Disclaimer : Dreamworks owns everything
This is here for clarity reasons : Rebels - 1 Venator, 2 Pelta class ships (relief aid ships), 4 Z-95 squadrons, 1 A-wing squad : Empire - 1 Victory II, 2 Arquitens, 3 Tie fighter squadrons, 1 tie bomber squadron
AN: Updates for this are going to be rare, maybe once a month or something like that. I'm focusing on finishing FotS and HH.
"The war left scars on everyone, but not all of them can be seen."
Chapter Eight : Rendezvous
"Sir, their shields are down!" An officer said. The bridge was full of activity, with officers of every rank and job description running about directing a section of the ship like a well oiled machine.
"All starboard cannons, fire at will!" A gruff voice shouted. "Focus on the hardpoints!" The Venator's main cannons locked aim, and released a volley towards an Arquitens cruiser, punching through the shields and destroying it.
"Sir! An Imperial boarding party has landed in the starboard hangar."
"Order all available foot soldiers to repel the enemy. Gobber, how about we go say hello."
"Right with you Stoick, can't wait 'til I show te bucketheads meh new toy!" Gobber replied with a jovial grin. He was a two limbed Berkian with one prosthetic hand and leg, but his prosthetic hand was able to be switched out with other attachments. Gobber clicked on a wrist rocket attachment with a smirk.
When they arrived at the hangar, they saw two more Berkians loading a repeating blaster cannon. "Bucket, Mulch, with me!" Stoick bellowed.
"Aye General!" They shouted in unison, picking up their blaster rifles from the floor, and followed Stoick and Gobber.
The rebel forces in the hangar watched the four of them charge the stormtroopers that were behind crates. Stoick shouted a war cry and jumped into the stormtroopers, quickly dispatching each one with his vibro-warhammer.
Four groups of five Z-95 headhunters, and a group of three A-wings were combatting tie fighters and tie bombers. The Berkian fleet was locked in a space battle above a planet in the Archipelago system named Punjam Hy Loo.
After several weeks of fighting, they had managed to push the Empire away from the inner planets of the system, and now they were liberating other planets. This battle, however, was crucial for the people of the Archipelago because there was a shipyard above the planet. If the Alliance was able to control that shipyard, they'd be able to build new ships, and repair old ones.
Currently, the Alliance was a group of ragtag militia regiments from Berk. They hoped to gain more numbers, but the Empire had a strong grip on the galaxy.
Stoick's commlink beeped to life. "General, Imperial bombers have changed targets… they're going after the relief ships!"
He scowled, charging towards the transport while ordering, "Blue Leader, intercept the bombers." Stoick swung his warhammer, knocking away a group of stormtroopers before turning to Gobber. "Prepare a squad to board the arquitens."
A squadron of Z-95's broke away from the main battle. "Copy that, Sir! We're on them right now." The five fighters followed four tie bombers into the atmosphere, and they were met with a sight of vertically hanging cities. Two Pelta class transport ships were docked to the city's main spaceport. In truth, every pilot thought the view was beautiful, but they were in a battle. "Watch your fire." Blue leader warned, "weapons hot!"
They engaged the bombers, scoring hits on the bombers' engines and they exploded in balls of blue and green fire. When they reentered the space battle, the pilots saw the arquitens being manipulated by the Venator's tractor beam. Several Berkian warriors, wearing complete sets of tribal armor and using donated (stolen) blaster rifles, began slicing the portside airlock.
Onboard the Imperial flagship, a Victory II class cruiser, the commander was requesting reinforcements. "Admiral Frollo, we can't hold out much longer. The Berkian fleet has withered our resources, and we have taken extensive damage to our hull." The commander, a woman, had short blond hair and was wearing a black captain's suit.
A tall lanky and old man stood in a hologram transmission. "Recall your forces and make your retreat. I hold you personally responsible for your defeat, Commander Wing." The captain gulped, not liking the sound of that, but nodded.
"Yes Sir." The transmission ended, and she turned to another officer. "Recall our ships, and set hyperdrive coordinates for Fondor."
The Headhunters trailed behind the tie fighters, herding them away from the Berkian relief transports. The Imperial fighters landed quickly, and the Victory II cruiser turned slowly and made the jump to hyperspace.
Stoick was the first to cheer, seeing through the Victory cruiser vanish from the battlefield. His commlink activated again. "General, our forces have captured an Arquitens cruiser."
He replied immediately. "Good, take the prisoners to the holding cells, I want to know what they know. And contact Major Mogadon, we need to know his status."
"Yes Sir."
Stoick turned away from the hangar bay doors and began to walk back to the bridge. "So how many did ye git?" Gobber had caught up to him, limping slightly because of his prosthetic.
"Fourteen, you?"
"Twenty!" Gobber laughed. "You owe me a drink, Stoick!" Stoick grinned, looking forward to the impending celebration.
They arrived to the bridge, and the other officers cheered their victories and saluted Stoick. "At ease, Men… and women." A faint 'Ye got that right!' came from other side of the bridge, causing a round of chuckles. "Sorry Commander Hofferson."
"General Stoick, Colonel Mogadon is waiting." The officer said, and Stoick nodded, following him to the comm room.
A hologram of a tall, large man with an eye patch and peg leg as his right leg appeared on the holotable. "General Stoick." His voice was gruff, and the man saluted.
"Colonel Mogadon, I trust you have news?" Stoick asked. Mogadon nodded, and the transmission was opened to a third member. Another figure stepped onto the projection, a militia soldier who removed his helmet.
"General Stoick, I'd like you to meet Gunnar, of Dragon Company." Gunnar saluted, and Stoick smiled. Dragon Company were a highly regarded company of the 329th Fury Regiment.
"At ease, soldier, what is your rank?"
"Captain, Sir, my troops and I disobeyed Order 66, and went into hiding after seeing the temple destroyed…" Gunnar looked down. "I'm… sorry for your loss, Sir. I should've done more to help Commander Heather." The General nodded, and Gunnar elaborated a little more. "She never did trust the clones after Commander Hiccup…" He trailed off, but the message was clear.
"About that, General, there was something else." Mogadon interjected. "Cadet, play the holovid."
Stoick heard a faint 'yessir' before a holovid appeared next to Mogadon and Gunnar on the holotable. "What is this, Mogadon?" The video showed several stormtroopers being cut down by a cloaked figure. There were other figures in the background, and Stoick was able to distinguish the males from the females rather easily.
"Enhance transmission, colorize." Mogadon ordered, and the holovid gained color and Stoick recognized his daughter, Heather Haddock, from wanted posters and bounty hunter terminals. "Our spies took this holovid on Ord Mantell. We have reason to believe that the captain of the ship is Astrid Hofferson.
"Commander Hofferson's daughter." Stoick murmured, intrigued by the new information. "See if you can contact her, arrange a rendezvous."
000
It had been five days since the fight, and Hiccup still hadn't woken up yet. The crew was worried sick, but none more so than Astrid. The Deadly Nadder and her crew were still on Maridun, waiting for their crewmate to awaken. She was in the medbay, sitting next to him while he slept. "Why can't you wake up, Hiccup?" She asked in a whisper, and scooted away when she heard footsteps from around the corridor.
Heather stepped into the medbay. "No change?"
Astrid shook her head. "None... how's the ship doing?"
"Ruff and Tuff have done engine and hyperdrive maintenance, and Fishlegs and Snotlout are done with the cannons." Heather put her hand on Astrid's shoulder. "Are you okay? You seem out of it."
"I'll be fine, Heather." She said firmly, standing up and brushing Heather's hand off.
Fishlegs stood in the doorway, looking like he had run through half the ship. "Captain, transmission from the Archipelago System." He glanced at Heather and gave a nod and a small smile.
"Alright, Legs. Thanks." Astrid walked out of the room, passing Fishlegs on the way out.
"She has it bad for him." He commented.
Heather smiled. "Yeah…"
Astrid's voice came over the intercom. "I heard that! Everyone, on the bridge now!" Within seconds, the six were in the lounge, standing around the holotable. Toothless had gone into the medbay to keep an eye on Hiccup.
Colonel Mogadon appeared on the holotable. "Captain Hofferson." Astrid saluted. "At ease, Captain. You and your crew are to rendezvous with the main fleet in the Archipelago system immediately. The seven crew members of the Deadly Nadder have been requested for a meeting with the general. Colonel Mogadon, out." The transmission ended.
They stood in silence for a moment. "Heather, set coordinates for Berk. Fishlegs, you're flying." Astrid ordered, then left the room, heading to her quarters.
"Is it just me, or is the captain acting weird." Tuffnut asked, earning nods from the others. Heather and Fishlegs left the lounge, heading to the cockpit. And finally, the others went back to their quarters to sleep.
Hiccup remained unconscious, yet his vitals and mental power fluctuated every few minutes.
He was in the swamp again, and he looked around, checking to make sure he was in the same spot. "...Gothi?" He called out tentatively.
"Oh quit yer yappin' I'm gettin' there." A tiny frail voice said from behind. Hiccup turned around, and saw Gothi climbing up to sit on a large root. He held out his hand and she took it gratefully, giving her more support to make the final push to sit on the root.
"What is it with swamps? Why not like… anywhere else?" Hiccup asked, swatting a mosquito.
She didn't answer his question. "You need to wake up and teach Heather. Both of you will need your skills to survive this difficult time."
"I'm not a jedi anymore though. I was expelled from the Order." Hiccup said, shrugging his shoulders and throwing his arms in the air.
"To be a jedi is to follow the Jedi way, no force-wielder needs the title to be a jedi."
Hiccup nodded, and crossed his arms. "I'll continue her teachings."
Gothi smiled, and nodded. "I hope one day the Order will be rebuilt. Return to your origins, Hiccup."
Hiccup slowly blinked his eyes open, and felt a throbbing pain in his chest and stomach. He looked around, realizing he was in the medical bay. He groaned, and shifted to the edge of the cot, and sat up, clutching his side.
His vision blurred, and he heard… Toothless? A short series of blips and whoops were coming from the astromech. "H-hey, Bud." He reached an arm out and rubbed the astromech's dome.
Hiccup looked down at himself, seeing his bare torso, lightly scarred from previous battles. He was wearing pajama pants, with the left side rolled up to his shin. He pulled his prosthetic from the corner with the force, and after attaching it, he rose to his feet.
The two moved towards the door, opening it and stepping out into the corridor. To his left were the crew quarters, and to the right led him to the cargo bay, then to the cockpit.
He turned right, and after a few seconds of walking, he stood before the cockpit door and pressed the button, sliding it open quickly. Heather and Fishlegs were both facing forward, but heard the door open.
"Uhh… hey." Hiccup said, startling both of them. Heather shrieked in surprise, turning around and nearly jumped into his arms, giving him a fierce hug. "Ow-ow, Heather, too tight!" He gasped . She let go, and Fishlegs stepped forward and shook his hand.
"Nice to see you awake." The large man said, then sat down again. He activated the intercom system, "we're dropping into the Archipelago system, Captain we need you in here."
"The Archipelago System?" Hiccup asked, and before Fishlegs could answer, the door slid open, revealing Astrid in her normal attire. "Captain." He greeted her.
Her normally straight face grew into a smile, and she punched his shoulder hard. "That's for scaring me." She said, then tugged him forward and kissed his cheek. His mind blanked, not knowing what to do, so he stood there stupidly until Heather cleared her throat awkwardly. "That's for… everything else." She said quietly, then brushed past him.
The ship left hyperspace with a clap, and the hum of the sublight engines grew louder as they zipped past a few asteroids. Astrid sat in the pilot's seat, and clicked on the transmitter. "Deadly Nadder to Rumblehorn, do you read? Over."
"Reading you loud and clear, Deadly Nadder. Over." The ship slowed as they flew around a planet. The venator, the Rumblehorn, was above the planet. The four stared at it with wide eyes as they took in the green and red symbols of the Berkian fleet. Gifted to Berk after single handedly defending the Archipelago system from Confederacy invaders, it was still running strong, but now defending the system against Imperial invaders.
"Rumblehorn, Deadly Nadder requesting permission to land." Astrid responded after a moment, static came through from the other side. Hiccup caught sight of two more ships near the Rumblehorn, and a third at the docking clamps on fire.
"Permission granted, portside hangar clear for arrival." Astrid pushed the throttle forward slightly, taking them past the large cruiser before turning around. As they lined up with the hangar bay, she slowed the ship down, making careful adjustments and maneuvering when needed.
They landed without issue, and met the others in the cargobay. Tuffnut pressed the button to lower the cargo ramp. Astrid stood first, with Hiccup to her left, Heather to her right, Fishlegs behind her, then the twins and finally Snotlout behind him. It would be an understatement to say they were surprised.
There were ten rows of twelve soldiers each wearing black, gray, and red modular armor, each standing at attention with blaster rifles at their sides. Heather recognized the insignias on the shoulder pauldrons to be the Dragon Company's insignia. A black dragon with the tail wrapped around itself. Some of them were wearing balaclavas, cloth face masks that covered the entire face, except for the eyes, and all were wearing helmets that extended behind their heads with visors that could be swept downwards to provide protection for the eyes.
One of them stepped out of line, and lifted his helmet, an old militia helmet, revealing his face to the seven who had stepped down the boarding ramp. "Gunnar!?" Heather shouted in surprise, drawing bewildered looks from her crewmates. "H-how?"
"The Empire disbanded all clone battalions, including the militia corps." Gunnar said, then gestured to the other soldiers. "The men stayed with me, and we joined the Rebellion, hoping to restore the Republic."
Hiccup could sense a tinge of jealousy from Fishlegs, but didn't think much of it as two gigantic men entered the hangar. One of them had two prosthetics, and the other had a magnificent red beard. Gunnar turned around and saluted. "General." Stoick looked the group up and down, easily towering above them. "We are ready to begin our assault."
"Begin the assault, Commander. Contact me when the capital has been liberated. You know your orders." The General said, before turning to the Deadly Nadder's party. "Who is in charge of this crew?"
"I am Astrid Hofferson, and this my crew, Hiccup and Heather Haddock, Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston, Fishlegs Ingerman, and Snotlout Jorgenson."
Stoick grinned. "Do you know my name?"
"General Stoick the Vast." She answered. The man next to Stoick had a bright and jovial smile, looking eagerly to Stoick like they were sharing secrets. To her surprise, Stoick shook his head.
"No. My real title, and name, is Chief Stoick 'The Vast' Haddock... And I am your father."
AP tests are coming up.
I'm not sure if I'm going to continue writing, either. I have so many ideas in my head but whenever I get around to putting them on my screen, like if you guys are following my tumblr (same name as my FF name) then you'd have seen an idea about hiccup being Odin's Champion, yeah I haven't made much progress with it.
I want to continue writing. It is a good hobby for me, but I kinda screwed myself over by uploading everything whenever I started. Now I'm stuck with finishing stuff I don't even have docs to.
