"There"
"My Lord?"
Admiral Piett was a man unaccustomed to taking orders, but the jet-black armoured behemoth in front of him was not an individual to be trifled with. Lord vader jabbed the holomap again.
"At the end of this valley. They have hidden their base and shield generators underground. Nevertheless, I have felt their presence"
The Imperial officers on the bridge looked nervously at each other. Piett cleared his throat.
"My Lord, there are so many unexplored systems in this sector.. perhaps we should wait for more – "
"Enough!"
With a flick of his wrist, Darth Vader vanished the holomap and turned his attention to Piett.
"Make ready my landing party. There will be no one to stop us this time. General Veers, ready your men!"
With a flourish, Vader turned on his heel and marched from the bridge, cape billowing. A sharp and involuntary exhalation of breath from the Imperial officers quickly followed.
_______________
"Here", the Rebel officer said, indicating a ravine on the holomap.
"The geography suits us well – this ravine is almost as deep as Beggars' Canyon back on Tatooine. They can't pinpoint us from orbit, they'll have to attack using ground forces, and the ravine walls will funnel them along this valley. No matter how many they send, there's only so many that will be able to attack at any one time. With the air assets we still have left, we should be able to control the airspace overhead and allow the ion cannon to fire on their ships from cover. "
"Meanwhile, we fortify the approach route, dig in the infantry, use our speeders to harass their flanks.. I can't guarantee victory, General, but this is easily the best location we've surveyed"
The General sighed for a moment, forehead in hands on the table. So many losses over recent months. Rebel forces driven from world to world, Luke in an Imperial prison, now joined by Han and Chewie.. what hope could they realistically have of stemming the Imperial tide? And yet…
And yet they had to. The only hope for light and freedom in the galaxy. This was their last throw of the dice.
"Agreed. We make our stand here"
The officer jumped to attention.
"Yes, General Leia, ma'am!"
Check out the full story here: skinflintgames.wordpress.com/2025/06/17/the-battle-of-colth-a-star-wars-story
