Chapter 3 - The beginning of a war
=2212 year, 22 BBY=
WAR!
For the past two years, many systems have seceded from the Republic to form their government, the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Under the leadership of the former Jedi Count Dooku, the planned disconnection was intended to be peaceful and involved over 20% of all Republic systems. However, a terrorist attack blamed on the CIS led to the command to subdue these systems by force. Using the new Clone Army and Jedi as generals to stop these terrorists, along with the nationalization of many Sector Defense Forces and various corporations' droid armies[1], the CIS was forced to rely on guerrilla tactics and old military equipment, along with converted civilian ships.
However, using the army to attack caused unease among many senators, especially in sectors that felt the yoke of corporations, which threatened another set of systems that could try Secession. In addition, many planets felt sympathy and silently supported the CIS, while others loudly approved of an immediate cessation of hostilities and the beginning of negotiations. Although the majority of senators were in favor of the war, it was not a large majority, and a large proportion of them was already known for corruption.
Meanwhile, Naboo has undergone an increase in its defense forces. Using 3 captured and repaired Lucrehulk-class battleships, 24 purchased Delta-class corvettes, an increase in pilots and Naboo fighters with several new variants, and a new "Dresher" station, in honor of Admiral Dresher who defeated the Trade Federation fleet and led the liberation of Naboo. With this, and joining forces with the Gungans, Naboo gained a much stronger foothold in both its sector and the Senate.
However, the greatest changes have taken place in the Terran Federation in the last 20 years and accelerated significantly 10 years ago. Starting with First Contact, large numbers of refugees began arriving, and the Terran Federation itself dominated technologically, economically, militarily, and politically the Svivreni Sector[2] at the very edge of the Republic. Over time, this dominance extended to the neighboring sectors of Rseik, Tamarin, Khuiumin, Quence, Pramic, and Sujimis. Through diplomacy and anti-piracy support and economic aid, these sectors collectively voted in favor of the Terran Federation in the Senate and became its primary clients, with a network of other clients extending many sectors beyond. Before the first contact, military spending was barely 0.3% of GDP, after the first contact it jumped to 0.7% of GDP, and after the Battle of Naboo, it quickly increased to 1.7% of GDP, and the Terran Federation seriously took up the expansion of the armed forces. Gaining great public support and a significant increase in population due to millions of refugees, the army grew from 80 to 200 divisions, and many new ships joined the fleet to strengthen the older classes.
In addition to Enterprise, 7 more aircraft carriers of this class were built. 800 Delta-class and 600 Hummingbird-class corvettes. In addition to strengthening the current 600 Genowa-classes, 300 new Alamo-class ships have been built. The number of Nelson-class guided missile destroyers have been increased to 300. The 40 Berlin-class heavy cruisers have been increased to 80, and the 20 new Siracusa-class artillery cruisers, built specifically for long-range combat, have been increased.
In addition, 12 new Pegasus-class light carriers for special forces were built, and in addition to the standard drones, many new Longsword-class bombers[3] were added, capable of FTL and built primarily for hit-and-run attacks on military installations and larger ships with the help of their 128 torpedoes and missiles, and the design of a new variant of the fighter capable of FTL, but the 3 projects that were most anticipated where: MS-project[4], Kilimanjaro-project[5] and Babylon-project.
MS-project was a plan to create combat robots that would connect to the pilot using a neural link and allow for almost instantaneous reaction while having much better maneuverability than any known fighter. In addition, the ability to transform into a fighter to gain a speed faster than any known fighter. Equipped with the most powerful energy weapons, missiles, energy shields, and powerful armor. Although variants have been made before by several companies, these latest requirements specifically for specialty applications have only recently been met.
The Kilimanjaro-project is set up to build the first battleship for the Terran Star Navy. A really heavy ship that is supposed to beat every other ship in its weight class in every possible way, except carrying fighters.
Babylon-project is the most secret and controversial. The very plan to create a ship the size of a Star Dreadnought, like the Mandator II-class, which would also outperform ships in its weight class in every possible way, but it had one secret weapon that the entire class was named after. The ship under construction will be completed only in a year.
In addition, two older technologies were used to create powerful new units. First, radio jammers. Old technology from before World War 2 has been developed to the point of almost completely jamming any radars, detectors and other means of transmitting signals. However, it is a double-edged sword, as it works on both enemies and allies. Ultimately, this is used in some cases, such as retreating or forcing the enemy into close combat. The second is the Gungnir armor upgrade, which has been switched to shells and torpedoes, giving them the ability to pass through shields and land direct hits on the ship.
= location: Arcturus Station=
Admiral Grissom sat by the table looking at the three representatives of many companies, but mainly defense companies. Adukurf Mechano-Industries, Morgenroete Incorporated, Zeonic, Zimmad, Anaheim Electronics, Hervic, Strategic Naval Research Institute and several others. They have all been part of the MS project for the last 10 years. From the day the Battle of Naboo was over. Since then, they have made many prototypes for the Terran Federation military, and only Zeta Gundam from SNRI has managed to complete all the requirements. As such, many of the older SNRI models and models from the rest of the companies have started to be sold to the self-defense forces of various planets and systems in neighboring sectors, and a few others, so that they can better deal with pirates and not be intimidated by larger companies. As such, Naboo had a small contingent of 84 Gundam mk1 and 8 mk2, and 240 MSM-03C Hygoggs for the Gungan forces. Of course, they have adapted to use their technology and even have factories on Naboo itself so that they can efficiently fix any problems. Similarly with many other worlds where Zaku, Zudach, GM, Dagger, Ginn, Leo, Genoace, their variants and many others have been sold. Of course, there were limitations to keeping a certain amount of tech just for the Terran Federation as a precaution. And so everyone was happy.
Until the civil war broke out in the Republic.
Back then, many of these companies declared their neutrality but only sold their MS to the CIS, whether openly or covertly. Not only that, they were selling it at such discounts that the profits were almost non-existent for them, although huge amounts of credit in investments continued to flow in, with which they set up more factories in the CIS territories. Except they were secret, and they only found out when the Republic found the remains. Even worse, they secretly developed new variants like the recently upgraded GM Quell and Zaku Warrior. Even worse, they have even set up a joint United Maintenance Plan, or UMP for short, which is supposed to reduce the variance in parts between the various machines that are sent to CIS. It's a good thing the Republic doesn't know about it yet, or the Bothans haven't sold it to them yet.
Considering this, the Republic began to pressure the Terran Federation to stop supporting the CIS, or they would consider the Terran Federation as their ally and attack. Because of this, the Terran Federation Military went on high alert as diplomats tried to calm things down and the military had to deal with companies.
"We refuse!" - shouted one of the representatives, Wong Lee - "This is no longer a terrorist uprising or a war between two neighbors. This is a real fight for freedom and democracy against the regime's Core Worlds. Exploitation Region and Corporate Sector are the best examples of it, but you might as well look at the whole Outer Rim."
"It's not about that." - said Admiral Grissom, annoyed both at having to convince these people to stop selling weapons to the CIS, while knowing they were right - "It's about the safety of the Terran Federation. Besides, you want to bring out the Corporate Sector as an argument when you're corporate representatives yourself."
"Don't compare us to these two corporations." - Gaspar Lazare almost shouted - "Our companies are not the same as those damn pre-Terran Federation-era corporations, or whatever it is with these Republic corporations. They are almost self-contained states that monopolize almost everything and are one of the sources of the current war and expansion of the Terran Federation Military."
"That's true but-" - Grissom began, as a soldier suddenly entered the room and whispered something quickly in the Admiral's ear so that the delegation wouldn't hear. The Admiral then quickly asked for confirmation, to which the soldier nodded. Grissom had the delegation stay seated for the time being while he moved to another room.
=location: Karazak system=
At the same time that Admiral Grissom was trying to talk to a delegation of various corporations, a military operation was taking place on the planet Karazak in the Karazak system. The Sujimis Sector PDFs have been carrying out a long and arduous campaign of attrition against the Karazak Slavers' Cooperative for 5 years. This is where the new Mobile Suits have been tested recently, and the campaign itself has been highly popular with the population as pirate and slaver raids have dropped to less than 20% of the pre-campaign time, not only in the Sujimis sector but also in the neighboring Samix and Skine sectors. As a result, the operation quickly began to grow and now more than 1.2 million military personnel from several different sectors are deployed. Additionally, many planets, systems, and organizations have also begun to assist in this significant endeavor.
These remaining forces added another 300,000 personnel. The most decorated were the Terran Federation, which provided 3 battalions[6] belonging to the 14th, 134th and 176th Divisions and the Symphogear team, Royal Naboo Security Forces, including Gungans providing another 10,000 personnel, 2,000 True Mandalorians who conducted training and special operations, 5 Alderaanian PDF relief ships and 4 Jedi from the unofficial Qui-Gon Jinn order. The latter in particular has become very popular in sectors close to the borders of the Terran Federation. Suddenly 20 members, including 7 Padawans, left the order to find their own way. Mostly, these were the Jedi who felt that the Republic was restricting the Jedi's activities too much, and thus could not properly perform their duties as peacekeepers.
But the most significant event on the planet in the last few days was the arrival of a small convoy of refugees from the CIS territories. Because they had far more refugees than those ships should have, and that's not to mention the state of those ships. The first convoy has already been taken to safe territory, but 2/3 of the refugees had to stay on the planet for various reasons. For this reason, a refugee camp was set up near one of the military bases.
But unfortunately, some people really wanted to catch this convoy.
"Sir, I'm detecting ships coming out of hyperspace in our sector." - said a Pantoran lieutenant on the Carrack-class light cruiser Stinger, from the Pantoran PDF. One of the few new Pantoran ships purchased to bolster sector security.
"Confirm ID Code." - said Captain Shernol - "And move to a higher state of combat readiness. We didn't have anyone in the plans, so it could potentially be pirates or other scum."
Captain Shernol was very meticulous and careful. If something had to be done on time, he didn't forgive even a second of being late. If the ship is late on schedule, it's probably taken over by pirates, if it's a new ship without previous information, it's pirates. For operations as demanding as eliminating Karazak Slavers' Cooperative, he was perfect.
"Sir, we have several ships that have come out of Hyperspace, and I'm counting more." - said the lieutenant.
"Give me the exact lineup when they're done leaving Hyperspace." - said the captain - "And send this information to other ships in the area. Also prepare a communication channel for this fleet."
After another minute, he humbly finally spoke - "Sir, the fleet consists of 3 Munificent-Class Star Frigates, 7 Captor-class heavy munitions cruisers, and 14 Hardcell-class interstellar transports. They all report the Transponder code of the Republic Navy and Zygerrian."
"Certainly Nationalized Zygerrian Forces." - said the captain.
Unfortunately, due to the war, part of the PDF was nationalized by the Republic Navy. However, it was mostly those PDFs in rebellious sectors and some PDFs that applied for it. The Senate didn't want to push this bill too much in order to avoid further rebellions. In addition, these nationalized vessels operated almost autonomously from the Republic's main navy.
"Sir, the other ships in the system have been briefed on our situation and are already converging on our position. Additionally, we have a link to the flagship of the Republic fleet." - the communications officer said.
"Connect." - Shernol said.
A Zygerrian in his armor quickly appeared on the screen, who quickly introduced himself - "I am Admiral Scitlard Sciso of the Republic Navy. We came here looking for terrorists who jumped into this system. We demand their immediate release or we will consider you as their collaborators."
"Rare terrorists have not traveled through this system in the last few planetary cycles." - Shernol said - "If you want more information, I can contact our commanders on the ground."
"So you chose your end." - Sciso said, then closed the channel.
"Sir, they're charging their guns." - said the officer on the bridge.
"Combat Alert." - said the captain - "Activate the shield and begin an immediate retreat to the planet. Send this information to the rest of the ships. And ask for help from any available units."
Moments later, the ship shook and began to lose power. The Zygerrians managed to fire their purchased Munificent-Class Star Frigates and deactivate the ship. Moments later, the ship was destroyed by trubolaser fire from several ships.
"Sir, the Stinger has been destroyed!" - shouted an officer aboard the Hummingbird-class corvette, Volunteer.
"Order Mercury and Crane to immediately target the nearest enemy cruiser[7] of all forward torpedos at my command." - Captain Amin said - "Volunteer, he will do the same."
"We have confirmation from Mercury and Crane." - said the officer.
"Fire!" - Captain Amin shouted, and suddenly a salvo of 12 torpedoes flew directly into one Captor-class. The Terran Federation ships sent on this mission had only older torpedoes, and the point-defense cannons shot down most of the incoming torpedoes, so apart from damaging the shields, nothing happened to this ship.
"To all ships." - suddenly said the voice of Commander Kazilorim, commander in chief of this operation - "Immediate retreat to the Karazak South Pole. We have to wait for reinforcements, otherwise, we won't win with them. If that's not possible, go to the North Pole."
"Sir, one of the enemy heavy cruisers is sending fighters heading our way." - said the officer.
"Damn slavers." - captain Amin cursed under his breath - "Activate all our AA guns and start an immediate retreat to the North Pole. Raise ours
jammers to the maximum."
"Admiral Sciso, enemy ships are retreating to the poles of the planet." - said the officer.
"Great." - said the Admiral with a smile on his face - "Give an immediate landing order to our force and to all slavers. Order the Marauder to take the 5 Captor-class and attack the enemy fleet over the planet's south pole. Vengeance will take the other two and the Hardcell-class group 2 and take down the group at the North Pole."
Meanwhile, on the planet, they were already warmed up, ready for battle. All the soldiers have re-armed and the vehicles have been activated. Civilians hid in makeshift shelters, cellars, and other buildings, and a small militia force guarded there before panic broke out.
"The 5th Battalion of the 134th Division is already in position preparing lines of trenches and makeshift bunkers." - the officer began - "Add 2 Jedi and some 15,000 militia, PDFs, and such."
"Are we sure these are all their landing craft?" asked Major Bishr el-Dada.
"Yes, sir." - said the officer - "But we can't confirm the composition of the troops that landed. Although these are 21 C-9979 landing crafts, they belong to the Zygerrians in the service of the Republic's armed forces. But we expect at least 1,000 tanks, 300 armored personnel carriers, and 35,000 battle droids of various types, along with a command of at least 3,000 Zygerrians."
"Isn't that a bit so small number?" - Bishr asked.
"Normally they can transport 3x more, but if they came for slaves, they must make room for them." - said the officer - "But they can also use it to bring in additional tens of thousands of battle droids."
"How are our armored forces, air support and MS?" - Bishr asked.
"We have 256 armored vehicles from our brigade, another 1000 of varying quality from different PDFs and 144 MS from different PDFs." - said the officer - "Unfortunately, we currently don't have access to air support. The nearest base has recently been bombed, and others must fend off attacks from Vulture Droids."
"What is the unloading status of our enemy?" - Bishr asked.
"At least one C-9979 has already landed and unloaded its payload, with more on the way." - said the officer.
"At this rate, they'll be fully discharged in about an hour, and 2 until they're fully regrouped." - began Major Bishr - "The road from the landing site is only 25 km. If we had long-range artillery, we could fire at them. It's the same for them. How many of our units can immediately go into battle?"
"Currently 2 Cohorts, 8000 PDFs of Khuiumin, Sujimis, Svivreni and Pramic sectors and all MS are ready." - said the officer - "Within the next 30 minutes, the rest should be ready."
"Tell Captain Irene Tyler she's taking command of preparing the base's defenses." - said Major Bishr - "All currently mobilized troops are to immediately prepare for marching, they have 10 minutes."
"To leave? But where?" - asked the surprised officer.
"It has been known since ancient times that the best defense is an attack." - Major Bishr said.
"What's taking you so long?" - asked the furious General Ilghed Nis - "You should have been ready with the unloading of transport 12 already 10 minutes ago. At this pace, we'll lose half an hour before we can launch the attack."
"Forgive me Master Nis, but the interference in this area is slowing our progress and preventing us from getting a proper scan of the area." - said the T-series tactical droid.
"There shouldn't be any disturbance in this area." - said the Zygerrian.
"Local sectors and the Terran Federation have recently introduced greatly improved and widespread use of technology that gives this effect." - the tactical droid said - "However, it is a double-sided blade, as it blocks both friendly and enemy scans."
"So they're sneaking up on us?" - asked the General.
"The chance of that is around 90%." - replied the tactical droid.
"They're probably planning to slow us down, hoping for backup." - said the General to himself, and then they smiled - "They're probably hoping for reinforcements. I would like to see the despair on their faces when it turns out that reinforcements won't arrive. We've been watching this sector for months to avoid their fleets. Since they have few ships, they won't be able to send adequate support for at least 2 planet cycles."
"However, we don't know the movements of the Terran Federation fleet. We advise caution on this matter for the fleet and action by ground troops as soon as possible." - the tactical droid said. Ilghed almost immediately became angry again. Those damn Terrans! Since their patrols began to appear in these sectors and beyond, they began to lose huge amounts of profits. Not only them but also many different gangs and criminal empires. He himself lost his brother when they tried to loot the station, only for one of the Terran frigates to drop in and destroy his ship. He only found out about it when the report of the skirmish came in.
But even though he wanted to go on the attack as soon as possible, he still knew Zygerrian doctrine. First, surround the goods and show them the hopelessness of their stubbornness, then capture them. This place was perfect for landing such a large force, so close to the city without being exposed to AA guns. In 1/4 of a planet cycle, he will encircle the city and be able to capture them. And if anyone tries to escape, a few bombing raids will immediately force them back. After all, that's why they hide in their homes instead of running everywhere.
Suddenly, a series of explosions were heard. He quickly turned towards their source and, to his horror, saw one of the C-9979s falling towards him.
"Good shot, Krilowaris squad." - Major Bishr said to his only heavy support force. Only 12 First-Type Guncannons were made for good reason. They were slow, had an underpowered generator, were difficult to maintain and repair, and cost a fortune. Even the armor wasn't the best and the energy shields ran out quickly. However, due to their massive failure, these 12 units were bought back by Pantoran PDF, along with a large number of intermediates. Now this failed weapon shows its only good side - huge firepower.
"Team Swanung, along with Pantoran soldiers, will continue artillery support, the rest of the Central Force is to continue the advance." - Major Bishr ordered. His attack plan was very simple. Central Force will take all the heavy guns and come in front eliminating all the C-9979s that were still airborne and within gun range. Then a frontal attack on enemy vehicles and command centers. When the Central Force distracts, the Right and Left Forces will attack from the flanks to relieve the Central Force and force the Zygerrians to break off their pursuit. When this is achieved, full retreat to the city. As much as Major Bishr wanted to make a full attack, there were simply too many droids.
At the same time, Private Willy Johnson of the Central Force was getting out of the armored vehicle and taking up the position, along with the rest of the Terran Federation troops and some 1,500 PDF soldiers from the Sujimis Sector.
By the time the squad finished positioning themselves, their transport had already opened fire with its Gatlin guns, ripping dozens of droids apart. Moments later, Willy heard the "Fire" command and joined his energy rifle to fire. His HG-14 was a heavy energy rifle, but with a low rate of fire. He quickly chose one of the spidery droids that pin down a nearby fireteam with his cannon fire and gave him a huge hole in the head.
But he had no time to celebrate when a wave of blaster rounds began firing at his fireteam's position. Fortunately, his shields took the hit and gave him time to take cover. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if they hadn't, but he saw one of the PDF soldiers taking a hit without cover. A huge, smoking hole where his face should have been made him almost vomit, but he managed to stop himself.
"Willy, don't stand there." - his squad mate said, grabbing his arm - "We have to fall back, our transporter can't attract attention forever."
At that, Willy got up and started running for another cover. Then he fired several times, the droids focused on them, they took cover, another team caught their attention, his retreat, and so on. Willy focused on that pattern, pushing the mangled body he'd seen out of his head. Survival was the most important thing now.
After a few minutes, the Qumiralies team with their well-deserved Zaku II. Their heavy blaster cannons waited in the nearby forest for the order to fire. The terrain around the Zygerrian landing site was mostly hilly with a few. In the woods, the captain of the Qumiralies team, Qumiralies Werliseren himself, watched the surroundings with their MS troops accompanying them. GM, GM Quells, Gelgogs, Goufs and even one Gundam. Alongside these were a few other types of armored vehicles and heavy infantry in general, the Right Force had the largest number of anti-vehicle guns and was mainly aimed at armored vehicles, tanks, and the like.
"Alright gang, the enemy will be in the green zone in a few seconds. You know what to do." - said the Khuiumin PDF officer in charge of them. The Qumiralies never considered his name, but he knew he was of the Zabrak species. It was he who piloted the Gundam. It was probably the Full Armored Variant.
"3, 2, 1, FIRE!" - shouted the Right Force commander, starting a barrage of blaster batteries and rocket launchers. A millisecond later, the remaining forces began strafing enemy armored vehicles, destroying dozens in seconds. He himself attached his heavy blaster rifle to this and sent a nice burst at the pre-selected tank, destroying it. He quickly switched to another target, sending another burst, and so on. However, after a minute, the tanks made by these bloated megacorporations began to return fire. The armor of Zaku and the rest of MS was quite strong, but multiple hits can even destroy MS. He soon found out when one of his team's MS, Remilon, got hit in the head, destroying the main visor and effectively disabling him from the fight. More and more vehicles began to return fire to their positions, but most of the vehicles were relatively lightly armed, so the damage was light and they quickly regained the vigor.
"They started without us." - Commander Erym Zalaki said to his subordinates in the Left Force - "It's not nice. They should wait until I've done our longest route."
"That's why we have the fastest vehicles and MS." - said his officer.
"Right too." - Erym replied, activating the communicator with the rest of his men - "We'll have to double our efforts. Teams Genoace and Rick Dom go out first and target the still-unloaded Lander. The rest press the Zygerrian troops. Try to ignore the droids as much as possible."
"Yes, sir." - replied a group of officers commanding various units. Moments later, Erym watched as the designated Lander was bombarded by Dom's bazooka and Genoace's blaster pistols. Although Genoace's weapon didn't do much damage, Dom's bazookas made a huge hole in the side and tore off one of the wings. At the same time, his infantry and hover vehicles fired on the Zygerians themselves, killing many, although they had managed to disperse and arm themselves somewhat since the start of the attack, the fire from the next flank caught them by surprise.
Erym hoped that killing enough Zygerians would cause their commander to panic, and he would decide to lower his landers within range of Team Krilowaris so that they could provide fire support without jeopardizing his own position. However, he was quickly snapped out of his reverie when the other tanks began to return fire, destroying one of the Genoace's and damaging 2 more, and the B1 troops began to turn back threatening to attack from his flank.
"Genoaces squad, prioritize the tanks that are shouting at us, Dom's, use splash rounds on the droids coming from the right. Lieutenant Terrimar is to bring his 600 men and 30 vehicles to support Dom's and secure this flank. Let all our troops begin a slow retreat. We should have done enough to make their commander panic."
Erym was right, General Ilghed Nis was panicking and didn't know what to do. He's just lost about 10% of his strength, while the enemy, maybe 2. He can't contact the fleet and ask for orbital or even air support, other than a meager force of 8 HMP gunships that was supposed to engage enemy artillery but was annihilated by heavy AA fire. Fortunately, his tactical droid reacted appropriately, and the enemy began to retreat before being outnumbered and overrun. But it didn't change the fact that he was completely taken by surprise and almost annihilated. He needed help, and immediately.
But he knew he couldn't freely summon the Landers or they'd be fired upon again, so he issued one sensible order and ordered a charge of 15,000 combat droids, half of which were still active, along with the support of 300 tanks. He didn't care about friendly fire, they were only droids after all.
Suddenly the communicator went off and the General immediately grabbed it and almost shouted - "This is General Ilghed Nis, we need immediate air support -"
"It's not going to happen." - said an unfamiliar voice - "Your fleet has been destroyed, you are to surrender immediately or you will be shot from orbit."
As if to confirm his words, from orbit one could see the falling debris of several Hardcell-class.
About an hour ago, the Pegasus-class light carrier Flamer was conducting an exercise in a nearby system. A group of Zata Gundams was to conduct maneuvers in conjunction with Flamer artillery fire to avoid friendly fire during real combat. On board the Flamer, there were a total of 8 Zeta Gundams, known as the Red Squadron, led by Char Aznable.
Upon receiving the signal that the Karazak system was being attacked, they landed immediately and made an FTL jump to the position of the moon recorded on the navigation computer. Almost immediately, they activated the cloaking device and began scouting the situation. With the enemy fleet mostly focused on attacking the remaining PDF ships at the planet's north and south poles, the flagship was relatively undefended. If they eliminate him, they'll split the enemy fleet into two and have the opportunity to support either theater of battle, while also getting rid of orbital support for enemy ground forces.
"Okay gentlemen." - Char began, speaking to his Squadron - "You know the plan. First, the barrage will destroy some of the enemy escort frigates with our newest torpedoes, then Flamer sets jamming to the maximum to hide our launch. We have the honor of taking down the flagship. If you understand everything, report readiness."
"Red 2, standing by."
"Red 3, standing by."
"Red 4 standing by."
"Red 5, standing by."
"Red 6, standing by."
"Red 7, standing by."
"Red 8, standing by."
"This is Red Leader to the captain. I report full combat readiness of Red Squadron." - Char finished.
"I see." - said the Captain, looking at the display in front of him - "Disable cloaking and activate all forward artillery batteries immediately. All forward torpedo launchers, fire. As soon as we fire the volley, activate shields and jamming, and reduce the frequency of our attack."
The torpedoes flew out before the guns could extend, but the combination of the distance and the fact that energy shells would naturally be faster than torpedoes meant that the barrage of torpedoes and energy hit at a similar moment. The Hardcell-class ships that were directly in the way between the Republic flagship and the Flamer were hit and either destroyed or heavily damaged. Republic technology may have had tens of thousands of years to perfect(minus a few dark ages), but Shem-ha technology was at least 100,000 years old, if not more.
When the Zygerian flagship tried to return fire, the jamming was already on and most of the enemy counter-fire missed, and those few hits were stopped by the shields. Seconds later, the hangar opened and Red Squadron flew out, ready to cut off the head of this fleet.
"Red Leader here everyone, spread out to avoid AA fire. Save your missiles for the flagship." - Char said.
"Roger." - replied the Red Squadron members.
"Red Leader, this is Red 2."
"Talk Red 2."
"I have noticed several hostile frigate-sized vessels descending into the atmosphere."
"They may try to attack our ground forces." - added Red 3.
"It's certainly likely." - replied the Red Leader - "But our main target is the enemy flagship."
"Then we have to abandon them." - said angered Red 7.
"I didn't say that." - Char replied - "Red 2, you will lead the Red Squadron to attack the flagship. I will personally shoot down these ships."
"Solo?!" - Red 5 shouted in surprise.
"During the descent into the atmosphere, the shields will be much weaker and concentrated towards the planet. Attacking from above, I will be able to deal serious damage even with my energy rifle."
"I understand, sir." - Red 2 replied - "Good luck."
"You too." - Char replied, simultaneously changing the vector from the path to the flagship and heading toward the enemy frigates.
Admiral Scitlard Sciso was enraged by the sudden appearance of the unknown ship, which quickly reduced his line of defense to 3 damaged Hardcell-class plus 12 Z-95 and 36 Scarab-class starfighters, which were fired immediately after the enemy ship began its retreat. He quickly ordered to return fire, but the enemy ship began to retreat. This distraction caused him to notice the group of 7 fighters approaching him only after they had passed the other Hardcell-class ships and headed straight for his flagship.
"To all squadrons, destroy those fighters!" - shouted Admiral Sciso - "Let what's left of the 3rd group also withdraw and tell the other group to speed up and tell what's going on down there."
"We're trying, Sir, but the interference is too much." - one of the officers said.
"Enemy fighters have engaged our CAPs. Put it on the screen?" - another officer asked.
"Yes." - Scitlard said, they hope to cheer themselves up by seeing the destruction of these enemies. But he immediately took a turn for the worse when he saw 3 of his fighters explode. Moments later, they smashed through the first of the squadrons and didn't even slow down. But it allowed the previous squadron to attack from the rear.
Except some of the fighters had turned into damn mechs and started taking out the squadron that was chasing them, while the rest were breaking through the second line of defense. Although this one consisted of two squadrons, it was just as outdone as the previous ones. But instead of continuing the attack, they quickly turned into mechs and started eliminating his fighters. Within a minute, he had lost almost half of his droids.
The mechs were destroying the one fighters with a shot from their rifles. Scitlard decided to change strategy and ordered the droids to conduct suicide attacks. Although he lost 5 more Scarabs, they were about to crash into these mechs and end this attack.
But the mechs quickly outmaneuvered the droids and sliced through them with giant lightsabers. Another minute and the mechs transformed back into fighters, attacking and destroying his last line of defense consisting of Z-95s.
"All guns, open fire on those mechs." - said the admiral.
"But our fighters are fighting them." - said one of the officers - "There will probably be many cases of Friendly Fire."
"They will be destroyed, either way, so all cannons fire!" - Stilard shouted.
All the cannons began firing into the battlefield, but it was of little use. Turbolasers weren't designed to hit fighters or mechs, so they just missed. Point defense laser cannons had a bit more success, but were mostly blocked by literal metal shields and energy shields.
When the Z-95s were knocked out, these mechs came flying from the bridge and other important places. Admiral Scitlard Sciso, as the last thing before dying, saw something on the mech's arm open and two missiles shot out of it. In seconds, a previously heavy cruiser-sized ship with such firepower was reduced to a piece of scrap metal the size of a heavy cruiser.
"I have them." - Char Aznable said as he watched the 5 ships the size of frigates descending to the surface of the planet with their bows and turrets facing the planet. These ships, identified as Hardcell-class, had a relatively fragile connection between the 2 parts. Char decided to take advantage of this and quickly fired his rifle straight at the target, destroying the first one. He quickly changed his target to the next one and destroyed him too.
But the other three spotted him and activated the shields on the upper half. Fortunately, he had 4 more missiles in two launchers.
"I'll have one to spare." - Char said to himself as he fired the first round and snapped another in half. At this, the captain of one of the Hardcell-class panicked and tried to run away, but ended up almost perfectly above the last Hardcell-class.
"So the, two to spare." - Char said, firing at one of the ships above. Broken in half, it began to fall on the last working ship, only to collide with it and cause a huge explosion.
"I don't know if destroying five ships in 3 minutes counts as an ace, but they should." - Char said, then got a call from Flamer - "Char, the enemy flagship is destroyed and the rest of the fleet is retreating. Pass this information on to everyone on the battlefield."
"I see." - said Char, then flew towards the battlefield.
= location: Arcturus Station=
"Shortly after that, Republic forces on the ground surrendered." - Char said as he reported - "But considering how many they've taken to attack, I'd like to ask you to send a heavy cruiser squadron to deter them from attacking again."
"I see." - said Admiral Grissom, rubbing his head. Although during the battle the casualties on the Terran and PDF side were light, only 2 ships and 5 damaged, together with 50 fighters and MS, and the ground forces only 40 vehicles and MS and 800 killed and wounded, this battle can quickly turn into something bigger - "I will do my best to send you to support."
After that, the Admiral ended the call and headed back to finish his meeting with the company representatives. On-site, the representatives sat with visibly displeased faces.
"Gentlemen." - said the Admiral - "I want you to forget everything that happened today and speed up your production as much as possible. I also need new models for our army, which will be cheaper and easier to produce. You will get full financial support."
"Wait... WHAT?" - the shocked representatives of the corporation asked at the same time.
"Our battle group has been attacked by the republic navy, and the Senate is now gathering for an emergency session where I am going to ask for a doubling of military spending and the start of production of our new line of battle droids." - said Admiral Grissom - "I don't have to tell you this, but WAR just knocked on our door. One wrong move on our side or theirs, and we could be forced into the greatest war in our entire history, perhaps even the history of the Galaxy."
=location: Coruscant=
Palpatine sat alone in his office, smiling as he read the latest report. Terran 7, as the sectors and Senators with high cooperation with the Terran Federation are mockingly called, have just fought a battle, with the help of the Terran Federation, against the Republic Navy. It's a great excuse to start another war, which will allow him to extend his rule over the Republic and turn it into an Empire, and take a little revenge on those cursed Terrans.
If they hadn't existed, he might have drawn many Jedi to the dark side of the Force. Sure, divisions within the order were welcome, but having your own Dark Acolyte army would be much better. It would also lead to a bigger war and a quicker rise to power, but the alternative was good too. It just needed a little more, of a boost.
Suddenly his personal communicator rang. Palpatine picked him up and a hologram of his new apprentice appeared. With a smile, Palpatine asked him - "How are our plans going?"
"Master." - began his student - "I have managed to convince many races from the so-called Chaos to attack the northern areas of the Republic, we have a plug in Chiss Ascendency, Ssi-ruuk will start their attack on the south of the Republic in 10 cycles and our conversation with Grysp was successful. Core itself will soon be attacked."
The Palatine smiles. Grysps were by far the greatest threat, but if he played it right, they would become his greatest ally. Of course, both he and those ugly aliens know that this alliance is only temporary. When he gains enough power, he will stab them in the back. The clones and droids programmed to obey only him will attack and destroy the Gryps when the time comes. After all, no one will pay attention to the several hundred destroyed planets in the Unknown Regions or the Outer Rim. But for one in Core. That's reason enough for Emergency Powers.
[1] Dooku's final reason for becoming a Sith was the death of his apprentice, Qui-Gon Jinn, and the resources of the Trade Federation and other corporations were given to him largely due to Palpatine's influence. This remake of the Clone Wars will be closer to the Rebellion-Empire war than the original.
[2] I found the Star Wars Galactic Map on the Internet and I take the names from it if anyone wanders.
[3]GA-TL1 Longsword from Halo.
[4]Mobile Suits from Gundam.
[5]SSV Kilimanjaro byEuderion
[6] Unit numbers are taken from "The Fourth Council Race" By Knight Vigilant Koren, Chapter 8.
[7]I will be using Anaxes War College System
