Chapter 39: Battle of the Wormhole
Reviewers:
Oblivionknight7: That could work, but the shields would have to be taken down first.
Silvanas: Jedi might be better fighters, but Melron could turn them inside out with a glance. Good call on the Empire getting new toys.
Liljimmyurine: Vader wanted to stay on the bridge in case Contsu had any surprises planned. You'll find out why blasters didn't work in this chapter.
BGTom: Blow up a star? If Vader's that strong, why didn't he just blow the Yavin star in a New Hope? You seem to know a lot about Star Wars. I just know the movies and the ships. Could you help me if I need it? I think the Tarkin was sabotaged. You'll find out about the Space Marine armor in this chapter. Also, in the star wars guide books it says the rebels used projectile weapons with explosive bullets that blew threw stormtrooper armor and bolters are even more powerful. We'll see, we'll see.
Darth: Don't worry about that. Remember, the main characters never die early on.
Grayangle: I'm glad you like it. You're right, Vader will know something's up. The Empire will get SOMETHING. So I'm a god now?
Vader was in his chamber meditating. During the battle he'd senses extremely powerful mind on board the enemy ships. He figured they had to be Jedi. He had contacted the Emperor, and he had instructed Vader to attempt to capture at least one of the enemy ships intact. His fleet had been reinforced with over five hundred additional ships sent by the Emperor. No one knew how strong the enemy's defenses would be at their home base. His door chimed.
"Enter," he called. The door hissed open and a lieutenant came in.
"Lord Vader, our scout ships report they have located the enemy near what appears to be a wormhole. There are approximately two hundred fifty ships gathered there."
"How long until we arrive?" Vader asked.
"Thirty minute my lord." Vader stood up.
"Then I will be on the bridge," he said walking out of the room, the messenger following.
At the wormhole, Admiral Contsu was preparing for the Imperial counterattack he knew was coming. The trail he'd left from the transwarp engines was too obvious for them to have missed it.
"Admiral Contsu, sensors are detecting the enemy fleet approaching," an officer informed him.
"How many ships and how long until they get here?" He asked.
"Sensors are reading seven hundred ships. They'll be here in twenty minutes."
"Well, they certainly decided to beef up their strike force. Have the fleet form up and launch all fighters. When the enemy fleet drops into normal space I want all ships to open fire. Let's not give them a chance to get organized. This time though hold our fighters in reserve. We'll use our lighter weapons to fend them off." He received a series of affirmatives.
"Admiral, I believe I may be able to hack into their computers and possibly take control of their ships," Contsu's ship's AI Jeniene said.
"That would be useful," he replied. "Very well, when the enemy fleet appears do so. However, I want you to attempt to download their database first." The AI nodded and vanished. Contsu had never trusted AI's, but Jeniene had turned out to be a model officer.
On board the Iron Fist, Vader sensed a disturbance in the Force. The meaning came to him. The enemy knew they were coming!
"Captain." He called out. Captain Nave came over fast.
"Yes Lord Vader?"
"When we drop out of hyperspace I want the fleet to execute a micro jump to the rear of the enemy fleet."
"That will be difficult my Lord. We would have to rapidly turn the entire fleet and even then we would likely come out on their aft port quarter." Vader was about to strangle the man, then realized he was right. Ships as large as Star Destroyers couldn't turn on a dime.
"That will be sufficient, but if this operation is not carried out carried out perfectly Captain, you will pay the price."
"Yes Lord Vader," the captain replied, his face paling slightly.
"Admiral Contsu, the enemy fleet is jumping to normal space," his first officer reported.
"Lock on main batteries," he ordered.
"Sir, the enemy is turning."
"What? Their guns can't reach us at this range. Are they trying to escape?"
"Sir, the enemy just jumped again. Wait, now their in our aft port quarter! They're firing!" The Emperor's Wisdom shook under the onslaught.
"Turn this fleet now! Full starboard engine burn! Open fire with everything you can, and deploy the fighters!" Contsu ordered. This enemy was clever.
Star Destroyers deployed swarms of Tie fighters which met the formidable point defenses of the Imperium capital ships. Thousands of phasers, both solid and pulsed, photon and quantum torpedoes and disruptors blasted back at the Ties. Then the Imperium's own fighters engaged.
The capital ships meanwhile, unloaded on each other. Turbolasers, ion cannons, and concussion missiles slammed into the Imperium Void Shields, which crackled and in some cases collapsed. Seven Cobra ships and four cruisers were torn apart in the furious fire. Then the Imperium got its own licks in. The Empire had made a mistake. Imperium ships were not usually very maneuverable, but recent upgrades had given them a powerful engine array that could tripe their turning speed, and with the Empire at point blank range, they couldn't miss. Over fifty Imperial ships were destroyed. Then the command ship launched a full broadside at Contsu's flagship, creating a hole in its shields.
"Admiral we've got a breach in the port shield."
"Seal it! How's the fleet?"
"Not good. Thirty ships have been destroyed and over a hundred are damaged. We've knocked out a hundred of the enemy and were trying to take down their command ship. Any orders sir?"
"It looks like we're going to have to teach these people what happens when you mess with the Imperium of Mankind. Have the Space marine board any ship that's lost shields and do as much damage as they can. Instruct any ships that can to target the command ship. How are our fighters doing?"
"Their doing well sir. This close their working with our point defenses. The enemy fighters look like they're ready to bolt."
"Tell the fighters to keep it up, and tell all ships that stage two weapons are free. Fire Transphasic Torpedoes!"
Contsu knew second stage weapons were dangerous. They hadn't been fully adapted to Imperium systems, but they were powerful. When they were fired, three ships were damaged by misfires, but the rest launched fine. The Transphasic Torpedoes passed right through the Imperial shields and many struck their intended targets, shield generators and hanger bays. Over thirty of the torpedoes struck the Iron Fist, taking down its shield generators and setting a large fire in the main hanger.
On board the Iron Fist,the bridge was in chaos. Several crew stations had exploded and power conduits were sparking. Captain Nave slowly picked himself up off the deck. His head was bleeding, and his right arm felt broken. Vader was somehow still standing.
"Sir we've lost our deflector shield generators and there's a large fire in our main hanger bay. Somehow those torpedoes just ripped right through our shields. Many of our ships are reporting boarding parties. They seem to have armor equipped with some type of energy shield."
"Lord Vader, what are your orders?" Nave asked.
"How many ships have we lost?" He asked.
"One hundred twenty two ships have been destroyed and over two hundred have taken heavy damage. The enemy had lost forty five ships and received damage to thirty nine others."
"Continue the attack. They are losing ships faster than we are."
Admiral Contsu watched as slowly but surely, his fleet was picked apart. The Empire's strike force had gotten in the first hits and now they were using their number advantage to destroy his fleet. If they tried to retreat now they would be exposing their rears to the Empire. If they stayed and fought they would eventually be destroyed. The comm. relay was being jammed so they couldn't call for help.
"It looks like this is it men," he said.
"It's been an honor serving with you sir," his first officer said. They both watched as the Imperial fleet prepared for the final assault.
"Sir, the wormhole is opening!" His sensor operator said suddenly. "I'm reading over a thousand ships coming through!"
"What! How did they know?"
"Sir, we're being hailed by the Harbringer of Vengeance."
"Put it through." The face of Lord Admiral Madthayn appeared a second later.
"Admiral Contsu. It looks like you could use some help."
"Indeed Lord Admiral, but how did you know we were in trouble?"
"The comm. station sent a distress call just before it was jammed. I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner but most of my fleet was in dock receiving the latest upgrades."
"Well I guess we should show our new friends then," Contsu said with a smile on his face.
"I agree. Well as the Federation captains say, hold onto your hats." A moment later the combined guns of a thousands ships opened up, carving through the Imperial fleet. Dozens of ships exploded or were disabled by the new Breen weapons mounted on Madthayn's ships.
"Lord Vader, over a thousand enemy ships have just come through the wormhole. We must retreat!" Suddenly he felt a cold grip on his throat."
"You dare to give me an order?" Vader asked. Then the Iron Fist shook under a pounding from five Dictator cruisers. He let the Captain go, he could wait. "Order all ships to retrieve their fighters and retreat." He hadn't expected the enemy to be able to break through the Imperial jamming.
"Lord Admiral, the enemy is retreating," Madthayn AI told him. "However, thirteen of their ships are disabled. I believe they are trying to self-destruct."
"Send over boarding parties. I want those ships intact," he ordered.
On the Imperial Star Destroyer Shadow, engineers were trying to overload the reactor before the enemy could board them. Suddenly ten Space Marines materialized. Blasters gouged holes in armor, but the newest Space Marines armor incorporated an energy field that doubled the armors' toughness. Still, five blasters homed in on one marine and he fell to the deck, smoking holes in his chest. Then the room was secured. The marine who'd been hit was beamed to a medical ship. Then tech priests beamed in and took control of the main computer.
In the ship's armory stormtroopers were preparing to hold off the attach they knew was coming. Suddenly the doors were torn from their hinges and a group of tech guard came through. With them were two Electro Priests, the most elite of all the skitari. Electrical tentacles swung and sliced stormtroopers in half or threw them thirty meters. The other tech guard blasted with gatling bolters and plasma throwers. In only seconds the room was secure, the surviving troopers having raised their hands in surrender.
This was repeated on the other ships as well. Three ships were destroyed. The rest were even now being tractored into the wormhole. Twenty Space Marines and eighty tech guard were dead, many more wounded, but they had done their duty.
On Courascant, Emperor Palpatine reviewed the reports of the battle. He decided he was going to need some serious firepower to bring about victory for the Empire. Fortunately, he knew how to get it. He had tripled the funds for construction of the Eclipse and the new Death Star. He had recalled Grand Admiral Thawn from the Unknown Regions and pardoned Admiral Zaarin for rebelling in exchange for the schematics for the Tie Defender. Also, Imperial technicians had been studying the fighters taken in the first battle with the new enemy. The tech was useless. It had all melted down when the fighter was disabled, but its armor would double the durability of Ties. The Galactic Empire was going to war, and it intended to win.
How was that? The Empire almost destroyed an entire Imperium battle fleet. Now the Empire is getting ready for total war. Can the Imperium fight back and win? Find out soon. In the next chapter we're going back to the 40k galaxy. Well see ya soon and don't forget to review!
ENTILZA