Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter. I got this up sooner than I thought, as I already had it entirely planned out, and I wrote it much faster than I thought. I'll try and get at least one chapter up a week, as I'll probably be able to do some writing during dead times at work, and I promise I'll have this story finished by the end of the first week of December at the latest.
So, this will be a much shorter chapter than last one, and will just cover Thrawn's attack on Anaxes and the formal Imperial surrender.
Let's get to it.
1049: Yes.
pervysage: Maybe. Haha
RicoRodriguez2018: Well, the Terran Alliance does have a flag. However, the nations and planets of the Alliance still retain much of their sovereignty. I mean, you wouldn't see NATO members during a NATO operation raising the NATO flag instead of their own. Plus, personal pride I think would prefer troops raising their own flag instead of the Alliance's flag. Soldiers can be territorial that way.
Guest: Yes, Calvin will have another kid, though not for some time.
Guest: I've never really watched anime. As for the Type 74, the JGSDF still has over 500 of them, more than either of their other types of tanks. And the 10th Division still uses the Type 74.
Chapter 81- Surrender
(February 26, 2019)
Thrawn clutches the railing as the bridge shakes from a volley of turbolaser fire from an Imperial Star Destroyer.
Task Forces 36 and 42, along with a few ships from the New Republic fleet, had jumped away from Coruscant the previous day after learning of the surrender of the final intact Imperial division on Coruscant. They had arrived at Anaxes just a few hours ago. They had found the Imperial fleet they expected, which was reportedly led by Admiral Drommel. The fleet numbered 57 ships, mainly Star Destroyers, but led by a Bellator class dreadnought. A further 48 Star Destroyers are down on the planet either undergoing construction or repairs at the various facilities on the planet.
Thrawn's goal for this mission is twofold. One was to destroy the Imperial fleet as a final message to the Empire and kill Admiral Drommel. And the second was to capture the ships on the planet.
Thrawn sees a flight of four TIE bombers heading straight for the bridge on a bombing run. However, before they can even get close, a Space Sparrow launcher launches a pair of Space Sparrows, destroying two of the bombers. The last two bombers are then blown to dust by CIWS batteries near the bridge.
"Send an order to the Hammer Squadron to make another run against that dreadnought to try and lower their shields," Thrawn orders.
On the opposite side of the battlefield, among the Imperial fleet, Jonathan smiles as he weaves through volleys of laser fire from both Imperial ships and TIE fighters. A TIE fighter tries to pull in on his tail, but Abigail streaks in and quickly blows it apart with her laser cannons.
"You just can't stop saving my ass, can you, Abigail?" Jonathan asks Abigail over the radio over the squadron frequency.
"Well, you take me on a really nice date once this is over, and we'll call it good," Abigail responds.
"Keep the flirting off the radio, lovebirds," Sharvit says over the radio in a tone of amusement. Since the entire squadron saw their kiss prior to the Battle of Coruscant, they haven't been as shy about hiding their affection from the squadron, although some of their squadronmates have teased them about being annoyed when they flirt over the radio while flying.
"Yes, sir," Jonathan replies with a chuckle.
Suddenly, the voice of a controller on the Freedom comes over the radio, saying, "Hammer Squadron, this is the Freedom. Grand Admiral Thrawn wants you to make an attack on that dreadnought and attempt to lower its shields."
"Copy that. Hammers, let's go," Sharvit calls over the radio.
Jonathan snaps his fighter into a hard right turn towards the dreadnought. All 18 SF-15s streak towards the dreadnought. A number of TIE fighters attempt to intercept them, but are quickly engaged by SF-23s of the 352nd and a few X-Wings operated by a Terran squadron.
As they streak towards the ship, Sharvit calls over the radio and says, "All of you, focus on the shield generators with your Mavericks. Once you've expended those hammer away as best as you can with your torpedoes."
"Starting my run," Jonathan says as he dives towards the ship, Abigail right off his wing. Both of them lock their missiles and ripple fire all of their Mavericks.
Each SF-15 in the squadron makes its run, trying to hit the shield generators contained within the ship. By the time the last Space Eagle pulls away, they've destroyed one generator and gotten close to damaging two more.
Jonathan loops back around, ready to hit his target one more time. He and Abigail both lock and fire half of their proton torpedoes. As they pull out of their runs, they see the torpedoes breach through the hull and destroy the shield generators.
"Another generator down!" Jonathan calls over the radio as he barrel rolls to avoid a laser bolt.
From his SF-15, Captain Sharvit calls out, "Freedom, this is Captain Sharvit! Shields are down! Repeat, shields are down!"
"Copy that," the controller responds.
Jonathan continues engaging TIE fighters around the dreadnought, shooting down six more, bringing his kill total for the day to 17. Then, glancing towards the friendly fleet, he says four blasts from the Yamato heading straight for them.
"Get clear!" he calls over the radio. The squadron scatters quickly before the blasts hit. Two of them hit a damaged Victory II class Star Destroyer, destroying it, while the other two tear apart the bow of the dreadnought.
Jonathan quickly glances around, and sees that there is a small gap in the Imperial fleet leading straight to the dreadnought. Looking back to the Terran fleet, he sees two Star Destroyers, two New Republic MC80 cruisers, and the battlecruisers Challenger and Repulse moving towards the gap.
The two Star Destroyers and two MC80s open fire on the ships on either side of the gap, trying to keep the gap open and force it further apart if they can. Their fire keeps the gap open, and the two battlecruisers move through it.
The Challenger and Repulse separate and open fire at the same moment, their hundreds and hundreds of turbolasers and ion cannons firing relentlessly at the dreadnought.
The dreadnought attempts to return fire, but with her shields lowered, her weapons are being destroyed one after the other. As they continue to fire their turbolasers, both battlecruisers launch a volley of Starhawk cruise missiles at the dreadnought. A few missiles are destroyed by turbolaser fire, but 183 Starhawks tear into the hull of the dreadnought.
As hundreds of turbolaser bolts continue to hammer the dreadnought over and over, Jonathan and Abigail fly underneath the massive ship. Glancing up at her belly, Jonathan sees that the fire from the two battlecruisers have hammered away the dome under the ship covering the reactor, leaving the reactor almost exposed.
"Abigail, looks like the reactor dome's about to give way. What say we hit it and blow this ship up?" Jonathan says.
"Sounds good to me. Let's go!" she calls over the radio.
Both snap their fighters into a tight turn, turning back to the reactor dome. Centering their noses towards it, they each fire off the rest of their proton torpedoes before turning away and diving towards the planet below.
Each of the torpedoes hit home, and together they completely destroy the reactor. The reactor's destruction quickly sets off a chain reaction throughout the ship that tears the dreadnought apart.
"Yahoo!" Jonathan calls over the radio as he pulls back up and slightly to the left to re-engage the Imperial fleet.
Aboard the Freedom, Thrawn is watching the unfolding battle with growing satisfaction. Already, half of the Imperial fleet has been destroyed. It won't be much longer before they will have destroyed the entire fleet and captured the warships down on the surface.
(March 18, 2019)
In the hangar bay of the Freedom, Ahsoka looks around at everyone who has assembled. Today is a great day. Today is the day on which the Galactic Civil War will officially end, with the signing of the Galactic Concordance.
Many dignitaries of military officials have come from Earth and other member worlds of the Terran Alliance, as well as from the New Republic. They have gathered in the hangar bay of the Freedom, along with representatives of the Empire, to sign the Galactic Concordance, the official surrender document.
The last few weeks have been dedicated to preparing for peace and setting the terms of surrender. The agreed upon terms have resulted in the Empire being forced to demilitarize and confining them to their territory in the Deep Core, although some Terran officials had advocated for the complete dissolution of the Empire. The New Republic now has control over all of the known galaxy outside the Deep Core. The Empire has also been forced to hand over much of their military equipment, including much of their remaining fleet, to the New Republic, though some of their ships have also been given over to the Terran Alliance as war prizes. Coruscant will be elft under the control of the Terran Alliance for one yhear to allow them to clean out remnants of the Empire on the planet before being handed over to the New Republic, and although Mas Amedda is being allowed to remain the head of a provisional government on the planet, he is a really just a powerless figurehead.
The surrender ceremony has been a security nightmare. Political leaders from the Terran Alliance have come to Coruscant for the surrender ceremony, including Obama.
Now, Ahsoka is assembled with other members of the Terran Jedi Order to watch the surrender ceremony. Looking over, she sees the signatories for the Allied side. She then looks across to where the Imperial delegation is assembled. The Imperial delegation is much smaller, comprising just Mas Amedda, Grand General Malcor Brashin, Director Sollaine, the commander of the ISB, and Ardus Kaine, the Grand Moff over the Coruscant sector.
Finally, Rommel steps forward to speak. Rommel was designated to give a speech prior to the signing, due to the fact he had been assigned as the overseer of the Terran occupation in the Andromeda Galaxy, his rank, and the fact he had fought in the Clone Wars.
Stepping up to the microphone, Rommel looks out over everyone who is assembled and says, "Today, we are gathered here to end the most destructive war in a thousand years. At last, the guns are silent. At last, peace has begun to settle on this galaxy. After five and a half years of war, at last the wrongs of the Empire have been righted."
"I first set foot in this galaxy 27 years ago during the Clone Wars. For over two years, I fought for the freedom of this galaxy, only for it to be taken by the very government I was fighting alongside. The greed of hunger for power of one man has devastated both of our galaxies. But now, I speak for the untold millions of individuals, both Terrans and people of these galaxy, who have passed on to whatever awaits us after death, and express my gratitude that this war has finally come to an end. Democracy at last has been restored to this galaxy."
"From the very beginning of time, individuals of all races have sought for peace. For freedom. After years of fighting and so many lives lost, both peace and freedom have been restored to this galaxy. Despite the longing of people of this galaxy for peace and freedom, the only path to it has been war and bloodshed. I pray that this day, all who have lost their lives in the Clone Wars and this great war fighting against evil may know that at last their sacrifice has not been vain, and the goal they fought for has finally been achieved. I pray they may rest easy at last."
"Now, from here on the TAS Freedom over Coruscant, I invite all who hear these words today and in the coming days to head my call to continue to preserve freedom wherever it is in jeopardy. The Terran Alliance will always be a friend to those who seek the cause of freedom, and the New Republic will bring peace to this galaxy. I now invite the delegations who have gathered here today to come forward and finally bring an end to this war," Rommel says, concluding his speech.
Both delegations move closer to the table that holds the instruments of surrender. Then, Mas Amedda walks up to the table and sits down. Picking up a pen, he signs on the indicated line on each of the pages. He then stands up and steps back. One by one, Brashin, Sollaine, and Kaine all step forward and sign in the proper spots on the documents.
Then, Obama steps forward and sits down at the table, signing on behalf of the entire Terran Alliance. He is followed by Mon Mothma, who signs on behalf of the New Republic. Obama is followed by representatives from each of the other member worlds of the Terran Alliance. Then, Isolder comes forward to sign as the representative of the Hapes Consortium. Given their alliance with the Rebellion in the final year of the war, they had been awarded this honor. Then, Bo-Katan comes forward to sign on behalf of the Mandalorian resistance. Then, Admiral Ackbar, General Hera Syndulla and General Rieekan sign on behalf of the New Republic's military, followed by Luke signing as the head of the New Jedi Order. Then, Thrawn sits down and signs the document as the representative of the Terran Starfleet, followed by Rommel signing as the representative of the Terran Army. Finally, last of all, Plo Koon steps forward and signs the documents on behalf of the Terran Jedi Order.
The delegations return to their positions, and Rommel returns to the microphone. Looking out over everyone gathered, Rommel says, "I hereby declare these proceedings are closed."
Cheering and clapping breaks out across the hangar. The Imperial delegation is soon taken back to the surface aboard a Lambda class shuttle.
In the hangar of the Freedom, a celebration begins. Many people figured that after everything that had happened, the people who had fought for so long deserved to have a time to celebrate.
In one corner of the hangar a barbecue starts. Everyone is acting very informally. Obama himself is chatting with a couple of officers while waiting in line for hot dogs. Rommel is speaking to a few American sailors about their favorite books while they're all chowing down on steak. Thrawn, who had been introduced to the Earth "sport" of arm wrestling, is having an arm wrestling contest with Major Ronen.
In another corner of the hangar, Ezra and Sabine are talking. The two had become quite close since they met again on Earth, and as the war went on, had even developed a bit of a romance.
"At last, the war is ever," Sabine says. After a moment, she says, "Now that the war is ever, what do you plan to do?"
"Well, I have a good life back on Earth. I think it would be the best for me back on Earth. But, I think that's partially up to you," Ezra says.
"What do you mean?" Sabine asks.
Ezra smiles. "I missed you so much when I was brought here. And ever since we saw each other again, and the time we've spent together…you're such a big part of my life. And I want you to stay that way," he says.
Then, to Sabine's surprise, Ezra gets down on one knee in front of her, pulling a simple diamond ring out of his pocket. He then looks up at her and asks, "Sabrine Wren, will you please marry me?"
Sabine stands there, shocked. Even though some romantic feelings had developed between them since they met again on Earth, she had never expected something like this. She is silent for so long that Ezra starts to become worried. But, as she thinks, something about it just feels right. So, eventually, right when Ezra is about to say something, she says, "Yes, I will."
Ezra beams at her. He then holds out the ring as Sabine removes her glove on her right hand, and Ezra slides the ring onto her hand. He then stands up, and the two kiss. They had kissed once before, but it was a short kiss. This time, it's passionate kiss, both conveying their feeling for each other. Sailors and officers around them cheer as they witness this.
A short distance away, Luke and Kelly are watching this, smiling. Both of them have gotten to know both Ezra and Sabine well over the last few years. After a few moments, they turn ot each other, and Kelly says, "They're going to make a cute couple."
"I agree," Luke says with a smile.
After a few moments, Kelly asks, "Well, now that the war is over, what do you think is in store for us?"
Luke smiles. "Well, I think we should take at least a year or two to try and be a normal married couple. Then, we can begin working on training a new Jedi Order, and maybe, in couple more years, maybe we can think about having kids of our own," he says. Kelly smiles and kisses him in response, and the two look back out at everyone gathered in the hangar bay, glad that the war is finally over.
And, I'll end there. Hope you liked this chapter.
I hope liked Rommel's speech. I based a few lines off General MacArthur's speech at Japanese surrender ceremony in 1945. I also hope all people I had signing the documents made sense.
So, according to many reviews I have received requesting this, I decided to go ahead and pair Ezra and Sabine, as I honestly do like that ship. I will also confirm they will eventually have a kid who will be an important character in the sequel trilogy story.
Now, while the war is over, there will be one more military operation that will take place next chapter, which will actually feature the return of a fan favorite Legends character who has appeared in this story before. After that, we'll get to the chapters that will wrap up this story and start to set up a host of EU stories. For those who may be wondering about them, I'm going to put a list of my planned EU stories at the end of the last chapter so you guys know what to expect. I have about half a dozen I currently am planning to publish between this story and the next big one.
Next chapter will be up as soon as I can get it up.