"Cooling system!" Dennis Henk shouted.
"Ready." Operator A looked at the screen before him and confirmed that the internal temperature indicator was light blue.
"Energy cycle!" Henk shouted next.
"Ready." Operator B ran a finger across the screen, completing the energy cycle for one unit.
"Fire control system!"
"Ready." Operator C confirmed once more that the Fire Control Radar had locked onto the target and made minor adjustments based on the target's movements and projected impact point.
"Main gun charging!"
"Ready." The gunner pressed the green button with his left hand, raising the cannon's energy reserves to 100% on the screen. At the same time, he flipped open a cover with his right hand and rested it over another red button.
"Five-round main gun salvo, fire!"
"First shot. Second shot. Third shot. Fourth shot. Fifth shot." The gunner mechanically repeated the command five times and pressed the firing button five times. That was their operating discipline: however many shots they fired, they had to call them out the same number of times to ensure accuracy.
The XX-9 twin-mounted heavy turbolaser cannon rapidly fired five times at a rate of one shot every two seconds, after which the entire process was repeated. Everyone called out the exact same commands. Over the course of a battle, they repeated them hundreds, even thousands of times. Accompanied by the roar of the main guns and the rumble of the mechanical transmission systems, the calls formed a unique rhythm within the turret.
This was inside Turret B-16 of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer The Punk. The ship belonged to the Galactic Empire's First System Army, Combat Group A, Ninth Sub-fleet.
An Imperial-class Star Destroyer had three turret groups, each equipped with twenty XX-9 twin-mounted heavy turbolaser cannons. One group was positioned at the front of the