Chapter Twelve:

Annihilation on Mon-Calamari


Vader sat upon his throne in the Imperial Palace, with red robed guards and Stormtroopers surrounding him every hour, guarding their Shadow Emperor with their life.

The Sith Lord was aware that Imperial forces were conducting Operation: Cinder, a secret contingency that Palpatine had set up prior to his death, as he'd learned on the holo-pad an hour prior. As far as Vader was concerned, only his dark iron will mattered.

Beyond the palace, the public and the rest of Imperial command remained oblivious to the identity of whomever had assumed the throne. As far as most of the Empire's citizens were concerned, Mas Amedda had taken over for Palpatine.

From the shadows, Vader retained command of the Imperial Starfleet, and he'd already ordered the mass bombardment of Mandalore not long ago. He received the occasional update, and would transmit an order to any Imperial forces fighting against insurgents across the galaxy.

When necessary, he would anonymously dispose of any and all loyalists of the old Emperor.

The Sith Lord tapped into the Force, often entering prolonged moments of meditation. And, in those moments, he would sense something from across the stars. He knew his son, Luke, was out there, and he'd sensed the movements of someone else.

A name surfaced in his mind, a name he hadn't thought of in a long time. She still lived, the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker still lingered, and Luke had found her.

For a moment, a vision took form in Vader's mind. He saw it, Luke and Ahsoka confronting him together, and that moment would be coming soon. Vader was more than ready, he would reach out to him, just like on Bespin, and they would rule as father and son. There was only one outcome, and order would be brought to the Galaxy.

He exited his meditation, once again recalling the civilizations across the stars that had defied the will of the Empire. It was time to punish another world for its insolence, for its support of the Rebellion's treason.

Vader stood, and attended to the coms channel. The dark-armored Sith began transmitting orders to the 91st Armada, stationed in the Inner Rim, with one directive;

Decimate Mon-Calamari.


Mon-Calamari, home-world of the Calamari and the Quarren.

Covered in vast oceans with traces of civilization, the planet was exotic. For years, the Calamari had been under Imperial control, until its people joined the Rebel movement. Even with the Empire's occupation, the Calamari and the Quarren knew a semblance of peace. But that peace never lasted.

A fishing craft carrying a pair of Quarren floated over the sea, with the net sinking into the water. The fishermen kept their eyes open, ready to bring in their catch. Moments later, the sunlight began to dim, and they heard rumbling overhead.

The crew looked up, seeing the unmistakable outline of Imperial class destroyers overhead, partially blocking out the sun. The Quarren raised the net, and made their way back to land.

In the city of Cala-Kanai, several Calamari citizens looked up to see the large mass of Imperial ships looming over the planet. A holo-radio reported that Imperial platoons had pulled back from patrol duty in a major town. One Calamari looked at a Quarren with grave uncertainty, and faced the dark metal storm above.

Soon, dread was succeeded by terror.

Massive green bolts screamed from the sky above, and pierced the structures of every Mon-Calamari city, with citizens being vaporized in moments. Islands were decimated, and chaos ensued as Star Destroyer fire rained down on the aquatic planet, causing the oceans to boil as laser fire mixed with the water.

TIE Fighters, Bombers and gunships swooped in, firmly piloted by the most elite of the TIE corps, and bombs began falling on whatever was left of the decimated cities, reducing everything to ash that was collected by the ocean. Gunships opened up, and heavily-armored Death Troopers gunned down any citizen they found.

"May the Force save us!" A Mon-Calamari wailed as he saw the death.

A pair of Calamari activated a radio, and began sending out a transmission across the Galaxy, intent on making contact with the Rebel Alliance; "If anyone is listening, the Empire is decimating our world, and we don't know how long..."

Laser fire cut the broadcast short, and those attempting to send out the distress signal were annihilated in moments, along with the radio. And the attack continued, with the might of the Empire bearing down, decimating the Mon-Calamari, and leaving the survivors scarred and filled with fear...