Yellow Brick Road (VI)

The Nemesis' turbolasers unleashed another barrage of green plasma. While most of it seared through the ocean's surface, evaporating water above the submerged vessel, some of the energy beams struck the hull directly.

Watching the trajectories on the holographic display, Captain Von Schneider allowed himself a satisfied grin.

"Relay to the gunners—engage the second turret."

"Yes, sir!"

A heartbeat later, eight more turbolaser beams lashed out at the long, cylindrical form of the Coral Vanda. Within seconds, another volley followed...

"Second hull breach!" came the report from the operations pit.

The captain's gaze flicked to the monitor. A massive influx of water was now flooding the interior of the cruise liner. It wouldn't be long before the ship either surfaced involuntarily or was pulled under entirely.

Given the vessel's luxurious nature and the high-profile passengers aboard—over five hundred cabins spread across fifteen first-class decks and thirty more in second class—Von Schneider knew they would rather risk everything to escape than surrender to the Empire. The crew of the Coral Vanda had undoubtedly identified the attacking ship by now, and it was unlikely they believed a Republic vessel would deliberately endanger them like this.

"Are the landing forces in position?" he inquired.

"Six units in transport ships are hovering just above the ocean's surface, awaiting the ship's emergence," came the swift reply. A moment later, another update followed:

"Sir! An escape pod has been detected on the surface. They're transmitting our identification codes! Decoding now… 'Bird in a Cage.'"

"Send a ship to retrieve them," Von Schneider ordered. The mission was nearly complete. "Continue firing until the vessel surfaces."

"What if it sinks?" the senior gunner asked, his voice tinged with doubt.

"Then we'll recall the stormtroopers to the ship," Schneider answered matter-of-factly. "In any case, we'll ensure everything proceeds according to the Grand Admiral's directives."

"They're surfacing," a voice called out from another pit. "Ballast is being purged."

"Good. Issue orders to the stormtroopers—move in swiftly and with full force," Schneider commanded, his eyes glancing at the chronometer. They had already spent a solid ten minutes dealing with this ship. With rebel patrols expected in the area within three hours, time was short. "But remember, the mission must be accomplished no matter what."

Ten minutes after the Nemesis departed, two Mon Calamari star cruisers arrived with their escorts. But all they could do was witness the aftermath—Coral Vanda's ravaged hull and its escape pods, victims of relentless turbolaser fire, resting at the ocean's depths. The Empire had executed yet another brutal raid deep within New Republic territory, resulting in the deaths of numerous wealthy citizens, including several high-ranking military officers who had been vacationing aboard. Despite New Republic Intelligence's fervent efforts to uncover how this sensitive information had leaked, they found no answers. The Coral Vanda, later salvaged from the ocean floor, offered no clues—the Imperial raiders had destroyed all data banks before sinking the ship.

What the rebels didn't realize was that before eliminating all witnesses to their attack, the Imperials had enriched themselves by over two hundred million credits.