| This war continued as too many wars have. Both sides, believing they would win, counted their dead and wounded as the price of victory. Neither side would yield nor negotiate. |
| The Lazaveltians, striking from hidden bases ambushed Imperial targets then faded away. To them the Imperials seemed invincible. The invaders had complete control of the sky. They could call down fighters and bombers, even orbital bombardment whenever they wanted. Their huge walking armored vehicles, AT-ATs, were terrifying. Although their personal weapons were short ranged, they were far more destructive. Whatever was hit was blasted apart. They were well named - blasters. The Lazaveltians felt completely out matched. Stirip the Reader summed it up with "This is an epic struggle. The stuff of legend from which heroes are made." |
| To the Imperials, the Lazaveltians created an army from nothing. This army attacked without warning, did it's damage to random targets anywhere on the surface of the world, and was gone before superior Imperial firepower could be brought to bear. No amount of reprisal or torture could find any civilians who actually knew anything about this "shadow army" or how it was supplied. They carried off their wounded and dead so no reliable damage assessments could be made. No live prisoners had been captured. The few dead that were recovered were armed with light lasers, but Imperial technicians judged the personal body armor to be highly sophisticated requiring a great deal of knowledge and effort to produce them. So where were their production facilities? The average Imperial soldier felt he was truly hitting at shadows; how could he fight an enemy he could not see? |
| The Lazaveltian citizens resisted as best they could. They knew their Holy Writings required them to do what was right and to oppose evil. When the invaders closed the temples and arrested the readers, Lazaveltian resolve hardened. The local farmers, known for their honesty, reported less production than they actually had and bartered food to those who would not use the Imperial credits. When that failed, they simply gave the food to those who needed it. When invader technical advisors and their guards arrived at an industrial site for "retooling and upgrading", the management and workers simply walked off the site and didn't return. Not all were allowed to do so. Some of these managers were shot. Others were cowed into working for the invaders by threats to their families. These were seen as traitors by the Lazaveltians and some were killed by mobs of civilians. It wasn't until years later the Lazaveltians learned that even these quislings had resisted as best they could. The computers parts they helped manufacture had built in failures that only became evident after some months. They had passed on information to the shadows as to when shipments of processed ores were being shipped. Many of these were destroyed by the shadow army while being loaded onto invader ships. Several transport ships were destroyed this way; the loading facilities took weeks to repair. |
| The Imperial Governor found his reports were being questioned. Why was he losing so many soldiers and so much equipment when his staff was reporting there was no planetary revolt? Why was his military attaché reporting less than one hundred confirmed dead insurgents while thousands of Imperial troops had been killed in the first month. Not to mention several fighters, one AT-AT, and three cargo ships which meant the projected processed materials never arrived. After a month of this, the Sector Moff demanded the Planetary Governor contact him directly. |
| Sending standard reports to the sector capitol was totally different than looking directly at the holoimage of the Sector Moff sitting in the chair at the head of your conference table. The image said "You were entrusted with a Star Destroyer and ten thousand Imperial troops. More than enough to ensure compliance from one small lost colony which all of our sociodynamic indicators show was unorganized and non-violent. You were also entrusted with sufficient economic resources to make that occupation profitable. Instead of increasing my resources you're draining them. I will send the sector reserves with orders to end your insurgency, but they will not be under your command. I can do this because no other governor in my sector reports any large scale rebel activity. However, the loss of so many Imperial troops from a core sector has triggered certain automatic responses from the Imperial Bureaucracy. Major D'Manab of the Imperial Security Bureau is on his way with his team to assist you. I have heard of this man. He will find and eliminate any detriment to the Imperial agenda on your planet. I suggest you cooperate with him completely." |
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Major D'Manab and his team arrived with the first sector troops. He reported directly to the Planetary Governor and requested facilities to immediately set up operations. He was proper at all times, always using the correct courtesies and titles for the Planetary Governor and his staff. He was a model of Imperial officer training and efficiency. It was only his eyes which betrayed his contempt. |
| The ISB seized civilians off the street at random and interrogated them. They interrogated the readers which were still held in Imperial custody. They had droids begin examining the entire planetary database. The ISB agents began to learn the Lazaveltian language, customs, and study their history. It was the ISB who understood, in a way the Planetary Governor did not, that to kill civilians who would rather die than betray their beliefs, achieved nothing. It was the ISB who realized the riots which broke out occasionally in some cities only occurred where they interfered with Imperial troop movements responding to the latest shadow army raid. |
| Major D'Manab advised the Planetary Governor to cease all reprisals against civilians. The Major suggested that the Governor's aid who first suggested this stupid policy should be removed from his post for incompetence. The Governor, realizing that he had ordered it on his own, informed the Major he himself would take care of his ill advised staff member. The Major informed the Planetary Governor, he had a plan to pacify the local population. Although they were dedicated to their archaic world view, they were a simple and naïve people. The Major requested permission to begin a planetary reeducation program. The Planetary Governor promptly agreed. The Major saluted sharply, then left. |
| Major D'Manab walked briskly back to his new office building, demonstrating Imperial superiority in every step to the locals around him. His sharp black uniform was perfect in every detail. The locals saw the invader walking amid the thousands of colors, sounds, and smells that was life, but rejecting all of it. They thought it entirely appropriate that this invader wore black. The villains of Lazaveltian theater always wore black. Major D'Manab did not stop until he was inside doors guarded by his own troops. There, he stopped momentarily and sighed, The old fool hadn't even asked for details of his plan. Yes, this Governor was easily intimidated as well as incompetent. But that just made his job easier. This planet would become a full supporting member of The Empire. His team would succeed. It was just a matter of time. He turned to the captain who waited in the lobby for him and said only "You may begin". |
| A continent away, the Lazaveltians were hard pressed. Command relayed over two hundred thousand Imperial reinforcements had arrived within the last month. The tempo of Imperial operations went up by a factor of twenty. House to house searches were now routine in all the cities. Many Lazaveltian operations were being intercepted before they arrived at their assigned target areas. Two company armories had been discovered and destroyed in the last week. These new troops were better trained and organized. |
| Command also sent a warning: the invaders were fielding something new. In isolated areas, Shadow Army patrols had been wiped out fighting what they thought were troops in a new type of battle armor. The one damaged example that had been delivered to command left no doubt it was actually a metal man. The invaders called them war droids. They were machines designed to kill people. Command said they were so heavily armored that it took several laser carbine hits on H setting to disable one. They recommended treating them as vehicles and using captured plex missiles on them. If any unit did this, they were to report the results to command right away so other units could be advised. |
| Redel the Dancer, leader of Third Company, Humana Battalion, called the company into the conference room, explained the latest intelligence, and informed them of his decision to arm one man in each squad with a plex missile launcher. This soldier would exchange his carbine for a launcher and laser pistol. This new invader weapon could shoot down aircraft as well as destroy ground vehicles. He received more than enough volunteers. Training with the plex missiles began that same littim. The extra missiles they had captured would be sent to battalion for redistribution to other companies. The thought of machines designed to kill people filled the Lazaveltians with fear and loathing. This, they felt, violated 'The Way" - It was a final proof of the evil nature of the invaders. Most of the soldiers in the company had already replaced their Lazaveltian longknives with invader vibroblades. Only a minor adjustment to the armor was needed to carry them. |
| The company conducted several successful raids. Their losses were replaced with new arrivals. A fifth platoon was started. Designated 'Training Platoon', new arrivals trained until the sub leader judged they were ready to join one of the combat platoons. All training stressed fighting the invaders from long range. This was the one advantage the Lazaveltians had. |
| The daily training was halted when the look outs sent word of approaching invader aircraft. The base shut down, and all soldiers outside hid under the photooptic netting amongst the trees. Volar watched as a new type of invader aircraft flew over the training grounds. It appeared to be trailing smoke. Volar knew none of the lookouts would fire on it for fear of giving away the base's location. A few stipas later three invader fighters roared over the mountain firing on the first aircraft. The first aircraft dodged and rolled to avoid the attack. It fired a rear mounted energy weapon hitting one of the three pursuers. The hit craft appeared undamaged but tumbled from the sky exploding where it crashed five or ten tsan from the mountain. The two invader fighters fired on the unknown aircraft again which lurched when hit, then fell to the forest below and was lost from view. The look outs reported just before the unknown aircraft hit the trees something had jettisoned - possibly a pilot. The two remaining fighters circled the crash sites twice then flew off north. |
| Redel ordered first platoon to recover the pilot if he was still alive. Since Volar just happened to be training with first platoon that littim, Redel ordered him to accompany them. He also ordered Bjorn the Comtech to go. Redel did not like invader activity this close to their hidden base. Sending Bjorn allowed the Lazaveltians to use directional communications. |
| First platoon ran down the trail, piled into the three quietest hovercraft the company had, then drove off; remaining under cover of the forest. As they drove, Subleader Shtopa gave orders to the two attached soldiers "I want you both to remain behind the platoon battle line. You can pick off any invaders we miss." They stopped two tsan from the estimated crash sites, deployed on line, and walked in just as it was getting dark. Subleader Shtopa controlled his platoon using nothing but hand signals. Lazaveltians did not use their communications equipment unless it was absolutely needed. Although it seemed to always be absolutely needed as soon as battle was joined. |
| As the platoon advanced slowly they heard two assault shuttles land close by. One directly ahead and one off to their right a tsan or two. Shtopa judged the one in front was landing on the unknown fighter while the downed invader fighter was to the right. He signaled for the platoon to sneak forward. Volar marveled how there was nothing quieter than a group of armed men sneaking up on another group of armed men in order to kill them. Several blaster shots rang out not twenty paces ahead. Volar dove for cover. From the sound, one was firing to kill, the rest were set to stun. The Lazaveltians crawled forward, keeping on line with their subleader until he stopped. Shtopa could see about twenty stormtroopers. Their gleaming white armor was in sharp contrast to the Lazaveltians', which was blue-green, brown, and black. He could see the invaders were putting binders on the unconscious pilot who was obviously wounded in the stomach. Three storm troopers lay unmoving, a testament to the pilot's skill with his blaster. Shtopa gave the signal to attack. |
| Lasers are silent. But there was still a series of sharp cracks as the invaders armor was superheated when hit. About half of the storm troopers fell in the first stipa. But even diminished in numbers, their return fire was frighteningly destructive. Several Lazaveltians were hit. At this short range their armor didn't offer much protection. The night was shattered by the crisscross of particle beams. Trees split when hit and foliage burst into flames. Volar lased the two storm troopers guarding the downed pilot, then crawled forward to help his injured friends. As he applied syntheskin to the first man he reached, he kept looking around. He saw a stormtrooper running up from behind the platoon. They saw each other about the same time. As Volar reached for his carbine the storm trooper raised his blaster. Just as Volar realized he wasn't going to make it, a hole appeared in the storm troopers chest, who then fell forward. Volar could now see the sniper up in the tree who had shot the trooper through the back. Volar stabilized the injured soldier then moved to the next. Fighting continued but at a reduced rate. |
| Volar heard Shtopa call him forward as two soldiers carried the injured pilot into the foliage. As Volar knelt to help him he heard the approach of the second assault shuttle. At the same time he saw two plex missiles leap from the forest. The shuttle rolled right but was hit both times. It flipped over and fell to the ground nose first upside down and exploded. A cheer went up from the Lazaveltians as branches flew past Volar and rocks pelted his armor. He covered the pilot with his body. The Lazaveltians and storm troopers had armor but the pilot wore only a bright orange jump suit and a helmet. Volar heard more fighting over by the first assault shuttle along with a couple of explosions and decided this was not the place to be treating wounded. He heard Shtopa order "Mission accomplished. Retreat." Volar sprayed a quick layer of syntheskin across the pilot's stomach to stop the bleeding, then picked him up in the rescue carry and ran for the hovercraft. There were two men running on both sides of him. Once at the hovercar, the others helped him put the pilot into the back seat where Volar resealed the stomach wound with more syntheskin (Volar noted that was going to be a life threatening injury) and placed an air splint on the left arm which looked like it might be broken. He didn't have time to do a proper examination. As soon as five more soldiers arrived, they piled into the hover car and drove off. Volar asked "What about the rest of the platoon?" The man next to him answered "Healer, our orders are to get the pilot out. The other two squads are covering our withdrawal. You concentrate on him. We'll take care of the fighting." Volar couldn't do much for the injured pilot beyond a cursory inspection since he was crowded on all sides in the cramped hovercar. But a cursory inspection of the pilot was enough to show that he was a she. |
