Star Wars: An Imperial Officer

Captain Aaron stood on the bridge, staring out the window into the yellow-red nebula they currently found themselves in—hidden by its thick, fog-like mist and the nebula's natural sensor-scrambling interference.

Aaron's ship had gone into radio silence. No one was permitted to use the long-range communicators, with the exception of the bridge.

Though Aaron doubted it, there was still the possibility of spies within his own fleet. It wasn't unheard of, and to ensure his ambush succeeded, he had to make sure Luthan never got word of it.

He had spread his fleet out through the mist. Though all ships remained within sight of the flagship, they were still fairly spread out—as Aaron had intended. His goal was to envelop and destroy the Corvettes and Frigates of the Black Vow.

Yet, although his plan seemed nearly perfect, Aaron had a deep, unsettling feeling in his gut. He didn't know what it was or why he felt it, but something felt wrong.

Could they have leaked our location? Aaron wondered. But given the strict radio silence and the monitoring of all communications by his girlfriend, he was confident no leak had occurred.

He had told no one where they were going. Aaron had spent hours navigating the route himself, so nobody knew the destination until they exited hyperspace. And by then, Hannah had already established complete comms silence and was actively monitoring all long- and short-range transmissions.

Could they have developed a way to sense us through the nebula? he considered, his gaze shifting toward where the station would be.

It was possible—unlikely, but possible. Aaron knew he wasn't the most experienced among naval officers, but from his strategic tests and limited combat experience, he had learned to trust his instincts.

He wasn't arrogant enough to believe he was the smartest or undefeatable. He was well aware that his limited fame came from his knowledge of the future and strategic competence. But Luthan hadn't risen to power through stupidity.

"Any reports from The Hound?" Aaron asked, turning to face a comms officer, who pressed a few buttons on his console. A report came up.

"Same as before, Captain. The Black Vow has yet to arrive," the officer said.

Aaron's eyes narrowed slightly. That meant they should have entered the nebula by now—unless they had another target in mind.

By sheer luck, Aaron's gaze drifted back out the viewport—and he spotted a minuscule dot in the mist. Nevertheless, it caught his attention.

"Catcher, come here," he said. The major ran up to him, still in full stormtrooper armor. "Do you see that dot? Zoom in on it."

Catcher nodded without hesitation, raising a hand to his helmet and pressing a button to zoom his HUD.

"A probe droid? But we didn't—" Catcher began, but was cut off by Aaron shouting.

"ALL SHIPS, PROCEDURE DORN-3!" Aaron ran to the comms station and shouted into the fleet-wide feed.

"We've been spotted! Activate shields and prepare for comba—" he began, only to be interrupted as a massive ship exited hyperspace directly in front of The Relentless.

The Black Tomb.

Sprinting to the holotable, a battle analysis appeared as Aaron quickly scanned the enemy lineup:

An MC75 Star Cruiser. Two Dreadnaught-class Heavy Cruisers. Three Quasar Fire-class Carriers. Three Arquitens-class Light Cruisers. Seven CR90 Corvettes. Four Hammerhead-class Frigates.

In addition to those: two squadrons of X-Wings—and whatever starfighter complements the capital ships carried.

Aaron was at a loss. The rebel fleet far outnumbered and outgunned them in capital ships. But what truly puzzled him was the flagship's behavior.

The MC75 continued on, undeterred by the automatic fire from the Victory-class Star Destroyer. It didn't return fire—its energy focused entirely on shields and engines.

Aaron knew he was at a disadvantage, but he had to act.

"Forget the Star Cruiser. Target the Dreadnaughts!" he ordered, striding onto the command walkway. His expression remained calm and composed, but beneath the mask, he was anything but.

Turning toward the comms nook of the bridge, he issued a quick command. "Launch all fighters and keep the bombers in reserve."

His eyes fell back on the Star Cruiser.

What are they doing? Do they intend for their fighters to handle us? Aaron considered. But he doubted that. Though he'd kept it secret, his fleet had over 300 fighters—all top-of-the-line interceptors. The outnumbered X-Wings stood little chance against them.

"All frigates and cruisers are to retreat to sector 1.02.3 and protect the Interdictor and carriers," Aaron commanded, again addressing the comms officers, who nodded and relayed the order.

That's when The Relentless shook—rocked by a burst of ion cannon fire.

"The Black Tomb launched a broadside ion volley," the shields officer reported. "They've breached several shield layers."

Aaron stepped toward the port windows—and saw eight boarding tubes slowly extending from the Black Tomb toward The Relentless.

"They're boarding us, sir?" Major Catcher asked from beside him—confused, but clearly excited.

"Major Catcher, fortify the ship. Meet their boarding parties at the breach points. Our hull will hold for a few minutes, so move quickly."

Catcher ran off, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.

Aaron walked calmly back to the holotable and tapped a few controls, bringing up a visual of the Imperial Star Destroyer Azura—one of Moff Roran's ships.

"Sir, should we spring the trap?" Luca asked, standing nearby.

Aaron smiled faintly and turned. "No. We don't need an Imperial Star Destroyer to deal with these buffoons," he said with quiet confidence, returning to the center of the bridge.

"Men of The Relentless," Aaron began, his voice firm. "Once again, we stand face-to-face with death. The rebels are boarding us, and our formation is in disarray. But I do not panic—for I have faith. Faith in our fleet."

All eyes turned to him.

"I have faith in Major Catcher, that he will repel the rebels. Faith in our pilots—they will not lose to mere X-Wings. Faith in our officers—trained at the most prestigious academy known to man."

"I ask you: do you have faith? Faith in order, in security, in the Empire?"

"AYE!" came the resounding chorus.

"Then focus. Fulfill your duty. And your security will be earned by your own actions," Aaron finished, then snapped out a series of commands.

"Disregard the Star Cruiser. All fighters and ships are to ignore it," he told the comms officers, who got to work.

He turned to the gunnery pit.

"G1 through G20, focus fire on any corvettes or frigates in your arc—prioritize the Dreadnaughts."

"G21 through G30, destroy those boarding crafts," Aaron ordered, pointing at the transports launching from the MC75, now heading for The Relentless.

"Flight Command, launch all fighters—take out their escorts," he continued, indicating the three dozen X-Wings covering the rebel boarding ships.

Aaron's ship held both TIE Defender squadrons—more than capable of handling three X-Wing squadrons.

"All TIE Interceptors are to prioritize engaging X- and Y-Wings. I don't want a single one of our warships brought down by puny corvettes," Aaron told the flight and comms officers.

"The Tessera will act as flagship while we handle the boarding parties," he concluded. Around him, crewmen scrambled, executing his orders with precision.

And with that, Aaron finally allowed himself a brief pause—watching as his fleet began turning his words into action.

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