The Rebel Faction

The Past
Last moments of Cloud City

The city was filling with the smell of smoke. For hours now explosions had torn through the floating city, sending shockwaves across the fabricated surface. The fires that were still burning were fighting with the surviving residents for control of the oxygen, still being laboriously produced by the overtaxed environmental control system.

There was little doubt that the city would fall. Imperial forces were pulling back, defending the centre as their numbers, and those of the militia that fought beside them, grew fewer.

Those huddled in the centre heard now the shouts of the advancing Sovereignty army, drowned out only by the outburst of weapons nearby or the screaming of the enemy’s atmospheric ships, sending deadly cargo into the heart of the city.

The city began to tremble, the ground rising up, and for a moment there was dead calm.

Then, the city exploded.

The blast was visible from orbit, the massive reactor that kept Cloud City from plunging into Bespin’s turbulent gasses blowing apart, and the fire igniting the volatile tibanna gas that was the planet’s atmosphere.

Within minutes, the planet had calmed once more. But the city, and the lives of some million people, were gone.


The Present

“War, General, has been our present company for longer than I care to imagine. I have no desire to begin another war with whoever has managed to wrangle control of Bespin away from the Coalition.”

The conference room of the Valhalla was empty save for the two individuals. Bhindi Drayson, who had spoken, and an older man wearing the black and silver uniform that was the standard of the Black Fleet.

“With all due respect, Admiral, Bespin is no longer much of any use to those who now occupy it. It is little more than a wasteland, lacking either any amount of tibanna gas or a platform to support life. The need to defend it is small.”

“As then is our need to retake it. What use to us is this world that is, as you say, so little use to our enemy?”

The General shrugged.

“Use? Only a little. But in the eyes of the galaxy – especially those who would oppose the Empire – it means much. The retaking of our stolen territory, the reestablishment of homes for the displaced… to prove that we do not take kindly to terrorism and theft.”

With a sigh, Bhindi nodded.

“If you will, General. The Empire certainly has the resources at hand to retake the world. You have my approval. You may take your task force and use what means you see fit to resecure Bespin.

But, General – do not fail me. You have asked for this mission. It is your responsibility to see it completed.?”



Bespin

The Empire’s first Expeditionary Fleet emerged from hyperspace, none the worse for wear from their short journey from the base at Ison. With the Zen at her head and the rest of the fleet spread to either side, the Imperial fleet stopped outside the planet’s gravity wells and stood ready.

“Shields report full strength, General.” The reports came in the same, one after another. Guns, charged and ready. Missile tubes, loaded. Fighters, deployed. Jamming was established, cutting the system off from the rest of the galaxy.

From the bridge of the flagship, General Vladameer prepared to command the liberation of Bespin.

[SIZE=2]Fleet Manifest:
Archangel ASD Zen
Eternal ASD Shadowcaster
Eternal ASD Black Asp
Eternal ASD Corusca Star
Eternal ASD Killik Twilight
SATAP Steel Rain
SATAP Crimson Tide
6 Fire LF
Full fighter compliment (SAS & TIE Defender)[/SIZE]

“Any contact?” The General asked, watching the opposing fleet form up just beyond the reach of their defensive minefield.

“None, Sir. But we’ve detected surface defences coming online… Planetary shields and turbolasers. The fleet is holding inside their effective firing range so far.”

It was a pretty standard showdown – with one side hovering inside the range of their defences and the other side waiting to make their move. The trick of the matter was to do the unexpected.

“How far does that planetary shield extend?” The General asked, studying his TAC and frowning.

“Roughly to the level of their floating city, Sir.” Under normal circumstances, a planetary shield would provide excellent protection against an invading fleet. Unfortunately for the new owners of Bespin, the sheer size of the gas giant meant that even a powerful shield was stretched… and unlike on a standard sized world, where the shield would project only into the middle atmosphere, here it projected all the way out to cover the city, and therefore each section of the grid like shield was weaker than it may have been otherwise.

Which would explain why they had established two of the devices.

“To much power…” The General said, speaking mostly to himself. He typed a command into his computer, watching the numbers scroll by, and nodded.

“Helm, transmit this to the Eternals and have them prepare to execute on my mark.”

Then he stopped, and smiled.

“Open a line with the opposing fleet. I wish to speak with them.”

It took a moment for the Imperial vessel to lower the jamming across the single frequency and establish a communications link, but soon the light that indicated the com’s activity turned from red to green, indicating that he could talk to the other commander.

“This is General Vladameer, of the Imperial Navy Black Fleet. The world of Bespin was once a constituent of the Empire, before the terrorists who called themselves the Outer Rim Sovereignty stole it from us – and had it turn stolen from them.

“Today, the New Order returns to Bespin to reclaim what was once hers and restore the homes of those that have been so fortunate to survive the Bespin Massacre. You are thereby given one week, starting from the end of this transmission, to retreat Bespin and leave her to the Empire. You are free to take what you may, and the Empire shall reimburse you for what has been lost on your account.

“I warn you, however, that failure to comply with these demands is akin to Open War with the New Order. Bespin is the property of the Empire, now and forever.

“What say you?”

The line was left open, giving the opposing forces the chance to respond in kind (should they so desire). And still, the Imperial fleet held her position, standing out of range of any of the planetary guns (or, indeed, those of the fleet).

“Now,” the General addressed the bridge officers, “we wait.”

The bridge was silent for a long moment as General Vladameer listened to the transmission from the defence fleet. It was clear to both sides what the situation was – either Belgardi would give in a yield Bespin, or a fight would ensue. A fight that, regardless of what happened here today, the Empire would win.

“Run a check on this Belgardi.” The General ordered once Husly stopped speaking. “I want to know everything about them.”

In the meantime, he turned back to the Belgardi fleet. For a Corporate defence force, it was impressive (to say the least). Almost too grandiose to belong to a business venture that held several worlds. For it to not only belong to Belgardi, but to be stationed over Bespin in an (apparently) permanent manner meant that the Corporation either had far more funding at their disposal than they let on (judging by their renown (or lack thereof) on the galactic stock markets…).

And that wasn’t even taking into consideration the planetary defences… and the reconstructed floating city that was the largest thing on the Imperial sensor boards. Something fishy was indeed going on, and Belgardi was a part of it. That much was for certain.

“Orders, Sir?” The communications officer asked, bending over the controls that could, at the touch of a button, deactivate the jamming fields and allow the Belgardi fleet to communicate. For good or ill.

With a sigh, Vladameer pressed the button that reactivated his link with Husly’s ship, and spoke.

“Commodore Husly, this is General Vladameer. On behalf of the New Order, I am refusing your request to lower jamming fields in Sovereign Imperial Space. This system, Sir, belongs to the Empire, and as such any measures we enact to protect it are not illegal.

Nor is this Belgardi space. The seizing of Bespin, and the destruction of Nimbus I, were illegal actions, and as such any party you may have dealt with regarding the control of Bespin did so illegally. I suggest you take up any issues this raises with them. I am hereby ordering you to power down your weapons and shields, and prepare for departure from this system. This is your only warning. Failure to heed it will result in action necessary to reclaim this system.

Vladameer out.”

Turning and cutting the transmission, he palmed another button and the holograms of the Eternal captains appeared around him.

“You’re ready?” He asked, gazing at each of the men in turn.

“Aye, General.” They replied, almost in unison. Imperial, born and bred.

“Good. If the Belgardis don’t back down, I’ll want you to execute immediately. Wait for my mark.”

The holograms vanished, and the General turned back to the opposing fleet. They knew – they must have known – that they couldn’t win against the Empire.

“Run, little man. Run.” Vladameer said to himself.

It was folly.

The bridge was silent for a long moment as General Vladameer listened to the transmission from the defence fleet. It was clear to both sides what the situation was – either Belgardi would give in a yield Bespin, or a fight would ensue. A fight that, regardless of what happened here today, the Empire would win.

“Run a check on this Belgardi.” The General ordered once Husly stopped speaking. “I want to know everything about them.”

In the meantime, he turned back to the Belgardi fleet. For a Corporate defence force, it was impressive (to say the least). Almost too grandiose to belong to a business venture that held several worlds. For it to not only belong to Belgardi, but to be stationed over Bespin in an (apparently) permanent manner meant that the Corporation either had far more funding at their disposal than they let on (judging by their renown (or lack thereof) on the galactic stock markets…).

And that wasn’t even taking into consideration the planetary defences… and the reconstructed floating city that was the largest thing on the Imperial sensor boards. Something fishy was indeed going on, and Belgardi was a part of it. That much was for certain.

“Orders, Sir?” The communications officer asked, bending over the controls that could, at the touch of a button, deactivate the jamming fields and allow the Belgardi fleet to communicate. For good or ill.

With a sigh, Vladameer pressed the button that reactivated his link with Husly’s ship, and spoke.

“Commodore Husly, this is General Vladameer. On behalf of the New Order, I am refusing your request to lower jamming fields in Sovereign Imperial Space. This system, Sir, belongs to the Empire, and as such any measures we enact to protect it are not illegal.

Nor is this Belgardi space. The seizing of Bespin, and the destruction of Nimbus I, were illegal actions, and as such any party you may have dealt with regarding the control of Bespin did so illegally. I suggest you take up any issues this raises with them. I am hereby ordering you to power down your weapons and shields, and prepare for departure from this system. This is your only warning. Failure to heed it will result in action necessary to reclaim this system.

Vladameer out.”

Turning and cutting the transmission, he palmed another button and the holograms of the Eternal captains appeared around him.

“You’re ready?” He asked, gazing at each of the men in turn.

“Aye, General.” They replied, almost in unison. Imperial, born and bred.

“Good. If the Belgardis don’t back down, I’ll want you to execute immediately. Wait for my mark.”

The holograms vanished, and the General turned back to the opposing fleet. They knew – they must have known – that they couldn’t win against the Empire.

“Run, little man. Run.” Vladameer said to himself.

It was folly.


"Pending the proper authorization, my forces will stand ready, to protect Belgarid assets."

And what, exactly, did that mean? That this Commodore Husly was not already within the bounds of his own law to ‘defend’ Bespin? Or that they were merely waiting for authorization to break the jamming – in which case Vladameer could guarantee it would never come.

As it was, the entire Belgardi fleet was situated behind the mine field – some thirty thousand mines hovering en mass over one small portion of the planet. Nineteen capital ships – none of which were larger than the Zen, but some of which looked formidable in spite of it.

“Belgardi forces have activated weapons, General.” The report came from sensors. The waiting game had begun in earnest – and the air on the Zen’s bridge began to grow heavy, despite the efforts of the ship’s environmental controls.

“Well, that’s that.” The General said, heaving a sigh. “That’s direct violation of our orders. Weapons, instruct all vessels to prepare a barrage. Targets: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie. On my mark.”

There was a moment’s wait as the order was relayed, and the ships moved into position.

“Mark. Fire one.”

Another pause, and then the fiery streams of dozens of missiles lanced out from the fleet, streaming in towards the Belgardi defence forces. Before they could impact, Vladameer ordered the second firing, and an instant later the third.

Within two seconds, more than 1000 missiles and proton torpedoes were clearing the distance between the opposing fleets, passing through the minefield (a few falling prey to unlucky mines and exploding) and smashing into the shields of the leading enemy ships. The first wave created gaps in their shields, which more warheads from the second wave (arriving only milliseconds later) exploited and widened, creating a gap through which the final wave poured, smashing into hull and sending pieces of the warships into space.

From the bridge of the Zen, well out of range of naval or planetary fire, General Vladameer sighed.

“Ready barrage two. Inform me if the Belgardi commander attempts contact.”

Now it was more than a simple waiting game. If the enemy came forward, they would lose the protection of their planetary guns. If they failed to do so, the Imperial fleet could continue to pound them from a distance. Eventually, the Belgardi fleet would have to succumb. The Empire could load and fire far faster than they could even attempt repairs

“Damage assessment is coming in now, General.” The report came from the sensor station. It was hardly necessary, though, with the flaming wreckage of two of the targeted ships visible even from the Empire’s position. Another of the ships, off to one side, had darkened, and it was clear as the remaining ships fell back that she was crippled, unable to move with the rest of the fleet.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Vladameer returned, offering a sigh. Those were relatively small ships, and if this was a Corporate fleet one could assume they were lightly crewed. But all of those deaths were caused by him. But if Belgardi hadn’t forced us to act… He shook his head. If the ORS had never taken Bespin in the first place. No. The blood shed here was on his hands. Too many families would be receiving depressing letters from family when this was all done.

No time now to dwell on that. What was done was done, and whatever might come would come.


The returning wave was expected, and with its relatively smaller numbers was easily shot out of the sky by the fleet’s antimissile cannons.

“Captain, are we still in missile range?” Vladameer ordered calmly, standing and striding down the command walkway, hands clasped behind his black.

“Negative, Sir. Maximum targeting range will be inside their planetary defense coverage.”

That was to be expected. But being within the gravity mass shadow of a planet the size of Bespin meant their own maneuverability would be severely restricted. There was no way the Belgrade fleet could gain an advantageous position over the Empire having retreated so far. They were, as the old adage went, stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“All right.” Vladameer said, observing the enemy formation carefully. They were lined up in a pretty basic defensive formation, close in to the planetary shield. “Form the fleet into a column.” He ordered.

It was a risky move. History had shown that a line was almost always better in open combat than a column – in the old days of field war lines of soldiers would stand and fire at one another until one of them had killed more of the enemy than the other. There was some irony in the fact that, as much as technology had changed in the thousands of years since then, tactics had not. Capital ship combat followed the same basic principle – two lines of ships would trade fire until one side had won.

The first rule of combat, the General thought, watching the rest of the fleet form behind the Zen, is to do the unexpected.

With his flagship in the lead, and the rest of the fleet tucked in to evade the fire from the enemy ground defenses, the Empire moved in. Shields were angled and strengthened, almost overlapping to envelope the whole of the flotilla in one protective shell. And the Starfury fighters, piloted remotely from the Star Avengers, provided rearguard action, buzzing about the rear of the fleet to intercept enemy fighters. The TIEs held in close, protected from enemy fire and mines by the bulk of the fleet.

“Entering the minefield now, General.” The weapons officer reported evenly. “Opening fire.”

Indeed, the antimissile turrets and laser cannons of the fleet were shooting off, easily intercepting the mines that came towards the fleet. The few that made it through this gauntlet impacted harmlessly against the shields, alone to weak to hurt the fleet.

“Time to firing range?” Vladameer asked, watching as the fleet drew closer to the Belgardi formation.

“Coming into effective range now, General.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant. All batteries, begin synchronized firing.”

With timing facilitated by the fleet’s Multi-XMAP networks, the guns began to fire, pouring trillions of terajoules of energy into the enemy forces.

“Prepare volley two.” Ordered the General, walking back from the viewports and taking a seat in his chair. “Target the enemy command cruisers.”