The Rebel Faction

“Sir. We exited hyperspace at the destination you requested. On the boundary of Mimban in the Outer Region. As we entered real-time space, there were several battleships waiting and they open fired. What are our orders?” A young crewman reported.
“Boost all shields up to maximum capacity. Send all fighters to destroy the life support systems and turrets on the battleships. All other soldiers and crew members are to be ready for transportation within several hours.” Colonel Livial ordered as the crewman noted the requests.
“Yes sir.” The crewman saluted and left to transfer the orders to the soldiers.

Colonel Livial was worried. He had expected this plan to be surprise and that he would face little opposition. This was not what he expected. Several large battleships firing upon this ship was not what Colonel Livial would call peaceful. He could hear the shields being boosted and he saw the turbo lasers from both Colonel Livial’s and the attackers ships. The attackers turbo lasers were deflected by the shield and Colonel Livial saw the fighters flying towards the battleships with fluency and skill.

He saw explosions and gunfire. Several of Colonel Livial’s fighters were being chased by B-Wings and the battleships of the attacker were under constant bombardment by the bombs that were dropped by the unmarked fighters. The rumbling of Colonel Livial’s ship engines roared into life as the ship moved forward at a slow pace. The turbo lasers of both his own and the attackers were firing at a constant rate and the fighters were flying at a masterful level.

Colonel Livial saw several large explosions to the left and realised that the engines of a battleship had been destroyed. He was pleased that the space battle success was within the grasp of Colonel Livial. He asked for a communication link to be set up between this ship and his fighters.

“Sir, the communications link has been created and we are now online.” The crewman said.
“Very good.” Colonel Livial said before returning to the battle.

He needed a battle plan. He couldn’t continue constant bombardment. His fighters would grow few and far if that was to continue. He needed to fool the attackers. He thought to himself. A diversion and retreat plan. Colonel Livial knew what to do.

All the fighters would divert towards the left of the battleships as if they were attempting to gain access to the planet. The main ships, meanwhile, would fake a retreat. The attackers would then lower their attack and the fighters would return to full bombardment attacks upon the life support systems and engines.

“Soldiers, I have a plan.” Colonel Livial said over the communication link. “All fighters must fly to the left of the battleships as though you were trying to access the planet’s atmosphere. The main ships, meanwhile will be faking a retreat.” Colonel Livial paused. “Once the battleships have stopped firing, return to immediate battle and continue bombardment.”

He ordered the ships to be turned around and he heard the engines rumbling under the weight and he saw the windscreen of the ship turning away from the battle. He noticed the fighters following his plan exactly. The battleships would soon stop their attack. As the ship lurched forward away from the battle, he realised that battleships had stopped firing. His plan had worked.

“All fighters return to battle, I repeat, all fighters return to battle.” Colonel Livial ordered. This would one of many battles that Colonel Livial would win.

He ordered the ships to turn again and fire at the battleships once the ships are in range. He knew that the life support systems would need to be destroyed using missiles. He ordered two missiles to be loaded and ready. The fighters were quickly back into action and the sound of engines exploding was heard from the battleships.

“Fire missile one.” Colonel Livial shouted.

The order was sent into the communication link and he saw the missile firing towards the main battleships underside. That was where the life support systems would be placed. He wondered whether he would be accurate in his plans and the battle would be won.

The battleships of the surrendering group were travelling away from the planet. Clearly, these people did not want to travel back to the planet. Who were the enemy? Where they the famous Coway? He doubted it. The Coway did not use battleships and used close combat. It must’ve been humanoids of some sort. Mimban must’ve been conquered by humans or humanoid before Colonel Livial had decided to take the planet.

“All fighters return to hangars. You have done well.” Colonel Livial spoke over the communication link.

As the ships flew into the hangar and landed, Colonel Livial ordered the ground shuttles to be ready within the hour. The planet would his within the next few days. He had to defeat the opposition that had settled on Mimban and the planet would then be his for the taking. It wouldn’t be to difficult. He could use politics and negotiation or he could use military force. He had fifteen thousand fully armed men beside him and that was a reasonable size for such a small planet. He would attempt negotiation first.

“Men, be ready for battle. I will be speaking with the leader of this planet’s army. I doubt that this planet has a government. If they refuse to allow us to take the planet without the use of force, I want you to assassinate the leader. Snipers should be posted in the treetops and I will give the signal for you to fire several shots.” Colonel Livial said to the fifteen thousand men that were stood before him.

These men would be the force that would conquer planets, in whose name though. This planet could be claimed for himself, or it could be claimed for the Germanican Grays, or it could be claimed for the Galactic Coalition. The army and ships had been provided by the Germanican Grays but the Galactic Coalition needed the planets. They were in a war.

He saw the marching troops walking towards the ground shuttles. They were laughing and talking, happy at the recent victory and it was clear that the army felt that the resistance that would be put together would be lacking in disciple and poor quality. These men were trained and organised. Success was definite.

As Colonel Livial walked towards one of the ground shuttles, he wondered about the resistance. Would they be as strong as the battleships that had surrendered in space? Would the resistance be waiting with weapons and soldiers as the ground shuttles entered the atmosphere? Only time would tell.

The ground shuttles lifted and exited the ships hangar. Colonel Livial had set up a communication link between the ground shuttles, himself and the ships. The troops would have immediate access to communication links via Colonel Livial. This would mean that he would know if there was any cause for concern. The ground shuttles moved forwards quickly. They were close to the planet’s atmosphere.

“Men, hold on and be ready.” Colonel Livial said before grabbing a handle.

As the shuttle entered the planet’s atmosphere, he saw evidence of a waiting resistance. Though the next few minutes would tell. The shuttles were lowering and lowering towards the planet’s surface. Suddenly, a missile flew past the shuttle and exploded causing a major disturbance. It looked as though the planet would have to be taken by force.

“Get these shuttles onto the surface as quickly as possible.” Colonel Livial ordered the pilots. “Men, be ready for instant action.” The soldiers roared in cheers and applause at the sound of battle. The characteristics of a true soldier; the pleasure of battle.

The shuttles struggled to control the ships as the missiles fired from the ground and the shuttles had their work cut out. Still, the shuttles were lowered to the ground and the doors were opened quickly. Soldiers rushed out the doors in arms and the sudden sound of gunfire was heard. Colonel Livial grabbed an automated blaster and ran out into the battlefield.

Shots and figure were spanned across the opening. The constant sound of gunfire was ringing in Colonel Livial’s ear and he knew that the battle for Mimban had begun. Colonel Livial searched for a place of cover and saw a large fallen tree that suited perfectly for silent shots.

A tall and strong man came from the far reaches of the camp and Colonel Livial realised that this man was the leader of the resistance. The man was dressed in appropriate dresswear and he seemed to have a powerful and menacing aura that emanated from his soul. As the man stood before Colonel Livial and looked him the eyes, Colonel Livial stared directly into the pupils of the man’s eyes and waited for a response.

Without blinking, the man said to follow him. Colonel Livial walked close behind the man and followed his ever footstep. He could see the destination where they were heading. A tall building at the centre of the camp. This must be his offices, Colonel Livial thought. As they came to the door of the building, the man took a set of keys from his pocket and opened the door.

They walked into the building and saw a spacious area. At the centre of the area was a large conference table and appropriate seating. Colonel Livial guessed this would be where the negotiation would begin. It was time for Colonel Livial to use his negotiation skills to the best of his ability. It would be a long evening.

“Please, take a seat.” The man said, offering a seat to Colonel Livial.
“Thank you.” Colonel Livial replied and sat on the offered seat.

The man moved around the table and took his place opposite Colonel Livial. This man seemed reasonable and intelligence. Perhaps the negotiations would not be as treacherous and tiring as Colonel Livial first thought to believe.

“Please, make your proposal for our people and I will assess the proposal.” The man said.
“Very well then.” Colonel Livial paused. “I and my troops wish to have this planet taken in peace. The lives of my troops and yours are of the utmost importance to me. No lives need be killed in the name of takeovers and such. Your men are free to stay on this planet in peace.” Colonel Livial paused in waiting, wondering whether the man would respond. “The planet would be taken in the name of the Germanican Grays, a small faction within the galaxy. The planet would have upgraded defence systems and troops would be positioned at key points. The planet would be developed into a commuting and prosperous place.” The Colonel paused again. “It is in my best wishes that this planet is developed into a strong and peaceful community, full of success and harmony. What is it that you want?” Colonel Livial asked.

The silence between the two men seemed long and dangerous. The heavy breathing that resonated from Colonel Livial’s nostrils caused the silence to seem even more dangerous and torturous. Just as Colonel Livial felt as though he would break, the man spoke in a soft tone.

“We want to be free from the threat of the Coway. We know where they are in hiding and we wish for the Coway to be destroyed as a species. Can you offer this?” The man said.
“If this is what it will take for a planet to be taken in peace, I accept.” Colonel Livial replied.
“Excellent, several of my men will act as guide to the Coway hiding place.” And with that, the man left without warning.

Several armed men walked towards Colonel Livial and they asked him to collect his troops. The battle, seemingly, was not over for the troops under the authority of Colonel Livial. As Colonel Livial and the armed men exited the building, Colonel Livial’s troops stood in a flanked formation in waiting. He ordered the troops to follow him in an defensive stance in the flanked formation. The soldiers responded quickly.

The armed men walked towards the end of the camp. A long and dusty road led away from the camp and it led to the mountains in the distance. Colonel Livial knew that the Coway hid in the caves on the side of the mountain. Colonel Livial had to find a way to destroy the Coway. Instant action would not work, the Coway were bred warriors. Missiles? Grenades?

As the armed men and Colonel Livial and his troops followed the dusty path, Colonel Livial wondered about the task that would need to be completed before the planet could be taken in peace. He would rather gain the respect of the people than take a planet in bitterness and spite. It was not in his honour to do such an action.

The commander sat in the same position as the previous meeting yet this time, there were no guards and a large document was on the table that separated the commander and Colonel Livial. The papers riffled as the commander took deep breaths and slowly moved his hand towards the paper. This was the contract that would officiate the control of Mimban by the Germanican Grays and allow the planet to be developed into an industrialised planet.

“The contract states that all control will be placed into the hands of your faction whilst allowing my troops to be positioned here as defenders of the planet. It also states that the planet will be under the control of your faction according to the agreement made between ourselves and that if the terms of conditions are breached, I will regain control of the planet. Do you agree to the terms?” The commander stated as he reviewed the contract.
“Indeed, I agree to the terms of conditions and I understand the policies that are stated by the contract. I will sign them immediately.” Colonel Livial said.
“Very well.” The commander said as he drew a pen from his pocket.

The commander brought the contract to his side of the table and flipped the pages to the places that needed signing. As each page was signed, a black cross was swept dotted line, signalling that the page needed to be signed by Colonel Livial. As the document was passed to him, he quickly flicked through the pages, reading the document and studying the small-print, seeing that all was well, he signed the necessary pages.

“And so the deed is done.” The commander said.
“Indeed.” Colonel Livial shook the commander’s hand and walked away from the table with the contract in hand.