Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter. I'm sorry I was gone for so long. School got incredibly busy with lots of assignments and tests, and I had a lot of things going on in my life. I also went through a period where my laptop was not connecting to for some reason. But, I'm back to writing.

Let's get to the chapter.

BlackWatcher1234: Were Kelly younger, maybe. But remember, Kelly is in her 50s. And yes, Luke will shave his beard.

Chapter 29- Defense and Offense

(September 16, 2049)

On the bridge of his flagship, Admiral Andrey Kasatonov is watching the display board showing the progress of his fleet through hyperspace. They have almost reached their target. Bianchi can only hope they can get there before it's too late.

Kasatonov is one of the fleet commanders in Andromeda. He had been assigned a crucial task. Mere hours ago, the Alliance had received word that the First Order had attacked the planet of Mon Cala, a well known supporter of the Resistance. The Alliance had not expected an attack on Mon Cala, given it was so far within territory that the Alliance and Republic remnants still controlled. However, somehow, the First Order had managed to sneak a fleet past Terran detection stations and launched an attack on Mon Cala.

Jonathan had scrambled a fleet, put together of various ships, to defend Mon Cala as soon as word arrived of the attack. He had managed to assemble a task force of 16 ships, under the command of Admiral Kasatonov. And at the head of the task force was the TAS Vanguard, the newest and most advanced of the Freedom class.

Kasatonov is furiously going over the latest intelligence being beamed in from resources on and over Mon Cala. Five of the ten warships over Mon Cala have been destroyed and some of the First Order's warships have begun bombarding the planet. If Mon Cala can be wrecked like this, it will deal a serious blow to the Resistance's effort to muster the galaxy against the First Order.

"Time to target?" Kasatonov calls out.

"30 seconds to the end of hyperspace run!" a navigation officer calls out.

"Copy. Signal all ships, all gunners be ready to fire," Kasatonov calls out.

Across the task force, gunners on the various ships ready their weapons, and in the hangars of each ship, engines of starfighters and bombers begin warming up as the pilots ready themselves for takeoff.

On the bridge, Admiral Kasatonov watches as the blue of hyperspace races past the bridge, flexing his fingers a bit as he readies himself for the fleet to come out of hyperspace. In a matter of seconds, he hears an officer call out, "Coming out of hyperspace!"

A moment later, the blue of hyperspace lengthens out, and the fleet drops out of hyperspace. Immediately, Kasatonov sees the battle going on over Mon Cala. Taking a quick assessment, he realizes that the remaining warships are in worse condition than he expected, and the attack against Mon Cala itself is already beginning.

"Order all fighters and bombers to scramble immediately. Focus attacks on the ships attacking the planet first," Kasatonov orders immediately.

Within seconds, starfighters begin lifting off the floor of the hangars or the Terran ships and flying out into space. Formations of Zeros are leading the way, ready to clear the space between the fleets of TIE fighters.

As the reinforcements advance towards Mon Cala, the crews of the First Order's ships begin to notice their arrival. As they realize that one of the Alliance's famed Freedom-class Super Star Destroyers is among the reinforcements, worry and even panic begins to set in among the First Order. The feats of the Freedom itself during the Galactic Civil War are well known.

As the starfighters begin engaging, with the warships only minutes behind, Admiral Kasatonov is watching carefully. Although he's achieved surprise, the First Order still holds advantages. Unless the fear factor of the Vanguard is enough to induce a desire to retreat, this may still be a difficult battle.

(Andromeda Fleet HQ, Naboo)

In his office on Naboo, Jonathan is watching a display screen showing situational reports coming in from battlefronts across the galaxy.

Things have not been going well for the Alliance. The First Order has continued its relentless advance across the galaxy. They now held pretty much everything from the Inner Rim inwards, and large sections of territory beyond the Inner Rim.

Jonathan had tried to hold off the First Order with a mix of defensive actions and counter attacks. However most had not succeeded. A major portion of the problem was the vast resources the First Order had so far seized in their offensive. More than enough to make up for the losses they had already suffered. And with the Alliance slow to reinforce due to the needs of the Grysk War, it left them unable to fully meet the First Order's advance.

The only success the Alliance and Republic remnants had had so far was retaking the planet Ord Trasi and stopping an attack on Ord Cestus. Several more battles, both defensive and offensive, were ongoing right now. Jonathan is trying to keep up with the ongoing actions, but so far there's little coming into his office due to the intensity of combat.

The three actions he's most concerned about right now are the battles going on over Mon Cala, Dathomir, and Kashyyyk. The First Order had captured Dathomir about a week earlier. The Jedi Council were fearful of the First Order gaining control of the planet and it's secrets, and requested Jonathan launch an immediate counterattack to retake it. Jonathan had obliged, and sent a fleet and an army to retake Dathomir. However, at almost the same time, the task force defending Kashyyyk reported they had come under attack by the First Order.

Jonathan sighs a bit as he sits back in his chair. He had definitely not realized how difficult this job would be when he accepted it. This is not a job for the faint of heart.

Suddenly, the protocol droid stationed in his office as his assistance turns to him. "Grand Admiral, Admiral Ahuja is contacting you," the droid says.

"Copy that. Put him through," Jonathan says, leaning back a bit.

A moment later, a hologram of Admiral Ahuja, the Indian admiral Jonathan had ordered to take command of the attack on Dathomir appears in front of him. Ahuja nods once respectfully as he comes to attention. "Grand Admiral," Ahuja greets his commander.

"Admiral Ahuja. What news?" Jonathan asks.

"Good news, Admiral. It seems that the fleet had not recovered as well as I expected from the damage and losses they took in taking Dathomir. All enemy warships were destroyed within 4 hours, and our troops have established themselves on the planet's surface. Enemy ground forces are still resisting, but expect surrender or complete defeat within the next 18 hours. There were less troops here than I expected," Ahuja says.

"Good. Very good. Establish a good defensive ring around the planet and prepare for a possible First Order counterattack. That planet's secrets cannot fall into First Order hands. You will have reinforcements as soon as I can arrange it. Until then, maintain your position and hold Dathomir," Jonathan orders.

"Understood," Ahuja responds before his hologram fades.

As Jonathan muses over this good news, his protocol droid pipes up. "Admiral. I am receiving another message. A message has come over the network from Admiral Kasatonov. First Order forces are retreating from Mon Cala. Much of the enemy fleet remains intact, however. He reports he believes the appearance of the Vanguard may have been the cause of their decision to retreat. He reports minor damage to Mon Cala, but nothing that cannot be repaired. Civilian casualties reportedly light."

Jonathan finally allows a smile to begin to cross his face. "Well, that's good to hear," he mutters to himself.

However, in only a few minutes, there's another beeping, and the droid calls out, "Sir, Rear Admiral Hasfay is calling you." Hasfay is an Elf serving as a Rear Admiral who is the commander of the ships trying to defend Kashyyyk.

"Put him through," Jonathan orders.

A moment later, Hasfay appears in front of him. He looks a bit haggard. "Admiral, I have bad news. The First Order was even stronger than we thought, and they brought in a wave of reinforcements about 8 hours in. We fought hard, but they were too strong. I lost half of my ships before I chose to retreat. I'm sorry, Grand Admiral, but we've lost Kashyyyk."

Jonathan sighs as he rubs a hand across his forehead before he responds, "Very well. I suppose not all news today could be good." He pauses, then says, "Retreat to Saleucami and await further orders. If you are able, contact any forces remaining on the surface of Kashyyyk and order to go underground until we are able to return."

"Understood, Admiral," Hasfay responds. He inclines his head respectfully to Jonathan before cutting the transmission.

Jonathan leans back in his chair. The lack of success against the First Order is really starting to weigh on him. However, he knows he cannot afford to give up. He is the commander of the entire war effort. If he fails to lead properly, any chance of victory against the First Order may be lost. He has a long war ahead of him.

And, I'll end there. I didn't want to write out the entire battle for Mon Cala, mostly because I don't want space battle chapters to get too boring before we get to some of the really good ones I have planned.

Alright. Next chapter will be up soon. Until it is, please leave a review, and stay tuned!