The command post of the Imperial Hammers on Brintooin was steeped in silence.
Only the hum of equipment disturbed it.
The attention of everyone present was fixed on the holographic figure of a young man, likely not even halfway through his third decade, clad in the uniform of an Imperial Admiral.
With the corresponding cubes on his command bar on his chest.
His interlocutor was a man who had left his youth and most of his mature years far behind, but whose command bar bore only eight squares, distributed in two rows of an equal number of red and blue.
Senior Colonel Zel Johans didn't take his eyes off the young Admiral, listening intently to what he was saying.
Clad in field dress uniform, in which he had observed the report trials of a new group of recruits, the commander of the Imperial Hammers, despite not possessing a Vengeance-class Super Star Destroyer or a squadron of Imperial-class Star Destroyers with escort and support vessels, nevertheless looked far more imposing than his interlocutor.
Trim, muscular, with the hard features of a weathered face, wearing a protective helmet and body armor, a holstered weapon, impeccable bearing, and not in the habit of speaking at length or off-topic, he, like other army officers, looked like a working man in heavy industry compared to the dapper naval officer, who understood ground combat only slightly more than: "Oh, they've dug in there? Well, bomb them from orbit until we punch through the planetary shield!"
The officers surrounding him were equally stern, taciturn men of action.
That's why the Brintoans were extremely irritated that Admiral Dobramu had been rambling on for a full five minutes about the great mission entrusted to him, for which he had arrived on Brintooin.
The Imperial Hammers were based on this world, ideally suited for armored combat and training, as it featured a wide variety of terrain, including plains, deserts, swamps, scrublands, forests, and more flatlands.
A kind of Carida in the Brintooin system within the Seswenna sector in the southern part of the known galaxy.
The Seswenna Sector.
Originally, Brintooin was a place where the unit regained its full regimental status, but it had now become the home base for Johans and the Hammers, after the Colonel withdrew all units connected to his regiment from the field of battle during the Imperial infighting following the Battle of Endor.
A population of one hundred million people lived on the planet under Imperial rule, which closely resembled the ideals of the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order.
Yes, they hated aliens here, didn't see them as equals, and therefore openly despised them, considering them the dregs of society.
Colonel Johans was fairly tolerant of other species, but not when they held positions oppressive to humans, including command positions.
Although Brintooin was governed by a Governor, he relied on the constant support and presence of the Imperial Hammers.
The population was loyal to the Empire in the person of Johans, and they considered the unit's presence the reason the planet had been spared any invasions from the New Republic or other Imperial remnants.
Whatever the case, the 112th Repulsor Tank Regiment "Imperial Hammers," often called the "Hell's Hammers," could easily explain to any sentient and their army who they were, what they were, and why graves should have been dug in advance.
Brintooin boasted a planetary shield and defensive structures strong enough to withstand a siege, a fully equipped garrison, and the combined forces of the numerous Imperial Hammers.
The planet's economy was at the disposal of the Hammers; an entire factory complex was dedicated to producing repulsor tanks, and work was constantly underway to improve existing designs.
Senior Colonel Zel Johans.
"Admiral," the Senior Colonel finally cut through Dobramu's chatter, rudely interrupting him and getting down to business. "I have no doubt you are carrying out an important mission for the Empire. But at the same time, neither I nor my subordinates have heard anything about Emperor Palpatine surviving the explosion of the second Death Star."
A look of disgust appeared on the face of the whippersnapper in the Admiral's uniform.
"Interrupting a superior officer is an example of poor manners and a breach of subordination," the Javelin squadron commander sniffed.
"Wasting time on conversations that are important but do not reflect the essence of your arrival in the Brintooin system is also that," Johans cut him off dryly.
"Well, really," Dobramu didn't even bother to hide the disgust on his face. "I have arrived on behalf of the Emperor to mobilize you for war against the enemies of the Galactic Empire."
"The Imperial Hammers have been approached by various warlords with the same intentions more than once before," the Senior Colonel reminded him. "And all have been refused. We are loyal to the Empire, but we do not participate in fratricidal war."
"And who exactly do you consider 'brothers'?" the Admiral clarified.
"Every Imperial..."
"Even the Dominion?" Dobramu's eyes narrowed.
"I refused them cooperation as well," the Senior Colonel stated. "Because the Empire should unite, not fragment under different names..."
"You didn't answer!"
"Hutt take you, Dobramu!" the Senior Colonel lost his temper. "The Dominion soldiers are Imperials too! And in one year, they've done as much to defeat the rebels as everyone else combined..."
"They are traitors!"
"Maybe so," Johans began to get irritated. "Let someone else sort that out. I am responsible for Brintooin and its population..."
"Is that exactly why you didn't respond to orders to return to the banner of the Galactic Empire?!" Dobramu's voice rose to a shriek. "And why are you now wasting my time, telling me you don't cooperate with the Dominion, Colonel?!"
Johans deemed it unnecessary to hide his contempt for the naval upstart, and so he also got down to a concrete explanation of his position.
"I do not cooperate with the Dominion," he cut him off. "That's the first thing. Second — I didn't join Orinda for one reason — they couldn't provide me with transport ships..."
"You have plenty of them on Brintooin!"
"And combat escort?!" Johans exploded at the stupidity of his verbal opponent. "We are surrounded by territories of the New Republic, or sectors sympathetic to them. Sending the Hammers across half the galaxy without Star Destroyer cover would be giving the enemy a chance to annihilate my regiment where they can do nothing to counter them. In space, as you might know, repulsor tanks aren't very effective."
The whippersnapper with the admiral's plaque devolved into a veritable hysterical scream.
"Not cooperating?! Then how do you explain the fact that your residence contains art objects that previously belonged to Emperor Palpatine and were in his treasury, which that bastard Thrawn plundered?!"
"What are you babbling about?!" Johans was taken aback. "How would you know what is or isn't in my residence?!"
"It is reliably known," a new white-and-blue figure appeared next to Dobramu.
A young woman, with an excellent figure and a light sadness on her face.
A well-known face.
"Elizabeth?!"
The seasoned colonel wasn't so easy to surprise, but the very fact that his recent infatuation was standing next to that insolent little admiral who hadn't even confirmed Palpatine's survival but had the audacity to speak and command in his name, was unnerving.
"Agent Elizabeth Lor of the Ubiqtorate," she introduced herself. "And yes, Colonel, until the very end I didn't want to believe that those art objects you have are from the Imperial Collection."
"What are you even talking about?!" barked the commander of the Imperial Hammers. "These valuables were given to me as a sign of attention..."
"From a merchant who then disappeared?" Lor clarified. "I'm sorry, Senior Colonel, but that version only confirms your treason."
"Have you completely lost your minds?!" Johans recoiled. "They were presented to me in the name of Thrawn..."
"Aha!" Dobramu's eyes lit up.
."..He wanted me to join him, but demanded that all combat-ready units of Brintooin come under his command and become part of the Dominion," Johans replied, ignoring the hysterical woman in the admiral's uniform. "I refused him, because if we weaken Brintooin's defenses, the New Republic will certainly attack and..."
"You didn't sell your repulsor tanks to Thrawn either?" Agent Lor clarified.
"Of course not!" Colonel Johans continued to sink into rage at the slander.
"But you traded Imperial equipment!"
"Of course! We needed funds to maintain combat readiness, so we produced equipment and sold it..."
"And you didn't bother to check that you were doing business with Dominion front companies."
"What nonsense is that?! Every buyer was checked by our intelligence to ensure the equipment wasn't bought by enemies of the Empire or conspiring rebels! The buyer was Moff Gronn, the Thanium Worlds, the Msst sector, the Corporate Sector..."
"Gronn!" Admiral Dobramu said with disgust.
"He surrendered his sector to the Dominion. And acted, as we can see, in lockstep with Thrawn. If you had checked your buyers, you would have known that the Thanium Worlds surrendered to Thrawn without a fight, that the Msst sector was outright controlled by rebels..."
"But there's an Imperial base on Garos IV!"
"A Dominion base," Agent Lor clarified. "And a significant portion of your buyers have become part of the Dominion. And the Corporate Sector is territory hostile to the Empire."
"That's easy to understand," Dobramu said caustically. "If you have a brain and check who you're trading with."
"You are overstepping the bounds of what's acceptable!"
"Because I am acting in the name of the Emperor!"
"Where is the confirmation of your authority, Admiral?!"
"Are you saying that my word that I act in the Emperor's name is not enough?!" the boy tried to put importance on his face, but his efforts only provoked laughter.
"That has long ceased to be confirmation! Every other warlord claims something similar..."
"You are only making the situation worse," Agent Lor declared.
"Enough ceremony. The Emperor commands you to mobilize all your fighters and all men fit for military service," Dobramu interrupted him. "They will all be sent to the front."
"Yes, but who will remain to defend Brintooin then?" Johans clarified. "The enemy..."
"That is not your concern!"
"But it is!" the colonel slammed his fist on the table. "I am responsible for the population of Brintooin. I have protected them for the last six years while the other Remnants played at civil war! Without a military fleet, I didn't even allow the rebels to make incursions into the lands I protect..."
"You refuse?"
"Hutt take you, no! I am ready to deploy the Hammers and thirty percent..."
"Everyone, Colonel! Every man capable of holding a weapon — that is the price for sitting on the sidelines while the Empire suffered."
Zel's subordinates exchanged glances.
"Are you an idiot?" the commander of the Imperial Hammers asked. "I just explained to you that I couldn't take that risk — we would have been wiped out..."
"In that case, Colonel Johans," Dobramu smirked, "by the will of the Emperor, in view of your refusal to carry out his will, I consider you guilty of cooperating with the enemies of the Empire. And I demand your removal, your arrest, and that the garrison and all armed forces of Brintooin submit to my orders!"
This was addressed to the officers standing next to the senior colonel.
Not one of them moved.
"Your demands are unacceptable," one of the commanders finally declared. "What is happening needs to be sorted out..."
"I have sorted it out!" Dobramu replied smugly. "Very well, since you do not obey the will of the Emperor and the Empire..."
"What's the problem with sending a recorded message from the Emperor?" the deputy whispered to Johans. "If he's really alive..."
"Either we've already been written off as traitors, or Palpatine is dead and this little admiral wants to seize control of our forces," the senior colonel whispered back. "Activate all our defensive systems. This will definitely not end well."
Colonel Johans was right.
It didn't.
Without receiving obedience to commands whose logic the inhabitants and military of Brintooin could not understand or comprehend, Admiral Akrey Dobramu and the Javelin Squadron began an orbital bombardment of Brintooin.
But the planetary shield withstood the attack.
However, Imperial saboteurs planted on the planet were already working on this issue.
* * *
Executor Sedriss watched the pillars of smoke, periodically accompanied by secondary explosions.
Mount Tantiss had ceased to exist.
Along with two regiments of stormtroopers and a dozen fighters from the Dark Side Elite that he had personally trained.
The survey of the Emperor's treasure vault had turned into a catastrophic failure.
Elite soldiers, adepts of the Dark Side — all of them died in a series of explosions that rumbled inside the Mountain.
Smoke billowing from the pile of rubble that had once been the massive mountain, created by the Emperor's order to preserve the most valuable trophies and technologies, was like a funeral pyre for his career and his life.
Because, for unknown reasons, the mountain had exploded.
And what was of the greatest value to the Emperor had been destroyed: the Spaarti cloning cylinders, whose presence the scouts had confirmed.
In fact, to summarize the reports, practically nothing in the mountain had been touched — at first glance.
At the second glance...
What the scouts saw and reported looked more like an imitation, as if someone had cleaned the mountain out completely and then left only fakes in place of the stolen goods, so that the earlier looting of the vault wouldn't be so obvious.
But he had no proof that Thrawn had actually done this.
Or maybe not Thrawn, maybe Pellaeon...
Who cares, anyway!
The capture of the vault was supposed to demonstrate once again that he was capable of leading the Emperor's troops in an attack on the enemies.
And now...
Sedriss barely caught what the approaching adjutant was saying to him.
But what he saw in the adjutant's hands, he identified unmistakably and unambiguously.
"Is that a fragment of a Spaarti cloning cylinder?" he asked.
"Yes, Executor. The cave that contained no fewer than several thousand cylinders has been destroyed... The scouts couldn't determine if all of them were there, but judging by the fragments, there were clearly no less than a thousand of them..."
Which means Palpatine, who is furious at his inability to break Skywalker's resistance, will not investigate.
He will execute Sedriss.
Because of the failure.
And he won't bother to find out whether it was a trap or whether the vault and its contents were destroyed.
And besides the cloning laboratory, here was the library of the Emperor's chips, which he had definitely ordered to be seized.
One of the few copies of his personal records, which was supposed to give Thrawn the opportunity to crush the New Republic, but which he had never used!
And now it was all burning, if not previously atomized...
And it wasn't even the fact of the loss that would lead to Sedriss's death.
It was the failure...
Palpatine essentially didn't care about the copy of the library or the cloning cylinders...
But whoever fails to carry out his order is consigned to oblivion.
After a horrible death.
"Have the units rounded up the locals?" he asked.
The only chance to somehow justify himself, to present to the Emperor that what happened in the Mountain was a staged event, was the testimony of the locals.
If they could tell that Dominion troops had first removed equipment and valuables from here, and then delivered dummies back, he could fix the situation.
Slightly — he would definitely be punished.
But not death...
"No, sir. The miners and the Psadans are fighting our troops to the last warrior. They act from ambushes and withdraw before we can organize a counterattack. When we try to capture them, they kill themselves. But with even greater cruelty — our soldiers. Their women, old people, and children are hidden somewhere, and scanning yields nothing. We've already lost a legion and a half and hundreds of armored vehicles..."
And no result.
So there will be no hostages, no torture of prisoners, no testimony from them...
He could throw the entire army he had here and achieve nothing.
Or he could do something else.
And repay the humiliation.
"Withdraw the troops to orbit," Sedriss ordered through clenched teeth. "Assemble my fleet — we are moving against the Dominion."
"Yes, sir! Shall I report this to Byss?"
The next instant, the idiot's head exploded, unable to withstand the pressure of the Dark Side of the Force.
"Did you hear the order?" Sedriss asked, wiping off the remnants of the executed man's head, which for some reason had turned out not to be empty.
The lieutenant standing nearby trembled with fear but nodded in agreement.
"Carry it out," the Executor ordered, turning sharply and heading for his shuttle.
Enough of these games.
It was time to show Pellaeon who he was dealing with.
By conquering the Dominion, the Executor might not earn the Emperor's forgiveness, but he would certainly get his hands on the power that would help him defend his own life.
After all, no one had been able to breach the defenses built by the late Thrawn, right?
So the Emperor would not get through either.
And he, Sedriss, knew where the weak point in that defense was.
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