Captain Aaron Rysell stood at the bridge of his flagship, the Relentless. Its bridge was far superior to that of an Arquitens-class light cruiser in terms of size. The bridge resembled that of an Imperial Star Destroyer—almost identical to the last position.
But Aaron had replaced many of the needless stations with flight command, preferring an organized and efficient fighter wing over the few seconds saved by keeping useless roles on the bridge.
Instead, those positions were relocated to a room behind the bridge, allowing them to fulfill their non-combat roles efficiently in a different chamber.
Before the 132-1st Fleet, the planet Christophsis could be seen—its crystallized surface glinting in the morning sun as hundreds of ships traveled to and from the massive world. Mostly traders; for all its richness, it was still in the Outer Rim, and few businesses had boomed.
With the exception of those related to crystals and transportation.
Blockading the planet were four Imperial-class Star Destroyers—two Mark I and two Mark II destroyers. They also had support craft in the form of Arquitens-class light cruisers and three Dreadnaughts.
"Transfer our access codes. Inform them of our mission parameters. Include the Special Authorization code from Grand Admiral Antilles," Aaron stated, his gaze locked ahead as he stared out into the vastness of space.
...
On the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Mark II, the Crystal Spear, Commodore Eral Vesso stood on the bridge, his dark hair flowing freely as he watched the incoming fleet of ships.
The 1st Squadron of the 132nd Sector, Eral thought, his gaze shifting toward their formation.
The Victory stood at the very forefront of the fleet—at the tip and center of the formation. On its starboard side was the Immobilizer 418-class cruiser. Forming a wing formation, the 600-meter-long ship was the second-largest cruiser in the fleet.
An additional pair of Imperial Nebulon-B-class escort frigates—a rarity among Imperial fleets—then escorted the pair of heavy cruisers.
The remaining ships of the fleet had spread out among the heavy cruisers: 15 Lancer-class frigates and 8 Carrack-class light cruisers.
In addition, the trio of Arquitens-class light cruisers had formed up directly behind the Victory-class Star Destroyer Mark II. Further back, three Ton-Falk escort carriers formed up.
Eral would admit—with little boasting—that he was more than tactically competent. Far more than thousands of his superior officers. Yet the composition of this fleet confused him.
He had read thousands of reports on rebel attacks and understood their patterns, yet struggled to compose a true fleet to counter them. And that was if he ever truly ended up fighting them.
Eral knew there were many hidden talents among the Imperial branches—individuals who had designed plans to counter the rebels—if they ever met them.
But sadly, they very rarely did. The rebels did not intend to kill as many Imperials as possible. Their goal was to threaten the Empire's stability, which meant they never attacked Imperial fleets with anything less than the majority of their force.
"Ask for their clearance code," Eral spoke clearly to one of his communications officers, yet it seemed he was too late.
"Sir, it seems they've prematurely transmitted their codes, parameters, and authority codes?" the officer said with reluctance, not quite understanding the importance of authority codes. As if they mattered.
Yet Eral did. He pushed the comms officer aside as his gaze fell upon the codes, and he quickly recognized them. Every naval officer of the rank Lieutenant and above had been forced to memorize the authority codes of every Grand Admiral—and as such, he recognized this one.
The authority codes of Grand Admiral Antilles? He commands the 13th Fleet, which means the captain's authority now supersedes mine, Eral thought, feeling his knuckles tighten under the pressure he subconsciously put on them.
This goddamn Empire and its fucking corruption.
...
"THIS IS CAPTAIN AARON OF THE 132-1ST SQUADRON. WE'VE BEEN DISPATCHED TO HUNT DOWN AND EXTERMINATE A WEED BY THE NAME OF THE BLACK VOW—AN INSURGENCY GROUP LINKED TO PROSTITUTION AND SLAVERY. WE ASK THAT ANY INFORMATION BE HANDED OVER, WITH GENEROUS REWARDS IF ASSISTING IN THE CAPTURE OF SAID OPERATIVES."
The voice of Captain Aaron rocketed through the capital city of Christophsis—Crystal City.
At the same time, dozens of Lambda-class shuttles touched down at various points in the city as legions of stormtroopers rushed out, forming squads as they dispersed into the city.
Multiple Y-85 Titan dropships hovered over positions throughout the massive city, dropping multiple AT-STs and the occasional AT-AT here and there.
Christophsis, for all the hatred it faced from the Core, had truly developed into a spiraling society. Its cities were grand and unique. There were no houses, nor small buildings—just massive apartments and mansions.
Square buildings stretched dozens of meters into the air.
Many of the more exotic families from the Core found such a building style rudimentary and basic. Yet for the Christophsians, it was a sign of their success, their wealth, and their government.
Due to the rich minerals across the surface, only governments were permitted to build on it—which resulted in the massive buildings.
But such structures also resulted in massive roads between apartments and few tight corners—allowing even the massive AT-AT walkers to traverse the city.
Hundreds of LAAT/ie gunships flew through the cities. And today marked a new day for the citizens of Christophsis—for the previously minor Imperial presence on the planet would shift. The garrison, alongside 7,000 stormtroopers, would now take an active role in policing the streets.
Yet the most terrifying sight for the citizens of Christophsis was the massive object that cast a shadow over their majestic capital. Directly above the central area of Crystal City—
Directly above its Senate—a massive Victory-class Star Destroyer hovered. It was this entity that broadcast Captain Aaron's voice throughout the city, repeatedly deploying troopers to the surface.
They even had the gall to commandeer a massive compound in the city, built by a previous Chancellor of Christophsis. It had four massive buildings, 40 stories tall, standing in a square formation at each corner. Between the towers, a 20-story tall building interlocked them.
The Imperials were already in the process of sealing all the open windows.
And from the top window of the northeastern tower stood Captain Aaron Rysell, his hands locked behind his back as he stared out over the massive city—Captain Lux at his right.
It has to be done. Christophsis will have to suffer for a few rotations.
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