Echtabahn
ISD V Tyrant
In Orbit

Main Briefing Room

"And so, in recognition of his considerable success in the service of the Empire as well as his position as commander of the Imperial Schutzstaffel, the Imperial High Command hereby promotes Wesley Vos to the rank of Major General, effective immediately. Signed, Supreme Commander Simon Kaine, His Imperial Majesty Daemon Hyfe."

Major Lucen Sephios, Executive Officer of the SS Kommandos, lowered the flimsy printout of the letter from Coruscant. Despite the fact that the announcement was anticlimatic - Grand Admiral Desaria had promoted him in fact two weeks before during the Imperial conquest of New Holstice - applause filled the chamber as Wes, in the jet-black dress uniform of the SS, stood and allowed Sephios to pin the rank insignia on his jacket. Turning back to the assembled crowd, Wes motioned for quiet. "Thank you...thank you all. I also have an announcement. It is my priviledge to present General Liam Zhu of Echtabahn with official Imperial recognition of his service, as well as a position as a Colonel General in the Imperial Army."

Applause once more as the uniform of an Imperial Field Marshall was awarded to Zhu. He nodded, basking in the applause for a moment, before quieting the crowd himself. "As some of you may know, it is tradition among my people to, when an event of vast importance occurs in their life, to add to one's name in order to remember that event. While I did not consider my loss of Valinor to be such a momentous event, except perhaps in my shame, the cementing of relations between Echtabahn and the Empire is such an event. Therefore henceforth I shall be known as Colonel General Liam Georgi Zhukov, ruler of Echtabahn, Batahn, and Echbarahn."

Wes once again took center stage. "My first official act as Major General of the SS is one that I must perform, though with great regret. I am relinquishing direct command of the SS Kommandos in order to more ably command the entirety of the SS. Major Sephios will become a staff officer and will join me in my new command, after which the office of Executive Officer of the SS Kommandos will be abolished, the position to be filled by a staff officer of the new commander's choosing. With the approval of TNO High Command, therefore, I am hereby promoting Racen Selere to the rank of Colonel and formally turning command of the SS Kommandos over to him." More applause. Wes waited for it to die down, then he continued.

"Those of you who were notified before-hand, meet me in the Kommando briefing room in twenty minutes. Dismissed."

Kommando Briefing Room
Twenty minutes later

Once again Wes stood at the front of the room behind yet another podium. In front of him had gathered a much smaller group, the principle actors in what would soon be a difficult battle. Included among them were General Zhukov, Colonel Selere, Captain Elios Typton of the Tyrant, Captain Heinrich Tribek of the Visectus, General Heinz Hellmich of the Waffen-SS, General Josef Dietrich of the Waffen-SS Fusstruppen, and General Sennacherib of the Waffen-SS Panzer Division. All had a role to play in the upcoming campaign, and it was finally time to inform them what that role would be.

Wes cleared his throat, and attention was focused on him. "We have some serious business to attend to now. As you know, the Confederation has been consistently expanding its borders in this direction. It's most recent attempts to subvert the government of New Holstice has proven that its expansionist policy will not be curbed. So I have proposed a plan to High Command that we will now put into action." Wes pushed a button, and the center of the room suddenly had a holographic image of the galaxy suspended two feet above the floor. He pushed another button, and the image focused on an area nine grid-spaces square. The area included the entirety of the Confederation proper, the Meridian Sector, the upper reaches of the Black Dragon Empire, Ossus, Handooine, and the entirety of SS space. Wes continued. "We currently control, at least in name, the most direct supply routes between the Confederation proper and its territories in the Meridian Sector. However, as you know, supplies continue to move past in areas we simply do not have the forces to patrol. Until recently, this seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle due to the vastness of space.

"However, my plan, when executed, will provide us with the ability to interdict Confederation shipping at several points along the main supply routes. The beginning phases of this plan call for a rapid conquest of these two planets." The holo image focused once more, this time on two relatively close planets. "Li'eston and Yuri. Two planets rich in precious metals and valuable minerals. Mining stations, jointly controlled by the two governments, operate in a nearby gas giant, Vilnius V. In short, the planets are extremely wealthy, and have therefore been able to amass sizeable fleets. Either fleet would be a challenge for an Imperial task force; however, it is the Mutual Defense Pact that exists between the two planets that has kept the Empire from bothering to seize the planets.

"Now, however, they have become important for strategical reasons as well, and so it is time that they come under Imperial control."

Captain Typton, de facto commander of the SS fleet, said, "And I assume it falls to us to make that happen. What kind of defenses are we looking at?"

"Well, at least six major capital ships orbit Li'eston - four Mk. II Imperial Star Destroyers and two MC-90 Star Cruisers, as well as a number of smaller ships. The fleet at Yuri is similar in size."

A whistle escaped Typton's lips. "That's a heck of a lot of firepower," he said. "Those two fleets combine, we're gonna be crushed. We'll have trouble taking on one of them, even with the long-range guns of the Tyrant and the Visectus."

Wes nodded. "I agree. But we won't have to take on both. Simultaneous with our strike on Li'eston, Grand Admiral Telan Desaria and the Imperial Guard will be striking from New Holstice. They will hit Yuri roughly the same time we hit Li'eston, forcing the Yuri fleet to defend its home planet. It'll be a tough fight, but I think we can do it."

Some doubtful looks were cast around the room, but Wes knew that when the time came each of these officers would give their best. Wes continued. "Now, here's the kicker. We want to preserve the defense fleets as much as possible. We need to force the Li'eston Fleet to capitulate while leaving it as intact as we possibly can. I have a plan for doing that, but it will be very risky. Here's what we're going to do..."


Echtabahn
ISD V Tyrant
In Orbit

Bridge

Wes stared out the viewport. At this point in their orbit, the moon Echbarahn stood slightly up and to the left. Wes allowed himself a moment to glance at the moon and the recently-begun shipyards that would branch from the inhospitible landscape. General Zhukov stood nearby, and Wes queried, "How is the work progressing?"

Zhukov smiled. "Very well, General. My people are ahead of schedule. We should be able to take gunships and corvettes in drydock within the next two weeks. Two months and we'll be able to handle frigates and light cruisers. Building on the first ships of the Echtabahn fleet will begin in less than a month."

Wes nodded. Currently, Echtabahn was only protected by a few Mk. III ISDs and their accompaniment. As the Echbarahn shipyards began to turn out ships, the current fleet would be reassigned to less critical posts; after all, the ships were getting old.

There was no more time to think on those issues now, though. In just a few short minutes the SS fleet would be jumping to hyperspace, headed for Li'eston. The plan Wes had devised was risky, time critical, and completely unorthodox. But that was becoming more and more the SS way of doing business. While there were a number of things that could throw a kink in the plans, the one Wes worried about the most was that Desaria would be delayed in his attack, and, for a moment, Wes wondered how the Grand Admiral was doing...

Ignore. Misunderstanding.

The corridor was all but empty, filled only with the squeak of MSE-6 droid wheels and the hum of the mighty reactor itself only a few hundred meters away. Every few moments a crewman or two would exit some adjacent access way, walk a few bulkheads down, and disappear into the bowels of the warship. Indeed, this particular corridor, separated from space by meter-thick transparisteel only, was not a regular route of the ship's company; instead, it was more aesthetic. Here, soldiers sailors and officers could come and gaze at the cosmos all but alone with their thoughts.


It was as quiet as normal when Grand Admiral Desaria turned a corner, a muscular officer in a black uniform at his side. Three Guards Army Lieutenants spotted the pair, their eyes widening at their commander's approach, quickly tossed up iron salutes and took off at an undignified pace.


" So, Colonel, I have studied your plan; it has merit. It's good to see that Field Marshal Alderock's political strategum classes have not declined in quality since I went through the Academy. There is only one flaw in it that I can see."


Wesley Vos clenched his jaw, tightening the features on his weathered face. He was prepared for a brow beating, but he did not expect it to come from Desaria. The two shared a great many similarities: both were in elite units, both took pride in their uniforms, both held only the best interests of the Empire in the highest priority. Their differences started over methodologies. " What flaw is that? Sir."


" You propose to contain the spread of the Confederation through a series of planetary conquests. Taken individually, you have the requisite experience to command each action in turn. However, your conquests are not all to happen in sequence. You are proposing what amounts to a campaign and the General Staff will not place a Colonel in charge of the forces needed. If they accept your plan as feasible."


The Grand Admiral did not need to turn his head and face the SS officer, for he could see the mounting displeasure out of the corner of his left eye. Only a half-decade earlier, there was a young man from the Officers Replacement Pool in the same situation - a Kuati aristocrat bent on returning to action despite his injuries. Desaria saw a residue of his past in the SS man, more than he would ever acknowledge.


" That is why I am promoting you. It is quite against procedure for an officer to be elevated through skipping ranks, but I doubt the Bureau of Personnel will argue with a Grand Admiral's decision. Thenceforth, you shall be Major-General der SS Wesley Vos. That will lend a bit more weight to your proposal, but the root of the problem remains. You must recommend a commander, some one with staff experience. I can suggest a few, if you like."


Vos did not reply, either speechless at his promotion or not wanting to reveal any outward pleasure in the presence of wandering eyes. " Would you do it, sir?"


Baron Desaria paused and braced himself on the steel railing running along the viewports. He looked down at New Holstice. Truth be told, he was in no hurry to return to his governorship of Onyx. " Yes, but I cannot remain inactive command for long. I will coordinate to the best of my abilities then I must return to the Onyx Sector. Rest assured, however - this operation is your idea. You will direct it until you suceed or begin to waste lives."


The muscular man moved next to the Grand Admiral. His response was a simple question, ignoring totally the admonishment. " So my plan will be approved?"


Desaria barked a short laugh. " Oh I think I can push it through the proper channels. Don't expect much in the way of allocation: what you see here and perhaps a squadron extra may be it. Such is the way of things. Dismissed, General."


Vos saluted sharply, the ring of his jackbooted heels clicking together almost thundering down the corridor without much ambient noise to drown it out. Desaria returned it and departed. When no crewer was present and he had boarded a turbolift headed above, he smiled. Too much like me...





Yuri - seventy hours later...

It was not an impressive world from the standards of any native of the Core: shipping was present but did not bustle to and fro like Corellia or Coruscant; the defenses were paltry compared to fortresses like Yaga Minor and Fondor; the world itself only registered seven cities larger than a million souls. True enough, by Core standards, Yuri was barely a blip on the map.


Farther out, however, the story was different. In the Core, a Carrack Cruiser only months from its retirement date wasn't important enough for most commanders to give its destruction a second glance. This far out such a ship could change the course of a battle. In the Core, Yuri might have been a moon. Along the border of the Confederation, it was much larger indeed.


" It's almost depressing," commented Captain Vorran. He looked out at the greyish brown landscape with his own eyes, remembering more fondly than ever his home on Tiidira, a world where one could not go to a colleague's house a kilometer away without crossing three bridges.


" Hardly," commented Grand Admiral Desaria, sharing in the view. " I'm sure the surface is quite cosy. An interesting combination of barren rock laden valleys and verdant fields teeming with life."


" That life doesn't have much elsewhere to teem though, sir. That's not really fair."


" So are things on developed colonial worlds. Never forget, our homes were once colonies as well. Now then, have we completed reversion?"


" Yes sir. All ships at station keeping."


" Excellent. Let's greet the natives then and show them why we're here."

Li'eston
ISD II Dresden
Bridge


"Admiral, our reports show that the SS has massed its entire fleet at Echtabahn. Sir, the closest target of value is Li'eston. I believe they will strike here."

Captain Gerhardt of the Dresden finished his report and stared at his commander. Admiral Kadar was a large man, though he was growing old; he had been a captain in the service of Emperor Palpatine. Kadar had retired after years of service and returned to Li'eston, his home planet, just before the fall of the New Republic. When the New Order began to expand again after the Wrath Virus, the leaders of Yuri and Li'eston approached him and asked him to take the position as commander of the Combined Fleet. At first, Kadar had refused, stating that he was too old to return to active command. But as the Empire drew ever closer, he finally assented to their request.

Since that time, he had brought the fleet to alert three times - once when the Empire moved on Centares, again in the attack on Concord Dawn, then finally in the recent intervention at New Holstice. Each time a commander had told him that the most likely target was Li'eston, and each time he had believed them.

Now the Admiral considered this most recent report of Imperial movements. Captain Gerhardt was a young officer, a bit eager and prone to make mistakes. And besides, this was not the first time the Imperials had massed and not attacked. "Thank you for the information, Captain. You're dismissed."

Gerhardt stared in shock. "But Sir, aren't you going to put the fleet on alert?"

The Admiral chuckled. "And get everyone worked up when the Imperials probably won't attack anyway? I think not, Captain. I can't afford to inconvenience everyone again. Besides, the Imperials will never attack Li'eston, not now. Most of the Combined Fleet is here. We're too strong for the SS to take out, and we would have received word of other Imperial ships in the area. I don't think we have anything to worry about."

Gerhardt shook his head. This couldn't be happening! He stood and saluted, then turned to walk out. Then all hell broke loose.


Li'eston
ISD V Tyrant


The SS fleet dropped out of hyperspace and quickly oriented itself. General Wesley Vos watched as the ships began to move forward, an unstoppable tidal wave of technology and metal. The two ISD Vs moved to the front, and the STLs began to open up on the enemy fleet, catching them completely unprepared.

Wes flipped on the intercomm. "Launch all fighters. Standard attack procedure."

The TIE Schutzstaffels exited the hangar and oriented themselves both to be out of the way of the STL fire but also to intercept any fighter defense. TIE Hurrikanes and Storms swarmed behind them, waiting for the order to attack. Interceptors, Defenders, and TIE IIs guarded the flanks, ready to wipe out any enemy craft that got past.

Wes continued his orders. "All STLs, target the lead Star Destroyer. Shields up, forward. Maintain formation. Task Force Alpha, you are cleared to depart."


ISD II Dresden
Bridge


Admiral Kadar sat in a state of shock. The entirety of the SS fleet had just appeared outside his forward viewport. Already the Dresden's shields were being rocked by STL blasts. Captain Gerhardt looked to him for orders, but he couldn't give them. "But they weren't supposed to attack here," he said. "They just weren't."

Disgusted, Gerhardt grabbed the intercomm. "All ships, standard defensive formation. Launch fighters. Let's at least give them a fight, gentlemen."

He turned to a nearby ensign. "Send a message to the rest of the fleet at Yuri. Tell them we are under attack and need support."

The ensign replied, "Sir, we just received a report from Yuri. Apparently they're under attack as well."

Gerhardt looked at the man in shock. Kriff! he thought to himself. Very well planned. But we can take this fleet. What was that old maxim taught at the Academy? Oh yes. "Danger: If you meet it promptly, and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!" Very well then. "All forces, Wedge formation," he said. "We'll drive through them."

The fighters - standard X-wings, A-wings, E-wings, even a few TIE models - streamed towards the SS fighters. The capital ships streamed forward behind them, using the shields of the Dresden and her sister ship, the Hamburg, as cover. Soon they would be in range.


Task Force Alpha
Phantasm-class Carrier Shadow Killer


Four squadrons of SS Kommandos were packed into the ship along with 7950 Waffen-SS soldiers. The ship itself was the pinnacle of Imperial stealth technology, being able to become completely invisible or project a holographic image of any known ship around itself to, in essence, take the shape of that ship. Currently it had the form of a Carrack-class cruiser known to be at Yuri.

Less than a light year away from Li'eston, Colonel Selere received his orders. "Let's do this." The ship lept to hyperspace. Seconds were counted down, and at the precise moment, the ship dropped into realspace on the opposite side of the planet from the battle. Within seconds the cloaking field was activated and the periscopes raised. The ship moved slowly around the planet, heading for its target.


ISD V Tyrant
Bridge


Wes watched as the fighters made contact between the main fleets. Fighter battles had always fascinated him; there was something about being in one's own ship, with just you and your opponent, dueling to the death. It was more honorable than all this slagging away at your opponent that defined capital ship battles. But duty required him to be here, on the bridge of his flagship, instead of in his own Schutzstaffel fighter.

Wes raised his eyebrows in surprise as the enemy fleet began to move forward. "Gutsy commander," he commented. "They're attacking. Exactly what I would have done. I hope Selere spares his life. I'd like him on our side."

The fleets closed on one another, weapons bristling. Wes contemplated the developing situation. "Maintain positions, let them close. We need to give Task Force Alpha time to work."


ISD II Dresden
Bridge


At that moment Admiral Kadar awoke from his stupor. And he was not happy.

Rushing forward, he started speaking into the intercomm. "All ships, full reverse. Back to the planet; we'll make our stand there!"

Gerhardt stared at him as the ships began to slow and slide back towards the planet. "Are you insane?" he asked. "We have to attack!"

The Admiral glared at him. "We cannot risk injury to the ships. We have to go on the defensive. Do not forget your place, Captain!"

Gerhardt had had enough. His fist shot out, knocking the former Imperial to the ground, unconscious. Speaking into the intercomm once more, he said, "Admiral Kadar is no longer in command of the fleet. All ships, form up on me, full throttle towards the Imperial fleet. We attack!"

Little did Gerhardt know that the small delay had taken away what small chance they had, for even as the ships began to move forward once more, the Shadow Killer, unseen, rounded the planet and drove directly for the Dresden.

Slowly, gracefully, powerfully, the Conqueror-class Star Destroyer Intimidator pushed on through space. Dark, vast space, illuminated only by the glimmer of interior glowpanels and running lights, went on in every direction. The darkness pervaded everything, kept out only by high powered generators and the army of lights they powered. Then, it was kept out only barely.


" The message has been relayed on all frequencies and channels, Admiral. We have received no response. The planetary defense force, however, is forming up above the planet's northern pole."


Grand Admiral Desaria kept his gaze out the side of the bridge, gazing through the triangular viewports at....nothing. Nothingness, to be more exact. And yet, lost in thought, he murmured a reply. " Then, Captain Vorran, we have had our answer. Execute my orders."


" Aye sir."


The Captain bellowed out targetting commands to officers in the crewpit who in turn relayed them through circuitry and switches to battery commanders hundreds if not thousands of meters away. The Intimidator and its companion Destroyers, two Reigns and two ISD Vs, moved past their escorting frigates and cruisers and approached the planet of Yuri. The battleships, large and small, were an impressive sight to all who dared look as they came oddly close to the world's single moon, a lifeless planetoid of cold and barren rock with no apparent purpose but to orbit.


" Helm, signal all stop. Starboard batteries: fire at will when we've ceased all forward momentum."


Inertia tugged as the tendrisl of Yuri's gravity tried to ensare the mighty warship. While the forward engines flared red, then their colour faded. Maneuvering thrusters at the bow flashed to life and waged war with the pull of the planet. The thrusters won on each of the five battleships and they hung, motionless, above the lifeless planetoid.


Aboard the Intimidator, no further orders from the bridge were neccessary. The battery commanders fed in final codes to their computers and oriented their guns at grid points below. The slamming down of overly large red buttons lit off signals in the turrets and sponsons granting final permission to the guncaptains themselves. On the order of shouted words or the simple release of a high-held arm, a thousand guns thundered into the void. Neon energy pulsed from the titans onto the moon's surface and set it ablaze. Rockfaces studied and marvelled at for generations were smashed into unglamorous piles of dust and debris. When one crater or trench was smashed, the battery commanders turned their attention - and their guns - on another.


" Grid Sections 9-1 through 10-8 in Hemisphere 4 have been slagged. Base Delta Zero is nine percent complete."


" Any reponse to the Emperor's Annexation Order?" Captain Vorran looked over towards Desaria and nodded negative, the shake of his from left to right silhouetted as another salvo slammed into the surface below. " Very well. Open a general broadcast channel."


" Done, sir."


The white-uniformed aristocrat moved over to his command chair on the catwalk and sat down as regally as his proper upbringing would allow. " To the Government of Yuri. You are watching with interest as the entire surface of your moon is vaporized. This moon is lifeless. When my gunners have blasted every stone apart from its neighbor on it, their attention will be turned to Yuri itself, and it will not be long before innocent lives are lost. This moon will be completed slagged in four hours. You have until then. Grand Admiral Desaria out."


A red light on the chair's arm winked out, signalling the transmission's conclusion. Captain Vorran saddled up next to the Grand Admiral and asked low enough that only the admiral could hear;" I hope they don't know we're bluffing. We are bluffing, aren't we?" We're Guardsmen, after all!


Desaria only blinked.

Li'eston


STL fire filled the space between the two fleets as they closed. The SS fleet continued slowly backing away from the planet, keeping just out of range of the Combined Fleet's weapons. The ISD Vs were splitting their fire between the opposing Star Destroyers, wearing down the shields little by little. Given enough time, either the defending ships would fold under the bombardment or they would catch up to the SS fleet and begin their own bombardment. But they would not be given that time.


Task Force Alpha
Phantasm-Class Carrier Shadow Killer


They were getting close now. Colonel Racen Selere knew that he and his men were the key to the entire battle. As he watched the Dresden begin to fill the periscopes, he knew it was time. "Into the torpedos," he said. It was all he needed to say.

The Phantasm-class Carrier was designed by Imperial Intelligence to allow operatives to board another ship before they knew what had hit them. As such, it carries forty boarding torpedos, 15-man pods that would penetrate a ship's hull and seal the breach where they struck, then opening at the nose and allowing the troopers contained within the pod to quickly secure an area of the ship. Now, twenty-four SS Kommandos and 576 Waffen-SS troops boarded such torpedos, ready to be launched at the Dresden.

Selere himself was in one of these pods. He would be commanding the assault on the bridge. In his pod was all of Gray Squadron with its commander, Tarash Fleetfire. Also in his pod was the most important person on the Shadow Killer, the one who they hoped would be able to convince the commanders of the Combined Fleet to surrender - General Liam Zhukov.

As Selere stepped into the pod, he nodded to General Nikolas von Falkenhorst, commander of the Waffen-SS division that would remain on the Phantasm. It was his command now. Closing the hatch behind him, Selere felt the mechanism lock and realized that if this mission failed, he had just committed suicide.

Selere was a large man, and to him the torpedo grew smaller by the second. It was like being locked in a metal coffin with fourteen other corpses. He began to sweat. Time seemed to stand still. An eternity passed, or a minute, and he felt the first volley of warheads launch. Then the torpedos were auto-loaded into the tubes and sent spiraling towards their destination.


Bridge
ISD II Dresden


Captain Gerhardt stared at the retreating SS fleet with growing concern. The strategy was one that a cautious commander like Admiral Kadar would employ, but from all the reports the commander of the SS was not a cautious man and did not tolerate caution at the expense of efficiency. He began issuing orders. "Slow the fleet down. There's something wrong here."

As the Combined Fleet slowed, so did the SS ships. Gerhardt's eyes widened. "It's a trap!" he said. "Full reverse, now! They must have other ships coming in!"

It was too late. Explosions were heard all over the ship, and suddenly all electronic systems went down. Backup generators immediately had life support and basic lighting systems back online, but the computers, shields, and weapons were out.

Gerhardt started yelling for information. "What was that? Anybody see it?" But no information was forthcoming. Then thumps were heard all over the bridge area. Gerhardt looked out the viewport and saw a torpedo heading straight for him. He closed his eyes as it struck, knowing that this was the end.


Bridge
Phantasm-class Carrier Shadow Killer


General von Falkenhorst stood on the bridge, watching the target grow larger and larger. The officers around him were getting nervous, as sitting this close to a hostile Star Destroyer was not the safest place to be in the middle of a battle. But so far the cloak had protected them from detection, and the SS gunners were good to place their shots so that the Phantasm would not be hit. And von Falkenhorst's orders were to wait until they were at point-blank range.

Then the moment came. He nodded to the ship's captain, who pushed the button himself. There existed a technology that had been developed during the last years of the Empire, one that had mostly been forgotten and had sat relatively unused for many years. Ion pulse warheads were missiles designed to disable craft in a similar way to Ion cannons or Conner nets. More comprehensive in their effect than Mag pulse warheads, which simply knocked out weapons systems, they permitted craft without ion cannons to be used in disabling operations. This was highly useful for a group such as the Rebel Alliance, who were often dependent on old or non-military vessels, in that they added immense flexibility to otherwise less-useful starfighters.

Now, forty of those warheads sped towards the Dresden. As a complement to the skill of the Shadow Killer's gunners, most of these struck near or around their intended targets, and those that did not disabled something. The shields collapsed under the volley, and the shield generators themselves shut down. Actually, everything shut down. Von Falkenhorst allowed himself a smile as the Dresden sat dead in space.

Then he nodded once more, and forty boarding torpedos streaked out of the launch bays, aimed at the bridge area. There was no time to see where they hit. The Phantasm's location was discernable now to any who had been watching - it was time for speed. "Move around the ship," Falkenhorst ordered. "We need to get to the hangar bay."


Bridge
ISD II Dresden


Contrary to his fear, Gerhardt did not die. However, he was knocked backwards by the shockwave of the torpedo penetrating the glassteel viewport. He scrambled to his feet, amazed that he was unhurt, and stared at the intruding warhead. It was apparently a dud, which gave him a bit of a chuckle. Somehow it had even sealed the hull breach around it's point of entry. Gerhardt had cheated death.

Then the nose dropped open. Blaster fire erupted as fifteen soldiers poured out. The bridge crew, still stunned from the impact, were no match for even fifteen Waffen-SS soldiers. But the automated defenses were. And so was Gerhardt.

Repeating blaster fire erupted from several corners of the bridge, killing several soldiers outright and forcing the others under cover. Gerhardt himself ducked behind a console and drew his personal sidearm. Rolling around the corner, he dropped two soldiers that were moving to a better position. Two others returned fire, but Gerhardt was back behind cover before they could hit him.


Two levels below the bridge
ISD II Dresden


Most of the torpedos had struck where they were supposed to, in this area. Units were scattered, though; the Phantasm's gunners had needed to reset their aim quickly and often missed their exact targets. Individual battles had broken out in areas. Selere's pod had landed in a weapons storeroom. Luckily it hadn't made any of the weapons explode; that would have been disastrous. The Kommandos had exited and linked up with the occupants of several other pods, including the other SS Kommando unit. With ninety men, then, Selere headed for the bridge.

On the way, they managed to link up with a few other pod-units that had been scattered. Several had already come into conflict with the ship's defense troops, but concussion grenades had taken care of that. By the time they reached the bridge level, Selere had gathered over 200 of the orignal boarders. He hoped it would be enough.

Other Waffen-SS soldiers had landed outside the designated LZ. It had been all they could do to join up with others and form defensive perimeters. These had activated beacons, hoping that the boarders in the hanger wold get to them quickly.

Three Hours Later...


Yuri hung as lifeless as its moon when the Grand Admiral tossed it an awkward glance. Though his eyes could not pierce the distance between his flagship and the cities under a thick blanket of clouds, he knew those cities to be filled with panciked people. Yuri was an industrialized world with almost a billion inhabitants, all part of a truly modern society. He knew the people to be panicked because they knew what he was doing, they saw the realization of his nefarious plan. They watched on any number of news networks or holo-stations the enhanced feeds of thousands of square kilometers smashed into oblivion. Break. If you don't, you'll die.


" Your Excellency, we are ahead of schedule. The surface of the moon has been completely glassed."


The Grand Admiral turned from the viewport and gracefully lowered himself into the black-backed command chair. He acknolwedged Captain Vorran with a nod and turned ever so slightly to the right to the Combat Information Officer. " Lieutenant Commander, what word of the defense force?"


" As anticipated, their heavier warships, the two Destroyers and three heavy cruisers, are either at L'ieston or en route. We have had no contact with the remaining three heavy cruisers but a force of frigates is marshalling near the world's southern pole."


Desaria turned forward and steepled his fingers. He expected resistance and was pleased to see Intelligence had not erred in reporting Yuri to have a first-rate contingent of fast-attack craft. It would have been more brave than foolhardy to attack outright a force of five battleships and the ring of light cruisers and frigates that surrounded them. Prudence demanded caution and the formulation of a plan, something their hesitation belied. They were no doubt watching and waiting as the battleships' escort moved into their wake, stretching out to cover the under-armored and under-defended afts the signature wedge-shaped behemoths presented. They no doubt saw the lop-sidedness of such a formation and vengefully seized the moment to strike.


Indeed, they had.


" Grand Admiral, we are within range of the planet," reported one officer, only just finished when " Enemy ships approaching!" reported another. Desaria just sat there, gazing forward. Straining to see would have been useless, the arrowhead prow blocking any view of the dozen light craft striking up from the planet's southern pole.


" Sir, they are vectoring off into attack groups, running at our escort formation. Orders sir?"


The Grand Admiral looked once again at Yuri and then flicked a barely visible hair from his immaculate tunic. Almost at a whisper, he commanded: " Activate the GDS."

Nearing the Bridge
ISD II Dresden

Selere and his two hundred slowed as they neared the bridge. Something seemed to be wrong here; Selere could feel it. They'd met few guards, which they had quietly subdued, but not enough. There should have been hundreds of military personel pushing their way from the bridge. Instead, they'd met fewer than fifty. Selere knew his luck wasn't that good.

His suspicions were confirmed when his point man stepped out into the corridor leading to the bridge. At first, Selere wasn't sure what had happened. He saw the man seem to leap sideways into the wall, and then saw the red energy beams that were holding him there. The man hung suspended, the energy making his body writhe as bolt after bolt slammed into him in rapid succession. Pieces of his body flew into the air, some catching fire. Soon the man's entire body went up in flames, the smell of his sizzling flesh making everyone glad their helmets had built-in olfactory filters.

Still, some were retching at the sight of one of their comrades so brutally treated by what seemed to be an automatic repeater of some kind. The second man in line volunteered to take a look and, before Selere could stop him, leaped across the corridor. He didn't make it. The weapon again came to life, severing the boy's body in two while he was still in the air.

Selere swore. "Everybody back!" he yelled. "Fleetfire! Get up here!" Tarash was at his side immediately, looking at his commander expectantly. "I want a hole in this wall, now! It seems we can't go down the corridor, so we'll go through the rooms next to it."

Tarash pulled out his plasma torch, which he carried at all times, and began to burn through the wall. It would take some time, but at least they would make it without further casualties - they hoped.


Task Force Beta
Phantasm-class Carrier Shadow Killer


The majority of the Waffen-SS soldiers had remained on the carrier, which moved quickly towards the hangar bay. The stealth carrier had done its work perfectly so far, landing the initial bording force exactly where they needed to be, but its job was not done yet.

General Nikolas von Falkenhorst, a veteran commander formerly of the Imperial Marines, was a man who knew how to conduct ship-to-ship combat. He had distinguished himself in several boarding operations as a junior officer against the Rebellion, then the New Republic. As a General, he had commanded an operation against New Republic ships just before the collapse of that government, then had continued to distinguish himself in operations against the Rogue Empire and the Galactic Coalition. Recently, having been offered command of a division in the Waffen-SS, he had thought his days of Marine combat were over.

Now, the fifty-five year old general thought, he was doing it again. More sophisticated ships, different troops, but it was his turf. He knew how to do this, and he would do it effectively as he had many times before. His men were ready; they knew what to do. Now if only this kriffing slow ship would get to the hangar...

Von Falkenhorst had come from Alderaan originally. It was an interesting place for the origins of a distinguished Imperial General, if for no other reason than the Death Star's destruction of the planet. He'd been born into the nobility there, a distant cousin of the Organa family. He'd had contact with the famed Leia Organa only once, though, and he didn't like her then. By the time he was eighteen, he was graduating from the Imperial military academy on Carida and had put all thoughts of his homeworld behind in order to better serve the Empire. The destruction of Alderaan had no impact on him whatsoever; the Empire had decided that the planet's death would serve the Empire, and so the Empire was right in destroying it.

He was a hardened man, now, and still he felt no sorrow for the loss of his homeworld. His hair, prematurely gray, along with his stony attitude, had earned him the nickname Gezer Falkenhorst, though no one called him that to his face. He could still take most of his unit single-handedly; experience counted for something.

And it was time. The Phantasm achieved a lock with the ISD II, and the shuttles launched, making the quick trip into the hangar bay. If all went according to plan, the shuttles would land, disgorging their troops, who would set up a colloquial beachhead inside the hangar. Tunnels would then be extended from the Phantasm, and the rest of the division would come rushing in.

All went according to plan. Or nearly so. The shuttles landed and disgorged the troops. The few enemy in the hangar bay fled at the first sight of the black-clad soldiers fanning out and laying down fire. A few hardened pockets of resistance were met and summarily defeated. The tunnels extended, and the rest of the division came pouring into the bay. They began spreading out through the corridors, searching for the locations of the activated distress beacons.

There was only one slight bump, so minor to the success of the mission because of the tremendous planning, and yet so vital. Among the few dead in the hangar bay lay the gray-headed General Nikolas von Falkenhorst, who, it would be later said, died with a blaster pistol in each hand and twenty blaster wounds through his body. All that was left was for his men to make his last boarding operation a total success, to leave him with an impeccable record and a legacy that would last through the ages.

The order that filtered down through the communications relay system was like the others that had preceeded it a hundred times against a hundred other enemies: open fire. The words themselves did not ring out in the gunwales and turrets of course, for they would not be heard over racket of machinery. Instead the firing alarm toggled from red to green in each battery commander's terminal. He gave the order to fire via another light that illuminated bright in each gun captain's eyes. His gun layed properly, he pulled tight the triggers under his fingers sending a shot of plasma at coordinates known only to the battery commander and those above him. On the gun decks, it was business as usual, a successful firing to be repeated again and again, slagging one grid square than another until ordered to stop.


On the bridge it was another matter entirely. Silhouetted against Yuri and almost glowing from the cannonade of neon shot, the singular figure standing on the bridge appeared more evil than regal. Captain Vorran, his face impassive, swallowed hard against the reality of what was happening, but he said nothing. The Lieutenant in the crew pit acting as gunnery liaison felt sick as the ramifications of his actions drove home in his mind. His black gloved hand slipped from the console and went tight over his mouth. He pictured a thousand people dying in the span of a second, not soldiers but civilians - women and children, old men out for a stroll. He could beaer the though no more and ran from the bridge, his footsteps the only thing punctuating the silence.


Another salvo washed away from the Intimidator like a wave. Then another. Ten salvoes of heavy turbolaser fire crashed into the surface of the world below transforming all it touched into a holocaust of ash and flame brunging so hot that the air itself was singed. The silence of the bridge expanded outside when the guns fell silent, their work done. Two grid squares were immolated, two specific areas denoted by numbers than meant nothing to those under the guns only the technicians imposing order onto chaos.


Captain Vorran could not release his hands from their hold on one another, he would not. He was the Captain of the ship and he would not let the men see him tremble. His image was much, his power needed to be absolute, but for a moment he wondered what it mattered. This was a warship of the Imperial Navy, more importantly, a ship of the Imperial Guard. Its crewmen were not mindless minions, but pursuers of Justice and Order through Honour, but now they were stained. Dark, and dirty, after today they would limp back into port with heads low.


" Grids....grids slagged as ordered. We're receiving a message."


Grand Admiral Desaria, the Empire's most famous aristocrat, turned to the communications officer and nodded. He did not need to hear the transmission, he knew what it was - Yuri had surrendered. They had seen first-hand the destruction defiance of the Emperor's Will could bring down on them and they had made the prudent choice. The Grand Admiral did not need it read to him.


" Sir," the gunnery officer said, having slinked back to the bridge from the refresher station. " Our targetting data is coming back. Compliation is incomplete but it appears..."


Desaria turned his back to the crewpit and his flag captain, instead he looked down at Yuri again. His view turned to the sextet of frigates struggling against the GDS to come to grips with the Imperial battleship. Shortly, he reasoned, a tight-beam transmission from the surface would order them to stand down, against their better judgement, of course. Their captains and crews would want to charge against the superior foe and die gloriously in a flash of fire. The Grand Admiral waxed philosophic: is a charge that can be avoided yet taken glorious or stupid?


"...did you input the correct coordinates?"


" Yes sir - per the Grand Admiral's orders exactly. But - those coordinates are northwest of the city."


Captain Vorran sucked in the air around him and cast his eyes up towards the Grand Admiral, but he was walking off the bridge without so much as a transfer of command. There was a smug look on his face as he moved aft, the black stripe on his trousers crunching as his knees bent. He was a Guardsman, and would die one. Vorran smiled and the Lieutenant rushed back towards the refresher again. The Intimidator had not killed a million civilians in the blink of an eye, merely deforested some prime real estate not yet developed near the capitol city.


These men felt betrayed but dared not disobey. Discipline had served them well, and their faith was not misplaced. Yesterday they would have fought for Desaria, now they will die for him.

Task Force Alpha
ISD II Dresden
Bridge


The plasma torch cut through the final bulkhead, and Selere, impatient, kicked it out of the way. The twenty-five men that had followed him, Gray and Green Squadrons, were spread out, wary of more cannon fire. They didn't want to get caught in any of the fire that had already taken down two men.

Selere peeked into the room. "Clear!" he said before stepping in. They'd come right up to the bridge, or at least that was the best he could figure. That meant they'd either be behind the cannons or right under them. Either way, it wouldn't take much to fix them.

Still, it never hurt to be cautious. "Kaiser!" Selere hissed. "Ion Grenade, on three." Counting down, Selere hit the door release as the female demolitions expert tossed the weapon. The large colonel rolled out of the way as the grenade exploded, hoping that it would be enough to take out the guns.

Apparently it wasn't. Now the guns were on the fritz, firing sporadically in every direction, sending bolts of energy careening down the corridor. "What the kriff is up with these frelling guns!" Selere exclaimed.

Kaiser stepped forward. "Sir, if you will allow me." She withdrew another grenade, a somewhat funny shape, and said, "Shut down any electronic equipment you have, now." The Kommandos did as she said, then she tossed the weapon into the corridor. A blue-white blast lit the area, and the guns fell silent.

Selere's eyebrows raised in question. "EMP bomb," she said. "Destroys all electronics in the blast radius."

Selere shook his head, then flipped his comlink back on. "All squadrons, move forward. We're gonna take the bridge."


ISD V Tyrant
Bridge


Captain Typton was getting nervous. "Sir, that Mon Cal cruiser is getting close. They get any closer they'll be within firing range."

Wes was silent, watching the Dresden drift limp in space.

"Sir, I recommend that we commence the attack. We can't risk them getting the advantage of forward momentum if the fight becomes general."

Wes remained silent, staring, watching.

"Sir -"

Wes cut him off. "I know, Captain!" He paused. "Colonel Selere will get the job done. He always does."

Typton wasn't finished yet. "Sir, we haven't received any word from either Colonel Selere or General von Falkenhorst. We don't even know if the boarding was successful, or if they're all dead."

Wes stared, brooding, for a moment, then replied, "No. They'll succeed. They have to."

"But Sir -"

"If they don't succeed, Captain, then this mission is a failure and we might as well go home. There is no point in destroying the fleet if we can't capture it. No, we'll wait for Selere."


ISD II Dresden
Bridge


"Captain Kaiser, why in the seven Corellian hells did you not tell me that EMP crap would destroy the opening mechanism for these blast doors?"

"Sorry, Sir," she replied. "You did want the guns silenced."

Selere glared at her, then said, "Now we have to find a way into the bridge!"

Kaiser smiled. "I believe I can be of help there, Sir," she said. Pulling something out of her backpack, she strode to the doors and studied them. "Yes, this should do nicely." From a container, she spread a jelly-like substance around the edges of the door. She then stuck shaped charges to the jelly, which surprisingly held the charges in place. Finally, she applied a few flat, circular objects to the edges.

"Everybody back," she said calmly, walking backwards herself. At the end of the corridor, she slipped around the corridor and drew her sidearm. "One shot should do it," she said. Peering around the corner, she aimed and fired, ducking back as she did so. A roar filled the corridor just before the heat from the explosion reached them.

Selere screamed, "Move!" Around the corner ran the Kommandos, taking point, and about fifty of the Waffen-SS soldiers. The others remained in the corridor as defense against any relief force. Selere, at the front, saw the damage done by Kaiser's bomb. The doors had been blown clean away, flying into the bridge and smashing against the bulkhead on the opposite side.

Sprinting through the now open doorway, Selere dove for cover seconds before blaster fire cut through the air above his head. Kriff, I hope that's Gerhardt, he thought. If it wasn't, the whole mission might be lost.

Setting his blaster to stun, he fired a few rounds in the direction of his enemy and pulled out his comlink. "General Zhukov, time to do your thing."

The general, waiting just outside the door, smiled. "Captain Gerhardt, is that you?"

A reply came back quickly, "Ya darn right it is! And you're not taking this ship!"

"Captain, I am General Liam Zhukov. You may remember me from the Academy as Liam Zhu."

There was a silent pause. "Liam? Why the kriff are you fighting with these Imperials? Or are you a hostage?"

"I'm no hostage, Gerhardt. I'm here to convince you to surrender."

"Surrender? What the kriff for?" This response was accompanied by a smattering of blaster fire sweeping the area. "There's no way I'm surrendering this ship!"

Zhukov sighed. "Captain Gerhardt, there are by now twenty-thousand soldiers of the Imperial SS on board this ship. You've already lost."

"I can still go down fighting!"

"Captain, the Empire is willing to offer you complete control over the combined fleets of Yuri and Li'eston, as well as a commission in the Imperial Navy. The only requirement is that a small annual tribute to be paid to the Empire, that you do not allow the Contegorian Confederation passage, and that you are friendly to the Empire, and we keep you safe from any attacks. You keep your fleet, most of your money. What say you?"

There was a pause, then a clattering as a blaster slid across the floor. Gerhardt stood up, hands in the air, and said, "Deal."


ISD V Tyrant
Bridge


Vos and Typton sat in nervous anticipation. The cruiser was almost in range. If she managed to close, the Tyrant would have to run or destroy her, neither of which was a pleasant option to Wes. He hadn't decided which to take yet.

Then the cruser slowed and began to power down its weapons. Wes leaped from his seat, fist thrust in the air. "Yes!" he exclaimed, releasing his nervousness in one yell. Sighs of relief filled the bridge, tense muscles relaxed. Selere had done it. The battle for Li'eston was over. Now, all that remained to be seen was the conclusion of the battle of Yuri.