HoloNet News The Scorched Earth of Kashyyyk

[Renfry]

People had already seen once before that the Imperial fleet could appear in an instant, and it showed that no world was safe from the fury of the Empire. Kashyyyk would be the next world to discover the terror that an Imperial fleet in orbit meant.

The first time Darth Andruil had seen the Empress Andraste she had been floored. It was an Imperial city, hurtling through space and with armament to match. Now it loomed over the planet of Kashyyyk. Those who monitored the spaceport's scopes would have already seen what was above them, but the majority of the planet had no idea what was coming. At least not until the trees, jungles, and villages began to burn in turbolaser fire.

There was no warning or terms of surrender offered. This wasn't an invasion, it was a message. Time and again the Empress had warned the Jedi Empire of what its subservience to the Jedi Order would bring. Enough of them had forgotten Firrerre that it was time to remind them once again.

Once upon a time, it would have pained her to burn a world like this. Vibrant with life, jungles, and unique creatures, she was now beyond those hesitations. If she had to burn another world to save her own, then so be it. Her face was hard as she looked out the viewport and down the multi-mile length of the destroyer. Tension hung in the air and everyone's voices spoke in hushed whisper, awaiting the order.

Begin bombardment, she said, eyes not tearing away from the planet below.

Yes, ma'am, the admiral said, subsequently signaling to the various weapons and communication officers to begin.

Within moments the first gun batteries opened fire and streaks of green plasma tore across the inky black of space and to the planet's surface. The order spread across the remainder of the fleet as other ships of all sizes began to unleash their payload on the world below.

Ships from the FWA's local defense force came to the rescue as Imperial vessels moved to intercept. Exchanges of fire between the two groups were only the first of many as other vessels from the Alliance would likely arrive at some point.

The first glows of orange began to appear within minutes as fires tore through the jungles. Kilometer-tall trees were felled as turbolaser fire struck them again and again. Villages built high in those trees were taken with them like buildings on an urban world. Wookiees and visitors alike were left to plunge into the depths of the shadowlands miles below, their bodies broken by the impact of the fall.

Civilians were left to run for ships and spaceports to evacuate, many of whom were incinerated long before takeoff. And through it all, the Empress simply watched motionless and unyielding in the face of the violence.

The destruction continued for over an hour, news starting to spread to the rest of the galaxy before the Empress finally made her address.

The camera had been set up, capturing the image of the planet burning behind her. Glow of orange could be seen covering the surface on the planet's dark side, and she wanted that image burned into the minds of those who were watching the broadcast. She wanted them to be afraid and to feel unsafe. To see the repercussions of the actions they chose.

Time and again you've been warned what the Jedi are, and what they will bring to your worlds. Even after telling your leaders how to end this conflict they chose the Jedi over the lives of their citizens. It's clear now that the Jedi's talons are too deep in the minds of the Jedi Empire's leaders for a diplomatic approach, she said. The Jedi Empire was a term that had been used many times by the Imperial news machine to describe the FWA and Republic. They were all toys of the Jedi, just far more subtle than the control of the Sith and therefore far more nefarious.

So I will burn their talons out one world at a time. No worlds in the Jedi Empire are safe, no matter how far from the front lines you are, she said. Too many away from the Sith's front line felt they were untouchable in this war. It hadn't reached their lives and so they ignored it. There would be no ignoring it anymore.

If you want immunity then you know what you have to do: leave the Jedi behind. Join a different government, strike out on your own, form new alliances, the options are myriad. But so long as you remain a slave to the Jedi, know one thing. The fires are coming for you.

 

[Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl]

The Empire, mighty as it was, would find Kashyyyk far more ready than they anticipated. Some viewed the Wookiees as nothing but a privative people, but that was an outdated stereotype. After all, Kashyyyk was a leading member in the Free World's Alliance, sat astride a major hyperspace lane, and was one of the chairs of the FWA Security Council that had been created some months ago along with the full mobilization of the Free World's Alliance- a drastic step not taken since the return of Palpatine.

Senator Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl had long predicted that the war would reach his beloved planet, and while the initial assault came as a surprise, the Wookiees and their allies would begin mounting a spirited defense. Rapid-response ships on standby from a dozen nearby planets responded within minutes, joining up with Kashyyyk's own fleet to exchange fire with the Sith ships. The FWA ships varied in size and firepower, but were united in their desire to drive away the Sith fleet and fought with surprising coordination- another benefit of the sector's strong chain of command. The Empress had likely planned an hour-long bombardment of the planet, but would get barely half of that before enough defenders were present to force the Sith fleet to focus on the rapidly-intensifying space battle or risk destruction.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shortly after the Empress' message of terror was broadcast across the galaxy, the Holonet would be the recipient of a message from Kashyyyk. Destruction from the assault was plainly visible, but this camera angle was kinder to the planet than the one that the Empress used; the truth of the bombardment's damage somewhere between the two perspectives.

The unmistakable form of Senator Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl stood at the base of the ramp leading up a YT-1300f Light Freighter that some might recognize from the past years' Life Day festivities. Instead of his trusty Wroshyr tree staff, the Senator carried a bowcaster, and his fur was decorated as a Chieftain ready for war.

"The Sith would have you believe that Kashyyyk is destroyed and its people subjugated. Nothing could be further from the truth. In every age, Kashyyyk has been the target of those who seek to oppress us; the Czerka corporation, the Trade Federation, the CIS, the Galactic Empire, the First Order, and now, the Sith Empire. And in every age, the Wookiees have resisted, though they have taken our planet, our homes, our children, even our thoughts-" Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl indicated the deactivated inhibitor chip he wore around his neck- "...but they have never conquered our spirit."


The Wookiee's nostrils flared as he breathed in, feeling the significance of the moment. He'd hoped and prayed that this day would not come, that his planet and people might be spared the destruction and horrors of war... but now that it had come it provided a strange sense of relief; clarity, he realized, that his efforts to defend his people were not in vain. The path ahead was treacherous but clear; the Sith would rue the day they decided to make an example of Kashyyyk. In the moment, he felt younger than he had in decades.

"So do not believe the falsehoods of the Empress; the battle for the galaxy is far from over."

The Wookiee cocked his bowcaster- a tremendous feat at his age and the weapon's formidable draw weight, but Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl made it look easy, eyes ablaze with intensity as he stared straight into the camera.





"The battle is just beginning."

 

[Cassian Graves]

The Senator of Kashyyyk was many things—a dying breed, as it were. A relic even, an ever present reminder of the horrors the Wookies had suffered in the past, and a fixed determination to never allow those atrocities to be repeated in the future. Undaunted and stalwart, Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl was not among those that shrink back.

The Wookie Chieftain stood at the base of a Corellian freighter, a towering figure at seven feet tall. It was difficult for Cassian to believe that only a few short months ago the pair of Free Worlds senators had stood below that very light freigther, exchanging pleasantries and light-hearted provocations that Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl believed to be beneath him. If Cassian remembered correctly, he had gifted the Wookie Senator a package of Silver Stare energy drinks, much to the latter's chagrin. The memory was almost enough to bring a smile to the Zeltron's face. Almost, but not quite.

So much had happened since then, and so much had changed. Cassian stared out the floor to ceiling windows of his office, a grim expression on his face as he listened to the Holonet announcements displayed on the nearby monitor. The Zeltron's dark eyebrows pulled together, the crease across his forehead deep and unmistakable.

On Onderon, the sun was shining. Children rushed home from school, businessmen daydreamed about their evening meal, and merchants lined the busy roadways below. It was just another day here, but on Kashyyyk it was anythig but. At this very moment, history was being made on Kashyyyk. Lives hung in the balance. Wookies were fighting for their lives as Sith destroyers rained down fire—cities, villages, and the jungle itself engulfed in its flames. Fire, much like the Sith themselves, burned indiscriminately—men, women, children, and wildlife alike.

Doubtless, neighboring planets had already come to the aid and defense of the planet of Kashyyyk—Sneeve, Balamark, and others perhaps. The Free Worlds Alliance had always been bound together by defense contracts, but it was not until recently that they had begun to act like it.

"You buzzed me?" Kiacro's small voice interrupted his employer's rumination.

Cassian turned his head to one side, acknowledging the Bivall's presence, but his haunted gaze never making eye contact. "Yes, ready the fleets and keep them on standby." Onderon was no shipyard by an stretch of the imagination, but between its commission from Fondor and the formalization of the Free Worlds military, it had a small planetary defense fleet at its disposal. It was nothing like Mon Cala's or New Alderaan's, but it was something, and something was better than nothing.

"And the Untamed, just in case Kashyyyk should need on the ground support or should need to evacuate its citizens. Send word to our Wookie friends, and we will await their orders."

Kiacro made no rebuttal, but Cassian could tell he did not entirely approve. It didn't matter. "Right away, sir."

"And tell Senator Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl that he looks quite dashing with that slugthrower cast over his shoulder," Cassian added, although his voice lacked its usual humor. "A true hero straight off the cover of a steamy harlequin novel." Whether or not the message would ever reach the senator's hairy ears was unknown. Cassian hoped it would.

Cassian hoped the sun would shine on Kashyyyk again.

@SlagathorTheUnknown