[Solved] (Episode II | CAT C)

Admiral Raner rubbed at the bridge of his nose. He was tall, dark-skinned, respectable—the quintessential Alliance veteran. The rank stripes pinned to his jacket were testament to how far he had come since flying an X-Wing at the Battle of Scarif. Most of his ilk joined up with the Republic, but Admiral Yima, an old comrade, enticed him to come and lead the 3rd Volunteer Fleet of the Freedom Fighters. He never regretted his choice.

This would be the first major campaign since Yima had retired. The reports from Rishi were as disturbing as anything he'd seen, and he and his fleet were returning from a campaign fighting slaver holdouts on Kashyyyk. Indiscriminate killing with no evident purpose. Survivors shipped off world. A blatant, horrendous attack. It would not stand. Those responsible were going to regret it, he would personally make sure of that.

"They're monsters, Admiral Raner," said Admiral Tavila Zell, her chin high, her voice steely and sharp. She stood straight-backed on the holoprojector, one of two figures. She was arrayed in plates of armor, draped in red robes like an aging goddess of war. "You remember well that monsters exist. There's no point in wasting time. The threat is imminent. I'm moving the 2nd Fleet to the Abrion Sector immediately."

"Understood, the 3rd Fleet will leave a platoon on Kashyyyk and disembark to regroup with you. Tavilla, will you have your starcruisers wait for us before engaging?"

Admiral Zell never hid her true feelings. She ground her teeth and her eyes flashed, but she trusted the judgement of her fellow Admirals, and would never refuse a strategic request made in good faith. "As you wish," she snapped.

"Thank you," Raner replied, a twinkle of humor in his eyes, hidden behind a professionally serious expression. "I know your battlegroup could handle this on their own no problem, but some of my more sensitive crew have reported . . . Well, they sense bad news." He turned to his assistant, gesturing to his data pad. "Haygun, transfer reports JL-205 through 209, please." 

The Assistant tapped away. 

Raner turned back to his colleagues, eyebrow cocked in concern.

"I don't rightly know what it means, but I think we should stay on our guard until we understand everything that's going on here. What do you think, Admiral Jeim?"

Jeim, the third admiral, was odd and crooked, a genius in a nondescript flight suit. A Duros, and a master of all things naval combat. 

"The Nimbus Network never warned us about this cult. That has never happened before," she said quickly, cocking her head as her internal calculations became verbal. "Failure of the network? Unlikely. Chances are slim. More likely that the Scions of Nihil did not exist two weeks ago in their current state. Armed enough to threaten a planet, even one like Rishi? That implies suppliers, trade deals, paper trails. So far, none exist. It's all very sudden, alarmingly so." She changed tact, her tone lightening, expression unchanging. "Functionally, it's not a problem; the combined power of the Fleets can manage the situation with minimal difficulty."

"Glad to hear it. You know I'm not a numbers guy; mind if I ask where we're at?"

"We now stand to defeat any other small-to-midsized naval force with only a 5.0% chance of failure. Sullustan upgrades narrowed that window. I don't like getting involved with big Corpos, but we owe SoroSuub our thanks. Credit where credit is due. We will stomp the cult in hours once we engage."

"It's preventing loss of civilian life—that's the tricky part," Raner said soberly, rubbing his chin. "That has to be our priority. That's why we're here. Ending the fight is easy. We've got to save lives."

"Agreed, Admiral," nodded Jeim. "Ground teams. Infiltration. We will activate our best; Andor Group, Nimbus Agents, commandos, spies. Operatives conditioned to volatile situations. Assist in empowering the population to create revolutionary circumstances. Once the populace is freed from retribution, we will annihilate their blockade."

"As Admiral Raner said, keep your eyes open. There is darkness here," grumbled Admiral Zell. "Something terrible, beyond the suffering on Rishi. Your people have keen instincts, Admiral. Even us nonsensitives can tell—something is off."

The three acknowledged that ominous truth, and the meeting was at a close.

"Good luck, Admirals," said Admiral Zell, her ironclad will palpable through the holoprojector. "We'll see you on Rishi when the fight is won. May the Force be with you all."

Your ship deck buzzes with activity; the final preparations before battle. You are a member of the Freedom Fighters, stationed aboard a starcruiser in the Volunteer Fleets. Tension hums at the back of your mind as you wait for it; the same thing everyone is waiting for. The Briefing.

The time has come. Your comrade calls you over, and you join other crewmates around a holoprojector. A projected figure stands straight-backed, hands folded behind him. 

"This is Admiral Raner of the Volunteer 3rd Fleet. As you know, we are moving to intervene in a crisis on Rishi. A heavily armed attack fleet of violent cultists has blockaded the planet and landed ground forces. They are rounding up locals to be shipped off-world, and killing those who resist. On arrival, we execute Operation Anchor.

Here's the situation: The Nihil have dropships loaded with gas weapons waiting for liftoff at each of Rishi's primary settlements. Two hundred year old records of Nihil strategy say the real thing used to gas the populace before landing, but these copycats are after living slaves. Rishi is a pirate port, these locals are used to a scrap. The gas is a threat to keep them from getting violent, and a quick way to end any uprising. The locals have already learned that the hard way: after they turned 'insurgent', a coastal village of 500 people was hit with a gas strike. No one was left alive. It's a clear example of how far these cultists are willing to go.

Phase 0

In preparation for Phase 2, we have already embeded saboteurs, spies, and commandos to soften up enemy targets that pose the greatest threat and prepare the populace for revolt. A major part of that is taking out any Nihil heavy hitters: armor, commanders, communication. It has to be done without tipping off the Nihil and triggering a response that harms the locals. Discretion is key.

Phase 1

This is the beginning of the coordinated Operation. We will disable the gas threat with a synchronized attack. Fighter squadrons flying cloaked, ion charges from the ground, agents disabling the pilots before they get airborne. If we fail, if we miss even one ship, hundreds will die, including our own people. We cannot mess this up. Our best pilots will have to evade enemy sensors and visual sightings and destroy their objectives within the same half-minute of each other. It's a narrow window, but I know our people can get it done.

Phase 2

Once the threat of the gas attack is neutralized, we move to assist in sparking a ground revolt. There's no chance of landing enough marines to fight the Nihil cult before the battle begins. That means it's absolutely crucial that we sabotage their ability to fight during phase 0. While we'll start running troops past the blockade as soon as possible, this phase is about empowering the locals to rise up against the invaders. Make them aware that the gas is out of the picture, and help them take back their cities.

Phase 3

Once the locals are safe, it's time for the simplest phase of the operation: our fleets will move to engage the blockade in both high and low orbit and disable all enemy ships before they can land reinforcements or begin bombardment.

I'll say it again: we can't mess this up. Everything about this Operation requires precision, skill, and coordination. 

The people of Rishi are counting on the Freedom Fighters. May the Force be with us." [/spoiler]

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