Episode I: New Beginnings
Part II: Triton Showdown
1 week later,
Coruscant Military Docks,
15 minutes until departure for Triton
The shinies had adapted well since their induction into the 31st Assault Legion, immediately settling into their new assigned tasks with the gusto he recognized from inexperienced new soldiers. Well, they'd be getting some experience soon, he supposed.
There was a bustle in the belly of the Solace, with the departure of the fleet coming up it was only logical. He was lucky he could delegate the last minute checks to his subordinates, brothers they may be. The view from the bridge was just phenomenal, he thought as the last rays of sunshine streamed through the transparasteel windows.
"So, Triton, eh?" His superior said from next to him. He hadn't seen much of the Jedi for the past week, except for the meeting with the command staff. Yatz and Jeor had taken a liking to her, while Clock and Roller remained neutral. He wasn't surprised that Ra didn't like her- although that was more her being a Jedi than her personality. Ra left the largest amount of brothers behind in the swamps of Felucia and resented the Order for it.
"Yes ma'am, I can only hope it's not going to be too hard of a battle but the way the war has been going I can't say I am too confident in that hope." A wry smile spread over his lips.
Yatz walked up behind them, "At least we know there isn't any acklay on Triton. 'As dead as a Triton moon.' That's how the saying goes, right?" Aros had to agree with his friend, but sadly battle droids didn't really care about a lack of atmosphere or nature.
"That's the saying alright," General Itheris agreed, "I've been there before, and well… I hope we won't have to deal with the locals." She looked somewhat disturbed, Aros noticed. Oh well, it wasn't his place to pry.
Yatz didn't hold the same sentiment, apparently, "Business or pleasure? Ouch!" His brother sent him a filthy look when he elbowed him.
When Kealy strode onto the bridge ten minutes later she was met by the entirety of the command staff, either physically or through hologram. They were gathered around a holotable which showed a detailed map of the Triton system. To her right an ensign look at her expectantly, waiting to be given permission to signal the tower. She nodded.
"This is GAR Solace, 22nd battlegroup, 7th Fleet requesting liftoff for us and our Escort. 2 Venators Solace and Voidcloud, four Light Cruisers, ready to rendezvous with Acclamators in orbit and requesting jump coordinates." The ensign spoke. She couldn't hear the tower's reaction, but after the ensign had given the clearance codes a shudder went through the Solace's strong hull.
With a herculean effort from the engines the two star destroyers and four light cruisers made for the orbit of Coruscant, ready to go on their journey down the Corellian Run and then the Namadii Corridor to Triton. Kealy entrusted the maneuvers to her bridge crew and joined the rest of the command staff.
She was greeted with a nervous smile by General Itheris, "Thank you for joining us, Admiral. Now that we're all here, let's get to it. As you all know High Command has tasked us with taking out the Seperatist supply bases in the Triton System. We are going to stop by Eriadu to pick up a few reinforcements and then continue to our destination."
"What do we know of the enemy strength? Space and ground?" That was Roller, the Commander of the 23rd Armored Regiment. The losses to his unit had been much lighter than the rest, with the biggest problem being walkers getting stuck in the mud, while his Sabers simply hovered over it.
Nonetheless, he was cautious, always making sure that he weighed all the options and taking the one he thought was the best. The sort of man that that cared enough about his troops that he wouldn't send them in danger unnecessarily, but not one to shy away from taking risks either. Lina answered him, "Intelligence tells us they have a Luchrehulk and half a dozen Munificents stationed in the system, but it could be more if we're unlucky. There's also some significant orbital defenses, though nothing like Golan platforms. And nothing we can't handle with the extra reinforcements from Eriadu."
Kealy grimaced, it was never this easy. Everyone at least suspected that Republic Intelligence was compromised to some extent, so for all they knew there could be an entire sector fleet present, "Even so, General, I think it might be a good idea to probe the system first to see if RI actually did its job this time."
The Jedi shot her an intrigued look, "Alright, we'll leave the concrete fleet planning to after we've scouted the separatist positions out." She turned to Aros and the other commanders, "It'll take a day or two for us to get to Eriadu. Once we find out what our reinforcements will be we can start planning this operation for real." With a series of salutes the holograms winked out and the regimental commanders left the bridge, leaving only the Rear Admiral, Senior Commander and Jedi General by the tactical displays.
Aros was the first to speak up, "I have all the confidence of the world in my men, sir, but if the situation is exactly like RI suggests, we're going to have to lock down space before they can consolidate their ground forces." The holotable showed the different positions of the enemy, spread out around the system on the various moons. The largest concentration was on Triton itself, "If we can cut them off we can take them out piecemeal, starting with the main force."
The Jedi nodded but looked slightly worried, "Yes, that would be ideal. The problem is that we only have a single battlegroup, which isn't all that much even with added reinforcements. That's not even counting the natives."
Both officers shot her a look, "Natives, Ma'am?" Aros questioned. There hadn't been any mention of them choosing the side of the separatists. If that were the case it would mean a massive amount of extra enemy fighters to deal with.
She raised her hands in a calming fashion, "Don't worry, I doubt that's the case. I've been to Triton before and they aren't exactly friendly to outsiders in general, so they'll probably be causing just as many problems for the droids as they might for us." She looked Kealy in the eye, "And they don't have any space forces of note."
Mulva chose this opportunity to throw in her own two credits, "Either way, we're not there to occupy the entire blasted system. Our task is to take out the CIS presence and get out, since the Tritonites won't play nice with the republic." She shifted the hologram to show the enemy fleet, "Even with the ships we have now this should be relatively easy. Munificents are squishy and a Luchrehulk shouldn't be too much of an issue for the combined firepower of Solace and Voidcloud."
The holo shifted once more, now bringing the defense satellites into view orbiting around the various moons and the fleet. "Their static defenses will be annoying, but they're just that, static. If we can lure them away from their position we would be in a better position casualty wise." Itheris spoke up, surprising both of her subordinates with that bit of tactical insight. Mulva had been about to suggest the same thing of course, but it was nice to see that their general was tactically at least somewhat capable.
A look towards Aros showed her that he was just as surprised. Besides that he had never been much for ship tactics if they didn't include boarding. A solid -perhaps even great- commander on the ground, but a captain or admiral he was not.
"Again, depending on the reinforcements we might be able to do something more complex. Perhaps a pincer, encirclement or even just ignore their fleet assets." The admiral added, still slightly annoyed that they hadn't gotten clearer information on what would be joining them. She knew Gideon Tarkin well from her days at the naval academy, and she knew that he'd be hesitant to allow the defense of his home system to be weakened too much.
It was Aros' turn to speak up now, "Well, regardless of space, we can expect heavy resistance on the ground. This is an important supply station for their forces up north and to the east, especially with the Outer Rim Sieges about to kick off." Zooming in on Triton, the map showed the main enemy supply base. Around it were positions marked by RI, stationed by around 50.000 droids and attached armor and support. More than five times the number of his legion, "The other moons are less well defended, but if we can take the main force out and prevent them from reinforcing we can go for a defeat in detail."
The Commander started drawing on the terrain, "I've spoken with Roller and he says that if we can pick off the enemy outer positions we can most likely use our heavy armor combined with the light tanks to punch through the main lines." Another series of lines and circles were drawn, "Problem is that they've set up heavy anti-ship cannons here, here and here. We can't hit them or land any large number of troops without taking those out first."
Taking a long look at the tactical map, Lina made a decision, "Alright, then I'll lead an infiltration team into the enemy base to take them out. If you could get Captain…" She tried to recall the name of Krayt Company's captain, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Jeor," Aros supplied and she could feel her face heating up. They must be judging her so hard for that slipup.
"Ahem, yes, uhhh, so tell Captain Jeor to get his men ready for an infiltration and demolitions job. We'll go over the details later." Aros nodded and luckily didn't seem to take her forgetfulness badly at all. Then again, she had found it difficult to read him even with help of the force, so he could just as well be fuming.
-Break-
2 days and 10 hours later,
Eriadu Shipyards, Eriadu System,
13 Hours after Arrival
"Well, it seems we'll finally be getting command of the ships. At least Admiral Tarkin wasn't as much of a problem as I expected. Good job on the negotiations, General Itheris." Mulva spoke in a tired voice, and Lina didn't know if she should smile or break down crying. She'd almost forgotten how annoying politicians and nobles could be.
"I thought I wouldn't need to deal with this type of Chssk anymore now that I'm a general." She took a sip from the glass of Corellian brandy in her hand and pulled a face, much to the amusement of the rear admiral. "If I knew I would be doing this right of the bat I would have never accepted the position."
Mulva chuckled, "You did very well, general. If I had to be honest I would have to say it went better than my wildest dreams." She took a swig from the amber liquid and smiled, "I had expected no more than maybe a frigate and a light cruiser or two, but a Venator and it's full escort? That's way past my expectations and straight into dreamland." She looked at the chrono and sighed, "Though I fear we could both get some rest."
Lina yawned and nodded, "Yeah, I think that's best. We'll leave in… let's say seven hours. We can go over the battleplan one more time while in transit." With that she stood up and stretched. Mulva stood with her and saluted, which was once again clumsily returned by the Jedi. She turned around and left the admiral's quarters -which were way more lavishly decorated than hers, she noticed.
Kealy let out a soft laugh as the general left her quarters. She couldn't help but like the girl. The enormous pressure of her position was pushing on her, but so far she seemed to handle it pretty well. She honestly reminded her of herself, when she had just become a commodore at only thirty years.
Although she had to do something about her reaction to fine Corellian brandy. That bottle was twenty years old and very expensive.
-Break-
Solace was the first to exit hyperspace into the Triton system, followed half a second later by Voidcloud, four Arquitens-class light cruisers and seven Consular class cruisers. Why they were called cruisers, Mulva didn't know. They were more like corvettes in her opinion, but she wasn't going to argue with the people who made their ships over a technicality.
It didn't take long for the Seperatist fleet to respond and enter a defensive formation, Munificents shielding the Luchrehulk and -to Mulva's surprise- a pair of Recusants. It was unexpected, but she didn't think it would be much of a problem. They'd just have to focus those down before engaging the monster that was a Luchrehulk battleship.
"Hold position and launch fighter squadrons, but keep the bombers back for now. With those Recusants they won't be much good" She stood on the middle isle of the bridge for a bit, granting her a good view of the battle before she moved back to the tactical map. "Target the outer Munificents with missiles and torpedoes, but focus the other guns on the Recusants as soon as they get in range. We need to take those out before we can do any meaningful damage to the battleship."
It would be another minute before the enemy got in range of the main batteries and with an inexperienced fleet under her command it would be quite the task to keep everyone organized and in position.
-Break-
The state of the Solace's hanger bay was best described as organized chaos. Pilots were running to their ships, mechanics were completing last minute checks and astromechs rolled around to assist with any last adjustments that needed to be made, all while the alarms were blaring.
Lina didn't let it bother her, though. She was already wearing her flight suit and was sat in the cockpit of her trusty Delta-7 starfighter. It would hardly be the first time she commanded a squadron, but this time she was in command of the entire fighter complement from two Venators and three Acclamators. She couldn't deny that she was a bit nervous.
Taking another deep breath, the Jedi steeled herself as she closed her cockpit and stated takeoff checks. "Alright, Arty, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Her droid beeped happily over comms. Sometimes she thought the astromech liked going into combat.
She was out of the hangar as soon the doors were open, followed closely by her fellow pilots, "Alright boys, sound off."
Immediately several voices filtered through her comms, "This is Grey Actual, we're all clear ma'am."
"Bagger Squadron reads all clear, flight lead."
"Disco Squadron ready to party, general!"
"Bolt Squad ready to scrap some flying buckets, lead."
"Devra here; me and my boys are ready to go!"
"This is Heavy 1-1, we've been told to hold back until you guys have cleared the way, how copy?"
"Heavy wing is staying back until it's safe, copy loud and clear Heavy 1-1." She replied, "All Squadrons follow my lead. Grey Squadron, I want you right behind me."
"Copy that, general. Alright boys, watch your six and keep your fingers on the triggers, we'll be getting company in no time!" Grey actual spoke, immediately followed hollers and hoots from his men.
It didn't take long for the Vultures to get to the republic fleet. The first wave being almost immediately wiped out by the Consulars' anti-fighter cannons, but they couldn't do all the work themselves, and the few that did get through were quickly taken care of by intercepting V-19s.
Even so, Luchrehulks could carry an amazing amount of fighters, so the onslaught was far from over. Two more waves followed and cracks were starting to show. A fighter taken out here or there, a gun emplacement destroyed and more and more Vultures that just kept coming.
Then the signal came. The enemy fleet had started moving towards them and were slowly getting in range of the 22nd Battlegroup's main guns, "Grey Squadron, as soon as our guns start firing I need you to follow me!" Lina grit her teeth as a Vulture droid barely missed her before it was taken out by the Solace's AA guns.
"Affirmative gene- Kriff, Dane you got one on your tail!" Lina looked around and could see the Torrent in question trailing smoke and desperately trying to shake off the Vulture.
"I see it! Hold still Dane, I'll get it off you." With a turn that would leave most pilots unconscious, she forced her interceptor behind the droid fighter.
"Sir, with all due- Chssk," he cursed as the droid barely missed him "Respect, if I hold still I'll kriffing die!"
"No you won't, just trust me, Force damnit!" She almost shouted, and finally the pilot straightened out his flightpath, allowing Lina, who'd barely been keeping up with the twists and turns of Dane's maneuvers, a good shot on her target.
"Whooohooo! Thank you general, he almost had me!" Dane whooped over comms as the droid exploded behind him.
"Don't mention it. Now, Grey Squadron, form up on me and get ready for a run. Heavy 1-1, follow us closely. Those Recusants should be dealt with any minute now."
-Break-
"Admiral Mulva, the enemy fleet has started moving away from their defenses and will be in range in 30 seconds!" A clone ensign yelled from the command pit. Kealy checked the chrono on her wrist; 30 seconds and they could hopefully take out the entire enemy fleet in one fell swoop.
"Octave reports an all clear and is ready to jump in when you give the word, admiral." Another bridge officer said. Well, let's see if we can tie this up quickly.
"Give them the command and notify the general that she can start her attack run in sixty seconds." An affirmative from the ensign sounded from the pit and she braced herself as the main guns of the Solace let loose another volley, using theirsuperior range to pummel the Recusants and forcing the Seppie fleet to move closer.
"Ma'am, Recusant one is down! Lucrehulk will be in range in ten seconds."
She nodded, "Concentrate fire on the remaining one. As soon as it is disabled I want the Acclamators to empty all their tubes at the Munificents. Have the rest of the fleet keep them busy while we focus the 'Hulk down."
Not a second after the last Recusant lost functionality the Octave preformed a dangerously close jump right behind the Luchrehulk, appearing from hyperspace with her escort. With the Separatist fleet now as good as surrounded, Grey and Heavy squadrons could finally start their run.
-Break-
"I got a vulture right behind me!"
"I got your back Yellow!"
"I can't shake 'em! Get that hunter off my tai- AAARGH"
"Blast, we lost Yellow! General, we need to start our run now, otherwise we won't have enough fighters left to scratch 'em." Heavy 1-1 told her, the strain audible on his voice. Lina grimaced, there was only one recusant left and it wouldn't be long until the 'Hulk got in range of the battlegroup.
"Alright everybody, form up. Grey, Heavy, follow on my six. Our targets are the main turbolaser banks, fly fast and may the Force be with you."
With that the fighters broke off towards the massive battleship, followed by the bombers. Here and there she felt pilots being snuffed out by the separatist defenses. Disco squad was taking heavy losses trying to protect their bombers, down to almost half their strength she noticed. That had to hurt, but she banished the feelings from her mind. Something to deal with after the battle was won.
With the appearance of the Octave and her escort the tides suddenly turned. Missiles from the Acclamators and Arquitens kept impacting the Munificent, and the last Recusant was slowly falling apart as the Solace's main batteries hammered it to bits. The Luchrehulk, now separated from the static defenses by a Venator, seemed to not know what to do.
The young general pulled her focus back to the immediate danger surrounding her as she barely managed to evade a barrage from a stray vulture. The Force-damned thing was quickly taken out by her wingmen and with the added support from the flanking battlegroup the opening she'd been looking for finally revealed itself.
"Heavy and all other bombers, get in there and disable the turbolasers! Grey, stay on me. Bagger, I want you and Bolt to break off and watch the hangers and make sure not a single Vulture gets out of this ship." She broke off, not really paying attention to the chatter anymore. Preforming a set of maneuvers that left Arty squealing and beeping in displeasure she made her way inside the shield envelope. Grey, caught off guard by the action, had to break away in the other direction to avoid slamming into the hull of the battleship, leaving Lina without back up.
-Break-
"All batteries, fire at the port arm of the Luchrehulk. Aim for weaknesses in the shields and armor, and maximize damage to essential systems and weapons." She turned to her Comms and Fighter control officers, "How are the small craft doing?"
"Admiral, sir, General Itheris is leading the attack on the Luchrehulk. Heavy squadron has engaged, but Grey squadron is having trouble keeping up with the General, sir. Grey Actual reported they are keeping pace, but sensors show a gap forming between them and the General." He checked some instruments, "The other squadrons are performing their assigned tasks with minimal difficulty, but we will have to get a lot of replacements for Disco squadron."
"I see…" she rubbed her chin as she saw some of the shots from the battlegroup start to break through the shields. The massive battleship was giving them the best it could, but it was no match for three Venators. Then again, if the Seppies decided to finally focus their fire on one of the capital ships they could still do massive damage.
-Break-
The life of a clone pilot was one filled with danger and excitement, and Grey loved it. The constant adrenalin in his veins, the possibility of death always hanging above his head by a silk wire, it all accumulated into a feeling of thrill he didn't think he could ever find anywhere else. That was what Pilot Grey thought, at least.
On the opposite side of his mind, however, was Squadron Leader Grey, who was definitely worried at his men's wellbeing and, as of right now, his general. Oh she could fly. Damn well, actually, but even his considerable ego couldn't stop himself for worrying if they could actually keep up. Dane's fighter was already damaged severely and two others were having to stay back with him to cover for him in case he was targeted. Grey still had fifteen active fighters under his command besides those, but with the general flying like a maniac there was a serious chance of her getting cut off from them.
A vulture tried to pass him, gunning for the bombers, but was stopped when he locked on and fired his last missile, blowing the damn thing out of the sky. "General, if you keep this up we won't be able to cover both the bombers and you!" He cursed as one of the fighters to his left tried to evade a barrage, but slammed into a turbo laser emplacement in the process. Fourteen left. "you have to pull back, or you might be in for a real bad time!"
There were a few seconds of silence as the General mulled it over, "Alright, but we can't leave yet. If the Seppies realize they can still use their turbo's the Venators will be in real trouble. Heavy 1-1, status?"
"Holding on, sir… Bombs away. We've finished the first run, but there's still plenty of weaponry on this thing, what are your orders?" The bomber pilot asked conversationally. Show-off, Grey thought.
"General, if I may?" he interjected, "I think it might be best if we get out of here before the big boys begins their barrage in earnest."
"Copy that, Grey Actual. All fighters finish your runs and head back to the battlegroup on a y-axis turn."
-Break-
"Admiral, fighters are breaking off. We can shift our barrage on your order." An ensign said from her station in the pit.
Mulva nodded, "All ships, open fire on the Luchrehulk. Full barrage including missiles. Target hangers, comms, and frontal weapons banks." She smiled as he felt the floor shudder under her, a virtual storm of missiles and lasers heading towards the enemy ship. The torrent of death swatted away shields, cracked and melted armor and detonated Tibanna stores. Explosions racked the large battleship, and one of its arms broke off when a missile from the Voidcloud hit a critical fuel cell in the rear hangars.
Behind it the Octave was using half her batteries to finish off the static defenses, the other half being delegated to hammering down the rear engines of the Luchrehulk. As the massive ship broke up un space, Kealy allowed a small smile to form. "Good job, everyone. It's up to the ground pounders now. When the stragglers are taken care of, get us in orbit around Triton Besh and signal Commander Aros to ready his men for battle."