32 ABY

"This is the last shipment for Geneel, Plutt!", a First Order Stormtrooper Lieutenant exclaimed as a pair of his men escorted a floating repulsor crate down a shuttle's ramp. "Make sure your friend, Captain Proffett, picks it up on time."

Unkar Plutt nodded as he watched the stormtroopers move the crate towards his concession stand before disappearing into the darkness of the night. He turned back to the lieutenant. "What about my payment?"

"We already unloaded what we owe you!" The lieutenant replied coldly before turning towards the shuttle. He paused and looked back at Plutt. "Don't push your luck! You're getting twice what we would normally pay! Provide the parts we requested! We'll handle the rest!"

Plutt chuckled while casting a narrowed eye stare at the lieutenant. "What are you doing with those parts? Resurrecting the Empire?"

"That's classified," the lieutenant snapped. "I have my orders from Commander Jerek to keep it that way. Just maintain the flow of parts and make sure that Proffett's ship picks up the cargo."

"You have my word, lieutenant," Plutt answered as a refreshing cool breeze blew through the night.

The lieutenant nodded before turning away. "You better hold to your word! Commander Jerek isn't one to overlook failure-"

"Get your hands in the air!" a First Order Stormtrooper yelled just off to their left. "Take his weapon, Corporal!"

Both Plutt and the Lieutenant turned towards the commotion. A few seconds later, the stormtroopers stepped out of the darkness with their blasters poised at the back of a Quarren male dressed in tan clothing with a long dark cape secured around his shoulders. The stormtrooper nudged the alien forward.

"Hold it!" A First Order Sergeant shouted as the group drew close to the Lieutenant and Plutt. The Sergeant stepped up to the lieutenant. "Sir, we caught this thing watching our men unload the cargo. What shall we do with it?"

"Take him to the side and search him for intelligence," the Lieutenant replied. He then spun on his heels, bringing his blaster up to Plutt's double chin. "What's the meaning of this, Plutt? I thought we were clear that you were to meet with us alone!"

"Valish meant no harm, Lieutenant," Plutt responded with a nervous tone. "Let him go, and I'll take care of it-"

"We have it under control now!" The Lieutenant blasted, keeping his weapon close to Plutt's face. "If you pull any other stunts, then this business of yours will be under new management!"

"Understood," Plutt answered while watching the stormtroopers begin to search Valish.

The Quarren stood motionless as the sergeant held him at blaster point. Valish growled when a corporal began to pat him down. The sergeant raised his blaster, bringing it even with the alien's forehead. The tentacles on the lower portion of Valish's face jerked back and forth, blending with clicking fangs and volleys of hisses.

"I'm warning you, beast!" The sergeant exclaimed. He laid his finger across the blaster's trigger and aimed at Valish's forehead.

The corporal continued to pat Valish's clothing, moving his hands up and over a curious wide metal band stretching across the Quarren's torso. He eyed it suspiciously for a moment before dismissing it as a harmless garment. Satisfied with his search, he turned towards the sergeant.

"He's clean, sergeant," he replied as he walked away from Valish. "He's no threat to us."

A series of loud pops suddenly echoed in the night. The corporal turned to see a wall of round objects launch from the metal band. Several struck him in the chest and helmet, burrowing into his armor while emitting an acid-like substance. The objects continued to melt through the armor until they impacted his bodysuit, where they exploded in splashes of corrosive liquid.

He screamed and fell to the ground, writhing in pain. The liquid substance instantly consumed all flesh it came in contact with after burning through the bodysuit. Valish unleashed a second salvo of projectiles towards the sergeant.

The sergeant rolled to the ground, narrowly dodging the deadly barrage. He brought his blaster up and fired several bolts into the retreating Quarren's back. The alien convulsed as each bolt ripped through his body. The sergeant ran up to the collapsed Quarren and fired several shots into the back of Valish's head.

The lieutenant standing with Plutt swung his blaster, striking the junk dealer squarely in the face. Plutt dropped to the ground as the lieutenant walked up and aimed his weapon at the subdued alien. "Let that serve as a warning, Plutt! Any more tricks from you, and we'll level this place! And it would be a pity to have to terminate our contract so soon!"

Plutt nodded, drawing in heavy breaths. The lieutenant motioned for his men to board the shuttle. He stepped over to the wounded First Order Stormtrooper and fired a blast into his chest before placing an incendiary detonator on the soldier's corpse. As he walked away, the soldier's armor ignited in a blaze that consumed his armor and acid-eaten form.

"Commander Jerek has ordered us to set course for Endor!" Lieutenant Commander Lorrs's voice said through lieutenant's helmet comlink. "Board the shuttle now, lieutenant!"

"I'm on my way, sir!" the lieutenant replied as he moved towards the shuttle's ramp.

Lorrs watched the stormtrooper make his way up the ramp. Satisfied, he closed the ramp and engaged the repulsor lifts. A steady blast from the lifts blew downwards towards the sand like a cyclone tearing through the desert.

He leaned back in his pilot's seat, guiding the craft as it broke through the atmosphere. As soon as the ship crossed into open space, he quickly engaged the hyperdrive. To his right, his co-pilot Lieutenant Durnell, studied the instrument panel in front of him as the craft moved through hyperspace.

The ship under Lorrs's command was the newly christened Ravage-class assault shuttle. Aside from its modern upgrades, the assault shuttle's design was loosely based on the Lambda-class shuttles used during the Imperial era. The First Order Corps of Engineers equipped the ships with an advanced hyperdrive for long runs in remote areas of the galaxy. The vessel was also armed with standard blasters and even could carry ordinance, such as concussion missiles depending upon the objectives of a particular mission.

The vortex around the shuttle dissolved as the ship dropped out of hyperspace just short of Endor. As the craft approached the forest moon, a warning chime suddenly pulled Durnell's attention away from his navigation display.

He glanced down at the sensor to see four blips approaching from behind. "Commander, we have four craft approaching from astern. Their pattern of movement is consistent with TIEs, sir."

Lorrs shrugged at the report. "It's probably one of our routine patrols. I wouldn't worry about it."

"I don't know, sir," Durnell replied, shaking his head. "Their pattern suggests TIEs but-"

"Look, I said to forget about it!" Lorrs snapped, cutting Durnell off. "It is just-"

Four Imperial TIE Interceptors suddenly flew past the shuttle like a group of blueish meteors. Durnell and Lorrs both stared at the TIEs moving off into the distance. With precise movements, the fighters quickly turned back towards the shuttle.

"They are not First Order TIEs!" Durnell exclaimed with widened eyes.

Lorrs nodded before exhaling. "I can see that for myself!"

On the bridge of the Apollyon, a chime rang out from the scanning station. Prolov stepped up to the officer seated in front of the display. "Report, Ensign."

"A ship just emerged from hyperspace," the ensign replied. "Gamma leader reports the vessel appears to be Imperial, sir."

Prolov frowned. "Appears to be Imperial? Have Gamma Leader confirm the vessel's identity and affiliation, ensign."

"Yes, sir," the ensign said. "Apollyon to Gamma Leader, Admiral Prolov orders you to confirm the vessel's identity and affiliation."

"Copy, Apollyon," Gamma Leader replied quickly. "Gamma Squadron, form up on me, and we'll make another pass."

Lorrs pulled the shuttle into a tight orbit around Endor. He looked over to Durnell. "We might have to make a break for it in the atmosphere if they attack us. I don't know who they are, but if that's a group of pirates, then we are an easy target."

"Do you want me to bring the defenses online, sir?" Durnell asked, keeping his eyes on the TIEs approaching the shuttle.

Lorrs nodded. "Yes, but hold fire until necessary! Our shields should hold out long enough for us to take evasive action!"

"Lieutenant order one of your troops to man the aft blasters!", Durnell ordered just before the shuttle made an abrupt dive towards the forest moon.

Gamma Leader aligned the ship in his sensor display and quickly snapped a digital image of the vessel's insignia. He pressed a control in front of him to send the image to the Apollyon. "Gamma Leader to Apollyon, it appears the ship is trying to evade us in the atmosphere of Endor. Shall we pursue?"

"Admiral Prolov orders you to stop their descent. Warning fire only." The communications officer's voice said through Gamma Leader's helmet comlink.

Gamma Leader pulled his TIE into an interception trajectory while aiming his blaster cannons. "All right, men, our orders are to stop that ship! Fire warning bursts only!"

Aboard the shuttle, Darnell glanced at his display. "The TIEs are moving into attack position, sir!"

"That's it," Lorrs replied gruffly. "We are going to have to fight!"

"Attention unidentified ship! You are ordered to cease your descent immediately!" Gamma Leader's voice said, filtering through the shuttles com system. "Repeat, cease your descent, or we will fire upon you!"

Lorrs responded by increasing the descent speed of the shuttle while continuing to dive towards the moon.

Gamma Leader shook his head as he watched the vessel's attempts at evading his patrol group and thought, How can someone be so foolish?

A blast of green energy erupted from the aft section of the shuttle without warning. Gamma Three rolled to the right, barely dodging the blaster fire.

"Watch it, Gamma Three!" Gamma Leader said, turning his attention to the shuttle. "All right, men, let's return the favor! Warning fire only!"

Gamma Leader pulled in close to the shuttle and fired a quick volley that narrowly streamed down the side of the shuttle. Lorrs brought the ship around in a tight turn only to dodge a burst of shots from Gamma Two diving in from above.

"All right! All right!" Lorrs shouted into the comlink. "Our aft gunner fired by mistake! We'll stand down!"

"Attention approaching vessel, we accept your surrender and your apology," a voice said through the shuttle's com. "You are ordered to power down your weapons, hold your course, and await the escort to our ship."

Lorrs shot a confused glance at Durnell. "They are acting like we are in Imperial Space. They must be joking."

"Either that or they are drunk out of their minds," Durnell said, drawing a glare from Lorrs.

Lorrs turned his attention back to the viewport and gasped when his eyes filled with the sight of eight Imperial Star Destroyers moving gracefully through space. "What the hell?"

"Admiral?" Captain Aveen called out from the scanning station.

"Yes, Captain," Prolov replied as he stepped over to the station. "What is it?"

"We have the digital images from Gamma Leader coming through now," Aveen said, looking up to Prolov. "I thought you might like to see them, sir."

Prolov locked his gaze on the display. Images of a rounded insignia appeared on the screen. He pursed his lips and cocked his head towards Aveen. "That's neither Rebel nor Imperial." He looked over to the communications station. "Bring them in for questioning and have a patrol group of TIEs form up with Gamma Squadron to escort them in."

The communications officer promptly sent out the message as commanded. He furrowed his brow and looked over to Prolov when a quick response came through. "The vessel is identifying itself as a First Order patrol ship. They are requesting a meeting with you, sir."

Who is the First Order?, Prolov thought to himself. He gazed down at the communications officer. "Grant them access to our hangar bay. Have a platoon of troops meet me there along with Commander Ateek."

The First Order shuttle slowed to allow the Apollyon to move above it. With a smooth motion, the tractor beam pulled it up and into the hangar bay. The shuttle landed softly. Lorrs and Durnell stared out of the viewport, taking in the site of the Apollyon's interior. The shuttle's ramp lowered. Lorrs motioned for Durnell and the stormtroopers to step outside. He followed in their footsteps and noticed a platoon of Imperial Stormtroopers surrounding the shuttle.

"Hold it!" an Imperial Stormtrooper shouted. "Get your hands in the air!"

Lorrs and his men followed the stormtrooper's commands. At the upper end of the bay, a set of blast doors opened up as Prolov stepped into the hangar bay, escorted by a squad of stormtroopers. He examined the craft that now sat in his bright and spotless bay. It was not much different from a Lambda-class shuttle save for the black color, and the cropped wings, and the less prominent stabilizer. When landing, the wings did not fold upwards into a triangle shape, but rather swept back at a sharp angle, giving the ship an appearance of a bird-of-prey preparing to pounce upon an easy meal.

Imperial stormtroopers surrounded the craft with their weapons poised. The two First Order officers, as well as the five First Order stormtroopers, stood with their hands on their heads. Prolov eyed them suspiciously as he walked up to them, especially the stormtroopers whose helmets and armor were a bit more streamlined than those in his ranks. The First Order officers turned their heads to look at Prolov with faces shocked and bewildered.

"Are you who I think you are? Admiral Garren Prolov?" Lorrs exclaimed. His facial expression turned from shock to adoration. "This is entirely unexpected and-"

"You will address me properly, young man!" Prolov shouted in anger over the disrespect the officer had shown in breaking military protocol. "And, yes, I am Imperial Admiral Garren Prolov. I will ask the questions here, not you."

"Admiral?" a voice called out from inside the shuttle.

Prolov instantly recognized the voice as Commander Ateek, the Apollyon's operating system's specialist.

"Yes, Commander, what is it?" Prolov replied, turning away from the men held at blaster point.

"I need to show you something, sir," Ateek responded.

Prolov walked up the ramp and into the interior of the shuttle. Ateek, a short young man with blonde hair, sat in the pilot's chair, running his hand over an elaborate display of computer consoles in a design far advanced from those on the Apollyon. The resolution of the graphics in each display was sharp enough to have been holograms if they were in three-dimensional forms.

"I'm not aware of this kind of technology on any Imperial vessel currently in service," Ateek said as he looked up at Prolov. "That said, Imperial engineers have been working on advanced computer displays similar to this for the past decade. They are intended to replace some of our more antiquated systems shortly, sir."

"Research and development," Prolov replied, understanding Ateek's subtle suggestion. "That explains the technology and the design of those men's uniforms. It also means the Emperor is testing us. He only wants to see the measure of our resolve and the judgment we use in this situation. Continue your work here and place a tracking device on the ship. In the meantime, I'll question these men and release them to fill out their reports for the Emperor. Carry on, Commander."

Prolov stepped out of the shuttle, glaring at the men guarded by his stormtroopers. He moved closer to them, his expression tightening in a firmness that exuded authority. "Identify yourselves."

Lorrs looked up at Prolov, struggling to contain his excitement. He thought better of an exclamation that could be misconstrued as hostile. Prolov was known to be rather fierce with those he interrogated. "I am Lieutenant Commander Lorrs, and this is Lieutenant Durnell. We were ordered to investigate anomalies that had appeared in the Endor sector."

Prolov's face twisted in anger. "You were ordered by whom?"

"Commander Jerek of the Star Destroyer Facilitator," Lorrs replied in a voice that trembled with trepidation.

"You were ordered to investigate by Commander Jerek of the Star Destroyer Facilitator?" Prolov repeated as he walked closer to the men. His expression revealed the name was familiar to him. He glared at Lieutenant Commander Lorrs. "Does your Commander Jerek know the penalty for impersonating an Imperial officer? Do you or your men know the penalties that can be imposed upon you for such an offense? Do you realize that it is also a criminal act to falsify the names of Star Destroyers?"

Lorrs shook his head as he listened to Prolov's words. Impersonating an Imperial Officer? Falsifying names of Star Destroyers? Where has he been all this time? He thought to himself. He looked at Prolov and spoke with sincerity in his voice. "Admiral Prolov, do you have any idea of what has happened in the galaxy as of late?"

Curiosity began to rise within Prolov upon hearing Lorrs's question. "Please enlighten us, Commander. The last bit of information we received was the order to set a course for Endor to join the Imperial fleet in the battle. When we came out of hyperspace, we ran into debris fields with no sign of the Rebel Alliance, the Imperial Fleet, or the Death Star."

Lorrs stared through Prolov for a moment, processing the information. He had read about Prolov's exploits in his personal studies, and since he was somewhat versed in Prolov's history, he decided to lay the only card on the table that would defuse the situation. He looked Prolov in the eye. "Sir, the Battle of Endor ended in defeat for the Empire…"

Prolov was shocked to hear Lorrs's words. He began to wonder if they were just a ruse to attempt to throw him off. "The Empire was defeated in the battle? What kind of time frame are we talking about here, hours or days?"

Lorrs' expression went blank as he knew his next response was going to be a shock to Prolov and his crew, but in light of the situation, it had to be said. "Admiral, the Battle of Endor was over twenty-eight years ago…the Empire has fallen, sir."

Gasps exploded from the Imperial stormtroopers surrounding the group while Admiral Prolov stared blankly into thin air. He was dumbfounded by Lorrs' words proclaiming the defeat of the Empire, not knowing whether to reply or remain in silence.

The Empire has fallen… Those words hit like a fist to the stomach, and for the first time in a long time, the famed "Butcher of the Outer Rim" was left speechless.