Good afternoon, all of you Star Wars fanfiction enthusiasts! How are you doing on this hot day of June 3, 2018? I'm doing well, as I just woke up from an hour-long nap, and I'm ready to start writing the next chapter of Star Wars: Shadow Wars: Foundation. So, what have you all been up to today, as I went to church this morning, and had a good lunch afterwards? Oh, before I forget, happy birthday, Squasher. I hope that you enjoy it with your friends and family. Well, I guess that, since I'm drawing a blank on what to talk about today, I'd better get to work on the next chapter. Oh, I do have a couple of things to talk about before I start writing. First off, two days ago, my mass market paperback edition copy of Star Wars: Canto Bright came in the mail from Barnes and Noble, and I can't wait to read it, as I feel that I can integrate it into my head canon, with a few modifications, of course. Second, I expect to finally make a good order on Amazon tomorrow, which will have two Tolkien books, a Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus book, and a Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening strategy guide. Anyway, back to writing, as I've got a few days for writing, as I won't have to work until possibly Wednesday. May the Force and Iluvatar be with our heroes as they continue to defy the Empire on Lah'mu.
(June 5, 2018 Addendum.) Hello, everyone. How are you doing on this hot Tuesday? I'm doing well, as I'll soon have shrimp Parmesan for dinner, which is delectable. Anyway, I've been working hard on this chapter, as I've already written over 3,000 words in this chapter, and I still have a good ways to go until it's complete. So, what have you all been up to today? I mowed my parent's front lawn this morning, and went to a nearby Barnes and Noble to buy a current events book that talks about the President of the United States of America, and how he is making America a great nation again. Oh, and I ordered the two Tolkien books, a Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus book, and the Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening yesterday, and I can't wait to get them through the mail, as two of them have already been shipped today. One more thing, I'm almost done with my The Reagan Diaries book, and, once that's done, I'll read Warhammer 40,000: Sisters Of Battle, which I expect to be dark, but enjoyable. Well, I'd better get back to writing, as I might have to work tomorrow. May the Force and Iluvatar be with me.
Meanwhile, Onboard the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Retribution
"How bad are the casualties on your front, Grand Inquisitor Halmere?" Trachta asked his fellow fleet commander as the two of them, Darth Vader, Admiral Nils Tennant, Colonel Wullf Yularen, and Captain Thrawn held a secure strategic conference in order to reassess the Imperial fleet's capability to wage war on the Shadow Alliance.
"We've lost thirty percent of our starfighters, forty percent of our capital ships, and twenty percent of our ground forces." Halmere grimly replied as he glared daggers at Vader for his foolish style of command during his tenure of fleet commander.
"What about the reinforcements that we diverted from their assigned positions? When can we expect their arrival?" Nils hopefully asked.
"There… are no reinforcements coming, Admiral Tenant." Wullf hesitantly said to his colleague, which made the admiral, in a fit of anger, slam his fist on his table on his own Imperial-class Star Destroyer, the Harvester.
"How can that be?! We've got several important shipyards and fighter academies that are just a few hours away in hyperspace? Surely they can spare a few capital ships, otherwise, we'll all likely be slaughtered by the Jedi and their subordinates." Nils incredulously said, not willing to accept that his career would end here.
"It is the Emperor's orders, I'm afraid." Wullf sadly said, before he continued to deliver bad news, saying, "He doesn't believe that sending more Imperial forces here will win this conflict, and has ordered all forces to hold at their current positions in order to protect the Empire's interests all across the galaxy."
"But if we don't defeat this Shadow Alliance, and the traitors that comprise it, here and now, they'll spread like wildfire across the entire galaxy, and they could overthrow everything that we've only begun to rebuild." Nils fervently said, afraid that the Empire could not survive the insurgents' efforts if they escape the system.
"It's out of our hands, Admiral." Wullf unhappily said, his white mustache furrowed in disappointment.
Halmere, with his voice full of resolve, then said, "Then we'll just have to make do with what we have. Fortunately, Captain Thrawn has come up with several strategies that stand a chance against the unconventional tactics of these very diverse groups."
At that, Nils nearly blew a gasket at the prospect of having the Imperial chain of command subverted by a young captain, and shockingly said, "And what you bring to the meeting that several of the Empire's brightest minds cannot, Captain Thrawn?"
As soon as he said those words, he felt his trachea being strangled by a powerful grip, and turned to face Vader, who, to the admiral's shock, was not telekinetically choking him. He then realized who was choking him, and turned to face the Grand Inquisitor, who said, "Do not insult a fellow Imperial officer over such a petty charge, Admiral Tennant, especially one who is at the very least, the equal of all of you in tactics and strategy."
"Enough, Grand Inquisitor Halmere." Trachta firmly said, before he added in a simultaneously praising and demeaning tone, "We need every leader that we can if we're going to survive this debacle, and Admiral Tennant is one of our best and brightest, if not our most diplomatic or discrete."
Halmere then relented with a nod of his head under the Grand Moff's reasoning, and released his invisible hold on the admiral's neck, allowing the man to take in large amounts of air in order to regain his full bearings.
The Grand Inquisitor then said in a threatening manner, "Consider yourself fortunate, Admiral, to have such a loyal defender in the form of the Grand Moff. In the future, I would recommend that you choose your words more carefully, or just avoid talking altogether in order to avoid getting yourself into trouble."
"Th-Thank you, Grand Inquisitor." Nils gratefully said to Halmere for agreeing to spare his life as he struggled to stay upright, and respectfully said to Thrawn, "Please accept my apologies for my tactless remarks, Captain Thrawn. I was out of line."
"It is appreciated and accepted, Admiral. Many people have said worse things to me than what you did." Thrawn graciously replied, before he noticed Vader tapping his fingers against his arm, and, knowing that the Sith Lord's patience was wearing thin, then continued to speak, saying, "Now then, I believe that we are short on time, so I had better get started on advising you on my strategies."
Eight Hours Later
Sixteen Hours and Twenty-Four Minutes Until Admiral Libel's Arrival
Within the Gil-Gilad
T'ra Saa was deep in her meditations in order to recover her energies from the continuous usage of Battle Meditation over the course of the Siege of Lah'mu. As she meditated in bliss and quiet, she felt several tremors within the Force, and focused on the shatterpoints that would decide the outcome of the battle.
She could sense the approaching arrival of Admiral Dylan Libel and his fleet, which would ambush the remaining Imperials, and trap them within the system until the either surrendered or were killed.
She felt the nine Inquisitors and six Shadow Guards prepare themselves for the final assault that would break either the Shadow Alliance of Imperial fleet within the system.
She felt the emboldened resolve of the Shadow Alliance soldiers, and felt her heart soar at the cooperation and unity that the diverse allies were displaying.
Conversely, she felt the low morale of the Imperials, as they had suffered setback and loss since arriving within this system.
She felt Darth Vader and his seething rage over his lack of command over the situation, and her heart wept for the fallen man's loss and suffering, but reminded herself that he brought it on himself by falling for Sidious's lies and manipulations. She only hoped that Ahsoka and the other young Jedi could succeed in their plan of redeeming Vader when his former Jedi master could not.
Suddenly, she felt the Imperials beginning to galvanize themselves for the final assault, and said to her mixed guard of Shadow Alliance soldiers, "Alert High Command that the Imperials are preparing for a last attempt to break our lines."
She then imploringly said to her guards, "Please hurry, for time is of the essence."
Ten Minutes Later
Sixteen Hours and Thirteen Minutes Until Admiral Libel's Arrival
Onboard the Second Chance
"Well, at least we managed to get eight hours of sleep before Armageddon came for us." Tau quipped to his girlfriend as they walked towards the main hall of his ship, and they sat down to see the assembled leaders of the Shadow Alliance in their respective ships.
Tau then said, "So, the Empire's preparing to attack us one more time? Then we'd better get ready for the worst assault, as they'll be throwing everything they've got at us, and we've got to hold out until our second fleet arrives."
"We've already taken out most of their Dark Side Acolytes, and taken away Vader's power of command. Not to mention killed Admiral Screed and captured Grand Moff Tarkin. Resisting the final attack should be a piece of cake." Saw dismissively said, which earned him glares from almost everyone present.
Kal then said, "Don't let your guard down against the Imperials, Gerrera. They might have reinforcements incoming any minute, any we're all lucky that we've had the last eight hours to rest and treat our wounded."
"Then we'd better get ready for whatever they've got planned for us, because whatever Trachta and Halmere have planned for us will no doubt be unconventional and dangerous." Berch said, remembering how cunning and ruthless the Grand Moff could be when he set his mind to something.
Rahm then said, "So, Tarkin and Prosset have been secured away on the Sith's Vengeance, and they'll be under triple guard until we can interrogate him and put him on trial."
"Good. We can't afford to have either man get away." Tau said, before he turned to face the infiltration teams of the three captured Imperial-class Star Destroyers, and said, "Have the Sovereign, Obliterator, and Devastator given you any trouble?"
"Not in the slightest." Daniel said, before continuing, saying, "They're functioning better than the Venerators and Victors, but they aren't as elegant as either of them."
"Okay, we'll have plenty of time to talk about your people's ships and their craft later." Thengel impatiently said, before the prince of Rohan then urgently said, "We need to prepare for the Imperials' incursion, as they're beginning to deploy their forces right now."
"All right. We'll be in the front in fifteen minutes, tops. May Iluvatar be with us." Tau said before he closed the channel, and apologetically said to Ahsoka, "Sorry that you won't have time to take a sanisteam, luv, but you'll have plenty of time to do so after we escape the system in less than a day."
Ahsoka then smiled at her boyfriend's playful banter, and gave him a kiss on the cheek before she sauntered off to prepare for departing the Second Chance once they made their way to the frontlines Tau and Butch then began to follow her in close pursuit, the human not wishing anything to happen to the woman that he had already fallen so deeply in love with over the course of a couple of months, and the Tuk'ata wanting to protect his master and best friend.
The rest of the Second Chance's crew smiled at each other over the obvious love between the two people, and prepared to drop off Jarael at the medical wing, where she would coordinate the evacuation of the wounded onto the capital ships in orbit.
Meanwhile, Onboard the Adomintor
"Are you ready to take command of the fleet, Commodore Thrawn?" Grand Inquisitor Halmere said to the newly promoted Chiss Imperial officer, who had been promoted not two hours ago in response to his ingenious strategy to deal with the Shadow Alliance. The promotion was also designed to give Thrawn the legitimate authority in commanding the Imperial fleet alongside Grand Moff Trachta, while Halmere prepared to incapacitate the Jedi who was coordinating the enemy forces with exact precision.
"I am, Grand Inquisitor. I will prove that your trust in me will not go unrewarded." Thrawn deferentially said to his superior as the Grand Inquisitor went to retreat to his meditation chamber, where he would focus his energies for the mental attack on the unknown Jedi while the rest of the Jedi in the system were preoccupied by the Imperial attack.
Thrawn then turned his attention to the Imperial fleet that was assigned to his detachment, and said, "All ships, prepare to advance on my command."
Concurrently, Onboard the Retribution
"This is Grand Moff Trachta. All ships are to form up for an attack alongside the Adomintor." Trachta said to all of the ships under the joint command of him and Thrawn, while Vader looked on with disdain over these complex strategies that the Chiss officer had devised, as the Sith Lord favored using overwhelming force against the Jedi and their fellow traitors.
After five minutes of bringing the Imperial fleet into formation for the final attempt at breaking through the Shadow Alliance's lines, Trachta contacted Thrawn, and said, "Are your ships ready to break through the rabble's lines?"
Thrawn merely smiled in response, and said, "I would rather let my actions do the talking for me instead of wasting time pointlessly boasting."
Trachta merely chuckled at the newly promoted commodore, and said to the commanders of each Imperial ship, "All ships commence attack!"
Ten Minutes Later
Fifteen Hours and Fifty-Five Minutes Until Admiral Libel's Arrival
Within the Gil-GIlad
T'Ra Saa felt a subtle but insidious presence in the Force near her, and she was unprepared for the speed and level of Dark Side energy that assaulted her.
The level of power was nowhere near the level of Darth Sidious, but it was still sufficient enough to inflict several psychic wounds on the Neti Jedi Master.
Finding that she did not have the strength to maintain both her Battle Meditation and her mental defenses, and, knowing that the Shadow Alliance could survive without her guiding its armies and fleets, she used the bulk of her remaining strength to drive back the human Grand Inquisitor's specter back into his body.
Once T'Ra could guarantee that she was safe, she ended her trance, and found herself laying on the floor as Elrond and K'Kruhk tended to her.
The Whiphid Jedi Master, sensing that his compatriot was conscious, worriedly said to her, "T'Ra, what happened? I sensed a disturbance in the Force coming from you, and rushed here to you, only to find you engaged in a mental battle."
"G-Grand Inquisitor Halmere attacked my mind." T'Ra stammered out, before she nearly fainted right here and there, and apologetically said, "I'm afraid that I no longer have the strength to continue using Battle Meditation."
"That does not matter. We're fortunate that you survived the attack. We'll get you into a bacta tank at once." Elrond consolingly said to the female Jedi Master as he and K'Kruhk helped T'Ra up to her feet, and escorted her to the troop carrier's doctor. She was quickly put into a bacta tank, where its healing contents began to heal the physical damage that Halmere had inflicted on her.
"I'll stay here and watch over Master Saa, Lord Elrond. You need to get to the front in order to help lead our forces." K'Kruhk said, which the Elven lord agreed to with a brusque nod, and went to contact Tau and the others on this significant setback in their plan.
Five Minutes Later
Fifteen Hours and Forty-Seven Minutes Until Admiral Libel's Arrival
"So, that is Thrawn's angle, then." Tau insightfully said as he rubbed his chin in thought over what Elrond had told him and the rest of the Shadow Alliance's leaders.
As everyone looked at him with a curious glint in their eyes, Tau realized that most of them did not know of Thrawn's capabilities, and said with a hint of reverence for the Chiss's brilliance, "Before my time, he was the one Imperial warlord that was able to drive the New Republic back from its dominant position, and take back half of the known galaxy for the Empire. He's a military genius that… honestly, he has no true rival, as he's just that good."
"Surely this man has a weakness, as no person is invincible, no matter how excellent their skills are." Ozpin insightfully said as a majority of the Shadow Alliance leaders began to worry for their chances of escaping the system.
"Well, beating Thrawn won't be easy, but it can be done." Tau thoughtfully said, before he resumed speaking, saying, "We need to surprise Thrawn, and keep him off-balance if we're to have a chance of enduring this push long enough to make it out of here. Our best chance is by utilizing our best people on the front lines on both the ground, and in space."
"Boba, Akku, Quinlan, Ahsoka. You four will be in charge of leading our fighters against the Imperials' remaining ships." Tau said, causing Boba to look at the Jedi as if he had grown a crown of horns on his head, while Ahsoka hurtfully telepathically said to him, Why don't you want me by your side, Tau?
Vader's going to be in this battle. Tau grimly replied, before resuming his communiqué, mentally saying, He'll do anything to regain Sidious's favor, and that includes killing everyone in this system, if need be. I need you to stay with Akku and the others if they're going to stand a chance against him, as you fought by his side long enough to pick up a bunch of his tricks, which will give you a better chance of surviving against him than anyone else.
As Ahsoka seemed to consider the words, Tau sent waves of reassurance into her mind, and said, Don't worry, dear. I'll be fine; I've got Butch to back me up. And, besides, I can't die yet. I've still gotta marry you.
Ahsoka rolled her eyes at Tau's infectious optimism, gripped his hand tightly, and mentally said, You better come back, because I can't stand losing the man that I love with all of my heart.
Agreed. Tau said with an air of finality as he ended the telepathic conversation, and the two people returned their attention to the final Shadow Alliance strategic conference on Lah'mu.
"Having another private conversation with your girlfriend, are you, Tau?" Ventis conspiratorially whispered to his Jedi teacher, who subtly nodded his head in affirmation.
Tau then said to Boba and Quinlan, "I need you two to lead the fighters because you two are among the best pilots in the galaxy, not to mention your stellar and cutting-edge ships that can take on most enemies."
"And you expect them to trust an amoral mercenary, one who just so happens to be the son of the man who was the template for the future Stormtrooper Corps?" Boba disbelievingly said to Tau, who could hardly believe how much trust the Jedi were placing in him, especially after how he tried to kill Mace Windu on Coruscant five months before the Clone War ended, and how anti-Jedi he used to be before he met Daniel and his friends.
"I expect them to take a leap of faith with a friend of mine, Boba." Tau cryptically said, before he sensed that Fenn Shysa seemed to want to say something, and turned the floor over to him so that he could quickly say his piece.
"Boba, my people will follow my lead, and I'll follow you to the void, if need be." Fenn impassionedly said, before he kept speaking, "Your family is a symbol of what the Mandalorian Supercommandos once were before they fell, and what we can still be if we if the Mando'ade have someone to rally behind as a whole."
"And, you helped us drive back Bane and Kravous when they tried to kill us and Ventis. You'll have my support, Fett." Rex said, surprising the fellow clone with the solidarity that Rex was displaying.
"Okay, as much as I enjoy our forces rallying together, we need to move this along. The Empire isn't going to sit on its laurels all day while we decide how to fight them." Saw impatiently said, eager to get out of this system in order to continue waging war against the Empire.
"Agreed." Maarisa wholeheartedly said, with the rest of the leaders nodding their heads in concurrence.
"All right. Generals Kota and Ironwood, Lord Elrond, Colonel Skirata, Gerrera, and I will lead the ground forces against the Imperials and their remaining ground forces and Inquisitors." Tau said, earning nods of approval from the bulk of the Shadow Alliance leaders.
"Any more questions?" Tau asked in order to conclude this meeting. When no one responded after a few seconds, Tau said, "No? Then let's give these Imperials a beating they'll never forget."
"I'll drink to that!" Qrow eagerly said from the Remnant delegation before everyone signed off in order to finalize any last-minutes preparations for the endgame on Lah'mu.
Nagme then said to Tau, Jareal, Celebion, and Butch, "Well, we'd better get you guys to your positions before the Empire arrives. Stay safe."
Once the Yuuzhan Vong woman finished her speech, everyone quickly went to their stations on the CEC YT-1300 Light Freighter, and Tau and Ahsoka shared a brief but passionate kiss before letting go of each other, and the former headed to the docking ramp, while the latter headed to the cockpit to assist Akku in piloting the Second Chance in the coming space battle.
Forty Minutes Later
Fifteen Hours Until Admiral Libel's Arrival
Within the Venerator-Class Star Destroyer Nefarid
Ferren Barr, an Iktotchi, former Jedi Padawan who managed to escape Operation: Knightfall on Coruscant before being captured a few months later during the enslavement of the ocean world of Dac, and then corrupted by Vader and recruited into the Inquisitorious program, was finally ready to engage the Jedi, now that he couldn't feel T'Ra Saa's incessant presence nagging in his mind.
He and his eight fellow Inquisitors were ready to lead the remaining Imperial forces against the various rebel groups that made up the Shadow Alliance's many contrasting armies.
"All forces, commence attack on your assigned targets!" Ferren stated, before he and his Inquisitors entered their Eta-2 Actis-class interceptors in order to make their way to the battlefield as quickly as possible.
The eight fighters, followed immediately behind them by the twenty TIE Fighters that remained in the ventral hanger of the Nefarid, and they, along with the armored battalions of Imperial forces, made their way to the Shadow Alliance positions.
Concurrently, Within the Retribution
"How go the efforts to eradicate the Shadowfeed Relays, Captain Jordo?" Trachta asked the orange-haired Imperial Security Bureau captain.
"We are currently ahead of schedule, Grand Moff Trachta. The Imperial forces have shut down or destroyed approximately sixty percent of the active relays, and we expect another twenty percent to be deactivated within the next five hours." Jordo calmly said, earning him a nod of approval from Trachta.
"Good." Trachta said before the Star Destroyer's sensor alarms began to beep, making him wonder if the Shadow Alliance's trump card was already here, and turned to his sensors officer to say, "What have you got on the sensors?"
"It appears to be…" The sensors officer looked perplexed at the readings, and hesitantly said, "one lone freighter, Grand Moff."
That was not the answer that Trachta was expecting, and walked over to the officer's position to curiously say, "Are you sure of the readings?"
"Quite so, Grand Moff. I've checked the readings twice now, and it looks like a CEC VCX-100 light freighter, designated the Ghost."
"I will deal with this Jedi personally." Vader suddenly said, earning a look of surprise from the Grand Moff over the realization that another Jedi was entering the fray.
He acted quickly in order to avoid suspicion, and said, "Very well, Vader. I'll provide you with the Relentless in order to capture this unknown Jedi."
Vader nodded in false gratitude at the approval for a mission that he should have undertaken without anyone but his Sith master ordering him around, and turned around to walk towards his prototype TIE Advanced x1 in order to capture a future Dark Side Acolyte for the Emperor in order to salvage something from this botched operation.
Five Minutes Later
Fourteen Hours and Fifty-Three Minutes Until Admiral Libel's Arrival
Within the CEC VCX-100 Light Freighter Ghost
The Miraluka woman, who was formerly a Jedi Temple Guard, readied herself for the imminent attack from the Star Destroyer that was breaking off from the main Imperial fleet, as well as the traitor who led the attack on her home, the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
She activated her secure communication to the Shadow Alliance, and said into it, "This is Agent Nomi, captain of the Ghost. I've entered the Lah'mu System, and I have Vader and a Star Destroyer heading towards my position. Requesting immediate assistance."
"Copy that, Agent Nomi. This is Captain Denimoor of the Tenacious. I'll be breaking off to assist you, along with the Skorp-Ion and Slave I. ETA is ten minutes."Denimoorquickly responded before he closed the channel, and she sensed a powerful and bright presence in the Force divert course to her location.
Now I just have to survive the Imperials and their master for ten minutes. Well, time for my piloting skills to be put to good use. The mysterious Jedi Knight grimly thought as she primed her deflector shields to maximum, and signaled for her four-man crew, which was comprised of the Syndulla Clan's personal astromech droid, C1-10P, who was on loan for an infiltration mission of an Imperial outpost in order to gather fleet movements from a nearby listening post, and the father-son mercenary team of Sagoro and Reymet Autem to prep the gun turrets for action.
Well, that was an exciting chapter! A lot happened here: Thrawn got a promotion to commodore, and his plan has already incapacitated T'Ra Saa for the duration of the battle, making the Shadow Alliance's final stand much more difficult to maintain. And, the mysterious Jedi Temple Guard that I included a while back has revealed herself, and in such a legendary ship in the Star Wars Rebels series. And, I've included a notable character from the Star Wars: Republic comic book series in the form of Senate Guard/mercenary/Republic/Imperial Navy captain Sagoro Autem. So, what do you think of this chapter, as it only took me three days to put it all together? I hope that you liked it, as the rest of the Siege of Lah'mu will be full of surprises and twists to come until the end. In other news, I might have to work tomorrow, so I might not be able to write much tomorrow. Just giving you a heads-up. Oh, one more thing. Are you guys listening to anything right now, because I'm listening to "Imagine Dragons: Whatever It Takes", and I am enjoying the song very much. Well, I guess that that's it for this update on June 5, 2018. May the Force and Iluvatar be with you, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
