Cossen's Planet

( A Stormtrooper Ballad )

"The first action of the Section Campaign of the Clone Wars was a massive surprise attack by the Eskaladani Karhassi, popularly known as the EK's, a species from a twelve-system federation in the 1230 Section. Their attempt to establish a beachhead for invasion of the Empire in the Cossen's Planet system, a small, newly settled mining colony on the periphery, was only frustrated by the heroic self-sacrifice of the unprepared defending forces, led by General Anvard Di.
"Terms of the peace treaty ceded the Cossen's Planet system and Borligan to the Eskaladani Karhassi in return for control of the four-system Dantooine Section."
from A DIPLOMATIC HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE It was spring on Cossen's Planet, and the early trees were green
Near the little town of Landing — damndest town you've ever seen —
The first-in of the colony, and layin' like a rug
On the biggest lode of precious ore a miner ever dug.

The EK's came outsystem out of Section Twelve-three-oh.
Said, "We're taking Cossen's Planet," but the Empire said, "Hell, no!"
Then all the screens at Landing-town were full of EK blips:
They had near a thousand fighters and a fleet of fifteen ships.

We chased 'em through perim defense. We matched their snubs with TIEs,
A-flittin' through the system like a flight o' dragonflies.
The dark was full of laser-bolts, the burning shrapnel flew
As we tried to hold the orbit, but the EK's went on through.

We lost our flagship VALOR, and they lost their VICTORY.
We traded ship for ship and casualty for casualty.
The fight was going bad in space and orders came on down:
We'll have to send the troopers in to take 'em on the ground.

We hit 'em hard and solid with our walkers' heavy guns,
But they held us down and pounded us with bloody strafing runs.
Then they pushed us back to Landing, and we knew they had us beat,
And General Di relayed to Fleet: "permission to retreat?"

"We're sending reinforcements," came the answer, "Hang on, Friend."
The General knew the Admiral hadn't nothin' more to send,
So he called his troops together and he said to them, said he,
"For the glory of the Empire, we will bring the victory!"

Then the sergeant called the Numbers, and he said, "For what we are,
For the honor of our brothers, and the name we earned in war,
Here we stand as we are ordered, for defeat or victory,
Gift of Passing to the wounded, and the dying pays us free."

"The man who wants to turn tail now, " said he, "Go on and run."
He turned his back and waited, but there wasn't even one.
"Confirmed and understood, Sir," said the General to the sky,
And they dug in at Landing-town to hold the ground and die.

Well, the EKs heard that answer, like the General meant 'em to,
And the EK field commander knew just what he had to do:
We'll hit 'em fast, with all we've got, and raise the planet shield
Before the reinforcements come, and then they'll have to yield.

They pulled their snubs outorbit, and they gutted all their crews
Of every man and craft they had, far more than they could lose.
They all came down on Landing-town with cannon all ablaze
And blew our guns to little bits, a-flyin' fifty ways.

The EKs laughed; they hardly noticed just a single blip,
A last lone Empire cruiser comin' up on their own ship.
They knew that they could lose that ship and have an easy win
If they could just have time to get the planet shield put in.

So everything the EKs had set down on Landing-town.
The Empire cruiser blew that ship — but then she went on down,
She moved into synch orbit, armed her planetbuster, then
The General called the full strike in on top of his own men.

It's fall on Cossen's Planet now, and all the trees are brown.
The Empire sold the system, and the Empire sold the town.
There's a statue of the General Di, ass-deep in pigeon-shit –
And I'd say that's about what all of us got out of it.

by Karen Winter

Winter's Tales