Imperial Centre…

"Impossible! The Death Star destroyed? It's inconceivable! Moff Tarkin-"

"Is dead." Vader's basso cut like a whip as we entered the meeting chambers. I glanced around curiously. High Admirals, Fleet Admirals, a Force damned Grand Admiral, Moffs, Directors, Marshalls, a Grand Marshall, Generals… Lord Vader himself? This was a meeting of Imperial High Command. A simple Rear Admiral did not belong here, not in the least. But no one told me that, nor did they tell Lord Vader. "And we are better for it. The fool could have escaped the battle station's destruction but chose to die with his creation."

"My Lord, do we know how the station was destroyed?"

"The Rebellion has recruited a Jedi to their cause. It is he who is ultimately responsible for the Death Star's fate."

"A single man did this? How is that possible?"

"With the Force, all is possible."

"But more specifically?"

"If I may? I am Director Eran, Imperial Engineering College. I took the liberty of going over the schematics of the DS-1. It appears that Galen Erso designed a flaw in the battle station. It is small. You wouldn't find it unless you possessed the station's schematics and knew what you were looking for.

"When the Death Star was in operation, especially when the weapon was being prepared and fired, it generated a truly stupendous amount of heat. There were several ray shielded vents built into the station for this heat to be blasted into vacuum – and by several, I estimate there were a total of a hundred scattered across the surface of the Death Star. There was one that was less defended than others, it also so happened to be the largest of them."

"Where was it?"

"In a trench."

"A trench?"

"Yes. I flew in it while in pursuit of the Rebels." Lord Vader said. The commanders looked around at one another, no one daring to say anything to the Emperor's fist.

"It majorly lacked turbolasers and point defense systems in the walls of this… well, canyon. The other vents were embanked similarly, yes, but those trenches were for maintenance if the ray shield needed it, only big enough for a few men to walk abreast… This bloody canyon allowed a wing of Starfighters to fly in formation to the vent. The vent itself was ray shielded, yes, but ray shields are useless against proton torpedoes. This target was large enough for one (or, if they were a skilled pilot, two) torpedo to enter and make its way to the core."

"Erso's doing, I'd say… With how motivated Tarkin and Krennic were to finish the Station, it is little wonder they did not notice one single trench was different than the rest."

"Where is the traitor now?"

"Dead. Has been for weeks. The Rebels found him on Eadu, but he was killed before they could capture him."

"What I am still unsure over," a Fleet Admiral began, "is how the rebels knew where to find this flaw. Director Eran, you said they would only know about this trench if they had the prints, yes?"

"That is correct, yes. I am as of yet uncertain as to how they would have gained access to those."

"Wasn't there some hubbub about Scarif recently?" 'Scarif?' I thought, frowning. 'The research center and repository? Was it attacked?'

"A rebel attack, wasn't it?"

"Yes. We lost two Star Destroyers and the planetary shield there. The latest reports also mentioned something about an enormous explosion on the planetary surface." I'm unsure what happened in that last second, but the room immediately went cold as Lord Vader's breathing seemed louder.

"You will not speculate over that you know nothing about. We are not here to discuss Scarif, we are not here to discuss the destruction of the Death Star, we are here to see to the end of the Rebellion. Is that understood?" The room was immediately filled with a chorus of assent from the various men of High Command. "Good. Admiral Thorn, debrief these… Men of your last mission."

"My Lord," I saluted and stepped forward, looking around the chamber. Some flinched and looked away, others met my gaze curiously, others spitefully, and some simply passively. "I am Rear Admiral Thorn, commander of the Sixth Heavy Assault Group, Second Division, Third Fleet, currently assigned to Mandalorian-"

"Just a moment. Thorn, is it?" a new voice cut me off. I blinked once and found the source of the voice. A Fleet Admiral? Well… at least this should be interesting. "I do not know that name. Where were you trained?"

"Prefsbelt, sir, but I fail to see the importance?"

"As do I." Lord Vader said, his full attention on the Fleet Admiral as well. The Admiral swallowed thickly.

"I- I- I apologize, my Lord… I will- I will not interrupt again."

"See that you do not. Admiral Thorn?"

"As I was saying, my task group is currently assigned to Mandalorian Space. We were the first to respond when Lord Vader issued a Code Zero distress beacon. I immediately made the jump toward the beacon's location. Simultaneously, I had my comms officers hail the Second Hydian battle group. Before the Hydian received my message, Lord Vader contacted my ship, where he apprised me of the situation in the Yavin system.

"After the briefing with Lord Vader, I contacted Commodore Axel of the Nova - a Venator class Star Destroyer and his escort of two Quasar Fire Cruiser-Carriers. His strike wing was instrumental in destroying Rebel fighters, leaving my heavy ships free to deal with hostile Capital ships.

"After action reports state that we lost a squad and a half of TIEs and that we can confirm the elimination of 40 X-Wing fighters, 12 Y-Wing bombers, 26 A-Wing interceptors, four CR90 Corvettes, seven stolen Nebulon-B frigates, and lastly two Mon Calamari MC80 Cruisers. We also destroyed what we believe to be the Alliance's main base, but no estimates can be made of the destruction there."

"Admiral Thorn, it is my understanding that a Heavy Assault Group consists of one pair of ISDs, a pair of Arquitens, and four Raider-IIs?"

"That is the standard, yes."

"Then why would you need the assistance of a Venator class?"

"Lord Vader, permission to brief the room fully?"

"Granted."

"Sir, you gave the composition of a standard H.A. group, but High Admiral Milsalta, as approved by Fleet Admiral Holden and Moff Tarkin (Force rest them both), had a different plan in mind for the Sixth. As opposed to the standard H.A. doctrine of heavy firepower unleashed from the ISDs and picket ships to eliminate smaller fighters, the Sixth was to have a different approach.

"We are larger than a standard H.A. team yet smaller than a standard battlegroup, we are not a massive task force so we can respond quickly but not so small we would be easily outmatched. We do not have the same footprint as an ISD, so we can go where a standard H.A. group cannot.

"Our mission is to use overwhelming force, speed, and gravity wells to intercept and destroy targets of interest or counteract hit-and-run tactics. If a target needed to be eliminated quickly and/or quietly, we were the first called. Put simply? We're rebel hunters, Sir, and we are the best. Unfortunately, the situation at Mandalore has seen our primary mission on hold until the sector could be brought to heel once again. But now it appears we must deal with a greater threat.

"My flagship is the Harbinger, an Onager Class Star Destroyer. My detail includes two Interdictor class Cruisers, two Dreadnought class Heavy Cruisers, two Indicter class Corvettes, and a single Gladiator class Star Destroyer. I'm sure you can understand the uses?"

"Quite well. The Interdictor classes shut down the hyperspace lane, the Indicters shut down comms and targeting systems, the Dreadnoughts destroy frigates or corvettes then act in support, and the Onager…"

"Eliminates the target. The Gladiator is equipped with ion cannons on the bow to eliminate shields, heavy turbolasers to assist the Onager if there's more than one target (the Dreadnought's rail guns act similarly), and as a makeshift carrier. By the time our Star Destroyers are finished, there's not much need for Starfighters other than for cleaning up anything our heavy weapons can't catch."

"I… Why is this combination not used more? It would be hellishly difficult for any opponent to counter."

"The Onager and Interdictor classes are expensive and difficult to manufacture," Lord Vader said. "There are around two dozen in the galaxy at this very moment."

"Put together?"

"Yes."

"Oh…"

"But it may be an expenditure and endeavor worth pursuing anyway. The Harbinger took two Rebel capital ships with her main cannons in less than a minute and the Interdictors kept them from slipping away. The third MC80 did get away, yes, but that only means there is room for improvement with the Interdictors and Onager."

"But what about the Death Star?"

"My Lord, permission to speak freely?"

"Permission granted."

"The Death Star is ludicrously powerful, but it was a major target and obviously not invincible. Any power plant that can detonate with enough force to destroy a battle station of that size is not one resources should be allocated to a second time when the credits could be put toward a fleet of Onagers and Interdictors that can achieve, largely, the same results."

"I shall speak to the emperor on it, Director."

"Why? It's not like an Onager can destroy a planet, I don't care if you have a hundred of 'em! It just won't do it!"

"You don't need to make a planet an asteroid field to destroy it, Moff Ampla. We were in hyperspace when I received the report as to Yavin IV's current state after a direct hit from the Harbinger's cannons. The impact knocked the moon from its orbit. Current estimates have it that in a decade to five it will collide with the planet Yavin Prime itself. There is no longer a breathable atmosphere, all plant life will be killed off in the next few months, all surface dwelling life is already dead. The moon will never recover and that's due to the Harbinger just firing both her cannons."

"It is also known that protocol Base Delta Zero from a single ISD is effective at eradicating a planet as well. Look at Setron. A team of three or more ISDs would take longer than a Death Star, yes, but how many ISD's could we build for the price of a Death Star? I mean no insult, My Lord, but the idea does bear thought."

"Indeed it does."

"Is there a way we could do it differently?"

"There's always different ways to approach a situation like this, Admiral, but the Sixth is simply the most streamlined. Right now I can come up with four or five different ways to counter the Rebel problem."

"Which you are now tasked with solving, Admiral," Lord Vader said, turning to look at me. I blinked once.

"Pardon, my Lord, but I'm only-"

"It is the Emperor's will that you be raised to the rank of Fleet Admiral Thorn. Your command is the First Strike Arm officially of the Third Fleet. You are equals with Fleet Admiral Bennet but do not share his responsibilities in managing the fleet. You have one responsibility. Henceforth; your Strike Arm's sole task is to stamp out the Rebellion, however you see fit, wherever your mission takes you," Lord Vader said as he produced a small wooden box from his belt. He handed it to me personally. "Any resources, any equipment that you deem necessary to complete this mission are yours." I looked down at the box in front of me, swallowing once before nodding and opening it. Inside was the six-red over blue rank plate denoting a Fleet Admiral. I paused for a beat before nodding and removing my current rank, fixing my new one to my black uniform.

"His Majesty honors me, I will do as commanded."

"Excellent. Then your first task is such: assemble these Rebel hunters."

"It shall be done."

"Excellent. Admiral Thorn, Director Eran, remain behind. Everyone else, you are dismissed." Most of the Admirals didn't say a word as they rose to their feet, filing out the door as fast as they could.

"My Lord?" Director Eran saluted Lord Vader as an aid rushed in with a package. He fell to one knee and presented the package to Vader. He took it, waving away the aid as he turned to us.

"You are being reassigned."

"Sir?"

"You are no longer Director of the Engineering College, you are to take Krennic's post. Effective immediately. This is your commission," Lord Vader said, passing the parcel to Eran. He took it, opened it, and looked it over thoughtfully.

"Advanced Weapons? You honor me."

"You are competent, which is more than I can say of the Womp Rats who just scurried from here. You and Admiral Thorn will be working closely together from here on. You are aware of the Mandator II, yes?"

"I assisted Krennic on the project, yes. I designed the Star Destroyer's refit while he built the weapon."

"I apologize but I do not follow?"

"The Onager class is… limited, Admiral, as you saw at Yavin. Two blasts and then the weapon has to heat cycle, any more and it is essentially taken out of the battle. It works for hit and run tactics or for supporting an ISD if there's a shield that needs broken, but for prolonged engagements? No, that's when the Onager is at its most inefficient. And that is unacceptable for your new mission."

"Yet inescapable, I'm afraid, at least for the Onager. The Mandator II is the second step in the evolution of Star Destroyer based super weapons. I'm sure you've heard of the Mandator? It was a Republic ship, yes, but it was instrumental in the final days of the war. A Victory II class SD, it was equipped with what the Republic felt would be sufficient to break shields in the form of missiles. And it did."

"So instead of missiles, the Mandator II is equipped with particle cannons?"

"You have missiles but not particle cannons. With the data collected from every Onager class the Navy has, we were able to mount four mass driver emplacements to the ventral keel of a slightly overhauled ISD II. It will fire as fast as you can load it now. To do this, her power plant has been improved from the standard ISD II but unfortunately there had to be some compensations…"

"Such as?"

"The Weapon runs the entire length of the ship. This helps for cooling and weapon strength/effectiveness purposes (reportedly it has nearly a 60% power edge to the Onager class and only needs half the cool down time) but it eliminates the Hangar bay. You would lack an onboard fighter wing."

"So nothing changes there."

"Erm, no. It doesn't."

"What other weapons does it have?"

"To make more room for the main weapon system, we removed your ventral turbolaser batteries. Fortunately, we were able to replace them with missile tubes where we could. She's much more effective at ranges where enemy sensor suites won't spot you."

"And this is to be my flagship?"

"It is being prepared for you as we speak. The Sixth has already been transferred to the First Strike Arm. The Harbinger remains under your command."

"My thanks to you both, but I believe it is time I see to it. The Rebels must be put down and there is no time to lose. Lord Vader, if you would relay to the Emperor my personal thanks?"

"They are accepted." A new voice said from behind me. I felt as if someone had dumped ice down the back of my shirt. I whirled away from Vader to face the Emperor himself, who stood behind us. I snapped off a salute immediately as he grinned ear to ear. "So you are the one Lord Vader speaks so highly of? It almost sounds as if he respects you Admiral, and that is a very difficult thing to achieve indeed. Be at ease," He returned the salute, but I still remained at my best attention.

"Thank you, your Majesty, I simply did as instructed and eliminated the Rebels."

"You are far, far too modest my boy. It is because of you that the Rebels have ran into hiding. But that is nothing new to you, hm? How many Rebel cells does this make for you now?"

"Nine, your Majesty. But this was our first full-scale assault."

"You rose to the challenge well, and I expect you shall continue to do so. The Rebels are fewer now, they shall be more difficult to find. Although, I do not believe it shall not be long before we hear from them again… A cornered rat shall always fight, hm?"

"Yes, your Majesty. But if I may be frank? The Rebels are a very small rat, and your Empire has built a very large boot to smash it." The Emperor cackled at that, grinning again.

"Indeed it has! But, Admiral, I would like to know your thoughts on how you are going to pursue these Rebels without compromising the integrity of the wider navy, hm?"

"Your Majesty, I firmly believe that the Sixth's composition is the method best suited to defeating the Rebellion, but I also realize how scarce the Onager and Interdictors are. In light of this, I would ask for three Imperial IIs, six Imperial Is, and as many Interdictor class Cruisers as we can reasonably spare. An Onager would be ideal for the lead of a hunter force but the ISD is capable of defeating a Rebel cell on its own should it be outfitted with more point defense systems and anti-starfighter measures. The Rebels are much fond of hit and run attacks; one to two Interdictors per group would see that they may hit but would not be able to run. There may also come a time where we find the whole of the Rebel fleet, nine Star Destroyers alone would be enough to snuff them out if used properly."

"I see…"

"As for support? Arquitens would be the backbones of these groups, your Majesty. They're fast, smaller targets than an ISD, and most importantly? Cheaper. Three to an Onager or ISD would be ideal. I would also ask for Indictor class corvettes. The Rebel fleet over Yavin was effectively crippled by just two of them."

"Indeed?"

"Yes, your Majesty. The Raider class would also be an excellent choice for countering starfighters directly while the Dreadnought class would be ideal for frigates or corvettes should they evade the ISDs."

"You have given this much thought, I see."

"Yes, your Majesty, I am satisfied with the Sixth but for an encounter like at Yavin, I believe we would have benefitted from the heavier firepower of an ISD's more direct approach. Or having a full battle group ready in the wings to go on full attack. Not having the Hydian at the battle over Yavin is the reason the Rebels still exist."

"I see… Do not disparage the blow you dealt to the Alliance. They remain, yes, but I have every confidence you will be able to eliminate them. Everything you asked for, you will have. Do you have any other requests?"

"Yes, your Majesty, only one. The Onager's standard weapons suite is… Disappointing. It forces them to the back of any fleet and renders them vulnerable if an enemy slips past their escort. Put simply? The Onager standard is not well defended, I am afraid. However I'm also afraid it's a necessary evil in terms of cost."

"That is no matter. Were we to refit every Onager in the fleet to the specifications of the Harbinger, would you do anything differently, Admiral?" I frowned, tapping my chin thoughtfully before nodding.

"No, Your Majesty. I would specifically use seven ship hunter cells, similar to the Sixth. When we have enough Onagers and Interdictors, I would recommend pairing them with an ISD instead of the ISD outright replacing the Onager's role in the cell. It depends on what ships we are short on. If we do not have enough Onagers, we can replace them with ISDs easily. If we do not have enough Interdictors then an almost complete task group would be relegated to a 'reserve,' role.

"As for the other ships? Two Indictor classes would leave room for three more… The others could be a Venator or Gladiator depending on how many fighters the situation calls for, Dreadnought heavy cruisers, and potentially a second Interdictor. A strike group of that size and composition certainly could do damage to a Rebel cell, your Majesty, while the ISDs and Mandator II would be ideal for engaging larger Rebel targets." The Emperor grinned, showing all teeth.

"Excellent! I shall divert all Onagers to Kuat, that was where the Harbinger was refitted, yes?"

"Yes, your Majesty, it was."

"You'll have your complete hunter teams when the refit is complete, Admiral. As for this reserve fleet, where shall I send them?"

"You are too kind, your Majesty, you have my greatest thanks. I would assemble the fleet at Bastion, if it pleases you, sir."

"Nothing would please me more," the Emperor cackled. "Do you know what was found at Arda, Admiral?"

"No, Majesty, I do not."

"A Rebel base. Your XO saw to it with the Hydian but I'm afraid a good portion of the Rebels escaped anyway. You were right about Arda, where do you believe they would go next?"

"I'd picket Columex and Botajef, your Majesty. Should the Rebels slip past either, they could make their way any direction up or down the Perlemian Route or Hydian Way and disappear to anywhere in the galaxy."

"Hmm, that is precisely what Admiral Milsalta had done."

"He is an excellent officer, sir, and a better commander."

"Shall I assign him to you then?"

"I would value his assistance but with the death of Admiral Holden, he is the most experienced officer in the third fleet. With this situation arising in his region of operation, stability is the main goal. Removing one of their best commanders would be the last thing I would wish for the sector. In fact, with him in full command of the Third I would feel even more secure hunting down the Rebels."

"Quite wise, quite wise indeed. Very well, but I insist that the Sixth Heavy be assigned to you personally. They are yours and yours alone."

"You have my thanks, your Majesty."

"Thank me by helping me rid ourselves of the Rebellion, Admiral. They threaten the peace and structure upon which our very society is built."

"They are terrorists, your Majesty, and I will treat them as such."

"Good, good… Yes, I do believe we will watch your career with great interest."