Nine years, seven months, and two days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or forty-fourth year, seven months, and two days after the Great Resynchronization.
The New Republic considered its base "Dalgyr Outpost" completely secret. No wonder, considering that its location had been removed from most official sources of information. Even military reports from Coruscant did not include the coordinates or even the name of the planet where this outpost was located.
Captain Antonias Stormaer looked at the scout's hologram:
— Are you in position, Commander Rederick?
— Affirmative, — the man replied. Even from the white and blue glimmers of the volumetric projection, it was clear that the man was wearing camouflage fatigues, which allowed him and his soldiers to remain inconspicuous in the terrain surrounding the enemy object. — The enemy base has an impressive defensive arsenal, Captain. An Incom T-65 X-wing squadron, two freighters. Perimeter defenses - hidden firing points, but that's our problem. But the Merr-Sonn MX-10 missile launcher and the Merr-Sonn TX-2020 dual laser cannon that we discovered – these are what could cause problems for the 'Abyssal Fury' if you appear too early.
— How much time do you need to eliminate the anti-ship defenses? — Captain Stormaer asked in an unwavering voice. TX-2020... Frankly, a lousy turn of events. This ion cannon could disable a Star Destroyer with a single volley. And to be left with a disabled ship in orbit of a planet on the front lines of enemy territory, three days of flight from the enemy fortress planet of Yithor... That's not what he wanted to get during his first flight as commander of the first of the captured Star Destroyers to enter service.
— A couple of hours, Captain, — Commander Rederick said. — I have a plan on how to disable the defense system, the enemy fighter squadron, and the transports, to prevent them from escaping.
And that implies a large number of spoils.
"Spoils are always good."
— In that case, we'll wait for your go-ahead, Commander Rederick, — Antonias said, looking at the tactical monitor. The Imperial-I class Star Destroyer 'Abyssal Fury' was a few light-minutes from the borders of the nameless star system where Dalgyr Outpost was located... Far beyond the enemy's scanning systems, which predetermined the surprise of the attack. — One last question. Won't the New Republicans detect your transmission?
— For that, it is necessary to have working communication and short-range scanning systems, — the scout said. — And they've had major problems with that for about thirty-five minutes now...
***
The planet Agamar was a small world located in the Mirgoshir system, Lahara Sector, quadrant M-5. Overcoming such a distance is not difficult for the Chimaera and other starships equipped with Class 2 hyperdrives. Only time is needed...
The strategic value of Agamar is hard to overestimate. The planet is located near the hyperspace "crossroads" of Mirgoshir – the intersection of such important regional hyperspace routes as the Braxant Run and the Celanon Spur. This place is a key traffic point for passenger and cargo starships plying between the New Republic, the Imperial Remnant, the Ssi-ruuk Imperium, and the Five Worlds Commonwealth. From here, you can also begin your crusade towards the Morshdine and D'Astan sectors. Actually... From here you can get to any Imperial Warlord faction. Moreover - quickly and with the appropriate comfort provided by high-quality and well-studied hyperspace routes.
Despite the fact that Agamar is just one of slightly less than two hundred and fifty inhabited worlds in the Lahara Sector, its galactic location makes it one of the prominent regional worlds. However, for most developed planets of the Core Worlds, Agamar, despite its role as a major supplier of agricultural products, remains a backwater.
That is why there is no large fleet base here - only a small battle group, which is already fragmented by reports of attacks on nearby worlds and bases.
A few hours ago, when the Chimaera, the Valiant, and the Death's Head emerged from hyperspace following the Nemesis and its escort of all but one of the Strike-class medium cruisers we had at Tangrene, Task Force Besh under the command of Captain Schneider, having at its disposal the Valiant and the Death's Head, made its jump towards the next target. The largest of all that we intended to hit during the first phase of Operation Scarlet Dawn.
On Agamar, there was simply nothing left that could resist even a single Imperial Star Destroyer.
— Chimaera's transponder deactivated before transitioning to realspace, deflector shields are up, fighters and landing craft have left the hangar, — reported Admiral Pellaeon. — Communication channels are blocked.
— Initiate the launch of probe droids, — I ordered. — Project 'Morrt' is second priority.
— Yes, Grand Admiral, — Pellaeon said briskly. — An Agamarian patrol ship is approaching us. Destroy it?
— There is no need for that, Captain, — I said. — Send a text message to the patrol that we do not intend to start a slaughter here if they do not attempt to attack. We will deploy ground troops, take what we need, and depart. With the cooperation of local authorities - no harm will be done to anyone.
— Broadcast this message to the planet, Grand Admiral? — Pellaeon clarified.
— Absolutely, — I agreed. — If the commander of this ship has more courage than sense, the governor of Agamar will probably rein him in. Are all of the Chimaera's cargo bays ready to receive cargo?
— Yes, sir, confirmed Pellaeon.
— In that case, proceed as planned, — I ordered. — Captain. Don't forget to remind the ground team commanders that we are not requisitioning food, but purchasing it. This is not a pirate raid.
— Yes, sir.
In fact, we were only implementing one part of the plan. And not to say that it was not as important as the others.
If you compare the image of the planet from space, and the knowledge about it gleaned from the HoloNet, then Agamar became, in my understanding, one large village located somewhere in the temperate climate zone of mother Earth.
Warm and dry climate, most of the territories surrounding settlements are arable lands, where locals cultivated crops on a vast industrial scale. I don't know who that short-sighted sentient was who dubbed the planet as a world where it is difficult to survive - it does not correspond to reality at all.
Animal husbandry is particularly popular here - they breed a mammal called "mugrube". Stew made from the meat of this unpretentious and extremely prolific creature is considered by the locals to be something like an ordinary, everyday dish, but in most worlds of the galaxy it did not catch on. Nerf meat is another matter, which is highly valued for its taste. But breeding them is much more difficult and requires extensive knowledge in handling these animals. At least, this is indicated by the agricultural handbook that I studied when planning the operation to attack the agricultural planet. I won't speak about its reliability. But the closest analogue to Agamar is the planet Taanab. And to carry out an operation to fill the Chimaera's cargo bays with a large amount of food, it would be necessary to bring half of our fleet here. Unlike Agamar, which the New Republic largely doesn't care about, Coruscant will fight to the last soldier for Taanab, which feeds a good half of the Core Worlds. And most likely it will be the inhabitants of Taanab.
The history of this world is rather... mediocre.
Scientists of the Old Republic believed that Agamar was once part of the Rakatan Infinite Empire, but this is an unremarkable fact, as many worlds in the galaxy suffered a similar fate.
One way or another, but over time this world became part of first the Old Republic, and then the Galactic Empire.
The Clone Wars did not reflect on the planet in the best way. To begin with, the planet, and with it the entire Lahara sector, due to high taxes, left the Old Republic, contacting the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Republic was quick to respond, and it all resulted in a bloody Mirgoshir campaign, turning the planet from a backwater into a world... I don't even know what term is used in this galaxy to refer to "third world" planets. Usually compared to Tatooine...
In general, first the Separatists tested some weapon called "Dark Reaper" on the planet - as it turned out for me, it was an ancient Sith weapon, which, fortunately, was destroyed.
Then the Republic launched an offensive and landed on the planet... Oddly enough, but a historical fact - Republican heavy armored vehicles, walkers and tanks, collapsed local bridges, which caused the Old Republic to suffer more losses than during armed clashes.
In fact, it was the enormous destruction, which almost destroyed Agamar's agriculture, that led to the Lahara sector gladly welcoming the proclamation of the New Order. The locals, in their holy simplicity, obviously hoped that Emperor Palpatine would solve their problems... But to Imperial officials, this planet seemed unimportant. In fact, comparing the domestic policies of the Galactic Empire and the Old Republic, if we disregard the Imperials' desire to solve problems everywhere and always by force of arms, then... the difference is not that great.
The Empire, although it tried to maintain control over remote worlds, did not succeed in this. Problems multiplied, and in the end this resulted in the creation of the Agamarian underground. The movement attracted many who opposed Imperial rule, but saw no opportunity to have a real impact on galactic affairs. Simply for the very reason that they practically had no means for this - neither money, nor weapons, nor equipment... Assessing the prospect of an uprising, I would be ninety percent certain to say that local discontent would end very simply and very quickly - the locals would gossip and disperse, but...
The Empire sent a Star Destroyer to the planet.
The ship's commander declared the planet's inhabitants guilty of inciting rebellion and carried out a bombardment, leveling one of the cities to the ground. Most of the inhabitants were killed or seriously wounded. For reference - the city has still not been restored, and about twenty years have passed.
This foolish step led to the local population unequivocally taking a course towards friendship with the rebels. The latter took advantage of the situation, Mon Mothma flew here on a Mon Calamari star cruiser and delivered a passionate speech about joining the rebels. Considering that the impression of the orbital bombardment is unforgettable, the Agamarians joined the Rebel Alliance.
And... only after the fall of Zsinj's regime did this world join the New Republic. According to information on the HoloNet, the Coruscant government is now repeating the same mistake as the Empire - they are absolutely not interested in the affairs of the local population. In fact, the planet, and the entire sector, survive independently due to agriculture. According to the assessment of my fleet's analysts, in a few months, Agamar will begin to look for a way out to the Imperial Warlord factions. For one simple reason - they need sales markets, without which the planet will effectively remain at the level they have reached on their own. And now it is nothing more than a supplier of second-rate, but good quality food products, which are not in demand in most of the galaxy.
We are another matter - with the growth of the clone army, the amount of consumed products also increases. Not to mention that the operation to purchase food by the Chimaera shows the Agamarians our attitude towards them as potential trading partners. Agents who remain on the planet will "probe" the ground regarding agreements with the local government and the possibility of using this world as a food supplier. Secretly, of course. Probe droids and buzz droids from Project "Morrt", launched into orbit, will always warn us through a network of placed relays about the movement of large enemy forces and help track their course. And interception, in fact, is not so difficult...
However, in addition to purchasing food, two more goals need to be accomplished on Agamar.
The first is to obtain seeds of unpretentious local plants, the grain of which we are currently purchasing. Of course, these operations will be carried out by completely different ships - not Star Destroyers.
But the second goal... This is more delicate work.
The fact is that there is one place on the planet, thanks to which Agamar is not completely forgotten by the galaxy.
The local university is one of the largest in the region. And its faculty of xenoarcheology has been popular for many hundreds of years. If you look at their advertising banner on the HoloNet, you can learn that specialists from this educational institution have long and fruitfully cooperated with the Jedi Order, helping them in the study of new life forms and the study of ancient ruins throughout the galaxy.
Why have Luke Skywalker and representatives of the progressive wing of the New Republic led by Leia Organa Solo not yet visited here?
It's all simple. As I already said - the New Republic, like the Empire, doesn't care about this world. And for the last thirty years, xenoarcheology has not been particularly popular in a continuously warring galaxy.
And perhaps it is also the case that the advertising banner of Agamar University with the small print "...participated in excavations on the planet Ossus..." still means absolutely nothing to Luke Skywalker and the New Republic.
***
The name of the volcano, in the depths of which, in a network of natural and construction-equipment-laid caves and tunnels, the New Republic outpost was located, was called "Mount Deldarca".
It was by this name, casually dropped by one of the military advisors in the presence of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who had already become legendary among military intelligence scouts, that a small analytical intelligence department was able to discover the coordinates of Dalgyr Outpost. Who would have thought that information obtained during a forgotten raid into the Obroa-skai system could be useful for extracting data on the location of a secret enemy base.
After that, Rederick began to look at the analysts of Grand Admiral Thrawn's staff in a new way. "And they just sat there, freeloaders, analyzing, analyzing data endlessly... One wonders, why does Grand Admiral Thrawn need information about the bases of Imperial fleet ships and the comparison of data on destroyed and captured Imperial starships?" The analysts themselves are not enthusiastic about what they have to do, but they do their job properly. "Maybe that's how Thrawn finds targets for attack?"
Commander Rederick could not give a reliable answer. And it is unlikely that anyone else except the Supreme Commander possessed all the information.
Now, the scout and the assault team were more concerned with the covert infiltration into the territory of Dalgyr Outpost. An interesting fact - the intelligence and sabotage group did not know that this outpost got its name in honor of a rebellious warlord who founded this place, until under the cover of a meteor shower they landed on the planet and captured a local technician repairing the long-range communication system.
Oh, this guy told a lot before he "slipped and fell into a ravine." At least, this is the version of the technician's death put forward by the base command, which sent out a search party. Rederick could only roll his eyes when he realized that the enemy was not even going to examine the site of his comrade's death - they only agreed on the opinion that it was necessary to repair the communication system damaged by a fallen meteorite, and to retrieve the body of the deceased. Not the slightest suspicion that all this could be part of sabotage, and the antenna was destroyed by a directed charge, and not by a space boulder that happened to be underfoot for the group.
Leaving one squad to observe a dozen rescuers and repairmen, Rederick and the remnants of the group moved out after the Republicans retreating to the base, noting the early warning systems and disabling them. "Careless behavior!" It's good that the enemy is filled with self-importance about their own security - it makes the job easier.
From intelligence data reported by the technician before he went on his lethal flight, Rederick knew that Dalgyr Outpost was staffed by New Republic personnel from all major units. Therefore, it is better not to engage in open confrontation - there are ten times more guards here than the number of saboteurs. But no one said that only former rebels learn from their mistakes?
Due to the great distance of the fortress planet Yithor from most of the planets that the local sector fleet should protect, the enemy uses old Rebel Alliance bases as staging grounds for patrol forces and rapid reaction detachments. Dalgyr Outpost is one of such secondary bases. But since "nothing happened" in the zone of responsibility of this base, and the base on Yithor reacts to all attacks in the sector, it never occurred to anyone that in reality everything is far from rosy. The lack of a working communication system did not allow the base personnel to learn about the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet, so they still did not suspect what awaited them.
The main source of energy for this base is a geothermal power station, thankfully the smart guy who created this outpost figured out to take advantage of natural resources. But this achievement is clearly dubious. Being located in the caldera of a volcano, this outpost was subjected to periodic earthquakes. Cases of poisonous gas emissions from the bowels of the smoking mountain were also not uncommon. Personnel used respirators to protect themselves from poisoning, and magnetic atmospheric shields and airtight doors were also located throughout the base - a safety principle that was used on large starships to prevent decompression of the entire ship from a single breach. In the same way - with the help of an atmospheric energy shield - the hangars were protected from the influence of vacuum... In general, the rebels used maximum imagination to equip this base.
To remove poisonous gases from the life support system, as well as to prevent the accumulation of critical pressure, the enemy equipped a large-diameter ventilation shaft. Given the peculiarities of volcanic activity, when along with the gas a decent-sized piece of rock could also fly out, which would turn all the equipment inside the ventilation shaft into scrap metal, and also drive you crazy with endless alarms... In addition, the builders intended to use the ventilation system as an alternative way of evacuation or penetration into the main hangar, designed for a couple of medium freighters delivering supplies for the base and the X-wing squadron. So the rebels installed here no more than the same atmospheric shield and a couple of airtight bulkheads to protect against emergencies.
Dalgyr Outpost.
Freighters were currently absent at the base - one had left a few days ago for supplies to replenish the food depot, and the second was sent to Yithor by the base commander for repairs. The situation was perfect for a strike.
Using the closed filtration system of their armor suits, the sabotage and reconnaissance group descended through the ventilation shaft directly to the hangar level. Waiting for a moment when their penetration would go unnoticed, the Imperials found themselves inside.
Thanks to the data obtained from the technician, the Imperials were perfectly oriented at the base. Finding the fuel droids, which could fill the empty fuel tanks of the X-wings in just a couple of minutes before the battle, was not difficult. Just as it was easy to interfere with their program.
On the one hand, New Republic technicians were doing the right thing and acting according to Imperial instructions - keeping the tanks of their fighters with a minimum fuel reserve. In the conditions of high temperature and dry climate inside the base, which even life support systems could not cope with, it is incredibly difficult to maintain the necessary chemical properties of the liquid fueling the engines of starfighters. Therefore, it is preferable to store it until the moment of departure in a dozen fuel droids, which are equipped with expensive fuel preservation systems. And on the other hand - blindly copying Imperial technological safety protocols is a great stupidity, since the Imperials themselves are familiar with them no less, and even better than the New Republic technicians. And there are always a couple of tricks to prove it... For example - limiter bolts, which temporarily disabled the astromech droids. Which allowed them to prolong their incognito.
Next, the geothermal power plant was next. It was she who supplied power to the weapons systems - the missile launcher and the twin ion cannon. The first could cause big problems for Imperial pilots, and the second - directly for the carrier ship. It took a lot of work to remain unnoticed and implement the plan. Fortunately, night reigned on the planet, and it was not difficult to outsmart the guards who were constantly nodding off.
Rederick, already during the operation to infiltrate the enemy's energy system, having weighed all the "pros" and "cons", took a calculated risk. According to the plan, the 'Abyssal Fury' was supposed to wipe this base off the face of the planet - a small orbital bombardment and the volcano will awaken, burying everything that the rebels built under it. But those who will investigate what happened may find traces of intervention. So the reason why Rederick and his group, immediately after the operation on Mandalore, were transferred here by personal order of the Grand Admiral, became clear as soon as, having eliminated the sentries, the saboteurs penetrated into the operational center of the New Republic base.
Not only was the central computer undamaged during the capture, but it also had a connection directly to the enemy's military system. Of course, the New Republic will almost immediately detect illegal access to databases - if they are not completely idiots, then they have equipment and software that analyzes the "digital footprint" of computers. The Grand Admiral bet directly on the capture of the entire equipment - that's why he demanded that the attack on this base remain secret. That's why it was necessary to disguise everything as a suddenly awakened volcano... But digging into the power supply systems, Commander Rederick found a wonderful loophole...
— We're extracting the central computer, — he ordered over the internal comm. With the speakers in his helmet turned off, he could shout at the top of his lungs inside his armor - no one around would even stir, as they would not hear anything.
It took just over ten minutes to remove the data block, the size of a human head, and key elements of the communication system. To hide the traces of their penetration and the removal of information carriers - just as much. And to install remote-detonation mines where they cannot be noticed and neutralized in time... During this time, the saboteurs got rid of the corpses, throwing them beyond the magnetic screen into the lava flows. The smells will not reach the nostrils of the sleeping garrison anyway. But a baradium charge, mounted at a certain angle, will definitely make itself known in the near future.
They got out the same way they came in, finishing off another patrol along the way. Rederick did not feel sorry for them - what would soon happen at the base itself is much worse than instant death from a sharp blade blow to the base of the skull.
— Leave the corpses, — Rederick ordered, seeing that the fighters were beginning to look for places to hide the dead bodies from early detection. — Their awakening will happen very soon. They should have no doubt that a sabotage group has been here.
There was no point in disabling the communication systems of the X-wings - one look at the machines was enough to understand that these were starfighters of almost the first generation, for which a long range of communication systems was not provided. Actually, it was probably for this reason that the captured technician said that the command was very worried about the operation of the communication system of the outpost itself. Or maybe it was just that the damaged antenna encrypted signals better and thereby did not allow the location of the object to be detected, unlike the installations on board the X-wings. There was no time to figure this out.
After Rederick's squad got to the surface in the same way they came, the commander gave an order to the second group. Having received confirmation of the capture of New Republicans outside the base, the scout opened a communication channel with the 'Abyssal Fury'.
— You can begin, Captain Stormaer. This base and its defensive systems will not pose much of a problem for you. Transmitting detailed information...
***
— Any news, Captain? — I inquired, continuing to study the data arriving from Coruscant over the past day. 'Source Delta' continued to supply information directly from the Imperial Palace without interruption. I reviewed what pertained to the current situation, while the rest, concerning gossip, discussions of other people's mistresses, deals, lobbying tactics for the interests of various conglomerates and manufacturers, I forwarded to the analytical department. Which was to be expanded from the upcoming batch of clones.
— Yes, Grand Admiral. — Pellaeon said. — Lieutenant Tschel has successfully completed the food purchases. He has established contacts with several enterprises — they are at least interested in supplying us with grain and other products. In exchange for Republic credits.
— We have the latter, — I said. — And in large reserves. Just like Imperial credits, I should note.
— One and a half billion of both types of credits, — Gilad confirmed in an overly sharp tone. It seems something is about to happen. — Now your flagship has about thirty-five thousand tons of grain, capable of growing almost through stone. If desired, we can eat various grain options for all six years of autonomy specified by the manufacturer.
Only a completely foolish person, or someone deaf in both ears, could fail to hear the irritation in his voice.
— This is part of Operation Scarlet Dawn, Captain, — I said. — And you were one of the few who were most privy to it.
— I understand and accept that, Grand Admiral, — Gilad sighed. — But every storage room of mine is crammed with sacks of grain. In the boatswain's stores — cages with some fluffballs! The stench on the star destroyer is simply unimaginable! I will soon have to issue respirators to the crew so they don't see them turning their meals out directly onto the deck. And this grain too... The sacks they gave it to us in seem to have been produced in the times before the Clone Wars! Grain is scattered across all the decks! Sir, there is a limit to everything. I ask you not to turn my Star Destroyer into a barnyard!
Tearing my gaze away from the monitor, I looked at the commander of my flagship destroyer. Despite his restraint, Pellaeon's pursed lips and deep breathing now spoke volumes about the man's irritation.
— Your feelings are understandable to me, Captain, — I said. — After the completion of the operation, the Chimaera will be put in order.
— Sir, may I ask a question? — Pellaeon inquired.
— Permission granted.
— What is the point? — the commander of the flagship Star Destroyer inquired. — Baron D'Asta is ready to supply us with grain and other food products in large volumes according to per capita consumption rates. Why do we need another supplier of agricultural products?
— The problem is precisely in the rates, Captain, — I said. — The personnel of the armed forces are growing every day. Food consumption is increasing. And this gives our ally the opportunity to have an idea of the size of our armed forces. Down to the thousands of people. Based on this, you can draw your own conclusions.
— This information is invaluable to our enemies, — Pellaeon frowned. — Forgive me, sir, I hadn't thought about that. I thought it was all about you wanting to gain influence over Agamar and its allies.
— That too, Captain, — I said.
— But you said that any territory that sympathizes with you will be attacked by Palpatine... — Pellaeon reminded me. — And his... henchmen... Do you want to direct the mad Emperor to worlds loyal to us?
— I will do everything to prevent this from happening, — I said. — We do not intend to throw allies around. Therefore, the contacts are unofficial. Those who want to cooperate with us will do so secretly, so as not to become victims of subsequent repressions. Palpatine himself may not care about individual worlds, but specific individuals — moffs, governors, and others... They will definitely be attacked.
— So, you are planning to put Moff Ferrus in the line of fire? — Pellaeon became wary.
— I had no such thought, — I winced. — Captain, Felix Ferrus is a pragmatic manager. He has already suffered at the hands of the Ubiqtorate, which effectively abandoned his sector due to sympathies for my activities. If we also turn away from those who became victims of the regime because of such antics of short-sighted Imperials — we will have no opponents left.
— Sir, forgive me, but I don't understand...
— Our open allies will go with us, Captain, — I said. — Wherever we go before Palpatine's return. These people and representatives of other races will follow us, if they, of course, wish to. However, ask yourself the question, Captain — what will we feed our supporters with?
— Even what we collected on the Chimaera will not be enough to feed a large number of sentients, — the Star Destroyer commander said after thinking.
— Really? — I clarified.
— Of course, — Pellaeon said confidently. — Even if the grain is processed into flour, it will be... Not that much. Of course, if we do not intend to hide for more than a month or two, Grand Admiral.
— A year, maybe two, — I voiced the estimated time frame.
— In that case — the Chimaera's supplies will not be enough for such a journey, sir, — Pellaeon stated. — Of course, if we make supplies on all ships, then... but again — these are sublimates, which will start to nauseate in a few months.
— That is why, Captain, grain, as well as other agricultural goods, will be purchased not at all for consumption, — I explained.
— Um... Sir, what else can be done with them? — Pellaeon was surprised.
— Plant them in fertile soil and wait for the harvest to rise, — I voiced my thoughts. — What did you say? "Now your flagship has about thirty-five thousand tons of grain, capable of growing almost through stone"? This means that the seeds are resistant to adverse external environments and can grow in a climate different from Agamar's.
— Oh, — Pellaeon only said. — I hadn't thought about that, sir. I apologize for my outburst...
— Let's move on to other matters, Captain, — I said. — Has Captain Dorya already inventoried the equipment available in the warehouses of base RZ7-6113-23?
— Yes, sir! — Gilad replied briskly. — As you indicated — this is a warehouse of outdated equipment from the time of the Old Republic and the first decade of the Empire. AT-TE walkers, AT-AP walkers, AT-XT walkers, light reconnaissance AT-RT walkers, Phase I and II clone trooper armor, as well as Katarn-class commando armor used by clone commandos, LAAT/i gunships and their cargo modifications LAAT/v transports and LAAT/c carriers, AV-7 anti-vehicle cannons, a full line of DC-series blaster rifles, including special modifications, heavy repeaters, grenade launchers, launchers, artillery platforms AT-PTs, SPHA walkers, UT-ATs, AT-HEs, AT-OTs, BARC speeders, 74-Z speeder bikes, Juggernaut A4s and A5s, huge reserves of ammunition, tibanna, energy cells for weapons... A huge number of Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighters, Nimbus-class cloud cars, V-19 Torrent starfighters, Delta-7 Aethersprite-class interceptors and Eta-2 Actis-class interceptors, a significant number of BTL-series Y-wing starfighters and ARC-170 starfighters... Several experimental models of equipment that have not yet been identified from the archives and obviously have not gone into series production...
— Didn't get out of breath listing all this, Captain? — I inquired, curiously observing the Chimaera's commander.
Gilad, touching his throat, reddened from lack of oxygen during the previous tirade, lowered his eyes in confusion.
— I apologize, Grand Admiral, — he said, biting the edge of his mustache. — It's just, when I saw all these names, my blood boiled... I went through the entire Clone Wars, literally saw these weapons in battle with my own eyes, I know their destructive power... Sir, I apologize for my hot-headedness, but... There's enough equipment there for a whole systems army! It's...
— Is this what remained or what was always stored at this base? — I asked a more pressing question.
— A fifth of the total volume of warehouses, — Pellaeon said. — In fact, there is all the equipment that was used during the Clone Wars by the Grand Army of the Republic. I... didn't list everything, but the volumes available in the warehouse are actually impressive. It took years to fill such a storage facility — after all, this equipment was withdrawn from use not in huge batches, but in small ones. Fleets, armies were re-equipped, but not system or sector armies overnight...
— Which leads us to the idea, Captain, that our opponent possesses a much larger amount of this type of property, — I said. — If they also have people to whom they can distribute all these weapons, then we have a significantly stronger enemy compared to what Krennel or other relatively small Imperial Warlords have at their disposal.
— The number of opponents, both overt and potential, is increasing with frightening prospects, — Pellaeon said in a subdued voice. — Sir, we urgently need to get about half a million sentients somewhere to fill all the vacancies on the fleet's ships. Otherwise, all the starships that we are now repairing and preparing to put into service are nothing more than scrap metal, which is problematic even to take out of the Morshdine sector.
— I completely agree with you on this, Captain, — I said. — We used our reserve of B1 battle droids to ferry and guard orbital repair docks, orbital defense stations, Mon Calamari cruisers and those Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers that you ordered to be repaired in the Suzeferri asteroid belt. There is simply nowhere else to get them from. And the elevation of Prince-Admiral Krennel to your laurels deprives us of allies — the same Baron D'Asta postponed a meeting with you that was supposed to take place a few days ago, the Moff of the Antemeridian sector also stopped bothering Moff Ferrus regarding a meeting with you...
— The Baron needs more time to understand exactly where his spies, who were infiltrated onto the ships of our fleet, have disappeared, — I explained. — As do the other Imperial Warlords. Now they have become silent, as they believe that our aggression will be directed against them for such activities.
— Has Lieutenant Colonel Astarion ascertained the affiliation of the spies? — Pellaeon clarified. — Quite quickly...
— It is not difficult for someone who knows their job, — I revealed. — Most of the spies are from the Imperial Remnant and the Five Worlds Commonwealth. Moffs from other sectors sought to be aware of everything that was happening. So, the actions taken to eradicate informants from among the Imperials are playing into our hands.
— And how exactly does possessing this information benefit us, sir? — Pellaeon inquired. — Of course, if it's not a secret.
— Not at all — no, — I shrugged. — It seems to the Moffs who sent their people to us that in this way they will be aware of the situation. But in reality, they are only making it clear to me and the entire fleet that there is no trust in us.
— And what will possessing this information give us, sir? — Pellaeon inquired.
— A lot, Captain, — I involuntarily smiled. — It depends on how exactly to deploy the information received, and how exactly to present it to our subordinates.
Pellaeon was silent for a few seconds, digesting the information. Then, grinning, he cheered up.
— Oh, I feel this will be a grand performance, sir.
— No theatrics, Captain, — I said. — At the right moment, we will only make it clear to the junior officers and рядовые that there is no one among the Imperial Warlords who truly supports us.
— Hmm, and what if by this time a brave soul is still found who wants to become your ally? — Pellaeon inquired. — Baron D'Asta is a very promising candidate in this regard. Especially since the spies he sent are some of the workers at the shipyards that we captured at Haste. Perhaps they were spying not on you at all, Grand Admiral...
— If we still get allies among those who sent spies into my fleet, — I said slowly, — then the conversation with them will be tough. But substantive. What worries me much more is something else entirely, Captain...
— What exactly, sir? — Pellaeon inquired.
I silently pushed towards him the datapad on which I was studying a report on the results of the interrogation of one of the spies operating in Moff Ferrus's administration. And he had access to very significant secrets...
— Hmm... he died when they started interrogating him, — Pellaeon said, frowning. — How can one judge from this, who exactly does this spy belong to?
— Read the results of the body autopsy, Captain, — I advised. — Next page.
The Chimaera's commander swiped the electronic page with his hand and immersed himself in reading...
After he finished, he raised slightly bewildered and largely frightened eyes to me:
— Is this accurate, sir? Not the autopsy data, but the expert's conclusion regarding where such implants were used in the past...
— I personally verified these conclusions with the archives we have, Captain, — Gilad, wiping large drops of sweat that had appeared on his forehead with his sleeve. — This person works for Ysanne Isard.
— But Thyferra, Lusankya, — the commander of the Imperial Star Destroyer with a long service record in the hottest spots of the galaxy said almost plaintively. — Sir, she's dead...
— I'm afraid not, Captain, — I said calmly. — And there is a suspicion that she is behind the disappearance of Mol Khimron's group on Mandalore.
— If so, if she is acting against us, then we have big problems, — Pellaeon literally whispered.
— Even the very fact that she is aimed at finding, capturing, and transferring her flagship, the Lusankya, to the Reborn Palpatine already makes her our enemy, — I said. Seeing how Captain Pellaeon's eyes darted around, I added:
— Most likely, dealing with her will be more difficult than with all other opponents combined...
— If at all possible, — Gilad said in a completely defeated tone, finally losing the remnants of cheerfulness.
***
When the first explosions sounded, the personnel of Dalgyr Outpost were in pre-dawn slumber. Sleep before waking is the sweetest. It is it that is remembered after waking up...
But what the New Republic soldiers, pilots, and technicians saw when they woke up turned out to be much more impressive than their own dreams...
— Command center destroyed! — a cry reached them, coinciding with another explosion. A man running towards the barracks was caught off guard by the shock wave. Fragments of the interior, stone rubble, and the energy of the explosion turned a recently living person into a disfigured piece of meat, stuffed with foreign objects.
Another explosion in the far part of the base finally tore the veil of slumber from people, after which absolutely everyone understood the seriousness of what was happening.
The lighting went out. Every corridor of the base, every room, every small nook was deprived of artificial light. Lamps powered by an emergency generator flashed on, but they soon faded too — a small explosion disabled them, and the reserve power capacity was lost.
— Gases! — someone yelled.
— Life support is not working!
— Magnetic shields are deactivated!
Any representative of any sentient civilization is quite an intelligent and sensible being. Exactly until several individuals form a crowd. But it — this is a crazy, merciless, devoid of rational thinking and sound judgment herd of primitive animals, driven only by instincts.
And now, in the head of every first Republican serviceman, only one instinct was beating: "Run!", "Escape!", "Save your life!".
For those who did not understand what the location of the base in the depths of a volcano could be dangerous, when all means of protection fell, and there was not the slightest possibility to power the reactors due to their absence, and the communication center was destroyed — even if the long-range communication antenna was repaired, the baradium charge clearly demonstrated the full seriousness of the situation, when a powerful explosion, which collapsed several floors, opened the way for volcanic matter into the bowels of the doomed outpost...
— To the hangar! — someone in an orange pilot's jumpsuit yelled. — Prepare fighters for takeoff!
All that is needed to organize a panicking crowd is the presence of a commander. Given that the base commandant is obviously dead — a fire was raging in the place of his rooms now — the X-wing pilots took command.
Slipping past the exploded armory, the shock wave and debris of which had killed a good third of the base personnel, the survivors finally found themselves in the hangar... If at least one of the freighters were here, it would be possible to try to evacuate everyone, but not now. Seeing the fuel spreading across the landing pad from the frantically binarically blaring fuel droids, the crowd remembered that the vehicles are generally single-seaters, and other means of escape are unavailable.
— Pilots — to your ships! — ordered the squadron commander.
— Hey! — the cry of one of the workers reached him. — What about us?
— Get out through the hangar doors! — the pilot waved his hand, climbing the ladder into the cockpit. — Where are the astromechs?!
— Yes, there's lava there! — someone from the base personnel squealed, demonstrating a fiery waterfall flowing from the depths of the mountain under the lower part of the landing deck. Two dozen sentients who manually unlocked the massive hangar gates with eloquent facial expressions indicated their full solidarity with the main mass of outpost employees.
— De-energized! — a cry reached them from the corner of the hangar where the droids were stored. — Knocking down the limiter bolts!
— There's little fuel in the tanks! — a cry swept through the hangar.
— What should we do?! — the crowd did not calm down.
— Ventilation shaft! — an idea dawned on someone, but not the squadron commander. The squadron commander himself was now busy watching the placement of his R2 astromech inside the docking socket.
— Everyone get out of the base! — a heart-rending cry rang out. — Lava is almost in the hangar!
— Take off! — roared the squadron commander. There was no time for the wordy squabbles so beloved by pilots. Very soon, the molten rock will reach the puddles of fuel, and then the hangar will turn into an oven.
Vehicles with characteristic fuselages took off one after another from the hangar opening. The tactical frequency of the squadron was filled with cries from pilots reporting critically low fuel levels in the tanks. The reactors were about to stall — no more than five minutes of flight remained. This safety measure, borrowed from the Empire, allowed pilots to take out vehicles in case of a major threat and hide them either in orbit in the bowels of ships, or drive them several tens, or even hundreds of kilometers away from the base, land on any suitable surface and hide.
— I'm landing! — sobbed one of the pilots. — Engines are about to stall!
— Me too!
— Mine are about to fail too!
— Going for a forced landing to the northwest...
Panic reports poured in one after another... The young squadron commander tried to figure out what to do in the current situation, and could not find the right answer. Stay on the ground — then they will be taken prisoner, because there are definitely Imperials somewhere nearby who arranged all this. After all, the base could not have exploded on its own?!
— Star Destroyer in orbit! — the excited voice of one of the pilots reached them.
— TIE interceptors are escorting landing craft!
— Engine failure! Gliding!
— Everyone — go for a forced landing, — the squadron commander said with tears in his eyes and bitterness in his heart. — Run as far as you can so that the Imperials don't catch you!
Engaging in battle in such conditions, when even his astromech was whistling at the top of its lungs, warning that the X-wing's engines could not run on fuel vapor, seemed like madness.
A dozen X-wings scattered across the area. But the pilots did not manage to escape — stormtroopers, jumping out of the bowels of transport shuttles with jetpacks on their backs, knew their business clearly. Five minutes after landing, all the pilots were captured and could personally observe how the Imperials, with the help of small ships, were dragging a dozen undamaged X-wings from the surface. The Republican pilots were only heartened by the fact that each of them had managed to format the memory of their astromechs and onboard computers. The Imperials will not get any of the secret information from this base...
And on the crest of a long-cooled volcanic vent, climbing out of a spacious ventilation shaft, a hundred and fifty people, leaving behind three times more corpses of their comrades who died during the explosions, burned in the hangar or suffocated from the smoky room, to their surprise saw that they were surrounded by a dozen armed sentients in camouflage armor of clearly Imperial design. The faint hope for a breakthrough that had appeared in the minds of the sentients who managed to take weapons out of the burning base faded almost immediately as three Sentinel-class landing craft appeared. Under the threat of quick reprisal from ship guns, the New Republic outpost soldiers called Dalgyr Outpost obediently laid down their weapons and surrendered to Commander Rederick.
On the second day of implementation, Operation Scarlet Dawn approached the culmination of the first phase.
***
The holographic figure flickered several times before gaining clear outlines, resulting in the contours of Lieutenant Colonel Astarion, head of the security service of the armed forces subordinate to me. There was no point in looking for the cause of a possible equipment malfunction — the system was working perfectly. It's just that, despite millennia of such a method of communication as a holographic projector, now and then, annoying incidents happened.
In my case, the reason for the unstable signal was precisely that the Chimaera was in hyperspace, moving to rendezvous with Task Force Besh. It will take a long time to catch up with Captain Schneider, but who knew that we would manage on Agamar in such a short time? And we didn't even have to engage in battle with local forces...
— Report the situation, Lieutenant Colonel, — I demanded.
— Operational work to identify enemy informants on fleet ships is being carried out in accordance with the plan, — Astarion said. — Encrypted communication sessions, as well as unauthorized data transfers, have been analyzed. All opponents have been discovered and localized by the forces of the fleet's own security personnel. The prisoners have been delivered by separate starships to Tangrene, where appropriate "work" is being carried out with them.
— Excellent, Lieutenant Colonel, — I said. — Is anyone showing additional interest in Agent Ysanne Isard?
— Not at all, sir, — the counterintelligence officer objected. — He is of absolutely no interest to anyone. Could it be that you were mistaken when someone thought that in this way you could force Isard's real agents to reveal themselves?
— They will definitely reveal themselves, — I said. — At least in order to find out who of them was actually "cracked" by the security forces. So this operational provocation is exactly what we need.
— As you command, sir, — Astarion agreed. — May I ask a question, Grand Admiral?
— Permission granted.
— Is Ysanne Isard really alive, or have you decided to resurrect the image of the bloodthirsty Iceheart in your own interests? — Astarion inquired with obvious hope for a very specific answer.
— Alive, Lieutenant Colonel, — I said calmly. — We are only launching a preemptive strike against her...
And we are successfully legitimizing those crumbs of information that I could remember about this bloodthirsty woman. As Pellaeon said — there are indeed many opponents. And one of them, using the "head start" of her alleged death, cannot be allowed to continue to strike me from under the table.
— Nothing can be entrusted to the New Republic, — Astarion admitted with a bitter smile. — Now we will try to get rid of her on our own.
— Continue the search for the Imperial flight base, which was armed with TIE Defender squadrons, — I ordered, clearly remembering that it was thanks to these rare vehicles that the heterochromic woman distracted the attention of Rogue Squadron and the entire New Republic to deal with Prince-Admiral Delak Krennel, while she and her entourage were engaged in an attempt to hijack the fully repaired Lusankya... Analysts were working in this direction as well, but so far no major progress in solving this puzzle was foreseen. As in the discovery of the Lusankya itself.
— Yes, sir, — Lieutenant Colonel Astarion said gloomily. One glance at this brave employee of the Imperial Security Bureau was enough to understand how reluctant he was to cross the path of Iceheart.
After the counterintelligence officer's hologram faded, I sat in complete silence for some time, listening to the barely audible hum of the Imperial Star Destroyer's mechanisms.
And I pondered whether I had gone too far with the provocation of creating "Agent Ysanne Isard". I categorically disliked leading allies by the nose, among whom I already included Captain Pellaeon.
At the same time, on the other hand — I really did not want to get a knife in the back from this dame with multi-colored eyes.
And when it comes to Ysanne Isard, hoping for a "face-to-face" battle was clearly out of the question.
All I could do now was try to outwit the former Director of Imperial Intelligence, playing on her own field of deception, intrigue, and espionage.