The Abiding Force: A Knight of the Empire (Star Wars)

17

The plan had proceeded exactly as they desired thus far. A strike force of fighters struck the Mandan fleet above Taris two days prior, destroying a cruiser before fleeing through hyperspace back to the Imperial fleet assembled at Skorrupon. They lingered in the system long enough to goad the enemy into a pursuit, the small size of the fighter contingent would be viewed as an insult to the prowess of the Mandan clans as outlined by Aella. Her information had been accurate, with the Mandans committing one cruiser to the pursuit for every fighter the Empire had sent to the raid on Taris.

"They pride themselves in unproportionate responses to threats from their rivals." As she had described. Val had been little more than a mouthpiece to the two women's plans, merely supplementing with slight alterations that were minor in the grand scheme. That he could not be more vocal of the true architects' prowess bothered him greatly. Though, he thought, it will spare them the consequences should we fail.

It will not fail. Was Chiko's immediate response as she poured over the viewscreen, accounting for each element of the trap that the Mandan fleet now rushed toward. There was a heaviness in his gut, an abiding ache like acid that would not abate. What if...

It was a phantom that had harried him day and night. The perilous disposition of the Empire, the mistakes made in the management of its shockingly limited resources and now the impending battle that risked nearly a quarter of those same resources, all threatened to lay him low with nausea. Had his family not been held in the balance, Val May have given in to that sickness. His home suffered under the rule of this enemy and that of their benefactors.

The Shadowhand had yet to reveal themselves. Aella's stories had fed an obsession in Val that grew with every moment that his home was occupied. There were confirmed reports now, from those that had fled Taris and escaped the reach of the Mandan fleet, of the atrocities committed against those that resisted. Tae Kidann, the stories said, was held now by the War-Marshall within Kidann palace. Worse, in Val's mind, was the betrayal of the Adrass, whom had by many accounts been responsible for the fall of the planetary shield. It was all but confirmed now, though the confusion of the battle had left enough doubt to allow Chiko to operate uncontested upon the bridge of the Triumphant.

She had never been one to show her feelings in the presence of strangers. Her face matched those of the officers surrounding her, focused and tinged with a small amount of concern. Victory depended on so many factors, most of which were now beyond control. It was all accounting now, the enemy's force strength, the number of friendly ships that had answered the summons in time and the dissemination of the battle plan to new arrivals.

There were twelve capital ships in the force that Val would classify as battle-ready, full capability. The remaining twenty-six ships of the force were in poor condition, their crews either fresh from the academy or otherwise crewed by naval reserve personnel. These were, after all, ships pulled from the available reserve, some of which had not seen conflict in at least four decades. Much of Val's contribution to this effort was in coordinating the short term retraining of these crews. There had never been enough time to make them entirely competent in their posts, but little experience is better than no experience.

If given any other choice, Val would not have engaged with his current force. If there were an alternative, Val would have spent the next six months retraining his crews and refitting his ships for the threat they now faced. There were so many "ifs" and "with this I would haves" that ran through Val's mind as he placed the game pieces on the board. Each ship carried thousands of crew, pilots and in many cases, small teams of Knights. They were integral to the battle plan, the true crux on which everything would be decided.