Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter. I hope you like this one.
So, this one will feature one of the Alliance's first offensive missions against the Empire. I hope you like what I do with it.
Let's get to it.
the mysterious Mr.E: Yeah, Luke won't be the most pleased with Adams or any of the ASAT team he meets. Or Ahsoka when he meets her. He won't like that they kept the truth from him.
CT7567Rules: The Su-49 is technically an original design, but is partly based on the MiG 1.44 prototype. I'll put more details on its appearance when I make a wiki article on it.
Papon77: Yes, Terran intelligence agencies do have teams working in the Andromeda Galaxy.
DeustcheReich: I don't think I'll use something like that, simply because the Terrans don't have the manpower to man Imperial Star Destroyers, at least in numbers that would make it worth it.
Sammyboy94: You are correct, and given I'm in ROTC, I'm somewhat ashamed I forgot that while writing the chapter. I'm actually gonna go fix that as soon as I can.
GuestDCDGojira: I'm not including any Marvel heroes or anything in this series. Just maybe borrowing one or two alien species. May base a chapter on Hope Dies. The Yamato will show up soon enough. You'll get an answer on how they did it soon enough.
Guest: I will probably do a chapter showing how introduction of aliens has affected Earth.
Guest: The Terran Alliance does not really use droids as soldiers. It just uses droids mainly to man its warships. The reason being that Alliance leaders believe that human or alien soldiers are far superior to droids, and droid's can't think creatively like organics can. They do use some droid fighters or space capable drones. And the Alliance does have their own version of the Magnaguard that they use for certain purposes.
Chapter 15- Rescue
(October 10, 2013)
In the hangar bay of the battlecruiser TAS Repulse, pilots race to their fighters. These pilots have just gotten out of their briefings, and the excitement of the mission ahead is bubbling up inside them.
After the official declaration of war against the Empire, the Alliance began preparing for a mission to finally rescue the Vietnamese soldiers trapped on Kashyyyk. They were not yet planning to try and liberate Kashyyyk from the Empire, given how many forces were on the planet, and it would require much more planning.
They had planned their attack to take place when the fleet protecting Kashyyyk would be smallest, right after a portion of the fleet had left the planet for a supply run to Coruscant.
The Alliance had dispatched a task force, led by the Repulse, and comprised of a single Baltimore class Star Destroyer, 5 London class Star Destroyers, a Jutland class heavy cruiser, and 2 Anzio class light cruisers. Their main job was to keep the fleet busy while fighters and shuttles descend to Kashyyyk and get the Vietnamese off the planet.
In the Repulse's hangar bay, Calvin Adams hurries to his personal SF-23. Since joining the ASAT team, he had been trained to fly starfighters, and has gotten to be very good at it. He would be one of the pilots escorting the rescue ships down to the planet's surface.
As Calvin climbs into the cockpit and begins strapping in, he smiles. Finally, those men that have been stranded for 19 years will be rescued.
(Kashyyyk)
Colonel Tran peers around a massive tree trunk, then waves his men forward as he confirms the coast is clear. Finally, the operation that's been in the works for a month is underway.
General Nguyen felt that it was crucial that they throw everything they have at the shuttle depot. A total of 120 Vietnamese combat ready soldiers, as well as 25 Wookiees that have joined them, have been sent to conduct this raid. The depot is guarded by several hundred stormtroopers, as well as several walkers and artillery pieces. But General Nguyen feels confident that they have a chance.
Colonel Tran slowly makes his way through the trees, assault rifle at the ready. He knows that he and his comrades have to succeed here. If this mission fails, it could wipe out most of what remains of the Vietnamese army on Kashyyyk.
He hears rustling behind, and glances behind him to see Major Tanh coming up behind him.
"Do you think we're gonna be able to do this, Colonel?" Tanh asks.
"Yes, Major. We can do this. Thinking about the possibility of failure won't do us any good," Tran says.
"Yes, sir," Tanh says in response.
The Vietnamese continue their trek through the trees until they reach a designated spot, and Colonel Tran raises his hand, signaling for everyone to stop.
The group gathers among the thick trees, the heavy canopy overhead concealing them from being spotted from the air. Tran looks around at his men. "Alright. We're one click out from the depot. I want the snipers to go on ahead and take up their positions while the rest of us wait here. I want a recon report from the snipers before the rest of us move in."
The chosen snipers, numbering 30 men, all nod, then secure their gear before heading off into the trees.
The snipers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Trong, slowly make their way through the trees. Only about fifteen minutes later, they see the trees begin to thin out, and they catch a glimpse of the shuttle depot up ahead.
Trong makes several hand motions, not wanting to speak so close to the shuttle depot in case the Imperials have patrols around depot. The snipers all nod and scatter, moving around the depot to their respective positions before they begin to climb their trees.
Once the snipers are situated high up in the trees, they stop and take out their binoculars. In his tree, Trong adjusts his Republic-issue binoculars to get a closer image, and carefully scans the inside of the shuttle depot.
"Lieutenant Colonel Trong to all snipers. Call in. What do you see?" Trong calls over his radio on a frequency only the snipers are tapped into.
The snipers call in with their reports. After they've all called in, Trong radios back to Colonel Tran, "Colonel Tran, this is Lieutenant Colonel Trong. We're set up around the depot. We can confirm 52 stormtroopers outside the gate itself, at least fifty more patrolling outside, and at least 200 stormtroopers inside. We can also confirm two AT-ST type walkers and one AT-DP type walker protecting the gate outside, and two more AT-DP type walkers inside the depot. Can also confirm mortars inside the walls of the depot. Be aware, we cannot confirm for certain the exact number of stormtroopers inside the depot, nor can we guarantee we are seeing them all. However, I can also confirm one cargo style shuttle on the pad inside the depot."
"Copy that, Trong. Keep on the radio, and await further instructions. We will begin moving towards the depot immediately," Tran says. Trong cuts off the transmission, then settles into position and starts setting up his sniper rifle.
(Orbit)
In orbit above Kashyyyk, a fairly sizable Imperial fleet hangs in a covering position over the planet. Only two days ago, it was twice it's current size of 10 Star Destroyers and 3 Gozanti class cruisers. However, reinforcements will be arriving tomorrow in preparation for a powerful offensive meant to knock out the Vietnamese insurgents.
On the bridge of one of the Star Destroyers, an Imperial admiral is watching out of the viewport when suddenly alarms begin to blare, and a bridge officer shouts, "Admiral! Multiple ships detected emerging from hyperspace!"
The admiral looks back in surprise, then back out at the viewport. Right at that moment, the three Terran cruisers of the task force drop out of hyperspace. Then, one by one, the five Londons drop out of hyperspace, followed by the Baltimore class Star Destroyer TAS Reykjavik, and finally the Repulse.
The admiral stands there for several moments. Then, he shouts, "Terrans!"
As the Imperial crews rush to respond, fighters begin streaming out of the Terran warships as the ships themselves open fire with their turbolasers.
In the hangar bay of the Repulse, Calvin grins as he lifts his SF-23 off the floor of the hangar and begins guiding it out of the hangar bay, followed by an entire wing of SF-23s and a squadron of SA-10s. Finally, at the rear come the 15 shuttles that will be evacuating the Vietnamese troops from Kashyyyk.
Calvin grins as he leads the way forward, the rest of the three squadrons behind him formed up tightly around the shuttles.
As they press on, Calvin sees an SF-23 already diving into Kashyyyk's atmosphere. This particularly fighter, flown by a friend of Calvin's, is carrying reconnaissance equipment, and will be flying recon runs over the planet to try and lock down the location of the Vietnamese troops.
As the force approaches the Imperial ships, which are being hammered by missiles, bombs, proton torpedoes, and turbolaser bolts, Calvin sees a TIE fighter approaching. He pulls the nose of his fighter to the right and fires his laser cannons, destroying the TIE fighter. He then resumes his previous course.
(Surface)
Colonel Tran looks through the underbrush, examining the scene ahead of him. Sure enough, about 50 troopers and three walkers right in front of the gate.
Raising his hand just enough that his men can see it, but it won't be seen by the stormtroopers, he motions forward with it. As he does, a dozen snipers move forward with their sniper rifles and set up in the bushes. Their job is to shoot at and damage the windows of the walkers so that men wielding Soviet built RPG-7 rocket propelled grenade launchers, with the last shots for the RPGs. Originally, they hadn't been incorporated into the plan, but now, given this was an all or nothing mission, General Nguyen decided to go ahead and ordered them to be used. They also came with the bonus of being far more damaging to the walkers.
"Men, do you have your targets?" Tran asks in a whisper.
"Yes, sir," the twelve men whisper back.
"On my mark. Three. Two. One. Mark," Tran says.
The twelve snipers fire, with four snipers targeting each walker. As predicted, the rounds don't fully pierce the windows at this distance. But, they do weaken them considerably.
"RPGs!" Tran calls, raising his voice enough so he can be heard, but not enough to give away their positions.
Three men raise their RPG-7s, and take careful aim. These three men were handpicked for having the best aim among the Vietnamese, as they're gonna need it at this range. They center their targets carefully, then pull the triggers and fire. The three projectiles streak out and strike their targets. One projectile destroys the head of the AT-DP. A second doesn't actually hit the window of the AT-ST it's targeted on, but causes heavy damage to the walker. The third projectile does go through the window and explodes inside, destroying the walker. The one remaining AT-ST, though not fully destroyed, begins to malfunction and soon sags and collapses.
"Open fire!" Tran orders, and all around him and around the depot, Vietnamese soldiers open fire on the stormtroopers protecting the outer walls, while the snipers begin targeting stormtroopers inside the walls.
Chaos descends on the stormtroopers. For a number of tense moments, the troopers have no idea where the attackers are or what to do. After what seems like half an hour to them, but is closer to half a minute, the troopers patrolling around the depot retreat back towards the gate, while troopers inside the walls head towards the gate, as do the two AT-DPs. The troopers begin to return fire, firing wildly into the trees where the Vietnamese bullets and blaster bolts are coming from. Most of the Imperial blaster bolts completely miss or hit trees, while an occasional bolt hits one of the Vietnamese troops. However, in the space of just three minutes, they've killed almost all of the troopers outside the base, while losing only four of their own.
Then, the gates into the base open, and the two AT-DPs walk out, with stormtroopers swarming out around them. The troopers begin to fire their blasters into the trees, and a split second later, the two AT-DPs open fire. Their much heavy bolts tear through the branches and slam into the grounds, causing explosions that kill several Vietnamese soldiers and knock more of them flying.
Colonel Tran curses under his breath, knowing that they've used up the last of their RPG-7 rounds. He calls out, "I need grenade launchers! We need to take out those walkers!"
Several Vietnamese soldiers holding grenade launchers or with launchers attached to their assault rifles hurry forward. However, right as they are about to fire, they hear the sound of engines overhead, then the sound of a buzzsaw. A split second later, large glowing tracer rounds streak down around the Imperial formation, tearing through the armor of the AT-DPs with seeming ease and killing dozens of stormtroopers.
The Vietnamese look up, and their mouths drop open as they see a pair of SA-10s pull out of their dives. Then, two more SA-10s dive down, dropping bombs on the remaining stormtroopers. Since the troopers are clustered so close together, the bombs kill the remaining troopers.
The Vietnamese begin cheering at the top of their lungs. Then, they hear the sound of more engines, and look up to see the Terran shuttles descending towards them.
"Let's move, men!" Colonel Tran shouts loud enough for any Vietnamese soldier around the depot to hear him. The snipers begin making their way down from the trees, and all of the men, as well as the Wookkiees accompanying them, make their way out of the trees.
The shuttles begin to set down around the depot, their backs opening up to allow the Vietnamese aboard. The soldiers race towards the shuttles, relief flooding through them as they know their 19 years on Kashyyyk are over.
As Colonel Tran races aboard one of the shuttles, he hurries towards the cockpit. As he gets near it, he shouts, "I'm taking that Imperial shuttle! Not all of our group are here! I need to go pick them up!"
"Understood! I'll radio our fighters and have a few of them escort you!" the French pilot yells back.
Tran races back out of the shuttle, one of the other Vietnamese soldiers accompanying him. They hurry into the base and race up to the Imperial shuttle. A few remaining Imperial officers and stormtroopers try to resist, but are killed quickly.
Tran and the other Vietnamese soldier hurry aboard the shuttle and race into the cockpit. They quickly power up the shuttle, and once the engines reach full power, raise the ramp in the back and lift the shuttle off the ground.
Tran turns the shuttle in the direction of the Vietnamese base. As they go, they can see the Terran shuttles beginning to lift back off the ground and head back up into orbit. At the same time, they see five SF-23s taking up a protective formation around them.
Tran flies the shuttle back to the Vietnamese base and sets it down just outside the caves. He keeps the engines running, but lowers the back ramp before he and the other Vietnamese soldier race out of the shuttle.
The two of them hurry into the caves. When they reach the main chamber, they find the remaining members of the Vietnamese insurgency all gathered in the chamber.
"Come on, guys! The Alliance has come for us, and we have a shuttle right outside the caves! Let's go, people!" Tran says. Everyone seems too surprised to register what he just said. It takes Tran repeating himself for the remaining men to start cheering and gathering up their equipment and everything they'll need to take with them.
Within five minutes, the rest of the men follow Tran out of the caves and board the shuttle. Tran returns to the cockpit, and once all of the Vietnamese troops are aboard, he raises the ramp and lifts the shuttle off the ground.
As he pulls the shuttle up and starts heading up and out of the atmosphere, the SF-23s form up around the shuttle. They then hear on their radio, "Attention, shuttle. This is Captain Calvin Adams, Terran Alliance. I'm now pulling in front of you." Right at that moment, an SF-23 pulls directly in front of the shuttle.
"Follow me once we get into orbit. We'll keep the TIE fighters off of you and escort you to your ship," Calvin says over the radio.
"Understood," Tran responds over the radio.
As they ascend out of the atmosphere, several TIE fighters streak down to attack them. Calvin blasts two of them to pieces with his laser cannons, and one of the other Black Widow pilots destroys the last with a missile.
As they continue their flight, the space battle comes into view. Tran's eyes widen as he watches the battle unfolding. All three Gozanti class cruisers have been destroyed, as have two of the Imperial class Star Destroyers. The remaining Imperial Star Destroyers have all taken damage. None of the Terran warships have been destroyed, but all of their cruisers and one of the Star Destroyers have been damaged.
Tran weaves his way through turbolaser fire between the two sides as Calvin guides him back to the Repulse. Tran guides the shuttle into the hangar bay and sets it down alongside several other Terran shuttles that have brought the Vietnamese soldiers to the fleet.
With Tran's shuttle arriving on the Repulse, all the Vietnamese troops remaining on Kashyyyk have been successfully evacuated. The commander of the task force, Admiral Nikolai Yemenov, orders the retreat. The fighters of the task force that are not equipped with hyperdrives return to their ships. Then, one by one, the ships of the task force turn around, and then make the jump to hyperspace, followed by the fighters.
As the ships make their jumps to hyperspace, General Nguyen finally feels at ease for the first time in almost 2 decades. At last, they're on their way home.
And, I'll end there.
So, the Vietnamese insurgency on Kashyyyk is finally over, and those brave men are on their way home. Hope you liked this chapter.
Also, quick note related to my account. If you guys like either Marvel or the Hunger Games series, you may want to go check out my story Avengers of Panem, which I've finally resumed work on.
So, my finals are almost done. Therefore, I aim to have another chapter uploaded by the end of the week. Until it is up, leave a review, and stay tuned!