Disclaimer: I do not own SWTOR or anything in the Star Wars Franchise which is being killed by Disney. Its very sad.
AdmiralF.: Here it is! Part or as I now want to call it Episode 1 of the Battle of Mandalore! Fire over Mandalore!
BATTLE OF MANDALORE; EPISODE 1: Fire over Mandalore!
ONBOARD THE IMPERIAL FIGHTER CARRIER DECIMATOR FIVE DAYS LATER
Captain Achilles Morrain was checking the fuel intake of his Fury-Class Interceptor when the Intercom informed all the Pilots they had an hour until arrival. Achilles smirked as he pictured the upcoming Battle of Mandalore and how he would show those Republic Pilots a thing or two. He and Lightning Squadron.
After the death of Harris Davidson at Alderaan, the Elite Fighter Group had practically been disbanded. The Dark Council forced them into retirement. However once Darth Thyferus took the reigns of the Empire, he reactivated Lightning Squadron and chose Achilles as its new leader. Thyferus had seen the Squadron's performance in the past and wanted that kind of skill in his New Imperial Fleet. However too few of the former members could be found so Achilles selected top pilots as his new Squadron. They had participated in the various small skirmishes after Darth Thyferus's takeover. Such as the Assault on the Bespin Refineries where they successfully took out the enemy Space Station on their own. Or perhaps the Invasion of Hoth where the Squadron took out the Planetary Defenses with a few well placed bombs.
Now was there moment of truth, one of the Great Battle's of the Age was approaching and Lightning Squadron would be participating in it. Mandalore would fall and they will have played a key role in taking it. Achilles could only imagine the legends which would be formed about the Squadron after this battle.
However he was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his Second-in-Command's voice. The voice of Ashton Picket who was one of the best pilots in the Mid-Rim. "Captain! Captain! Over here!" Ashton called as Achilles looked up and put down the wrench he was holding.
Achilles walked over to where Ashton was standing and motioned for him to say what he wanted to say. Ashton cleared his throat before speaking. "Captain, I've just found out what our orders for the battle our. We're to go straight for the Republic Flagship and knock out its Primary Weapons and Shields. This is so our Flagship can execute a Boarding Strike on their's." Achilles nodded to show he though it made sense.
Ashton continued talking as he walked over to a nearby Missile Rack and pointed at a couple which Achilles hadn't seen before. "Command says to use these new D-03 Torpedo's to knock out the Shields. They strike their target and then bore into it with a Hyper Drill before setting off an EMP Charge which will knock out their Shields and Primary Systems with enough hits." Achilles examined the new Missiles and then nodded again as he pressed a few buttons on his Wrist Computer which sent some Droids to hook his ship up with these latest weapons.
Ashton then was about to explain something else when the Intercom came on again informing them they would be arriving in half an hour. Achilles motioned for him to shut up and they both walked off to prepare for the battle. All the while Achilles was thinking of victory and glory.
MEANWHILE ABOARD THE REPUBLIC WARSHIP RISING SUN
Jedi Master Hyatt Mok gazed out the window of the Republic Warship which was leading the blockade around Mandalore. He gazed at the inky blackness of space which was lit up only by the millions of twinkling stars in the distance. He gazed at the blockade of Republic Warships and Mandalorian Security Ships that surrounded them. The Rising Sun was situated in the thick of a group of ships to make it more difficult to reach. Master Hyatt had known that their Flagship would be a large target for the Imperials and as such had the ship placed in the thick of many heavily armed Warships to make it a harder target.
Hyatt remembered the days before all the conflict. The days of peace and harmony in the galaxy, where life prospered without challenge. Then the Empire was born and the peace destroyed. Sadly those days were long gone and unsalvageable.
Hyatt's Apprentice, Adrian Gecko, came up behind his Master and bowed before rising to gaze out at the darkness of space with him. Adrian broke the silence soon enough. "Master do you believe this is a battle we can win?" Hyatt turned to his young Apprentice and sighed.
"Adrian, I do not believe we will win. Nor do I believe we will lose. I believe we must let the Force decide the outcome. The will of the Force shall decide our fate on this day." The two then turned back to the Viewport and continued to gaze.
Some moments later Adrian spotted something on Concordia, one of Mandalore's Moons, and it seemed to be approaching them. "Master, what is that?" Adrian asked as he pointed at the black dots appearing all over Concordia. They seemed to be closing in on them and fast.
Hyatt looked to where Adrian was pointed and peered at the sight. Adrian was not seeing things. Objects appeared to be getting closer. "I do not know." However the answer came soon enough as the Captain of the Warship ran up to them.
He appeared frantic as if those dots were death itself. In a sense they were. "Sir's we have dozens of Enemy Ships closing on us. Shall we open fire?" Just as Hyatt was about to give the order about ten Dagger like ships came out of Hyper Space and began to fire upon them. It was like a ship with two halves of a Dagger on either side. The Warships started firing and explosions filled the area. Soon the dozens of Death Watch Gunships from Concordia entered the fray as they flew into the blockade and began their attack.
The Republic Warship's turrets fired here and there but the Gunships were too fast for them and began to attack them. On one warship a group of turrets was firing at a Squadron of Gunships passing them when from the other side a much larger Squadron came up and fired all Torpedo's. The Torpedo's hit the center of the Warship and the resulting explosion tore the vessel in two. The two Gunship groups then veered towards a Mandalorian Security Ship.
With another group of Gunships they peppered a Republic Fighter Carrier with Blaster Fire as they tore through its shields. Three of the Gunships flew down and then aimed towards the Hanger where all the Fighter's were. All three let loose their Torpedo's which tore through the Hanger Shields and then caused explosions throughout the Hanger.
The Death Watch Warships were causing damage to the Republic Warships as well. Two of them moved into the blockade and had a sole Republic Warship caught between them as they peppered it with blaster fire. Red Laser Bolts outnumbered the Green as they tore into the Republic Vessel which made it past the two ships. After which it exploded in a show of fire and light.
Three more had two Republic Warships caught as they didn't even give them a chance to return fire. They just fired away at the vulnerable enemy. Soon one of the Republic Warships attempted to escape but its engines went out and it ended up crashing into the other. The Bridge Section was cut off as the two ships exploded and then the separated sections followed.
Onboard the Rising Sun, Master Hyatt watched in shock and amazement as their blockade was rendered useless despite their numbers. The Death Watch had used the element of surprise to their advantage and fired on them before they were ready. And then words were spoken by the Captain that made Hyatt's blood run cold. The Captain ran up to him and frantically said. "Sir! We've detected dozens of Imperial Warships entering the system."
As if on cue the emptiness of space was suddenly filled with dozens of Harrower-Class Destroyers, Vega-Class Frigates, Imperiat-Class Fighter Carriers, and then in the center of it all. The Reluctance. Flagship of Darth Thyferus himself. The Imperial Fleet soon was upon them as the Fighter Carriers unloaded wave after wave of Interceptors and Attack Fighters. The Frigates moved in for close quarter combat while the Destroyers hung back and fired from long rang. The area was now filled with thousands of Red and Green Laser Bolts going back and forth alongside hundreds of explosions.
Hyatt reacted quickly to the arrival of the Imperial Fleet as he spun around and began giving orders. "Launch all Fighters! Return Fire! Raise Shields!" Red Laser Bolts pounded against their shields as the ship shook and rumbled. Hyatt knew they needed a quick recovery if they were to stay in this battle.
Republic Starfighters began to race past the Viewport as they headed out to meet the Imperials. It appeared the battle had begun.
INSIDE CAPTAIN ACHILLES INTERCEPTOR
Achilles fired again as he blasted apart another Republic Starfighter in his quest for the Flagship. The rest of the Squadron, fifteen other Attack Fighters, was formed up behind his ship as they did not fire a single Torpedo. They had to save them for the Shields of the Flagship. But that didn't mean their Blaster Cannons were being saved too. No those fired away at the Republic Ships.
Achilles weaved his ship through the wreckage of a Mandalorian Security Frigate and suffered only a minor scratch. He flew out of it and immediately used evasive action as he had flown into a hail of Turbo Laser Fire from a Republic Frigate passing by. The Interceptor swerved through a group of Republic Starfighters so they took the hits. The rest of the Squadron simply went far below and rose up again.
They still had a long way to go until they reached the Flagship but they would complete their mission. The Interceptor rolled over and fired its Blaster Cannons as it approached a group of three Republic Interceptors. The three ships were blown apart and their attacker and company raced past. Six Republic Starfighters pursued as they fired away from behind and actually caught one of them.
Chatter came over the communications Line from Lightning 5. "Got three on my tail...Cant shake them...Stabilizers been hit...Cant hold on much longer...AAAHHHH!" As Achilles looked out the Viewport, he saw one of the Attack Fighters explode into a fireball which collided with an Imperial Frigate and exploded on the hull. The Six Republic Starfighters stuck to them. They were joined by six Republic Interceptors.
Achilles gave a signal to the Squadron. Separate. Four Attack Fighters veered off deeper to the left and were followed by two Interceptors and three Starfighters. Then everyone but Achilles and two others strayed off target and soon only one Interceptor and two Starfighters pursued them. But they fired away at them and it took some tricky actions to stay alive.
Achilles spotted a massive Republic Warships ahead and rotated his craft vertically while the Attack Fighters veered off and were pursued by the Starfighters. The two Interceptors raced through an opening in the Republic Warship as the Republic Interceptor fired away. Achilles felt some Blaster Fire hit as the ship shook and knew he had to get out of this passage and quick. The opening was just ahead and he pushed the Interceptor to top speed.
He raced through the passage and sparks flew as the Interceptor struck some pipes and scaffolding in it. The Republic Interceptor fired again and struck the Fuel Valve. Achilles knew that he needed that fuel to get through to the Republic Flagship. But he continued on through the passage and occasionally green Laser Bolts flew past. But most either struck him or the inner walls of the passage.
Seconds later Achilles broke through the passage and raced through the explosion filled space towards the now visible Republic Flagship. The Republic Interceptor had fallen far behind as he continued on. The Interceptor swerved over an Imperial Frigate which was firing in all directions as it tried to break through the ring of Warships protecting the enemy Flagship. Achilles now had a clear run to the Republic Warship Rising Sun.
Unless of course you took into account the very long distance between them and the fact that it was filled with Republic, Imperial, Mandalorian, and Death Watch Fighter Craft battling it out. Republic Interceptors chased Death Watch Gunships here. Imperial Attack Fighters pursued Mandalorian Security Fighters there. Chaos was everywhere. Achilles saw also that his fuel was dropping fast and that he needed to do this fast. He gunned it right through the battlefield.
The moment he entered the battlefield he found himself being chased by two Republic Interceptors and three Mandalorian Security Fighters. They opened fire upon him and Achilles weaved through the muck of Starfighters to avoid them. But this also meant he had to try and avoid all the Blaster Fire that was flying around wild. Only about 100 yards to go until the target and only 75 until he would be in range but he would wait until he was 20 yards to ensure the Torpedo's hit.
Achilles may have been a crack pilot but he was flying through a battlefield with hundreds of ships flying here and there. With Blaster Bolts flying in every direction. He felt the ship shake as three struck the Rear-Port Blaster Cannon. Achilles gritted his teeth as he opened fire with the Forward Blaster Cannons to clear the path. He took out both Republic and Imperial ships alike but at this point he didn't care who he shot. So long as they were out of his way.
Only 50 yards to go and 25 until he was in range, yet still the Republic and Mandalorian ships continued the chase. Achilles didn't bother with the Comlink. It would be filled with so much chatter from Imperial and Death Watch ships that there would be no use to using it. Just then an alarm went off on the Console saying he was at half-fuel level already. Achilles pushed the ship to top speed. He was almost in range. He couldn't give up now.
Suddenly Red Blaster Bolts opened fire on his pursuers and they were destroyed. Out of the flames burst Lightning 3,7, and 9 as they came alongside their leader towards the Republic Flagship. The Rising Sun was in visual range now and they were almost in range. Just a couple more yards. 12 yards...11 yards...10 yards...9 yards...8 yards...7 yards...6 yards...5 yards...4 yards...3 yards...2 yards...1 yard...There! They were in range of it!
Achilles activated the Squadron Comlink and linked up with the other ships. He would greatly enjoy this order. "All ships! Fire Torpedo's!" Achilles jammed his thumb down on the fire button as about two dozen D-03 Torpedo's raced out from his ship towards the Republic Flagship. Out of the Viewport he could see another three dozen from the ships alongside him.
From above the Flagship he saw about four dozen Torpedo's coming down. Then below another two dozen. All raced at the ship at full speed. Achilles smirked, his Mission was a success. And his Squadron would be a legend.
ONBOARD THE RISING SUN AT THE SAME TIME
Master Hyatt observed the battle through the Viewport and was starting to think they might be winning, when the Captain rushed up again. He seemed to be in a state of panic. "Sir! Dozens of enemy Torpedo's headed for us!" Master Hyatt spun around and started to give out orders.
"Raise the Shields!" Hyatt then saw about five dozen Torpedo's headed for them by looking out the Viewport. He knew that this would not be pretty. The Jedi Master backed up a bit as he shouted a new order to everyone in the Bridge.
"Brace for impact!" These words were spoken not but seconds before those dozens of projectiles made contact. What sounded like over a hundred thuds came alongside the ship shaking violently. Then a whistling sound as the new Torpedo's bored into the hull. Then came the explosions.
In a show of purple and yellow blasts the EMP Charges went off as purple electricity covered the ship. The entire Warship rocked as all the Shields and Primary Weapon Systems began to shut down. Within moments they were completely disabled.
ONBOARD THE IMPERIAL FLAGSHIP RELUCTANCE
Admiral Gage was watching the battle and witness the show of EMP Blasts on the Republic Flagship. Gage smirked with pride as he turned and walked towards the Command Center. Now Commodore Silas alongside Lord Tiberius and Death Watch Leader Ducio stood around the Holomap. Gage announced his presence by clearing his throat and they all turned their heads to look at him.
Gage began to speak to them while pointing at the Republic Flagship on the map. "Lightning Squadron has been successful in their mission. The new Torpedo's worked like a charm on the Republic Flagship and now they are completely defenseless." The others all nodded just as the Bridge Doors opened and their glorious Emperor, Darth Thyferus entered.
All four, even Ducio, kneeled before Darth Thyferus as he approached them. "Rise." All four did. "I have sensed that my plan was successful. Excellent. Tiberius, Ducio to the Boarding Center and prepare our joint Boarding Party." The two nodded and walked off to perform this task. Darth Thyferus then turned to Silas and gave him his orders. "Silas, begin moving our ship into position to board." Silas ran over to the Control Officers and began to give orders. The operation was going exactly as planned so far.
Meanwhile as Darth Thyferus walked over to the Viewport, Gage followed. He waited for Thyferus to realize he was standing there and it didn't take long. Thyferus soon turned around to face Gage. "Yes Admiral?" Gage cleared his throat nervously as he posed the question.
"Well your Excellency, what is so important about the Republic Flagship that we must board it instead of blasting it apart?" Thyferus turned to face him completely as he gave Gage his answer.
"It is because..." Thyferus trailed off as he turned back to the Viewport. "...I sense a familiar presence."
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