Prologue
RSD Dauntless/ Republic Staging Area B52 (Chommel Sector)/ 251 days after the Battle of Geonosis
Jedi Knight Yukino Atiniira stared at the man in front of her. She was out of uniform and sitting cross-legged in her private quarters, this meeting was meant to be casual, yet he looked stiff and uncomfortable from the moment he entered. He came to attention and gave her a smart looking salute. She waved it away and reached for his hand to give it a quick shake instead. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Captain Pellaeon, I've heard a lot about you."
"All good things I hope," he said with a somewhat forced smile. His shoulders relaxing only slightly, as he shifted back into a more comfortable posture.
"What do you think of the ship, it's one of the first of its line- Imperator Class." She asked, the barest trace of a smile forming on her lips.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she could take on a battle group without any assistance. She's got a huge armament, and the point-defence grid looks tight enough for fighter cover. Does she have anything in the bays?"
"Six squadrons, and a significant number of atmospheric craft to support the land operations." She could see Pellaeon visibly stir, it was unheard of for a ship to carry that many fighters, non-carriers at least. The standard Star Destroyer only carried between two and three squadrons of fighters, depending on role and size.
"What's the troop compliment?" He asked, his voice both eager and curious.
"The barracks holds a legion, and there's a permanent guard stationed as well, battalion strength. However, she's capable of supporting an additional thousand or so troops in the barracks and five hundred in crew quarters, although the latter is usually reserved for civilian contractors."
He nodded thoughtfully, the ship was massive, probably double the size of the Leveler. "What's the crew size, a ship this size is bound to need a lot of hands?"
"Twenty-seven thousand, but between the guard, pilots, and ground attachment it comes to about thirty-seven thousand. It puts a real crimp on supplies, we can only store enough foodstuffs to last six months, as you can imagine we burn through it rather quickly."
His eyebrows lifted slightly, that's well over the crew size of most capital ships, but it's able to take on the roles of both a carrier and destroyer. "What's her speed, and can she break atmosphere? Even if she can outclass a flotilla, she's useless if she can't get to them."
"She's only equipped with a class-2 Hyperdrive, so her jumps are slower than the standard Star Destroyer. But she cruises at the top speed of a Venator, and she's able to enter an atmosphere without complications. The hope is to pair them with an Interdictor-Class Destroyer, an experimental design capable of pulling ships out of hyperspace and preventing them from jumping."
He sighed, she could tell he was mulling over all the information. "I'm guessing they're too expensive to be integrated into the fleet? Pair them with some faster ships and they'd make an ideal capital ship, not to mention troop transport."
She nodded, "So much so that production has been limited to ten ships, and they're halting any more until they've had at least eight months worth of field testing."
"So why am I here General? I assume I wasn't just invited for the tour." Pellaeon said, raising his chin slightly.
She stood, looking him in the eye. "I know this is asking a lot of you, but I would like for you to take over command of this ship. You would receive a promotion to Rear Admiral, and we'd ship out within three days. Captain Harkin is waiting to take over command of the Leveler, if you agree."
He arched an eyebrow, his jaw dropping only slightly before he managed to catch it. "You came with your blaster loaded on this one, I'll give you that." He paused, and she could sense his trepidation through the force. "But why choose me? I'm sure there are at least a dozen more qualified captains within the fleet."
A smile crossed her lips, "I've read all the reports Captain. Not only do you have a knack for making the right decisions in the field, but you've proven to be someone I can respect. You treat your crew well, and I don't think anyone would have handled that business on JanFathal as well as you did. You were chosen because you're the most suited for the position, and your record proves you can handle it."
Surprise, embarrassment, and acceptance all rippled through the force, although outwardly he remained the same. He took a deep breath and nodded. "How soon can I inform my crew?"
"As soon as you're ready. I figured you'd want to take some time to discuss the changes with your current officers and begin running drills to get a feel for the crew. This is your ship, so I leave it to your discretion." She smiled again, and sat back down into her chair. "I stay out of your way when it comes to tactics and combat, that is your domain. My responsibility here is the ground troops, and deciding when and where we get deployed, although your input is always acknowledged."
"So, you decide on what operations we get involved in?" Pellaeon asked, more curious than anything else. It wasn't his place to question her, not yet at least.
"Basically, I make sure lives aren't wasted just because a bunch of bureaucrats decided to play war." She kept her voice level, but there was still fire behind her words. Plenty of good men had died from panicked Senators demanding troops be assigned to specific locations. "Thankfully, it looks like we won't need to worry about the Senate for the time being."
He did his best to keep his face impassive, but inwardly he felt conflicted. While he couldn't argue with her disgust for how the Senate had been handling things of late, it was still strange to think of them not having any say. "How did you manage that?"
"The Chancellor is afraid of a regime change on Dantooine. After the skirmishes a few months ago, much of the local military was destroyed and they haven't been able to bounce back. Normally, no one would bat an eye over some backwater agri-world slipping into a civil war. But it happens to produce nearly a quarter of the military's foodstuffs, and if it gets cut off, then the whole military would ground to a halt."
He nodded grimly, "The Seps would be sure to help instigate a rebellion. They've already made several overt attempts to cut off our supply-lines. What's the old chap have in mind?"
"We're absorbing the remaining military bodies on the planet and taking over whatever duties they had. The Chancellor has agreed to bypass the Senate, and allow us to report directly to the local government and its leaders. We're expecting some Sep activity within the region, not to mention rebel cells and pirates trying to capitalize on the situation. While it's still a low-level threat in comparison to the front, we should stay on our toes."
"Understood, I'll see what I can pull from Intel, if we're lucky they'll have some assets on the ground. Give me some time to transition to the new crew and to say goodbye to the Leveler, then I'll run some drills to see how everyone operates under pressure."
o-O-o
/GAR SAT-LINK ESTABLISHED/
AUTOMATED DATA-CRAWL INITIATING:
[TIME-13:00][TROOP ACTIVITY-N/A][NEXT GUARD ROTATION IN 60 STANDARD MINUTES]CLOSE DATA-CRAWL, Y/N?
/Y
/
/OPENING GAR PLANETARY CODEX/
KEYWORDS: DANTOOINE
GARDATABASE/HOLOTERMINAL/4[INTERNALSEARCH?]=DANTOOINE
/ONE RESULT FOR COMBINED KEYWORDS- "DANTOOINE"
/[OPENING FILE/PCODEX DANTOOINE]/
/FILE OPENED
REPUBLIC PLANETARY CODEX/DANTOOINE
/ [ASTROGRAPHICAL DATA]
SUNS: 1 (DINA)
MOONS: 2
GRID COORDINATES: L-4
ROTATION PERIOD: 25 STANDARD HOURS
ORBITAL PERIOD: 378 LOCAL DAYS
/ [PHYSICAL DATA]
CLASS: TERRESTRIAL
ATMOSPHERE: TYPE 1 (BREATHABLE)
CLIMATE: TEMPERATE
GRAVITY: STANDARD
CONTINENTS: 4
-RIELIG
-BURAD
-ARISSI
-MOSA
NATIVE FAUNA:
-BRITH
-KATH HOUND (HOSTILE IF PROVOKED)
-IRIAZ
-LAIGREK (HOSTILE)
-GRAUL (EXTINCT)
IMMIGRATED FAUNA:
-AIWHA
-KYBUCK
-ROBA
-BANTHA
-TAUNTON (RESTRICTED TO POLAR REGIONS)
/ [SOCIETAL DATA]
NATIVE SPECIES: DANTARI (EXTINCT)
IMMIGRATED SPECIES:
-HUMAN
-MIRIALAN
-TWI'LEKS
-PANTORAN
-SEPHI
PRIMARY LANGUAGE(S): GALACTIC BASIC STANDARD
GOVERNMENT: MONARCHY
MAJOR CITIES: 5
-KHOONDA (CAPITAL)
-GARANDE (FORMALLY GARANG)
-ADARE
-KINRAD
-BANIR
DEFENSE FORCES:
-LOCAL POLICE FORCE (ACTIVE, SIZE UNKNOWN)
-ROYAL DEFENSE FORCE (EST. 2,000 ACTIVE DUTY MEMBERS)
-ROYAL FREIGHT INSPECTION BUREAU (ONLY REMAINING SPACE-CAPABLE GOVERNMENT FORCE)
/END OF FILE, CLOSE- Y, N?
o-O-o
RSD Dauntless/ Maintaining orbit over Dantooine (Raioballo Sector)/ 259 days after the battle of Geonosis
"Sir! Picking up a gravitational anomaly... Nine contacts at maximum targeting range, declination five-zero-point-three-two." The sensors officer announced, and Pellaeon jogged over to his station. It wasn't hard to see over his shoulder, and he glimpsed at the blinking dots on the sensor screen. There were multiple signatures, but he didn't recognize any of them.
"Rommel," he called to the communications tech. "Are we picking up any hails?"
"Negative Sir, but I'm definitely picking up chatter. I can't pick out the language though." The young clone sounded almost regretful.
"It's okay son, keep an ear out until the droid gets here." Pellaeon signaled his XO, Lieutenant Keel, to issue the appropriate orders to the crew. He turned back to Rommel, "Flash the Admonitor, have it recalled to our position."
"They're en route Sir, should I update command?"
He shook his head, "Just inform the ground forces of the situation."
"I already took the liberty of informing them Sir," Rommel said nervously.
Pellaeon nodded, "Good man." He brought his gaze back to the man in front of him. "Zed, what's the ETA on the Admonitor?"
"They're five minutes out Admiral, but-" He was cut off by a quick shout from Rommel. "Incoming hail!"
"Put it through," Pellaeon barked, his voice calm.
"Aye Sir," Rommel nodded, his hands had already begun moving the moment Pellaeon finished speaking.
"Human filth," a deep, guttural voice said over the intercom. "You disgrace the holy relic merely by breathing in its presence. Order your underlings to hand it over, or I will unleash our cleansing fire, and purge your pestilence from the very ground on which you stand."
There was a pause, and a slow clicking noise like the cracking of a jaw. "This is the gods will, you cannot prevent it. Hand over icon, and by the rings I'll make your deaths swift and painless."
Pellaeon let out a low growl, he had no idea what this person was talking about. Holy relics? "This is Admiral Pellaeon of Republic Navy, and we harbor no such material. Now respectfully, you have officially entered the sovereign territory of Dantooine. Vacate immediately or we will be forced to engage."
"You shall burn for your insolence!" Static poured out of the speakers and Zed was quick with an alert. "Energy build-up along their flanks!"
"Full power to forward shields!" Pellaeon ordered, watching the energy readings rise rapidly on the monitors
"Multiple bogies inbound from the heavy cruiser, thirty seconds out." Zed reported urgently, and Keel shouted the standard, "Brace for impact!"
Practically a heartbeat later, half a dozen bolts of what looked like unrefined plasma, struck the shields. Their sheer kinetic force causing the hull to shudder and make slight popping noises.
A tight burst of turbolaser fire shot over their bow, slamming directly into the heavy cruiser that had targeted them.
"All batteries, target their weapon emplacements!" Pellaeon ordered, glad that the Admonitor had finally arrived.
"Our shields are at 70 percent!" One of the technicians reported, although Pellaeon couldn't tell who. He felt like he had practically just met them and they were already falling into combat together.
"What the kriff?" Zed muttered aloud. "Radiation spike, their setting off nuclear weapons!"
"Seal every compartment, on the double!" Keel ordered, and a massive durasteel slab slid over the bridge entrance.
Through the viewport, space seemed to distort in front of the lead enemy ships, designated Heavy 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Swirls of light appeared, massive blue-grey orbs that would have been beautiful and fascinating in any other situation.
"Sir, the gravitational anomalies are back, those appear to be the source!" Zed announced, this time fear slipping in through his voice.
Pellaeon's mind was racing, what in the nine Correllian Hells did they just deploy?
The Gorgon fired again, but its turbolasers seemed to get caught in the anomaly between them. Before Pellaeon could even respond, each of the three ships accelerated into the orbs. The things collapsing in on themselves the moment the ships were fully inside.
o-O-o
UNSC Belfast (Bridge)/ Maintaining Attack Pattern Delta/ Location Unknown- Scanning for recognizable systems...
Voices seemed to fill the air with reports coming in from all over the ship. Reaves' mind was racing, and he was still trying to wrap his head around how they had come out of slipspace. Nothing about the bloody jump made any sense, he thought to himself.
"Engineering is reporting an emergency shutdown of the engines, we're at full stop."
"We lost the Orion in the jump! All remaining ships are reporting minor damage, but their primary systems are still operational."
"I'm picking up three Covenant signatures, CCS class! We're holding just outside their attack range."
Reaves sighed, not even a moment's peace. "Order the rest of the fleet to enter Defense Pattern Bravo. Then bring us back up to Combat Alert Alpha, I want all troops at full readiness. Have engineering focus on sorting those engines, we need them back online!"
Red emergency lighting filled the bridge and Minerva's voice went out over the intercom. "We are now entering Combat Alert Alpha; this is not a drill. All troops are to transition to full readiness. I repeat-"
"I'm picking up a hail on an open frequency!" One of the Communications Techs announced. "It's patchy though, I can't seem to isolate the signal."
"Put it through," Reaves ordered.
o-O-o
Chapter 1- "Invasion Day"
[SCRAMBLE LINE ENCRYPTED, RDF CENTCOM TO FOB ABLE, STAND BY FOR EMERGENCY REPORTS]
/BE ADVISED: UNIDENTIFIED CRAFT DETECTED IN-SYSTEM, MOBILIZE ALL FORCES! HAMMERDOWN PROCEDURES ARE NOW IN EFFECT, SECURE HIGH VALUE TARGETS AND ESTABLISH PRELIMINARY DEFENSES/
Camp Able/ Six Kilometers Outside Khoonda- Dantooine's Surface/ I-Day 13:15
Sergeant James Reynolds watched as the combat engineers set up barricades throughout the base, they were using sandbags and durasteel plates. Absently, he wondered how well they'd hold up under sustained fire. The sand would probably turn into glass before anything got through.
"Any word from the Fifth?" Private Welling asked from beside him, interrupting his thoughts.
"They're still pulling people out of Khoonda, some civilians are dragging their feet about leaving the city." Reynolds said, scanning the sky with his macros, looking for any sign of the fighting going on in space.
Welling clicked his jaw in annoyance, "They should just leave 'em behind. Every second the Fifth stays, the longer their painting a target on their back."
"They don't have that choice, and neither do we. All civilians are to be escorted to the underground shelters… They're just scared Mac."
Welling sighed, fiddling with the scope on his rifle. "Let's just hope they get outta there before the bombs start dropping. This whole region is gonna light up like a bilba tree during the Winter festival."
"Focus on the mission, let the officers worry about the big picture." He did his best not to grit his teeth at how ignorant that sounded. He sighed, "We all have a job to do, we can't get wrapped up in worrying over theirs."
o-O-o
Forward Operating Base Aurek/ Zone B342/ Dantooine
Claxons blared and warning lights flashed throughout the hall and into the adjacent sets of officer quarters. Sergeant CT-5346, or Flash, pushed his vambrace over his arm and quickly tightened it. He grabbed his blaster rifle and checked it's charge with a side-glance, slipping a handful of extra power packs into his belt pouch as he did so.
A voice called to him from just outside his room. "Sir, you better move your shebs! All security officers have been recalled to the command deck. Something big just dropped out of hyperspace, it looks like a bloody invasion force!"
Flash pulled the door open and walked out of his quarters. He eyed the Corporal that had just spoken, trying his best not to say that the kriffing alarms already screamed urgency. But he knew it was Stack, his pod-brother, so he just nodded his head and shifted in a manner that indicated they better get moving.
Stack turned on his heel and promptly ran to the elevator, pushing the recall button like crazy. Flash couldn't help but sight over his eager brother's forgetfulness, keying in his security code on a console by the doors. He shifted his focus back to his HUD, filtering through the communiques coming in from the fleet. Stack activated his wrist-mounted comlink, letting them both listen as they waited for the lift. "Activate those triple A's, we've got fighters that are moving in!... Contact left! It looks like a pack of Gamorreans, they've got heavy armor and weapons... Kriff! Be advised, they have personal energy shields!... Fall back, FALL BACK!"
Flash gripped his deece, bringing it to his chest in the "ready" position. It was an unconscious thing, a habit formed from years of training. He knew they wouldn't see any Gamorreans this far down, not yet at least. He still shifted to be at an angle from the doors though, ready to fire into the elevator should someone unexpected show up.
Stack followed suit with his side-arm, flicking off the safety and pointing it downwards. "Fighting sounds pretty heavy up there, Sir," he added in tentatively.
i {o,o}
i /) ')
i -"-"-
AN: So, I pulled this story down because I had abandoned it, but I realized that I liked what had already put into it and didn't want it to stay "In the grave" forever. Anyone can adopt it and do what they want with it, as long as they mention me for what I already wrote. I may write something (someday) for just Star Wars, but I doubt I'd ever pick this back up again. I just don't have enough motivation for it.