Part 30: Days 640-682: Operation Pillage and Burn.
DAYS 640-682
DAY 641: The Plan.
: Won't that cost us more in the long run?
: Probably. But it's guaranteed victory in the short run.
: It will put the entire galactic infrastructure backwards ten years. I am opposed.: It's a great idea, but I thought it up, so of course you don't like it.: Great idea?! You simply enjoy explosions!: So?!: You're just a monster.: Yeah, a convenient monster, that just happens to save your scrawny ass every-
: That's enough! Let's stay on target here, people.
: "Operation Sabotage Everything" is regrettably necessary.
: I concur. Prepare the fleets for anti-TIE work, and load up the spec-ops.: Good.Operation Sabotage Everything was born from frustration and depressants. We incited a revolt on one planet, but how often could we count on that to work?
It was too slow.
The new plan is simply to knee-cap the Empire from the start. Mobile death-squads, capable of knocking out TIE garrisons before lettings spec-ops take out every production facility, mine, and refinery on the planet.
Once every Imperial system is reduced to worthless slag and civilian populations, they'll have no industry, no means of restoring military losses. Inevitability is a bitch.
: One success already, Commander.
: That doesn't count. You were already blowing shit up.: Heh heh, guilty.: Keep it up.: I want to see things like that every single goddamn day.: This will not end until they don't have a single goddamn facility left standing.DAY 642: The Plan In Operation.
: Nicely done!: There are still two left Commander.: I want only dust and screams left trailing in the wind, Crix.
: Beautiful.
: Commander? We've located Mazur Ruckus on Commenor.: Who?: He's a male Twilek, special forces member. Captured a while ago.: Not ringing a bell.: I think you called him squid-face once or twice.: Ohh, Squid-face! Sabotage his jail, he should escape. Win-win.: That has the possibility of killing him, Commander.: Win-win.DAY 645: Win-win-win!
: Got him, Commander!: Got who?: Squid-face. We rescued him from Commenor.: Who?: ...: Commander, we've completed construction on another anti-TIE platform.
: I like those things. You get a cookie.DAYS 646-652: The Plan Montage, Part One.
DAY 657: Coruscant: The Other Plan
: Master Meteor, work has completed in Norval II.
: You've never made clear your intentions with this troop transport, Master Meteor.: Really? I thought last week's production made it clear.
: Wookiees? For what?: Just send the transport to Balmorra.: It'll arrive in about a month, Commander.: Screaming Wookiees ripping the Emperor to pieces...: Did you say something, Master Meteor?DAY 661: Nobody Cares.
DAY 662: The Sounds of Silence.
: Forces entering Drall. Lots of TIEs, Commander.: Punch them.
: Now, do a little remodeling on Drall. Just like Ghorman and Yaga Minor.
: Goodness! There's nothing left on those systems!: That's the plan!DAY 666: An Auspicious Day, an Auspicious Woman-Mullet.
: Remember the Intel brief on Drall we had two days ago?: No.: ...*sigh*
: Okay?: You ordered us to capture Admiral Daala.: Oh. How'd it go?
: Ah, excellent. Give her the Vendetta treatment.: What's that?: Shave her head and screw with her mind.DAYS 673-675: The Diary of Wedge Antilles, Part Three.
Another day passes. I've never lost the ability to keep count, merely the desire. I'd guess this is in the middle of my second year of captivity. As good a time as any to re-assess my position.
Which is, in a word, hopeless. They've attempted to break me, cajole me, seek my help in starship design, and all I've ever given them is defiance. And now I question why. Is injustice the worst thing in the universe? Worse than the suffering inevitable under a regime change?
After all, if the Rebellion should succeed, the Senate would resume its inefficient rule over a galaxy that, at its core, doesn't wish to work together. Disparate systems with differing goals, what unifies us? What possible benefit could displace the high price of removing the one source of unfortunate security the Empire provides?
These questions, existential and political, haunt my thoughts. Given how I've resigned myself to never again be free, my only recourse to retain sanity is to envision the future worlds I will never know. I'm without information, but I'm sure the industrial-military infrastructure of the Empire will eventually overwhelm Meteor, and this entire fight will end, and with it I will be killed.
I hear the hyperdrive whirring down. I'm still surprised about how loud a star destroyer can be. They say if you listen well enough, you can hear the hum of the sub-light engines, the whirr of turbolasers charging, and the soft buzzing of the shield generators all at the same time. I think I can, now.
I think there's a battle coming.
The voices I hear aren't positive. I might not survive this one.
: It's the Master, Commander! That's the ship that's got Wedge!: Who?: We have them trapped, thanks to our gravity well generator.: So they can't escape?: You got it, Commander. We're on 'em.
: *sniffle*: That's beautiful, Lando.: Thanks Commander.: Try to lose fewer B-wings next time. Those things are expensive!: I'll...keep that in mind.: Look who we found, Commander!
: I can't believe it! I never thought I'd get off that ship!: ...Lando?: Yeah?: Who's this guy again?: He's Wedge...he designs ships.: WEDGE! It's so awesome to have you back!: Great to be missed, Commander.: ...so...: Yes, Commander?: Ships aren't exactly going to design themselves are they?: I...uh...I've just been freed after a year and a half in the clutches of the Empire.: Yap.: And the first thing you say to me is to get back to work?: When you say it like that, it sounds kinda bad.: I wonder why.
: Still two more ships coming, Commander.
: Roll out the welcome mat.DAY 680: Another Quick Battle.
: Begin the purge of Talus.: Aye, Commander.DAY 682: The Smell Must Be Atrocious.
: The transport's arrived to Balmorra, Master Meteor.
: Load up the Wookiees. Send it to Coruscant.: Start the countdown to invasion.: The Wookiee invasion.