"So...what's the situation on the ground?" General Novar's cigar glows faintly in the dim command room. "Who's in command?"
"We received our last message from Obroas City just over a week ago sir, Colonel Shearane of the Council Security League was in charge." The analyst waves a hand and the holographic display in the centre of the room flickered to display a chiselled older human.
Captain Borintus raised an eyebrow. "Quite the set of medals he's got there, Seluki Cross, two Stars of Dameron. Looks like he's seen some action."
"Yes sir, three tours in the core, two more out on the rim before retiring back home. Obroa-Skai is a relatively peaceful planet so it should have been an easy last post for the old war horse."
"Before the Mandalorians."
"Yes, before the Mandalorians."
Novar squints up at the slowly revolving colonel. "Stroke of luck on our part, with someone like the colonel in charge they'll hold, the Neo-Crusaders won't be expecting that level of resistance." With a wave of his hand he signalled the should keep going. "Okay, let's talk beachheads-"
Obroas City, about 30 seconds later
"Colonel Shearane is dead, sir." There's no response from the young blue suited man staring out the window. "Sir?"
"Yes, yes sergeant, I heard." His voice breaks slightly on the last syllable so he swallows and takes a breath before continuing. "And Captain I'llupin?"
"A second crusader assassination squad after they hit the forward command centre in the hospital, they destroyed her bunker with a grenade attack."
"Captain Organa?"
"Missing in action still, I don't think we're going to find him."
Bevin winces as he finishes the same mental exercise he's been doing and redoing with mounting concern for the past ten minutes. "So per CSL protocols that would leave me in command."
"Yes sir." The sergeant, an Aqualish maybe twice Bevin's age salutes sharply.
"Right....right." He swallows again, urging his hands to stop shaking. "A review of our situation then sergeant? As protocol dictates."
"Quite good sir, I've taken the liberty of organising a detail for your personal security."
"Why would I- Oh, yes. Good initiative Sergeant..." Stars, he didn't even know the man's name.
"Sergeant Quoolbar Sir, second squad."
"Thank you Quoolbar, let's head to command."
Reports came thick and fast throughout the day. So fast that Bevin didn't have a moment to explain to the panicked command staff that he was just a lieutenant hardly qualified to point his service weapon the right way, let alone defend a whole city. Dank Farrik! This was why his family had come to Obroa-Skai in the first place, to escape this sort of thing. But instead it was "Make sure someone gets anti-tank weapons to the Crystal Street militia" and "I don't care what you need to do, find me kolto for the infirmary now".
If he'd just stopped to think he'd have known that their situation was desperate, that while the shield could keep the Crusader artillery and Ships out it did little to stall their ground forces. He definitely would have realised that supplies were already running low, that they were outgunned and outmanned in every metric that counted. So he just concentrated on the little things he could think about, like how to eke out another day, hold another street, destroy another tank.
For their part, Sergeant Quoolbar and his men just kept their eyes on the sky and their weapons at hand, settling in for the long haul.