Chapter Seven:
Crimson Imperial Station Raid
Imperial Station D-Prouse, Inner Rim
Thirteen days after Empire Day
Four clicks from the Chandrila system
12 months, 14 days, and 2 hours after Order 66
Imperial starfighter engines roared as a squadron of TIE Fighters flew in formation around the perimeter of the floating station. A couple of Venator-class ships hovered a few inches away from the base, and Stormtroopers patrolled the hanger bay, holding their polished blasters firmly, as a few mouse droids rolled about.
"Did anyone hear about the T-9's upgrades?" A stormtrooper asked.
"Not much, at least they're improving on the design and the ship's capabilities." A second stormtrooper replied, "I haven't even given it a shot yet."
"So, who agrees T-models, T-4 through T-6, were better than T-1 through T-3?" A third stormtrooper asked.
Above in the command center, Commandant Gill Tonroy was sipping his tea as he often inspected the security footage, making sure that the base was in order. Tonroy had heard of what had happened on Coruscant during Empire Day, but he was thankful it hadn't been the real Emperor who was there.
There was no doubt the statue bombing had been an act by terrorists, and the Imperial propaganda department had the public assured the perpetrators would be brought to justice no matter the cost.
'Our security is more sufficient than ever.' Tonroy told himself, 'The terrorists responsible for the attack won't likely hit anywhere else. Here or there...'
Just then, a sensor began blaring, and the unmistakable boom of a ship exiting hyperspace was heard. No, not one ship, multiple ships. Tonroy stared out into space, seeing the outline of the approaching vessels, and, the closer they got, it was clear that the incoming ships were not Imperial-class.
Pirates. But what were they doing here?
The ships, resembling modified Separatist war fighters and Republic troop transports, streaked towards Imperial Station D-Prouse, and blasters began blazing in seconds. TIE Fighters and Imperial-class V-Wings went up in flames, their debris drifting through the vacuum of space, and the pirates fired on the main hangers.
Troops dove for cover, and stationed fighters exploded violently. Alarms began wailing, and a pair of ships came in for landing in Hanger A. The doors opened, and several humanoids in custom-made uniforms and armor swarmed out, with repeater-class blasters, standard blaster pistols, and railguns in hand.
"FOR THE DAWN!" A Twi'lek pirate shouted, and he opened fire on the unprepared stormtroopers with his comrades.
Outside, the other pirates engaged the nearby Imperial vessels, firing on every ship in sight with the effective but limited weaponry that the Crimson Dawn strike force had. The first Venator went up in a ball of fire, and another pirate starfighter blasted the engines of another Imperial ship.
And then, the pilot swooped around the Venator, fired on the cannons, and made a beeline for the bridge towers without firing another shot in a Kamikaze run. The ship smashed into the first bridge, and exploded, taking the command deck and several officers with it. Another nearby ship smashed into the adjacent bridge, leaving the Venator a total wreck.
Meanwhile, the militia that had landed inside D-Prouse had pushed their way past the main hanger, and were tearing through the halls. Stormtroopers ran to defend the internal structure of the base, determined to fight for their Empire no matter the outcome.
"DRIVE OUT THE PIRATES! DRIVE OUT THE PIRATES!" Captain Paldoglo screamed to his men, standing behind a makeshift barricade with an Imperial Clone commando.
SHINK! A knife embedded itself in the captain's head, thrown by a Transdoshian militant. Paldoglo collapsed to the floor, with the blade piercing his brain. Stormtroopers screamed as they were gunned down by a pair of railgun-wielding Torgrutas, who were wearing armor made up of Battle Droid pieces amongst other scraps.
The militia leader, a rogue Mandalorian named Sakov, placed herself behind a wall near a corridor consumed in chaotic fighting, and drew a hologram communicator. Sakov pressed a button, and the cloaked visage of Crimson Dawn's leader, Maul, appeared.
"Lord Maul, we have pushed into the station with a few casualties from our side." Sakov told her master, "Imperial Station D-Prouse should be ours shortly."
"Plunder every ounce of cargo and reserve of fuel..." Maul ordered, "...and destroy the station, once you have the command post, then return to base! You have done well, Sakov, the people of Mandalore, those who bowed to my mastery of the Darksaber, would hold you in high regard for how devoted you are to my designs."
Sakov ended the communication, just as a Stormtrooper came in her direction.
"Hey! Mandalorian!" The trooper shouted, "You're not allowed here!"
"You've just been relieved." Sakov raised her blaster, and shot the soldier through the heart, wiping him out in a second. The Mandalorian rejoined the fighting, and took to the front, blasting Imperials left-and-right, while leading the other Crimson Dawn soldiers through the halls and to the turbo lift that took them to the base's command deck.
Commandant Tonroy was shouting orders to the Stormtroopers over the com channel, trying to get everything back in order, and he was just about to make a call for reinforcements when the lift opened. A Mandalorian entered the room, followed by pirates, and shot Tonroy in the head. The commandant collapsed to the floor, been relieved of command by Crimson Dawn...