Hello, people of Earth, as people from all across the globe have read my stories! How are you doing at the end of summer vacation? I am fine, and have started my two classes for the fall semester of 2016 of my community college on Monday, August 15, 2016. By the way, have you bought the comic Star Wars: Darth Vader #24 that was released on August 10, 2016, as the visions that Vader experienced as a result of Cylo-V's machinations were beyond powerful. Now, if you are upset that I'm reading some of the new comics, please don't worry, as I am not buying comics such as Star Wars: Lando, Star Wars: Shattered Empire, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as there is no way that I can tweak those into the original timeline. For instance, I can tweak "Star Wars: Rebels" into the timeline since it comes before The Force Unleahsed, and I can tweak part of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" into the Expanded Universe, as I have already done in my previous stories. Finally, if the two comic book series, Star Wars and Star Wars: Darth Vader, are moved to about a year after the Battle of Yavin in my head canon, I can fit it into the timeline with few difficulties. Oh, I just realized that today marks the first anniversary of the day that I joined . Yay, me! Anyway, I am going to start The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses S. Grant in War and Peace, written by H.W. Brands. I hope that it is as good as one of his other books, Reagan: The Life. One more thing, tomorrow, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returns, and I can't wait for 11:00 A.M., as I have been waiting for almost four months for the return of what just may be the last great show on Nickelodeon, other than "Power Rangers: Dino Super Charge." Oh, and don't even get me started on what I think on Cartoon Network. But, I won't stoop to that level, as it would be unbecoming of a polite person that I try to be. One more thing, have you guys seen any good movies recently, as I saw "Anthropoid" today, and it was a dark, but very moving, movie, based on the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, and the Prague resistance during World War II, and their efforts to damage Hitler's chain of command. So, with all of the pleasantries out of the way, let's get started on the first full chapter for the Invasion of Mandalore, and the final battle of the Second Mandalorian Civil War. Oh, and I just wanted to clarify something, the reason that the Megador is the last Super Star Destroyer in the Star Wars Universe in my story is because before Legacy of the Force, there were three of said ships remaining, and in that series, the Dominion was destroyed in Invincible, and the Guardian was heavily damaged in Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Invincible: Special Edition, so I decided to just have it scrapped in order to get rid of it, as by the comic book series, Star Wars: Legacy, there are no Super Star Destroyers left in service. I might get rid of the Megador in this story, or maybe not. But, it hardly matters, as there is still over seventy years before Legacy begins, so anything could happen to the ship, as well as the Nossor Ri and the other Vicount-Class Star Defenders that may be in existence at this point in the timeline. Anyway, it's time for all of us to get on with the story, for real this time.
Onboard the Second Chance
Edaan Palpatine was, for the first time in his life, ready to get into the thick of the battle, because, unlike his previous missions, he could release all of his pent up rage and frustrations on people who he believed truly deserved to die, as they willingly followed a madwoman that was intent on not just destroying everyone else's way of life, but trying to destroy the fabric of the universe itself, which has not been attempted on such a scale since the time of the Sith Lord Darth Traya, also known as the fallen Jedi Master Kreia, the teacher of two of the most legendary and powerful Jedi of the Old Republic: Revan and Meetra Surik. Unlike the Sith of the Lost Tribe, who were just defending their way of life from outsiders who wanted to eradicate all traces of the Sith from the galaxy, and Xasha Xizor's followers, that wanted to improve their lot in life, the followers of Natasi Daala were intent on killing and slaughtering anyone who did not share their way of thinking.
That was why he and his crew, minus Akku and Jarael, the former of which had, just over an hour ago, decided to help his company of Mandalorians, as well as Wraith Squadron, take out the Ardus Kaine, Moff Porrak Vansyn's personal Star Destroyer, and hopefully take out the Moff himself, in order to throw his portion of Daala's fleet into disarray, quickening their victory over the first half of Neo Death Watch's Fleet, while the latter of which had to stay on Mandalore in order to assist the medics and their support staffs that came from Rhinnal. So, with their crew reduced by two members, Edaan and Adari sat in the pilot and copilot seats, respectively, and had Robonino and Vua man the turrets in order to take out any enemy fighters in their way, while Atai and Artoo were ready to fix up any systems that were damaged by enemy fighters or capital ships.
"Everyone ready?" Edaan asked over the ship's intercom as the ship rapidly closed the distance between the enemy fighters about a few kilometers away from them.
"Affirmative." the robotic voice of Artoo said.
"You betcha, boss!" Robonino jubilantly said.
"Yes." Vua stoically said.
"What do you think, Edaan?" Atai sarcastically said.
"Good, because the enemy is two kilometers away, and we'll within firing range in less than a minute. May the Force be with us all." Edaan said in complete seriousness as he deactivated the ship's speakers and prepped the ship's forward deflector shields for combat. Thirty seconds later, the enemy fighters were in firing range, and said over the ship's comms, "All ships, open fire!" With those four words said, the Second Chance opened fire on the nearest TIE Fighter, which, despite its shield generators at full strength, was quickly destroyed by the YT-1300 freighter's light turbolasers. Once the first shot was fired, the battle quickly descended into a dogfight and disorganized brawl, as fighters from each side scrambled to stay alive over the escalating chaos that was consuming the fighter squadrons of both sides.
Thirty Minutes Later
Nash Windrider was in the zone right now. In the past half hour, he had destroyed three bes'uliiks, two accursed X-Wings, three B-Wings, and one Vyrhawk fighter-bomber, while only losing two members of his squad of twelve-man TIE Defender fighter squadron. Of course, his fighter complement had been reduced by five percent to the three percent that the Shadow Alliance had lost in the last thirty minutes.
Even so, both sides had yet to play all of their cards yet, so it was too soon to tell who would win the war.
Syri Antilles was deathly serious right now. So far, her squadron had destroyed three squadron's worth of enemy starfighters without any casualties, but that would eventually change at the rate that enemies were coming after them. She only hoped that her sister and her squadron's mission was going smoothly, as she did not want to be the one to tell their parents that Myri was killed by Daala's followers. Shaking her head to clear her head of any distracting thoughts, as loosing her focus for even an instant could get her and her comrades killed, and resumed shooting at a nearby TIE Interceptor, destroying it after ten seconds of dogfighting.
I hope that Syal is alright. Myri thought as she and her squadron were onboard the Specter, Wraith Squdadron's personal shuttle, as well as three Pursuer-class enforcement ships that were being used by Akku Sei II as transports for him and his thirty-man army of elite Mandalorian Supercommandos. The four ships were slowly making their way towards the disabled Star Destroyer, the Ardus Kaine, which they would destroy, along with its commanders in order to hasten Daala's defeat in order to move on to fighting the Sith. Realizing that there was nothing that she could do for her older sister, she prayed to the Force to protect her sibling as she and her teammates mentally prepared themselves for a battle within the Invasion of Mandalore that could help determine the course of the Second Mandalorian Civil War.
Sintas Vel and Ghes Orade were having a great time onboard the Slave I, as they blasted away one traitorous Mandalorian Fighter after another with the ship's dual laser cannons, and the occasional seismic charges, which decimated entire squadrons of fighters, and did some damage to some of the dreadnaughts and capital ships. But both Mandalorians would not be completely satisfied until the Chimaera was either captured or destroyed by the Shadow Alliance, and Daala was paraded in chains by the victorious Mandalorians and their allies. Well, better get back to doing what we do best, or this war will never end. Sintas and Ghes simultaneously thought as they continued blasting away at enemy ships.
Onboard the Megador
"Well, our fighters seem to be holding their own so far." Bwua'tu calmly observed from the holotable on the Super Star Destroyer's bridge.
"Yes, but that could change at any time, Bwua'tu. Daala still hasn't played her full hand yet with her ships, and we still haven't seen the bulk of her renegade GA forces yet." Boba pointed out, earning a nod of approval from the aging Bothan commander.
"Indeed, Mandalore. That's why I have my communications-officer and my sensors-officer on high alert for any suspicious activity in the system." Bwua'tu said in agreement before asking, "Have you heard anything from Goran and the rest of your people?" He saw Boba shake his head, and he then said, "I have a bad feeling about this turn of events. I'm starting to think that Daala's playing us, but I don't know how yet. Perhaps we should consider our… trump card. They might be able to sniff out Daala's plans before she strikes."
"Not yet. If we call them in too soon, then some of my people might defect, and we don't want Daala to know that we have a few forces in reserve just yet. We need her to play her entire hand before we can consider calling in our remaining allies." Boba replied.
"Fair enough. At least you're not letting old grudges holding you back." Bwua'tu said in a collected tone as he issued orders for one third of the starfighters and bombers to break off the attack and begin attacking the Chimaera and various other capital ships and dreadnaughts in order to keep her fleet occupied, while leaving the Ardus Kaine alone in order for Wraith Squadron and Akku and his Mandalorians to continue with their mission.
Five Minutes Later, Onboard the Chimaera
"Give it to me straight, Ensign Needa, what is the status in the restoration of the shield generators?" Daala curtly asked as she saw a squadron of her TIE Interceptors and TIE Bombers be destroyed by the more advanced ships on the Shadow Alliance's side that vaguely resembled TIE Fighters. According to the losses being reported, Daala had lost six-point-five percent of her fighter complement over the last thirty-five minutes, while the accursed Shadow Alliance had lost three-point-eight percent of their starfighters. At this rate, her fighter complement would be destroyed in a matter of hours, and her enemies would have more than enough strength to destroy her fleet. To make matters worse, none of the enemy's capital ships had been damaged yet, while Daala had lost eighteen of her capital ships and dreadnaughts before the battle even began, and the Zygerrian Slavers' Guild fleet was thrown into disarray with the loss of their flagship, so two of their ships had attempted to flee the battle, but Daala had Belok Rhal quickly destroy both ships in order to set an example for the remaining ships that desertion would not be tolerated.
"Well, Admiral, we need at least another hour before the shields can come online, and that's only if the enemy fighters that are approaching us do not damage the ship any further than it already is." The young woman reported in a professional and no-nonsense tone.
"Good. Have all anti-starfighter batteries be ready to repel any incursions, and redouble our efforts to restore the shields. We'll need them if we're going to make an impact on the battle." Daala said in a confident tone. The ensign simply nodded as she went off to deliver those instructions to the repair crew that was fixing up the Star Destroyer's engines.
She looked to see an offending image of three squadrons of A-Wings, B-Wings, and E-Wings make a run at the Chimaera, and, even from here, Daala could tell that they were out for her blood. "Have the foward batteries target the three approaching starfighter squadrons, and keep an eye out for the accursed Jedi and the Imperial Knights. They're around here somewhere, and they will always interfere with your plans whenever you least expect it." Daala warned her crew just before she saw one of Porrack Vansyn's Star Destroyers, the Kinman Doriana, named after one of then-Senator, Chancellor, and finally, Emperor Palpatine's most valuable allies up to the early years of the First Galactic Empire, be destroyed in a fiery explosion. "Speak of the devils, and they shall appear." She muttered under her breath as she saw the ship die, along with its entire crew, minus its fighters in combat. Knowing that it would be pointless to try and find the Jedi, as their StealthXs were almost impossible to detect, and her only Force-sensitive in the Neo Death Watch's command, the aging bounty hunter Aurra Sing, was working with Nash Windrider as his second-in-command of his TIE Defender squadron, as well as of the entire starfighter fleet at Daala's disposal.
"Recall Commander Sing to the ship at once, get Special Force Advisor Melusar up here by yesterday, and tell the Second Fleet to launch at once!" Daala barked to the comms-officer, who began to type away at a keyboard in order to transmit the two orders to the two key figures in Neo Death Watch, as well as the hidden fleet that Daala had at her secret rendezvous point.
If we're going to have a chance at winning this kriffing war, we need to eliminate the advantage that the Force provides to these cursed Jedi lovers. Daala thought to herself as she saw several explosions dot the space in-between the Chimaera and the enemy fleet, signifiying that the enemy's attack on the Star Destroyer had failed, and the remaining fighters were retreating to safety behind enemy lines, which brought a malevolent smile to Daala's face as she thought of the deaths of those that dared to oppose her.
Onboard the bridge of the Bloodfin, in Orbit Above the Dark Side of Mandalore
"Is something the matter, Empress Fel?" Grand Moff Ephin Sarreti asked Jaina in concern as she adopted a concerned look on her face.
"I'm not sure, Ephin. I just have a vague suspicion that we're walking into a trap, but I can't see the signs." Jaina said to one of her only friends, a grand moff, no less, in the Fel Empire.
"Well, I'm afraid that there's nothing we can do unless you're certain, Empress. If we cause Kre'frey and Nevil to move from our current position, the other half of Daala's fleet will be able to land on Mandalore and cause untold devastation across the planet, and cause a lot of deaths, both military, and civilian." Ephin reminded his leader.
"I know. I just wish that I could be out there in the thick of things, just like the old days when I was just another Jedi Knight. And, please don't give me another speech on the importance of duty, or the well-being of the morale of the soldiers under our command, or I just might lose it." Jaina practically whined, causing Ephin and the rest of the bridge's crew to laugh in amusement.
"Well, it looks to me like you understand the situation perfectly, so I don't need to rein you in for reckless actions." Ephin said in mock seriousness as Jaina sat down in a meditative position in order to eas her anxious nerves.
I hope that Edaan, Mirta, and everyone else is doing alright. Jaina worriedly thought as she opened her mind to the currents of the Force.
Back on the Bright Side of Mandalore
Man, it feels good to be back in the thick of battle. Corran thought as he and his five-man squadron blasted away at the gravity well projectors of one of Porrack Vansyn's Imperial Interdictor Cruisers, and each X-Wing launched two proton torpedoes at the bridge of the cruiser, casuing a chain reaction which, within three minutes, destroyed the ship, leaving Daala with only one Interdictor Cruiser.
Even though he took little pleasure in taking out the lives of the free galaxy's enemies, he could not help but feel that this battle was too easy, and that Daala hadn't played her full hand as of yet. Deciding to take a risk, he opened a channel with the Megador, Second Chance, Varl's Legacy, Bloodfin, Dragon Queen II, Ralroost, and the city of Kyrimorut, where the Grey Cadre was headquartered, in order to speak with them about his suspicions.
"Everyone, this is Shadow Leader. Does everyone copy?" Corran said, earning a string of "affirmatives" from each member of the Shadow Alliance's High Command. "Does everyone else think that Daala's attack is too obvious? We're slowly cutting through her fleet, and we haven't seen her second fleet emerge yet. I think that we're being played."
"I agree, Master Horn. But until we get can figure out the rest of Daala's plans, we need to keep up the attack in order to keep the pressure on Daala and off of Mandalore." Edaan said from his freighter.
"If there's nothing else, we need to close this channel open before Daala cracks the encryption for this transmission, so-" The rough voice of Etahn A'baht said before he stopped speaking, making Corran think that he was interrupted. After ten seconds, the forcibly retired general returned, cautiously saying, "Our comm-specialists have just decoded a portion of a transmission to the planet Gargon. It said, 'Commence attack at once.' Daala must have ordered her Galactic Alliance forces to launch their portion of the attack. All fleets should stay on high alert until we can determine where it will strike within two hours."
"Agreed." Trista Zel stoically said, not betraying any emotion at the prospect of being ambushed by Daala's second fleet. "At least we have a warning about where it will come from. That is the first step on turning the situation to our advantage." She then cut the feed form the transmission in order to coordinate the Hapan portion of the Shadow Alliance's fleets. Each of the other ships then cut their connection to the commwave, until only Corran and Edaan were left in the transmission.
"Well, at least everyone is staying on high alert." Edaan said with a slight amount of optimism in his voice as Adari barked orders to the gunners on the Second Chance.
"Yes, that's true, Edaan. May the Force be with us all. Shadow Leader out." Corran said as he disconnected the StealthX's comms from the link with the Second Chance. I hope that we can figure out Daala's plans out soon, or we may find ourselves biting more than we can chew. Corran thought as he and his four other Jedi comrades flew to intercept a squadron of Scimitar Assault Bombers from attacking one of Bwua'tu's five Star Galleon-class frigates.
On the Chimaera
"Did you send out the transmission to the Second Fleet?" Daala asked the comms-officer.
"Yes, Admiral, and I also allowed the first half of the transmission to be decoded, just like you instructed." The officer said in a obedient tone.
"Good. Continue to monitor any transmissions that we can intercept from the Shadow Alliance. The universe knows that we'll need any advantage that we can get if we're going to emerge victorious." Daala said, speaking mostly to herself for the second sentence, just as Roly Melusar and Aurra Sing appeared on the bridge.
"You wanted to see us, Admiral?" Roly asked as Aurra simply stood there in stoic silence.
"Yes, Melusar. I think that it's time for your special projects to have a field test. Are your weapons and equipment ready?" Daala asked in a predatory tone.
"Almost, Admiral. I just need another twenty-four hours to triple check my calculations, since, once we deploy them, we will play our best hand." Roly said in a scientific and barely concealed eager tone.
"Get it done in twenty. I don't want to leave anything to chance with the Jedi and their Imperial Knights." Daala brusquesly ordered, leaving an excited Roly to nod and head back to his lab onboard the Chimaera, leaving Aurra alone with the admiral.
"So, what do you need me for, Daala?" Aurra asked in an informal tone, which didn't offend Daala, as she knew how much the older woman did not like any central command too much.
"I need you, Commander Sing, to stay here in order to inform me if any Jedi or Force-sensitives approach the Chimaera, as they're stealth technology has surpassed even my expectations." Daala explained, causing the pale hybrid bounty hunter to cross her arms.
"So, I'm just basically a glorified Force detector for you?" she asked in an annoyed tone.
"Just until Special Force Advisor Melusar's weapons are up and running. Then, you can get back to killing the enemy for me. And, as a bonus, I'll double your salary." Daala said, causing Aurra to adopt a smile on her usually grim face at the prospect at receiving that many credits.
"Deal." Aurra simply said as she went up to the bridge's window to extend her Force sense in order to see if any Jedi or Force-sensitives were in the general area. After a minute of searching, she turned to face Daala, and said in a factual tone, "There are five strong Force-sensitives in Sector Nine, another in Sector Twelve, and one more in Sector Four."
"Excellent." Daala said as she turned to the comms-officer to say, "Order all capital ships in the area to do a grid scan of those sectors, and isolate and destroy any fighters or freighters that are in the area."
"At once, Admiral." The officer said as she quickly typed the order before sending it to each capital ship in the fleet.
Let's see your precious Force and Shadow Alliance stand up to us now, Edaan Palpatine. Daala viciously thought as the saw the sensors on her ship begin their search-and-destroy mission against the Jedi and their allies.
Well, that ends this chapter. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, as I will be busy with schoolwork from here on out, so my updates may not come as quickly as I like. I am sorry for the bad news, but I had to be honest with you. Anyway, tell me what you thought of this chapter, as I value your feedback. Oh, and did you watch the latest episode of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", as it was amazing: April becoming a full-fledged kunoichi, the debut of Shinigami, the return of Karai and her efforts to restore the Foot Clan to what it was before Shredder came to power, the mutation of Shredder, it was all brilliant. Oh, and is anyone else concerned about the Aeons crystal that is in April O'neil's possession, and how it may corrupt her like the One Ring form The Lord of the Rings corrupted Frodo after a long period of time. I guess that we'll just have to keep watching to see just what happens. May the Force Be With You, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!