Operation Cinder Part 3
A.N: Timeline setting: Continues on from part 1 of the Operation Cinder chapters. Enjoy.
General Hera Syndulla couldn't breathe. The sight before her was a terrifying one, even if by now it was a fairly common one.
It wasn't the fact that Star Destroyers scared her. She had faced countless in the past and she knew how to deal with or evade them.
But rather, it was a case of the identity of the Star Destroyer before her.
Or rather, the person who commanded it. That was what scared her the most.
Chimaera looked different from when she had last seen it. Its hull plating was a dark blue, rather than the dull grey it had been before, suggesting it was repaired with different materials. Its shape was the same, as was what appeared to be the artwork on the underside of the capital ship.
All in all, it looked very operational, and very ready for the kill.
But so far it had done nothing, as had its two escort destroyers. The capital ships merely sat there, pointed at Versio's blockade, but making no move to attack her.
Just what was Thrawn up to?
And then she got her answer, one that she never expected.
Garrick Versio smiled as the Chimaera appeared before him. So Thrawn was alive. That was good news.
And he had come to help. That was even better news.
Maybe together they could not only deal with this rebel threat, but also with Rax. That would be peace of mind for Versio.
"Admiral, Chimaera is hailing us." An officer spoke from a nearby terminal. Versio nodded in response, authorizing the connection of the channel.
Moments later, Thrawn's hologram appeared before him.
"Admiral Versio, a pleasure. I see you are in a bit of a predicament?"
The Chiss was as calm as ever, even if the face of danger. Garrick respected that.
"Nothing we cannot handle together Grand Admiral. I am glad to see you have survived. Rax and I feared you lost."
Thrawn's face left no real trace of outward emotion, not that Versio minded. This was not the time to be sentimental.
"Yes, how unfortunate for my enemies that I have survived. Tell me Admiral, what would you do in their position?" Thrawn spoke, his voice still calm and collected.
The question was a bizarre one, and Garrick couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at it. Still, he knew Thrawn worked in mysterious ways. Perhaps this was some sort of plan he had to deal with the rebels.
"The tactical option would be to retreat Grand Admiral, but we have come too far to abandon such a plan now. It seems that we must fight to the death." Versio replied, his hand gesturing towards the raging space battle around him.
This time Thrawn's eyes narrowed in a way that terrified Versio. Something wasn't right.
"So it would appear, Admiral Versio."
And then the connection vanished, seemingly disconnected by the Grand Admiral himself.
Seconds later the officer on the bridge confirmed it.
'What was that about?' Garrick thought to himself. Thrawn was acting strange. What was he…
"Admiral! We have a serious problem! Chimaera has just locked its weapons targeting network onto us!"
Thrawn stood on the bridge of the Chimaera, his blood red eyes staring out of the window at the fleet of Versio.
It was now or never.
Keying the comm, he linked up to Admirals Sloane and Pellaeon and spoke.
"Open fire."
Hera could only watch open mouthed as the Chimaera finally opened fire, but not on the rebel fleet.
But rather, on Versio's fleet.
In a matter of moments two Imperial Star Destroyers erupted into flames, before shattering completely in two at the combined firepower of Chimaera and its two escorts.
And then more movement appeared in Hera's periphery. Several wings of large fighters emerged from the hanger bays of the Chimaera and its escorts, the design of which was clearly a modified Defender. Thrawn had evidently managed to mass produce them.
The Defenders soared towards another Star Destroyer, opening fire with a mix of cannon and missile fire.
And just like that, another Star Destroyer went down.
Beside her, Zeb voiced what everyone was thinking.
"Is… is Thrawn helping us?"
"I don't know Zeb. I really don't know." Hera replied, her senses coming back to the battle at hand. Pulling the Ghost upwards she found a pair of TIE interceptors coming towards her.
And then just like that they were gone, and one of the Defender moved into position beside the Ghost.
"Hera, that Defender is contacting us?" Zeb spoke, his voice both full of suspicion and dread.
"Put it through." Hera replied. This day was turning strange.
It was then that a deep croaky and downright creepy voice came through the comms.
"Hera Syndulla? I am Rukh, personal agent of Grand Admiral Thrawn. He sends his greetings and asks that I provide you escort in your mission to take down the satellites. I will follow your lead."
'Yeah, ok, definitely a weird day!' Hera thought again.
Thrawn had betrayed them! He had betrayed the empire!
He was going to kill them!
Garrick broke out into a series of curses. This was not how this was supposed to happen. Out of the window of the bridge he watched as another Star Destroyer went down, and another.
And then it was just him. Just the Eviscerator.
And then the ship shuddered. Consoles exploded into showers of sparks and flames erupted into life on the bridge.
And Versio fell to the floor, hitting his head, disorientating him.
Groaning, he began to shake of the dizziness. As his vision returned to normal, he found another sight before him, one that terrified him more than Thrawn.
His daughter stood before him, a blaster in her hand.
And it was pointed at him!
Pulling the joystick to the side harshly, Hera swiftly manoeuvred the Ghost out of range of an approaching piece of debris. The large chunk on metal that had once been an Imperial Star Destroyer soared past her, catching a pursuing TIE fighter in the process.
War raged around her, that was the only word for it. Pure unrestrained war, similar to the conflict that had raged over two decades ago.
It was chaos. Explosion after explosion. Blaster fire after blaster fire. It was almost whimsical in a way, if it weren't a symbol of the sheer amount of death that occurred at the same time. Fighting in a rebellion was different from a war. They were small, and relied on guerrilla strikes to weaken their opponent. They didn't have the firepower or the personal to fight an all-out war like the empire did.
And yet here they were, in the middle of one of the most intense and insane battle's Hera had ever seen.
And it was only the fate of an entire planet that rested on it.
"No pressure Hera." She muttered under her breath as she swerved the Ghost again, taking out another fighter that got within her sights.
Out of the window she witnessed the Defender piloted by this 'Rukh' person swerve as well, intercepting and destroying a trio of fighters with ease.
Thrawn showing up was unexpected. Him offering his support even more so.
But Hera was pragmatic enough to understand the need to put old grudges aside. If Thrawn really did want to help, she welcomed his expertise.
If not, then she would be ready for him.
And she was fairly certain he knew it.
Grand Admiral Thrawn watched as the battle raged around him.
Pure uncontrollable war. This was what he sought to understand, sought to conquer.
If he could, then he could protect his people from anything.
Another bright flash caught his eyes as the last of the Imperial Star Destroyers belonging to Versio exploded. Now all that was left was the heavily crippled and burning Eviscerator, and several wings of fighters.
Easy prey.
Right now however, Versio's flagship was not a concern.
What was was the safety of the rebel fleet.
'Oh the irony.' Thrawn quipped mentally. 'How quickly the situation changes.'
"Grand Admiral, we have picked up the location of the Imperial bomber squadron. They are currently causing significant damage to the rebel fleet." The voice of Commander Eli Vanto echoed across the bridge in the midst of the chaos. It was nice to have him back on board. When Thrawn had revealed everything to his old friend, Eli had jumped at the opportunity to assist him.
And frankly Thrawn was grateful. On the outside he always tried to maintain a cool and collected image of an individual who was always in control.
But on the inside he had his doubts, especially when he had first started his training with the empire. The ever reassuring presence of Eli Vanto had gotten him through much in his career, so his addition to Thrawn's current mission was a welcome one indeed.
Moving over to the comm station, Thrawn ordered his officer to contact his fellow Admirals.
Seconds later their holograms appeared.
"The Imperial fleet is in tatters yet the rebel fleet is still under considerable strain and risks being destroyed. Sloane? Pellaeon? Defend that fleet no matter the cost!" Thrawn spoke slowly and clearly, ensuring the point was made.
Thankfully, neither of his two allies refused, both giving their acknowledgements before their holograms faded.
Turning back to the battle around him, Thrawn waited.
It was only a matter of time until the next step began.
Commander Jun Sato expected to die on this mission. His ship, Phoenix Home, was not one that was designed for an all-out battle such as this. It was a carrier, designed for housing fighters and bombers, not a capital ship.
It had barely held off the combined firepower of the Imperial long range bombardment, and now he had an entire platoon of TIE bombers to deal with.
The ship shuddered again as another bombing run occurred, alarms blaring as sections of the ship's hull were twisted and ruptured, not enough to destroy the ship, but no doubt enough to kill some crewmembers.
Sato silently mourned the losses. After all, he wasn't alone in his experience.
Home One was on fire as well, as was Raddus' flagship. Their size made it hard to target individual fighters. Even with the added support that Mart Mattin and his wing were providing against the bombers, far too many warhead had gotten through.
Oddly enough, the only rebel capital ship that was more or less unscathed was the Separatist capital ship commanded by General Kalani. The droid general had pulled some crazy moves to evade the warheads, and was at current the only thing holding the rebel fleet together.
Sato would have to thank him later, assuming he survived this battle first.
"Commander! We've got a problem! The two Destroyers that appeared with Chimaera just changed course. They are on route to us with several wings of Defender class fighters!" An officer called from up front, startling Sato out of his thoughts.
Sato visibly gulped. Thrawn showing up was seriously bad news. He had demolished Sato's entire rebel cell at Atollon, and now it looked like he was here to finish the job.
Except that moments after arriving, his fleet had virtually destroyed Versio's instead. That had confused Sato. There had been numerous reports of imperial infighting in the months after the destruction of the battle station and the Emperor's death. Many imperial admirals claiming to be the heir to the throne took up arms, forming their own remnant factions hell-bent of taking control. Versio and Rax were merely the most prominent.
Therefore it was quite possible that Thrawn was another ambitious admiral attempting to take control and destroy all sides that were not his.
The problem was that Thrawn could very easily do such a thing. There was a reason he was so feared by the rebellion.
So the fact that he was here now and that his allies were bearing down on the rebel fleet was of upmost concern to Sato.
Sighing in resignation, Sato accepted his fate.
That was until the unexpected happened.
"Sir? The Defenders are destroying the TIE bombers. What should we do?"
"Commander Sato, we are receiving a communication from approaching destroyer on an open channel. Should I put it through?"
"Iron Squadron reports all clear sir."
It was almost an information overload, almost. So much happened in the space of a split second that Sato wondered if he was stuck in some sort of dream world.
And then he snapped back to reality. A communication from the Star Destroyer? This would be interesting.
Giving the command to accept the call, Sato held his breath.
Seconds later a holographic image of a human woman dressed in imperial attire appeared. Her face possessed serious features, and her eyes bored into Sato's.
"Commander Jun Sato? I am Admiral Rae Sloane of the Imperial-Chiss alliance. We are here to offer protection and assistance to your plight. Please do not open fire!"
Sato said nothing, but he felt his eyes bulge in shock.
This day was getting stranger by the second!
"Rogue Squadron, destroy the remaining enemy ships. Bomber squadron, form up on my six. Mr Rukh, help me break through the fighter lines." Hera called out various commands into her console, the voices of her allies responding as they went about their tasks.
"Just Rukh will be fine General Syndulla. And I will follow your lead." The voice of Thrawn's agent croaked through the line. Hera had no idea how to address him, and so she attempted to be polite at very least, especially considering he had offered to help.
Refocusing on the battle at hand, Hera shifted the Ghost around another large chunk of debris, evading fire from enemy TIE's in the process. Beside her Rukh moved into formation, his own Defender spinning and dodging the blaster fire, whilst returning his own in the process.
After a few moments of tense flying, Hera and her squadron successfully slipped past the debris of the once imposing Star Destroyer, and now possessed a straight shot at the orbital satellites that Versio had positioned.
The weapons continued to bombard the surface of Naboo with their experimental technology, changing and corrupting the atmosphere in order to enforce loyalty through terror.
Lining the Ghost up with the first satellite, Hera pulled the trigger on her joystick.
Cannon fire erupted from the Ghost, with Rukh in his Defender joining in seconds later.
Behind her, a pair of Y-wing bombers unleashed their warheads at the satellite, the missiles connecting and erupting into flames.
And then with a bright discharge of orange energy, the satellite exploded.
Breathing a temporary sigh of relief, Hera moved onto the next target, her allies' right behind her.
Garrick Versio stood, his bridge in flames and several of his officers either dead or knocked out. Around him the war raged, and his defeat edged ever closer.
But that was not his concern right now. What was was his daughter.
"Iden? What are you doing!?" Garrick snarled, not believing the sight before him. His daughter would not betray him in such a way… would she?
"Vardos is next?! You and Rax were going to do the same to our home?! Why, they are loyal innocent people. We don't kill innocent people!" Iden all but shouted, her voice seething with hate.
"A necessary measure to ensure loyalty Iden, but that is clearly something you don't understand!" Garrick spoke back, his parent voice taking dominance. She may have been his subordinate, but she was still his daughter.
"But Vardos? You would burn our home for the empire!" Iden shouted this time, her grip on her blaster tightening.
"The Empire is our home now Iden, and we are loyal to it!" Garrick responded the same, his voice raised. Around them, fire raged, the heat building intensely. It would only be a matter of time before the Eviscerator exploded.
"If this is what the empire had become, then I no longer want any part of it, 'Admiral'!" Iden spat in return, her face contorting in rage.
Now Garrick openly snarled. His daughter was speaking treasonous words. She had betrayed him.
Slowly reaching his hand down, Garrick grasped the handle of his own blaster pistol. He didn't want it to come to this, and he wouldn't unless she did.
"It's treason then Iden? "Really? From you?" Garrick spoke, openly challenging his daughter.
He watched as a myriad of expressions flew across her face. Pain, anger, betrayal, disbelief.
And then finally, resolve.
"Yes, it is!"
Garrick felt the blaster bolt slam into his stomach before her heard it fire, the impact of the bolt knocking him to the floor as he drew his own pistol, letting loose a single bolt in the process.
As he collapsed to the floor he heard the yell of pain from his daughter as she too was hit in her arm. His bolt had gone wide, but is had still hit his intended target.
His vision began to cloud as pain overtook him. Garrick was aware of the fire raging around him, as well as the battle outside.
Briefly he caught a glimpse of a human male supporting his wounded daughter, helping her to her feet before carrying her off what remained of the Eviscerator's bridge.
Snarling to himself, Garrick took a deep breath, one that was agonizing due to the burning sensation in his stomach.
Groaning, he spoke quietly to himself.
"Damn you Rax!"
And then everything faded.
In the end it had been surprisingly easy for Hera and her wing to destroy the satellites. The combined force of the rebel fighter wings, as well as the unexpected intervention of Thrawn had scattered any sembalance of unity for the imperial forces. The devastation of their fleet only further crippled them.
Beside her, Zeb erupted into cheers as the last satellite that controlled Operation Cinder exploded.
Naboo would be safe. Whatever damage that had been done would no doubt repair itself in time. At least Hera hoped so.
Now however she had other matter to attend to.
Said other matter involved a certain Chiss.
"Don't celebrate yet Zeb. I need you to hail the Chimaera for me."
Zeb seemed to freeze in fear for a second before he replied.
"Are you sure about that Hera?"
Hera only nodded in response, going through the various things she wanted to say to the Grand Admiral in her head.
Zeb visibly gulped at her reaction before his hands began to move across the console before him.
"Karabast Hera, sometimes I don't know who's crazier on this ship. You or Kanan?"
Hera chuckled lightly in response.
"Oh it's definitely me Zeb."
Thrawn watched as the last satellite exploded, ensuring the safety of Naboo and an end to Operation Cinder.
But it was still only the beginning. Rax was still out there, and he fully intented to finish him as well.
But right now he had other concerns.
He knew it was coming, and sure enough, the call did.
"Um, Grand Admiral? We are receiving an open communications from the rebel freighter that led the attack. Should I put it through?" Eli spoke from beside him, confusion in his voice.
Thrawn nodded before speaking.
"Yes Commander, I have much to discuss with the pilot."
Eli only bowed his head once in confirmation, before connecting the transmission.
Moments later, a hologram of a Twi-lek female appeared before him sitting in a chair.
Thrawn very nearly smiled at the appearance of who he considered his only true equal.
"General Syndulla, it is good to see you despite our past transgression against one another. Have you succeeded in your mission this day?"
Hera's face seemed to contort in suspicion, not that Thrawn blamed her.
"Why are you here Thrawn?" She spoke, her voice icy and straight to the point.
Thrawn had long thought about this meeting, about what he would say. He had served the empire for so long that he had become akin to a monster. He had no issue using aggressive tactics, but the safety of the galaxy and its people was his upmost concern. And he knew that Hera Syndulla was the same.
And thus there was only really one thing he could say, and should say. One thing that would help to build bridges that most would assume destroyed.
"I am here to help you against our mutual enemy General. Simply put, I propose an alliance."
Author's thoughts
And that marks the end of the Operation Cinder stuff. I'm sure some of you will want it to be longer but this is the part I wanted to tell. The rest is up to your imagination. :)
And yes, it was supposed to be incredibly one sided once Thrawn showed up. That was the point of him getting all that stuff.
Oh, and the reason he doesn't use the 'Duchess' weapon is because it is used against ground armies, not fleets of ships.
And now, it's time for the return of...
In Memorium: Garrick Versio
Garrick Versio is a rather interesting character. He embodies all the traits of fanatic loyalist, yet at the same time he is incredibly competent for an imperial officer. He gets things done and doesn't give a damn about the consequences. In a weird way, I can respect that.
Still, someone had to be the villain of these short arc, and he got the role. I wanted to change his fate a bit from canon, and thus had Iden off him instead rather than 'go down with the ship' syndrome he gets in canon.
So yeah, bye bye Garrick. You were interesting why you lasted.
As for Iden, I'll leave it up to you if she is alive. Let me know what you think.
And now I want to apologize for something. The reason these chapters took so long to come out was because I sort of lost motivation. I wasn't really enjoying writing them and couldn't figure out how they should go. Thus I think they are a bit rushed, so sorry.
That being said I am looking forward to writing the next few one shots, but it may be a while before they come out, and I have no idea in what order. However, as a little tease, here is what is coming next.
1. The Harrowing Fate of Davits Draven
2. Overprotective Dad Mode Activate!
3. The Double Date
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Chiara Polairix Edelstein: Glad that you liked the charactization of Thrawn. He is still really hard to write for, but rewarding when he is done right. :)
Cranky Paws: Fellow laughers are always welcome.
Eli is great fun to have around. Poor guy could never get away from Thrawn.
Thanks for the compliment again. It's nice that people like what I am doing, even if I am unsure. It keeps me going and keeps me motivated, so thank you. I hope you like the direction I continue to go, even during the controversial moments.
Jayson-Master of Storm: Thrawn has certainly amassed himself an armada. He's powerful and charasmatic like that. Hopefully you liked how it all turned out.
I'm also going to be honest, I haven't read the Thrawn trilogy, and thus can't really form an opinion on it as a whole. That being said, I am aware of most of what happens. The key points at least.
As for the number of superweapons, they are ok some of the time. Too many can get ridiculous though.
Travis Middleton: Glad you enjoyed Thrawn's return home, as well as his collection of allies. Hopefully this chapter is just as pleasing.
jamese765: Thanks, hope you liked the incredibly one sided outcome of the battle.
Jaco2553alpha: Glad you liked the Thrawn centric chapter. He's fun to write for.
You've got a unique idea for a story. I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with. :)
FossilQueen1984: Thrawn's preparation not only saved the day, but it allowed him to completely curbstomp Versio. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Maliwan: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the chapter. It was hard to get everything important into place, but it was necessary. Glad you liked the pace of it all.
Mysterious Guest number one: Thanks, glad you liked the Thrawn centric chapter. Hopefully this one is just as good. :)