Star Wars: An Imperial Officer

"I want that reactor taken out, understood?" Aaron asked from a corner of his bridge, a HoloDisk in his hands projecting a Stormtrooper helmet.

"Understood, Captain. We'll handle it," the Stormtrooper responded. With that, his projection flickered out of existence as Aaron turned back toward the bridge.

Their ship had already been boarded, and Major Catcher was engaged in a pitched defense on all eight tubes, refusing to give up even an inch of territory.

Although the rebel boarding party was estimated to be around six to seven thousand strong, the hallways of a Victory-class Star Destroyer permitted fewer than thirty to fight at once—especially with Catcher's defensive positions set up around each corner.

A few boarding craft had managed to evade the fighters and latch onto the ship from various angles, but they were swiftly dealt with by the reinforcements Catcher dispatched.

Imperial doctrine had mandated a massive amount of "intelligence-gathering equipment" aboard every vessel, with thousands of listening devices and cameras. No rebel would travel unnoticed on this cruiser.

Additionally, it seemed Luthan was dead set on capturing this Victory-class Star Destroyer, as he had yet to open fire with anything other than ion cannons.

And the MC75 lacked the necessary ion emplacements to threaten a Star Destroyer.

With that, Aaron's starboard cannons had a clear firing arc on every Corvette or Frigate attempting to attack his rear forces. The pressure of a Star Destroyer, coupled with flight superiority, had ensured that the Imperial fleet successfully retreated and was now preparing to reenter the battle.

Onboard a TIE Defender — Unknown Nebula

Shadow-1 was having the time of his life. His Imperial TIE Defender pierced through the X-Wing formations, wreaking chaos across the rebel lines. Commander Oddball certainly did not regret accepting the transfer to 132-1 Squadron.

His career had been a long game of ups and downs.

He was at his peak during the Clone Wars, serving as a Commander in the 212th Battalion alongside legends like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

Then came the Empire. He was reassigned to train "their replacements," and once his usefulness in that category had run dry, he was relegated to rudimentary and peaceful patrols in the Outer Rim—completely wasting his potential.

The Empire, for all the bad it had done, had indeed developed a solution for the rapid aging of clones: a simple pill, taken once a week for the rest of one's life. It had allowed the now 38-year-old clone—physically and mentally—to continue his service.

Now, Shadow-1—Oddball—served as the Commander and Wing Captain of the 1st and 2nd TIE Defender Squadrons, nicknamed Shadow and Crimson.

Oddball personally led Shadow Squadron, and it was without a doubt his favorite of the two.

He didn't know why, or how, but Captain Aaron had somehow forced the return of an elite clone squadron, determined to continue the legacy of Shadow Squadron.

Famous names such as Warthog, Hawk, Goji, Jag, Broadside, Engle, Kickback, Screecher, Blaze, Gyro, and Nimbus—famed across the galaxy—now flew beside four members of the original Shadow Squadron.

Said squadron was currently deep within the rebel wings, devastating their lines alongside their wingmen.

Oddball had Captain Hawk on his wing, and together they shredded through X-Wings, leaving no room for counterattack.

X-Wings—despite their similarities to the ARC-170 and their shielding—were simply too slow. In the right hands, the TIE Defender was a death machine, using its advanced weaponry, shields, and speed to outmaneuver any X-Wing.

Oddball had long since submitted his report on the inefficiencies of the standard TIE Fighter, far preferring the Alpha-Nimbus or ARC-170.

Yet now, Oddball found himself enjoying the TIE Defender more than either of those clone-era fighters. This ship was a technological masterpiece. It had everything he had ever wanted—and it made him grin like an idiot in the middle of battle.

Oddball and Hawk maneuvered behind a reinforcing X-Wing squadron—twelve fighters in a wedge formation, unaware of the demons on their tail.

In a synchronized move, Hawk and Oddball launched a devastating pincer attack, shredding their formation with laser fire, starting from the wingtips and moving toward the center.

Only the three fighters at the center managed to react—but both clones needed only a single volley per ship. Even their shields couldn't keep up with the high-quality laser output. They were quickly hunted down by Hawk as Oddball reformed on his wing.

That gave him a clearer view of the strategic situation.

The rebels were clearly relying on their independence and flexibility—and Oddball would be lying if he claimed not to be impressed. For all their tactical inefficiencies, they knew how to operate solo. And they were determined.

The rebels had split their squadrons into escorts, clearly hoping their higher-quality pilots would overwhelm the TIE fighters on defense. But they had underestimated the TIE compliment Aaron had groomed.

Albeit, they were not clone pilots—but they possessed a far higher level of individual skill than the rebels. Their coordination also surpassed that of the rebels, thanks to the excellent direction of Lieutenant Colonel Krayt, the Flight Operational Marshal—a man who had served with Oddball in the 212th.

Only, Krayt had been a flight operator—organizing squadrons, not flying them.

He had orchestrated a devastating offensive on the X-Wing escorts, picking them off one by one.

There had originally been thirteen X-Wing squadrons. Now they were down to ten, mostly due to the TIE Defender squadrons taking the fighter compliment of the Black Tomb by surprise and annihilating them.

120 vs. 250 fighters—it was hardly fair. Each Corvette now had an escort equal to that of the X-Wing squadrons—one squadron per warship, though a few had two.

Krayt had matched the enemy escorts, then diverted the remaining 130 ships into four attack flights alongside a bomber squadron. Together, they launched offensives against Corvettes that had become separated from the main group.

It felt good, Oddball realized. It felt good to finally outgun the rebel fighters, to finally have the upper hand—the same advantage he once had in the Clone Wars.

"Captain Rysell certainly knows how to counter these rebels," Oddball thought. "Perhaps he's destined for greatness as well. And his aura, his calm... it reminds me of my old C.O., General Kenobi."

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