Chapter 7 – Non-stop battles
=location: Jedi temple on Terra=
Qui Gon-Jin sat in his meditation room. A temple on Terra was built by him and his faction of a dozen or so Jedi as a meeting place. It was located on the side of Mount K2, and in addition to the Jedi, there were also some civilians living with them. He was the leader of this Jedi order, but he changed a lot, mainly loosening the structure of the organization itself. Ultimately, the Temple became simply a meeting place where they could gather, exchange experiences or receive advice.
This order spent most of its time flying around the Outer Rim and helping those in need in the fight against pirates and other scum of the galaxy. Additionally, the order accepted any power user, regardless of age. Ultimately, it grew to 38 members before the outbreak of the war.
Suddenly the door opened and Qui Gon immediately said - "Hello, Anakin." - then he turned to his student - "I sense something is bothering your head."
"You're right, Master." - said Anakin - "It's about Padme. I think I had a vision of her."
"Then sit down and tell me about her."
Anaki listened to the master and said - "In my vision, I see Padme locked in some cell. I and an individual of an unknown species enter next to me. He looked like a Pantoran but with red eyes. Then I see a fight with droids and I bump into an enemy with lightsabers, probably another Jedi, but I feel some coldness from him. I haven't seen this since meeting Maul on Naboo."
"So the problem finally came. Many Jedi will feel negative emotions in the war, and many will probably fall to the Dark Side. This person will probably be your opponent. As for Padme, she is a senator for the Chommell Sector, which is at least sympathetic to the CIS. She may even want to secede. I'm afraid Padme may be in danger for this. Has she said anything lately?"
"Yes, Master. She had some work to do and said she wouldn't be able to talk to me for a few days, maybe even weeks. I already had a bad feeling, but she is clearly in danger now. I have to help her."
"Understood, but remember what you learned."
"I will remember, Master." - and so Anakin moved towards his personal ship. His first destination, Naboo, the Royal Palace.
=location: Tarabba system=
Battle thundered in space. The CIS assembled a mix of 80 ships to attack Trabba. This was not enough to defeat the Republic directly, which had a total of 120 ships, so for the first 3 days they continuously attacked Republic patrols, eliminating 12 ships with only minor fighter losses. With the arrival of Hackett's task force, they finally had enough strength to defeat the Republican forces.
Under the overall command of Admiral Flit Asuno, the attack was to consist of 4 phases.
Phase 1 - another attack on the patrols, but with larger forces. The goal is to attract large Republic forces to eliminate them quickly.
The first phase was commanded by Senior Captain Grodek Ainoa of the cruiser Elliot. 15 ships jumped out and immediately began pummeling the enemy ships with Turbolaser fire while releasing all fighters and bombers. A patrol of 3 smaller Republic ships was quickly neutralized with no losses. Then, as planned, 20 Republic ships launched a counterattack, namely 14 IPV-1 System Patrol Crafts, 5 Auxilia-class pursuit destroyers, and one Munificent-class heavy cruiser.
Then came Phase 2 - 11 Terran ships jumped out under Hackett's command and immediately opened fire with all guns. The Missile Salvo was devastating, eliminating all heavy units, and leaving only the corvettes, which were quickly given a one-time offer, surrender or die. Since these corvettes were organic crews from Core Worlds, they quickly accepted the offer.
Thus the plan decreased the system's defense fleet by 1/4 ships. While this didn't help much, considering the 2 Lucrehulk-class battleships and their dorid compliments, their firepower was reduced by a maximum of 1/10.
But then came Phase 3 - Distance Attack. Hackett begins a slow barrage of fire from his guided missile destroyers at the enemy fleet, trying to program the missiles to hit vulnerable locations, with the heavy cruisers occasionally adding their main guns as a group led by Grodek Ainoa captures the remaining Republic ships.
Phase 4 was critical. Hackett was to assess whether they could launch a full attack, committing all their forces, or withdraw, minimizing losses.
If they withdraw, they will be able to further increase their strike force, rearm their ships and fighters, and then launch another attack on the system. But they risk the arrival of more Republic forces. Additionally, the enemy commander is unlikely to fall for this plan again and simply keep his forces close to the planet.
"Sir, we have confirmation from Heckett to engage." - said Millais Aloy.
"To all ships, begin the attack." - Admiral Flit Asuno said. The remaining 64 ships followed the Diva and within seconds entered the system, where Hackett continued to fire at the enemy ships. But the enemy commander was no idiot and quickly organized a defensive formation against the missiles, while simultaneously sending 800 droid fighters to attack.
Flit immediately ordered the fighters and MS to intercept the enemy droids and gather the fleet into formation. As fighters flew around the fleet, Terran ships continued to fire on the Republic ships. In this way, the fighting continued for a long time, with losses beginning to mount on both sides. Wave after wave of droids were repelled. But they were always passing somewhere. Lucky hit on the gun, the salvo of proton torpedoes reached the target, the fighter was shot down, and the MS was rammed.
After 2 hours, virtually every ship in the fleet had sustained some damage. From small scratches to damaged weapons, to complete demolition for weeks, maybe months, to the shipyard. One Terran destroyer and 4 other CIS ships were completely destroyed. In return, they eliminated over 2,000 droid fighters.
"Hackett, what's the ammunition status on your ships?" - Flit asked, assessing his strength.
"15-25% of the missiles of various brands, destroyers George Washington and Julius Caesar, are severely damaged and won't be able to continue the fight."
"CIS has 14 ships in similar condition, which leaves us with 70 ships out of 85 enemy ships in various states."
"According to data, at least 10 were critically injured. Potentially more, but the scanners don't give us the ability to tell which ones they are."
Flit thought for a moment, then said - "Connect with Grodek again."
A moment later, Grodek appeared on both Hackett's and Asuno's screens. Filt spoke first - "How's the capture of the enemy ships going?"
"Sir, Republic sailors have been transported to their cells and our men are currently manning all ships, but only with minimal crew."
"All right. Have George Washington and Julius Caesar fire everything they have evenly at the enemy fleet, and then return to the Elrood system with the rest of the heavily damaged and captured ships. Have all ships scan where and how many missiles passed. Then we will send our own bombers and fighters to these places to attack damaged enemy ships. Hackett, your heavy cruisers are to stay behind as a reserve force. The rest of the fleet will make a slow advance into a range of the heavy turbolasers in their current formation."
And so the CIS began a slow advance, with a salvo of hundreds of missiles towards the Republican formation. As soon as they were within extreme range, every turbolaser cannon that could open fire did so. Colorful bolts of energy roared through space, hitting ships left and right. The CIS fighters launched themselves at the droids, immediately after a volley of missiles from the Terran destroyers thinned their ranks. The bombers then struck and quickly sank 4 heavily damaged Republic ships as the droids were dispatched by the MS.
Suddenly Hackett attacked with his cruisers and concentrated fire on one of the Lucrehulks, which had suffered at least 40 torpedo hits and was barely hanging on. Repeated Terran salvos destroyed what was left of the battleship's shields and began to burn holes in it as the guns fired sideways at all ships in its vicinity.
The Second Lucrehulk quickly begins counter-charging the Terran ships as the rest of the ships begin to retreat. Flit Asuno detached 30 CIS ships to pursue with Terran destroyers as missile support, while the rest went to support Hackett against the 2 Lucrehulks or had to stay behind due to battle injuries. Hackett's ships received several hits that penetrated their shields, but the enemy ships were quickly finished off by the rest of the fleet.
Once the space around the planet was secured, Flit ordered an immediate assessment of the loss of personnel and ships and a list of any ships that could still be recovered. All this post-battle clean-up took 5 hours, and before it was over, transports with ground forces arrived. The pro-CIS rebels on the planet got the signal and have already established a base. The CIS army began landing and quickly began to overwhelm the planet's demoralized defenders, many of whom surrendered after only a few shots. The droid troops on the planet that had entrenched themselves in the mines were the only ones to resist at the end of the planetary cycle. More PDF soldiers volunteered to eliminate them than the CIS brought to the planet.
The next two days of fighting on the planet destroyed the remaining corporate forces, freeing all forced laborers. A week later, the planet was already a loyal member of the CIS, who saved the planet from the occupation of the Corporations that exploited them. As soon as the ground fighting ended, CIS support arrived to further secure the system, and the Terran fleet departed for the Altair system for repairs.
=location: Tertiary Fujar system=
En route to the shipyard, Hackett's fleet, now consisting of only one ship that had at least 75% combat capability, his personal cruiser, Berlin. The rest were either damaged, out of ammunition, or little more than wrecks that they tried to recover and maybe repair at the shipyard. Unfortunately, it was bad luck that there was a Republican Venator in the system they were passing through.
"It is not good." - said the first mate, Kumari.
"You're right, but maybe it's not that bad yet." - Hackett said - "Our scanners are better than anything the Republic has, so they shouldn't have spotted us yet, which explains their failure to send in strike ships."
"But to activate any FTL, we'll have to get out of the planet's gravitational field, and then they'll notice us. Normally it wouldn't change anything, but many of our ships are damaged and will need time."
"So we'll have to keep this ship occupied." - said Hackett - "To crew, go to the battle stations. We are about to enter combat against a Republic ship. The rest of the fleet should continue as planned. We will join as soon as everyone is safe."
"Message conveyed." - said Officer Lynka.
"Sir, I would like to remind you that we currently only have 20 medium missiles, and 4 backboard batteries are damaged." - said Officer Xuldarin.
"Understood." - Hackett said. His lack of missiles was extremely annoying and greatly limited his options. But he didn't have to win, just distract Venator - "Ferial, I've set the ship's course, try to stick to it. On my signal, you will turn around and place us facing the enemy ship. Xuldrian, you will have a small window to hit 2 times with our main gun. When we leave the planet and during the maneuver. Execute."
Berlin, a 60-year-old ship, set off on its mission. His white armor with blue markings gleamed against the black space. Even from a distance, you could see a few black marks from the last battle.
The Terran ship used the planet's gravity to achieve much greater acceleration, hoping to catch the Republic ship by surprise. We managed to get the first shot and even from here you could see the damage. The hit burned a hole in the side of the hull, near the bow. An expensive shot hit the shields that had just been turned on, but they had not yet managed to charge, so much of the energy passed through and did further damage. The third was completely stopped by energy shields.
"Enemy damage." - Hackett said.
Kumari quickly checked her station - "2 hits to the armor. Several laser cannons and tractor beams disabled."
"Hangars?"
"No visible damage."
The fourth salvo bounced off the shields again.
"Hold main gun fire and accelerate. Prepare drones and missiles. Make alternating fire with our starboard guns, but keep their energy down. We're supposed to get their attention, not fight."
Berlin continued to advance on Venator, firing. In response, the Venator began firing its heavy turbolasers on the backboard.
"Shields." - Hackett asked.
"They're holding on." - Officer Yunmar said.
"Sir, we have detected fighter launches from the starboard hangar." - said Kumari.
"So our opponent does have some competences." - Hackett said.
"Some competence?" - Yunmar asked.
"Venator should have scouts and CAP at all times with his fighter complement. However, our opponent completely neglected this. However, he knows that by sending fighters from any hangar other than the one on the starboard side, he will have to disable the kinetic shields and will be exposed to attack by missiles and kinetic weapons."
"Maybe it's a recently promoted officer from another ship." - Kumari suggested.
"Possible. Enemy fighters?"
"36 different units. They will enter a range of our point defense guns in 40 seconds."
"Send drones to intercept and attack as soon as they come into range. Don't worry about potential drone hits. Prioritize ion torpedoes."
The drones flew in and began firing at the Republic fighters. They were small and hard to hit, but the Republic pilots were definitely ready for them. A group of 8 bombers broke through the drones and began an air raid on Berlin. A few torpedoes penetrated the defensive fire, but the magnetic shields, one of the layers of shielding on the Terran ships, effectively disabled them, causing a premature detonation that only scratched the armor.
"Ferial, now! Xuldarin, main gun to the upper hangar, missiles to the lower hangar." - Hackett shouted, and his helmsman immediately reacted. The main gun was in the perfect position. Xuldarin took advantage of this moment and fired it straight at the main hangar. But Venator didn't remain passive and responded with all its guns and missile launchers. One was lucky and exploded so close to the bridge that the officers fell to the floor for a moment.
"Damage report." - Hackett managed to say, clutching his jaw, which was pouring blood.
"Several parts of armor have sustained damage and two guns. We have reports of several injuries." - Kumari said when she suddenly saw her commander's blood - "Medical team to the bridge!"
"It's just a scratch." - Hackett said, but did not rescind the order - "Ferial, continue on course. Xuldiran, full power of guns. Yunmar, reinforce the rear shields. Provide the status of the fleet and enemy ship."
"The fleet began its escape. All ships will be FTL within 5 minutes." - Lynka said.
"The enemy ship has damaged the upper and lower hangars." - said Kumari.
"So our task is complete." - said Hackett - "Whenever you can, join the fleet. First Officer Kumari, take command."
Moments later, a group of medics ran onto the bridge and administered first aid, then took the Admiral to the medbay. A few minutes later, Berlin was back on course for the Federation.
=location: Altair system=
"How you don't have a place!" - Hackett shouted.
"We just don't have it." - said the shipyard commander - "All shipyards are occupied. My people are already working at 120%, but don't expect anything free until the end of the month. You can either wait or request access to another shipyard, but I probably won't give it to you. Not with the losses we suffer on the entire front. Oh, no, wait, there's no damn front! This is one big FFA on a galactic scale. I'm surprised anyone understands what's going on."
"It's not so bad." - Hackett countered.
The commander sighed and said - "I know you've been gone for a while, Hackett, but after the massacre on Tartis and the raid on Baros, more systems separated from the Republic and joined the war effort on the side of the CIS, and Senator Amidala disappeared. Even damn Corellia decided to go neutral. Garm Bel Iblis has just taken away from the Republic a system that produces more ships per year than the entire Federation and the second-largest shipyard in the known Galaxy. Besides, you could see for yourself about their problems. You encountered Venator on your way here and you were very lucky. The commander recently surrendered to the CIS and it turned out he was out of fuel. He gave up because he had no fucking fuel! There are so many problems with the lack of a front line for the Republic. Or they are that corrupt."
Hackett sighed, but continued = "So how many ships can you repair."
"6 destroyers. The rest will have to be held until the yard is free or they will let you go elsewhere. But the Elefant-class ship should arrive in 2 days, so you will have ammunition supplies."
Hackett thought for a moment. The Elefant-class was part of the supply fleet. In fact, the supply fleet had 4 times as many ships as the war fleet, but little was said about it. After all, they're just transports of various types that tend to stay out of the fight.
But the Elefant class was something special. As the Terrans began to take an increasingly active role in anti-piracy and peacekeeping operations, they found it difficult to get the resources they needed to where they were needed. The command had 2 solutions.
First, build bases on friendly planets. Such a planet would receive the protection of Terran ships, and the Terrans would have a collection of resources there so that the ships could operate independently for several years. Although now it will probably drop to months.
Secondly, build a whole bunch of mobile factories, refineries, and even shipyards to fly with the fleet and make missiles and other important things on the spot. The Elefant class was a 1.2-kilometer block that constantly did everything the fleet could need. Missiles, vehicle and ship parts, drones, and smaller vehicles. Supposedly, the newest batch was supposed to have the ability to create MS and fighters, but this is unconfirmed.
"Where are they sending this ship anyway?" - Hackett asked.
"Back where I came from, to Tarabbe. It has already been converted to produce proton and ion torpedoes. Along with it is a refinery ship, a mining ship, and several corvettes as escort. The Republic already attempted counterattacks, but Admiral Asuno managed to repel them."
"Any other important information while I was gone?" - Hackett asked.
"Dresher captured Geonosis and the Republic fleet has moved many of its vessels to counterattack. At the same time, a ground battle began there, which is very bloody. Apparently, our losses have already reached 10,000. Oh, and some rich man gives us his personal ship to renovate and turn into a battleship. Apparently, most of the family died on Tartis."
"Sometimes Tartis looks more like a galactic hornet's lair that the Republic has decided to upset."
"Good metaphor, although those assholes in Core probably don't even know Tartis is a planet and will keep pumping out ships and other war stuff like crazy. And then there are these invaders from the Unknown Regions."
=location: G'rho, Boku Settlement=
36 Aratech Conjo Y41-C2LC Fighter local militiamen jumped into the air as the alarm blared. The local Terran base was under construction and intended to be used for further exploration into the Unknown Regions. Now a crew of 12 Terran soldiers were securing the perimeter while the local workers evacuated.
"Major Brco, what's going on?" - the Terran commander asked.
"Unidentified ships attacked us and entered the atmosphere." - said Brco, of the Ilwizzt species - "We can expect a fight soon, so order your soldiers to prepare and call for help. You have better communication, so maybe you can do it."
The message was sent, but at the same moment, alien ships arrived, releasing canisters onto the city. Gas began leaking from the canisters, and before anyone could realize what was happening, almost the entire population of the colony was paralyzed.
-2 days later-
Upon the call for help, a task force was quickly organized. But despite this, only 4 ships were collected in 2 days. An old Hammerhead cruiser as a flagship, a slightly newer Consular-class corvette, a converted Musai-class frigate cargo ship, and one old Terran Delta-class corvette.
The ships emerged from space just above the planet. And there they saw only three small ships, not even qualifying as corvettes by galactic standards. It was a one-sided massacre.
A group of 8 Z-80 fighters then entered the atmosphere and found another of these ships in the air. They immediately shot at it, damaging a few things, and gravity did the rest. They finally reached their destination, the capital of the colony. And above her, the remnants of the defenders' fighters, the 8th Aratech Fighters, were already launching an attack. They targeted the remaining ships and anti-aircraft guns.
Eventually, a contingent of 400 CIS soldiers arrived in shuttles, where they joined forces with the local resistance movement. The fight was decided within a few hours. The alien soldiers, the Ssi-ruvi, were relatively few and prepared only to fight the remnants of the colonists, not experienced soldiers.
Unfortunately, for half of the colony, they arrived too late. However, what was more disturbing was the discovery of information on one of the data banks. It wasn't a preparation for a full-scale attack or anything like that, but a simple message between the commander of the Ssi-ruvi fleet and some leader of theirs. The target of the attack was designated by an individual of the 'Grysk' race.
The implications of this were very disturbing.