Author - Listening to Hoes Depressed by Thot Squads as I am writing this, anywho give me reviews, comments, chapter coments, likes, subscribes, kudos, power stones whatever, better yet send me a fuck ton of ibuprofen my heads killing me.
P.S - I thought about making this a chapter where Kael gets betrayed but every iteration I made was just edgy or cringe and as I thought it was just unnecessary angst and all. I did not set up the betrayal at all in first place so no fucking point. (I made already like 4,000 words but scrapped it lmao)
P.P.S - from here on out its no longer day by day slog the story will be ramping up
P.P.S.H - PPSH refers to the PPSh-41 (Pistolet-Pulemjot Shpagina), a Soviet submachine gun used extensively during World War II, designed by Georgi Shpagin in 1941. It is renowned for its high rate of fire and 71-round drum magazine.esigned by Georgi Shpagin in 1941. It is renowned for its high rate of fire and 71-round drum magazine. Pew Pew
I stood at the viewport in the palace command centre, arms folded so tightly across my chest that my knuckles had turned white. The wall of screens in front of me cycled through live feeds from the outer walls, street-level cameras, and drone relays, the main boulevard leading up to the palace was a nightmare of fire and motion, pirate skiffs and drop pods had landed inside and outside the city, disgorging hundreds of bodies that now surged forward like a tide of locusts.
Blaster bolts crisscrossed the streets in red and green streaks, explosions bloomed where tanks fired or grenades detonated making smoke rise in thick black pillars, lit from below by the orange glow of burning buildings and wrecked speeders. I had been watching it like that for around thirty to fifty minutes now without even moving.
The palace walls and its outer perimeter were holding, barely. Stormtroopers and militia had formed defensive lines along the ramparts and choke points and hastily made barricades outside it. E-Webs chattered in long bursts while rocket launchers flared.
But the scum were relentless. Hundreds of them, more than intel had predicted armed, armoured, and screaming for blood and loot.
They had vehicles and they had momentum.
They had no mercy, and those that experienced it wish they didin't as they were dragged kicking and screaming towards the starport to be used as human shields or if the pirates win as slaves to be sold.
My datapad vibrated again, another casualty update. I forced myself to look down.
Stormtroopers: 89 KIA. 78 injured. 34 critically injured.
Militia: 143 dead. 193 injured. 44 critically injured. 30 missing or deserted.
Civilians: 1,129 dead. 300 injured. 132 critically injured. 200 abducted and taken to the starport likely as live shields or slaves if the pirates win.
Additional note from the field: Drop pods had scattered beyond the city proper. Several landed on native tribal encampments in the plains. Casualties unknown. Presumed high, numbers of casualties keep climbing throughout the battlefield.
The numbers hit like repeated blaster shots to the chest. I had sent those people to hold the line, I had told them the trap would work and if they land it would be enough to force them back and hold till battle in space is won.
I had told them we would win, and now they were dying for me.
I watched a feed from a camera on the outer wall, a militia squad maybe twelve held a barricade against a wave of pirates, blasters flashed as one native fell, chest smoking, rifle clattering to the ground while another screamed as a vibroblade took his arm at the elbow and him retailiating by shooting the weequay pirate multiple times in the chest and stomach.
The line buckled as a tide of pirates surged through, a child no older than ten ran across the street his arm limp at his side and behind him. A man eating alien known as colicoid shows up, the pirate tried to snatch the kid up by the collar, but the child kicked off to the side under the wreckage of the speeder and scrambled to the other side as he was screaming. The pirate laughed and raised a blaster and fired but he missed and the child made it into the militia lines.
I looked away, I couldn't watch anymore.
But I had to, because this was my system, my city, my people.
I then scowl and furrow my brows, my responsibility.
The comm panel lit up, incoming from Captain Reza naval command, I accepted it.
Reza's voice came through strained but steady. "Governor. Reinforcements inbound, launching now. ETA to palace grounds 6 to 8 minutes, We'll hit them from the air, hold position. We're coming."
Relief hit me like a punch to the gut, I almost staggered. "Copy that, Reza," I said, voice strained. "The palace is holding, but barely, hit them hard."
"We will." The channel is cut.
Six to eight minutes, we just had to hold for six to eight minutes, I looked back at the screens. The palace walls were crumbling, six to eight minutes it is even if I have to go and hold a blaster there myself but the walls will hold.
I looked back at the datapad, the numbers kept climbing.
I closed my eyes.
Just let this be over with.
***
I knelt in the shadow of the palace gatehouse, back pressed against the duracrete, E-11 still hot in my hands. The gates themselves were half-shattered the alloy metal reinforcements from the Mandalorians had held, but the metal was pocked with blaster scars and grenade craters.
Smoke drifted across the courtyard in thick curtains, while the air tasted of ozone, blood, and burning plastoid.
We were at the gates, exactly where I had told the governor we would be, no more falling back. No more room to give. My remaining sixteen stormtroopers were spread along the wall and barricades three recently got wounded and are currently inside the palace the remaining troopers have their rifles steady, discipline holding despite the exhaustion. The militia or whats left of the group attached to my squad at least now numbered around eighteen and were interspersed among us.
Their faces pale but eyes hard, they had stopped wavering. The palace guards who had come down from the ramparts had shored up the line, there were also some more reinforcements that trickled in from other squads all moving with the same grim purpose as my troopers.
Together we formed a wall of blasters around fifty or something strong, with some more behind us and some on the wall.
The pirates were still coming, they had pushed right up to the gates. Dozens of them screaming, firing and dying, the sound of light speeders darting between ruined market stalls and repulsor sleds skimming over debris can be heard even from behind cover.
The two old tanks had been slagged earlier so they are no longer a problem, though they are using them as a barricade to take shots at us, initially their burning hulks blocked part of the boulevard, forcing the pirates into narrower kill zones but they have since then moved around them and used the tanks for cover.
Yet, we still held.
Every time they tried to rush the gates, we cut them down, E-Webs and a single heavy blaster some poor militia man brought along with him along with an attached arm presumably from the pirate, still clinging to the grip.
They and the few anti armour weapons we had chattered from elevated positions while rocket launchers boomed meanwhile blasters cracked in disciplined bursts.
Pirates fell in heaps, bodies piling against the gates, smell of burning plastoid, flesh and others mixing with the sight of blood running in rivulets down the duracrete from wounds a blaster fire did not make.
But they kept coming fucking coming,
A wave of thirty charged while using a smoking civilian speeder as cover, flickering blasters blazing. We met them with concentrated fire, ten dropped in the first minute from the fire from the wall, the pirates probably didin't communicate very well seeing as they almost always forget that people can in fact be on the walls firing.
The rest scattered, screaming like a bunch of rats who caught on fire.
A pirate with a heavy repeater tried to suppress us from cover but a rocket took care of him, an anything in his immediate area. The repeater clattered or what was left of it.
Minutes dragged as I reloaded the gas in my chamber depleted at an alarming rate, I checked ammo and glanced at my men, they are all tough sons of bitches and as expected we were holding. Barely, but holding.
Hands shaking, breathing hard some clearly injured lightly but enduring it, but holding against the vermin tide.
"Palace guards on the left flank!" I shouted. "Militia, cover the right! Stormtroopers, center! We hold this line!"
A militia trooper beside me, young, native, face streaked with soot and a light burn scar on his neck fired a burst and dropped a pirate he then turned to me. "Sir… how long?"
"Minutes," I said. "Captain Reza's coming along with reinforcements and air support are on their way soon, so hold." He nodded, leaned out and fired again.
The pirates tried another rush, this time with a mass of explosives thermal detonators thrown over the wall, one landed among us around 5 feet away from me, A nearby militia man, the one I was just talking to dove on it.
It exploded and he was gone while two others shredded.
The line wavered."Close ranks!" I roared. "Fill the gap!"
We filled it.
Fired.
Held.
Then I heard it, engines high above us.
I look up to see a dozen TIEs that were screaming down from orbit, black darts slicing through smoke. Kom'rks followed close by, engines howling.
Mandalorians jetted out mid-flight, figures diving like hawks, thrusters blazing blue-white. They hit the pirate lines from above, strafing runs from the ship and blaster fire from jetpacking troops raining down.
Bodies were shredded while vehicles like speeders were either flipped or outright destroyed. Pirates scattered in panic, their line broke they screamed as they turned to flight, they ran in a disorganised manner, every one for themselves. We held.
We held, and then we pushed, as one we all roared and started to chase them.
***
It reminds me of Mandalore.
The streets of Havenridge were quiet now, not peaceful just quiet. The kind of quiet that comes after a storm has passed and left only wreckage and dead and dying behind, smoke still drifted in lazy spirals from burning buildings and wrecked speeders.
The air tasted of charred meat, ozone, and blood, blaster scorch marks blackened walls and duracrete while bodies lay scattered.
The fighting had ended, what remained was the clean up, I walked slowly down the main boulevard, boots crunching on broken glass and spent power cells, my rifle was slung across my back, still warm from use.
Atii walked beside me, helmet off, face pale but jaw set, Torv flanked her on the left, his modified blaster cradled in his arms like his firstborn child, Varn was on my right, visor scanning every shadow, every doorway.
We moved as a loose diamond, while surrendered pirates knelt in small groups along the street, hands bound with mag-cuffs, heads bowed you can see various fresh bruisers courtesy of few rough militia and even civilians while stormtroopers but mostly militia stood guard over them, rifles trained.
Some pirates wept begging for mercy while some stared blankly ahead of them, clearly shellshocked and concussed, while some others glared in defiance even in defeat. I ignored them all as they would be processed later. Interrogated, thoroughly and judged.
We were looking for the rest, the ones who hadn't surrendered the ones who scattered and kept fighting until the end from dark collapsed corners. Probably hoping to steal a ship later and escape or just lie low.
We found the first group near a collapsed multi storied store, five pirates three humans, two Rodians who huddled behind the wreckage that was stuck to the side of a building, one tried to raise a blaster but Torv changed the configuration to a sniper and fired once and with a clean headshot the body slumped.
Three others threw down their weapons, hands held up as the last one shot himself in the head preferring death to capture.
"Secure them," I said quietly two mandalorians that were moving with us tied them up with a bit of rope and were dragged away by nearby militia squad.
We kept walking the streets and we witness the proof of their crimes, they were everywhere.
A woman lay in a doorway, clothes torn, throat cut, man hung from a lamppost and then there was a child down in the dust still clutching a toy.
Atii stopped and stared at the child, her face crumpled, she knelt slowly and reached out and closed the child's eyes with gentle fingers and put a nearby cloth on its body, her gentleness reminds me of her mother, even in devastating moments like these she would still honour the fallen and cry out for the innocent lives lost.
From the corner of my eyes I can see Torv's fists clenched so hard his gauntlets creaked audibly, his breathing was loud through his helmet, silent apoplectic rage. The kind that doesn't need words.
Varn's visor turned slowly, pretty much in same situation as Torv.
I stayed calm, I have seen things like these before, too many times too count. Still, something cold and hard settled in my chest, I had seen worse, on Mandalore, Concordia, and on other worlds. But seeing it again does not diminish the silent rage inside, especially here, on a world we had sworn to protect, where we decided to settle after mandalore was all but glassed by that son of a bitch Gideon, it cut deep.
We kept moving, and stumbled upon another group of pirates, four this time who tried to run from a side alley without hesitation they were swiftly cut down, no mercy to those who dont surrender or those who try to run.
Their bodies hit the ground and we unceremoniously stepped over them, a surrendered pirate knelt nearby. Young twilek shaking. "Please… I didn't… I didn't do any of that…"
I looked at him, his fear was genuine and looking by the full pockets of ammo he did not shoot much.
He flinched.
I said quietly. "Tell us everything. Or you join them."He talked and we listened as he pointed out a few hiding spots of his fellow pirates and gave us his holo communicator and took of the block off of it and turned off encryption.
The clean up continued as we rounded up the surrendered and finished the ones who resisted.
The streets became secured while Atii stayed unsarcastically silent and less energetic after witnessing the horrors of battle child. Torv's and Varn's rage simmered along with the others.
I, just kept walking the city was ours again and from the ashes it will be reborn a new.
***
Hours later.
The palace command centre had been patched up in a hurry, blast marks still scorched the walls outside walls, there was even a small hole in the corner where a small person could fit through, a few of the consoles were dark or flickering, and the air carried the faint metallic tang of spent blaster gas mixed with the sharper smell of blood that had been mopped but not fully cleaned.
The long table in the centre was littered with datapads, empty caf cups and some wrappers of ration bars, and a single holoprojector showing the city in miniature, green dots for allied positions, red for pirate holdouts that were rapidly blinking out with only two now, one in an underground storage and the other in a dense residential block full of civilians still preventing us from just using close air support from flushing them out.
I sat at the head of the table, hands flat on the table, feeling every ache in my body from the long night, I have not slept since yesterday and only slept like two hours today at night and have been up since. All in all the attack started around seven and the whole battle ended at around eleven, its currently three pm.
I sighed from exhaustion and looked over others that were here: Reza, still in his crisp uniform but with soot on one sleeve; Jaster, armour dented and scorched, helmet off and tucked under his arm; Torv, meticulously cleaning his blaster, face set in a permanent scowl; Elara, cloak torn but eyes sharp; Varn, silent as always, visor reflecting the hololight; Karlchlan, one shoulder bandaged, leaning on the table for support but refusing to sit his neck bandaged beneath the collar of his armour; the palace guard commander, a tall man with a fresh cut across his cheek; and the new militia captain a young woman named Sira, who had stepped up when the old captain deserted during the starport collapse.
We were still looking for him, if he had not abandoned his men and responded as protocol dictated the pirates would not have secured the starport with such ease which allowed them an easier access to disembark their troops and concentrate their command from there, the hunt for the traitor was ongoing, the militia and civilians are particularly infuriated.
I can feel the tensness in the room not from fear anymore but from the weight of what we had just survived.
Reza spoke first, voice steady but clearly exhausted. "The fighting's over, last pockets are being cleared. City's secure and the starport's ours again, no pirate ships left in the air or on the ground, non of their ships have managed to escape the system."
Jaster nodded once. "My people are sweeping the streets with your stormtroopers while the militia are setting up checkpoints and chokepoints and securing the prisoners."
Torv grunted as he just got a communication transmission. "We took the last ones alive, no more ressistance the ones in block died after their leader got melted by three mandalorian flamethrowers while those in the warehouse were gassed out after we didn't see any civilians in there. The ones in the warehouse fought like cornered animals."
Karlchlan shifted his weight. "Palace guards held the inner walls, native warriors from the clans outside the city arrived as further reinforcements and prevent the pirates from scattering into the forests or the mountains" He then frowned as he continued "Some militia should be dismissed they broke under the slightest push but then some put their lives on the line bravely and could even be inducted into the stormtrooper core as replenishments"
Sira, the new militia captain spoke with that exhausted wheezing and quiet voice, but the rage can still be felt simmering in her voice. "The old captain deserted way before the starport even fell, left his post with no commands, we were left waiting for orders and because of it we could not react in time or with appropriate action. That son of a bitch left us open, we could have pushed them back or put up more resistance, when the second in command got knocked unconscious I made the decision to fall back with what remained, we are still searching searching for him. He won't get far."
The palace guard commander Thorn added, "We have patrols out, he'll be found."
I looked around the table. "How did the battle go?" I asked. "From your perspectives." Reza answered first. "Naval side: we caught them off-guard with the trap, the Gozanti powered up, hidden forces launched from the crater while TIEs and Kom'rks hit their fighters hard. We took the cruisers mostly intact except one with a blown up bridge by the overall commander of the pirates. The hauler is also a mess bridge blown, reactor sabotaged but we have it, some skiffs and shuttles captured. Losses were heavy, but we hold orbit."
Jaster continued. "Boarding was brutal, first cruiser contested second easier. Hauler… hangar repelled, so we went with plan B. Blew the bridge windows and vented them we threatened them with cutting off life support, we also got hold of the manifest, they had below three hundred aboard plus vehicles and two old tanks. Total forces numbered around five hundred something counting all the crews as well, around four hundred something made planetfall."
Torv added, "We lost good people, but we took their ships, remainder of their leaders are in custody. They'll talk, or they will break."
Elara leaned forward. "Militia held vital points but where overrun and outguned and outclassed it was their first time in a battle considering all of that they did admirably, at least most of them did. Clans defended their own holdings, no major losses there. But the city..." Her voice trailed off.
Karlchlan said, "We were initially in the sun plaza down the boluvard where the main command was established but we were forced to make a fighting retreat, the pirates pushed from multiple vectors with vehicles, thankfully their skiffs were too busy to provide air cover, we started picking up some scattered militia squads that managed to make it to us in the chaos. At the end we were pushed back to the palace gate and walls, we held as the palace guards reinforced us until TIEs and Kom'rks arrived while mandalorians jetpacked in. When the pirates broke, we usd our momentum and pushed them back."
Sira looked down. "The starport fell because of deserted and our unpreparedness, for most it was their first ever battle and it shook them and they broke but when they got hope they surged back with vengence against the invaders. We retook the city. but the cost…"
Thorn finished. "City is secured."
I nodded slowly.
The streets were quiet now. the fires were being suppressed.
Havenridge belonged to us again.
I leaned over the console in the palace command centre, palms flat on the cool surface, feeling every ache in my body from the long night.
No one spoke for a long moment, we all knew what was coming next.
I straightened. "Losses. Final tally, now."
Reza stepped forward first, faint tremor in his hands I dont know if from some injuries, lack of sleep or stress and rage.
"Naval losses, final tally, including post-battle deaths from wounds, clean-up skirmishes:
Converted cargo hauler: drifting, heavy damage to port side and engines from concentrated cruiser fire during launch support. Still operational but limping. Crew injuries moderate 7 deaths, 2 from initial injuries, 5 from complications during stabilization.
Bombers: 3 destroyed, 2from fighter missile locks, one from point-defense turret during final strafing run on the troop hauler.
TIEs: 9 lost 6 in the initial fighter swarm and dogpile, 3 during cleanup mop-up against stragglers.
Gozanti casualties: 12 KIA from direct cruiser hits and internal fires, 22 injured, 8 critically injured.
Boarding casualties: 42 stormtroopers KIA, 6 from wounds, 49 wounded; 35 militia KIA 27 8 from wounds, 57 wounded; Mandalorians 3 critically injured two from breaching charges and shrapnel, one from close-quarters fighting on the second cruiser, 8 lightly wounded."He finished.
I nodded slowly. "Ground?"
Karlchlan spoke next. His voice was steady, but the bandage on his shoulder was already spotting red again. "Ground losses, final tally, including post-battle deaths from wounds, clean-up skirmishes, unexploded ordnance, and collapsing buildings:
Stormtroopers: 95 KIA 6 from wounds. 82 injured. 34 critically injured.
Militia: 179 dead 36 from wounds and traps. 211 injured. 44 critically injured. 30 missing or deserted.
Civilians: 3,213 dead 653 from wounds, crossfire, and post-battle hazards. 5,230 injured. 329 critically injured.
Native warrior casualties: 12 dead. 18 injured. 5 critically injured.
Tribal civilian casualties: 47 dead. 32 injured. 9 critically injured."
The room went still, I stared at the holotable. The green dots representing allied positions were steady now. The red ones were gone.
But the numbers precious stormtroopers, men and women I had seen training in the yards, saluting in the halls who came with me to this outer rim system, gone.
Natives who had volunteered because I gave them hope, because I promised them a future and security for their families, dead.
And civilians, families, children, shopkeepers and farmers. People who had nothing to do with this war until the pirates brought it to their door, even those outside the walls were not safe.
I closed my eyes for a second, and opened them again.
Thorn spoke quietly. "The palace held, Guards lost 17. But we held some pirates managed to flank around and got into the lower levels trying to free up the prisoners there."
Sira added, "The militia… we're rebuilding, more people have already stated their intention to volunteer so a tragedy like this does not happen again while those who are already in have steadied their resolve promising to be better protectors. The clans are sending aid, and their warriors are seeking vengence as many had friends and families in the city they are potentially seeking to enter the military under the governor. Even small clans far away that were left untouched know what the pirates did and cry out for blood."
Varn silent until now nodded once. "We already found some of the deserters, we end them."
"No." I cut in lightly as everyone stared at me with shock
"I am not going to protect them, but we will shame them in front of everyone in the main plaza, invite all the elders of the clans, and broadcast this to the entire system on Duraks Hold as well, but those found to have led to major loss of life as a result of their actions will be publicly executed." I trail off at the end "By my personal hand." I furrow my brow and scowl, I then shoot a look at Elara for her to continue the report.
Elara's voice was soft but firm. "The abducted civilians… we rescued most from the starport, the state they were in is not good, all of them are traumatised, but alive. The clans outside the city are sending aid more aid as we speak."
Jaster spoke last. "We took their ships, their captains and their loot. But we paid dearly for it, Duraks Hold was thankfully mostly protected there by local clans so we could re-direct most of our forces to the boarding actions and the ground battle."
I looked around the table, at the people who had fought for me and this system, at the people who had experienced loss with me.
I exhaled, "Thank you," I said. "All of you, we won. But we will remember the cost." The room stayed silent, the scars would last longer than the sense of victory.
***
The command center had grown quieter after the loss tally, the numbers hung in the air like smoke impossible to ignore, impossible to wave away, but we still had a few more things to discuss.
I leaned against the console, arms crossed, looking at the faces around the table. "Pirate forces," I said. "What did they bring? What did we take? What do we know now?"
Reza started. "Total bodies: around 500 that would include all crews from the ships, pilots for the fighters, shuttles, skiffs. More than we thought. They came full loaded."
Jaster nodded. "We recovered a few of their light vehicles, speeders, sleds. Mostly intact. The big ships, all three cruisers captured. Two in good shape, one needs heavy repairs. The troop hauler is still drifting but we have it.
Skiffs: 2 out of 3 taken intact, the third blew up during the ground battle due to our anti air in initial start of the battle. However, there were 5 smaller skiffs attached to the cargo hauler out of sight, missed initially by the scans and ships. we managed to capture 3 of them 1 was destroyed by the native warriors while the other was shot down and crashed into a stadium in the east of the city"
Torv grunted. "As for the scum who surrendered: less than 200, Most wounded, wish we could just put them out of their misery but they might prove useful in terms of information or free labour. The highest ranking is some Chagrian lieutenant from the ground assault, he's violent and furious, he's tough. But he will either bend or we will break him."
Elara added. "Loot: All in all, Hundreds of weapons, grenades and disruptors, repeaters, power cells, with some mismatched but usable armour, they also had a pretty great stock of supplies with abundant and varied fuels, rations, and medical. We freed around 98 slaves, mostly Twi'lek and Togruta women, traumatised, but alive medics are treating them now."
I looked around the table. "What else?"
Reza tapped the console again, the holotable shifted showing A new layer with red lines spiderwebbing across the sector and into adjacent systems.
Precise coordinates, access codes, outposts, vaults and names. "Information," Reza said simply. "From the captains from ship manifests and from some of the pirates who think being loose with their tongue will save them, it's detailed and precise. More than we expected."
I leaned forward. "Show me."
The map zoomed showing red dots small, scattered, but numerous. "First," Reza said, "precise coordinates of their bases, 12 confirmed outposts, 7 minor supply caches, refueling stations, slave pens. 3 medium repair yards, staging points. 2 major the ones they actually defend. All lightly garrisoned. Most have fewer than fifty guards, one of the lower ranking commanders confirmed it. They never expected resistance like this, they spread themselves thin."
Jaster crossed his arms. "Vulnerable."
"Very," Reza agreed. "Personal stash vaults. 7 locations very well hidden not affiliated with the main bases. Underground bunkers, asteroid caches, abandoned stations. Filled with loot credits, spice, more armour, supplies and weapons, rare ores. More slaves, they didn't trust other pirates to guard those personal vaults so they are guarded by droids not many, it varies but the biggest one has around 15 or so."
Torv grunted. "We take the vaults, we take their wealth, we take their slaves. We take everything they ever had."
Elara's voice was soft but firm. "The slaves. How many?"
Reza pulled up a manifest. "Estimates vary at least 300 and at most 400 something across everything. Mostly Twi'leks and some Togruta, some humans, a few Zabraks and others. Men used for labour while Women and children are for entertainment or used for other labour sometimes for sale. The vaults are their insurance, their retirement funds."
I looked at the map. "Confederation strength, locations. Give me the full picture."
Reza zoomed in. Red lines connected dots." As we suspected there are 12 major factions with a multitude of other smaller ones and some affiliates that work loosely with them but are not part of them. The strongest holds the retrofitted Gladiator-class Star Destroyer, used as a command ship and intimidation, they don't seem to deploy it often too valuable."
He traced a line. "Their main bases are here three systems coreward, lightly defended. They mostly rely on numbers, not fortifications, other independent slavers and pirates in surrounding systems twenty-seven confirmed groups along with around dozen more that sporadically move through this system. They trade with the confederation. Buy slaves and loot, sell weapons and other goods."
I nodded slowly.
Reza then continues "There is something more, about the old supervisor in Duraks Hold."
"The old supervisor on Durak's Hold?"
Reza's face darkened. "He was in a light alliance with them, feeding them intel and taking bribes long before you became a governor. He probably seen our preparations and contacted them, thats why they brough up more manpower and even an extra cruiser throwing our early reports off. He knew the starport layout, he knew our weak points and he sold us out I would not be surprised if the deserted commander was contacted by him or the pirates making it fall even quicker."
I felt silent rage take hold of me as I clench my fists, turning knuckles white.
The old supervisor, the fucking cocksucker, from the first time I met him I disliked and mistrusted him, he forced the natives to work for less pay, for longer and without suitable protective gear or equipment. He had been an annoying thorn since the beginning with his annoying voice.
Reza's voice shook me out of my thoughts about how I will torture that fat fuck, one such thought was about the bronze bull or putting his balls in a vice.
"There's more, the confederation has an old shipyard two systems away abandoned CIS facility. They use it for repairs, meetings and hanging out. It's their main command base. It is heavily defended but more by ships than actual fortifications, most go in there drop their guard and relax since not even the Black Suns know about its location most of their ships that go there usually go into dock to be repaired or get some supplies. It's strategic value is important as its also a connection point to 4 other systems from it, if we take it… we take their heart and get more ships and intel."
I stared at the map, two systems away a hidden shipyard made as a command base.
A juicy target if I ever seen one. I looked around the table again. "We won here," I said. "Now we will continue on winning"
***
Hours later when the sun was already set the meeting was finally wrapping up, the command centre felt like a tomb dim lights flickering over the holotable, caf cups half filled scattered across the surface, with some empty plates put to the side.
We had been at it for what felt like days but it was just around 8pm so like 8 hours, but to be fair non of us slept since yesterday, I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my eyes as I yawned.
"We have the information," I said, voice rough from hours of talking. "We have the ships, we have the prisoners. Now we can finish off with what to do beyond all of this."
Reza nodded first. "First priority: recuperate our losses, the city's in ruins. The people are broken. We need to fix what we can before we push forward, we already discussed this earlier."
Jaster then chimed in from the side. "We need to put an emphasis on repairing the captured ships, we need to get the smaller skiffs and shuttles refitted and crewed with new hands fast so that we can make more supply runs."
Torv grunted. "Training up new crews to at least a competent level will take a while, a few of the freed slaves around 10 have experience with commanding ships bigger than a shuttle, with some re-training they should be good to go rest not so much, we just then need to train deck hands for the ships as well as engineers and others."
I nodded. "We will do it, we desperately need to recuperate and train up new forces while repairing our ships, we cant move until that is achieved."
Karlchlan added, "The ones who committed the crimes… the executions, the mutilations, the rapes." He trailed off I can see that he is awake by sheer force of will.
I looked at him. "Send the interrogated pirates to heavy labour under heavy guard, they will repair the city brick by brick after that they will be put to heavy work in the mines on Duraks hold, not allowed to wield any machinery but basics of tools, I doubt there are those who can be redeemed but if one pops do whatever since I honestly dont know what we would have done with one of them. Put them as a spy or something? But those who committed heinous crimes will be publicly executed, along with any major deserters like the militia commander and the old supervisor on Durak's Hold."
I trailed off at the end."As I said before, by my personal hand and I mean it."
Jaster nodded slowly. "Honorable, the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword."
What the fuck? Ned Stark is this you, I try not to look at Jaster weirdly.
Sira then spoke up. "Militia has been battered in this battle it showed how unprepared we were, we need to train up and recruit more, even now more people are signing up, we are up to 1400 and going we might have to cap it off at around 2,000 since that is a comfortable number we could sustain with our resources. Many of the clan warriors are clammering to to join, some surviving militia have expressed that they want to be put through stormtrooper training to fill out the ranks." She looked at Varn and Torv as she said it.
Varn nodded. "We will do it, My men took a beating and many bunk beds now lay empty, if they prove their worth they are more than welcome to take those empty bunks."
Jaster added, "Mandalorians will continue training everyone with emphasis on discipline."
Thorn just nodded from the side, I looked at the group. "Good, anything else?"
Reza leaned in. "Supplies, we need more, medical especially. The wounded are overflowing the medbays and even with the pirate medical supplies its not enough we need another run to Black Sun territory. Buy what we can should also take a look and buy some fighters and bombers. None of the pirate fighters are fixable and skiffs are not exactly good for dogfights or dropping bombs on cruisers."
I nodded, the meeting went on for another 15 minutes before everyone dispersed to their own quarters to finally rest.
Bed, my beloved. I am coming back home with the milk.