A/N: I have something to say before I start. An a author I have a right to defend my work from critics and I generally do take criticism. But if your biggest complaint is that the story is "inconsistent", then I seriously doubt you can call yourself a fan fiction writer or fan. The motto of the site is "Unleash Your Imagination", which we do all the time when we write. Sure we try to be accurate and try to make are stories entertaining, but we also try not to over simplify our work so as to make it watered down and sound as if we are writing for people who may not understand what fandom we are writing about.
If your biggest complaint is that you can not follow the story, then I seriously doubt that you can ever enjoy this site for what it is. If you feel you can do better then put your money where your mouth is and do just that, instead of insulting the author for having a creative mind when you may actually don't have one.
Now that is over with, on to the story.
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[ A Meeting of Minds... ]
It was not too long ago that the Galactic Empire had a reason to celebrate, as the Emperor himself had announced that elements of the Imperial Navy had launched a massive offensive into the Terran controlled regions of the galaxy. In the almost three hour long speech which Emperor Palpatine gave after the initial attack was announced, he stated that this noble crusade the Empire was embarking on was to finally end the threat which the Terrans posed to the security and peace of the Galaxy's greatest civilization.
It were the Terrans and their Confederacy puppets who were behind the growing rebel movement within the Empire. They had brain washed these individuals into believing that the Empire was evil and must be destroyed, at a time when it was just about to enter it's golden age of development. Because of the provocative actions by these groups, the Empire felt that it had a duty to rid themselves of the threat by striking at the very heart of the problem. The Terran Colonies.
Soon the state operated media houses of the Empire, began to feed population the propaganda which was handed to them by the Imperial government. To which they did a very good job of painting the Empire's latest military operation, being that of a noble and honorable campaign to save the galaxy and liberate it from the Terran influence. They said that with the might of the Imperial military behind them, victory would be theirs and it would be all over within a month.
But with the war slowly dragging in to its eighteenth month, the victory which was promised had yet to materialize. In that time, the Empire had lost large swaths of its territories to either the UNSC, or the Confederacy. The first to go were the outer rim territories when Twi'lek Prime (Ryloth) fell, effectively cutting off these regions from the Empire and allowing UNSC/CIS forces to over run all Imperial units with ease. Firmly establishing themselves in the region and from there, it was all down hill.
For the Empire, their glorious campaign had now turned into a slow and coordinated retreat. As Imperial forces were being forced back by an enemy which fought in ways they had never seen before. Lightning quick strikes against bases, coupled with well place ambushes and traps, had taken a heavy toll on Imperial forces, crippling their ability to fight effectively.
It was a fact which the new Head of Imperial Intelligence, Sadde Voch, was all to familiar with. As he sat in the seat which was once occupied by the late Ysanne Isard and began to go through the reports which were once her responsibility. Ever since it was announced that Ysanne had suffered a apparent mental break down and died of an over dose of medication (The was the cover story which was given), Voch began to go over what his predecessor had gathered since the war began. Unfortunately for the Imperial Center native, Ysanne tended to keep more files of certain Imperial officials, rather than on individuals who the Empire saw as a threat.
It was very clear to see that Isard's mental state was bordering on shear paranoia, prior to her untimely demise. As she saw anyone attempting to be close to the Emperor not only a threat to the Empire, but a threat to her relationship with the Emperor. Maybe those Terran agents did some good after all by doing what they did to Ice Heart, it would explain why Voch decided not to pursue them once he became the Director of Imperial Intelligence. They did get him this job after all.
But as Sadde began to settle into his new roll within the II and began to read the reports which were coming in, Voch soon found himself coming to a conclusion which was already being shared by numerous Imperial military officers. The Empire was going to lose the war.
The Terrans and their allies had been on the attack since the fall of Twi'lek Prime, using the Corellian Run corridor to launch successive attacks on numerous Imperial held worlds and with the Corellian System switching sides just weeks after the destruction of the Imperial Senate, the Imperial navy had lost a key ship building facility. Obviously the Empire was unwilling to give up these key worlds and had launched numerous counter offensives to take them back, but that was where things would go from bad to worse.
The Imperial Navy, the mightiest military force the galaxy had ever seen, would send literally millions of ships to take back these planets. As well as attempt to attack the Worth colonies head on so as to bring the enemy forces to their knees but out of these massive fleets, only a hand full of vessels would return with most of their crews either dead or dying. But it were the stories which the survivors carried, really peaked the interest of the Intelligence head.
The stories were all the same, as the crews would report that the Terrans were fielding massive vessels which were almost skeletal in design and wielded an unimaginable amount of firepower. Able to take out a Star Destroyer in one shot, many of the survivors said both in awe and horror. Entire fleets would be wiped out within a matter of minutes by these vessels, which seemed to be invulnerable to the Imperial assault. At first it was thought that these crews were trying to coverup the fact that they were bested by a group which the Empire had deemed inferior. But then came a picture that rattled the military command to its very core.
One of the returning cruisers had some how managed to get footage of these fabled Terran ships and what they saw, sent shock waves. In the images were two of these skeletal ships, both of them firing what looked like a powerful particle beam weapon at a single Star Destroyer, with predictable results and from what was reported, there were more of them.
If these Terrans possessed such powerful vessels in their fleet, then it was only a matter of time before they and their allies would begin to march straight towards Imperial Center and demand that the Empire surrender. So far the UNSC had managed to isolate a number of worlds from the Empire and essentially force them to surrender or face possible starvation due to no supplies. It may have been a dirty ploy on the part of the Terrans , but it was a very effective one. Who was to say that they would not do the same to weaken the capital before their eventual invasion?
It was a sentiment which was shared by a number of high ranking individuals within the Imperial and even though they still believed in the "values" which the Empire was originally founded on, they were not so confident that the Emperor was the right person to lead this civilization, if it were to survive. It was not long before a plan to deal with this situation began to form with the intelligence officer's head on how to deal with the Emperor and thanks to the paranoia of his predecessor, Voch knew just who he could call upon to help him in his plan.
The war may have been lost, but Voch saw no reason just why the Empire should be as well. All he needed to do was make some calls to certain fleet commanders and have them meet with him in a secure location off world to discuss what needed to be done. But that of course was the easy part.
The hard part would be trying to prevent the Emperor and his loyal inner circle, from discovering that their biggest threat did not come the Terran government and their allies. But from the men who commanded the military of the galaxy's greatest civilization. .
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( New Plymouth, Worth )
Another day had begun within the capital city of the Worth Colonies, as the people once again found themselves living in a city which was operating under war time conditions. The holonets were all buzzing about recent battles which had taken place between the UNSC and the Empire, while unknown groups within the city had begun to post literally thousands of posters either celebrating the actions of the UNSC. Or criticizing the powers that be for allowing the conflict to continue, even after the Empire has sued for peace almost two years ago.
All over the city, the colonial council had placed up signs which designated marked evacuation routes out of the metropolitan area. The same routes which were mapped out when the Republic had originally declared war on the TUG almost thirty years ago, while armed UNSC Army and CDF personnel patrolled the major transportation hubs which dotted the city. Their had been attacks by pro Imperial groups on a number of Terran protected worlds and the colonial government was not about to take any chances.
It was in this heightened state of alertness, which the supreme commander of the Rebel Alliance fleet soon found himself in. As the Mon Calamari's vessel had not too long arrived within the Terran star system and after docking at the space elevator in orbit, he was riding in a UNSC supplied limousine, en route to meet with his counter parts and other officials at Glinn's Field. An artificial island which was located 1.25 miles off the coast of the city and housed the aviation wing of the Worth Colonial Defense Force.
Ever since his home world of Dac had been enslaved by the Empire, Admiral Gial Ackbar had held a strong disliking against the Imperial government and had lead the Alliance fleet to victory at a number of battles against the Imperial Navu. But his contributions to the Alliance went beyond space battles as he was also credited with turning the Rebel's rat tag group of vessels, into an effective fighting force with standardized training and modernization. He had even managed to broker a deal with the CIS to provide the Alliance with a number of second hand vessels, all of which were needed to build up the Alliance fleet.
Today though the Mon Calamari was in the Terran colonies to meet with his counterparts in both the UNSC and the CIS, as they were there to discuss just what would be the next move in this conflict. So far they had successfully managed to isolate large numbers of Imperial units and cut off their supply lines. Effectively knocking them out of the war with little blood shed, but the Empire still had a lot of fight in them left and as the war continued to drag on, the casualty numbers became higher and higher. This war needed to end quickly and the Imperial government, neutralized.
Within a matter of minutes the small convoy of local police and CDF vehicles turned on to the bridge which linked Angelika with the main land and soon, Glinn's Field soon came into view. Stopping for a moment at the entrance so that the base security could do a quick check of the vehicles, the convoy then made it's way to a hanger which was located on the far side of the island.
Soon the convey made it to the location were the meeting would be held and judging by the presence of heavily armed soldiers and vehicles, there was no doubt in Ackbar's mind that his new allies were not taking any chances. Suddenly the massive doors of the hanger building opened up just wide enough to allow Ackbar's convoy to enter and when it did, the Mon Calamari was met with the most interesting of sights.
For in the exact center of the spacious interior of the hanger, a round table with five seats had been assembled. While a number of portable flood lights were strategically around them so as to illuminate that general area. Soon the three car convoy came to a stop and the admiral with his security detail exited their vehicles. Moments later more vehicles entered the structure and came to a sudden stop just meters from where the Admiral was.
"Looks like everyone has arrived." Ackbar commented, as he made his way towards the rather large conference table. Almost immediately the Admiral recognized some of the faces there.
"I'm sorry about our current accommodations, but considering what we are about to discuss, it should not matter." General Esacondor announced, as he and everyone else there took their seats. Just as their vehicles started up and exited the hanger at a high rate of speed, the loud thuds of the doors closing signaled that there location was now sealed and secure.
"Lets get the introductions out of the way first, for those who are not familiar with those here" the supreme commander of the UNSC's Andromeda forces announced as they got seated. " I am General David Escandor of the UNSC Army and supreme commander of the UNSC forces in this Galaxy. To my left is Ambassador Padme Skywalker and she will be representing the governments of the League of Non-Aligned States."
"Gentlemen." The former queen said with a slight bow of her own.
"Next to me is my counterpart within the Confederacy, Grand Admiral Thal Vedo."
"And I am familiar with the exploits of you, Admiral Ackbar." the Duro commented, "Your exploits on Dac was big news in the Confederacy."
"And to my left is..."
"Jedi master Anakin Skywalker of the Exiled Jedi order." the Mon Calamari finished, as he reached over and shook the Jedi's hand."
"You two know each other?" the general asked curiously. Anakin nodded before he replied, "The Order has have some dealings with the Rebel movements for many years."
"Indeed so," Gial added. "Over the years, the Jedi have provided valuable information to the Alliance and has aided us on numerous occasions. But I'm curious, why are the Jedi joining us today?"
"All shall be explained soon enough." Escandor began, as the entire hanger went dark. Suddenly a massive 3d holoprojection image appeared over the assembled group. Highlighted sections of the hologram showing the areas of space which were either under the control of the Galactic Empire, or the combined forces of the UNSC and the Confederacy.
"As we all know ever since the capture of Ryloth, both of our forces have been on the offensive and the Empire have been forced to fall back to secondary positions within the galactic core." The general stated, as the holo-projected image began to show icons which represented Imperial units, being pushed back into the Galactic Core. With elements of both the UNSC and CIS following them close behind. "As a result, we have been able to gain access to a number of key Imperial facilities which supplied the Empire's war machine with raw materials."
"But the outer rim territories only supplies forty percent of the Empire's input." Admiral Vedo added, as once again the hologram changed. This time showing the industrialized regions of the galaxy, a large potion of which now under the control of the allied forces. But the hologram showed large industrialized star systems which were still under the dominion of the Empire. "As you can see, the Empire still have a lot of resources at their disposal and attempting to take them would only prove to be too costly an endeavor."
"Not to mention if we are going to rebuild the New Republic , many of those star systems will be needed." Ambassador Amidala added, as the image began to highlight several star systems which housed major ship building facilities for the Empire.
"Which means destroying them out right is out of the question, especially if they could be used in future operations against imperial forces." Escandor spoke up again, just as the image above them began to focus more on the Galactic core. Suddenly the image began to "zoom in" one particular planet which resided within the core, a planet which some in the room were very much familiar with. "But our main goal at the moment is to remove the Emperor from power and neutralize his Imperial government. Our best option for ending this war as early as possible, would be to strike at and capture Imperial center."
"But I am afraid that is a task which is easier said than done." Gial Ackbar replied, a small frown forming on his face as he spoke. "Imperial Center is heavily protected by dozens of orbital defense platforms and still have millions of ships at their disposal. A direct assault on their capital would be suicide."
"Which is why my superiors have decided to host this meeting." Escandor announced, "Because our next move, would be the capture of Imperial center."
A thunderous silence fell over the assembled group, as the general's announcement that their next objective would be to capture the Imperial Capital, surprise and shocked everyone. Everyone that is, except Master Skywalker, who just had a neutral expression on his face.
"You can't be serious." Thal asked with a confuse tone in his voice, as he was caught completely off guard by his counterpart's statement. "Even with our combined fleets, the Empire still will out number us almost 4 to 1. Not to mention that their ships yards still pump out vessels at a rate of sixty Star Destroyers a month."
"I am well aware of that fact, but my superiors have ordered me to share with you, information which must not leave this hanger." Escandor said firmly, "Are you are all aware of, the Empire have attempted to launch numerous counter offensives into our territory, but they all failed."
"Yes... because of your UNSC's use of nuclear based weaponry." Ackbar stated, as the Alliance was aware of the Empire's attempts to attack the Worth system.
"Well I am afraid that is not completely true." the UNSC General stated, as the holoprojectors began to change the image above them. Suddenly the image of a large, spherical vessel which was flanked by eight skeletal ships, soon filled the hanger. Almost immediately a sense of absolute shock and disbelief fell over Ackbar and Vedo, for they now found themselves staring at one of the UNSC's more classified projects.
"The Death Star?" Admiral Ackbar exclaimed, as his attention was soon drawn to the spherical vessel in the center of the formation. "Our intelligence said it was destroyed."
"And they are correct." Escandor replied, "However, what you are seeing is the result of one of my government's biggest intelligence coups."
"Yet you are only now revealing this to us because..." Vedo trailed off with a accusing tone in his voice. A fact which was quickly picked up upon by the general, but chose to ignore.
"My government has only now decided to share this with you, because of the nature of what we plan to do. Escandor began. "It is called the Mobile Operations Auxiliary Base, or MOAB for short. Although I'm not at liberty to discuss just how we were able to procure the designs for it, I can tell you for the for the last year, the MOAB and her escorts have been basically protection our flanks. Freeing up a number of our vessels to engage enemy forces at the front."
Suddenly the image zoomed out to once again show the galaxy, as Escandor continued to speak. "Now at this phase of the war, my superiors want to use them, or rather the MOAB's escorts, to eliminate all Imperial assets in and around the Galactic core. Cutting a large swath through Imperial space for our vessels to charge in and launch landing operations on Imperial Center." As he spoke, blue arrows appeared which represented the Forerunner vessels. They then began to move into move into Imperial space and "hit" the Imperial icons which were highlighted. To which the Imperials vanished and the arrows continued to move on until they reached the Imperial capital. "The hope is that these vessels will cripple the Empire long enough for us to capture Imperial center and force their leaders to surrender."
"But even if these vessels are able to punch a big enough hole in the Imperial lines, there is still the matter of taking Imperial center itself." Ackbar stated.
"We know and that is where I come in." Master Skywalker spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone there. "Prior to this invasion, I will be leading a team of other Jedi to Imperial Center. Once there we will attempt to do as much damage as we can, before the invasion force arrives."
"Are you sure that is a good idea?" The Mon Calamari asked the Jedi leader. Knowing very well what could be the out come if Skywalker and his team were discovered.
Anakin for his part just sighed heavily before he replied, "The Jedi have been in hiding for too long. Palapatine thinks that with us gone he can do what ever he likes and the unfortunate truth that he is right. The Jedi have been in hiding for too long and it's time that he let the Emperor know that we are done running."
"But just how do you plan to even get planet side?" The Duro officer asked curiously, slightly amazed that the Jedi would undertake such a dangerous mission.
"Let my people worry about that.." Escandor stated, as the focus was soon drawn back on to him. "But for now let us get down to business and we have a lot to discuss if we are going to end this war."
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( Baroda Imperial Anchorage, Baroda System. )
There was not that much which could have been said about the Empire's facility within the Baroda system, other than the fact that it was largely under developed when compared to the ones which existed within the core of the Empire. Located in a relatively isolated area of the Empire, the Baroda Anchorage was originally established with the idea that it would be used as a repair facility for the Imperial navy. But as the years passed and the Empire began to expand into the unknown regions of space, Baroda was basically surpassed by other facilities which were being constructed in those areas of space. As a result, only two Type II Orbital Repair yards and one J-Type* space station, made up the anchorage.
Even with the out break of war and the heavy losses the Empire had recently taken with the loss of the major ship yards of Corellia, there was still little to no attempts to build up the remote naval facility. The only real change that happened was the establishment of a X-7 Factory station, which was being used to make star fighters and other weapons for the fleet. Yet it would be the Baroda system which would play host to a secret meeting between several major commanders of the Imperial navy. But the Empire's current conflict with the Terran government and its allies were not on the agenda ,for if this meeting were successful today, then the Empire would still be in one piece tomorrow and for the foreseeable future.
Within the modest conference room located on the J-Type station, were the commanders of the Empire's more notable fleets. Admiral Kyso Leythem of the 15th Deep Core Reserve fleet was present at the meeting, as so was Grand Moff Weblin of the Black Sword Command and commander of the Imperial Black Fleet . There were also representatives from the Imperial Outer Rim Territories Patrol Fleet (What was left of them anyway) and the Third Ado Superiority Fleet, they may have come from different back rounds, but they all had two things in common.
They all had absolute loyalty from the men who served under their command and more notably, they all had issues with the way the current Imperial leadership were handling the war.
Suddenly the doors leading into the conference room slid open and in came a man who was dressed in the uniform of a high ranking officer within Imperial Intelligence. Almost immediately everyone there tensed up as the presence of this individual caused many to worry, but as if he could sense what the assembled group of officers were sensing, the man smiled as he stood in front of the gathering and said...
"Greetings to everyone who answered my call to meet here today. My name is Sadde Voch and I want to thank you for coming. I have assemble all of you here today because as we are all aware, there is a matter of great importance to the survival of the Empire."
"Did the Emperor have you call us here to discuss some kind of new counter offensive?" Admiral Leythem asked out loud, so that everyone there could hear him.
"Actually... the Emperor does not even know that I called this assembly." Voch replied calmly, causing many there to look at the Intelligence officer with an wary eye. They all knew just what the punishment was for doing something behind the Emperor's back, as they knew of a number of high ranking officials who had been visited by the Emperor's "associates" in the past. Voch saw the looks he were getting from the fleet commanders and continued by saying. "I know what you are all thinking right now and believe me if the hammer does come down then it would be on me. But I do believe that despite our devotion to the Empire, we all share the notion that the current government on Imperial Center is failing in its duty towards us and the New Order the Emperor proclaimed, all those years ago."
"I think I know where you are going with this." Webin declared with a hint of disbelief in his voice. "You are not considering..."
"I hate to be the one to break this to you, but the Empire had already lost the war." Voch said firmly, as he began to present his case. "Despite what you have been hearing on the holonets, the Empire is starting to take more casualties, than it can replace. But the Emperor still insist on launching more and more counter offensives against the the Terrans, but they are proving to be more costly to us, than the enemy. But before I go any further, I think you may all want to see this." and with that, the lights within the room dimmed, as the holographic image of a strange vessel appeared in front of the now stunned room."
"This image was taken from one of the few vessels which took part in the last attempt to attack the Worth system and survived" Voch stated. "From what we have learned, these vessels have been responsible for those losses."
"Vessels?" another admiral gasped out. "There are more of them?"
"Seven more to be exact." the intelligence officer said grimly. "and they are all extremely powerful. We even have reason to believe that these vessels were the ones used against Tarkin and his task force when they first attempted to assault the Worth system."
A thunderous silence fell over the assembled group, as the revelation that the UNSC had these extremely powerful war ships, sent unwanted shivers up everyone's spine. If the Terrans had these ships at their disposal, then it would only be a matter of time before they would use it to blast their way into the Galactic Core and all the way to Imperial Center. All the while the Emperor would continue to to run the Empire into the ground.
"So what needs to be done?" Kyso asked the intelligence officer. As the reality that the Empire was not on the verge of self destruction, began to sink in.
"Prepare." Voch replied. "I have been getting reports that the Terrans and their allies are getting ready to launch a full blown invasion of the core and when that happens, there will be no stopping them. But we collectively represent ten percent of the Empire's overall military force. My advice that we start moving our assets to predetermined locations and wait. When the time is right, we shall come out of hiding and seize power on Imperial Center. We will be the ones to sue for peace with the Terrans and with the Emperor out of the way, they would more of a reason to trust us and honor our request for an end to hostilities."
"So basically you are suggesting is that we launch a coup against our own government and surrender ourselves to an enemy that may or may not honor our request?" a third admiral asked. "Do you have any idea what you are asking us to do? Or what will happen if we fail?"
"But he is right." the Grand Moff spoke up. "I have witnessed just how far the Empire has fallen since this conflict broke out and the government on Imperial Center no longer represents the people of the galaxy. This has to end or there will be no Empire left to govern."
Once again the room was filled with silence as the gravity of the situation began to weigh on their shoulders. What they were being asked to do was nothing short of high treason and if they were to be found out, their reward would be a swift death for sure. But they also realized that Voch's words were true. They all knew that the Empire would not win and with the way the Emperor had been running things, the Empire was going to lose badly.
"Then I guessed it is settled then." Voch declared. "What we do from today is not against the Empire or what it stands for. What we do from now on shall ensure that it will continue on in some way and form. We are not traitors nor are we the enemy, but we shall be the new founding fathers of a new Empire that will once again shine across the Galaxy for centuries to come."
A collective "HEAR HEAR!" came from the assembled group of system Moffs and Imperial officers, as they began to formulate their plan to save the Empire from ruin. They were not sure if they were truly doing the right thing, nor did they decide just who would be the one to lead them one the Emperor had been removed. But one thing was certain...
The Emperor had created more enemies.
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A/N: Sorry if I gave your hopes up, but I promise that everyone's favorite smuggler will be back in the next chapter.
Sorry that I did not answer anyone's questions this time around, but I will in the future. Until next time... Nightstalker signing out...