TFTC-F 5: Imperial Storm VII: Fuel for the Fire

General Information

Title: Imperial Storm VII: Fuel for the Fire

Number of Missions: 1

Original Upload Date: 2025-03-27

Author: Jagged Fell III

Readme Background

It has been a long, hard fought battle against this new faction we have encountered in the Unknown Regions, the First Order. We have battled them across the Gasriese System for control of the Fuel Depot over the gas giant Zephyron. Here at the end, the combined forces of the TIE Corps are to assault the Fuel Depot and take it from the First Order.

Script

Commander's Briefing

In the Fleet Commander’s command suite, aboard the SSD Avenger, Grand Admiral Rapier peered into the tactical holo before him. It had been a busy month of near constant skirmishes, large and small, between the forces of the Emperor’s Hammer and those of this First Order they had found out here in the Chaos. He had not brought the forces of the Emperor’s Hammer into the Unknown Regions seeking war with other factions, but conflict seemed to be all they had found. Upon first contact with this seemingly Imperial faction deep in the Unknown Regions they had been at each other’s throats.

The imperiousness of this Grand Marshal Hoshiko Takeda in her proclamation that the Emperor’s Hammer is a rogue faction and all its forces are to dissolve and surrender to the command of the First Order, her command, still galled Grand Admiral Rapier. The Emperor’s Hammer was formed by Grand Admiral Ronin at the direct behest of the Emperor himself. And these upstarts claimed they had the greater mandate to the Will of the Emperor then they did, preposterous.

The ships of the First Order had been quite formidable, but they still fought like the old Empire, having learned nothing of the lessons taught to all who had eyes to see during the terrorist uprising of the Rebellion and the New Republic after them. Their lack of tactics had allowed the TIE Corps, and the Emperor’s Hammer at large, to decimate them at each turn, destroying their patrols and weakening the defenses of the Fuel Depot above the gas giant Zephyron. There much of the First Order’s might still lay, guarding the prize of the Fuel Depot, HydroStation 77. But no longer was the Emperor’s Hammer only fighting with the forces of the Recon Battlegroups of the TIE Corps, no Grand Admiral Rapier had brought to bear the full might of the First Recon Command armada, including his flagship the SSD Avenger.

It was still going to be a close battle, with his forces needing to excel in all aspects of his plan for them to emerge victorious this day for the First Order had an enormous Dreadnought at their disposal and it would take the most of his available forces to bring that foe to its knees. But he could not let Marshal Takeda continue to operate out of HydroStation 77 while he battled her main fleet. So he hatched his daring plan and summoned High Admiral Plif, and his TIE Corps Command Staff to his briefing chamber.

—-

“You have done well in this campaign against these arrogant pretenders to the Empire,” began Grand Admiral Rapier. “Each of your Battlegroups have harried and destroyed Marshal Takeda’s patrols leaving the Fuel Depot vulnerable. We are ready for the final push to seize it, and all the resources here in this system for our resupply. The successful completion of this campaign hinges on two factors, the destruction of the Siege Dreadnought, the Obliterator, and the capture of the Fuel Depot itself.”

“Rather than engaging in a single battle with the Obliterator above the fragile Fuel Depot and risk its destruction in the firefight, I will lead the bulk of our forces in a hit and run attack to draw their primary fleet away from the station. Meanwhile, you will lead the core elements of the three TIE Corps Battlegroups in a flanking attack on the Fuel Depot itself and capture it before Marshal Takeda realizes the weakness of her position. Once it is secured we will launch a pincer attack on the Obliterator and show that we in the Emperor’s Hammer will never bow to the First Order.”

Tactical Briefing Text

Grand Admiral Rapier is counting on us to seize the Fuel Depot above Zephyron and help bring an end to this conflict with these First Order buffoons.

I will be personally leading this assault from the TIE Corps flagship, the ISD Warrior while the rest of the Battlegroups’ core ships support and assist.

We will first need to destroy whatever capital ships the First Order leaves behind to guard HydroStation 77 while their main fleet engages Grand Admiral Rapier and our main element.

Your primary role throughout the battle will be ensuring the safety of the main ships of the TIE Corps while assisting in each phase of our assault.

Once the capital ships are all neutralized, we will move on to disabling the Fuel Depot itself.

After it is disabled, we will send several boarding parties of Hammer’s Fist troopers to secure the station. They must be protected while they are in transit from the Warrior to the Depot.

It is possible that Grand Marshal Takeda will be aboard HydroStation 77 when we attack and may try to flee, do what you can to capture her but don’t let her get away.

You are permitted to choose to fly any of the craft assigned to your squadron for this mission and may switch fighters during the mission if you so wish.

Good luck and fly well out there today.

Radio Messages

<HA Plif> Remember, we must first deal with these capital ships before we can move against the Fuel Depot itself

<Takeda> Pilots of the so-called Emperor’s Hammer, you are serving a false empire. Your leaders ignored the Emperor’s orders to burn the traitors to his reign during Operation Cinder and once again refused to fight with the True Empire above Jaku. They are not loyal soldiers of the Emperor but impostors. Surrender now and all can still be forgiven. Join us in the True Order, the First Order, and serve the Empire!

<HA Plif> Well that was entertaining. Pilots of the TIE Corps, do your duty

<Challenge> We have detected bombers launching and coming for the command ships, eliminate them before they do too much damage

<Challenge> Typhoon, we are taking damage, protect us

<Hammer> Typhoon, where are you? We are under fire

<Warrior> Typhoon, you have a job to do, get to it and defend us

<Challenge> Our shields can’t take much more of this, make us some breathing room Typhoon

<Hammer> We are getting nailed over here, where are you Typhoon?

<Warrior> Typhoon, defend the TIE Commander’s Flagship at all costs!

<Challenge> Typhoon, the damage is almost too much for our repair crews to manage, we need help now!

<Hammer> The ship is beginning to break apart! Typhoon, get over here now!

<Warrior> Typhoon, we are getting HA Plif to an escape ship but we don’t think he’ll make it, save us!

<Challenge> We are beginning to destroy their capital screen, press the attack

<Challenge> Almost there on eliminating the enemy capital ships, don’t let up

<Challenge> That is the last of their capital defenses, start your attack runs now on the Fuel Depot

<Warrior> We are launching the Hammer’s Fist soldiers now. Make sure to protect them until they make it to the Depot

<Odyssey> We are beginning to secure the facility now. Estimate 2 minutes until capture operations are complete

<Challenge> Typhoon, a shuttle just launched from the Depot. Stop it at all costs

<Odyssey> The station is now under Emperor’s Hammer control

<Challenge> It would have been better to capture her, but her death serves the Emperor’s Hammer too

<Challenge> Good work, sending a boarding team now

<Challenge> Grand Marshal Takeda has been secured, she will have much she can tell us of our new enemy

<Challenge> You will have much to answer for once this is all over

<Warrior> Boarding team aborting mission, the operation is a failure

<Challenge> You failed to follow your mission briefing

<Hammer> The Challenge is down, prepare to recover escape pods

<Warrior> The Hammer is breaking up, prepare to recover escape pods

<Challenge> The Warrior has fallen! Prepare to recover escape pods

Victory Briefing

With the final destruction of the First Order patrol ships the TIE Corps Battlegroups had been chasing around the system all month, the last defense of the Fuel Depot was eliminated and it fell into Emperor’s Hammer control.

We thought we had taken Grand Marshal Takeda out of action as she tried to flee from the captured station. But despite the best efforts of the TIE Corps pilots under High Admiral Plif's command, it was determined after the battle that she managed to escape by using a body double and holonet rebroadcast node to fake her presence aboard the Escort Shuttle.

However, with the securing of the Fuel Depot, High Admiral Plif was able to send his remaining forces to assist Grand Admiral Rapier in the subduing of the Obliterator and the ending of the fight for this system and her resources.

—-

Grand Admiral Rapier surveyed his Command Staff, and that of the TIE Corps, seated around the briefing table in his command suite. The damage control teams had almost finished restoring the Avenger’s systems after that brutal fight they had just gone through. His ship was battered and bruised but he had emerged victorious over the arrogant Grand Marshal Takeda and her First Order.

“Excellent work today, all of you. It is because of your dedication to the Emperor’s Hammer and her ideals that we came out triumphant today. You followed my battle plan, but used your initiative where appropriate and showed those fossils of the old imperial dogma what it means to be a true fighting force in the galaxy today.”

“It was a hard fought battle but we have now captured the Fuel Depot and all the supplies and war materiel of the Gasriese System. We will now begin the work of repairing our ships so that we can be ready for the next time we meet this so-called First Order.”

—-

Sector Admiral Lap’lamiz scowled as he switched off the holoprojector. Darth Surgo was afraid, though he hid it well, and that gave Kamjin pause. Grand Marshal Takeda had slipped through their fingers but they’d learned much about the Sith Eternal. This wasn’t just another Imperial Remnant playing at being Palpatine. These were Force cultists with a plan. Kamjin paced his quarters aboard the Avenger. Plans like the ones these Force cultists have can be exploited for personal gain. Now the question was who would be benefiting from these opportunities.

Kamjin sighed as he activated the holoprojector. A moment later Grand Admiral Rapier’s enlarged head appeared. Kamjin’s superior waited. “Darth Surgo and the Secret Order have failed to uncover additional insights into the mysterious players working with the First Order. I will be meeting with them personally to ensure progress is made,” Kamjin said, impassively.

Rapier tilted his head as he arched an eyebrow. “Unfortunate,” he said, as the connection was terminated. Kamjin glared at the empty space. Time was now a factor. He grabbed his helmet from beneath his bunk as he raced towards the hangar, a smirk of adventure upon his face.