Early Resistance to the New Order

[Jack Bauer]

I think I've read somewhere (The Essential Chronology) that during the very early days of the Empire, there were pockets of resistance among various worlds to the New Order. These groups were not yet organized into the Rebel Alliance under the Coreillian Treaty years later and for the most part were unorganized and unfocused. The Ghorman Massacre suggests that at least on some worlds, there was significant dissent.

My question is, "Do we know anything from any EU or non-EU source about the makeup and composition of the early resistance?". The logical explanation is that these early freedom fighters belonged to local planetary security forces (much like on Naboo and Utapau) that resisted the growing Imperial encroachment upon their sovereignty.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki]

I think I've read somewhere (The Essential Chronology) that during the very early days of the Empire, there were pockets of resistance among various worlds to the New Order. These groups were not yet organized into the Rebel Alliance under the Coreillian Treaty years later and for the most part were unorganized and unfocused. The Ghorman Massacre suggests that at least on some worlds, there was significant dissent.

Those guys just didn't want to pay taxes, so they blocked their own economic lifeline, and for some reason, the local police couldn't/didn't disperse them. So Tarkin came (I recently found out it was a VSD) and decided to take his taxes.

My question is, "Do we know anything from any EU or non-EU source about the makeup and composition of the early resistance?". The logical explanation is that these early freedom fighters belonged to local planetary security forces (much like on Naboo and Utapau) that resisted the growing Imperial encroachment upon their sovereignty.

One might try to look up Sector Commands, which were supposed to be mostly unchanged from the original organization as they were ingested into the Rebel Alliance. The makeup and composition varies from sector to sector, and even planet to planet, depending on its needs. Here is an example of the RASB's depictions of two planets within Atrivis sector.

Fest Ground Forces

These are the combat forces operating on the planet of Fest and in the nearby systems. Fest is a densely-populated planet, with few wilderness areas available for guerrilla operations. Thus, the Fest Alliance Forces are streetfighters (the Imperials call them `terrorists"), disrupting Imperial communications and supplies, hitting barracks, bombing power stations, and, generally, attempting to make control of the planet more expensive than it is worth. Essentially, they are willing to turn their planet into an urban wasteland to deny its resources to the enemy.

Because Fest is an urbanized planet, complete with spaceports, spy satellites and an Imperial base in high orbit, getting men, supplies and equipment on and off-planet is extremely difficult, slow and dangerous. Commucations between dispersed Fest armed units are also dangerous - most land communications lines are suspect, and the Imperial satellite monitors random comm unit frequencies.

Because of this, most resistance units on Fest are on their own. They are assigned "hunting preserves" within which they do what they will, with only occasional communication and cooperation between units in different preserves.

Fest Commando Units

An average Fest commando unit consists of between five and 20 men and women under a command team with a commander, second in command, intelligence officer, and supply officer. Most are part-time soldiers, law-abiding citizens during the day, fighting the Empire at night.

The unit's base of operations is likely to be a small chamber in a sub-basement of an abandoned warehouse, wherein the unit's weapons, supplies, and communications equipment is stored, The unit probably performs perhaps one to three raids a month, hitting whatever target offers the greatest opportunity for the smallest risk.

From time to time, a unit may receive a message from High Command, ordering them to attack a specific target or to meet with one or more other units to perform a combined operation. These messages are passed via, of all things, the planet-wide entertainment holo-network, coded into local news programs by newscasters secretly in the Alliance.

A favorite target of the Fest underground is the planetary government, particularly the citizens of Fest working with the Imperials. In the Resistance's mind, it is bad enough to oppress people of another planet; it is far worse to help others oppress your own people.

The Fest police force, the most visible arm of the Fest collaborationist government, is never safe from attack. Desertion from the force has reached epidemic proportions, forcing the Fest military to take over much of their functions.

Mantooine Ground Forces

Mantooine is in a much different situation from Fest. The planet is lightly populated, with most of the people concentrated in several cities in the southern continent. In addition, Mantooine is less important to the lmperials, and they devote fewer resources to it, allowing the Mantooine "Liberators" to operate with much greater freedom than their opposites in Fest.

The Liberators maintain an army on Mantooine. Several thousand Rebels, organized into companies, regiments, and even divisions, occupy the mountainous regions near the cities, battling the government army raised to oppose them,

The government army is composed mostly of locals drafted into service at gunpoint, commanded by Imperial officers. They far outgun the Liberators and are better supplied and equipped, but their morale is terrible. If supplied with overwhelming air and artillery support, they can drive the Liberators from the field; if not, they lose.

As with virtually every other armed force in the Alliance, supplies and communications are the Liberators' biggest problems. With the farmers in the wilderness on their side, the Liberators can usually get enough to eat, but they are always critically short of weapons, ammunition, transport, medical and communications equipment, and the other tools of war.

The Liberators have a few primitive factories hidden in smaller villages friendly to their cause, and Sector Ordnance and Supply sends what it can, but this provides only a fraction of their needs. The rest must be stolen from the enemy. The government army's supply dumps are always the first target in battle.

Because of the Liberators' success in the field, the Mantooine government has pretty much conceded the countryside to them, concentrating all of their efforts upon protecting the major cities. The Liberators are gathering their forces, saving up supplies and weapons and intensifying their recruiting and training efforts, in anticipation of the coming great battles for the cities.

[Jack Bauer]

That's great info. But what does RASB stand for?

[Kazuaki Shimazaki]

That's great info. But what does RASB stand for?

Rebel Alliance Sourcebook. One of the better Sourcebooks WEG wrote, though IMO the Imperial Sourcebook (ISB) was better.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Can VSDs actually land, and even if they did, how would they crush thousands of protestors with their comparatively narrow feet.

Offhand, I'd say engine wash or something, with 'crushing' used as it is more emotive language. It could always be something more exotic, like repulsors and landing pad repulsor reflectors providing surface pressure or so forth.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki]

Can VSDs actually land, and even if they did, how would they crush thousands of protestors with their comparatively narrow feet.

Actually, the RASB account was that it was "dozens" killed. I think the SW.com databank claims hundreds. I don't know of a source that claims thousands. If a Venator can land...

The VSD thing was something unconfirmed I picked up from Noldor at TFN. I'm accepting it provisionally.

[Illuminatus Primus]

Well the Venator-class casually seems to have a much flatter profile (and no ventral bulb) than the Victory-class.

[FTeik]

Wasn't it a Carrack-Cruiser Tarkin used to crush the demonstrators?

[Jack Bauer]

Wasn't it a Carrack-Cruiser Tarkin used to crush the demonstrators?

I think you're right.