Breakfast was entirely tedious. Commander Ghent was retelling every combat encounter of the last six months and Captain Gandala was silently wondering how to make the coming murder look like an accident. The Baron’s wife was nearly bored back to sleep. Their two daughters were playing with small holopads and aubresh was racing across them. Gandala couldn’t tell the gaps between sending and receiving messages. Half the comm traffic on the ship was likely their chatter. Still, young Marek was eating up every word of the Commanders stories.
One of the girls looked up briefly with a complaint. “All everyone can talk about is the Emperor. Some stupid news or something. I just don’t care at all. Literally anything is more important than the Emperor. When are we getting off this stupid ship?”
The Baroness was about to scold her daughter when the subtle hum of the hyperdrive stopped. The girls didn’t notice but the Baron and the officers looked quizzically at each other.
The buzz of an alarm settled the confusion.
“All hands, prepare for action stations. All hands, prepare for action stations. This is not a drill.”
Marek’s eyes lit up. “Are we going into battle?!”
Captain Gandala stood up for the table. “Lt. Cmdr. Sarlin seems to have found something to hunt. The Commander and I will head to the bridge and see what’s happening.”
Marek jumped out of his seat. “The bridge has so many windows! We’ll see everything!”
Gandala sighed slightly. “Yes, you’ll have a great view.”
A moment later, Captain Gandala, Commander Ghent, the Baron, and Marek arrived at the bridge.
“Captain on deck!”
Agent Bastra was waiting for them on the bridge. Lt. Cmdr. Sarlin immediately started towards the Captain and greeted her with a salute.
“Status Report, Commander.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Distress call from a freighter. Seems to be pirates. Nothing too dramatic.”
Marek was nearly jumping. “Pirates! I can’t wait.”
Sarlin gave the child a clearly uncomfortable look and then returned his attention to the Captain. “We’ll arrive at engagement in a few minutes. Should be an easy cleanup. All stations are preparing.”
Commander Ghent leaned over to Marek. “Why don’t you come with me to the front where you’ll get the best view.”
The Baron stayed put beside Captain Gandala as they walked away. Commander Ghent’s attempt for some privacy for the Captain hadn’t worked.
“Lt. Cmdr. Sarlin,” Gandala said, “You’re due for some command experience. Take the lead on the engagement. The Commander and I will observe. This prize is yours.” She then added loudly to the whole bridge, “Lt. Cmdr. Sarlin has the conn.”
Captain Gandala gestured to the Baron and Agent Bastra to join her on the walk to the front of the bridge while Sarlin immediately walked the opposite direction to the back.
“Where is he going?” Baron Targ asked. “Shouldn’t he be at the front to command?”
“The Lt. Cmdr. ranked up through sensors and tracking and recently became a command officer. Experienced commanders will watch the battle from the front. They can visualize all the parts and keep a feel for the tempo of battle. Lt. Cmdr. Sarlin is still new and more at home staring at familiar sensors. He’ll lead from the holotable for now. Experience will bring him forward eventually.”
The automated alert voice rang out on the bridge again. “All hands, action stations. All hands, action stations. This is not a drill.”
At the front of the bridge, Commander Ghent was on one knee and explaining everything to Marek as fast as he could. “Listen to everything. The communication and orders are all spoken instructions. Everything will flow to and from the conn officer but the bridge staff will make decisions on their own too.”
“Captain!” Lt Fenik called out form Comms,” another distress call. Local garrison has a riot.”
“We’ll get there next.” Gandala responded. Marek’s smile got even bigger.
Lt. Cmdr. Sarlin arrived at the holotable and tried to muster his best command voice. “All stations, prepare for contact. By the book. Let’s call it out. Navigation?”
A long stream of bridge officers followed with their reports and Sarlin giving a response to each.
“90 seconds to arrival, sir. Limited reading on location so we’ll leave hyperspace at a distance. Outer limit of engagement range, sir.”
“Thank you, Nav. Bring us in steady on arrival. Sensors?”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Two hostiles reported in distress call, sir. Data on the scope matches. Two freighters, likely modified. Medium freighter designated Oscar. Smaller hostile designated Rodeo. Friendly designated Loyal. sir.”
“Thank you. Priority Oscar. Low intensity. Flight control?”
“Besh Squardon on CAP. Anvil squadron on ready. Redwing squadron on standby, sir.”
“Thank you, flight control. CAP 4. Loyal CAP 2. Launch orders: Anvil 2. Besh 2. Designate Outbound One. Target Rodeo.”
Marek jumped in. “What does all that mean? What are they doing?”
“TIE fighter instructions.” Commander Ghent responded. “CAP is the defensive patrol. Captain Gandala always has the squadron on CAP always launch first. Four fighters assigned to us and two will rush out to defend our freighter. Anvil Squadron is our bomber group. Redwing is a fighter squadron and they’re next if Besh is all deployed. 2 bombers with 2 fighters. He’s put them as an attack group and is sending them at the smaller enemy ship, the one he’s calling Rodeo. Once the CAP is out, those four TIEs will launch, form up, and move to attack. Launching a bunch from different squadrons is complicated but hanger deck sorts that all out.”
Lt. Cmdr. Sarlin continued moving down his line of reports. “Batteries?”
“Starboard Main is ready, Sir. Port Main is moments away.”
“Thank you. Weapons free on arrival. Target Oscar. Low intensity. Don’t strain the turbolasers on that garbage. Troopers?”
“Boarding platoon getting ready. Legion still isn’t fully unpacked. ETA 5 minutes to mounted in shuttle and ready to deploy.”
“Thank you, Sargent.”
Just in time, the swirling blue of hyperspace shifted into lines and then stars. Three ships were dead centre. The imperial freighter had a pirate on either side and was taking a beating. All the calm voices on the bridge picked up their intensity and volume.
“Sir, hostile shuttle in flight. Looks like we caught their boarding party before arrival. Designate Bantha.”
“Flight Control. Outbound one, target Bantha. Kill authorized. Launch Orders: Anvil two. Besh two. Designate Outbound two. Target Rodeo.”
“Confirmed, sir. Besh 10 of 12. Anvil 4 of 12. CAP is away. Outbound 1 forming.”
A pair of TIE fighters pulled around from either side and started a loop over top of the ship. Marek pointed at them as they came into view. Green streaks from the turbolasers began forming a path to one of the pirate ships. Silently, all of fighters and weapons went to their work and the chatter at the back of the bridge continued. The pirate ships both broke off from the freighter and started pulling in opposite directions. The Doomhammer was getting steadily closer to the battle and the scene was getting larger and larger. The large green bolts from the turbolasers were soon joined by flashes from TIE fighters moving in all directions. The pirates were scrambling and helpless.
“Captain!” Lt. Fenik called out again, “Another distress call. Sensor relay being raided.”
Ghent looked at Gandala with some confusion about why the day was suddenly so busy. Gandala just shrugged. A flash briefly lit beside the besieged freighter.
“Bantha down. Outbound 1 awaiting orders.”
Bastra turned to the rear of the bridge. “Lt. Cmdr. Sarlin! I could use local intel if you can keep a ship intact. I don’t care about prisoners.”
“Aye Aye, Ma’am. Main batteries, cease fire. Outbound 1, target Oscar. Disable. Kill not authorized. Secondary battery, target escape pods. Precision shots and avoid our fighters. Trooper command, launch boarding shuttle when ready.”
Almost on que, small escape pods started squirting out of the larger pirate freighter. Two blue streaks left some of the bombers and landed amidships on the smaller pirate, Rodeo. It snapped in half at the middle. Smaller explosions started running up and down the pieces of the hull as they drifted apart.
“Rodeo down. Awaiting orders.”
“Bomb the wreckage. Grind it to dust.”
“Roger that.”
“Boarding shuttle away.”
“Sensors show engine failure on Oscar.”
“Captain, request for assistance. Outpost governor.”
“Outbound 1 disengaging. Beginning holding pattern.”
“CAP Loyal reads all safe.”
The scene in front of the Doomhammer calmed down considerably. Small shots slowly rang out around the waist of the Star Destroyer. Each lit up a flash when it contacted an escape pod.
Lieutenant Sol Fenik, head of communications, ran up from a data pit towards Captain Gandala. His hand was shaking in his salute and his face was pale. “Captain. Priority message. Fleet HQ. CO eyes only. Appended is instruction for alert status one.”
The entire bridge staff fell dead quiet. Every officer turned to Captain Gandala. She paused to process. Alert status one was full scale invasion and war.
Commander Ghent broke the silence. “Alert Status One for 7th Fleet or Bothawui sector? We’re not officially attached to Bothawui yet.”
“All.. all of it. I mean.. Alert status is labelled as all fleets, sectors, and operational areas, Ma’am. Specified not a drill or exercise.”
Marek was tugging at the jacket of Commander Ghent but he was completely transfixed on the comms officer. “How the hell is the entire galaxy being invaded simultaneously?”
The comms station chimed in again. “The civilian holonet just went down.”
Captain Gandala pushed aside the overload by running protocol.
“Understood, Lieutenant Fenik. Lt. Cmdr. Sarlin, finish up the pirates. Following that, set alert status one across the ship. Inform the Colonel to prepare for ground action. Lieutenant Fenik, all non-essential comms are restricted and essential comms delayed pending for censorship. Contact Sector HQ and start pulling together a strategic map of all local battle groups, friendly and hostile. Comm...”
“Ma’am! The whole comm board is lighting up. Priority messages, 7th Fleet HQ and Sector HQ. Priority Message from the Grand Vizier on Coruscant. Request for assistance from governor in Sinta with local uprising. Distress call from garrison in Sev Tok. Distress call from supply depot in Nanth’ri. Priority message now arriving from Moff Vandreen. Two more distress calls.”
Commander Ghent was absolutely floored. “What the hell is happening? Sensors, do you read any hostile battle groups?”
“No, sir. We’re getting pings from the distress calls but it’s all small-scale stuff. No capital ships but our own in sensor range.”
Agent Bastra tapped Captain Gandala’s shoulder and held up her holopod. She kept an angle that nobody else could see as the Captain glanced through a small text of aubresh. The bridge officers all kept going with reports and the Captain froze for a moment.
“ENOUGH!” Gandala shouted. She took a deep breath to compose herself.
“Fenik, cut off all comms. Nothing in, nothing out. Ghent, you’re with Bastra and me in the briefing room. All of you, shut up and man your stations. Don’t speak a word of this to anyone. Sarlin, lock the Baron in his quarters and then nobody enters or leaves the bridge. Delay the next watch as necessary. And please kill all those pirates. Ghent, Bastra, you’re with me in the briefing room. We’ll take messages there.”