Chapter 34
Onboard the revenge
Admiral Johnson looked at the reports from all across the territory Earth had captured that dealt with the recent Imperial counter-attacks which had mostly proven unsuccessful. A few small systems had been recaptured, but many had already been taken back. The sectors that had pooled their resources to recapture the territory had suffered heavy losses, losing over 250 ships including many of their Star Destroyers. Now they were in as bad or worse of a position that the Zoloch Sector had been when they had finished attacking Earth for the second time.
The victory had not been without its costs, however. Earth and the Free Confederacy combined had lost over a hundred ships during the brief period, with a good portion of these being at the battle of Garnizon I I . Major losses included the Revenge Class Battleship Warspite, the captured I S D, two heavy cruisers along with a munificent frigate and a trade federation core ship as well as about 20 smaller vessels. Over two-thirds of the remaining ships would need time in dry dock to repair the often extensive damage they had suffered. In fact, a few of the smaller ships were so heavily damaged it would be faster to build new ones than repair them, and they would be stripped for parts. The losses in the crew had also been significant, about 25, 000 throughout the entire fleet with many more wounded. It was a high cost, with personnel being often more valuable than crew, as they took longer to train than many of the ships took to build.
But the cost would be worth it. This was an unmistakably massive victory for Earth and its allies. Many of the losses were mitigated by the capture of many Imperial vessels, including a number of Star Destroyers. The capture of the Bellator would give them the firepower to deal with the Empire's battlecruisers and some of their dreadnaughts, or alternatively large groups o 's. It would also increase their legitimacy among other groups both that were neutral and who were busy fighting the Empire. Earth was becoming a larger and larger player on the galactic stage, and was exerting power further and further from it's home world. While right now it was still only a regional power with an impressive military and an economy that had largely mobilized to a total war footing, it was one of the fastest growing powers in the entire galaxy (at least in recent history) It was on,h topped by the rebel alliance who had experienced massive growth in aids after the battle ox Yavin, as hundreds of planets began openly supporting the cause openly.
He had already spoken to Secretary-General Pierre about Harrington's latest orders that had put him in command of the new fleet, and as the Secretary-General lacked anyone more qualified, the position had been approved. Johnson privately wished that there was someone who was more qualified than him, as he still felt he was too young and inexperienced to be effective. His entire rise to power had been way faster than it reasonably should have been. Two years ago he had been a mere Lieutenant Commander and third in command of a cruiser. It was a pace of advancement unheard of in any other organization, but cases like these were still not uncommon in Earth's fledgling space fleet. It was an organization that had simply ballooned in size after it was revealed to the public after the first the Empire had attacked. But its size both in ships and personnel had increased over 16 fold since that had happened. Everyone had had to take ranks and roll that they had simply not been ready for.
But as Johnson got up to put on his dress uniform in preparation for the arrival of a special dignitary, he knew he would have help in the matter. Such as the woman he would be meeting for the first time today.
The woman who was once Moff Karla Illustrious of the Imperial Tibannas Sector and now did not really know what her role was now stepped off of the shuttle into the Revenge's main hanger. It had the bustle that most areas that consistently operate small craft do, with people of all roles milling about with fighters being refueled, rearmed, and repaired. It seemed to be a well coordinated operation, especially considering the pure number of people performing complex operations in the room. A group of soldiers approached, following several officers that seemed familiar. She recognized the first as Admiral William Johnson, the officer she had communicated with the most about three months ago. He was a lot younger than expected, and had to be in his 20's. The fact that he had managed to become an admiral at such a young age must mean he had a lot of political connections or be a tactical genius. Or perhaps both, depending on how things were done on Earth.
"Moff Illustrious, it's good to meet you," Johnson said, saluting and then extending a hand. The former Moff shook it.
"These are two of my best officers, Captain Haffard and Commander Sing." Johnson said. "They are going to be mostly busy with their other duties, so you won't see a lot of them." He said. "I am sure you have a lot of questions, as I do myself."
Soon they were in Johnson's quarters, away from the hustle and bustle of other people. As they both sat down, Illustrious asked the first question."
"How old are you, Admiral." She asked.
"26," Johnson replied.
"That's quite young in the galactic standard. How did you get this far in your career?" She asked.
"Well, it's also quite young on Earth," Johnson said. He then proceeded to tell her about everything that had happened from his offer to join the fleet to the present, along with some broad coverage of Earth's history. Now it made a lot more sense than this man was in the position he was in now.
"Do you feel like you are ready for this position?" She asked.
"Quite frankly, no. None of us were ready for the Empire to come, and we've all been forced into roles that we would never have dreamed of. If there was someone more qualified to lead this fleet, I would step aside. But there isn't anyone except me in this military who has planned and successfully executed an invasion of an entire Imperial Sector."
Illustrious said nothing for a moment before speaking. "I was once in your position, Admiral. Right when the Clone wars began, I was a senior cadet in the Anaxes War College, probably going to graduate with ease and be sent to the bridge of some cushy planetary defense force. But being one of the tops in my class, I was immediately graduated, promoted to Captain, and given command of a brand new Venator Class Star Destroyer, the Endurance. I was thrown further off the deep end than you, at least at first. But I served under the best and learned to hold my own. In just a couple of years, I rose to the rank of admiral and during the Battle of Coruscant led a counterattack that helped pave the way for the rescue of Chancellor Palpatine. This brought me into his inner circle, and I was one of the leading facilitators of the recapturing of the outer rim. When I was fighting throughout the outer rim I saw the damage the war had done. I wanted to help rebuild the galaxy and bring stability and prosperity to the sectors of the Empire. With my Imperial connections, I was able to become the Moff of the Tibannas Sector. I broke up the domineering corporations that controlled the sector's Tibanna Gas and mineral reserves and both created a state-owned company that would oversee the production of these resources and opens up the system to foreign investment. Unlike other sectors that went on a galactic spending spree, I used the money made from resource extraction wisely. I invested the profits back into both Imperial companies, encouraging them to set up offices and factories in the sector. And I helped protect the rights of workers to fair pay and safe working conditions."
Johnson sighed. "And the results were obvious." He said. "If only other sectors did what you had done. What would have happened if you had found Earth instead of Picot?"
"I would have peacefully integrated you into the sector." She said. "There would have been many mutual benefits to peaceful cooperation, something that many in the Empire should learn," Illustrious replied. "The Empire thinks it can just take whatever it wants from whoever it wants and then gets surprised when these people take up arms against them.
They soon began to discuss the strategy of what they would do next. With the sectors on the border taking heavy losses and Illustroius's forces already advancing deep into their sectors, it was reasoned that their weakness should be exploited as much as possible due to the opportunity that was currently presented to them. They were plunging so deep into this exposed part of the Empire that they would soon start to run into scattered rebel units both on land and in space. Both Johnson and Illustrious would be going back to their respective home systems, and would likely be doing more commanding from there as opposed to the front.
Later after she had left Johnson called Captain Haffard and Commander Sing to his office.
"I would first of all like to congratulate both of you for your exemplary service during this campaign." He said. "You both have managed to run this ship effectively when I have been occupied commanding the fleet, and I have not needed to micromanage either of you. With the death of Admiral Harrington and the further expansion of our forces, the fleet will need more senior officers to command it." He said. "Therefore I will be promoting you, Drofa Haffard, to Rear Admiral and giving you command of this task force. Commander Sing, I am promoting you to Captain and you are to take command of this ship. I will be bidding farewell to you soon, as I am expected to be coordinating the war back on Earth instead of leading from the front. You both should be proud of yourselves and what you have accomplished." Johnson said.
"Thank you, sir." They both said in unison. Johnson grabbed the new rank insignia and pinned it to both of their chests. He offered the two officers a drink, something that was rare for the Admiral (who usually abstained from alcohol).
"When will you be leaving Admiral," Haffard asked.
"Are you getting anxious to take command, Drofa?" He and Sing chuckled.
"No… sir."
"I was joking, but in all seriousness, I will be leaving in three days," Johnson said. "I believe it will not be a difficult transition. You already are familiar with this shop and yen Lynette shops in the fleet, so you will be able to easily adjust." He said.
The three made some other conversation before going their separate ways. Johnson needed to finish up his AST reports as commander of the fleet and Haffard and Sing needed to prepare to take their respective commands.
Author's note: The idea of Karla Illustrious getting to command a large and powerful ship early on in her career is based somewhat on the idea of Flight of the Kestrel, fanfic on this site that details the career of Kelia Los'ean, a Bothan who quickly rises to command the Venator Class Star Destroyer Kestrel. It's a good read, and I'd recommend that you check it out.
