A few hours later, Aaron found himself aboard a Lambda-Class Shuttle, heading for the Imperial Star Destroyer, Xindros. Beside him stood Captain Catcher and, surprisingly, Sergeant Lux.
Lux had apparently absorbed Catcher's teachings like a sponge, and perhaps because he was as new to the Empire as he was, he didn't have to unlearn anything before mastering Catcher's advanced clone techniques.
Lux wore a white pauldron on his right shoulder, marking his rank as a Sergeant in the Stormtrooper Corps, and carried the standard E-11 Blaster Rifle.
Aaron carried his A140 Blaster Pistol holstered at his side, his hands mostly clasped behind his back.
Then Aaron brought his right hand forward and grabbed his DataPad, scrolling through the list of confirmed deaths. Most were Stormtroopers — 47 confirmed dead, none missing.
A quarter of their entire force, and a third of the boarding teams.
"When will we receive reinforcements?" Catcher asked, noticing what Aaron was reading.
"Admiral Corr promised recruits from the closest garrison. We'll head to Kuat to repair the Xindros, and we'll get reinforcements there," Aaron replied. Catcher nodded; it made sense.
"How long will we remain there?" Catcher followed up.
"I'm not certain. Admiral Corr hinted at the possibility of us becoming a rebel task force. We'll find out at the upcoming meeting," Aaron said just as the pilot began the landing sequence.
"Entering the hangar… now," the pilot announced from the cockpit. Aaron turned and headed toward the ventral ramp.
When it opened, the trio stepped out and met their escort team—a Naval Officer, a Commander by appearance, and an arrogant one at that, with blonde hair and a high-held head.
With him were two squads of Stormtroopers—20 men in total.
"Lieutenant Commander Aaron Rysell?" the Commander asked as Aaron descended the ramp and approached.
"Aye, that's me," Aaron said, and the Commander nodded, though his eyes narrowed at Aaron's lack of a salute.
The Imperial Navy's rank structure was unique. Although a Commander technically outranked a Lieutenant Commander, the situation differed if the Lieutenant Commander commanded a ship.
By strict terms of command, Corr was top, followed by the Commodores of the two other ISDs, and then Aaron. Still, Aaron held tactical authority over Captains and Commanders on various ships.
"Follow me. I'll take you to the Admiral. They're waiting for you," the Commander said, and Aaron nodded, following as they marched toward the upper decks, home to officers and meeting rooms.
The last of the fleet, ISD Carlion, had returned a few hours ago, so the task force was at full strength—if you disregarded the 40 dead TIE pilots and some damaged guns on the Xindros.
The Commander led Aaron to an elevator. He entered with Aaron, Catcher, Lux, and five other Stormtroopers. They headed straight to the deck beneath the bridge, where the meeting room was located.
When they reached the floor, the Commander motioned for Aaron to enter, while the rest waited outside. Aaron stepped inside.
The blast doors slid open, revealing a large holo-projector displaying five individuals seated in command chairs. This was the command structure of the 13th Fleet, led by Grand Admiral Felian Antilles.
The 13th Fleet was the largest non-sector fleet. There were 13 fleets outside sector fleets, mostly led by Grand Admirals. The 13th was known not for being a tightly organized fleet but for its sheer size.
It consisted of hundreds of squadrons spread across the galaxy, created to hunt down rebels anywhere in the universe.
Grand Admiral Felian Antilles was supported by four Fleet Admirals, each commanding one quarter of the 13th Fleet. The one overseeing Aaron's squadron was Fleet Admiral Roran Darr.
Standing before the hologram were Vice Admiral Corr of the Xindros, Commodore Killian Rau of the Zaryuu, and Commodore Lars Sloth of the Carlion.
As Aaron entered, he saluted and stood at attention until given permission to relax.
"At ease. Join your fellow officers," Grand Admiral Felian said, motioning for Aaron to take a seat. Aaron marched forward and joined the others.
"Your decisive victory in the Randon system has given us a major propaganda boost—taking on a full fleet with a single Imperial Star Destroyer and an Arquitens is outstanding. COMPNOR has wasted no time exploiting this," Felian said as a series of posters appeared.
One showed Vice Admiral Corr standing with hands behind his back. Behind him, slightly to the right, stood Aaron, pistol raised to the sky.
Another showed Corr and Aaron alone before hordes of 'rebels,' mostly alien.
A third depicted Corr, Aaron, and five Stormtroopers amid a bloody rebel massacre, bodies strewn everywhere.
A fourth showed Corr directing Stormtroopers in an attack, executing civilians in a plaza.
The fifth depicted the Arquitens and the ISD facing off against a rebel fleet—though the rebel fleet was doubled in size for effect.
"They sure got to work," Corr muttered, though Aaron sensed he expected it. Grand Admiral Felian chuckled.
"Aye, those weaklings can only promote our feats. Fucking mindless beasts," he said. COMPNOR was one of the most despised branches of the Imperial forces because of their brainwashed nature.
COMPNOR had the largest standing force within the Empire—though "standing force" was generous. They were civilians given pistols and red uniforms.
Their numbers stretched into the trillions, maybe quadrillions, but they were limited to their home planets.
If rebels rose or a planet was attacked, they'd rally at the nearest COMPNOR armory, grab weapons, and march out.
Other military branches hated them. They were civilians acting as soldiers, and more often than not, they ran like meat shields in battle—similar to WWI and WWII trench charges against fortified positions.
"Anyhow, your task force is efficient at handling insurgents," Felian said, referring to the rebels. "You will be deployed to rebel-heavy sectors to hunt them down."
He turned toward Aaron.
"The Hound will be further modified with tracking instruments and scouting equipment for rebel hunts. Additionally, the fleet will receive an Immobilizer 418-Class Cruiser," he said, looking at Admiral Corr, who nodded.
"Return to Kuat for repairs and resupply. The cruiser will meet you there," Felian finished before the transmission cut out and the five men vanished, leaving only the officers of the 893rd Squadron.
"All right, you heard the man. I want this fleet out of the system within half a rotation. The MC80 will be docked and transported by the Xindros. Get on with it!" Corr ordered.
With that, the three officers turned and left the room, heading back to the hangar.
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