RESISTANCE BRIEFING #1 - ISD Illustrious

This is the first in a series of info-threads on the illegal Imperial occupation of Ranjahr. Study these briefs well, soldier, the Outer Rim Liberation Front is counting on YOU to know your enemy.

The command ship for the Imperial Occupation is the Illustrious, a Victory-II class Star Destroyer, seen here in a holo-still from the invasion. Vic-2's are the successor to the earlier Victory class, and were designed as space dreadnaughts and fighter carriers more than orbital bombardment platforms. This is a good sign that the Empire intends to annex the planet with as little "scorched earth" as possible. That makes our mission a little easier.

That doesn't let us off the hook, though. The Illustrious is packed full of Imperial military might. Heavy batteries of turbolasers, ion cannons, and tractor beams make it a formidable interdiction craft against capital ships. Two wings of fightercraft (mostly V-wings, ARC-170s, and an elite squadron of Eta-2s) give it plenty of aerospace superiority against smaller craft such as light freighters and our own snub fighters. Avoid armed confrontation when the Illustrious is nearby! We cannot afford to tackle firepower of that magnitude!

The Illustrious, while not as specialized at ground assault like a Vic-1 or an older Acclamator-class, does carry a full complement of walkers. We've accounted for 8 AT-TEs deployed , and suspect there are still 3-4 more of them aboard the ship. At least 4 Juggernaut-type "clone tanks" have been spotted in the outlying tundra on patrol. Several squads of AT-PTs and a new type of two-legged scout we've dubbed "chicken-walkers" have also been deployed, mostly in defense of the equatorial occupation fronts. of course, several dozen LAAT/i Gunships ferry Imperial troops around the occupation zones, and they are supplemented by various repulsor-craft like speeder bikes and armored landspeeders.

Illustrious is commanded by Captain Jarg Sefflin, a veteran of the Clone Wars and hero of the battle of Cato Neomoidia. He's a Palpatine-model tyrant, and loyal to the core. Moff Gadj was his CO during the battle, and personally requested Sefflin when the Moff himself was selected to administer Ranjahr Sector. The XO of the Illustrious is a Corellian called Gadius Mieen. He's a crack naval strategist who some say was really responsible for the Republic's victory at Cato Neimoidia. We don't know much more about him, but old holovid profiles seem to suggest he was sympathetic to the Petition of the 2000 (though he did not apparently sign the document).

Gadj, Sefflin, and Mieen are key Imperial oppressors. Be vigilant for opportunities to capture or eliminate these enemies of freedom. Do not, however, underestimate the forces each of these men has at his disposal.

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The Victory Star Destroyers are based on concept-art for the "Imperial Cruiser" in the original Star Wars. They have since become "canon" in many video-games, role-playing games, comics, and novels. They are roughly 2/3 the size of the Star Destroyers in the movies -- and sort of fill the gap between the Star Destroyers in "Revenge of the Sith" ( the Venator-Class) and "A New Hope." (the Imperial-Class)

V-Wings, ARC-170s, and Eta-2s ("Jedi Starfighters") all appear in "Revenge of the Sith" and you can find plenty more about them on the web. This is not quite yet the era of the TIE fighter.
Acclamator-class landing ships appeared in "Attack of the Clones," as did the Imperial LAAT/i gunships, AT-TEs.