unless they happen to have their defensive shields raised and considering that their last orders the Inquisitorius was able to find shows that they've been ordered to evacuate, for some reason, the odds of the shield being up are low." I didn't tell Masal that there were also four to five other general orders that were bouncing around the sector army's command channels and that the orders Yiaso had made up for me to use would be number seven.
"That is a rather contradictory order." He lowered his voice. "Should the fleet get firing solutions on the local picket ships?"
"That won't be necessary. This sector hasn't been a priority for anyone until recently and orders have been flying fast from Imperial Center. After we deal with this insurrection, we'll get the proper orders distributed. But do let Commander Paret know that I will be visiting him shortly and start preparing firing solutions on the planet below. I want everything that has a majority Yevethan population to be under our guns."
"It will be done my lord." Masal was a pillar of competency, as he always had been. Once my situation had improved, he and others who had proven their loyalty to me would be rewarded greatly.
The shipyard flight control had been badgered into compliance when the fleet had jumped into the system, which was an underappreciated benefit of having code cylinders with the type of clearance I had. Most of my colleagues underutilized When the Inquisitorius tells you to fall in line, you fall in line.
So that meant that my shuttle was able to dock pretty much at the command center. The rest of the naval troopers and my regiment of stormtroopers deployed at the four corners of the central square of the shipyard.
A pair of orderlies quickly ushered me and my escorting squad into the command center, a standard octagonal affair. A man in a black officer's uniform rose from his console in the center of the chamber and saluted me. His rank tabs indicated that he was a major.
"My lord!" The major intoned. I glanced at him. He was a standard officer. Still in fighting shape but with the lack of blaster on his hip, not someone who had been at the center of much activity in his short career. If I had to guess. It amused me that I was undoubtedly the highest ranking individual this minor officer had ever interacted with.
"Major." I replied. My escort squad took up positions on either side of me. "Authenticate this."
I slipped one of my code cylinders out of its place in my tunic and handed it over the major with one gloved hand. The major took it and hastily inserted the cylinder into a port on his station. I heard the faint whirring and clicking as the computer and code cylinder interacted before a green light lit up above the inserted code cylinder. The major looked up at me and then down at the screen.
"It's…authentic." He stepped away from the station and straightened to attention. "What are your orders sir?"
"I am here because imperial intelligence has learned of a planned alien insurrection in this system. It is believed that the natives are close to executing a mass uprising against imperial rule, using the current crisis to their benefit. Their target on this shipyard is obvious." I told the major and the other minor officers who were listening in. I knew this was true, they did not but none of them would dare doubt me to my face. Imperial Intelligence coming down on your posting saying things like 'alien insurrection' and 'under your command' was the stuff of nightmares for officers like the major.
The major and his cohorts caught on quickly and I felt a spike of worry and fear in the Force from them.
Despite his now pale face and the cold sweat I could see on his brow, the major's voice was strong. "We are heavily outnumbered on this station and due to their effectiveness, the native guildsmen have been involved in every aspect of construction and repair for years. They have the run of the place except for critical systems like the command center, our own barracks, the armory and generator facilities."
I nodded along. "That is why my troops are disembarking as we speak. A full purge has been deemed necessary to maintain our control of this station. Under my authority as an Inquisitor of the Galactic Empire, I am taking command of all Imperial forces in this system until this crisis has been resolved. Transmit that message on all imperial channels with the highest priority markings."
"At once sir." The major sent an ensign scurrying over to the communications pit. "How are we to proceed with defending the shipyard?"
I glared at him. "This is our shipyard major. Those are our ships that are under threat. To say that we need to defend it implies that we have lost it. Do not use that term around me again."
The major quailled. "Understood sir." I pulled the anger I was projecting into the Force back in, getting it back under control. I needed this man to be able to do his job damn it.
"Where are the aliens quartered?" I demanded. The major quickly pulled up the layout of the shipyard and four sections were highlighted.
"These are the guildsman halls, sir. Night shift is currently asleep and the day shift are…onboard the ships, working. Sir." The major grimaced as he spoke. Undoubtedly he was considering just how deep into the bowels of critical systems on all ships the Yevethans had gone.
"Good." I worked the terminal again with the unseen hands of the Force allowing me to fly through the systems with experience I didn't really have. Then I used my administrator level access to bring up the environmental controls for those sections where the night shift was, along with the command to seal off the bulkheads to those sections.
"Sir there are still platoons of my men in those areas." The major spoke up. "Surely there is enough time to send the order for them to leave the area?"
I turned away from the screen and looked at the major. "Your concern is a credit to your leadership, major. But these men will be honored as heroes for their sacrifices. The aliens will already be on their guard from my fleet entering the system and taking up position over this shipyard. Withdrawing the patrols could force them into action right now, hindering our efforts greatly."
I punched in the commands. Kilometers away from me, bulkheads would slam shut, unbreachable without heavy ordinance or breaching tools. Then I shut down the environment for the two sections. Air and warmth would run out in hours by themselves. So I opened the emergency airlocks and vented it all into space. All of this took just over a minute.
I looked up and saw white plumes shooting upwards from those two sections in the station's square structure. Thousands of deaths sung in the Force to me. It was a sweet song. For good measure I sealed the bulkheads in the sections where the living quarters for the Yevethans assigned to the day shift were.
The major looked faint.
"Commander Atten, begin the purge." I told the commander over my comms. Atten quickly gave confirmation that my order had been received. Now his fun began as my stormtrooper regiment and supporting naval trooper companies would sweep the shipyard clean of all alien lifeforms.
Another call to Captain Masal told me that the firing solutions on the Yevethan cities had been drawn up. I did not hesitate to give that order. I had made the first strike against the aliens on this station, but I had no doubt that the aliens would be smart enough to push their timetable up once whatever check-ins the insurrectionists had set up weren't met. In this type of warfare, once you struck the first blow, you had to thrust the knife to the hilt or the other side could stab you in return.
My fleet component of Victory class Star Destroyers, five in total, slipped away from the formation over Black Fifteen. The Victory's hung menacingly over the planet for a moment before the first salvo of green turbolasers streaked down towards the planet. If I knew Masal, and I did, he would target the cities closest to the Imperial colony, that I hadn't bothered to learn the name of, on the planet. Common consensus in matters like this said that those were the most likely places for insurrectionist bases.
I pointed at the communications officer. "Put me through to the station and all ships that are berthed here."
In no time at all, I was live.
"Soldiers of the Galactic Empire, I am Inquisitor Andorak Lorak of the Imperial Inquisitorius. A planned alien rebellion has been revealed in the system and as such, a purge of the local species has been initiated. As the highest ranking officer in the system, I have assumed command, pursuant to the relevant directives. My orders are thus: kill all of the indentured Yevethan workers on this station and onboard the ships berthed at this station. Do not attempt to capture any. Long live the Empire."
The crews of the berthed ships replied with their confirmations that my orders had been received. All ships except the Intimidator. I looked at the looming leviathan with trepidation. It outgunned every ship in the system, maybe the sector, by a hilarious margin.
"Raise someone on the Intimidator, now." The communications officer frantically hailed the super star destroyer, working his way through the sections until finally he reached one of the CAGs. He told us that a Yevethan worker had been in the bridge when the planetary bombardment had started and the alien had promptly pulled an explosive from somewhere and promptly killed himself along with the captain, the xo and most of the section chiefs on the bridge.
Word had somehow managed to spread in the super star destroyer to the rest of the Yevethans (I suspected stolen commlinks) and now a thousand of them were pushing towards a series of turbolaser batteries on the side of the ship that faced the planet. Another call told us that groups of Yevethans were fighting their way towards the Intimidator to join their comrades. Clearly they did not intend to let my purge go unanswered.
Good for them. I hoped the lizards would still have their balls intacted after their plans had been ruined. I didn't like ruining my chance to vent.
"Commander, come in." I called on my comm channel.
"Yes sir?" He asked, and I could hear blaster fire on the channel along with shouting in some alien language.
"Insurgents are attempting to take control of the Intimidator's turbolaser batteries. We are going to stop them. Handover command on your end to the naval troopers and meet me at Sponson 7, we'll board the Intimidator there." I ordered him.
"Understood sir, we'll be there. The aliens were making a fighting retreat for a reason it seems." Atten replied.
"Wonders never cease." I said. I turned to the major. "Continue the purge and order the docked ships to begin sweeps of their systems once the aliens have been liquidated from their areas. Do the same here. Anything those aliens ever touched could be sabotaged."
The major nodded and voiced his ascent, I turned to leave but a beeping on my communicator stopped me. I raised my left arm and accepted the call. Captain Masal appeared as the tiny hologram.
"My lord, we've received a transmission from the planet. It's marked as coming from Commander Paret." Masal informed me.
"Did you tell the Commander to call?" I asked.
"No, but I did inform him to move the colony to a combat footing." Masal admitted.
"Prudent move." I said. "Did he call to update you?"
"No. It would appear that Commander Paret has been captured by the alien insurrection and their leaders used his code for their transmission. They are demanding to speak with you. I believe they intend to demand you stop bombarding the planet or they will execute the Commander and anyone else they've captured." Masal succinctly summarized the situation.
"Who has command of the garrison then?" I asked, I had been more concerned with the naval component stationed in the system. But I could remember that the garrison was maybe close to twenty thousand strong.
"We've managed to get through to the garrison, High Colonel Rikland of the 7,849th Legion has assumed command. He says that the defenses are holding for the moment." Masal reported. I nodded in thought for a moment before responding.
"Have the Victory's keep firing for the moment. After I end the transmission, halt the bombardment and deploy the Army units. Tell General Benzenti to anticipate for a hot landing." I ordered. "Now send the aliens through."
Masal's hologram winked out and was replaced by a number of figures. I could see the kneeling figure of man in imperial uniform, who I assumed to be Commander Paret. Around him were a number of short aliens but the three standing over the Commander were the most distinct. Two had blasters pointed at Paret's head.
"Leader of the Imperial forces, I am Nil Spaar, leader of the Duskhan Free Army." The alien not holding a blaster said. "I have captured the leaders of the imperial colony and if you do not cease your attacks on my people, I will kill both them and every man, woman and child in this colony."
I wondered what the aliens saw on their end. Did they see just me, dressed in a black helmet with a red visor leering at them with a black and red cap mantling my figure while directing the destruction of all they held dear? Or did they see all that and the nearest of my escort standing at my sides, looking like bleached skeletons that heralded Death himself?
I certainly hoped it was the latter.
"I am Andorak Lorak, alien. Inquisitor of the Galactic Empire." I said slowly, wanting to give my words weight. "The Empire does not negotiate with terrorists. Surrender now and I promise that the only ones to die will be you. The rest of your people will be spared."
Nil Spaar snarled at my words. I saw how ugly the action made his alien face look. They had no noses, these Yevethans. Combined with the pointed teeth, slit eyes, and large ears that were both tapered and pointed directly upwards gave them a truly ugly look. I didn't like looking at them.
"Do you not hear me, imperial?" He spat. "Do as I say or they will suffer before their death!"
I shrugged. "Good. Their ineptitude deserves nothing less."
That made the Yevethans spit insults in their language at me.
"I take that to be your response then." I rhetorically said. "Goodbye then, Nil Spaar. Think about your failures before the end."
I ended the transmission. By the planet, the orbiting Victory's halted their bombardment and began descending into orbit for the landing operations.
"Keep me informed on the status of the purge." I told the major on my way out of the command center.
Now I needed to find a map on how to get to Sponson 4. Where did they keep those here?
A/N: Rebellions tend to go poorly if the counterinsurgency forces aren't crippled by your first strike or are able to make the first move on their end. A lesson in the art of war that Andorak learned in the Western Reaches. Hats off to the Yevethans though, it would have worked at any other time.