Star Wars: An Imperial Officer

Varen watched in astonishment as Task Force 99 began their counterattack. 

Against all odds, the big guy—whom he had found out was named Zuka—simply grabbed an E-Web turret, holding it at hip position as he opened fire on the rebels while walking forward, tanking a few shots.

Yet the rest of the squad did not slack. The sergeant and the man with knives rushed ahead, leaping over defensive positions as they assaulted the rebels in close combat. In a surprising move, the sergeant activated a lightsaber, cutting a rebel in two. 

The remnants of the squad followed, with the man in the cloak furthest back, sniping off rebels left and right. The man in red also rushed to the frontlines, using his flamethrowers to block the rebels' view and to spread confusion amongst their ranks.

The ones Varen remembered as the Engineer and the Slicer remained between the Sniper and the frontlines, using their E-11 blaster rifles to pick off rebels alongside the rest of the squad. 

Varen only had one word for it: majestic. His mind stopped thinking as he watched seven men completely turn the tide of battle, charging forward like maniacs. His jaw dropped as he remained gaping—alongside the rest of his forces.

But eventually, he recovered and began barking orders as the squad cleared the way.

"THIS IS IT! PUSH THEM BACK! Begin clearing rebel positions! Support Task Force 99!" Varen commanded, pointing and shouting as his men quickly got to work.

. . .

Sergeant Keel leapt over yet another rebel hurdle, slicing two insurgents in a single motion. He cut their chests open, but did not relent, using his surprise factor to cover the distance to the next defensive position before the enemy could begin shooting.

The mobile E-Web behind him provided a constant stream of cover fire, its green lasers slamming into any rebels not behind solid cover.

There were, in fact, many E-Webs scattered throughout the rebels' formation. Contrary to Keel's expectations, these rebels were quite heavily armed, wielding heavy repeating rifles and turrets. Perhaps that explained why they had pushed this sector so far.

But Keel cared little for such details. Few of the E-Webs were properly positioned, and the men he faced now were reinforcements and reserves from the main line he had just broken. They hadn't had time to set up proper defenses—they had not expected a countercharge of this severity or size.

Keel, Shrap, and Cav continued to decimate the rebels in pitched combat throughout the hallways of the Relentless, under the covering fire of the remaining four squad members. SCAR troopers were rapidly descending on the initial breach point, as hundreds of stormtroopers rushed in behind them, securing lost positions and reinforcing the assault.

Keel watched the last of the rebels fall, and his squad relaxed slightly. All around them lay the bodies of dead insurgents. Silence fell over the battlefield—cold, final, and complete.

Yet it was broken by heavy footsteps echoing from within the MC75's hallways. Keel and his squad had pushed into the MC75 and now stood deep on rebel soil.

"Reinforcements," Mic muttered, having already sliced into the rebels' holofeed and intercepted their comms.

"Should we intercept them or head toward the reactor?" Cav asked, cleaning the blood from his knives.

"We head for the reactor. That was our primary objective," Sergeant Keel ordered, and the rest of the squad nodded. They scurried deeper into the MC75 cruiser, disappearing behind a corner just seconds before Jarik, his four elites, and the rebel reinforcements arrived.

"What happened here?" Jarik muttered in surprise, staring at the countless rebel corpses littering the floor.

"A counterpush, sir. They seemed to have mounted a counterattack, but fell back after reaching the MC75," one of the officers reported. Jarik's eyes narrowed slightly. That didn't make much sense.

Firstly, the rebels had been on the offensive. There was no logical way they could have been pushed to destruction so quickly—unless an Inquisitor had arrived. And secondly, retreating into the ship instead of holding the hallway made little tactical sense.

"Check the security feeds. I want confirmation if any Imperials made it into the ship. Double patrols around all priority targets," Jarik said, before rushing into the breach tube, determined to push the stormtroopers to destruction once again.

And with that, Jarik and his 900 men surged forward against the mere 200 stormtroopers holding the sector.

. . .

Back on the bridge, Aaron commanded his remaining forces, entirely ignoring the boarding operations taking place within his ship.

"Carrack Righteous Knight, target designated Corvette 4. They have an unobstructed path toward our Ton Falks," Aaron ordered, standing beside the holotable at the rear of the bridge. It displayed the entire battlefield.

"Squadron I (TIE Interceptor)-14, fall back to your designated Ton Falk. You've suffered extensive damage and are no longer combat-effective," Aaron continued, after receiving a situational report from Jaruss Wagner, who had successfully pulled the squadron out of danger.

"Squadron D (TIE Defender)-2, incoming bomber run on CLC Righteous Knight—intercept," Aaron instructed next, having spotted a bomber formation emerging from the last surviving Dreadnought.

"Bring one of the Arquitens-class light cruisers closer—under heavy escort. Position it beneath our hull, and have it focus entirely on jamming the Black Tomb," Aaron ordered, watching as the designated Arquitens adjusted course toward their ship.

"Recall Squadrons T-6 and T-7. We need them to protect the Relentless and the Arquitens Irrefutable," Aaron added, his eyes locked on the glowing holographic map.

He watched as the red dots representing rebel fighter and bomber squadrons steadily disappeared, along with the red markers indicating enemy corvettes.

"All sensory officers, maintain heightened vigilance for potential suicide charges. The rebels are known to use them effectively, and I have no intention of dying to a suicide attack," Aaron warned into his comlink. His voice was broadcast through every ship's bridge within the fleet.

"Any casualties among ships of warship designation yet?" Aaron asked one of the officers, while Luca paced the command walkway, directing his own crew.

"None, sir. However, three Carracks successfully retreated to the rear due to timely support from our fighters and bombers," the officer replied. Aaron nodded.

Excellent news. Now we just need to trust in the capability of my officers and pilots—and trust Catcher to do his job, Aaron thought, relaxing slightly. For now, there were no immediate threats that required his personal intervention.

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