The Cannons Roared on Shest Minor

"The Cannons Roared on Shest Minor" was a military ballad popular in the Golden Empire. Written after the 142 ABY Battle of Shest Minor during the Ssi-ruuvi Incursion, the song told the story of a young soldier experiencing the horrors of battle but continuing to fight despite losing those around him.

Alternative verses
The relatively simple melody of the song lent itself easily to adaptation, and numerous units which had participated in the Battle of Shest Minor invented specialty verses for their own use. Such additions usually came between the third and final verses.

A few units which had served alongside the Shest Minor Seven came up with verses to honor the various Centurions present at the battle, either individually or collectively. The 132nd Infantry Cohort devised the following verse in honor of Atrelle Sovex, who had fought with and actually led the cohort during the battle:

Performances and reception
The ballad was immensely popular with military personnel in general and Shest Minor veterans in particular, and became a staple of military music collections and performances for troops. The Chorus of Shoktofen recorded an a capella version which became an Empire-wide bestseller. Jira Zaffrod included "The Cannons Roared on Shest Minor" in her 153 ABY live performance at the Samayus Palace of Opera; several veterans of Shest Minor were present and gave her a standing ovation.

Some artillery soldiers had mixed feelings about the song, believing it portrayed artillery as an impersonal, unfeeling source of slaughter for heroic soldiers.