Sage-Faerie of The Marsh: Thanks for your review. Like you I found that in many cases the First Order was seen as a comedic enemy rather then an enemy to be feared. It was as if they were trying to add Resistance quips and jokes with their incompetence and Hux's failures. That might have been funny but it diminishes the moment and ruins any respect for either side if they can't be taken seriously. I agree that Leia was never my favourite character either. She was always to preachy and arrogant for my tastes. Also, she was seeming unwilling to acknowledge that the rebels had equal fault in this war. One comic put summarised it very nicely.

'I will not make your hubristic mistake that puts vain idealism above the lives of those who depend on us. Shu-Torun will never be another Alderaan.'

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter and see you next time.

TishaLiz: Thanks for the review as always. I am glad you liked the conversation between Leia and Kuvira. Like you said it was difficult when you have two similar let very different enemies talking for the first time. It is a scene that demands a lot of drama and emotion to it and is hard to write sometimes. I am glad you agree with my description of Poe as an idiot. I know a large part of the new trilogy is the new generation of heroes and villains taking over from the previous one. And there is an understandable learning curve and character development. But you do not get to act like an idiot when you are fighting for your life in a war.

Lady Syndra: Thanks for your review. I am glad you like the information about Kuvira's past and activities as the Great Uniter. I have added a large section of this chapter to just that and I really hope you enjoy it and the world building side of it.

Digital hell 12: Thanks for your review. I hope you like the new chapter as well.

Idontknoworcareanymore: Thanks for the review. Yeah, I have had that error pointed out to me before. It is partially me and partially the auto-correct. Most the time the auto-correct just assumes what the word is and changes it without me knowing. Sometimes I select the correction but just select the first option as I am on a role with the writing. Anyway, I will try to avoid that mistake in the future.

Kai: Thank you for the review. I always enjoy seeing that someone enjoys the story and it inspires me to update again soon. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Guest: Thank you for the review. I hope you will enjoy the next scene and the answer to you question about the Raddus.

2nd Guest: Thank you for the review. You pose a very good theory for the outcome of the battle. I won't spoil anything just yet and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much.

Yagami Kuzuki: Thank you for your review. It always means a lot to me too know that people really enjoy my fanfic and it was very nice to read your compliments. If you have any suggestions for the story please let me know. In the meantime, please enjoy the next chapter.

Christinedbadia: Thanks again for the review. I hope you enjoyed our small discussion about Kuvira and the Halo universe on the private messenger. I hope you will enjoy the new chapter.

Master Skywalker: Thanks for your review. In answer to your question. Yes, Tam will feature in this story as new secondary character. She will not have a definitive role just yet as realistically she had no military training. But once a reasonable time has passed, she will be active in battle and will become a protégé for Kuvira in the way that she initially wanted Rey to become. Like you she is one of my favourite characters in the Star Wars universe. We see so many Imperial defections etc that it is great to finally see someone go the other way. Also, it shows us that the people who fight for the First Order can be good people who generally believe they are in the right.

ChaosStar44: Thanks for the review. I am glad you enjoyed the story so much and I hope you blow through this new chapter just as well.

Chapter 24 – The Battle of D'Qar

D'Qar – The Fulminatrix Command Bridge

Captain Canady - POV

Captain Canady had been an Imperial his entire life. He had been born in the waning days of the Republic and had been a young boy when the Republic had claimed victory in the Clone Wars and became the Galactic Empire.

He had immediately been enthralled with the idea of serving the Empire. Of bringing order and peace to a war-torn galaxy. Of making sure that nothing like the Clone Wars would ever happen again. Especially after seeing how much it had made his parents and extended family and friends suffer.

At the first chance he got he had joined the Imperial Academy and had eventually gone on to be promoted to the rank of Captain. He had then been given one of the Empire's highest honours and had been placed as the commander of the Star Destroyer Solicitude of the Imperial Starfleet.

It had been the proudest moment of his life.

But then the Rebellion had spun out of control and with the death of the Emperor, the fall of Coruscant and the defeat at the battle of Jakku. He had been sure that the dream was dead. That the Empire he had served and loved all his life had been destroyed by terrorists, naive idealists and simple anarchists.

He had been sitting in his captain's cabin sitting on his bed. Staring at his captain's imperial issue blaster, trying to steel his nerves as he prepared to put a blaster bolt in his temple. Afterall he had never married and had no living family any longer. The friends he had were in the Imperial fleet and they were either dead, captured or had turned traitor to save themselves.

He had given his entire life to the Empire and the Imperial navy and he had no wish to live past either of them.

But in that moment as he began to raise the blaster, his personal commlink had activated with a priority message on the top-secret Imperial High Command frequency. Only Admirals, Moffs and select Imperial Governors had access to that frequency.

When he had activated his comm he had found a simple message followed by coordinates. The coordinates led to a location in the Unknown Regions of all things. With commands to assemble all his remaining forces and head for the rendezvous point. The message was a cryptic message that the contingency was in effect and to follow the instructions to the letter for the preservation of the Empire.

For a long while Canady had simply stared at his commlink in one hand and his blaster in the other. He had been almost certain at the time that the message was either a fake or was a rebel plot to lure the rest of the Imperial fleet into a trap so they could destroy them in the dark and forbidding Unknown regions.

The thought of dying alone and un-mourned in the Unknown Regions from a Rebel ambush was a thought he did not want to consider for an instant.

But after a long while, he had given the order to prepare all their forces to jump to those coordinates. He had figured that if there was a chance to save the Empire, he would take it. And if it was a rebel trap, he would rather die in battle and killing as many of those traitors as possible before he died.

But in the end his decision had been vindicated. He had met up with all the remaining Imperial fleets and their armies. They had amassed into a huge armada in the safety of the Unknown Regions.

At first, he had been certain the plan was for them all to coalesce into one single massive force and return to the known galaxy to descend on the rebels like a meteor strike. Surely with this much amassed power they could retake Coruscant and maybe even shatter the newly increased Rebel fleet.

But he had soon been informed that their purpose was not to return to the known galaxy. At least not yet. They would lay the foundations of a new Empire in the Unknown Regions, which thanks to the Emperor's eternal wisdom had been seeded with bases, supply depos and construction yards years ago.

He had been told that they would begin the Empire anew in the Unknown Regions, slowly gathering their strength and increasing their numbers as the Rebels inevitably grew divided and indolent with their assumed victory. And then one day they would return to exact their vengeance and then they would once again rule the galaxy.

Exactly as they were meant to.

And so, his service with the First Order began.

It was years later when he was first introduced to (then) Captain Kuvira. He had been attending a sector command meeting when she had been introduced by Grand Admiral Rae Sloane as the newest addition to their ranks and Captain of the new Resurgent Class Destroyer Reclaimer, apparently named by her personally.

At first, he had been deeply unimpressed. This young woman of roughly twenty years old was now a Captain?! At an age when most Imperial service men and women were lucky to reach the rank of Lieutenant! It had actually been the moment when he was unsure if the First Order was turning into a worthy successor to the Empire if this was now, they chose to administer their fleet.

But Captain Kuvira had simply taken her seat and had remained quiet throughout the rest of the meeting. He had allowed her some respect as she clearly knew to listen to her superiors with greater experience.

In fact, Kuvira had not uttered a single word at the sector command meetings (except when asked a direct question) for nearly a year.

It was only during their campaign against the fiercely stubborn Demirian nation that she had offered her first suggestion in council.

Their fleet had been preparing to move on the Demirian fortress world, known as the 'Iron Planet'. Admiral Nelix would command their fleet in attacking the planetary defence force and once orbit had been secured Captain Cardinal and Captain Phasma would oversee the stormtrooper core in the planetary invasion.

The meeting seemed firm in their course of action until Captain Kuvira had cleared her throat and requested to speak before the military council.

He remembered that day so clearly

(flashback)

Grand Admiral Rae Sloane turned to regard the young woman. "Captain, you have something to add to this discussion." She asked pointedly.

Captain Kuvira nodded as she called up a map of the system and sector with the Demirian homeworlds behind the Iron Planet fortress. "Forgive me Grand Admiral, but I must state that attacking the Demirian where they are dug in and ready is a plan that should only be taken if there is no alternative."

Admiral Nelix had clearly taken offence at his plan being called into question by a lowly captain. "Do you doubt the validity of my plan Captain. Or the competence of the First Order Stormtrooper core?" He demanded in a tone that dared her to respond negatively.

Captain Kuvira looked at her superior with her calm expression. "Not at all, Admiral. I am confident that our brave soldiers will fight and if necessary die to secure victory for the First Order. I am simply suggesting that they will suffer heavy causalities which can and should be avoided if possible."

Nelix scoffed. "And how would you suggest we accomplish this Captain. By asking them to surrender politely?" He mocked as a few council members snickered at the jape.

Kuvira made no acknowledgement of the joke at her expense. "Naturally not, Admiral. After all the Demirian are a fiercely independent and militarily focused people. Not unlike ourselves. They will not surrender unless given proper incentive. But this can be accomplished without a costly battle." She said as she pulled up the map to enhance the relevant systems.

"Consider, the Demirian have amassed the vast majority of their forces at the Iron Planet as it is on the only stable hyperspace link to their home systems. It is the natural choke point to their strategic defence. If we attack directly into the teeth of their defences, we will pay a heavy price indeed."

She then indicated the Demirian Home systems behind their defensive lines. "But in so doing, they have left their Homeworlds exposed and stripped of all their defences. They are confident they cannot be attacked without our success at the Iron planet."

At this point Canady himself spoke up. "Come to the point Captain, you have already said that there are no other stable hyperspace lanes into the Demirian systems which is why we are forced to attack them at the Iron planet. So, what is your suggestion to avoid this costly attack and secure victory?" He asked with exasperation.

Kuvira nodded and elaborated. "In my dealings with the Chiss Ascendancy I have learned of another hyperspace lane which doesn't currently exist on our naval maps. This hyperspace lane is not completely stable, but it is able to be navigated by the Chiss and I believe we can modify our nav computers to safely traverse it. If we do this, we will be able to attack the Demirian home systems virtually unopposed."

As she talked a new section of the map lit up in the image of a hyperspace line that bypassed the Iron planet and carried its way into the Demirian heartlands.

"This weakness in the military campaign is also one that has become embedded in their own psyche over the generations as their faith the Iron Planet and the sole hyperspace lane has caused them to refute any other potential defensive strategy. At this point no Demirian can imagine their homeworlds being attacked from behind in their worst nightmares. We will take advantage of their singular mindedness and split their focus at a critical point."

As she spoke icons representing fleet movements appeared. "We can cripple their civilian and military leadership. Cut off supplies to their main army and more importantly we can deal that army a crippling blow. Many of their soldiers and commanders will not be so willing to stand and fight while their homes and families burn behind them. This will weaken or possibly cripple the Iron Planet to the point when resistance is impossible. We can claim victory by simply side stepping their entire military strategy." She summarised.

Silence had reigned for a few moments before the entire council erupted into debate. Some praising the plan, others condemning it as folly.

In the end Grand Admiral Sloane had silenced them and gave her verdict. "We will enact Captain Kuvira's plan. We have a chance to win a virtually bloodless victory and we cannot ignore that." But then she turned to Kuvira with a sharp expression. "But your ship will be the first one to use this 'unstable' hyperspace lane Captain. If you are determined to carry out this strategy you will be willing to act as scout for it." She said in a tone that brooked no interruption.

Kuvira nodded her acceptance. "Naturally, Grand Admiral. Thank you for indulging my plan." She said with no hint of satisfaction in her face or her eyes.

(flashback ends)

The campaign had been an unmitigated success.

The hyperspace lane had delivered their fleet to the Demirian homeworlds. Deprived of their defences for the iron planet the planets had fallen within days.

The Demirian army on the Iron planet had fragmented as soldiers deserted to return home enmasse to learn what had happened to their loved ones. The generals had refused to allow it and a mini civil war had erupted on the world as the defending army divided between hardliners and would be deserters.

After that Grand Admiral Sloane had kept Kuvira close by her side.

It was faith that was well rewarded as the years went past and Kuvira was the mind behind many victories, both conventional and otherwise. So many that when she was promoted to Commodore and later to Admiral. Captain Canady could not find it in himself to disagree.

His own service had been well rewarded. While he had not risen above the rank of Captain he had never aspired to higher command. He preferred the more active middle ranks. But he had been rewarded with command of the Fulminatrix, one of the most powerful ships in existence.

He had found it hard at times to obey a woman less than half his age. But with Kuvira he had simply been forced to admit that some were destined for greatness while others must content themselves with useful mediocrity.

Which is why he now found himself standing on the bridge of his prized dreadnaught as he waited for the news from his bridge crew. "Are the auto cannons primed?"

His lieutenant Goneril responded promptly. "Primed and ready, sir." He said with eagerness that was barely suppressed.

Canady allowed a small amount of satisfaction to creep into his voice as he gave the order. "What are we waiting for? Fire on the base!" he barked.

Outside the auto cannons unleashed a quadruple blast of pure ionised fire down on the surface of D'Qar as they streaked to the Resistance base from the sky like the fury of some wrathful deity. The planetary shield was no match for the attack and the energy blasts punched their way past the barrier with ease. The Resistance base erupted into fire and light as the last Resistance transport just barely cleared the blast radius.

Even from space the destruction was obvious as the blast through dirt, lava and all manner of planetary substances high into the atmosphere as the mushroom cloud continued to expand over a huge blast zone that had never been equalled since the Death Star at Jedha.

The jungle around the blast zone was in flames and even as they watched the blazing fires of destruction began to spread away from the central blast zone. The Resistance base on D'Qar had been completely annihilated so utterly an observer in a few years would be hard pressed to know that any form of civilisation had ever existed there at all.

Captain Canady looked on at the destruction of the Resistance base with supreme satisfaction as he knew that the Resistance had just been uprooted from their lair like the weeds that they were. He was so busy admiring the destruction wrought on their enemies by his ship that he almost did not notice the blue hologram appear on the central bridge communication projector.

He turned and saw the blue flickering image of Grand Admiral Kuvira. He went to parade rest as he prepared to receive the congratulations on the destruction of the Resistance base and his next firing orders.

But then he caught sight of the Grand Admiral's eyes and his entire frame seemed to slack as he noticed her eyes as she regarded him.

Grand Admiral Kuvira was famous for her passive and calm demeanour regardless of the situation around her. It was only by her eyes that she allowed any of her true feelings to be seen. They could be confident and reassuring and they could be had chips of emerald that seemed to pierce your soul as she regarded you like a hunted animal.

Right now, they were blazing emerald flames as she looked at Canady as if he had just tried to assassinate her. Her face was expressionless but there was no missing the way her jaw was set. It implied that she was biting her tongue to prevent words spewing forth. Or she was grinding her teeth together in sheer fury.

Canady immediately snapped to attention as he felt his heart begin to quicken as he waited for the Grand Admiral to speak and explain what he had done to enrage her.

His bridge crew immediately noticed their captains fear and all either focused on their work harder then before or snapped to attention as well. The entire bridge had suddenly become as silent as the grave. Canady just hoped that would not prove to be prophetic.

Kuvira had banned summary executions without trial within the First Order years ago. But that did not mean that he necessarily was safe.

After a few seconds Kuvira spoke. And when she did her voice was so cold Canady felt as if someone had shoved an ice spike into his gut.

"Captain Canady. You will report to me after this battle and I expect you to present me with a reason why you chose to fire on an abandoned and useless Resistance base instead of their command ship. The command ship that currently contains their leadership and is their main way out of this system. The command ship with the shields that only your autocannons can penetrate and leave their other ships defenceless. And I expect that reason to be based on phenomenally good military tactical sense." Kuvira ground out as she visibly restrained her outrage at the Fulminatrix's actions.

"In the interval you will recharge your cannons and you will aim them at the Raddus with all possible speed. The second they reach full charge you will fire them and end this farce. Are my instructions clear Captain?" She asked with all the friendliness of a Rathtar.

Canady nodded as he realised the depths of his mistake.

Now that it was actively mentioned, it did seem like an incredibly stupid thing to have done. Instead of ordering his ship to destroy the Raddus and cripple the entire Resistance in one blow he had ordered them to fire on an empty base that might have even contained some salvable intelligence in its computer data banks.

But now that base with the possibly useful data was lost and the entire compound was now nothing but smouldering atoms. Meanwhile the Resistance fleet was getting closer and closer to jumping into Hyperspace and escaping the battlefield.

Canady clenched his knuckles so heard he was certain the skin on his palms was bleeding. If he had been in private, he would have cursed himself for being such a fool!

It was a tactical mistake that a first-year ensign would have been hard pressed to make, and he had now been rebuked by the Grand Admiral in front of his entire crew. And rightly so!

He forced himself to focus. He could not undo his mistake. The best he could do was amend it by having the autocannons destroy the Raddus as soon as possible with their second shot. He could only hope that would be enough to mollify Grand Admiral Kuvira.

If not, the best he could hope for would be demotion so that he spent the rest of his life as the captain of a cargo frigate.

Grand Admiral Kuvira was a remarkably fair commander to work under.

She was smart and subtle, but she never used those abilities to show up or humiliate anyone. She demanded results, but never perfection. And she had amazing stores of patience for those who were truly working to their fullest ability.

She cared about her people. To the point of standing up for them even against the disapproval of powerful individuals like the former General Hux or even Kylo Ren.

But she did not tolerate those who were lazy or who wasted her time. Or who were simply uninterested in giving their very best for the First Order. Such dead weights had been disposed of long ago, usually to very unpleasant and unimportant roles within the First Order military.

In some cases, they had been sentenced to a military court-marshal. If they had committed truly grave offenses, such as acts of cowardice or sheer idiocy. Those court-marshals had sentenced them to a swift and public execution at the hands of the punishment troopers.

Canady was already starting to wonder if his long military career would soon reach its conclusion at the end of a laser axe.

That thought alone was enough to jolt him into action. "Recharge the autocannons. Target their main cruiser!" He ordered. More harshly then he had intended. But he felt that his life was now securely tied to the fate of the Resistance command ship. One of them would survive this day and he was very determined to make sure it was him.

Kuvira - POV

Grand Admiral Kuvira stood as still as carbonite on the bridge of the Reclaimer as she watched the autocannons begin their painfully slow process of re-aiming themselves at the Raddus after blowing the Resistance base to hell.

Her crew was wise enough to not disturb her as she watched the procedure. They had all heard her words to Captain Canady and they all could recognise that the Admiral wanted to have silence for a moment while she collected herself.

She was furious.

Furious at Canady for making such a short-sighted mistake that could cost them everything. Furious at Hux for allowing Starkiller to be disabled or this world would have been ash long ago.

But she was furious at herself as well.

In all her orders and planning, she had referred to the Raddus simply as the 'primary target'. She had never felt the need to elaborate as she had simply assumed it was obvious that the Raddus was infinitely more valuable than an abandoned building.

It had never even occurred to her, that someone might mistake her meaning in the battle plan. And now because of Canady's assumption and her oversight the Resistance could now potentially escape the battlefield.

The evacuation was complete, based on the lack of transports moving from the surface to the Raddus. And even if it had not been the Fulminatrix had just guaranteed that there would not be any further evacuees from the planet. The Raddus was free to depart immediately and with the auto cannons charging they had no way to stop them!

Kuvira forced her roiling emotions aside to allow her to think clearly. The only chance they had to destroy the Raddus was to cripple the engines and their ability to jump to lightspeed. It was unlikely they would succeed in time but it was the only option.

She turned to the comms officer. "Order all fighters to break off their attack on the bombers and to focus all their fire on the Raddus's engines. I want the ship crippled and immobile. They are free to use all their arsenal to accomplish this objective." She paused.

"Launch all the Special Forces TIE fighters, I want them to focus their proton torpedoes on the bombers and on the Raddus's bridge and engines. Do what ever it takes to keep that ship here." She ordered.

"Yes, Grand Admiral." The officer replied as he began to relay the messages to the flight commanders. Kuvira turned back to watch the battle. Hoping that the Resistance would not show basic intelligence and jump out of the system immediately.

Admiral Ackbar - POV

"The last transport is in the air; the evacuation is complete." The voice of Lieutenant Kayden Connix reported over the intercom from the transport that even now was speeding towards the Raddus as it tried to avoid the firefight between the First Order TIE fighters and the Resistance fighter and bomber squadrons.

Admiral Ackbar heaved a sign through his dry gills as he heard that. Now with the evacuation complete they could call the fighters back to the Raddus hanger bay and with the bombers having their own hyperdrives, they could leave this damn place.

Clearly his long-time colleague and friends Leia was of the same opinion as he heard her utter a relived sign as she felt the tension leave her body and an all too rare smile extend across her face. "You did it, Poe. Now get your squad back here so we can get out of this place." She said.

Ackbar nodded in agreement. Personally, he had been fairly certain all of them were about to die on this ship not long ago.

He had served with the Mon Cala defence force and later with the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic for many decades, all the way back to the Clone Wars. He liked to think that his military acumen was quite well honed after all those years.

In that time, he had come to learn many rules and lessons of warfare. One of the most important being the following lesson. 'A good General not only knows the way to victory. They also know when victory is impossible.'

That was the situation he found himself in at the moment.

The Resistance was hopelessly outmatched by the superior numbers and firepower of the First Order. They could not hope to stand against them in a conventional fight without some surprise tactic that they did not possess.

Their only chance for some semblance of victory was to escape from this hopeless situation and live to fight another day.

He was still trying to figure out what had happened over on the First Order fleet.

Grand Admiral Kuvira had clearly intended for the Raddus to be targeted by the dreadnaught's cannons. Her words and mannerisms during her conversations with Leia were evidence enough of that. He had seen the expression on her face that indicted that she was offering her final farewells to people she already considered dead when her hologram faded out.

In truth he had been sure that was the case as well. He knew that they needed more time to complete the evacuation and the Raddus was the only one capable of providing shelter. The other Resistance ships were incapable or were already overcrowded with supplies or people.

He had actually quietly suggested to Leia that they needed to jump the fleet out of the system now whether the evacuation was complete or not. He had reasoned that they could not save the people still on the ground but they could save the Resistance itself.

He knew it was a ruthless decision. But that was why Leia had asked him to join the Resistance in the first place. Ackbar was not a hero or a Jedi, he was a military commander. He would make whatever choices he felt were necessary to achieve victory or at least stave off defeat. If that meant sacrificing soldiers or ordering suicide missions, so be it.

He had argued against the mission to Scariff to obtain the plans for the Death Star, his fellow Mon Cala and (in many ways rival) namesake for the ship he was standing in had ignored him and taken the fleet to battle. He had tried to call a retreat from the battle of Endor once the trap had begun to close on the Rebel fleet. He had no faith in miracles and was only interested in logic.

He was however thankful to be proven wrong.

Just as he had been proven wrong today. For reasons he could not figure out, it seemed as if the First Order had decided to fire on the planetary base rather then the actual fleet.

He was trying to imagine why that had happened. One plausible explanation was that the First Order did not realise how far along the evacuation actually was. They must have thought that the base still contained a sizeable or majority of the Resistance personnel.

That was an answer that made sense but it was tactically flawed. He strongly doubted that Kuvira would make such a mistake based on all he knew of her military record.

Insubordination was also a possibility but Kuvira commanded with firm discipline and by all accounts she had the absolute loyalty of her forces. Right now, he simply did not have the answers to these questions or the time to answer them. Right now, he was just glad he had not been forced to make a difficult decision.

He would always make the tactical decision rather than the moral one or the charismatic one. It had not earned him the deep love of the Rebellion or the Resistance. But it had earned him their respect as one of their most valuable military leaders.

That was why Leia needed him in the Resistance despite his advancing age. She needed him to remind her that to win a war, often hard choices needed to be made.

But he knew that she could not follow his advice. Leia was a competent leader and the heart and soul of the Resistance. But she could not bring herself to abandon those who had followed and trusted her. She loved and protected all of them as if they were her own family and rather give up her own life then see any of them die.

Many saws that as her greatest strength and on some level it was. But to Ackbar it was also a glaring weakness. One that he knew Grand Admiral Kuvira recognised as well.

But thankfully it seemed as if he would not need to press her advice. The evacuation was finished and as soon as the fighters returned to the ship, the fleet and the bombers would jump to lightspeed. D'Qar had been lost but the Resistance would live to carry on the fight.

At least that was his thinking until the response came back over the intercom. "No, General... We can do this. We have... a chance to take down a dreadnought!" Dameron called over the comm as he flew his X-wing through the battlefield and blasted apart another TIE as it sent laser fire through the cockpit of an A-wing and exploded the fighter.

"These things are fleet killers. We can't let it get away!" He cried as he banked his fighter hard and began to call the bomber and fighter squadrons back into formation as the majority of the TIE fighters broke off their attack to swarm over the Raddus and the other Resistance ships.

Ackbar let out the Mon Cala version of a growl, which to humans resembled a deep gurgling. "That was just like Dameron! For all his skill as a pilot and his potential as a leader. He remained and impulsive youth! With too many bad experiences and decisions to go through. Without the time to learn from them!

Such as learning when he was hopelessly outmatched or when he was the hunted, rather than the hunter.

Thankfully Leia (for all her lingering soft heartedness) had had those youthful illusions stripped away from pain and loss long ago. "We need to get the fleet out of here!" She ordered to her stubborn protégé.

Ackbar weighed in with his own voice of reason. "You will never reach the Dreadnaught intact, Commander. It's hull its covered with point target defence cannons, they would blast you and the bombers out of space in moments. Even if you could clear those out, it is protected by a ring of nine intact star destroyers. They would turn the bombers to dust before they even came close to their target." Ackbar groundout as he saw another obstacle to Poe's suicide plan appear on the tactical.

"And they have just launched another wave of TIE fighter's which appear to be heading right for you and us. We have no chance of destroying the Dreadnaught. It is simply too well guarded." He finished as he prayed to the ocean spirits that the stupid boy would listen to reason.

For a moment Dameron was silent, and Ackbar began to feel hopeful that the Commander realised the futility of what he was suggesting.

But that hope was dashed when the squadrons began to move right at the advancing wave of TIE fighters and head straight for the centre of the First Order fleet!

"Poe, what are you doing?! Did you not hear a word we just said?!" Leia called, anger and frustration beginning to creep into her voice.

Poe's response came instantly. "We might not be able to get to the Dreadnaught. But the Reclaimer is right at the front of the fleet formation. If we can destroy it, we can kill Kuvira!" Dameron uttered excitedly, as if he had just learned the secret to the universe.

"Think about it General, we can cripple the First Order in one blow. Without Kuvira their leadership will be crippled! So many planets and people only bow to the First Order because of her. If she is dead the entire First Order could collapse. We can win this war in one stroke!" Dameron shouted as he allowed his excitement to take over.

"Please General, give the order!" He pleaded, but even as he asked the formations were still moving towards to the enemy fleet regardless.

For a moment Ackbar saw something cross Leia's face. Something he recognised as indecision.

Ackbar could certainly understand the temptation. He felt Dameron's prediction was overly optimistic. Even if they did kill Kuvira the First Order would still have Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren and the rest of the High Command. The First Order would hardly be leaderless.

Still he admitted it would be a very heavy blow to their war campaign and their internal structure. It might even lead to a power struggle between the fleet Admiral's to see who would claim her Grand Admiralty.

That could have far reaching consequences for the First Order. In addition, Poe was right in that many Outer Rim worlds only submitted to the First Order due to Kuvira and her many policy implementations. If she died, her successor might not hold to them and that could be the chance to ferment uprisings on their home territories.

But even as he considered the benefits Ackbar knew it was impossible. They had lost too many fighters and a few bombers from the attack already. They would never get the rest to within striking range of the Reclaimer with the new TIE fighter squadrons in the way

Even if they could, the entire arsenal of the First Order fleet would destroy the bombers in seconds. The bombers had armour plating and shields but nowhere near enough to protect them from direct attacks from even one Resurgent class star destroyer. Let alone nine of them.

'No'. He mentally concluded. Dameron's plan was ambitious and had some merit. But it was simply not viable or had any hope of succeeding baring the unexpected or the miraculous.

He could see that Leia was also reaching the same conclusion. Ackbar was just thankful that Han Solo was still in the medical bay having his injuries treated. He might have actually tried to advocate for Poe's insanity. And he might have somehow been able to persuade Leia to listen.

He had persuaded her to marry him after all. Personally, Ackbar had never understood what she had seen in the man. But that was neither here nor there.

"Disengage now... Commander, that is an order..." Leia began until the intercom when dead as that child Dameron cut the connection as soon as he heard the answer he did not want.

Ackbar's fins tightened and he really wished he was allowed to fire on Dameron's fighter and order the rest back to the fleet. Let Dameron kill himself if he wanted, but Ackbar would have none of it.

"General Organa." He said as he turned to face Leia.

She knew what he wanted without him even needing to elaborate. He wanted her to order the fleet to jump to lightspeed and to leave Dameron to his own devices. His pilots too if they refused to return to the fleet.

Leia looked away in despair as she caught a look at C-3PO standing at the edge of the tactical readout. "Wipe that nervous expression off your face, 3PO." She ordered as she tried to find an outlet for her roiling emotions.

The droid started and turned its frozen features to regard the General. "Oh. Well, I'll certainly try, General. Nervous?" He uttered in what was probably the most organically sarcastic tone Ackbar had ever head the droid utter.

Kuvira - POV

Kuvira watched as her SF TIE fighters shot from their hanger bays and headed straight for the Resistance fleet that was trying desperately to fight of the attacks from the first wave of TIE's. With some precision and careful tactics, the Raddus engines could be crippled to the point when hyperspace would be impossible or simply too risky.

It seemed that the Raddus was waiting for its fighters to return to their hangers before jumping out of the system. As she had previously noted, General Organa did not have the strength of character to sacrifice her followers, even if it was the smart thing to do to achieve victory.

It appeared now that that her stance was about to be put to the test.

The bomber squadrons and their X-Wing and A-Wing escort fighters had broken off from the battle over the fleet and were heading for the First Order's front lines.

"What are they doing?" Captain Peavey asked in confusion. "They cannot possibly think they can take on our fleet with less then a few bombers and a few dozen fighters."

Kuvira did not take her eyes off the transparisteel window but she answered the captain regardless. "You are right Captain. Not even Dameron is so deluded in his own abilities." She said with calm confidence. "He knows he cannot destroy our entire fleet. So, he is trying to take out a single part of it. The one most dangerous to the Resistance. At the same time, he likely feels it is the best option to leave this battle with some measure of victory while inspiring their demoralised followers. Dameron has always been focused on ensuring the Resistance maintains hope and belief. Even at the expense of everything else."

Peavey was silent for a few seconds, before he seemed to understand. "The dreadnaught. He cannot be so stupid to think that he would be able to destroy it. The Fulminatrix is covered in point defence cannons and protected by its fighter contingent. Even if it was not, he would have to pass the defensive line while under constant fire." He exclaimed at this idea. The plan was sheer lunacy.

Kuvira nodded. "I agree captain. But based on their recent shift in trajectory and the fact that their formation is solely dedicated to defence from the front, not the sides. I think Dameron has shown some tactical knowledge and is not aiming for the Fulminatrix. He is targeting the Reclaimer itself. He is targeting us." She explained.

"He is targeting you Grand Admiral." Peavey said before he could stop himself.

Kuvira glanced at him as she turned her head towards him. He eyebrow slightly raised in mild surprise at his comment. "You flatter me, Captain." She said with no visible emotion in her voice. If she was happy or embarrassed by his comment, she made no sign of it.

"Dameron has decided if he cannot destroy the Fulminatrix, then he will attack the next best target. The Reclaimer is at the head of our wedge formation and is the most vulnerable to a head-on attack. If he can destroy the Reclaimer then he will have his show of defiance against he First Order. Only then will his ego allow him to call a retreat from this battle.

Peavey was amazed. "He is willing to risk the entirety of his bomber and fighter squadrons on a suicide mission while the Resistance is moments away from being destroyed by the Fulminatrix's auto-cannons?" He asked in a dumbfounded tone.

Kuvira nodded with a small look of agreement at his tone on her face. "If Dameron were here I am sure he would say that they died as heroes of truth, justice and other such empty phrases. But those are just the words he choses to use instead of what he actually means; collateral-damage." She said with an unmistakable edge of disgust in her voice.

Kuvira would and had sent her soldiers to die in battle. If an officer could not do that then they had no business being in command. But she had always spent her soldiers and her pilots with the attitude of a miser spending credits. She had always known that unlike the Empire, the First Order did not have virtually unlimited resources. They could not avoid to lose valuable and loyal soldiers without good cause.

While she would order her soldiers into battle without hesitation. She would never send them into a battle that they clearly could not win. If she did need to order a suicide mission or a mission that would result in high casualties. She would only do it if there was no other viable option or if it served a greater purpose in their overall campaign.

It was for that reason that she had resurrected the TIE-Defender program in the First Order navy. While the First Order TIE's had been improved with shields and enhanced weaponry over their Imperial counterparts. They had still been lacking a few of the benefits the Defender had been provided with, such as individual hyperdrives.

Using the project as a starting point she had been able to ensure that all First Order TIE's were now as fast, as deadly and as protected as the TIE-Defender (minus the third wing design in favour of the more traditional design).

And it was also this reason that caused her contempt for Dameron to increase. He was willing to sacrifice all his forces. People who relied on their commander to lead them to safety or at least spend their lives wisely. And he was leading them to their deaths for little more then a mission of personal vanity.

Clearly Dameron still had much to learn regarding the true burdens and duties of command. So, it fell to Kuvira to teach them to him.

And she would be extremely forceful in her methods.

"All forward cannon batteries open fire on the advancing bombers. Signal the Strikefast, the Defiance, the Allegiance and the Temperance to fire all cannons at their flanks. I want the ventral cannons for all five of the forward Star destroyers to be primed and aimed at their bombers. We cannot let them drop their payload. The bombs from even one of them would be enough to cripple or maybe even destroy a star destroyer." She ordered as the messages were relayed by the bridge crew and the cannons moved into firing position and took aim at the approaching enemies.

"Order Alpha squadron to launch and to take position beneath the Reclaimer. They will wait there until they receive further orders." She added.

She briefly considered ordering that Tamara be placed in a TIE fighter and sent into the battle. After all she had been an experienced and mostly successful racer in her past. The records collaborated her story on this fact earlier. If she was going to be a pilot in the First Order in a time of war. They would need to know what she was capable of in combat.

But she quickly dismissed the idea. Putting a racer into a combat situation with no training and in an unfamiliar ship was ludicrous and would result in nothing but the loss of a hopefully talented fighter with a bright career in front of her in the First Order.

She would begin her training soon. But they would star with simple flight patrols first after some basic instruction.

"should I inform Alpha Squadron that you will be joining them, Grand Admiral?" Peavey asked.

Kuvira shook her head. As much as she would love to be in her own TIE interceptor and fighting beside her pilots. She had her place on the bridge and did not intend to leave it. "No, I will remain on the bridge. Tell them that I have every confidence in their abilities to complete the mission independently." She said.

She regarded the chrono on her wrist as she calculated how much more time was needed to fully charge the auto-cannons.

'Just a little bit longer. And this war is over.'

Authors Note

Thanks, as always for reading. Please read and Review as it always inspires me to update soon.

In addition, if anyone has not seen Star Wars Resistance yet I would recommend it as it is a good series and I think it does a lot to explore the Resistance and the First Order more fully in the galaxy. I have attached the link to the new trailer if anyone is interested.

watch?v=K4YXz-Ik9OU&list=LLfuZM_1NKcQvWC8u8UmIynQ&index=2&t=2s

See you next time.