Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars nor am I associated with those that do. This is a non-profit fan work written for the purpose of entertainment.
The Imperial: Arrowhead Command
Chapter 5 - Bakura II
Princess Leia Organa
I breathed in, fighting down yet another sigh. There were times to press an issue and there were times, such as this, where letting the problem rest was for the best. Balancing the unending surliness of Han was one thing, having to deal with another front in Luke and his obsessive attachment to his lightsaber was a bridge too far.
Let him keep it, I thought sardonically, stepping through the archway and into the Bakuran senatorial chambers, When they inevitably open fire on us, I'll at least have time to tell him 'told you so'!
Of course, I was overexaggerating. It was unlikely that the Bakurans would recognize so archaic a weapon, and tensions were high. Dealing with the local governor and government had been one thing, a chance to prove my diplomatic prowess in a victorious Alliance and to bring yet another Imperial world into the fold. Our timely arrival had initially seemed to secure some faith from the Bakurans, or that was until an Imperial fleet had blundered its way into the system and chased the invading Ssi Ruuvi away. It was a small miracle they didn't immediately turn their turbolasers on us as well. If Captain Manchisco were to be believed, Commander Thanas was keeping the incoming Imperials from turning the system into a three way battle. Speaking of which…
Tessa Manchisco sniffed, shooting a sharp glance at the Stormtroopers before depositing her own holdout blaster. She had initially been disinterested in coming down to the planet, and indeed felt she was better placed when remaining on the Flurry. That changed when the Imperial - one Captain Tullius we had come to learn - had arrived. There was a fresh wound there, Manchisco's fleet had been wiped out by this very Imperial. The same Imperial who had galavanting across the Sector and causing no end of grief for Alliance High Command.
Manchisco had claimed her presence was merely to balance out the command staff representation - Luke and her for the Alliance, Thanas and Tullius for the Imperials. I knew better, I saw the anger in her eyes, the desperate need for revenge. They were old friends of mine, and I could not begrudge her for feeling such. However, with the trouble Luke and Han were doubtlessly going to find themselves in, I hoped that Manchisco would not goad the surprisingly restrained Imperial into obliterating her ships.
We entered the main chamber, a large rectangular room that seemed to drip with opulence. I might have been more impressed were it not for my own experiences on Coruscant. Few places were as opulent or resplendent in decadent wealth than the seat of Imperial governance, though the Bakurans made a solid showing of it. They were almost all humans with a few noteworthy exceptions, but the person of most importance sat at the front of the room; Governor Wilek Nereus. Stairs led down to a lowered platform, where speakers would go to address the senate.
I bowed respectfully, mindful of my Core Worlder manners as I addressed the Imperial Governor.
"Governor Nereus," I greet, "We thank you for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice."
"In the name of the Emperor, we welcome you to Bakura." He responded, his voice dripping with false sincerity. His dark, thick eyebrows were creased in an expression of deep concentration, as if analyzing my words and tone.
"Thank you for your welcome, Governor, Senators," I responded in kind, though inwardly I was smirking.
"It may be terribly rude of me to correct your kind words, but it would be remiss of me to not mention that such greetings are no longer accurate. You see, the Emperor died some time ago."
This earned me a response from the gathered Senators, murmurs and grumbling filling the room as the representatives expressed their shock at this information. Nereus, far from being surprised, merely narrowed his eyes before allowing a condescending smirk to cross his lips.
"Far be it from me to call you dishonest, Princess, but I believe I shall call upon Captain Tullius to reveal the truth of your claims. It is merely a matter of trustworthiness, I hope you understand."
I subtly looked around the room, looking out for any Imperial officers that might have been the unrevealed Tullius. There were some present, but their olive drab revealed them as Army officers rather than a Captain of the Navy. There was one naval officer, Commander Thanas who had greeted us upon our landing. He was middle aged, tall with a receding hairline - and looked every part the disgruntled, uncomfortable military man. I took this moment to glance at my "escorts", and all three wore varying degrees of indignance on their faces. Han at needing to be here, Luke as the words of Nereus, and Manchisco at the mere mention of Tullius.
"Then I suppose we must wait for the Captain to arrive," I said diplomatically, turning my attention to the gathered Senators again, "May I introduce my companions here today? This is General Solo."
Han did not bow, I hadn't expected him to, but the glare he sent at Nereus and then the Senate as a whole likely did not endear them to us.
"Captain Tessa Manchisco, of the Flurry." Manchisco, despite her own hang-ups, did have the presence of mind to bow her head in greeting - a miniscule amount of effort at least better than none at all.
"And Commander Luke Skywalker of Tatooine, Jedi Knight." In my attempts at selling the Alliance to the Bakurans, I hoped that the presence of that ancient Order would convince them of our good intentions. Luke, thankfully, bowed far more respectfully than Manchisco and remained silent. Luke was a well-meaning man, but one that tended to let his heart do the talking rather than his head.
"Jedi," Nereus breathed, suddenly appearing nervous before correcting himself. He sniffed derisively, straightening his pristine uniform, "We'll have to watch ourselves, then."
Leia knew Luke was dying to speak, but again he held his tongue. I allowed the barest smile cross my lips as I responded to Nereus.
"Yes, your Excellency," The Jedi were well-known for being vanguards of peace and justice, Luke's presence could only help our position here, "We mean to re-establish the Old Republic, including the Jedi Order. Commander Skywalker is the current head of the organization."
Worryingly, my words did not have the intended reaction among the Bakuran Senators. Several shuffled, murmuring quietly as they stared at Luke with naked suspicion or in some cases fear.
Luke shuffled, appearing briefly sheepish as the current numbers of the organization went unsaid. Nereus pondered my words for a long moment before a certain greedy glint flashed in his eyes. However, before he could speak, an older man with thick white hair rose to his feet. He was someone of some importance, as Nereus's mouth closed shut with a snap.
"Welcome to Bakura," Despite his apparent age, the man spoke with a deep, powerful voice, commanding a far more respectable presence than the Governor a row behind him, "I am Prime Minister Yeorg Captison. Under normal circumstances, you would have had a protocol briefing, and I apologize for the haste with which this meeting was convened. I suggest we hasten our introductions before the good Captain arrives."
In another circumstance, someone describing any Imperial officer as a good Captain might have earned a snort from me, but I maintained a diplomatic front. Hoping to endear myself to the Bakurans, I curtsied with far more decorum to the Prime Minister than I had for Nereus. Luke and Manchisco followed with bows of their own, and even Han gave a short nod.
"No apologies necessary, Prime Minister," I said, "This is a desperate hour."
Another man rose, seated near the Prime Minister. His tunic was more militaristic, with a rank plaque along his breast in typical Imperial fashion.
"Blaine Harris, defense minister. You have no idea how desperate. All of our outposts on the other planets in the system have been destroyed. Our salvage crews that survived to report back found no bodies and no survivors. Were it not for you, and the timely arrival of Tullius…"
The man put on a strong face, but the fear was clear in his eyes. It was a trepidation shared by all the gathered Senators. Even Nereus and Thanas appeared nervous at the prospect of these alien invaders. Yet, I had to wonder how many had their trepidation shared; in part for the invaders and in part for the Star Destroyers above. It seemed to keep coming back to Captain Tullius, the mysterious officer who would be the deciding factor in what side the Bakurans would prefer.
The lull in the conversation was interrupted by the hiss of the door to the chambers.
"Presenting Captain Rivejer Tullius, of the Conqueror." I turned as a cacophony of steady footfalls filled the room, silencing all conversation. I turned alongside my companions, at last getting my first look at the Imperial Captain that had caused so many issues.
Rivejer Tullius was… the single most plain man I had ever seen. I wasn't sure what I had been expected, but between the sheer hatred Manchisco had for the man and the aggression described by Luke during the battle, Rivejer Tullius was remarkably unremarkable. He was of a moderate height and slim build, not overly fit but clearly kept himself healthy. His grey uniform was spotless, as was the case with most self-respecting Imperials, with the appropriate rank plaque and number of code cylinders for his station. His stride, his squared shoulders, the perfect snap of his heels on the floor - it all screamed "Imperial". The only place where he deviated was his face. Despite the state of his dress, Tullius's face was haggard. Pale, with sunken eyes and unshaven bristles covering the lower half of his face. His auburn hair stuck out from under his service cap and down his face in sideburns; the only part of his appearance that was not regulation, if one were to ignore the general unkemptness.
At his back, almost as a contradiction to the man's rugged face, were a quartet of identical, pristine Stormtroopers. I had met my fair share of officers and Stormtroopers alike outside combat, but my companions all had varying degrees of reaction. Manchisco's fists tightened at her side, her glare for Tullius alone. Luke's seemed to almost subconsciously move forward, trying to place himself in front of me and letting his hands hang at his sides. Han reflectively reached for a blaster he did not have on him, the twitch in his hands a sign of his nerves. The reason was obvious, Tullius and his soldiers had not been disarmed - the Stormtroopers brazenly carried their carbines out in the open while Tullius had a service pistol at his hip.
The man's expression was one of complete disinterest, despite his clear exhaustion, piercing eyes studied them each in turn. I wondered, did he recognize us? An officer from Death Squadron was liable to know the faces of ranking members of the Alliance, were ours among those he studies in reports and meetings? If he did, Tullius did not show it. He did not show much of anything, beyond a bland disinterest in the galaxy around him. He just continued walking, striding right through the middle of our group and to the top of the stairs down to the center of the Senate chambers. The action must have surprised Manchisco as well, as she stepped aside to let him pass. The Stormtrooper waited a few paces away, not pushing through us as Tullius had, but still looking ready to leap into action. Tullius may have written us off as non-threats, but his guards held their blasters tight.
I turned, facing Nereus again as Tullius snapped his heels together.
"Captain Rivejer Tullius, 2nd Flank Squadron, Arrowhead Command, reporting as requested to meet with this… civil body." His accent was strange, vaguely familiar though from where I struggled to place. It was reminiscent of a less refined Core world accent. What was impossible to mistake was the disdain his voice dripped with when he addressed the Bakuran Senate, his words earning him many glares and muttered comments. Inwardly, I was grinning - Tullius was already doing a great job of endearing himself to the body.
A few Bakuran officials siddled in, quietly joining their fellows as Nereus spoke to Tullius.
"You have our thanks, both for your timely arrival and for attending this meeting, Captain," Nereus offered diplomatically, seeming to try and cover for his fellow Imperial, "Now, I think we can begin in earnest. Captain, Princess, come down."
He indicated into the pit the Bakuran Senate surrounded with a hand. Tullius turned, looking at me and gesturing down.
"Ma'am," He said, a grudging tone to his voice. I merely bowed my head and went down first, the thud of his boots following a few paces behind. I peaked back, noting that Luke, Han, and Manchisco had remained with the quartet of Stormtroopers. There was tension in the group, but while my party seemed uncomfortable around the troopers, Tullius's guards had their attention directed elsewhere. Their blasters were held close to their chest as they eyed the Senators, Governor, and nearby security officers. There was a larger game afoot, and a part of me wondered if I was about to be caught between an Imperial civil war.
We arrived at the foot of the stairs, looking up at Nereus and the ranking government officials.
"Captain Tullius, before we can discuss the issue of the invasion, I believe we all require confirmation of the claims made by Princess Leia."
"Regarding?" Tullius asked blandly.
"Is there truth in her claim that Emperor Palpatine is dead?" The hush returned as Nereus spoke. I turned my gaze back to Tullius, gauging his reaction. He may well have been cut from durasteel, his earlier disdain forgotten in the face of that question.
"... I have reason to believe the veracity of her claims, yes," Tullus admitted after a long moment, "The Death Star was destroyed, alongside most of the command staff of Death Squadron."
I had nearly forgotten that the second Death Star had been secret, reminded of the fact by the concerned murmuring of the gathered Senators. Nereus let them speak amongst themselves for a few moments longer before raising his voice over the din.
"But there is no proof that he didn't escape."
"My opinion was shared by Grand Admiral Osvald Teshik, who had been present aboard the battle station as well. However, I have no definitive proof." The silence that followed Tullius's words was shortlived as the Senators began to quietly debate with their neighbors - calmer, this time, allowing me to speak without raising my voice to a yell.
"The Emperor is dead," I reiterated, "Dead at the hands of Darth Vader."
Nereus's thick eyebrows quirked up, surprise on his face for a moment before his faze turned back to Tullius. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Tullius give a slight shrug - he could neither confirm nor deny the claim. It was that statement that Nereus ended up believing, though.
"Vader," The name was spat with naked distaste, Nereus's eyes narrowed as he gripped the arms of his seat. It was a sentiment I shared for the monster, whatever or whoever Luke claimed he was at the end. Even Tullius shifted nervously as my side, the stony Captain having a reaction to the name alone.
"Vader," He repeated, as if confirming it for himself, "His Majesty should never have have trusted a Sith Lord. Is he still in command of Death Squadron, then?"
The question was directed toward Tullius, but it was I who answered.
"Vader is dead as well, Your Excellency."
This made the disgruntled murmuring of the Bakuran Senate rise into a cacophony of noise, directed either at individual members or at myself and the Captain. Panic, fear, relief - all of it was mixed within the words. Nereus appeared thunderstruck, leaned back in his chair and staring down at the two of us with an unreadable expression. From what little I had seen of the man, I had a decent idea of what was going through his head at the moment. With the Emperor dead and Death Squadron left leaderless, there was scarcely anyone in the sector that had control over Nereus. What's more, a Captain detached from his fleet was in the system, and could potentially be bullied into pledging his ships to Nereus.
I also realzied that this must have occurred to Tullius as well, evidenced by the quartet of armed Stormtroopers still behind us. Why would an Imperial officer need to bring Stormtroopers to an Imperial government building unless he expected the local officials to suddenly become hostile?
"Order! There will be order!" Prime Minister Captison barked out over the officials, his voice silencing the dissenters almost instantly. He let the silence linger before turning back to Tullius and I.
"My apologies, Your Highness, Captain. On the back of our current woes, this knowledge is greatly concerning. Can we expect further assistance from Death Squadron and the Empire, Captain Tullius?"
"Not at this time," Tullius admitted, his tone grudging, "Death Squadron retreated out of the sector upon the death of the Emperor and Lord Vader."
"Then why are you still here?" One of the younger Senators demanded, and I winced inwardly. His tone was derisive, almost insulting, as he demanded answers from Tullius - defeated or not, two Star Destroyers would be able to burn Bakura's cities with ease.
"I have been… trapped within the Moddell Sector since the battle. Grand Admiral Teshik managed to escape and regroup with the fleet, but due to an… altercation, I was forced to retreat back into the sector."
"I believe it would be prudent to discuss the Imperial Navy's situation at a later time," Commander Thanas spoke at last. His tone brooked no argument as he glanced at Nereus, jerking head head slightly toward the pit. There was no question as to why he did not want this discussion held in a public forum.
"Agreed. For the time being, I believe we should show you what we are dealing with. Ellsworth, run the Sibwarra recording. Your Highness, Captain, stand over here."
Tullius and I stepped up closer to Nereus, turning as the lights in the chambers dimmed. Servomotors whined as a series of holoprojector raised up from the floor. A hologram flickered to life, projecting the form of a human male. He was a younger man, with dark hair and high-cheek bones, and an almost wild look in his eyes. His robes were alien, colored stark white with green and blue stripes down his sides. When he spoke, his voice was filled with barely contained excitement and reverence. His words were far more concerning than his appearance, as "Dev Sibwarra of G'rho" heaped praise upon his masters in the Ssi-ruuk. He babbled about them bringing peace to the galaxy, and how the sentients of the galaxy had great worth to the Ssi-ruuk, and in he went.
The hologram shifted, showcasing several tall, bulking saurian aliens gathered around an oddly shaped space craft. I vaguely recognized it, having seen its sort in the post-battle briefing. Wedge Antilles had claimed them to be droid starfighters, or near enough, though Luke had appeared hesitant to support that conclusion at that time. A shudder of concern raced up my spine, something was very wrong.
Sibwarra continued, describing the process of "entrenching" and how "life energies" were used to power the craft. While I had little knowledge or faith in mystical powers, beyond what Luke had showcased, these Ssi-ruuk still employed ritualistic sacrifice in the process of constructing their fighters. If they went through this process for every single ship…
The message ended, Sibwarra still speaking with that chillingly positive tone of voice as he promised he would see us all soon. The projector lowered back into the floor and the lights returned, showcasing a sea of pale white faces.
"You see?" A younger female Senator called from her seat, "This is a threat against which we have no experience and no defense!"
I understood the woman's plea, the desperation faced when one's homeworld was threatened by an overwhelming force. Already, my mind ran with how I could leverage my experiences to draw more support for the Alliance from the Bakurans. Of course, that meant I needed to balance whatever dislike they had for the Empire against the fear they might hold for the two Star Destroyers hanging in-orbit.
"Bakurans," I called, "We will not leave you to your fates. The Alliance to Restore the Republic has made protecting worlds under threat its solemn oath, and we extend our offer of help to you. Our war is not against the citizenry and subjects of the Empire, but against the Empire itself."
I gauge the reactions of the three ranking Imperials, all but prodding a reaction from them. Nereus, with his hands folded over his mouth, shot me an intense glare, but held his silence. Thanas shifted his weight subtly from one foot to the other, his eyes raking the gathered Senators. Tullius, as he had for most of the meeting, remained stone faced and uncaring - but I was expecting an intense reaction from him sooner rather that later. A local planetary government demanded that an officer of the Imperial Navy come to a meeting, and a Star Destroyer captain no less? He had to be fuming behind that mask of indifference, and I need only push him to snap and ruin the Empire's image here.
"The Ssi-ruuk must be stopped, that much should be clear to us all. Bakura can not stand alone, and though Captain Tullius's ships are powerful, he is but one man - he cannot be everywhere at once. I mean no disrespect to the good Captain, but the Empire has always ruled through fear and the threat of violence rather than skillful application of it. Endor has shown that they can be beaten. The image of the invincibility of their fleet has been broken, would you place your faith solely in their hands?"
"If your rebellion seeks to help us, then why have you committed so few ships?" A Senator, one of the few that had arrived with Captain Tullius, demanded from his seat. Despite this, there was already some incredulous looks being sent in the direction of Tullius and Thanas. Their faith was already shaken, now I continued to chip away at it. Thanas had been fighting a losing battle for control of Bakura, and Tullius had arrived admitting the Navy had been soundly defeated.
"The Alliance is stretched thin, but our fleet is mobilizing as we speak," I lied, but it was necessary. Luke shot me a glance, surprise writ upon his face at my audacity. In part, I agreed, this was audacious even for me. Despite my words, a Star Destroyer was a very convincing argument for why Bakura shouldn't support the Alliance. The Bakurans needed to believe that the Alliance was on its way and in force, and that Tullius's warships were not as invincible as they initially believed. From there, I would need only wait for the Bakurans to try and force Tullius to follow their command structure, and he would do the rest of the work for me.
Of course, there was the minor issue of Tullius still commanding two Star Destroyers. Despite my words, there was nothing stopping him from just hanging in orbit and bombarding Bakura's surface.
"Can the same be said for the Empire?"
"You forget that Bakura is a loyal Imperial world, Princess," Nereus drawled, his face distinctly unamused by my words, "We have yet to hear back from the Imperial Fleet on whether they can assist."
"The Empire has abandoned the Moddell Sector," I counter, waving my hand toward Tullius, "As Captain Tullius said himself, he had been fleeing Alliance forces all throughout the sector. He is here by chance, desperation born of defeat. The only help Bakura will find now can only be found in us."
Nereus's mouth slammed shut, bitting back whatever response he wanted to offer up. His steely eyes glinted with anger. He covered his mouth with one large, gloved hand as he thought about what to do or say next. All the while, his eyes lingered on Tullius - who had said nothing during the entire exchange.
"Nereus," A thin, older Senator exclaimed, "Take help where you can get it. Even with Captain Tullius's ships added to our forces, we refuse any assistance no matter the source."
"We don't need the rebels to defend our home!" The same minister who had arrived with Tullius exclaimed, "Once the ships are reorganized under Commander Thanas's fleet-"
That was it, that was the final push. It did not matter if Captain Tullius had the patience of a droid, the Bakurans were operating under the idea that his ships were there to move and take as they pleased. Clearly, Thanas had allowed the Bakuran government a level of influence within his own ships, if they were so comfortable ordering around a Captain. Nereus had come to the same conclusion, as his eyes were squeezed shut and his shoulders slackened. I gave a half smirk, watching at last as Tullius stepped forward.
"Senators," His voice was calm, deceptively so, "I am afraid this is where I must protest. I agreed to come here as a formality, but I cannot offer my section to assist in the defence of your system."
The silence that followed his words was palpable, with many of the Bakuran Senators staring at Tullius as if he had grown a second head. I was surprised at the measure of his response as well, it was not the explosion I was expecting. I, alongside several of the Senators, looked up at Nereus. The Governor had not moved from his position, though his eyes were now opened and baring down on Tullius. He was scheming, that much was certain, but about what I did not know. It was not him that spoke, but Minister Harris.
"That is certainly a problem, Captain, but correct me if I am wrong: the Imperial Fleet answers to the sector and system governments in which they reside?"
"That is correct, Senator."
"Minister," Harris corrected softly before continuing, "The Bakuran Senate is the local authority, Captain."
But Tullius disagreed, shaking his head.
"Governor Nereus is the system authority and the representative of the Empire."
"Governor Nereus has recognized the legislative initiative of this body, and its authority to govern Bakura." Harris countered, becoming heated.
"The Empire has not." Those four words did more damage to the Empire's image than the entirety of my speech, and I could not be happier for it. I watched as the reality of what Tullius had said reached each of the Senators, as the presence of the Star Destroyers above became less of vanguards and more the axe of an executioner.
"This is a dereliction of your duty, Captain!" One of the Senators jumped to his feet, barking at the Captain, "We are the authority here, Governor Nereus has accepted that reality, as you shall, too." The man was shushed by several of his neighbors, this was a step too far for them - whether out of loyalty to the Empire or a better understanding of the situation. There was a clatter at the top of the stairs, the dull, familiar sound of plastoid armor moving around. I glanced back, finding the Captain's four bodyguards standing at the top of the stairs in a line, carbines held in hands.
Ah, I thought, They weren't here to protect him from us.
"I believe it is time for a recess," Nereus finally spoke, unhurried and sounding almost amused.
Nerf-herder, I thought, looking up at Nereus as he rose from his hovering throne.
"Princess, I will have our data on the Ssi-ruuk released to you. We will discuss the possibility of a truce once tempers have cooled."
With that dismissal, the Senate began to grumble amongst themselves. Some of them shot glares at Nereus or Tullius, others suddenly very fearful. All of them were aware of the quartet of Stormtroopers, faceless helmets watching their every move.
Governor Wilek Nereus
"Captain Rivejer Tullius to see you, sir." The dull voice of my assistant droned through a speaker on my desk, rousing me from my thoughts. I had been expecting the Captain's arrival, quickly straightening.
"Send him in," I ordered, depressing a button on the console. A few silent moments passed before the door to my office hissed open. Rivejer Tullius looked as he had during the Senate hearing, if anything he appeared even more on edge. He had been relieved of his service pistol, but I knew his Stormtroopers were waiting in the lobby beyond. Tullius was paranoid to an excessive degree. A certain amount of paranoia was expected, even when among his fellow Imperials. There was a story there, one I was eager to hear while I maneuvered the Captain to my advantage.
"Captain, please, take a seat. We have much to discuss," I drawl, putting on a winning smile as I indicate to the chairs across from my desk. Tullius's unerring stare lingered on me for a heartbeat before he stepped in, his boots thudding softly on the carpeted floor. With precise, almost mechanical movements, he claimed a seat and met my eyes. His expression was grim, its significance carried by the clear exhaustion writ upon his face. The time since Endor had clearly not treated the Captain well, a fact made more evident now that I sat before him. Despite this, he carried himself professionally and clearly his tiredness did not blunt his intensity. For how long I had suffered the whims of the Bakurans for the sake of stability, it brought me some catharsis to watch Tullius put the fear of the Empire back into them. It was one thing to have some Armytroopers beat a few ruffians, it was another entirely to threaten them with Star Destroyers.
Oh, Tullius had not put it in as many words, but even a child could read between the lines. The Bakuran government derived its legitimacy from me, but it did not share in my authority. Tullius had made that much clear, so long as I lent credence to the Bakuran Senate, they were a legitimate government. The moment I did not, they would become little better than the rebels they shared the chambers with. I could almost laugh, the terror on their faces as they remembered what a Star Destroyer was capable of!
But I sobered soon enough. The Senate was like a great nerf, slow and trundling and far too confident in its safety for such a being. Outwardly, it was an easy hunt - it was harder to miss a nerf than it was to hit it. Without a killing shot, however? Well, that nerf would rapidly become a much bigger problem as it rampages and lashes out, and that slow-trundling nature would disappear in an instant. The Bakuran Senate may be toothless, but it was more popular with the people than I was. It was one thing to send an Armytrooper team to brow-beat a student protest, it was another to put down a revolution. This Ssi-Ruuk problem did not make the situation any easier. It was there that Captain Tullius came in, a solution to both problems. To tie it back into my hunting analogy, my Armytroopers were to Tullius what a slugthrower was to a long-range artillery piece. It didn't matter how powerful the nerf was when you could obliterate it from ten kilometers away.
That all hinged on the support of Tullius, who had thus far proven unresponsive to bullying. My initial plan had been to wield my authority as a Governor to conscript Tullius's service, but that was before I had realized exactly who I was dealing with. More accurately, who had Tullius last worked under. I did not know much about Blitzer Harrsk, but even at a cursory glance at his history and reputation had me concerned. Like attracts like, and the veneer of civility may end abruptly as Tullius throws himself across my desk to wring my neck. Harrsk didn't have a history of physical violence, at least none that my public records indicated, but his vicious temper and aggression were well recorded. Tullius had shown signs of the former and had more than showcased the latter as he charged the alien vessels like a rampaging bull.
The veneer of civility hiding a madman, I thought as I grabbed a pair of pre-poured glasses and moved them between us, How can I use that?
Tullius looked at the glass, the amber liquid sloshing about within, before returning his gaze to me. He made no move to touch the glass, either to push it aside or drink it. His expression was bored as if this entire exchange were beneath him. My ego smarted, it wasn't every day that one shared a drink with a governor, but I held my tongue.
Calm, Wilek, I thought, leaving my own glass where it now sat, Calm.
"Thank you, Governor," Tullius said politely, "I apologize for my earlier terseness with the Senate."
"No offense taken," I respond, letting my amusement bubble back up, "It's good to remind the peons exactly who rules whom from time to time. Lest they become complacent."
Tullius sniffed but otherwise did not react to my joke. He did not speak, letting the silence nearly stretch into awkwardness as neither of us touched our drinks nor moved our gazes.
"Now, you mentioned the fate of Death Squadron and the Imperial Fleet, perhaps you could elaborate further? Where did Death Squadron retreat to?"
"As I was unable to regroup with my Command or the Squadron, I cannot be certain," Tullius was quicker to respond this time, "We received conflicting orders once the Death Star was destroyed. Some fled to Annaj, others to Yag'Dhul, and others still elsewhere on their own. I regrouped with Admiral Teshik in the Endor System before we retreated to Vasha and made our way to Wrath Station."
I blinked; I had been nodding along with the Captain's words, familiar with the names up until the last. Tullius spoke of it as if its existence were common knowledge, something that caused a moment of concern.
"Wrath Station?" I repeated slowly, earning a confused glance from Tullius.
"Wrath Station, in the Ponemah system. It was overseen by Grand Moff Randd."
I did not know that, the existence of Wrath or the presence of Randd in the Moddell Sector. I was vaguely familiar with the man, as much as one governor knew about another, but why was he here? So close to the Endor system and in an out-of-the-way place like Ponemah? It was after that line of internal questioning that another, more chilling realization hit me.
Randd was the commander of Wrath. Was, as in past tense.
"This was the site of your… altercation, as you called it?" I asked slowly, keeping my revelation from my voice as I gauged Tullius's reaction. Nothing, not so much as a twitch.
"Yes, though not until after Teshik had left. Moff Randd had approached me to join a conspiracy against the Ruling Council. He mentioned confederates, but I never had the chance to learn their names. I was not eager to be conscripted into conspiring against the Empire, not matter what Randd had claimed. Myself and some allies made our escape, though his ships blocked us from leaving the Moddell Sector."
I licked my dry lips, truly nervous for the first time in years. Was this what Randd had felt like in those final moments, looking into this perfectly neutral face before Tullius… What, shot him dead on the spot? I could envision it, the bearded face of Governor Randd sitting across from Tullius, conspiring and recruiting the Captain into his conspiracy. I saw Tullius, same blank expression, standing up and drawing his pistol; shooting Randd in the chest. It was not a stretch for my imagination to envision my face in place of Randd's, and it to be my chest eating red bolts of plasma. And Tullius had survived, he must have been aboard the station at the time. He must have fought his way out with his allies against whatever garrison Wrath carried.
The more I thought about it, the more worried I became.
"And that led you here," I managed, suddenly not wanting there to be silence. Not wanting to just stare into the eyes of a man who executed a high-ranking governor with nary a thought.
"And that led us here," He repeated, "I apologize that I couldn't bloody the Ssi-Ruuk some when we arrived, they appeared far less eager to fight me than your Thanas."
That would be because you charged them with Star Destroyers! I cried in my mind, even as I kept my smile level.
"We are thankful for any moment of reprieve, Captain. Ah, but that does bring us to the matter of… business."
"Business?" He sounded unimpressed. I swallowed, planning out my next words carefully.
"Yes. While you made your stance clear on the matter, I still must request that you lend your aid to our defense, Captain. If I cannot rely on your better nature, then I ask under my authority as a planetary governor."
I made sure not to use words like "order" or "demand" when speaking. Rather, I disguised an order as a request, in the hopes that it would soften it in the mind of Tullius. The raging bull comparison felt more apt, as I tried to guide him without getting gored.
Tullius's expression fell slightly, a frown marring his face for a moment before it returned to its previous state.
"I am under orders, Governor. Admiral Teshik has ordered me to return to the Core as soon as possible."
"You have already been delayed in following those orders," I reason, "Surely you can spare a few more days when the Ssi-Ruuk inevitably return? Bakura needs defenders, it will fall to this alien menace otherwise"
"I have been delayed enough," Tullius retorted, though his eyes flickered to one side. There was a note of discomfort in his voice, and I wondered if I were getting through to him. Was that some note of shame on his face? Was it pushing the knowledge that innocent lives were at stake that was convincing this Captain?
No, I thought derisively to myself, What a foolish question. It's the lust for battle, he showed that much when he arrived. He's been running for ages now, now he has the perfect opportunity to fight and he has to throw it away.
"There is no greater duty than defending an Imperial world," I push a new avenue, his honor as an officer of the Empire, "What is the point of fighting for the Empire if you abandon its worlds?"
Tullius stared at me, the silence following my words stretching on to such a point that I began to sweat. Had I pushed too far? Had I made a mistake? When Tullius spoke, his voice was slow and grudging - as if he were dragging them up from himself.
"I cannot justify disobeying my orders, Governor. I am sorry, but my section will be leaving as soon as possible," He did sound genuinely apologetic, that is until he continued, "My staff indicates that we have enough supplies to survive our trip to the Core, but I wish to stockpile more. How fast could you gather a month's worth of supplies for one hundred thousand men?"
I opened my mouth, about to respond, when a thought occurred to me.
"A few days, a week at the most."
"Then my ships will remain here for that time," Tullius said, "Through whatever that may entail."
"Agreed. We will gather what we can," I said, breathing in a sigh of relief.
"I want my security wherever the supplies are being gathered," The cool tone returned as Tullius retook his polite disinterest once more, "Something tells me I have become quite unpopular with these Bakurans. Nor do I trust those rebels."
"Agreed," His soldiers being on the planet would reduce the strain faced by mine, even if it were just at a local granary. Tullius finally took the glass from my desk. Without testing or tasting it, he knocked back the entirety of the amber liquid inside.
I was stunned.
Tullius smacked his lips as he set the glass down, before looking at me with that same passive expression. No one reached his rank without fearing the possibility of assassination, and surely my obvious interest in his vessels had not escaped him? No, this was a taunt from the Captain. I realized it now; the story about Randd was to show me that he could kill me just as easily, and the ease with which he drank was to showcase he did not fear assassination. If I killed him, his subordinates would eagerly return the favor.
Despite his tentative acquiescence, I still felt as if my life were in danger.
Captain Rivejer Tullius
My headache was getting worse.
It's a cold, I thought bitterly, Bloody inoculations.
I shivered and sniffled, rubbing my arms as my shuttle rumbled beneath me. I had spent the better part of the evening overseeing the arrival of my security at the city granary. A small battalion's worth of Stormtroopers and Navytroopers with their fair share of EWEB turrets. While I was mildly worried about the Bakurans lashing out or the rebels attempting to sabotage the building, I was more worried about Nereus. The man was twice as slimy as Randd, and somehow even more incompetent.
What kind of governor lets a local civilian legislature make decisions on military matters?
Nereus was incompetent, slimy, and clearly had an inflated sense of self-worth. A poor combination. Unlike with Randd, I was not going to leave my fate up to luck - if Nereus tried something, I was going to have him shot.
I shuddered at the thought, this chill was getting to me, making my temper short. I wasn't going to have him shot, just locked away somewhere until I grabbed what I needed from the world and could leave. Already, I imagined that Harand was distinctly unhappy that we weren't leaving immediately, and I could not just claim that we needed supplies. Oh, I could huff and complain that my arm was being bent in this matter, that those supplies were a redundancy to prepare for our expedition, but I knew the truth.
I was being damned soft-hearted, Screold was getting to me - though I couldn't just blame her either. The thought of abandoning an Imperial, even one led by a buffoon like Nereus, rankled me. It felt wrong, like it was a… dereliction of my duty. The first time I was ever fully in command, and I was running off on little side quests.
I sighed again, another long-suffering sound, as I reached up to rub my temple with both hands.
My commlink whistled on my hip, making me freeze before I let out my breath. I pulled small cylinder from my hip and brought it to my mouth.
"Tullius here."
"Captain, our long-range scopes have picked up an enemy scouting flotilla, near the edge of the eighth planet's orbit."
In a flash, my exhaustion was gone. Screold's tone was even, so it wasn't an immediately pressing issue.
"Composition?" I asked, my tone short.
"Two corvette analogs and a frigate."
I frowned, running a hand along my chin as I thought. The bristles were rough against my hand, I made a mental note to shave.
"What is their status?"
"We've been tracking them, but it doesn't appear they're doing anything at the moment. There have been some communication beams, but we can't identify who they're talking to."
I looked at one of the Stormtroopers and nodded toward the shuttle cockpit, mouthing the word "Conqueror" at him before I spoke again.
"Bring all ships to full combat readiness, but hold position. Have a communication line with Commander Thanas open and ready for when I reach the bridge," I rattle off, finding my seat again.
"Yes, sir. What of the rebels?"
What of them indeed. The rebels were still holding on the far side of the planet last I had heard, and Nereus had yet to make up his mind on whether he would accept their help or not. I was not eager to involve them and upset the Governor, whatever that may entail. A small handful of corvettes and a bulk freighter were hardly the tide-turning ships we may need, in any case. My ships, stationed over the capital city, were closer to the system jump point that Ssi-Ruuk had been using thus far. According to Thanas, they had been attacking from the same western location, so logic held they were probably coming from somewhere in unexplored space.
The system Holonet relay was also in a geostationary orbit with the capital city, limiting the risk to our long-range communications. The Conqueror and its communication systems could manage the fleet at shorter ranges, but without an operation relay, reaction times would reduce exponentially. Would the rebels sabotage the relay? Who knew, they were slippery at the best of times.
"Leave them for now, we'll come to a decision once Nereus does. For now, keep an eye on their ships and keep them away from the Holonet relay."
"Very good, sir." I closed the line of communication once Screold reported nothing else, falling into my thoughts as I rode out the rest of the transit.
I had skimmed the reports from Thanas and Matread, slowly painting a picture of the Ssi-Ruuk and their tactics. Their ships, oddly shaped as they were, relied heavily on forward firepower for the maximum damage output. They could feasibly fire in every direction, but when against ships similar in size or larger, putting more firepower on target was important. It was a design principle that lent itself to frontal charges and punished retreated, as a retreating vessel would be unable to bring its firepower forward. Like a Star Destroyer brought to its extreme conclusion, though even an Imperial-class could offer a devastating broadside in close-quarters combat.
With the shape of these enemy vessels, they would likely be hesitant to engage the Conqueror or Intimidation in a brawl. Especially when most of those weapons were ion cannons, meant to break shields so their fighters could rush in and attach the ship hull directly. The reason for this was sinister, and in-keeping with what I had learned about these Ssi-Ruuk. Their entrenchment, I was a skeptical man and placed little faith in their concepts of souls or life energy, but what I did see was ritualistic sacrifices to their machines. The reason for why they focused on disabling ships was to board them and capture their crew, more sacrifices for their depraved religion.
Of course, such a tactic would be borderline suicidal on any of the Star Destroyers, not unless they sought to deploy a full army to take them. They would need to rely on their comparatively smaller turbolasers to break the Conqueror and Intimidation.
Keeping the Star Destroyers pinned, I though, running a hand over my cheek, That's what I would do.
Of course, what I would do and what another officer might do are as different as the night is to the day. Anywhere the two ships were, the engagement became merely a matter of when the Ssi-Ruuk would need to disengage. A part of me wanted nothing more than to rush the enemy fleet whenever it arrived, cram my ships directly in their formation and let it become a duel of firepower. However, they would defeat the purpose of this operation - what was to stop the Ssi-Ruuk from sending some of their ships past us and hit Bakura anyway? However much sitting on my hands might irk me, galavanting off after the first sign of the enemy could be disastrous.
I felt the shuttle rumble around me as it matched its pressure to that of the Conqueror. My ears popped and I shivered, my illness briefly resurging before I tried to fight it back down. I rose to my feet, the entrance ramp lowering and letting in the bright lights of the hangar bay. I stepped down after my first set of Stormtroopers, breathing in that sterile air. Dry and recycled, yet already I could feel my sinuses clearing up.
"Report back to your stations," I ordered the quartet of Stormtroopers as we walked toward the exit of the hangar, passed the swarm of technicians moving over to refuel and tend to the shuttle. The troopers broke off with out a word as we entered the hallway. A tram awaited me, a grey suited technician offering a brief salute from his seat as I say on the small speeder.
We rode to the bridge elevators silently, passing by intermittent storms of chaos and activity. Gunnery crews changing their shifts as more veteran officers were sent to their quarters and their greener counterparts taking over until the inevitable battle came. Stormtroopers and Navytroopers marched this way or that, shepherding crew members or preparing for the possibility of battle finding its way aboard the Conqueror.
I reached the elevator soon enough and was greeted by a cacophany of sound. The bridge crew were getting the Conqueror in order, briefly stopping only to salute me before returning to their tasks. I stepped toward the rear bridge's holotable, where Screold awaited me.
"Commander Thanas is on line one," She murmured, to which I nodded and inserted my code cylinder. After a moment, we were connected.
"My apologies, Commander," I said as the older man flickered to life on the table, "I was held up. You've been made aware of the situation?"
"A scout flotilla holding at the edge of the system, your second informed me."
I nodded at his words before I made his hologram disappear, setting our conversation to audio only as I brought the Bakura system hologram up. Zoomed out, eight rings encompassed the sun - Bakura-Prime. Each ring represented the orbit path that each of the sphereoids on the hologram represented - the eight planets of the Bakura system. A sea of green emblems dotted around Bakura-3, the titular system capital and namesake. Largest among them were the Conqueror and Intimidation, followed by the similarly wedge-shaped Victory-I Frigates: Intrepid and Steadfast. The red lights flickered near the eight planet, partially hidden behind its moon. Why they weren't doing a better job of hiding themselves was anyone's guess, but I doubted it was anything as benign as they just didn't think we could see them.
"I'm folding the remainder of your section in my own, will this cause any issues?" I ask Thanas as I studied the battlefield-to-be with a critical eye. There was a moment of silence before Thanas responded.
"No, there will not be any issues, Captain."
I nodded slowly, Thanas seemed to be a reliable sort.
"Good. Your ship will be attached to the rest of my Carracks, I will pass you off to them." There was some shuffling which I suspected to be Thanas saluting before I closed to communication between us.
"Someone get Thanas credentials for the Carrack squadron," I called out into the bridge before changing my channel to the Overlord, the lead Lancer of its respective group.
"Overlord, I'm transferring command of the Bakuran corvettes to you. Sort through them and have a report forwarded to me as soon as possible on their capabilities."
"Aye, Captain. Overlord, out."
The communicator squealed as the officer closed the line, leaving me to my thoughts once again. The system was empty, but already my mind was envisioning the battle to come - a swarm of red dots rushing to engage us, of turbolasers and concussion missiles dancing across the space between as battle raged.
Despite the unknown factor to this all, a thrill of excitement began to rise in my heart.
"Spite, this is Conqueror," I move on to the communication channel with the lead Carrack.
"We are recieving, Conqueror," Came the static laden response, the old Carrack showing her age in the quality of her communication suite.
"Once the Dominant is part of your unit, pursue and harass the enemy scouts. Log any tactical data you can, but do not place your vessels in undue risk."
"Understood, Captain."
I watched on the holotable as the six Carrack cruisers blasted away from the rest of the formation, burning toward the alien vessels at best possible speed. I was distracted by the brilliant gleaming of their sensor pings by Screold returning to my side.
"A report from engineer," She said as a greeting, handing me a datapad, "The damage to our ino cannons was less than originally anticipated."
I looked down at the pad, my eyebrow quirking up at the chief engineer's report.
"The forward medium ion cannons are operational? How was this not identified earlier?" I ask, flipping through the rest of the report and finding most what I had expected. The heavier cannons were still inoperable, alongside the majority of the secondary ion weapons. The two closer to the prow had survived with only moderate repairs.
"Engineering was focused on our shield generator."
That earned Screold an alarmed glance before I looked back down, flipping through the datapad feverishly for that report. Screold assuaged my concerns quickly.
"Just maintenance, with the damage suffered to the ion cannons, the engineering staff were concerned there may be other unforeseen shortcomings. The shields will still operate within expected parameters."
A relief, I let my shoulders sag slightly before handing the datapad back to Screold.
"Good, we are already operating at a less-than-optimal level as is. No matter how effective the crew is, it is all for naught if the ship is falling apart around us."
I turned from Screold and back to the holotable, and running a hand along my chin in thought. The Ssi-Ruuk ships, noticing Spite and its escorts, had begun to retreat back the way they came - to the edge of the system. They were gone long before the Carracks could reach them, their little red lights flickering out.
The Holonet relay station was a bog-standard satellite that most outerrim planets used at some point in their lifetime. It was cheap, modular, and kept communications in-system near instant. Where it struggled was getting messages out of the system at any reasonable speed.
Its interior was similarly standard, with two docking bays on opposite ends, crew quarters, a command center, and a meeting room. It was the last of that group that was my destination, as Nereus had finally made up his mind. The Rebels would be joining their forces with us, but not under me. Unfortunately, while they would be supporting my forces in the coming battle, they refused to be commanded by an Imperial officer. That is to say, one Captian Manchisco refused to be commanded by me - she took umbrage to the destruction of her former fleet at my section's hands.
Still, if we had no choice but to work together, I would at least make sure we could put any problems to bed before the turbolaser bolts started flying.
A young service technician led me to the room, joined by Commander Thanas to offer the rebels a familiar and neutral face. Even now, he seemed to be taking his loss of overall command in stride, or he at least did not show his anger outwardly. The commander of Spite had no complaints, so it seemed he was acclimating well.
"I have not had the privilege of meeting Captain Manchisco face-to-face, but she seemed to hold an intense dislike for you," Thanas commented as we walked.
"Let's hope she won't be an issue. If she is a problem, I will ensure she does not escape a second time. What about this Skywalker?"
Which meant wasting time and resources chasing after a freighter and its escorts as they ran around the system, all the while needing to be ready to face the incoming Ssi-Ruuk. I groaned internally, of all the rebel scum that had to be in this system, why did it need to be her?
"I assume you've read the reports?"
I chuckled softly, shaking my head.
"Which ones? I don't put much stock in magical powers and religious warriors, Commander. I know he destroyed the Death Star - the first one, that is - but little more."
I knew about the Jedi from the Old Republic, of course. That ancient order of monks that the Senate had relied on to enforce their will and lead their armies during the Clone Wars. As a child, I had learned about how Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Qui-Gon Jinn had saved Naboo from the Trade Federation. I had never believed the stories about their powers, though. Great men? Most certainly, but magical wizards?
"You're a skeptic, then?"
"You aren't?" I asked, mildly surprised at Thanas's words, "You did not strike me as a mystical man, Commander."
"I will admit, I am fascinated by them," Thanas began, "Or their history, at least. Many great heroes rose up through their ranks. Though perhaps that is just the proximity speaking, I was born on Coruscant - their history is well remembered there. The Bakurans view them less favorably, though."
I glanced back at Thanas, but before he continued, our young guide spoke up.
"They upset the Cosmic Balance, it's because of them that the Fluties are here!"
More confused now, I turn back to Thanas once again. He, thankfully, elaborated.
"The most common Bakuran religion. They hold that the universe is one of equal and opposite reactions. A powerful Jedi must therefore have an equally powerful reaction - the Ssi-Ruuk."
"Ah," Was all I had to say on the matter. My tone must have sounded off, as Thanas quirked an eyebrow.
"Not a religious man?" I shrugged, continuing after our guide.
"The Naboo are not very spiritual people, at least not as of late. Eriadu less so, and you know how the Navy is about these things."
"Eriadu? I thought I recognized the accent. How did an Eriadu-trained officer end up in Arrowhead Command?"
There was derision in his tone, at least none I could detect. Eriadu was often treated as a joke among the Core World, a play-pretend Core World that wanted so desperately to shed off its Outer Rim designation. Of course, those kinds of jokes declined parallel to the rise of Grand Moff Tarkin, but that didn't mean they stopped wholesale.
"How did a Core man end up at Bakura?" I counter, though I made sure my smile was visible - a jest, not an insult.
"A long and complicated story, Captain, but that isn't what I meant. The Outer Rim fleets are never eager to let talent escape their clutches, especially back into the Core."
At that, I let my smile become more self-deprecating - though that I did hide. It would not do to admit I had been brought into Arrowhead by accident, and was too forgettable to be removed afterward.
"An equally long and complicated story, Commander."
"A man of your age? I'd very much like to hear it."
Not bloody likely.
"Anyways, Skywalker?"
"He appears competent, well-meaning. Willing to work to protect Bakura." Thanas continued, picking up the conversation before it deviated, "Still, I would advise caution, Captain. I do not doubt they will try to overthrow Nereus or incite an insurgency."
"I will keep my wits about me," I promise, "I won't be the one to fire the first shot. We can't afford another front to this battle."
We reached the final door, but just as the technician was about to open it, I stopped him. I turned to Thanas, this discussion about betrayal and stabs in the back making me very cautious.
"Commander Thanas, I want to make clear that I do not think less of your ability to lead, regardless of what may have happened before this. I did not seize your ships because I doubt you, but because the ships at your disposal can not be relied upon. I need your expertise and counsel in this battle, you alone have any understanding of how these Ssi-Ruuk fight."
Thanas looked taken aback by my words, his mouth slightly agape as he turned what I said over in his head. Had I nipped the embers for rebellion in the bud? Thanas did seem like a good sort - experienced, with a good head on his shoulders. I wonder if I could poach him for Arrowhead?
"... Thank you, Captain."
I nodded at him, letting my smile return briefly before pausing. A thought played through my head, and keeping in mind that there would be casualties for my forces. I turned back to Thanas.
It would be a waste just to leave someone competent here.
"Commander, I would also like to extend an offer to join me when I return to the Core. This system will fall to the rebels, even if we are victorious against the Ssi-Ruuk. We simply lack the means to repel them."
Thanas seemed surprised at my words, opening his mouth for a moment before letting it click shut. He pondered my words, hands folding behind his back as he suddenly seemed gripped by nervous energy.
"What brought this about, if you don't mind my asking, Captain?"
"You are competent, at least from what I have seen, and have a good head on your shoulders. I can always use more men like you in my section."
He would also be able to testify and exonerate me for abandoning Bakura, but he didn't need me to say that - he probably already came to that realisation himself. The conflict on his face, the internal turmoil as he probably debated leaving Bakura versus being used as a tool to protect my interests. It made me feel gross, using a man of Thanas's discipline, as a tool to keep myself afloat, but I never was a man ruled by pride.
"I will… Keep it in mind, Captain. Perhaps until after the battle?"
I gave the man a stern nod, letting him have his time to deliberate before turning back toward our destination.
"Good, now let us face the rebels. Hopefully, we'll survive this."
The young technician finally opened the door, revealing a small conference room - though to call it such was giving it too much justice. The room had only one rectangular table at its center, with two chairs near the two doors inside.
At the table were a man and woman, both of whom I recognized from the Bakuran Senate. Luke Skywalker was a young man, with dusty blonde hair and an intense look in his eyes that made me mildly uncomfortable. The other had to be Manchisco, as her thunderous expression had evolved into one of intense dislike the moment the door opened.
Neither party said a word as Thanas and I entered the room, merely staring each other down as the technician closed the door behind us.
"While I'm sure we are all aware of who each of us is," I broke the silence after a long five seconds of staring, "I think we should begin with introductions. I am Rivejer Tulius, Captain of the Conqueror, and of the 2nd Flank Squadron of Arrowhead Command."
"Pter Thanas," Thanas went next, sounding almost awkward in the stilted conversation, "Commander of the Dominant."
Skywalker glanced from me to Thanas to a still hard-faced Manchisco, before clearing his throat and speaking.
"Luke Skywalker, overall commander of Alliance forces in Bakura and Jedi Knight."
Then, three sets of eyes turned to Manchisco. She met my stare with a glare of her own, but realizing she was receiving similar attention from Luke and Thanas, grudgingly responded in turn.
"Tessa Manchisco, Captain of the Flurry."
Before the silence could be drawn out, I nodded to Thanas before taking a seat across from Skywalker. Thanas quickly claimed the other.
"Before we begin discussing the matter at hand, I believe we should clear expectations. Is it safe to assume that your forces will be no more accepting of Imperial command as we are of yours?"
"Yes," Skywalker said immediately before quickly correcting himself, "Ah, that would be correct, Captain."
Clearly, it would be Skywalker leading the negotiations on their side.
"Very well. Then we will, for the time being, be allied forces against a common enemy. In the interests of transparency, I believe we should make eachother aware of the full capabilities of our forces. Surprises will be detrimental to the battle to come and any plans we make for it."
To me, that was just common sense. I couldn't well rely on the rebels if their ships quit out on them in the first hour of battle! Skywalker appeared surprised at my request, glancing at Manchisco and then back at me. After a moment, when no one else made a move to speak, I sighed internally and began.
Honestly, it's like there isn't an alien invasion coming or something.
"The majority of my vessels are operating at acceptable levels," I began, folding my hands on the table, "My flag, Conqueror, suffered wide-spread damage to her ion cannon banks. Barring the forward cannons, they have been deemed inoperable for the coming battle. Furthermore, the fighter complements of my section have been notably depleted. My anti-fighter duties are being pushed on the Lancers, but there are only so many of them."
Again, the collected officers seemed shocked at the ease of my admission, even Manchisco stopped glaring a hole through my head and quirked up an eyebrow. Skywalker appeared the most pleased at the turn of events, as if my words confirmed something to him, but he did not move to speak. Thanas went next, his words slow and grudging.
"The ships in the Bakuran flotilla were understaffed before the invasion. We are being pushed to the breaking point."
"I can transfer auxiliary crew from my vessels to support yours," I said, nodding to Thanas, despite his ships already being added to my forces. I figured repeatedly referring to them as "his ships" would keep any potential anger at a low enough level. Thanas blinked before nodding his thanks in return.
"As can we," Skywalker blurted out, though none seemed more surprised than Manchisco. A fair reaction, as her ship was the biggest in the rebel fleet and would likely have the most crew to spare. Thanas adjusted in his seat at that, glancing at me before returning his gaze to Skywalker.
"Your offer is appreciated, Commander. But I don't know how comfortable my crew would be, working alongside rebels. Fighting ship-to-ship alongside them is one thing, but having your people on the same vessel…"
Thanas let his words peter out, an awkward silence filling the space.
"I believe we should first take stock of what I can spare from my vessels," I offer as a compromise, "And we can see which ship officers and crews would be the most willing to allow rebel reinforcements aboard?"
"Agreed." Skywalker said immediately again.
"That is acceptable." Thanas allowed, though he was not happy about it. Before I had a chance to continue, Thanas spoke again, "As for your fighter problem, I do not have any that can be spared from the fleet. However, we do have ground attack TIEs on Bakura that can be transferred. They aren't as optimized, but…"
"Anything is better than nothing, you have my thanks, Commander."
"We don't have any fighters we can offer," Skywalker said, which I had expected. I trusted the rebels as far as I could throw them, and I did not doubt the same went for them regarding me. Still, Skywalker pressed on, clearly interested in providing something in this exchange, "But our pilots are well-trained and experienced. We can take over interception duties, since our fleet is smaller and can avoid the Ssi-Ruuk more effectively."
"Even with our forces combined, the enemy enjoys the weight of numbers," I countered, tapping a finger on the table, "We should be consolidating our forces into a single mass, present them zero openings."
"There is more to starfighter combat than numbers, Captain. Imperial pilots might not know that, but we do," Manchisco spoke finally, her voice dripping with contempt as she spat out my rank. Skywalker shifted uncertainty, glancing at her before gauging my reaction. Outwardly, I did not - I had expected her to be short long before we arrived at the station. Before I could respond, Thanas beat me to it.
"Even the best pilot can be overwhelmed in eighty-to-one odds, Captain Manchisco." I was briefly stunned at the intensity of his words, Thanas jaw set tightly as he glared across at Manchisco. It took me a moment to realize why he was suddenly agitated. The Bakuran starfighter garrison had been mauled by the invading Ssi-Ruuk, to insinuate that the lost pilots were too incompetent to protect their homeworld was an insult to their sacrifice.
To her credit, Manchisco seemed to realize her error a few moments too late and had enough heart to look away. She made no move to apologize.
Skywalker swooped in before the silence could stretch too long again.
"Luckily, we joined the fighting late enough that our starfighters are still fueled, freshed and armed. We won't need any support in that regard."
Manchisco, hesitating for a moment, spoke as well.
"The Flurry suffered damage to her deflector shields at Endor. We have identified the issue, but lack the material or expertise to repair it."
Manchisco looked as if she bit into something sour when she admitted that.
"Does Bakura have the means to repair deflector shields?" I asked Thanas, turning to face him.
"I can't say without speaking with our repair yard, and they would need to look at Flurry first."
"The information will be transferred to you." Manchisco promised, sounding thankful despite everything.
"Can the Conqueror be repaired before the battle?" Skywalker asked, turning the discussion back to me. I made a face before shaking my head.
"Unlikely. Several connections between the reactor and ion cannons were burnt out, to my understanding. Corners were cut during the last refit, or so my engineers tell me. We will require a full dockyard, I won't risk the reactor until I have Kuati specialists looking over it."
And that was that. Despite its shortcomings, the Conqueror was still the second most powerful ship in the system, behind the Intimidation. Its turbolaser batteries would decimate anything the moment their shields were dropped.
"If there is nothing else we feel the rest of us should know?" I ask, and upon receiving negative head shakes, I continued, "Very well."
I grabbed my holocommunicator from my belt and slid it to the middle of the table, letting it flicker to life. A dull hum emanated from the small device, not designed for projecting such a large hologram.
The Bakura system unfolded before us, a mirrored copy of the Conqueror's projection on its holotable. Green dots and wedges, representing our combined forces, were in a disorganized cloud over the capital city. The rebels maintained their distance over the opposite end of the world, coincidentally closer to the direction where we suspected the Ssi-Ruuk were coming from.
"As you are likely aware, Ssi-Ruuk scouts were recently chased out of the system. Though we lack proof, it is also likely that they have some scouts or spies in-system that we are unaware of. Commander."
Thanas took over here, reporting what had been discovered during their anti-scout operations.
"The Ssi-Ruuk vessels sent and received several encrypted communications to and from Bakura before we arrived. We have been unable to identify their purpose, but it is possible that they have spies in-system."
The possibility that the Ssi-Ruuk might have allies among the Bakurans had never occurred to me, a sentiment shared by Thanas. They had made their intentions for the Bakurans very clear in their messages, and possibility that someone was even considering it was naturally repellent. I didn't have any Imperial Security Bureau representatives in my section - to my knowledge - but if I did, I would sick them on Bakura immediately. It was one thing to have rebel supporters on the world, it was another to have genocidal invader advocates.
Skywalker and Manchisco once again shared a significant glance, one that I felt bode poorly for us.
"... We may have intel on who the Ssi-Ruuk were contacting," Skywalker said slowly after a few long moments, Manchisco minutely shaking her head.
"You are playing coy with this information, because…?" I said, matching his tone as my fingers folded on the table. Again, Skywalker hesitated, and again Manchisco not-so-subtly tried to keep him silent.
"Senator Captison contacted us the other night to report that the Ssi-Ruuk contacted Governor Nereus to strike a deal," Skywalker explained, before quickly elaborating after seeing my incredulous look, "The Ssi-Ruuk wanted something from him, and in return they would spare Bakura. Nereus refused."
"I find this hard to believe," Thanas said bluntly, his tone sounding distinctly unamused. I was in agreement, as little as I might light the man. He did not strike me as someone who would sacrifice his pride and bow to the whims of these invaders.
"What exactly did they want?" I asked, "And how can you be sure that what she claims is true? Governor Nereus and the Bakuran Senate do not enjoy a strong working relationship, as I understand it."
"The Ssi-Ruuk wanted me," Skywalker said, his expression grim as he met my gaze, "They want to use my power to entrench at a much larger scale."
I quirked an eyebrow, immediately unimpressed by this justification. I looked over to Thanas, only to find him nodding sagely as if he now believed Skywalker's claim. I opened my mouth, to contest his claim or to make my thoughts on his mystical "Jedi" known, but I held my tongue. There were times to argue theology, and today was not one of them.
"Moving on," I drawl slowly, "I will be contacting Governor Nereus on this matter. I will be informing my security teams to remain alert to the potential of infiltrators, I hope you understand."
Skywalker did, though he seemed mildly amused at my clear deflection from the previous line of discussion. That annoyed me more than it had any right to.
"Given our lack of information on the enemy forces, my staff and I have put together a basic defense scheme," I began, returning to the hologram, "We should maintain a defensive screen on the west and north-west side of Bakura - or near to the direction where we suspect the Ssi-Ruuk originate. If the ships present at the first battle are any indicator, our strength lies in the Star Destroyers. Any operation against the Ssi-Ruuk will need them as the hinge."
Yet despite the certainty I felt, it was Manchisco that spoke up first to detract that plan.
"That's your plan?" She asked, showcasing a surprising amount of professionalism as her tone wasn't as insulting as before, "Have the fleets gather and hide behind your Star Destroyers?"
"Holding in a single, large formation would just make us an easier target for their swarm fighters, Captain," Skywalker added.
"Separating would be just as dangerous," I counter them, waving my hand as the hologram shifted. The fleets separated into smaller packs - the Conqueror and Victory pair, the Intimidation with the Strike cruisers, and so on. Dozens of red blips to represent the Ssi-Ruuk filled the field, swarming each group individually with fighters as they locked the other combatants in engagements, "It was a lesson the Empire learned from the Clone Wars."
"Alliance officers fought in the Clone Wars, too," Manchisco jumped in, "The lesson they learned was that Star Destroyers were at risk because they couldn't manuever. The corvettes, Flurry, the Carracks, even the Strikes would be able to act in smaller wolfpacks, to harass the Ssi-Ruuk and defeat them in detail."
Just as I had, Manchisco manipulated the hologram to showcase her vision. The Conqueror and Intimidation remained over Bakura with a token force of corvettes as the rest of the ships scattered. The Ssi-Ruuk holograms danced around, avoiding engaging the Star Destroyers directly while trying to catch the smaller groups in combat. Their swarms of fighters would rush the Star Destroyers, only to peel off because their mother ships were being harassed by another pack of ships. There was one blinding issue I foresaw.
"We would be abandoning Bakura to invasion," I retook control, predicting some Ssi-Ruuk vessels abandoning the fight to attack Bakura directly, turning Manchisco's plan against us. Any ships sent to engage the planetary invaders would be harassed in turn, or forced to retreat and support another beleagured force.
"They would be idiots if they did," Skywalker said this time, and again control changed hands, "So long as your Star Destroyers are in the system, the Ssi-Ruuk won't risk it."
The display showcased my Star Destroyers breaking from their engagement and plowing through the Ssi-Ruuk holograms, racing for those that were off-loading ground forces. Caught out of formation and unable to manuever, they were demolished. To be fair, that was in-keeping with how I was trained - break formations and sow chaos, letting individual officers shine in close-range combat.
"Which is precisely the reason why the Star Destroyers need to be the center of a formation!" The hologram reversed, only when the Star Destroyers tried to break formation they were rushed and overwhelmed by swarms of fighter craft. As much as it agonized me to admit it, Star Destroyers are not invincible. I could see the benefit in Manchisco and Skywalker's plan, but I didn't have enough Lancers to make up for the lost fighter screening. The corvettes we had available would be spread thin, as most of the ships in our combined fleets couldn't field enough fighters to be relevant. A Corellian corvette might be able to fly laps around the Lancer, but it had a fraction the firepower.
"If I may offer a compromise," Thanas spoke up at last, cutting off either Skywalker and Manchisco from offering another retort. We all turned to face him as he continued, "We are planning for an engagement with an enemy we do not know the numbers of. My recommendation is that we divide our forces as such - Captain Manchisco and Commander Skywalker will take the entire rebel force to harass the enemy force. The Carrack wing and a corvette escort shall dot he same. Captain Tullius will retain command of the remaining vessels and focus on defending Bakura itself."
Thanas manipulated the hologram again, dividing the forces as he mentioned. The hologram Ssi-Ruuk force danced about, forced to keep its formation most cohesive as it stared the Star Destroyers down. At the same time, it kept trying to chase down the rebel or Carrack force, only for them to run away and harass the alien vessels with fighters or long-range turbolasers respectively.
No one was happy with the arrangement, but until we had a better handle on what we were dealing with, the debate couldn't go much further. So, our discussion fell into the minutia of combat. Designated fall-back points, code phrases and shorthands to unite our terminology, designated logistic ships and backline support - everything that we could think of before battle would come.
"Well, Nereus admitted to it," I announced as I entered the bridge. It had been two days since the meeting with the rebels, and only now I had gotten a meeting with the Governor.
Screold turned at the sound of my voice, an eyebrow arching up as I approached.
"You seem upset by this, Captain."
"I am," I mutter, crossing my arms as I looked at the hologram, "It means those rebels were right."
"It also means that members of the local government are more sympathetic with the rebels than initialy believed. Do you think they will try an uprising before the Ssi-Ruuk arrive?"
"My words to the Senate were an err in judgment," I mutter before continuing, "No, even they must realize that the only thing standing between them and genocide is this coalition fleet. I hope to be long gone before they have the chance."
I had agreed to fight the Ssi-Ruuk for the Bakurans, but I did not want to get involved in the quagmire of a rebellion and insurgency. Not with the entire rebel fleet kicking around in the next system over - the rebels in system had been very vague about if or when reinforcements were coming.
My eyes turned to the Bakura system, and for the first time since we had arrived, all "friendly" ships in the system were gathered in one spot. The rebels seemed eager to keep their distance, but they were still within range of my turbolasers - an unexpected amount of trust from them. The Flurry had more extensive damage than Manchisco had been led to believe, and had been under repair since the meeting. With the amount of Imperial technicians wandering around the old freighter, I grudgingly allowed rebel engineers to take a look at the Conqueror. They were surprised as Screold when I offered them the chance. The rebels naturally were unable to fix the damage - as I suspected, I would need a dockyard to dismantle the ion cannon batteries and repair the damage underneath - but they did offer an alternative theory to the damage. Less willful neglect, and more likely sabotage.
"The errors," the Mon Cala engineer had explained, "are too precise to have been anything other than intentional."
Bloody Rendili.
"How are the ground-attack TIE Fighters treating us?" I asked, noticing Matread was absent on the bridge. Screold made a face before responding.
"As well as we were expecting. Chief Matread continues to lobby that we strip them for parts."
It was an old rivalry, the army and navy airforce - Matread viewed the ground-attack TIE fighters as a sort of heresy.
"Still," I muttered, "Proton torpedoes on TIEs? Why don't we do that for our space assets?"
Screold only shrugged, and that was that. I made a mental note - one on a list that was growing at an alarming rate - to ask around.
"Give them to the rebels if he doesn't want them," I decide, crossing my arms, "I don't want our pilots flying around with weapons they don't-"
An alarm klaxon blared through the bridge, silencing the crew in an instant. An instant later, a voice called from the forward sensor station.
"Captain, incoming sensor pings! Thirty-eight individual vessels of corvette size or above!"
My blood turned to ice, and Matread's war against the army was forgotten. I glanced at Screold before marching back to the forward bridge, straight to the sensor officer. The bridge crew were already rushing to prepare the Conqueror for combat.
"Nine cruisers," The sensor officer said as I approached, "Ten frigate analogs of variable size, nine corvettes. Total fighter complement… unknown."
"Nine cruisers? I'm almost insulted," I announce, my voice dripping with false bravado as I turned to Screold, "Lieutenant?"
She nodded, quickly leaping into action.
"Raise all gundecks to full combat readiness! I want first stage fighters ready to launch in half-an-hour! Nimens, raise Matread and tell him-"
I left Screold to her element as I returned to mine, the blast doors sealing the forward bridge from view. The lights dimmed as the holotable, which had been showcasing a zoomed-in image of the fleet, suddenly showcased the entirety of the Bakura system. Several dozen red blips flashed to life, gathered at the north-western edge of the system, not far from where the scouts had retreated previously.
"Contact all command vessels," I ordered, crossing my arms as I studied the hologram, "Route all communications through the Holonet relay station."
As I waited for the other officers to join the call, the Ssi-Ruuk already began to move. Their disorganized rabbel found a new formation, centered around the larger frigates with the cruisers at the fore.
"Cronau radiation spike," An officer announced, the report appearing on the hologram field a moment later. Already, the sensor team were attempting to chart where the Ssi-Ruuk were aiming based on their current heading, but I did not have long to ruminate on it myself. Several ding sounds filled the room as the other officers entered the call.
"Link up with the Conqueror's battlenet," I order the gathered officers, "The enemy force may be aiming to jump to the nearby moon."
"We need to engage," The Spite's Commander announced, "Before they have the chance to escape."
"You would never make it," Manchisco's voice joined in, "Not unless your plan was to microjump directly into their formation."
"Unless their astornavigation suites are far above our own," I interrupted the argument brewing, "They will be using the moon as their reference point for the coming hyperspace jump. Flurry, Spite, you have your objectives."
It was far easier for navigators to use celestial bodies as reference points for their jumps, and greatly reduced the risk for errors - accidentally overshooting or undershooting your target being the least of those problems. Even if we didn't know exactly where the Ssi-Ruuk wuld go, we knew where they might go.
I began to walk slowly around the holotable, eyes glued to the holograms as I ran through the coming battle. Two groups broke off from the brunt of my formation, the rebel ships led by their freighter-turned-carrier and the Carracks joined by a motley assortment of Bakuran corvettes. Each vessel was marked by its exact positional coordinates, an exact and up-to-date data stream fed to the fleet via the relay station. That station was the lynchpin of our formation, dragged out of its geostationary position over Bakura's capital and protected behind the fleet.
The Ssi-Ruuk made their second jump behind Bakura-3's moon, just as expected. As the two detached formations raced to their positions, the Ssi-Ruuk officer made to put their ships back in formation. Over an hour's travel separated our two forces, well outside visual range from the view port, yet close enough that I felt I could reach out an touch them. I was coming to realize that the worst part was the wait before the battle, before the turbolasers and missiles could fly and the only thing you had time to think about was the next step of the battle. It was miserable, terrifying, exhilarating.
Come on then, you reptilian bastards, I thought unbidden, Come and get me.
The Ssi-Ruuk began to offload swarms of fighters, creating a veritable cloud surrounding their formation. Frigates broke off from the wings of their fleet, trailing fighters as they held at some distance from their fellows. Skirmishers, intended to tie down the rebel or Carrack groups - I had faith that they would keep themselves alive.
"Fewer ships than we feared," I turned to find Matread entering the bridge, his expression grim as he looked over the hologram, "They won't have the numbers to split up like the rebels suspected they would."
"One of those cruisers couldn't break a Carrack, I don't know what eight of them plan to do." It was arrogant of me, but in that moment my blood had begun to boil. I wanted a fight, a fight that I could win and didn't need to run away from. Matread was silent for a moment, studying the holomap before pointing out some of the frigates.
"Look here, these frigates. At the back of the formation," He said, "They are larger than the rest, a lot more fighters around them than the rest."
"Carriers?" I asked, struggling to differentiate the individual ships as they all looked the same. The brazen lack of creativity would make differentiating which ship was which in battle a difficult prospect.
"Or ground invasion ships," Matread countered, running a hand along his cheek, "Whatever they are, the Ssi-Ruuk want them protected."
"That's reason enough to want them destroyed," I stepped back to the holotable, unmuting myself and speaking to the other officers.
"Manchisco, Spite, there appears to be some kinds of carrier or troop transport in the enemy formation - we're marking them as priority targets."
"Do we engage?"
"Only if feasible. They aren't likely to break formation, focus on targets of opportunity."
"Understood."
The subsequent half hour was slow, the Ssi-Ruuk moved at half the speed we had taken to arrive at Bakura. Like a hive of insects, they would panic and throw an overwhelming force after the two skirmishing groups the moment they tried to engage. The entire Ssi-Ruuk fleet would grind to a stop just to chase a few X-Wings or Carracks away before continuing on. There was being defensive in battle, and then there was this. The Carracks had the range advantage of the Ssi-Ruuk, evidenced by the sporadic and minimal return fire, but the enemy force would keep rushing out to chase the cruisers off before they could really lay into one of the alien ships. The rebel fighters are every advantage over their Ssi-Ruuk counterparts barring numbers, which was so overwhelming that the rebel craft couldn't stay to dogfight. It was a dance, either neither side being willing to commit to a proper fight.
It was a reverse of one foreseen problem - rather than rushing to engage the skirmishers and having the Star Destroyers at their back, the Ssi-Ruuk were rushing to engage the Star Destroyers and leaving the skirmishers at their back.
"Enemy vessels have passed within maximum effective range of the Victory cruisers, sir."
"Hold fire," I order, tapping my finger on the rim of the holotable. The two smaller cruisers, sequestered between the Conqueror and Intimidation, were running dangerously low on their ship-to-ship concussion missiles. Besides, with the sheer amount of target saturation in the form of droid starfighters, it would be a waste of ordinance. There were other options, though.
"Order Zanus to load cluster munitions, all tubes."
Cluster bombs carried on an MS-15 diamond boron missile would wreak havoc among their starfighters, point defenses or no. The Steadfast flashed its IFF to confirm it had received the order. The chatter between Flurry and the Spite continued as they tried to string the Ssi-Ruuk into a fight, but to no avail. Even cooperating, the Ssi-Ruuk just weren't biting.
At the end of the second hour, both sides opened with their first volleys. The Intimidation's heavy ion cannons flashed out into the void, aiming to soften up the approaching Ssi-Ruuk vessels. Bright blue flashes fell short, impacting fighters, while others overshot and dissipated. A few hit their marks, indicated by a light flash on the holotable as the system confirmed hits. Not enough the deter the aliens, but it had to spook them as their formation became looser. The rebels, ever the opprotunists, harrassed the edge of the Ssi-Ruuk formation. If they couldn't force the enemy fleet to engage, they could certainly push them to bunch up and become easy pickings for the long-range weapons.
"They aren't committing their fighters," Matread grunted from his seat, dabbing his brow of its sweat, "They must not be very trusting of their corvettes."
"Or they don't want to run the risk," I countered, but nodded all the same to his words. Their cruisers had begun to return fire with their heavy ion cannons as well, which the majority of their cruisers had in spades. Unfortunately for the Ssi-Ruuk, the smaller vessels were all hidden in the shadows of the Star Destroyers or were too small to hit in the first place. The ion batteries would need a much more concentrated effort if they wanted to bring down our shields.
"Steadfast, dump the clusters and load concussion missiles." I ordered finally. The Victory fired all of the MS-15s it had loaded, briefly filling the hologram with flashing yellow lights as they spilled from its sides. Like in the previous engagements, the Ssi-Ruuk ships slowed to a stop. Unfortunately, they seemed to realize fairly quickly what our plan was as their swarms of fighters scattered to minize the effectiveness of the incoming missiles. Their corvettes broke formation, rushing ahead to replace the cruisers as the vanguards. Several of the cluster missiles vanished in a flash, intercepted by laser cannons or whatever the Ssi-Ruuk used for point-defense weapons. The majority made it through.
It was a testament to Zanus's competence and that of the Steadfast's crew - the missiles were locked unto individual fighters rather than groups or locations. The droid starfighters, slow to react and acting in groups, were unable to isolate the targetted member before the lot of their squad were wiped out. Fewer fighter clusters than I had hoped vanished in bright flashes, but the Ssi-Ruuk fighter advantage was sufficiently bruised.
A sudden additional klaxon drew my attention to the wing of the enemy formation, just in time to witness one of their cruisers flicker and then vanish. The source of its destruction was evident in the wing of rebel fighters that broke off and ran back to their mothership. The rebels fled, but were not pursued. The Ssi-Ruuk, sufficiently spooked, dug their scaly heels in and focused on peppering my forces with ion cannon blasts. The Intimidation responded in kind, but neither side made any move to close the distance. The Ssi-Ruuk were smart enough to keep out of range of our full batteries, but in turn made sure they couldn't effectively destroy us.
"These Ssi-Ruuk fight their wars like Neimoidians," Matread muttered, "Sitting back and hoping to kill us by old age."
"That's an insult to the Neimoidians," I joked in turn, "They would have at least sent their fighters after us."
But no amount of light hearted jabs kept the annoyance from my voice - the first real engagement I had since Endor and where I didn't need to flee, and this time the enemy couldn't decide if they wanted to fight!
I don't take any joy in it, I thought to myself, But come here and fight me, damn it!
If the Ssi-Ruuk could hear my silent fury, they did not show it. Their commanding officer maintained distance, paying the skirmishers only enough attention to chase them away. This could all be settled in a single charge - a single glorious rush with turbolasers and cannons blazing like the battles of yore! The longer I sat here, the more foolish this entire plan felt. Why wait? Why let the enemy pick their battles when we could force them into one of ours?
I grit my teeth, tapping at the holotable as I glared balefully; my anger directed at those oddly shaped alien ships.
One charge, I though, One charge, and I can shatter them here and now. Scatter them like grains of sand against a wave.
I had begun to walk around the holotable, already outlining the plan for such a charge. The Star Destroyers would be front-and-center, joined by the Victory cruisers. A barrage of concussion missiles would break the enemy formation, ruining their lines of coverage as my ships landed directly in the middle of the fleet. The Strike cruisers would become the wings of our formation, encompassing the sides of the Ssi-Ruuk ships and forcing them inwards - all directly in front of the Star Destroyers and their devastating firing arcs.
The order was on the tip of my tongue; damn the rebels, damn Thanas, damn the Bakurans-
I accidentally plowed into another officer, blind to all that was happening around me. I nearly bowled him and myself over, barely catching myself on the holotable as he stumbled back. My anger was extinguished in a flash as I just stared, dumbfounded, at the other man - who I did not recognize from my command staff.
I must have really been out of it, I noted absently, To miss someone standing right in front of me.
"Harik, get over here," Matread barked, clearly knowing the other officer. As the man slunk away sheepishly, I straightened and used the moment to get my thoughts in order. The stimulants and lack of sleep were getting to me once again, I'd nearly lost myself to… whatever that was.
Of course charging was a terrible idea, the enemy fighters would tear us apart without the support of the Lancers. A Lancer could fire in every direction, but it was most effective when presenting a broadside - and a Lancer couldn't fly sideways.
"Slow and steady," I muttered, looking where the destroyed Ssi-Ruuk cruiser had been, "Slow… Zanus."
"Sir?"
"I want firing solutions on the enemy flotilla - no specific target, just enough to make them spread out their formation."
Moments later, several red lines cropped out from the Steadfast and Interpid, spearing cruisers or frigates seemingly at random. Manchisco and the Spite would have their targets of opportunity, one way or another. At my order, concussion missiles roared out from the two Victory cruisers. The Ssi-Ruuk, clearly unwilling to sacrifice yet more of their fighters, spread their forces out to limit the effectiveness of the missiles. The carracks leapt on the opprotunity, peppering a frigate that had moved a little too far away to be supported with turbolaser and ion cannon alike. Manchisco and her fighters did the same on the other wing, sinking a corvette before being forced to retreat.
We repeated this again, costing the Ssi-Ruuk another frigate and damaging a cruiser's starboard side. It was on the third volley that the Ssi-Ruuk finally came to a decision. Their forces split, five of their three remaining cruisers suddenly launching off with their escorts trailing behind, finally rushing to meet my force direct.
At last, I thought as the turbolasers began their slow climb to a withering rate of fire. I tracked the three separate cruisers as they moved toward Bakura with their carrier escorts in tow, looking to circumvent my fleet entirely.
"Spite, a section of the enemy fleet is making its way to Bakura. Engage, do not let them land forces. We'll rejoin with you once the main force has been routed."
"Recieved, Captain!"
The Ssi-Ruuk charge slowed to a stop, now bringing their full firepower to bear. The deflector shields of the Conqueror held but I could feel the ship shaking under the withering barrage. We could hold and return fire, but I was not eager to let this engagement be decided at range.
"All ships, move ahead at cruising speed."
All at once, the fleet trudged forward. The Lancers fell back, using the Star Destroyers to cover the advance similarly to the Strike Cruisers. It was more of a leisurely stroll than a glorious charge, to be entirely honest. However, watching on the hologram as my ships finally returned fire with the maximum firepower, I felt a certain amount of catharsis.
"Strike teams, break formation and envelope," I ordered, noting that the Ssi-Ruuk ships were trying to encircle our charge. At my order, the four Strike Cruisers left the protective cover of the Star Destroyers and flowed out like wings at our sides. The Contester and Viscount were mirrored by their sisters, providing a devastating flow of turbolaser fire into the edges of the Ssi-Ruuvi formation. The alien cruisers were now forced to make a decision as their frigate comrades fled the attention of my escorts; fight and disable the Strikes, or focus on the much larger threats.
"Strikes, fold back into Lancer range," I ordered as the Ssi-Ruuk chose their answer in swarms of fighters attacking both the Star Destroyers and Strike Cruisers. Matread's voice rose above the simulated explosions and turbolaser reports, directing the fighters like a composer with his orchestra. Grouped together, the Ssi-Ruuk fighters were easy prey for the Lancers - scores cut from their number with each burst.
Then they were upon us, like locusts on grain. A tidal wave of red dots filled the hologram display as they fell over the Conqueror, briefly blinding our sensor array and losing us connection with the Holonet relay. It was for all of a second before the connection was reestablished, but even still the Conqueror protested the attack with loud, shaking groans.
"Some got through the deflector shields," Screold announced, her tone severe over the intercom, "Damage minimal, armor plating integrity still holding at 84%. Breach reported on deck… Resh."
She continued, barking orders to some unseen bridge officer as I refocused on the battle at hand. The Ssi-Ruuk realized fairly quickly that staying to dogfight would only cost them fighters, so their swarms pulled back to prepare for another charge. I would not let them have that chance.
"Conqueror, Intimidation; ahead full! Get us in the middle of that formation!" I bark, before quickly changing my channel, "Zanus, follow us in."
On the bridge and through the vacuum of space, the engines may well have been silent too me. Despite this, my mind imagined the engines roaring furiously as the Conqueror was propelled forward, like it had been fired from a Star Destroyer-sized cannon.
Screold took my order literally, or so it appeared, as we charged down the nearest cruiser. At this range, missing was nearly an impossibility - both sides hammered at eachother with everything we had available. The Ssi-Ruuk cruiser, realizing Screold's plan too late, tried to turn off and evade the Conqueror. It was too slow, too sluggish. The alarm for general brace filled the Conqueror as we careened headlong into the Ssi-Ruuk cruiser. The hologram projector couldn't show with enough detail what exactly happened to the smaller ship, but when its projection flickered and vanished, I could safely assume it did not survive the contact. The bridge shook violently, no doubt damaging the Conqueror more than it would otherwise have been, but at the moment I did not care. I wanted to applaud Screold!
The Intimidation did not follow her lead, though Milgern clearly sought a glorious kill of his own. With one cruiser destroyed, he rushed his Star Destroyer between two more and devastated them with devastating broadsides. Both ships peeled away, but they were damaged now - sluggish and maimed. One of them wandered directly into the Steadfast, which greeted the alien vessel with a barrage of point-blank concussion missiles.
With their cruiser protectors engaged, the Ssi-Ruuk frigates were forced to contend with the Strike Cruisers. While outnumbered still, the Strike Cruisers showcased their superior firepower and discipline - maintaining their paired formations and picking off the smaller frigates one at a time.
"Deflector shields are offline! Maximize forward firepower-" That was the Intrepid, her commander cut off by a static shriek. I winced, opening my mouth to request what had happened when Screold spoke up.
"Enemy starfighters overwhelmed the Intrepid, her bridge is lost."
I clicked my tongue, tracking the cruiser as it listed heavily - nearly ramming into the Intimidation before her secondary crew retook control and corrected its path. The new command crew did not let the deaths of their former commanders go unpunished, as like the Steadfast they let loose a volley of concussion missiles into another enemy cruiser.
There was a flash - one of the Bakuran corvettes vanished from my hologram before the officer had a moment to call out. It was joined by another, the fighters running rampant along out back line. They were just the Bakuran reservists, but each of their losses was a ship that couldn't supplement the Lancers. I turned to Matread, his face grim and drawn as he barked order. He turned to me, briefly.
"Nothing we can do, our squadrons are too heavily outnumbered. The Ssi-Ruuk are just having them ram us!"
I grit my teeth now, turning back to the hologram and throwing together another scheme.
"Overlord, this is Tullius. Pull back your section and cover the retreat of the Bakuran corvettes. Bakuran vessels, move into cover around the Star Destroyers."
"Aye, Conqueror," The Lancer Captain announced, his tone grim to match. As one, the Lancers turned and moved toward the rear of the fleet.
"You want us to retreat into the battle?!" One of the Bakurans demanded, his voice shrill with panic.
"Those cruisers are far too busy fighting us to worry about you," I retorted, nodding toward Matread as he signaled for my attention, "Move, Bakuran."
Once I was sure the Bakurans were doing as I ordered, I strode over to Matread. The Conqueror shook as it suffered another volley from the Ssi-Ruuk ships, but I managed to keep my footing. Some didn't, sliding along consoles or chairs as the ship lurched heavily. The inertial dampeners caught up and straightened out the artificial gravity. The reason was revealed soon, Screold announcing that the deflector shields were failing. The Ssi-Ruuk were punching into the armor, and failing to break it.
Was this their plan? I wondered, Suicidally rush us?
Why bother coming back if they were just going to waste ships? Did their leaders truly think we wouldn't turn around and destroy the ground invasion just as we did the bulk of their forces?
I didn't make it far before Captain Manchisco's voice cut across the general babble on the communication channel.
"Conqueror," The woman sounded unsure, even over the channel, "I have a priority communication for you."
"Governor Nereus can find me later," I said, not in any mood to deal with the Governor at the moment.
"No, from… my side of the aisle."
I blinked, wondering what one of the rebels on the planet wanted from me, now of all times. Skywalker was in the communication channel, though I hadn't heard much from him since the battle broke out. Glancing at the display, I couldn't make out his starfighter in the brawl along the Ssi-Ruuk flank.
"Patch it through," I allowed, folding my arms behind my back and returning to the holotable. The Conqueror shook again as something impacted with its hull, though a lack of alarm from Screold told me it was at least low priority.
"Captain Tullius," A woman's voice reached me, familiar from a short few days ago.
"Princess Leia," I responded, "Perhaps you have missed the memo, but I am fighting a war here."
"I appreciate the severity of the situation, Captain, but I have intel important to your battle. Commander Skywalker has boarded one of the enemy vessels attacking Bakura. Alone."
I blinked, shook my head, then blinked again. I looked at the holo display; I hadn't noticed Skywalker because there were too many fighters. I hadn't noticed Skywalker because he wasn't bloody there! What sort of commander gallavants off from the massive battle? Without saying anything?!
"And this matters to me, because?" I hissed through clenched teeth, thankful that at least Manchisco hadn't run off on some side objective while we were fighting for our lives. The Flurry maintained its distance, supporting its fighters rather than engaging directly with the Ssi-Ruuk.
"Commander Skywalker identified the vessel as the enemy flagship."
I breathed in a sigh, that changed things. I turned my attention to Bakura itself, having not paid much attention to the battle there. One of the cruisers was gone, a quick search indicating it was floating disabled in Bakura's upper orbit. Both of the carrier analogs were gone, one suffering a similar fate to the cruiser while the other was believed to have crashed somewhere on Bakura. The Carracks were mauled, two lost with the survivors skirmishing with the second cruiser. The Dominant was not among them.
The third and final cruiser hung in low orbit, likely as low into Bakura's atmosphere as it could physically get. It floated ominously, not fighting.
"I'll assume that the unengaged ship is their flagship?" I asked, signaling a communications officer - this was an opportunity.
"That would be correct, Captain."
"And I'll assume that you want me to dedicate some forces to ensuring this enemy cruiser does not leave with Commander Skywalker still aboard?"
"That would also be correct, Captain."
I muted myself and turned to the officer.
"Order whatever complement of Stormtroopers or marines we still have aboard to main hangar bay. Prepare for boarding actions, heavy resistance."
"Sir," The officer saluted me and left, allowing me to unmute myself.
"You are in luck, Princess. I happen to have a strike team that can be rerouted to the enemy capital ship."
"Thank you, Captain," And she sounded genuine, which surprised me. I was still expecting the knife in the back from these rebels to come at any moment; but Manchisco was still fighting and Organa sounded almost cordial. Of course, my mind still needled at me about her comments regarding my potential lack of competence.
Well, she is certainly free to try these alien bastards herself, if she feels so inclined.
With that, I ended the call and returned my attention to Matread. The portly man was a little flushed, exhaustion and annoyance warring on his face as I approached.
"The Skiprays are out of physical munitions," He announced without preamble.
"What about the torpedoes you looted from the ground attack TIE Fighters?" I asked after a moment's consideration. Matread made a face at the mere mention of those heretical ships, but grudgingly continued.
"A lot of them are dumb fire, few of the remainder were designed to be fired outside of a planetary atmosphere."
"These Ssi-Ruuk fighters are hardly committing mind-bending manuevers, Chief," I scoff, turning away, "Use them."
"Sir," Matread grunted as I returned to the holotable. The Bakurans, true to my orders, had retreated into between the Star Destroyers and Victory cruisers, the Lancers making short work of their pursuers. It were as if an exclusion zone permeated around the tiny frigates, their laser cannons making short work of whatever starfighter was foolish enough to get too close.
"Contester, break off from your attack and relieve Bakura - do not engage the enemy flagship."
"If we are engaged?"
"Avoid when at all possible, disable if necessary, but remember: there will be friendlies aboard."
"Aye, sir."
The Strikes peeled away, abandoning the cause as they burned at best possible speed toward Bakura and the smaller battle occuring there. The surviving Ssi-Ruuk frigates, suddenly no longer locked in battle, attempted to regroup with their cruisers and face down our Star Destroyers. It was a moot point, the Ssi-Ruuk formation was shattered. It occurred to me belatedly that the Ssi-Ruuk were not very good at war, or at least space combat between capital ships. Only now were their cruisers coming about and trying to put space between us - when their numbers had already been whittled down and their shields decimated. Rather that skirmish with or kite our larger, more cumbersome vessels around, they opted to hold the line. An over reliance on doctrine and formation and a lack of experience. Then again, their specialization appeared to be in disabling enemy vessels with ion cannons and then boarding them.
A few of the Ssi-Ruuk captains seemed to realize that staying together while retreating would only make them an easier target, and so cohesion finally collapsed. Ssi-Ruuk ships cut and ran where they could, abandoning their fellows under the concentrated barrage of Imperial turbolasers.
"Overlord, take your section and assist the Strikes," I ordered, my excitement becoming palpable, "All other ships, run these bastards down! I will be mightly disappointed if a single one lives to tell the tale!"
Captain Forster
"The reports on the status of our laser cannons, sir," I blinked, my attention drawn to one of my bridge crew - a younger man, with a rounded face. His eyes carried the same exhaustion I was sure mine did, whatever excitement he once carried beaten out of him since Endor. It was a sentiment shared across the Overlord, we had been at full combat readiness since the moment we left that dreaded system. Unlike the Conqueror, we also didn't carry four separate bridge crews to cycle through.
"Any damage?" I asked, accepting the other man's datapad and glancing through it.
"The heatsinks were pushed to the brink, but nothing was damaged by the heat - so far," He said, his words confirmed by the report in my hands. It was something of a miracle, and a testament the competence of the Kuat Drive Yards. We had put more plasma through just one of those guns over the last few weeks than we had fired all of them for my entire career commanding it.
"Let them cool," I ordered, handing the datapad back, "And keep an eye on them. I doubt the Viscount is going to need us anytime soon."
The Strikes arrived long before we had over the backwater world, engaging with and destroying the second-to-last alien cruiser before joining the Carracks in just watching the last. According to them, Tullius had ordered a strike team aboard the ship to capture it or something to that extent. Now, we were waiting for them to wrap up their work before regrouping with the fleet. All of us were on edge, and for good reason.
I glanced at the holotable nearby, and a group of green dots were hovering near the relay station that all of our communications in-system were bouncing off of. The rebels, bastards to the last, had not joined Tullius in his glorious charge and ran back to to Bakura. They didn't assist in destroying the last cruiser, nor in mopping up the surviving enemy fighters.
The rebels had arrived before my Lancers as well, making their actions all the more ominous. They were planing something, which explained why Tullius sent us back to Bakura to support the remaining Imperial assets. Even with our severely reduced numbers and a lack of Star Destroyers, I was confident we could at least keep the rebels at bay until Tullius could bring the full might of the Empire down on their heads.
Why he hadn't done so already was anyone's guess, but he was classically trained. He might be an expatriate, but he earned his rank plaque at Eriadu like every true son of the Outer Rim should. It was not his training I had doubt in, and clearly he was working on a plan I simply wasn't aware of.
"Overlord, be advised. Strike team has secured VIP, plus one. Rebs are sending a transport for pick up, do not engage."
I blinked, drawn from my musings.
"VIP? Who?"
I had heard the Bakurans talk about some traitor working for the aliens, but not much else about who they were or why they worked for the xenocidal lunatics.
"Unknown. Tullius wants them gone. Please confirm order."
"Order received, Viscount." I said with a sigh, before addressing the bridge, "Keep our weapons powered up, but do not target the incoming rebel vessel."
The hologram display flickered for a moment as I spoke, drawing my attention. A rebel ship had started to break off from their formation, around the size of a large fighter or freighter, before the hologram flickered again and then died. My eyebrow furrowed, but was kept from speaking when the voice on the other again.
"We just lost connection with the Conqueror's battlenet."
Alarm filled my mind at that, rising from my seat and messing with the holotable. After a moment, it flickered back to life, displaying information picked up my the Overlord's sensors rather than what was sent by the Conqueror.
"Same here. I'm not getting anything from the Intimidation or their escorts, either."
Something, I realzed, was wrong.
"Ground forces aren't responding."
Very, very wrong.
"Have the rebels hailed you?" I asked after a moment, slowly realizing what was happening. The relay station, which we bounced all of our system-spanning communications off of, was no longer accepting our connections. Colonel Maab and the Section's complement of ground forces on Bakura didn't have a communication array strong enough to reach us instantly, and the Conqueror likely hadn't realized it was cut off either.
"... Not since confirming the transfer."
"Group up," I said immediately, turning to the helmsman, "We need to get into formation. Use the alien cruiser as cover. Do we engage the envoy?"
The rebel ship was getting closer, passing into range of the Strike cruisers' turbolaser batteries.
"Negative. We stick to Tullius's orders. We don't engage until they do."
I ground my teeth, but agreed and began giving out my orders. The Lancers all turned and burned, straight toward the slowly listing alien cruiser. The Strikes joined us, clumed together in a semi-circle around the cruiser and keeping it between us and the rebels. If they were alarmed by our actions, they didn't say as much. The bulk freighter and its escorts maintained their distance, content on watching us well outside our effective ranges.
"Contact Governor Nereus," I order, only to receive more bad news.
"His office isn't responding, sir," The officer sounded grim, her expression changing to match as she faced me, "We can reach his office, but no one is responding."
It was at this junction that I debated two possible options: first, the alien vessel that had crashed on the planet launched an assault on the capital with its surviving crew members. The second, and more likely option in my mind, is that a certain group had launched simultaneous attacks on the relay station and on the capital, decapitating communications before the Conqueror could return.
The same group that happened to be hanging around the Holonet relay station. What really clinched it was when a communication did reach us from Bakura, sent by Maab.
"Riots in capital. Garrison overwhelmed. Requesting orders."
Followed by.
"Civilian casualties. Nereus arrested. Requesting reinforcements."
Rivejer Tullius
When the last Ssi-Ruuk vessel cracked like an overripe melon, I let out a sigh of relief. We had chased their vessels to the very edge of the system before we could destroy the survivors, and not one of them tried to surrender. We weren't eager to accept a surrender - that may well have led to a Bakuran mutiny - but it was still surprising. Then again, what with the rituatlistic sacrifice, it was likely that they just weren't eager to put their lives in ours hands.
I decided that I would probably never understand the Ssi-Ruuk, especially since I doubted I would ever need to deal with them again. With the adrenaline gone, weariness began to weight in on my mind. This battle had been costly. The Intrepid lost her primary bridge and commander. Some of the Carrack cruisers were lost, alongside Thanas, and a number of the Bakuran corvettes were destroyed.
Only two of the Conqueror's fighter squadrons survived the engagement: Knockback and Crimson. The latter was down to four members, though thankfully the TIE Bombers and Skipray Blastboats got out mostly unscathed. The Intimidation was reporting similar losses, and the Victorys didn't have much in terms of fighters to begin with. It was only then that I realized the rebels had not joined us in chasing down the Ssi-Ruuk.
They must have gone back to Bakura to assist there, I suddenly felt a bit foolish about my galavanting, Bakura could be under the threat of ground invasion for all I knew! My weariness dissipated as renewed vigor filled my veins, I turned to the holotable and… paused.
I was still receiving regular and instant reports from the nearby Imperial assets - mine and Bakuran. The audio chattered among them, their statuses and conditions - but not from Bakura itself. The rebel ships and mine over the world were all frozen, or periodically moving to showcase their new locations or whatever their last reports were. The Carracks hadn't sent their updates in over an hour.
"All ships, set course for Bakura," I ordered, the wrongness of this situation giving me pause, "We make for the moon's orbit."
The positions were now reversed - the Bakurans wanted to race into possible danger as quickly as possible while my ships were more cautious. I empathised with the Bakurans, their world might well be under threat. As the ships got into position, I pinged Screold and called her back to the command section.
After a few moments, the doors opened and flooded the room with light. I had to blink a few times to get the stars out of my eyes, giving Screold and Matread time to approach me. We spoke in hushed tones.
"The Holonet relay isn't forwarding us information," I said to them, "They never reported damage."
"The rebels didn't follow us after the Ssi-Ruuk fled," Matread agreed, nodding his head with a stern expression, "These events must be related."
"It is possible the rebels attempted an uprising while we were occupied," Screold added next, her tone far harder regarding the world than it was when we arrived. Clearly, her mercy extended only to loyal Imperials.
"There are still Bakurans among us, do we have the means to contact our forces aboard their ships?"
Some of the Bakuran corvettes needed a lot more crew members from my section than previous expected, leading to a few of their number becoming outnumbered by Arrowhead members. If Bakura was now locked in a rebellion, seizing control of Bakura's defense fleet may become a necessity. Not because they were of any threat to my ships, more because I still had my people aboard.
"That should be possible." Matread said after a moment of consideration.
"Tell them to be ready, if the Bakurans show any sign of joining the rebels, mutiny. We can get forces to assault the ships while they are tied down."
Of course, with most of our Stormtroopers now scattered across the remaining Ssi-Ruuk cruiser or on Bakura itself, we would probably just be throwing Navytroopers at the Bakurans. Still, enough Navytrooper marines in bodyarmor would eventually deal with a rebellious Bakuran crew.
The transit back to Bakura was long and tense. Some of my bridge crew were retired and replaced by moderately fresher faces, while gun crews cleaned their stations and made ready for a renewed battle. Ssi-Ruuk or rebel, we would meet them with the same aggression we had in the first battle.
What I did not expect upon my arrival was several dozen people screaming into my communication channel at the same time. The relay station was clearly no longer regulating traffic, letting anyone with a communicator let themselves be known. Taken aback, I muted the entire communication array. I was stunned, at first, as confusion morphed into morbid curiosity.
Now that we were close enough, the Conqueror was receiving data from my ships and those belonging to the rebels - they hadn't disconnected. I wasn't certain what was going on. My ships had created a defensive cordon on one side of the Ssi-Ruuk vessel while the rebels hung around the relay station. Both seemed content with their staring match, up until my arrival.
I opened a channel with the Viscount first, where I received a rather confused report.
"The relay station jammed our communications outside the section," The officer explained, "Aparently, there is an uprising on Bakura."
They claimed apparently because they had no way to confirm, the relay station was not letting them communicate with the ground forces and the ground forces could only send sporadic, short messages.
My next discussion was with a clone, who had been part of the assault team I had sent aboard the Ssi-Ruuk vessel. Entirely unaware of what was happening outside the alien ship, the Stormtrooper reported only what had happened there.
"The Ssi-Ruuk fought to the last. We found Skywalker and another unidentified individual. Both left on a rebel ship."
"Begin downloading everything you can off of the ship," I order, "I'll have a team sent over to ensure it is flight worthy."
A part of me just wanted to destroy the bleeding thing and be done with it, but a louder part wanted me to keep the ship as proof of… whatever happened here. When the Empire inevitably returned to Bakura, it would be good to have data on the Ssi-Ruuk so a counterinvasion would be that more successful.
"There's more, Captain," The clone stopped me from ending the call, "A second species has been identified in the lower sections of the ship. They appear non-hostile and have surrendered to our forces without incident."
"Keep them isolated for now," I ordered, "We'll deal with them later."
However, the next communication request did not come from Nereus or Maab - or Thanas, who I had secretly hoped survived this wole ordeal. The Flurry sent the request, and for my own curiosity, I answered.
I was greeted by Skywalker and Manchisco - and both appeared as bemused as I was.
"I shall admit, I didn't expect to hear from either of you again." I said after a long moment of silence stretched between us. Manchisco pressed her lips together into a line, but did not speak. It was Skywalker who, sounded sheepish, addressed me.
"Captain Tullius. First, let me thank you for your assistance. I… overestimated my abilities in infiltrating the Ssi-Ruuk capital ship alone."
"Thank the Stormtroopers," I deflected, "Besides, the wealth of knowledge aboard the ship could be useful for the Empire. However, my team report that you left the ship with someone else - an individual you did not enter with."
"Ah. That would be Dev Sibwarra, Captain."
"Sibwarra?" I asked, raking my mind for a moment before remembering why that name was familiar, "The collaborator?"
"Ah," Skywalker winced before nodding his head, "Yes. It's somewhat complicated, but suffice it to say that Dev was as much a victim of the Ssi-Ruuk as the Bakurans were."
"I have neither the means nor the inclination to arrest him, Commander," I said, sensing why he was hesitant to speak on the manner, "As far as I'm concerned, he is your problem."
"Thank you, Captain," Skywalker bowed his head low, his tone thankful.
"Now, unfortunately, I must turn us towards a more difficult topic. I have heard talk of a rebellion, Commander."
Rather than rising to some righteous anger or denying the accusation, Skywalker and Manchisco shared a glance. Whatever meaning that glance shared went unspoken before the duo turned again to face me.
"... We don't know."
I blinked, taken aback.
"You… Don't know?" I couldn't tell if my tone was more confused or disbelieving, but I stared at the pair with a raised eyebrow.
"Princess Leia requested we return to Bakura after the Ssi-Ruuk fleet routed," Manchisco stepped in, and she almost sounded apologetic about abandoning the battle, "We believed, initially, that we were needed to provide support against the surviving Ssi-Ruuk ships. When we reached the relay station, we were ordered into standby. Then, communications fell and we haven't heard anything since."
"Communications fell?" I asked slowly, looking at the hologram display in front of me to confirm again that they were stationed directly next to the Holonet relay satellite.
"... You may want to try to talk to them yourself, Captain."
The cryptic tone that Skywalker used prompted me to do just that.
"Relay station, this is the Conqueror. Please respo-"
It was as far as I got before a voice cut me off - young, belonging to the technician Thanas and I had followed to our first meeting with the rebels.
"Death to the Empire! Bakura shall be free of your imperialistic grasp!"
This was followed by further diatribes and spat insults. I looked at the last report from the station - it had neither shields nor weapons. I closed the channel and reopened communications with the Flurry.
"... I see," My toned was deadpan.
"They had a similar diatribe for us as well," Skywalker almost sounded amused at this turn of events, "Apparently, it's our fault you were here in the first place."
"Are they wrong?" I ask, allowing a smile to rise on my face despite the situation.
"We can sit here all day trying to decide what is whose fault, Captain, or we can figure out if we're back at war with eachother."
I nod my agreement, turning to my communications officer. Just before I changed to the Governor's personal channel, I turned back. With a heavy heart, I asked my next question.
"... What happened to Commnader Thanas?"
To their credit, both rebels appeared morose at the mention of the Commander, telling me of his fate.
"One of the Ssi-Ruuk factory ships attempted to land forces on Bakura before we or your reinforcements arrived. Commander Thanas ordered the crew to abandon his ship and rammed the Ssi-Ruuk vessel. A lot of escape pods made it off, but it's looking likely that he went down with the ship."
"I see," I murmured, straightening my posture somewhat. I hadn't known him for long, but Thanas had seemed like a good sort, "He will be honored for the Empire for his sacrifice."
"By the Alliance as well," Manchisco said, Skywalker nodded with agreement, "He died a hero."
With that, I again addressed the communications officer, finding nothing else to discuss with the rebels.
"Establish a direct connection with the Governor's office. Threaten them if you have to."
I stepped through the bridge blast doors, addressing Screold as she turned to face me.
"Get us into Bakura's upper orbit and flare our turbolasers - I want the Bakurans to know we mean business."
"Yes, Captain," Screold said with a stern nod, looking almost disappointed we weren't just bombarding them. I briefly wondered if she had swapped bodies with Harand while I wasn't looking.
Not so much of a moral compass now, I decided, making a mental note to search the bridge crew for someone that could be the voice of empathy in my circle of advisors. It was a nice change of pace, to have someone who didn't always urge me to answer every problem with turbolasters.
Once I returned to the command section, I had a communication with Nereus's office established. At the officer's nod, I began.
"Governor Nereus, this is Captain Tullius, please repond," After a minute of no response, I continued, "We have received reports of an active rebellion, please respond."
Again, nothing. I had already learned from the Viscount that Nereus had apparently been captured, but surely someone was still residing in his office?
"Governor's Office, this is-"
"I'm afraid Wilek is a little indisposed, Captain," A voice finally responded, belonging to what sounded like an older woman. It took me a moment to collect myself before I, tentatively, responded.
"Who am I speaking to?" I demanded, trying to keep my tone level and forceful. This entire situation was throwing me for a loop.
"My name is Eppie Belden, you might call me something of a revolutionary."
"You seem awfully willing to admit that to an Imperial officer," I said slowly, "Who is commanding a Star Destroyer."
"If you were willing to bombard Bakura, you would have already done it." The flippancy in this Eppie Belden's voice set my teeth on edge.
I may well still do it, I thought bitterly.
"I see," I kept my tone level, "And why am I speaking to a self-proclaimed revolutionary in the Governor's office rather than the Governor himself?"
"I'm told you seemed like a smart man, Captain," Was she taunting me?!
"Did you really think I was going to let a rebellion slide right under my nose?" I ask, gritting my teeth as my blood began to boil. This level of disrespet I would not allow - Nereus and Randd outranked me, and I had not taken guff from them - at least for long. I was not going to let some… rebel downplay and make a mockery of me!
"The way I see it, your fancy star cruisers aren't worth much right now. Your security detail is here on Bakura, in the capital. You could bombard us, but something tells me your subordinate would not appreciate you killing their brothers and sisters in arms. You overplayed your hand in the Senate, Captain - the Bakuran people hate you a lot more than they fear you now."
"What are your terms, then," I ground out, and again her amusement irked me.
"Terms? There are no terms. You and your fleet will leave here. We'll turn your men here on Bakura over to the Rebel Alliance, I'm sure they'll be treated fine."
That. That was the final straw. My men had fought and died for this miserable, backwater world. If my resolve was not strengthened before, it certainly was now. This insolence would not be suffered lightly. I closed the communication and turned, to address my crew. I paused, as the stares that were sent my way were not ones of accusation or worry, but those of determination.
I never knew what I had done to earn the trust of my crew, but in this moment I planned to reinforce it.
Rivejer Tullius did not abandon his people.
"I want a strike team aboard that relay station, seize it by any means."
The rebels, realizing our objective, fled from the relay station. I did not know if their representatives, the Princess and her lackeys, were involved in this rebellion, and at the moment I did not care. From my perspective, the war was back on - they were booted from my section's battlenet. Their icons on the holotable flipped back to red - though for now they maintained their distance. It was overkill, as my entire section - including the Bakuran vessels - encircled the relay station. Navytroopers flooded it, and within the hour, the Empire had control of all communications in the Bakura system.
Princess Leia Organa
The aftermath of the Bakuran revolution was expected, yet despite it I could not help but emphathize with their hopelessness. The moment Tullius had control of the relay station, the planet's communications ground to a halt - short-range communicators or messengers had to send reports to the Bakuran Senate and revolutionary movement. Their "forces", mostly rioters and the Bakuran security forces, were focused on shadowing the Imperial garrisons at the granary and their headquarters.
The revolution had been one blunder after another, something I had foreseen though not to the intensity with which it fell apart. While the Imperial garrison under Nereus was general softhanded, being trained mostly for colonial actions, the forces from Tullius were not so restrained. They were marines and naval soldiers, if they were ever put in a combat situation before it was likely in boarding actions. They hadn't been trained on how to handle protestors or rioters - so when a group of Bakurans stormed the granary, they responded the only way they knew how. Dozens dead, many more injured, and it was only then the reality of revolution settled in the Bakuran mind. Nereus, for all his purges and blustering, had been coddling the Bakurans compared to how the Empire usually acted.
When one Colonel Raab, who had been in charge of Tullius's forces, linked up with the colonial garrison and seized their tanks and heavy walkers, the situation became even more dangerous. Skirmishes erupted along the norther districts as Raab began to occupy the capital. While they lacked the numbers, Raab's forces were the more disciplined and well-armed force.
It was a strange situation I found myself in, relegated to the observer like Nereus himself as the Bakurans grappled with the realization that they had angered the wrong sort of Imperial. Tullius had made claims about "saving his people" and "protecting Imperials", but I recognized that it was an abused ego at play rather than any dedication to his subordinates. A bruised ego that had a Star Destroyer and small army of soldiers made the situation a lot more dangerous to navigate.
I had envisioned a quiet rebellion, one to overthrow Nereus once Tullius had already left. Then again, what did I know? I only represented the Alliance to Restore the Republic, which had been fighting the Empire near onto twenty years now.
Annoyance aside, when Tullius reopened communication and the Bakuran Senate refused to let Eppie Belden talk to him again, I stepped forward to negotiate.
"Captain Tullius," I greeted him, keeping my voice respectful, "Allow me to extend my thanks for saving Commander Skywalker."
Tullius's face was still stony, as it had been at the Bakuran Senate, but now there was a lingering anger hidden just beneath the surface. How his eyes narrowed, or his lips curled down into a frown, the slightest twitches in his face as he fought down a sneer. When his spoke, his tone was as frosty as Hoth.
"You have a strange way of showing your thanks, Princess. My men laid down their lives for this world, only for me to be informed that some of them are to be detained."
"A rash decision made out of revolutionary fervor, Captain," I explained, "Of course, your subordinates will be free to go."
Some grumbling came from the present representatives, but they mostly remained silent.
"That is a good first step, but unfortunately I am not feeling especially merciful. First and foremost, any Imperial citizens still on Bakura will be allowed to leave. I will not consign them to whatever fate you have planned for loyalists, Princess. Additionally, I shall be seizing the goods in the granary my men occupied - less than was promised by Nereus, but I have no interest in staying here any longer. My section will also be seizing the Bakuran defense fleet. As a sign of good faith, the Bakuran crews will be allowed to remain," Each demand earned the Captain more anger from the Bakuran Senators and revolutionaries, but it was his last that sent them into a rage, "Governor Nereus shall also be surrendered to me."
"Unacceptable!"
"An outrage!"
"Out of the question," Eppie sounded furious at the notion, her arms crossed from where she sat next to Gaeriel. It was a sentiment shared by the entirety of the Bakurans present, all of them wanted to see Nereus tried for his actions as Governor. Despite this all, Nereus had a sure smile on his face, because he had realized the same thing I had - this was not a negotiation. Tullius was informing us what would happen next, and his guarantee came from the Star Destroyers and Colonel Raab. I took in a deep breath and sighed, planning out exactly what I would need to say to keep the Bakurans from throwing themselves on Imperial blasters.
Captain Rivejer Tullius
For all the Bakuran bluster, the aftermath was tame. They blustered, they threatened, then they tried to negotiate, but the Princess and I attempted to keep things cordial. The Alliance were far more aware of the situation than the Bakurans, and seemed to realize my demands were perfectly reasonable.
That, or the Star Destroyers convinced them. I didn't much care what gave me results, so long as I had them. The Bakurans in the defence fleet were much more pleasant to deal with, such were the bonds formed in brutal combat. They surrendered their ships without a fight, many being conscripts eager to go home to their families. The newly added ships were a nice bonus, and were a balm to my lingering annoyance.
"Governor Nereus has been brought aboard, sir," Screold told me as I looked over a report on my datapad.
"Lock him in one of the officer's quarters," I ordered, "I'll deal with him later."
I could hardly blame Nereus for the Ssi-Ruuk invasion or the situation that followed, but I disliked dealing with him since the moment I arrived in the Bakura system. I disliked everything and everyone involved with this situation, and wanted to be as far away from it as possible.
"Helm, the moment all ships are resupplied and ready to move, plot us a course out of this damned system."
Next stop, Galantos.
After a moment, I let out a sigh. It is one ladden with exhaustion rather than anger.
Hopefully it doesn't take more than a month.
Capital Ships:
Conqueror – Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer – Captain Rivejer Tullius, Lieutenant Ashsca Screold, Commander Rius Harand, Chief Wyatdrew Matread, Commander Ciena Ree, & Colonel Raab
Intimidation – Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer – Lieutenant Milgern
Cruisers:
Intrepid – Victory I-Class Star Destroyer – Lieutenant ? (Dead)
Steadfast – Victory I-Class Star Destroyer - Lieutenant Zanus
Viscount – Strike-Class Medium Cruiser - ?
Contester – Strike-Class Medium Cruiser - ?
? – Strike-Class Medium Cruiser - ?
? – Strike-Class Medium Cruiser - ?
Frigates:
Spite – Carrack-Class Light Cruiser - ?
? – Carrack-Class Light Cruiser - ?
? – Carrack-Class Light Cruiser - ?
? – Carrack-Class Light Cruiser - ?
? [Destroyed] – Carrack-Class Light Cruiser - ?
Dominant [Destroyed] – Carrack-Class Light Cruiser - Commander Pter Thanas (Dead)
Corvettes:
Overlord – Lancer-Class Frigate - Captain Forster
? – Lancer-Class Frigate - ?
? – Lancer-Class Frigate - ?
? – Lancer-Class Frigate - ?
? - DP20 Frigate - ?
? - Marauder-Class Corvette - ?
Bakura II - IR-3F-Class Light Frigate - ?
Bakura V - IR-3F-Class Light Frigate - ?
