Renovatio Imperii (Rebels, Open)

(OOC: Okay, I have wasted enough time getting myself ready for a new RP. Nothing like the present I guess. No back story. No plots. No plans. No nothing. We take it in stride and invite all others to do the same.)

Imperial Palace, Imperial Center
Shortly after the Fall of New Geddes, Krant System

Rumours abounded to the death of the "Butcher of Krant", Moff Yittreas. With Trioculus gone, most of the Grand Admirals turning traitor, warlord or dead, with the evacuation of key strategic planets: Commenor, Cyrillia, Foundry and Gyndine underway, the consolidation of key fortress worlds put in place shortly after the Battle of Endor was continuing its inevitable course. With only a Captain of the Line, a certain Gilad Pellaoen, voicing concerns over such actions, the rest of the doubters to this new turn of events had been either silenced for forced to go rogue.

As if to make sure the troublesome captain would not interfere in political matters in the future, Pellaeon's Chimaera had been tasked with the resubjugation of the Krant System in what was, on official records described as the beginning phases of the Restoration of the Empire to its rightful glory. Anyone with a geographic mindset would understand that in this day when taks of abandoning systems in the Colonies such as Commenor were on the table, to order a lone Star Destroyer to take and hold a planetary system, no matter how primitive, in the middle of the Bothan Sector...was tantamount to being ordered into a suicide mission.

But orders were orders. The crew of the Chimaera, with an extensive complement of ground forces, prefabricated garrisons and restocked with TIE Interceptor and bomber squadrons at the standard 4:2 ratio, took everything in stride and entered hyperspace. Rumours of Rebel plans to take Imperial Center was growing. It may have been in their best interest to leave when they could, though none of the crew wished to be sidelined in what they considered to be the most important battle after Endor.

Orders were Orders. Krant would fall.

---

The briefings were simple, the objectives were even more so. The Krant System has several key locations that would serve to the Imperial forces' strategic advantage, if they could make use of their primary advantage. That of surprise.

When the Empire was retreating from the Expansion Regions and the Colonies, who would expect an actual Imperial mark II class Star Destroyer to be invested to a resource rich but strategically isolated world such as Krant? Surrounded by Rebel sympathetic worlds, in this day and age of retreat and consolidation, the Chimaera had no chance under normal circumstances. It was actually a very foolish move. A lone Star Destroyer of Chimaera's class was capable of subjugating a civilised planetary system all on its own with change to spare. Krant was a resource world, worth protecting but not against a Star Destroyer. Cost-Benefit Analysis had already proven that such systems only needed the most basic rudimentary defence grids to discourage piracy and smuggling. Especially when the local populace was also favourable to the ruling government. Krant's declaration after the death of Moff Yittreas, to join the so-called New Republic, meant that even garissons would be low. The Rebels had to concentrate on their more important prize, the capital of the Galaxy.

In another words, Krant, its moon Aereen and the terraformed Asteroid Hanoon, were vulnerable. A lone space defence platform, perhaps a few planet-to-orbit batteries, and a planetary garrisson to maintain law and order was all that was expected. Just in case, the Captain had ordered all briefings to triple the expected resistance in the briefings.

Even then, it was a pushover.

With this, the crew of the Chimaera prepared for war. In a few days, they would arrive in system, and Hanoon would be the first to fall. Isard had promised them a second wave for the expedition to consolidate and hold their new conquests so that the Chimaera may be issued further orders. But only after they had secured the system. That meant there would be a week or so where they would be charged with the defence against any counter attacks from the Rebellion.

New Geddes, Krant System

They'd been sent to bloody Krant. Sure it was smack in the middle of the Bothan sector and therefore almost wholly surrounded by worlds who'd joined the fledgeling New Republic, but that was no excuse for how small the garrison was. Okay, Krant hadn't technically joined the NR yet. The diplomats were still arguing things out in the way diplomats usually did.

At the moment the only official New Republic military presence was on the asteroid Geddes (or Hanoon, as some Krantians still insisted on calling it): three battalions of infantry and a company of SpecForce soldiers. The infantrymen saw it as a holiday; a place that was safe from the Empire where they were guaranteed not to be attacked and could relax a while.

Gideon Rawne and his company had learned long ago that nowhere was safe. They were taking their duties far more seriously than the other soldiers, depsite their annoyance at being taken off the front lines for the push towards Coruscant. They'd all assumed they'd be in the first wave when New Republic Intelligence got its act together and planned the assault. Instead they'd been sent to bloody Krant.

"Why are we still here, again?" Aden asked anyone who happened to be tuned in to conversation. He was sitting on a bench, cleaning his armor (especially the dirty visor on his helmet) since there was absolutely nothing to do on this world. In fact, most of the SpecOps unit hadn't become complacent, but the lack of activity made their usual "Take no risk" attitude take on lazy undertones. Eyes were still kept on the sky, and everyone still slept with a baster at their side, but the glances above and poorly-hidden weapons weren't really their most efficient work.

Then you had people like Rawne, who were always on edge. It was nice to see someone still taking things pretty seriously, especially when most of everyone was just loitering around.