Saga - ST Moden Canady's Last Battle (Minor TLJ spoilers!)

Now

“Sir, message from the Finalizer, we’re to drop out of hyperspace and commence orbital bombardment.”

Captain Moden Canady didn’t need to look behind him to identify the youthful voice of XO. Even on a ship full of children, she stood out for her youthful enthusiasm, as yet untempered by real war or real action.

“About damned time–all hands, action stations! Gunnery, prime the autocannons and stand by to target the base. All shields up full. Comms, relay to Finalizer we’re on our way.”

The Fulminatrix’s bridge crew sang out acknowledgements.

“Aye skipper!”

“You got it Sir!”

“Roger that!”

Canady took a deep breath and clasped his hands behind his back, staring out at the mottled blue of hyperspace. Children. He was surrounded by children on board this beautiful beast of war fresh from the First Order foundries. Back in the Empire they would have been cadets, safely under the watch of men like Canady with years at space under their belts. Under the grizzled NCOs who were stewards and safekeepers of the Fleet they would have learned every trade from helm to gunner to yeomanry.

But the First Order didn’t have any grizzled NCOs, or at least not that many at all. The few with Imperial service in their history were like aurodium bars to be prized and scooped up. That snivelling ginger weasel Armitage Hux had seized most of them for the Finalizer so he could lord over them and disregard their advice like he did to the destroyer’s poor Captain Edrison Peavey. Canady had been lucky enough to shanghai one of the most experienced women in the Fleet to serve as his senior enlisted sailor, but he’d been forced to accept one of the children as his XO.

Canady took a deep breath. Yenah Dreyze meant well, and she had the motivation and zeal that in the old days earmarked a new Ensign as someone to be mentored and groomed for a long career in the Fleet.

But Yenah Dryze, at only twenty-five, was a Commander and XO of one of the biggest ships in the Fleet…with almost none of the experience that would have gotten her to that point in the Galactic Empire.

Her voice sounded behind him again. “Sir, dropping out of hyperspace in five.”

“Very good, XO. Time to show the Resistance what our ship can do.”

***

One Year Ago

“I hope you understand, Captain Canady, what an honor this is.”

Moden Canady, standing at a parade-ground-perfect attention, dipped his head sharply. “Yes Sir, I do.”

“I want to make sure, Captain.” Armitage Hux’s face bore no trace of his usual smirk, but the supercilious condescension was just as annoying. “The Supreme Leader’s eyes will be on the performance of his finest ship. This will be no ordinary command.”

Of course it wouldn’t be, and Canady didn’t need some rat-faced child to tell him that. Even if he’d hoodwinked all the young believers, Canady’s fellow Galactic Empire veterans still looked askance at the condescending youth when he wasn’t looking their way. By Anaxes, the man still wore his sodding overcoat seated behind his desk like an Academy cadet still in love with all his uniform accoutrements. He was the worst elements of the inexperienced and overconfident Ensign personified, right down to refusing to listen to those with more experience.

Except an Ensign could only ruin the lives of a few sailors. Armitage Hux led an entire armed force that was the last hope to bring some damned stability to the galaxy after decades of the Rebel Alliance sending everything down the tubes.

Sometimes Canady wondered why he had followed Grand Admiral Sloane into the Unknown Regions.

“Yes Sir,” repeated Canady. “I do.”

“Excellent, excellent—come, Captain.” Hux motion to a seat in front of the desk, and reached into a drawer to produce a crystalline decanter and two tumblers. “Let’s drink to your command.”

For an instant—only an instant—Canady was about to reply that he didn’t drink with children. But the moment passed, and he took two crisp paces forward before settling down in the chair, bowing his grizzled features in thanks. “Appreciate it, Sir.”

Hux, smiling thinly, poured two helpings of brandy and offered one to Canady. “To the Fulminatrix. May she wipe the scum off our boots.”

Canady paused with his brandy halfway to his mouth. That was another thing about the children. They had a love of overblown oratory with little to back it up. Maybe if the Starkiller Base project was a success, then Hux could start getting away with such chat. But in the meantime…

“Yes Sir. And to the better branch of the service.” Canady dared a grin, and clinked glasses with Hux.
“Pity you made your choice, Sir. Gotta say there’s a nice ring to Admiral Hux.”

The young General’s face worked, trying on different expressions as he tried to determine if Canady was mocking him or otherwise being insubordinate. But in the end Armitage settled on the smug smirk that was his trademark. “Perhaps. But I do believe this is one choice I can live with. Now, Captain, you’ll be pleased to hear we’ve already assigned you your Executive Officer.”

Canady perked up, lowering his whiskey. There had been a few fellow Imperial veterans at loose ends that he’d requested for his second. “Ah, excellent! Was Commander Breymer available? They were an excellent gunnery officer aboard Solicitude, back in the day.”

Hux’s smirk took on a decidedly nasty tinge. “No, I’m afraid not, Captain Canady. Commander Yenah Dryze will be the number two of the Fulminatrix.”

Canady froze. “Sir?”

“Indeed, Captain. Her Academy reports are impeccable. And her time aboard Finalizer has indicated her to be an outstanding gunnery officer, which will be perfect considering the mission of your Dreadnaught…and an excellent counterpart to your years of experience.”

Canady kept his face under control. He was an officer of the Galactic Empire, not just the First Order. He had to set the standard for the children, and that meant not rising to their bait. He knew what Hux was implying—the Imperial vets weren’t sufficiently ideological enough, that they hadn’t invested wholeheartedly in the First Order. And therefore, they needed the children at their side to keep them honest.

“I see. I look forward to meeting her, General.”

Hux raised his hands in a magnanimous gesture. “I am, however, pleased to inform you that your request to have Bryn Reslak appointed as your senior NCO has been approved.”

A spot of relief, that. He and Reslak had served together aboard the Solicitude up through Endor, and she’d proven herself an excellent NCO many times over. “Outstanding, Sir, I’m glad to hear it.”

“I thought you might be,” sniffed Hux. “If that is all, you are dismissed, Captain Canady.”

“Sir!” Canady shot to his feet and rendered a crisp hand salute.

Hux just blinked, and waved him away, clearly having already mentally checked out of the conversation.

Canady blinked, long training rebelling at the thought of lowering his salute without it being returned by a damned general officer…but these were the children in command of the First Order. He lowered his salute, and about-faced to exit Hux’s office, mood dark.

***

Now

The mottled blue blurred into starlines blurred into stars, and Captain Moden Canady was staring out at a green world ringed by asteroids. There was a stream of craft moving offworld, hurtling for a small cluster of larger craft. Canady frowned as he squinted out the viewport. “Sensors! What am I looking at?”

“We’ve got a bunch of transports heading offworld, looks like they’re making for that Mon Cal cruiser in the center of the formation—”

“Target-rich environment then.” Canady spun round. “Gunnery, acquire targets.”

The gunnery officer, Warrant Officer Bascus, looked up from his viewfinger. “Um, we don’t have the data from sensors relayed to us yet.”

Canady suppressed a curse. “Sensors, relay your data to gunnery. You should have done so soon as we arrived in-system, dammit.”

“On it, skipper. Gunnery?”

Bascus was silent for a couple seconds. “…alright. Target acquired.”

“Prime the autocannons,” growled Canady. “Time to put paid to the Resistance.”