The Best of The Dark Sentinel Issue #60 January 7th, 2000 Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet Aurora System, Outer Rim Territories Edited/authored by Sector Admiral Jahn Compton XO/SA Compton/CS-2/SSSD Sov Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet SSSD Sovereign Welcome to the 5th anniversary issue of the Dark Sentinel, the official NewsLetter of the Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet. I'm Sector Admiral Jahn Compton, and I have had the honor and privilege of serving the Emperor in this unparalleled organization for most of the existence of the club. The EH has been through many changes in the last five years, growing from a one-man operation to what it is today - the largest internet-based Star Wars club in the world. I hope this NewsLetter serves as a decent record and history of where the EH has been, and that it may help guide the way to future glories. Notes on reading this NewsLetter: All text taken directly from an issue of the Dark Sentinel will look like this. Sector Admiral Compton's personal notes will look like this. (And all issue summaries will look like this.) If you are a new member of the Emperor's Hammer, I hope this will serve as an excellent resource for finding out about the history of the Fleet. It's taken the hard work of many people you may not have ever heard of to get the Fleet to where it is today. If you've been in the EH for a while, I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane. I've put countless hours into documenting the history of the EH, and I'm very proud of what the Emperor's Hammer has been able to accomplish in just five years. Please join me in striving to make it better each and every day. XO/SA Compton/CS-2/SSSD Sov, Impr (ret.), (MoH)(IC)(GoE)(PC)(GS-2)(SS)(BS)(IS-2)(LoC-BS)(OV-4E)(MoI-dc)(MoT- gh-3rh)(MoC-PoC-6GoC-2SoC-2BoC), DA (Sith), (IWATS-IIC) Sector Admiral Jahn Compton Executive Officer Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet SSSD Sovereign In the beginning... ...there was General Ronin, Wing Commander of the ISD Avenger, assigned to Lord Darth Vader's Death Squadron in the months before the Battle of Endor. In reality William Call, inspired by the previous effort by Zach Slaton and his club the Executor Wing on America Online, wanted to start a club based on the computer game TIE Fighter. So on 12/30/94, he posted the first EH NewsLetter, invited everyone browsing around AOL's Flight Sim Resource Center to join this new Imperial Fleet... THE EMPEROR'S HAMMER IMPERIAL STAR DESTROYER AVENGER NEWSLETTER NO. 1 The Emperor's Hammer during close formation reloading training (photo: TIE Fighter - LucasArts, 1994) The Emperor's Hammer Strike Wing of the Imperial Star Destroyer Avenger was recently commissioned by the Emperor Palpatine. The Emperor's plans require seasoned TIE pilots and support personnel to combat the recent resurgence of the rebellion following the Rebel Alliance's unsuccessful attempt to obtain the TIE Defender technology during the Nami uprising. The Emperor's Hammer is comprised of an elite strike squadron to be stationed on the Imperial Star Destroyer Avenger. The wing consists of six squadrons with varying mission parameters and capabilities which are detailed below. The Emperor's Hammer is currently forming and conducting training exercises in preparation for impending action against newly formed Rebel units. The Avenger is currently assigned to Lord Vader's personal Strike Force consisting of the Super Class Destroyer Executor, the Imperial Class Star Destroyers Devastator and Avenger and two ships with classified designations. GENERAL DESCRIPTION & REQUIREMENTS The missions that Emperor's Hammer run will typically include VIP escort, Facility/capital ship interception, strike and defense missions. Although the Emperor's Hammer is still being formed, it is anticipated that its members will be seeing active duty following upcoming release of a mission editor. If any squadron members have knowledge of such a file, you are asked to notify the recently assigned Wing Commander General Ronin (W [email protected]) for upgrade to mission control. It should be noted that since the Wing Commander has flown all missions in the original TIE Fighter and Defender of the Empire expansion disk, the time and story line pickup following their completion. However, as missions dictate, some will be flown utilizing the standard fighter complement in the original TIE fighter. In keeping with the strict dictates of Emperor Palpatine and the Inner Circle of the Secret Order, certain minimum skill levels will be required to maintain the Wing Structure. However, once the Squadron Commander positions are filled, the composition of their unit is at their discretion. Palpatine wishes to retain an uncharacteristic individuality and flexibility in the Emperor's Hammer to meet the upcoming rebel encounters. Consequently, Squadron Commanders will have to meet the following minimum skill levels: Training Patches in ALL fighter craft Gold Combat Medallions in ALL fighter craft Rank of Colonel Medals for completed Battle Nos. 1 through 7 Member of Inner Circle of Emperor's Secret Order 500,000 points 250 kills Please submit *.trf files by AOL E-Mail to the Wing Commander (W Call @ AOL.com) for verification. Please note that since this unit is comprised of volunteer forces, the Squadron Commander positions will be filled upon first request. In a case of two applicants of equal ability requesting the same position, the Wing Commander will arbitrate the decision following petition by both candidates. As stated above, Squadron Commanders will form their own units. However, since this is an elite unit, the following are recommended guidelines: Flight Leader Training Patches in ALL fighter craft Gold Combat Medallions in all fighter craft but the TIE Defender and Missile Boat (Bronze or Silver) Rank of Commander Medals for completed Battle Nos. 1 through 7 Member of 3rd Circle of Emperor's Secret Order 250,000 points 150 kills Flight Member Training Patches in all fighter craft but Missile Boat Silver or Gold Combat Medallions in all fighter craft but the TIE Defender and Missile Boat Rank of Lieutenant Medals for completed Battle Nos. 1 through 7 Member of 1st Circle of Emperor's Secret Order 100,000 points 50 kills WING STRUCTURE The following presents the standard command structure for the Emperor's Hammer of the Imperial Class Star Destroyer Avenger: EMPEROR'S HAMMER (72 TIE Fighter complement) COMMANDER: General William "Ronin" Call ALPHA SQUADRON - Command Squadron (3 flights = 12 TIEs) COMMANDER: General William "Ronin" Call (TIE Defender) SHIP TYPES: TIE Defender, TIE Missile Boat, TIE Advanced PURPOSE: Command/Strike BETA SQUADRON - Elite Strike Squadron (3 flights = 12 TIEs) COMMANDER: To be assigned SHIP TYPES: (2) TIE Defender and TIE Missile Boat PURPOSE: Deep Strike, Interdiction and Special Operations GAMMA SQUADRON - Close Support Squadron (3 flights = 12 TIEs) COMMANDER: To be assigned SHIP TYPES: (3) TIE Missile Boat PURPOSE: Close Support, Long Range/Capital Ship Interdiction DELTA SQUADRON - Recon Squadron (3 flights = 12 TIEs) COMMANDER: To be assigned SHIP TYPES: (3) TIE Defender PURPOSE: Deep Recon/Strike EPSILON SQUADRON - Strike Squadron (3 flights = 12 TIEs) COMMANDER: To be assigned SHIP TYPES: TIE Defender, TIE Advanced, TIE Bomber PURPOSE: Strike, Defense and Interdiction LAMBDA SQUADRON - Strike Squadron (3 flights = 12 TIEs) COMMANDER: To be assigned SHIP TYPES: TIE Defender, TIE Advanced, TIE Bomber PURPOSE: Strike, Defense and Interdiction IMPERIAL STAR DESTROYER AVENGER The Avenger is a member of the Imperial Class Star Destroyers. The Imperial Class has been developed as a replacement for the obsolete Victory Class which was produced during the Clone Wars. Unlike the Victory Class, which was designed for planetary defense, assault and ground troop support, the Imperial class is designed for primarily ship to ship combat. The Imperial Class Star Destroyer possesses enough firepower to reduce entire fleets and planets to their knees. Although the Empire wields a great weapon with the Imperials, their presence alone is generally sufficient to accomplish the assigned task. The costs to build and maintain these behemoths rival the GNP of most star systems. The Avenger has had a long and valorous history. It has been involved in more than 450 missions since its commissioning. The Avenger is currently assigned to Lord Vader's personal Strike Force consisting of the Executor, Devastator and two classified vessels. It is commonly rumored that these two vessels are Imperial Class Star Destroyers in appearance, but they are not so by design. Following destruction of the Rebel TIE Defender manufacturing facility and the retreat of Admiral Zaarin, newly promoted Grand Admiral Thrawn has ordered that the Avenger undero retrofit and retraining. The Emperor, Lord Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn have ordered the commissioning of the Emperor's Hammer as an elite rapid strike and interdiction force to counter expected assaults by former Admiral Zaarin and his remaining forces. As an interesting side note, the Avenger has apparently had eight captains over the last two years. (NL 1 highlights: EH is created by Emperor Palpatine. GN Ronin is named Wing Commander of ISD Avenger. Membership: 1 as of 12/30/94.) The first to join was GN Peter Papp, soon followed by GN Cli4ord, who became squadron commanders. Cliffy also signed on as the Fleet's first Tactical Officer. The second NL, dated 1/3/95, included the descriptions for the first Command Positions. Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, addressing recently appointed command officers of the Emperor's Hammer in the Outer Rim Sector (photo: Mundrath1, 7/4/90) (NL 2 highlights: First TAC appointed.