Back with another chapter. I have to answer a few questions first.
While this story will be majorly military orientated, I will involve the diplomacy aspects.
Also I will include more clone-UN interactions, and you'll see the true extent of the UN technology.
Plus I'm going to rewrite my timeline, 90 year war is not very realistic.
15th August 2610
Admiral Timur Volkov watched from the bridge of the battleship UHS Kirov the fleet of Task Force 52 plunge into the domain of Slipspace, its blue surface rippling like waves despite making no noise. Task Force 52 was formed from 15th Space Fleet and parts of the 21st Space Fleet, which was the 4th fleet to be deployed into the Andromeda Galaxy. The combined task force consisted of the battleships UHS Kirov and UHS Iowa, battlecruisers UHS Gulf of Mexico and UHS Black Sea, 2 Himalaya class carriers (Andes and Mons Olympus), 6 Jupiter-class heavy cruisers, 8 Paris-class light cruisers, 10 Barack Obama-class destroyers and 12 Canyon-class frigates. Also accompanying them was 10 Phantom-class stealth assault ships, which would drop the supplies off at Ryloth. Overall command was given to Admiral Volkov, with his second in command being Vice Admiral James Montgomery, who flew his flag on the UHS Iowa.
Operation Wind's Whisper was the codename for the attack on Ryloth. Half of the Phantom-class assault ships would bypass the blockade and deliver the necessary troops and supplies for General Ima Gun-Di. With the sudden presence of UN troops on the surface of Ryloth, this would cause a diversion for the blockade. That was when the Republic and UN fleet would attack. Only the UHS Kirov, the heavy cruiser UHS Beta Proxima and frigates UHS Grand Canyon and UHS Thames would be in the system at the start with the Phantoms.
Meanwhile on the ground, the troops would begin disabling the defences and rescuing captured Twi'leks and clones. They would coordinate with the stage 2 forces who would be part of the main landing forces.
The divisions involved in the attack would be the EAF Kenyan 3rd Infantry Division, United States 5th Infantry Division and the 39th Commonwealth Australian Infantry Division, as well 2 armoured divisions. Republic troops participating would include the 501st under Anakin Skywalker, the 212th under Obi-wan Kenobi and the 91th Reconnaissance Corps under Mace Windu
"Sir, exiting Slipspace!" announced one of the bridge crew.
"Order the Phantoms to prepare to cloak. Order the UHS Thames and UHS Grand Canyon to pull in either side of the UHS Kirov, with the UHS Beta Proxima bringing up the front," ordered Volkov.
As the 4 ships pulled up together in formation behind one of the planets, the 5 Phantoms began to cloak, shimmering as they blended into vacuum of space. They headed for the cluster of Separatist ships around Ryloth.
The atmosphere was tense. Despite being cloaked, the pilots were still somewhat nervous as they passed through the rows of imposing Separatist ships. One wrong move and they would reveal their position. But they continued down to the surface, passing through Ryloth's atmosphere.
Inside the lead Phantom assault ship, the UHS Shadow, Lieutenant Jinhai Zhang was sitting inside the transport bay. This bay contained several 39th Australian soldiers and the shield trooper squads of Dragon, Phoenix and Griffin.
"Five minutes to landing zone. Best of luck, gents," the pilot's message announced over the intercom.
"Let's see if our squad can beat your kill count this time," grinned Lieutenant Robert Walker of Dragon Squad.
"Oh it's on," chuckled Jinhai.
"Approaching landing zone," announced the pilot once more. The troops finished checking their weapons and got ready to exit the ship. Suddenly they heard the whine of the two laser cannons and two miniguns whir to life. Unbeknownst to them, the Phantoms had begun to open fire on the droid ranks.
"Doors open. Give em hell lads."
The mechanical doors slid open, revealing a worrying sight.
Several clones and a jedi were backed up against a rock formation. Even with the support of the Phantoms, they were severely overwhelmed.
"Thank God we got here in time," muttered one Australian.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" yelled Jinhai. The Australians bellowed in support as they rushed after the shield troopers, firing their assault rifles. Around them, more Phantoms began depositing troops from the 39th Australian Division and 3rd Kenyan Division. The Phantoms then retreated to the Republic base to drop off supplies. 3 Phantoms launched 9 VV-78 Anvil Helicopters, which immediately began using their 30mm armour piercing chain guns to rip through the droid ranks behind, while the infantry began to engage the front lines. The 'Demons from Hell' loomed over the battlefield, tearing through the lines as if they were mere paper.
Yellow lasers began to shred the droid lines as the UN troops opened fire. Seeing the reinforcements, the clones began to cheer and rush forwards, firing in support. The last Phantoms dropped off their troops on each side of the canyon, who began firing in support from the sides. 2 Phantoms unloaded 6 M78 Alligator IFVs, who began firing their grenade launchers and 35mm cannons into the mass of droids.
Pinned down by the helicopters behind them, the infantry on either side and the IFVs in the front, the droids began trying to retreat. However, the 9 Anvils fired their Hydra rocket pods, destroying most of the droids and preventing the others from escaping. Spotting a pair of AATs, one Anvil fired its Hellfire Mk2 Missile, reducing them to useless metal husks.
Jinhai quickly decapitated a B1 battle droid with his energy bayonet before removing it from the rifle and sliced off the arm off a B2, which was promptly destroyed by several yellow lasers to the torso. He then spun in a circular fashion, short circuiting 3 B1s. Returning the bayonet, he fired his rifle, sending lasers flying into the droid ranks.
Next to him, Jiro had deployed two energy blades and were using them to cut down the droids, causing them to slump to the ground. A B2 tried to fire at him, but Barden rushed forward, sending it flying with a heavy kick to the chest before pulling out his sidearm and destroying it with a shot to the torso.
Eitan was busy engaging some droids with his assault rifle, before noticing a thermal detonator flying through the air towards the ranks of infantry supporting the IFVs. Acting quickly, he sprinted forward and used his rifle as a club to knock the grenade back into the droid ranks, where it exploded in their midst.
Soon, the droid ranks had been decimated into a graveyard of metal parts, with a few survivors barely managing to escape the chaos.
The UN forces began to set up defensive positions in case another droid attack came, while medics began to attend to the wounded, clone and UN soldier alike.
General Ima Gun-Di passed through several lines of UN soldiers and was surprised by their efficiency and technology. A pair of UN medics were busy spraying a wounded soldier with some sort of antiseptic before being bandaged. Another medic was injecting a drug into a soldier's arm before spraying the wound with a foam like substance. Two more medics were scanning a wounded clone soldier with a holographic scanner, before loading him onto an Ironclad Medivac which wheeled off to be load him onto an awaiting Phantom.
An armoured khaki-patterned soldier with a crossbow marking either side of his head was organising a platoon of soldiers into defensive positions. More soldiers were checking their weapons, waiting behind cover, accompanying wounded aboard the Phantoms or giving out orders.
Finally Di found the commanding officer- a tall armoured figure with grey armour and dual red stripes around the helmet talking to 3 similarly armoured figures, also donning patterns with 3 emblems of different creatures on their shoulders. Unbeknownst to Di, these were the leaders of Griffin, Dragon and Phoenix Squads- Captain Jaiyush Das, Lieutenant Robert Walker and Lieutenant Jinhai Zhang.
"Are you the commanding officer?" questioned Di. The figure turned towards Di before removing their helmet, revealing a Korean woman about 28 years old.
"Yes, I'm Commander Da-Eun Lee, overall commander of the Phase 1 of Operation Wind's Whisper. Our fleet is positioned to break through the blockade soon, so we're here to help cripple the defensive capabilities of the CIS and rescue the civilians. The Phantoms have set up a temporary base of operations as well as dropping supplies for the local resistance."
Di nodded in understanding. "Very well, we were planning to make our last stand here to buy time for the Cham Syndulla and his Twi'leks. If we leave now, we can reorganise at the base and get into contact with Cham." Da-Eun nodded in approval.
The Phantoms began arriving to load the clones and UN troops away, cloaking as they gained altitude, all headed for the new base.
Next day
"Sir, exiting SlipSpace in 3,2,1!" exclaimed one of the bridge crew aboard the UHS Iowa. Upon finishing, the battleship plunged out of SlipSpace, along with the rest of Task Force 52. The 4 ships that had previously arrived appeared in front of them and began to manoeuvre into battle positions alongside the rest of the Task Force. A few seconds later, 4 Venator class Star Destroyers- the Resolute, Defender, Redeemer and Judgement dropped out of hyperspace behind them.
"Contact Admiral Volkov and Admiral Yularen," ordered Vice Admiral Mongtomery, approaching towards the holotable. The table shimmered and the holograms of Admiral Volkov and Yularen appeared.
"Sir," Montgomery snapped a sharp military salute.
"At ease Vice Admiral. Gentlemen, it is time. Are all ships at combat readiness?" asked Volkov. Both men gave the affirmative. "Good. Then let's give the CIS a real beating."
Aboard the UHS Kirov, Volkov closed the holocall and studied the fleet composition. The blockade was composed of 1 Lucrehulk battleship and 2 Munificent frigates. However, something seemed off with the blockade. Although Volkov knew that battles that commonly happened between the Republic and Confederacy were often small, the blockade was far too small to be truly effective.
"Sir, Admiral Yularen's ship have deployed their starfighters," announced one of the bridge crew, snapping Volkov out of his thoughts.
"Tell Montgomery to take the UHS Iowa, UHS Black Sea, UHS Mons Olympus and their escorts to manoeuvre into dagger formation. Do the same for our ships. DD, get me a firing solution on the fleet," ordered Volkov.
Aboard the Resolute, Admiral Yularen exclaimed, "I do hope the plan of the Terrans work."
"Don't worry Admiral. I've seen first-hand the capabilities of their fleet," assured Anakin, as they watched Ahsoka lead Blue Squadron through the screen of Vulture droids.
"Sir, multiple contacts approaching from hyperspace! Confirmed hostile!" yelled one of the clone bridge crew. Just moments later, 4 Munificents, 3 Gozantis, 2 Recusants and more worryingly, another Lucrehulk dropped out of hyperspace.
"Ahsoka! You must pull back. Our fighters are outnumbered!" ordered Anakin to his padawan.
"But master, we're almost pushed through. We can't retreat now!" replied Ahsoka defiantly.
"Deploy Gray and Black Squadron to cover the Venators, and send Green Squadron after Blue Squadron!" ordered Yularen. Pulling up a holocall, Admiral Volkov appeared. "Separatist reinforcements have arrived! We need back-up!"
"Don't worry Admiral. We have this covered," assured Volkov before closing the call. "Order Montgomery to target the left flank. We'll make for the right."
The 2 sections of the task force appeared into view, with the ships in dagger formation. This was composed of destroyers, heavy cruisers and battleship as the 'blade' in triangle formation, the carrier, light cruisers and some destroyers and frigates part of the 'hilt' and the battlecruiser, 2 cruisers and the remainder of the frigates and destroyers as the 'handle'.
The appearance of the UN reinforcements stunned Mar Tuuk. He had believed that his reinforcements would easily wipe out the Republic cruisers, but the introduction of the UN fleet which could easily dismantle his own was concerning.
"Deploy more fighters to target those ships, and direct some fighters already active to support them," ordered Mar Tuuk. "Don't allow them to get close!" Several Vultures were deployed towards the two UN formations, while several more broke off from attacking the Republic cruisers.
Volkov grinned as he watched the Vultures approach his ship. "They have no idea. Scramble all fighters and bombers, charge up the antimatter cannon and order the battlecruisers to do the same."
The antimatter cannon was an experimental weapon which fired a concentrated beam of antimatter, capable of dismantling space station due to their immense destructive capability. Only a few battleships and battlecruisers had a single antimatter cannon, such as the UHS Kirov and UHS Iowa. Two battleships had dual antimatter cannons- the UHS Bismarck and UHS Tirpitz while the UN flagship, the UHS Existence, the only super battleship of the Existence-class, had a triple antimatter cannon. Only the UHS Tirpitz had been deployed to the Andromeda Galaxy so far, though some military leaders have advocated for deploying the Existence, but it was decided that it was needed at home should the Covenant Storm return.
Meanwhile in the hangar bay, the various fighters were warming up and taking off, plunging into the darkness of space towards the mass of Vulture droids descending upon them.
Captain Martell Rechter steered his AF-42X Katana into the vast of abyss space, carefully guiding his multirole fighter into the head of the V position with the rest of the squadron. His AF-42X was armed with 6 AAM-3s, 8 AAM-4s, 8 AAM-5s, 6 AIM-9 Sidewinders and 7 AIM-7 Sparrows. It was also carrying several ASM-1 and ASM-2 anti-ship missiles and JDAMs.
"Rapier Squadron, this is Captain Rechter. Let's keep these fighters off the Republic cruisers!" Martell announced over the intercom.
As the pilots check in, Martell felt a sense of nervousness take over him. The mass of Vultures descended like a swarm of bats upon the Republic Venators. The Judgement is already up in flames, and the Redeemer and Defender are taking damage.
Calming himself, Martell pushed the AF-42X forward at full speed, his squadron following after him, descending upon the mass of Vultures like a group of silver and grey eagles. Peering outside each side of his cockpit, he could see several more squadrons of AFA-XXs, AMig-80 Afterburners and AEU-12 Eurofighter Singularities making their way towards the Vultures, while several squadrons of AMM-X Mirage Xs were escorting AU-237 bombers towards the Lucrehulks. Another squad of AFA-XXs pulled in next to them.
A loud beep snapped him back to his holoscreen in front of him, signifying that his automated targeting system had locked onto the Vultures. Pulling the trigger twice, 2 AAM-5 missiles were dispelled and headed straight for the Vultures.
A rain of AAM-5s and AIM-7s rushed towards the Vultures, while calls of 'Fox Three' and 'Fox One' ripple down the intercoms. These are quickly followed by more calls of 'Fox Three' and a few calls of 'Fox Two' as AIM-132 ASRAAMs and AIM-120 AMRAAMs follow them, fired by the AFA-XXs. The Vultures didn't realise until the missiles closed the last few miles, and some attempted evasive manoeuvres, but to no avail as the locking systems remained fixed on the fighters. 102 Vultures were blown out of the sky in an instant. A second wave of missiles destroyed a further 112 Vultures before the two sides merged. All along the line, more Vultures were exploding as other squadrons began to swarm the Vultures
Martell fired his laser cannon, the rounds ripping through 2 Vultures before a third tried to hit him from behind, only to be blown out of the air by an AAM-4 from his wingman.
"Thanks for the save," commented Martell.
"Anytime pal," replied his wingman, firing his laser cannon, vaporising 3 more Vulture droids.
Spotting another Vulture droid trying to circle around, Martell zoomed upwards, executing a high yo-yo manoeuvre and ending right behind the droid and quickly blew it to dust with his laser cannons. Locking onto a pair of Vultures, Martell fired 2 AAM-4s, vaporising them in moments.
"Rapier Squadron let's get below these fighters. We need to cover Blue Squadron," announced Martell. The 23 other planes nosed down after him.
Rapier Squadron slashed through the lines of Vultures, utilising their missiles and superior speed and agility to destroy any fighter which crossed their path. Now under the screen of fighters, Martell watched as the various fighters engaged in fierce dogfights, blowing Vulture after Vulture out of the sky.
Martell blew another droid fighter from the sky with an AAM-6, before spotting Ahsoka's squadron of fighters struggling to get past the fighter screen. Even with the aid of Green Squadron, they were still being overwhelmed by the sheer mass of Vultures.
"Rapier Squadron, those Republic fighters need our help. Let's show what these Seppies what we're made of!" announced Martell over the intercom. Several cheers echoed over the comms.
"Don't forget us," crackled in a new voice, and squadron of AEU-12s pulled up alongside Rapier Squadron. Martell grinned at the sight of Scythe Squadron, one of the Commonwealth's best air squadrons.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" With that, the 48 fighters shot upwards and fired a volley of missiles, blowing up the Vultures around the two Republic Squadrons.
Inside their V-19s, the clones were surprised. Moments ago, the Vultures had been swarming them like flies, but had now all vanished into fireballs by missiles. Their confusion was cleared as the 2 Terran squadrons pulled in next to them.
"Blue Leader, this is Rapier Leader. We're here to help," hailed Martell.
"Thank the force. We were under heavy fire here," replied Ahsoka.
"Well, let's change that shall we?" grinned Martell, pushing his plane forward. "Rapier Squadron, this is Captain Rechter. Seppie ships are coming up in range. I want Crimson Flight to take out the weapons emplacements, and Scarlet Flight with me. We'll hit the engines and the bridge. Prioritize the Recusants, Gozantis and Munificents. We have a surprise for the Lucrehulks."
Back on the Resolute, Anakin and Yularen watched an AMig-80 Afterburner blow apart a Vulture droid which tried to crash into the window of the bridge. It then fired a pair of missiles, blowing two more droids to dust. Two more Vultures tried to fire at the AMig-80, but it performed a Kulbit Maneuver, causing the two Vultures to overshoot. Both were soon blown apart by the ship's turbolasers.
"The Terrans continue to impress us time and time again," noted Anakin, with Yularen simply nodding in agreement.
Anakin's commlink suddenly buzzed to life. "Master, we're beginning our attacks on the escorts."
"What about the battleships?" asked Anakin.
"The Terrans will deal with them. They said they have a surprise in store."
Anakin turned to watch the UHS Kirov's heavy cannon glow bright blue, before shooting out a blinding jet of sapphire light. Anakin turned away to avoid being blinded by the shot. When he turned back, the Lucrehulk was…gone. There was not a trace of it left, except for the expanding fireball.
Three more similar shots struck the other Lucrehulk, a Recusant and a Gozanti, vaporising them in a similar fashion.
For a moment, Anakin simply stared in shock. He had seen the MAC cannons on the UHS Dreadnought and UHS Mediterranean, but they did not match the raw power of the cannons equipped by these battleships and cruisers. A Lucrehulk would be severely crippled by 2 MAC rounds and destroyed by 3, but these cannons had only needed one hit to completely wipe the Lucrehulks out of existence.
"Well, that's new," Anakin managed to make out.
The clone pilots and Venator bridge crews could only watch in shock as the Separatist ships were obliterated by the antimatter rays.
Martell grinned as he watched the ships explode. "Alright Rapiers, begin our attack runs!"
The 24 multirole fighters headed straight for the Recusant with Blue Squadron following, while Scythe Squadron began attack runs on the Gozanti.
The red turbolasers roared to life as they spat out laser fire towards the clones and Terrans. While the UN fighters easily weaved their way through the fire, one lucky bolt managed to hit a V-19, destroying it.
"Slammer!" Martell heard Ahsoka yell out in shock. Martell could hear the combined cursing of clone and Terran pilots alike through the comms.
"They'll pay for that," muttered Martell with a hint of darkness in his tone. Clearing his mind, he said aloud, "Alright Rapiers, begin attack runs!"
11 fighters split off to join Martell as they headed for the bridge, while the other 12 began firing their ASM-1 and ASM-2 missiles and dropping JDAM bombs, destroying several turbolaser ports and causing heavy damage on the bow.
Locking onto the bridge, Martell fired 2 ASM-1 and 2 ASM-2 missiles. Several more ASM-1 and ASM-2 missiles were fired, as well as several concussion missiles fired by the V-19s. Most of the missiles hit the bridge, while other hit just below the bridge. The resulting explosions obliterated the bridge, destroying all the droid bridge crew.
"Good job everyone. Let's hit that reactor," announced Martell. The 24 UN fighters reformed position, using their AIs to locate weak spots on the destroyer. Upon locating them, they dived towards them, unleashing their JDAM bombs before pulling away. The bombs ripped through the armour of the destroyer, blowing it clean in half.
All around, the rest of the Separatist ships began to explode. As the last Gozanti exploded, the tactical droid in command realised their chances of survival were slim, and ordered the survivors to retreat to hyperspace. Only 2 Munificents were able to make the hyperspace jump. A Gozanti's hyperdrive was damaged, so could not make the jump. As the fighters swarmed over the Gozanti like wasps, the cruiser struggled on before finally succumbing to the combined firepower of the bombers and fighters.
Watching this from the bridge of the UHS Kirov, Volkov sent out new orders. "Send in the rest of the Phantoms. Contact Commander Lee and tell her to begin preparing for stage 2. I want all fighters and bombers ready for stage 2."
So that's that chapter done. I tried to write an interaction between a Terran pilot and Ahsoka over coping with loss for this chapter, but I couldn't fit it in. Let me know if you want to see a similar interaction in the near future. I'm actually finding it especially hard to write interactions so early on, so expect my first few chapters to be heavily military oriented.
Next chapter will be the landings on Ryloth.
Before anyone asks, Most of Blue Squadron survived with the exception of Slammer and 2 other clone pilots. The pilots who survived are Axe, Tucker, Swoop and Kickback, who are all canon, and my OC clones Ace, Spades, Swing, Saw, Cutter and Deck. You will see them later on.
Also, before anyone panics about me talking so much about these characters even though this technically isn't even the main part, I forgot to mention anti-aging. This is possible now and reduces the pain and physical breakdown of the body in old age, meaning people stay younger for longer and even live longer. This means that most of the characters here will also be active in the military in book 2. To put things into perspective, modern day 18-30= storyline 18-60 and average life expectancy is 120 years old, though the oldest person is around 140-150 years old. This may seem like a stretch but given how current anti-aging technology exists and possible advances in CRISPR and DNA technology and healthcare makes me believe it is plausible. Also, this is a fanfic, so it doesn't have to be realistic.
Also, suggestions for ideas are completely fine, but please don't PM me tons of messages about ideas. For starters, I have to filter through my junk email to find them. Secondly, I may also not be able to fit them in. Finally, I'm mostly following the plot of the clone wars. Unique twists will be seen in this story (such as how RoTS will be flipped on its head), but don't expect me to start writing cataclysmic events because you PM'd an idea about it to me. I don't know enough of Star Wars lore to be writing fancy original events. So please don't spam my email with PMs. I'm not discouraging ideas, as I'm reshuffling the timeline so you can see the UN response to the Blue Shadow Virus as a result of a PM, just requesting that you don't write too many PMs. Please stick to using reviews if you can.
Also, I'll publish the episodes of the Clone Wars which I won't include next chapter.