The thud of a ship landing resounded throughout the hangar, magnetically locked onto the surface. A click sound could be heard as the ship's ventral ramp lowered, releasing smoke.
The pressure of interplanetary travel still existed, although it was almost unnoticeable due to advanced technology.
But the engines released smoke, and it had to be regularly emptied, which had to be done within "gravitational spaces," meaning large ships or planets.
And out of the smoke walked a young man, barely 21 years old. His hair was black, dark black. Fixed into a slicked-back position, fitting his face shape quite well. He had a defined jawline and blue eyes.
He stood at 186 cm tall; his beard was trimmed to the last hair. He wore the standard green Imperial uniform, on his chest 3 blue squares, his insignia, which signalized his rank as a Lieutenant Commander.
His muscles were toned and could be somewhat shown through his slim uniform, but he possessed more of a swimmer's build.
The Lieutenant Commander had 2 code cylinders, horizontally to his insignia plaque, underneath his shoulders.
He had a black belt around his waist, which carried a pistol holster alongside its pistol, a communications device, and a pouch to carry additional equipment.
As the man walked down the ramp, he placed his green kepi cap on his head, and he made sure it was secured tightly before placing his hands on his back.
As he walked off the ramp, he came before lines of Stormtroopers standing at attention, their standard carbines in hand and their white armor reflecting the grandeur of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps — 4 lines, 5 men deep, 20 in total — and before them stood another Stormtrooper.
But this one was unique; he had a red pauldron, signaling his rank as a Captain.
The Commander continued, his steps closing in on the Captain. The Lieutenant Commander then stopped before the Captain, their eyes locking for a second — even through the armor. Then the Captain saluted.
"Lieutenant Commander Aaron Rysel! Captain Catcher, Commanding Officer of the 337th Company, at your service," the now-identified Captain Ripper said. And then, Aaron moved, performing his own standard salute before both of them took them down identically.
'So this is the Clone Captain I've heard all about, a veteran of the Clone Wars. And the only remnant of this ship's past,' Lieutenant Commander Aaron thought.
"Walk with me, Captain," Aaron said, turning towards his right as he began walking. And the Captain fell behind him silently.
"What's the status of your men, Captain Catcher?" Aaron asked as they walked through the halls of the Hound.
"With all due respect, Lieutenant, they are not up to regs — another result of the rushed graduations," Catcher said.
"That is to be expected. You are the only veteran individual on this ship. But I've got a feeling we'll see some action soon enough," Aaron said, and Captain Catcher fell into deep thought.
'Action? In all my service to the Empire, I've fought 52 skirmishes, 48 of which were against civilians,' Catcher thought.
Combat situations were rare in the Empire; the Rebellion rarely fought against the Empire straightforwardly — at the very least, in space.
The two men then entered the bridge, where a crew of 19 individuals could be found: technicians, gunmen, communications officers, and helmsmen.
"ATTENTION! Officer on deck!" Catcher shouted as they entered, and the naval personnel clumsily stood up, some almost tripping, as all attention turned towards Lieutenant Aaron.
"At ease," he said, and their stiff postures reacted, and the Lieutenant walked up to the cockpit, standing behind the 2 seats as he turned around to face the rest of the bridge.
"I am Lieutenant Commander Aaron Rysel, and from this day forth, the Arquitens-Class Light Cruiser The Hound is under my command. And with the recent rise of rebellious forces, we will clash with them sooner or later," Aaron said, his voice carrying across the bridge.
"We may be a recently established ship, but I do not intend to keep it that way. Expect drills, training, and shouting. We will be given our first task in 2 weeks. Until then, we are to head to Commenor, where we will remain grounded for the next 2 weeks. Understood?" Aaron asked.
"Yes, sir!" came the response. Although the crew were 'shinies,' the proper procedure had been drilled into their heads.
"Very good. Pilot, set course for Commenor," Aaron said as he turned around to the 2 pilots sitting in the cockpit.
"Aye, sir," he said, typing in the pre-determined coordinates before the entire ship jumped into hyperspace with a thud.
"Approximate arrival: 3 hours," the Navigator said.
"Captain Catcher, please lead me to my quarters," Aaron said as he walked down from the podium, and the Captain led him out the door and towards the quarters.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached the barracks and Aaron's quarters.
"This is your room, sir," Catcher said, his voice even and stoic — something he had learned throughout his long years of service.
"Thank you, Captain," Aaron said, dismissing Catcher, who turned around and began leaving.
"Oh, Captain," Aaron said, and Catcher turned around.
"I leave the training of the Stormtroopers to you, but I want you to focus on boarding procedures. Understood?" Aaron said, and although surprised, the Captain formed a standard salute before responding.
"Yes, sir!"
"Very good. I'll see you in 3 hours," Aaron said, walking into his room and shutting the door behind him, leaving the Captain standing alone in the hallway.
'Boarding procedures? All my previous Officers either ignored training or focused on battlefield tactics. Perhaps Aaron will be unique,' the man thought to himself before he too left the quarters. The man had a schedule to set up.
Meanwhile, within the confines of his own room, Lieutenant Commander Aaron was stuck in his own thoughts.
'Two months have passed since the destruction of the 1st Death Star, which means we should be in 0 ABY. Sadly, my alter-self never truly indulged in the Star Wars series — watching the 9 movies and that was it. My recollection of it is faulty.
But if I'm correct, the Rebel Alliance should be regrouping about now. And the next major event should be the Battle of Hoth, which should be in 3 years' time, followed closely by the 2nd Death Star,' Aaron thought as he sat in his chair.
Lieutenant Commander Aaron came from Corellia and had graduated at the Imperial Naval Academy there, graduating with honors and earning him the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
Aaron was an orphan of the Clone Wars. His mother had served as a Captain aboard an Admiral's fleet, but the entire fleet had perished at the hands of Admiral Trench towards the end of the war.
Meanwhile, his father had never truly been in his life.
But with that, Aaron began reading.
The Arquitens-Class Light Cruiser and its 300-man crew were a part of the 2nd Sector, which was in the Deep Core. However, according to the rumors, there will be a large-scale relocation, with the Core units replenishing the frontlines against the Rebels.
The Hound consisted of 200 Stormtroopers and 105 other personnel — mostly crew members and non-essential personnel.
The Arquitens-Class Light Cruiser model had a length of 325 meters and a width of 125 meters. It possessed 4 "Twin Medium-Turbolaser Turrets" — 2 mounted on the deck and 2 at the ventral side.
Additionally, it possessed 4 "Heavy Quad Turbolaser Batteries" — 2 on the starboard and 2 on the port side. Lastly, it had 4 Concussion Missile Launchers, all 4 of them at the bow.
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A new story, this one I intend to follow through to the end.
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