Chapter 6: The battle of Crait
Ackbar stood on the bridge of the Raddus when one of his men approached.
"Admiral, we have an incoming transmission."
"Put it through."
An image of Finn appeared.
"Admiral! The First Order is on its way!"
"What?"
"The Eclipse is coming with a fleet!"
Everyone on the bridge turned to Ackbar.
"I see."
On Crait, Leia was with all of the officers as they saw Ackbar's hologram.
"We don't have the fuel to move everyone off the planet." Madine said.
"General." Another officer said as everyone turned to Leia.
"We fight them." Poe said, the others turning to him.
"We send out the call, that it's now or never, we all stand up to the First Order now, we take out the Eclipse, we kill Snoke , we're the spark that will light the fire, that will burn the First Order to the ground." Poe said.
"Be quite." Madine said.
"No, no , Captain Dameron is right. Ackbar, send out another call. Tell them if they don't stand with the Resistance now, then all hope of defeating the First Order dies with us." Leia said before turning to her officers.
"I want everyone who can walk with a blaster in hand, every vehicle that can move I want modified to fight, I want those trenches and guns ready."
Leia turned to Poe.
"Don't just sit there, we're going to need our best pilot up for the space battle." Poe smiled.
"Yes ma'am."
Finn and Rose's shuttle came out of hyperspace and landed on Crait, the door opening as the four inside came out.
"Finn, you're alive!" Poe shouted as he came over and hugged Finn.
"Did you do it?"
"No." Finn said as Poe's expression changed.
"What?"
"DJ double crossed us, he told them where we are."
"No, no no."
Ackbar saw the last of their fighters fly from their ships and from the planet and join him.
Poe was with his squadron as Ackbar gave a hard look.
"Sir we're detecting hyperspace signatures."
Ackbar tightened his grip before something else happened.
Poe and the others saw in amazement a massive fleet of various ships exit hyperspace.
Dozens were republic remnant cruisers , corvettes, and capital ships, they were also joined by dozens of almost J shaped Nova-cruisers and u shaped fighters.
They were also joined by dozens of other grey ships.
Three holograms appeared before Ackbar.
"This is Vice Admiral Holdo of the republic navy. I've gathered our remaining fleets, we're here to help you."
"This is Isolder, Royal high commander of the Hapes Consortium, our fleets are at your service."
"This is Bomo Greenback of the alliance of independent systems. We will stand beside you."
Poe shouted in excitement as Chewie roared.
Ackbar smiled.
"The galaxy stands behind us." Ackbar said.
Ackbar began positioning their combined armada into a large defensive manner as thousands of the soldiers came down to the planet.
Finn and Rose were with general Madine as they saw the grey uniformed Hapes soldiers with the republic soldiers and thousands of alien soldiers with battle droids.
They had some light vehicles as well.
"So what's the plan sir?" Rose asked.
"Hopefully our fleet can hold them off. In any case we need to prepare our defenses. Fill the trenches, prepare the speeders, see if you can help them."
In orbit, Ackbar was with the other commanders.
"They're going to come right at us, use their dreadnoughts and the Eclipse to try and wipe our entire groups of ships. The alliance ships will hold the center of the line, draw their fire away from the rest of the fleet. The Hapes and republic ships will move in a pincer movement, hit those dreadnoughts before they can wipe us out."
"What about the Eclipse's Axial gun?" Poe asked.
"We still have the ship's schematics, we've located some weak points along the gun, if we can hit them enough with our bombers we can temporarily take the gun offline, long enough to give us a chance. Poe I need you to get our bombers to those targets."
"We can do that." Poe said, Chewie roaring.
As the armada got into position Ackbar sat in his commander's chair.
"Men, woman, all of us are defenders of freedom. We are the hope of the galaxy, our stand today will show the First Order that the galaxy does not accept their rule, that we chose freedom. We stand not as Resistance, Republic, Hapes, or separatists, but we stand as the people of the galaxy. We've faced worse odds than this and come out on top. We stood up to the empire at Endor, at Jakku, now here on Crait, we will go down in history today."
"Sir , fleet incoming, very , very big."
They saw the First Order ships drop out of hyperspace, they saw over a dozen resurgent class star destroyers backed up by corvettes, light cruisers, heavy cruisers, two dreadnoughts and the monster ship, the Eclipse.
Onboard the Eclipse , Thrawn was standing on the bridge with holograms of the various commanders in his armada.
"Rear admiral Yultz reporting in. Rear admiral Pellaeon reporting in. Vice admiral Daala reporting in."
"You all have my battle battle plan, execute it. I will issue further orders as needed." Thrawn said as his commander's saluted before their holograms vanished.
The First Order Armada slowly moved in as hundreds of Tie fighters were deployed.
Poe lead the hundreds of fighters forward.
"Stay close everyone, we need to draw the attention of the enemy fleet to the center so our forces can out flank them."
Admiral Yultz was onboard his star destroyer on the left wing.
"They're trying to draw us in close to the center, likely to out flank us, dreadnought Crusher use your guns on the center from a distance, we won't over extend ourselves to be out flanked. Make them come to us." Yultz said as the dreadnought began charging its main guns.
Admiral Holdo and her ships were moving in the pincer movement like Ackbar instructed, but Holdo could see the First Order ships along the left flank weren't taking the bait.
"Admiral Ackbar, they're not moving into the center." She said in concern.
"Captain Dameron, get in there and draw those ships into the center." Ackbar said as Poe and his squadron flew at the First Order left wing.
"Fighters incoming." Poe said as a squadron of Tie fighters flew into them.
A fierce melee broke out as Poe and his pilots tried to get through.
Holdo saw the resurgent star destroyers moving outside of the dreadnought which had multiple corvettes and cruisers guarding around it.
"Those capital ships are in our ship's way, captain Dameron you'll have to hit the power regulator with the bombers." Holdo said.
Poe blew apart two Tie fighters as Chewie and his wingman cleared up another three.
"We're trying." Poe said looking over his squadron list , seeing he had lost five fighters already.
The Y-wing Mk2s were still safe though.
"Hives, you and half the squadron keep those Ties busy, the rest of you follow me." Poe said.
Poe moved with his pilots as they tried to get closer to the dreadnought.
However, as they did they ran into a furry of fire from the corvettes, the cruisers, and the dreadnought's surface guns.
"Fire!" The captain of the Crusher shouted as its underside cannons fired into the center of the alliance fleet, destroying three of their cruisers.
"Too might fire!" Poe's wingman shouted as two of his fighters were blown apart and two bombers were also hit.
Poe tightened his grip as he looked at this, remembering the last time he attacked a dreadnought like this.
"No, we'll all be killed." Poe said.
"No problem, we'll clear you a path." Holdo said as she moved her Mon calmari cruisers in front of the rest of her ships.
"Full power to shields."
Yultz saw this, the blasts from their star destroyers being absorbed.
"No no no! Fighters and corvettes scatter!" He shouted.
Several U shaped cruisers came up in between the mon calamari cruisers and began firing long range missiles that went past the star destroyers.
"Shoot them down!" Yultz shouted before the missiles hit groups of tie fighters and the corvettes near the dreadnought.
"B-wings now." Holdo said as three squadrons of B-wings flew from below at the underside of the dreadnought and the cruisers.
"Everybody into the breach." Poe said as he and his fighters began shooting down the scattered Tie fighters.
With the corvettes disabled, the republic B-wings unleashed their payloads into the light and heavy cruisers around the dreadnought while Poe and his fighters came from above.
"Y-wings move in!" Poe shouted as his light bombers flew in while Poe and his fighters drew the fire from the surface cannons.
The Y-wings unleashed their proton torpedoes into the regulator as the B-wings came around and hit the sides of the dreadnought. The regulator exploded as the ship shook from interior explosions, its main weapons and shields offline.
"She's down!" Poe shouted as Holdo smiled.
"Move the frigates in." She said as their capital ships continued to act as a shield against the star destroyers.
Several Nebulon-C frigates and heavy bombers flew through the breach and began hitting the damaged cruisers and dreadnought. Chewie roaring as he lead a pair of Y-wings to the dreadnought bridge, the two blasting it with proton torpedoes as the frigates and heavy bombers hit the ship and the escort cruisers.
"One dreadnought down!" Poe shouted.
"Excellent, now take out the other one." Ackbar said as Poe and his squadron moved to the other wing.
"We can handle the rest of these ships." Holdo said as BB-8 beeped in excitement.
Poe and his squadron saw another blast from the second dreadnought hit the alliance center, destroying three more of their cruisers.
"Can you people take down that damn ship! We're getting torn to pieces out here." Bomo shouted.
Poe and his squadron saw the Hapes consortium fleet engaging with the First Order right flank.
They flew alongside the Nova battle cruisers and the interceptor fighters.
"We're trying." Isolder said as Poe saw the formation of the First Order ships, the dreadnought in the center of the formation moving in an almost diagonal manner.
Rear admiral Pellaeon was on the bridge of his command ship as he battled the Hapes consortium.
Two of his vanguard star destroyers tore apart a pair of Nova cruisers trying to out flank them.
"Keep the pressure not he flank, don't let them get around us. dreadnought Force what's the status?"
"We're at forty-percent charge."
"Then don't waste time talking to me. Continue as ordered."
"Do you have any missile cruisers?" Poe asked.
"No." Isolder said.
Poe saw the ship was well guarded and there were plenty of corvettes around the edge of the formation.
That was when Poe saw the guns charging and had another idea.
"Isolder, concentrate your fire on those corvettes."
"We can't get too close or their destroyers will tear us apart." Isolder said.
"We just need their attention away from us." Poe said as his squadron and the some of the Hapes bombers flew beside their own Y-wings.
The corvettes were moving from the fire of the Hapes ships as the Tie fighters came down.
There as much less fire below the ship.
"The regulator is at the top sir?" One Pilot asked.
"We're not going for the regulator." Poe said as the tie fighters got more intense.
Poe blew apart an Tie fighter as it flew in front of him only to be hit by one from behind.
"I'm hit." Poe shouted as Chewie roared trying to help him, only to be hit himself.
Two more of their fighters were shot down before Poe saw another three fighters fly in front of him. BB-8 chirping in fear.
However, several blue blasts hit the Tie fighters and blew them apart.
Poe saw dozens of Hapes fighters join the fight.
"Captain Wells Forsen, we're here to help." Poe heard as the Hapes fighters began sweeping through and blowing apart more Tie fighters.
"Bombers with me!" Poe shouted as his fighters and the Hapes bombers flew at the underside of the dreadnought.
"Fire on those guns!" Poe shouted as the Y-wings and Hapes bombers began pounding the sides of the main guns with their torpedoes.
The guns surged and began rattling.
"Move around, get topside!"
With the corvettes still taking distance fire from the Hapes Nova cruisers, Poe and his ships were able to come around and hit the regulator.
"Get clear!"
The guns had been fully charged , and with the regulator destroyed, the guns overloaded and a massive explosion blew apart dreadnought, the explosion damaging several corvettes and cruisers near it.
"Now!" Isolder shouted as a few of his ships moved closer and began firing into the damaged cruisers, destroying them.
"Both dreadnoughts down, both dreadnoughts down!" Poe shouted as the crew of the Raddus screamed in excitement.
Ackbar smiling.
"Sir the Eclipse is almost in range." an ensign said.
"Poe, you need to hit the Eclipse now."
"I copy, I need every bomber and interceptor to come with me." Poe said as he and his ships flew towards the center of the First Order armada.
Onboard the Eclipse Thrawn looked out at the battle.
He saw the ships in their center moving forward.
"Vice admiral Daala here, we're pushing the enemy center closer together."
"We're almost in position." Admiral Yultz said.
"As are we." Pellaeon said.
Thrawn looked at the distance emulator and saw the Eclipse was nearly in range of the enemy center.
He kept his calm and calculating demeanor as he continued to watch the battle.
Hux came up beside him.
"It isn't right, Ren is a traitor, he murdered our supreme leader." Hux said.
"You shouldn't speak that way about our new emperor."
Hux turned to Thrawn.
"Does loyalty mean nothing to you Chiss?" Hux said as Thrawn turned to him, not saying anything, just staring at Hux who began to regret what he said as he swallowed.
"My loyalty lies with those who earn it."
"And Ren has earned it?"
"He has."
"Why?"
"Snoke reminded me too much of Palpatine, I never truly trusted him. Kylo is much like his grandfather, a man of action, a man who understands the galaxy he intends to rule, he is willing to lead his men into battle from the front." Hux turned back to the battle.
"It will all end here, it must. They've gathered the violent and corrupt fools from across the galaxy. "
"Better they did, it saves us the trouble of stamping them all out."
"They've wiped out our dreadnoughts, I thought you had this under control?"
"Who said I didn't." Thrawn said as Hux turned to him.
"You are far too short sighted general Hux, a real commander must understand his enemy, know the way they think, their mindset, what inspires them, drives them. If once does this, then you will know every move they will make before they make them."
That was when Hux noticed two officers enter the bridge, they ere both naval captains, eh recognized them as the captains of the Force and Crusher.
Confused, Hux went over to one of the scopes on the bridge and ordered the man there to zoom in on the wreckage of one of the dreadnoughts, he saw no bodies in space, just the remains of droids. Hux now looked even more confused.
Poe and his fighters got closer to the Eclipse the black super star destroyer filling up their entire sight.
More Tie fighters came at them as an ocean of fire flew from the thousands of guns on the Eclipse.
"Hug the ship!" Poe shouted as his fighters did their best to clear a path through the fighters and avoid the many corvettes above the Eclipse.
The fighters and bombers flew across the center of the ship along the axial gun.
Fire still came at them, but it had lessened greatly.
"We just need to follow the gun to the regulators near the bridge." Poe said as Chewie roared.
"Just like the trench run on the death star!" Poe shouted in excitement.
Fighters still came down at them as Chewie flew up at them with several fighters.
"Keep them off us." Poe shouted as he fired at fighters coming at them from the front.
Chewie growled as several of their fighters were shot down by the Tie fighters.
Chewie doing his best to hold them off.
Ackbar watched as the Eclipse got closer.
"Captain Dameron it's now or never!"
"Poe saw the target area in front of him."
"Bombers now!" Poe shouted before a series of blue blasts destroyed an entire wing of their bombers.
Poe's eyes widened as he saw a squadron of more rectangular shaped advanced Tie silencers.
Kylo Ren sat in the cockpit of the lead silencer.
"Follow my lead." Kylo said as Marik and several other Knights of Ren followed him. The silencers spinning as they unleashed more blue blasts, tearing apart Poe's squadron and several bombers.
"Arkorous with me." Kylo said as one of the Silencers came with him over Poe.
BB-9 beeped in excitement as he saw from the ship exterior, Kylo and his wingman shoot down over twelve bombers.
"No!" Poe screamed as Chewie also roared.
The Silencers were joined by dozens of Tie fighters that tore through the bombers, shooting every one down before they could launch a single torpedo.
"No no no!" Poe screamed, he and Chewie the only ones able to get away from the Eclipse in one piece.
Hux stood in amazement as Thrawn gave a slight smile.
"Admiral Yultz, my ships are in position."
"Admiral Pellaeon, my ships are in position."
"Admiral Daala, my ships are in position."
Ackbar saw this , his mouth dropped open.
"Admiral!" He heard one of his men shout, the old Calimari turning to the map of the area , he then saw in horror that the First Order had managed to surround their blockade entirely, his own plan had been used against him but more effectively.
"Thrawn, of course." Ackbar said.
"Orders sir? Order sir!?" Ackbar's men shouted sounding terrified as Ackbar stayed silent.
"Sir, enemy flagship is in range."
"Fire." Thrawn said calmly as the axial gun lit up green before the end unleashed a massive green beam that turned five alliance ships in its path to dust.
Ackbar closed his eyes and lowered his head before the axial blast shattered the Radius's shields and turned the ship and everybody to dust.
The Eclipse unleashed a hurricane of blue blasts from its thousands of guns, joined by the dozens of resurgent class star destroyers and other cruisers all around the blockade.
Poe couldn't breath as he and Chewie saw their coalition armada get torn apart.
Admiral Holdo saw an ocean of turbo lasers from Yutlz's ships before the blasts tore her and her ship apart.
Isolder saw Pellaeon's ships at his flanks and sighed before they tore Isolder and the Hapes ships apart.
Bona Greenback saw the center of the First Order armada bearing down on him and sat down.
Daala's ships unleashed their barrage, blowing every separatist ship apart.
Onboard the Eclipse Hux and most of the helmsmen were chanting in excitement.
"Ha ha ha, you've done it Thrawn. You've wiped them all out! The Resistance, the Republic remnant, rebels, all of them."
Thrawn turned to Hux.
"I've done my duty, the rest is up to you."
Hux nodded.
"Prepare all ground forces, this destructive conflict ends now. Peace and prosperity will finally be restored to the galaxy." Hux said.
Kylo and his fellow knights of Ren looked at the ruins of the enemy armada.
"It's beautiful." Marik said.
"We're not done yet."
"So let's blow them to hell from orbit." One said.
"No." Kylo said.
"His daughter could be down there. We have to do it the hard way." Arkorous said.
"More like the fun way." Marik said.
Poe and Chewie flew with a handful of fighters all in damaged X-wings flew down to Crait.
There was a great silence among them.
"Let's get down there, the battle has only just begun." Poe said.
On the planet's surface, Leia and the others looked up at the sky with grim expressions.
Leia lowered her head before turning to her officers.
"Why are you just sitting there, we still have time to prepare." She said.
Author's note
The final battle has begun, only one chapter left
So until next time,
Please review, comment, suggest, or ask(VIA PM)
and merry christmas
