Chapter 6: All is lost
Engagement 7: Battle of Midway
Romulan Star Empire
Class: D'deridex
Ships present: 200
Known ships: IRW Deranas
Maximum combat speed: warp 9.6
Armament: 6 Disruptor Arrays, 4 Disruptor Cannons, 2 Torpedo Launchers, 100 Photon Torpedoes, 200 Plasma Torpedoes
Weapons firing arcs: Forward, Aft, Starboard, Port, Dorsal, Ventral
Auxiliary craft: 16 shuttlecraft, 8 shuttlepods
Class: Mogai
Ships present: 50
Known ships: none
Maximum combat speed: warp 9.95
Armament: 12 Disruptor Cannons, 6 Torpedo Launchers, 50 Photon Torpedoes, 100 Plasma Torpedoes
Weapons firing arcs: Forward, Aft, Starboard, Port, Dorsal, Ventral
Auxiliary craft: 10 shuttlecraft, 4 shuttlepods
Galactic Empire
Class: Executor
Ships present: 2
Known ships: SSD Executor, SSD Arbitrator
Maximum combat speed: 40 MGLT
Armament: 4,000 Turbolasers
Weapons firing arcs: Forward, Starboard, Port, Dorsal
Auxiliary craft: 855 TIE fighters
Class: Imperial 2
Ships present: 100
Known ships: ISD Vigilance
Maximum combat speed: MGLT 60
Armament: 75 turbolaser cannons (turret based), 60 ion cannons.
Weapons layout: Forward, Starboard, Port, Dorsal, Ventral
Auxiliary craft: 72 TIE fighters, 8 Lambda class shuttles, 15 Troop Transports
Class: Arquitens
Ships present: 14
Known ships: none
Maximum combat speed: 60 MGLT
Armament: 12 turbolaser cannons (turret based), 4 missile launchers, 100 concussion missiles
Weapons layout: Forward, Starboard, Port, Dorsal, Ventral
Auxiliary craft: 30 TIE fighters
Class: Gozanti
Ships present: 50
Known ships: none
Maximum combat speed: MGLT 60
Armament: 1 Twin laser turret, 1 heavy laser cannon
Weapons layout: Forward, Aft, Starboard, Port, Dorsal, Ventral
Auxiliary craft: 4 TIE fighters
Aboard Midway station, Fleet Admiral Motti was making preparations for the Arbitrator to get underway. They had spent upwards of 2 days at Midway thanks to the meddling of his First Officer, who was constantly making excuses for them to stay there. Whether it be that the crew needed time off or that the ship was in need of minor repairs, he always seemed to be pulling something out of the hat. Motti began to worry that the Empire was on to him, and as such, had made preparations to dispose of anyone who he considered a threat.
The sudden shaking and explosions caught him off guard as he was thrown off his feet. Alarms blared around him as the intercom frantically began shouting alerts and warnings across the station. The lights began to flicker on and off above him as he began to come to his senses again. Getting back up, he looked outside the window to reveal the utter carnage which was occuring outside.
Over 200 Romulan ships had ambushed them then and there, decloaking directly underneath several Imperial Star Destroyers, destroying them with ease. And as some were in close proximity to other, smaller support ships, these ships were consumed by the explosions as ships finally began to coordinate between each other. TIE fighters were immediately launched to counter the threat posed by the warbirds, as turbolasers began pouring out of the remaining Imperial vessels.
As he watched the utter carnage outside, his instinct told him that someone was slowly walking up behind him. Hearing the familiar wheezing noises he was now accustomed to, he turned to face the intruder; Darth Vader himself.
"I must admit Motti, this is quite a gathering you have here." began Vader. "A fleet of this size would have surely been occupied with Admiral Sloane's offensive, unless of course Admiral Sloane was...unable to take any action."
"The Romulans have played us all for fools my Lord." rebutted Motti. "I told Sloane that we were going to leave tomorrow in order to continue the Federation offensive. The Romulans must have intercepted the transmission and then launched this strike."
"But there is new information now which you have not heard." continued Vader. "The reinforcements we had sent to help Sloane were recently destroyed just outside the Cheron system. Their last transmission indicated that Admiral Sloane's forces had been destroyed when they arrived, and the wreckage indicated that they had been left there for over 3 months."
That sounds about right. Thought Motti as he looked down slightly.
"You are aware I can now read your thoughts, 'Motti'." Stated Vader.
"So you finally figured it out."
"I had been suspecting it ever since the Battle of Sol. However, with your First Officer now suspecting things, I just had to look into it myself."
"Well, I suppose you came in here to kill me. So do it. Kill me."
Without hesitation, Vader activated his lightsaber, the red glow lighting up the room in the brief periods of darkness. Moving at an unprecedented speed, he thrusted his lightsaber into Motti's chest, aiming to score the killing blow in one swift stroke. However, instead of hearing Motti's brief and final cry of pain, Vader was shocked to see that, not only was Motti not dead, but a glowing hole had formed in the place where he had thrusted his lightsaber into, avoiding it entirely as he gave Vader a foolish grin.
Furiously, Vader swung his blade upwards, hoping to cut through his body and go through his brain, but alas, the same trick occured; Motti's body simply morphed to once again avoid the blade as Motti struck back with an extended glowing protrusion from his body. Vader, completely caught off guard, was thrown across the room, slamming into a wall as Motti slowly walked up to him.
"You know, it's been fascinating, these past months." tauntingly Stated Motti as Vader got back on his feet. "Learning your abilities, studying your tactics, analysing your weaknesses. We never got this far with the Federation, or any of it's allies for that matter. But thanks to your poor scientific resources, we've managed to slip into all corners of your society without any issue."
"No." fought back Vader, trying to conceive of what the imposter Motti was telling him.
"And it's all thanks to you. If you hadn't picked me up after the Death Star blew up, I would never have been able to infiltrate your military. And now, we know everything about you. So thanks 'Lord' Vader. You've done the Dominion a great service."
"NOOOOOOOOO." screamed Vader as Force lightning suddenly erupted from his hand, throwing Motti into the opposite wall. His head slammed on the windows to the outside, and while he was no ordinary humanoid, the impact was still enough to stun him. He fell to the ground, limp and weakened as Vader, who's suit's electrical circuits had been completely fried by the blast, fell unconscious as well.
Motti suddenly woke up to see his body was now badly burnt and scarred. Looking over across the room, he saw Vader, still slumped against the bulkhead, unconscious. Noticing that he couldn't hear the sound of disruptors against the hull anymore, he quickly got up and accessed the station's comm network.
"Commander Maxus, report." he demanded as he looked through the window.
"Admiral, you're alive." stated a surprised Maxus. It wasn't hard to tell now that Maxus had been a part of his discovery and Vader's decision to eliminate him. He had tolerated Maxus's rebellious thoughts for some time now, but now, he couldn't let him interfere with his escape
"That I am Commander. Nevertheless, I demand a report on the battle."
"We've managed to drive off the Romulan forces. Most of our ships have sustained heavy damage, and the Executor is now adrift and disabled. However, the Arbitrator is still fully functional and ready to pursue their forces."
"Then don't wait for me to get on board. Chase those bastards down to the last. I'm sending you more official orders now." Motti imputed the codes to send Maxus to a place where he would never have to see him again. Well, at least for now. He'd deal with the consequences of his decision when he had to. Now though, he had to get out, and he had to get out while everyone was confused.
"Understood Admiral." replied Maxus. "Arbitrator out."
Engagement 8: Engagement over Red 2
United Federation of Planets
Class: Sovereign
Ships present: 1
Known ships: USS Sovereign
Maximum combat speed: warp 9.985
Armament: 14 Type XII Phaser banks, 5 torpedo launchers, 250 photon torpedoes, 250 quantum torpedoes
Weapons firing arcs: Forward, Aft, Starboard, Port, Dorsal, Ventral
Auxiliary craft: 4 shuttlecraft, 2 Danube Class Runabouts, 6 McCall Class Fighters, Millenium Falcon
Galactic Empire
Class: Imperial 2
Ships present: 1
Known ships: ISD Emperor's Might
Maximum combat speed: MGLT 60
Armament: 75 turbolaser cannons (turret based), 60 ion cannons.
Weapons layout: Forward, Starboard, Port, Dorsal, Ventral
Auxiliary craft: 36 TIE fighters, 36 TIE Defenders, 8 Lambda class shuttles, 15 Troop Transports
Captain's Log, stardate 58221.27. The Sovereign now lies in wait for our rebel friend to show up. I am pleased to report that the senior staff of the USS Arizona has integrated quite well with the crew of the Sovereign, and we seem to function as a unit on a whole, my first officer especially seems to be adjusting back into shipboard life. I'm happy that, despite our differences, she has put them aside so that we can focus on this much larger threat.
The USS Sovereign sat still in space as it lay in wait. It's quarry; a small rebel ship, with a pilot that had a message which could change the entire course of the war. Having arrived at the necessary coordinates hours ago, the Sovereign was by no means slouching, remaining at yellow alert status for the entire time she had been idle.
On the bridge of the Sovereign, Captain Odren Leres gripped the armrests of his command chair in impatience. Three long hours they had waited at the coordinates, and for three long hours, nothing. Not even a whisper on the sensors. He had even begun to wonder whether it was true, or just an elaborate deception by the Empire to capture a Federation starship. Nevertheless, he had his orders, and he would follow them to the letter.
Finally, after what seemed like eons, the Science console it up with a flurry of warnings.
"Sir, hyperspace sensors have picked up two ships in the area." announced Horan. "They appear to match the specifications of the ship Red 2 and an Imperial 2 Star Destroyer."
"Red Alert Mr Th'etonnor." ordered Leres. "Launch all available fighters."
At that moment, the Millenium Falcon took off from the ship's secondary shuttlebay at the end of the secondary hull, while at the same time, the ship's complement of McCall Class fighters detached from their ceiling based docking points, and roared out of the primary shuttlebay at the back of the saucer. This was followed by the ship's complement of Danube Class runabouts exiting from both shuttlebays, escorting the Falcon as the all entered into formation around the Sovereign.
"Red 2 will be dropping out of Hyperspace in 3,2,1, now!"
As Horan finished his sentence, Red 2 dropped out of Hyperspace. The small X-Wing fighter was swiftly accompanied by an Imperial 2 Star Destroyer, weapons armed, dwarfing both the X-wing and the Sovereign. Several TIE Defender fighters launched from the Star Destroyer, immediately going in pursuit of the fighter.
"The pilot of Red 2 is signalling us." announced Th'etonnor. "He is requesting permission to land aboard the ship."
"Give him it." replied Leres. "And patch me into the fighters."
Th'etonnor obeyed as he opened a communications channel to the ship's auxiliary craft.
"All fighters, this is Captain Leres. Engage the TIE fighters and protect Red 2 for as long as we have to. I understand that you are new to this type of ship, but these are the best fighters that Starfleet has ever built. Trust your simulation training. Good luck."
"Are you sure we can handle the TIE Defenders?" asked Aldrin. "From what I've heard, they're more than a match for a Peregrine Class."
"Ah, but you see, the McCall Class is much more advanced than a Peregrine Commander." answered Leres. "Advanced shields. Enhanced impulse engines. Four phaser cannon mounts. They're the deadliest fighters we've ever made, and Sovereign Class ships are the first ones to get them."
"Lucky I'm on the Sovereign then." remarked Aldrin as the two sides of fighters engaged another.
The McCalls opened fire with their quad phaser cannons, destroying two Defenders as they responded with a barrage of lasers. The larger but much more nimble fighters turned to avoid the fire as the Danube classes fired micro torpedoes at the Defenders. The torpedoes slammed into the shields of the Defenders, penetrating one as it began to haplessly burn.
As the dogfighting continued, the Millenium Falcon slipped through the chaotic fighting and began to escort the X-wing. As several regular TIE fighters were launched in response, it opened fire with it's phaser turret on the top of the ship, destroying each in one shot as it rocketed away with the X-wing.
By this point, the fighting had gotten so close together that the Star Destroyer had begun to open fire on the Sovereign. Charging into battle, they both engaged each other in a close quarters strafing run, as the Sovereign began firing it's phasers at the much larger vessel. One managed to hit the port shield dome, destroying it as turbolaser hit after turbolaser hit slammed into the side of the Sovereign, visibly flaring up on it's shields as both ships proceeded to maneuver away from each other. The Sovereign fired a Quantum torpedo from it's rear torpedo launcher, hitting one of the Star Destroyer's rear engines and forcing her to move in a large circle.
Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Han was busy ensuring that the last TIE Defenders were off Red 2's back, before calling back to Chewbacca and Luke, who were manning the turrets.
"Looks like that's the last of them on us. Good shooting back there!"
"You're welcome Han." Called Chewbacca from his turret.
"I'll never get used to those damned universal translators." muttered Han as he began to hail the Sovereign. "This is the Falcon, we're coming in for a landing."
"Understood Falcon. Please be aware we'll only be able to lower our shields for 10 seconds to let you in, so make it quick."
"Understood Sovereign. Standby."
The Falcon and the X-wing swerved around the port nacelle pylon of the Sovereign as they approached the ship's hangar bay. The doors slowly opened for them as they made their rapid approach into the bay. The shields then lowered, shimmering out of existence for a few brief seconds as the two ships made their approach into the shuttlebay.
However, before they could enter, 5 TIE Defenders suddenly dropped out of hyperspace behind the Sovereign. With no shields to stop them, they launched Proton Torpedoes at the unshielded starship, slamming into the hull as the ship was rocked with the impacts. They further continued to damage the hull with their hexal lasers, striking the impulse engines as explosions began to rampage across the hull. The ship's phasers began to take out each ship with exact precision, but more would come at the ship from all directions, forcing the ship's fighter craft to go back to the Sovereign in order to assist in the destruction of the craft
On the bridge, the entire ship seemed to be in an earthquake as consoles sparked out and lights flickered. The operations console next to Hawk suddenly exploded, sending the unfortunate officer flying back until he hit the floor, burn marks across his chests.
"Medical team to the bridge!" ordered Leres as alarms began to go off around him.
"Transferring Ops to this console sir." announced Hawk without thinking. "Major hull damage across the board sir. Transporters are offline and the dorsal shields are not responding."
"They must've taken out the emitters along the hull in that section!" figured Aldrin as she clung to her console for dear life.
"Organa to Solo, is everything alright?" asked Organa as the lights showered sparks over the carpet next to her.
"We'll be alright, but it looks like we have more pressing concerns right now." replied Han through the intercom. "We'll have to get these guys off your backs, so we can't dock yet."
"Understood Solo. Organa out."
Another hit shook the ship, causing a leakage in the pipework above the bridge and forcing steam out through a crack in the roof into the bridge.
"Bridge to Engineering, we need dorsal shields back now!" ordered Leres through the intercom. Perplexed as to that no-one responded, he tried again. "Bridge to engineering, respond!"
"That last hit took out the intercom sir." answered Hawk.
"I'll be down in engineering. You have the con Aldrin."
He rushed out of his seat to the turbolift immediately as Aldrin sat back down in his chair. The doors to the turbolift swiftly opened, allowing Leres in before just as swiftly shutting him inside.
"Deck 16." he ordered the turbolift, and at once, it began to take him to his destination. He stood in silence, patiently waiting to get to the deck, as he heard distant alarms from every deck the turbolift passed.
However, as soon as the doors opened to his destination, he was subsumed by a cacophony of noise. Fires burned on different parts of the floor, as tubes and framework hung from the ceiling. Across the deck, various injured or deceased men and women lay lying on the ground as other crew members came to their aid, helping them up as they escorted them to the nearby sickbay.
With no time to lose, Leres sprinted across the hallway, dodging fires and avoiding bodies as he made his way to engineering. Alarms blared across the ship as he ran through the once pristine corridors, preparing to assist in any way he could down in engineering. He would never get the chance.
The wall next to him suddenly erupted as a turbolaser hit suddenly punctured the hull. Fires were instantly extinguished as both crewmembers and debris alike were sucked out into the vacuum of space, dooming them to a slow and painful death. Leres, being next to the hole, was pulled out of the ship and into the depths of space as he uncontrollably spiraled away from the ship with the other crew members. The last thing he ever saw was the burning Sovereign before him as he lost consciousness.
"Major hull breach on deck 16 Commander!" reported Hawk as the bridge crew began to recover from the most recent series of hits. "However, engineering reports now that the intercom has been restored, and the dorsal shields are almost back up. Emergency force fields are in place and holding."
"How many crewmembers are unaccounted for Lieutenant?" asked Aldrin.
"The computer says that nearly a dozen crew members were in the affected area, including...Captain Leres."
Everyone sat in silence at the news. Some put a hand to their mouth as they were utterly shocked at the thought, while others quietly held themselves back from crying. Aldrin herself couldn't believe it; another commanding officer she served under now lost in this war. She sat in silence, contemplating her exceedingly dire situation as Hawk asked her. "Commander, what do we do now?"