While the attack was swift and intense the attack was thwarted by a group of the train's guests. Interviews with those present agree only that there were all human amongst the group and that they were well-trained. Some suspected they were vigilantes. Some suggested they were Aldrete family bodyguards.
We were able to get an interview with Morrax Nabin, Imperial Governor of Alderaan, who was present during the event:
Nabin: A group of Trandoshans, filthy beasts, attacked the train claiming they were after Senator Organa. I knew Organa was not on board and since the only armed personnel allowed were my elite bodyguard I took action to save as many people as I could. I was in the casino playing holochess when the alarm sounded and I rushed the guests into the cashier's box, an armored area, and had my guard detail take up defensive positions. My attempts to call for help were foiled by the nature of the train itself.
HGN: What were the attackers like?
Nabin: The Trandoshans came into the car and their leader led a squad while one of the horrid things started looting. They then brought in a large droid with several military grade repeaters built into it. It began blasting the cashier area wall to force it's way in. My detail returned fire.
HGN: Did they succeed?
Nabin: They did mostly minor damage. I should mention that the droid was impressively armored against blaster fire. I intend to look more closely into regulations on combat droids. No one should have access to such a killing machine. The Clone Wars taught us the danger or war droids.
HGN: Yet you survived; what happened?
Nabin: A group of guests that I'd met earlier rushed in. One of them is an accomplished holochess player, his use of the Rieekan defense reminded me of a game I once played against Emperor Palpatine. In any case, they came in wielding what I assume were weapons captured from the boarders. A sharpshooter brought a holoprojector down on the droid's head and the other spec ops dismantled the war droid with several placed shots to the droids critical areas.
HGN: There are many theories about who they are out there amongst the guests we've spoken to. Who do you think they were?
Nabin: They were on Senator Organa's senior staff or at least that was their cover. I believe they work for Imperial Intelligence and were placed on the train due to intel leading them to suspect such a raid. If not Intelligence, they are part of the Empire. I know Senator Organa and know I've never seen any of these people on his staff. Realizing who they were, I assigned my detail to assist them in retaking the train while I kept the rest of the guests calm.
HGN: What followed?
Nabin: The Intelligence squad retook another car, while my detail didn't want to leave my side I told them to help out the squad in any fashion they can. They managed to decoupled the rear cars and take down the rest of the boarders and one of their ships. Another friendly ship scared off the other ship and the squad escaped on that ship. On a sad note, the person I played holochess against died in heroic fashion or so I am told. If this is true, the Empire lost an extraordinary individual. They are truly examples of the best the Empire has to offer. With people like this dedicated to keeping us safe I have no fear for the future. I offered to bestow awards on these operatives for their brilliant handling of the situation but so far I have been unable to locate them. I assume they have to keep their identities secret but if they're reading this they can contact me and I will be glad to reward them the Nova Star medal for their efforts.
