15. Rules of Acquisition

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"Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in manoeuvre, the less he demands in slaughter."

Winston Churchill






|| Location: Darpa Sector, Ralltiir System, Ralltiir ||

|| Timeline: 4 ABY, A week before Battle of Endor ||








Over Ralltiir, the stars glistened like broken glass, the emptiness of space serving as the ideal backdrop for the radiance of Imperial power. Sleekly gliding through the empty space was my flagship, the Executor-class Super Star Destroyer "Annihilator." Her long shadow covered the earth, serving as a constant reminder of the Empire's might and the iron grip it had over the galaxy.

" Her long shadow covered the earth, serving as a constant reminder of the Empire's might and the iron grip it had over the galaxy

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Ralltiir appeared below, changed. What used to be just a planet on my sector's periphery was now a stronghold. Bristling with ion cannons and turbolasers, defence platforms rang out across the world like an unbreakable chain. Swarming with activity were the new shipyards, the pride of my fleet. The Procursator-class Star Destroyers' skeletal frames hung in drydock, nearing completion, while Gozanti-class cruisers transported supplies between the planet and the fleets. Our already powerful forces would be strengthened even more by their angular forms, which were a marvel of Imperial engineering.

Conducting routine patrols around the shipyards, TIE fighters and interceptors buzzed like horns of anger. Our newest weapon, the TIE Hunters, was flown by some of them. These were new developments—sleek, lethal, and swift vessels—that were specifically designed to address the issues that were noted at Hoth. With each weapon operating with mechanical precision, even the savage TIE Brutes had found a place among the more sophisticated starfighters.

The finishing touches were being applied to the All Terrain MegaCaliber Six on the surface of Ralltiir. The knowledge gained from the Hoth incident had not been lost. Any Rebel force that would have the audacity to oppose us would be easily defeated by this formidable walker. It was the result of several months of development, with my most reliable engineers closely observing every little detail. I could practically hear its legs thundering to the ground as it crushed the Rebel Alliance's remnants.

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