Hello again, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars redux.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have returned! It took me over a week to get this chapter rewritten, during which I wrote a new chapter that I will be posting at the same time as this one. Thank you all so much for your patience and support. I am deeply sorry that it took me so long.
In addition, I have decided on a posting schedule for this crossover. Every Friday, there will be a new chapter posted. If I can't get it out on Friday, I'll post it on the weekends.
As always, leave a review, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star Wars franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilms, Disney, 20th Century Fox, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or aritsts.
Sabaton - Dreadnought
Scarif
RCS Profundity
April 11th, 0 BBY, 6PM (October 26th, 2558, 6PM)
This is a lousy situation, Admiral Raddus grumbled. "What's going on down there, Lieutenant?!"
His Lieutenant worked at his console. "I can't raise them! All Rebel frequencies are being blocked by the Shield Gate!"
Raddus quickly considered his options. "Engage those Star Destroyers and let's start probing that shield!"
"Yes sir!" came the reply.
Outside, other Rebel fighters in the area began engaging the TIE fighters as well as the turbolaser towers on the Shield Gate Station. Inside of his X-Wing starfighter, Garven Dreis was having the time of his life. Five TIEs in a row, he thought as he destroyed another. I'm an ace now, but I don't know how much longer that'll be the case.
He heard his comms crackle. "Red Leader, this is Gold Leader," a voice announced. "We're starting our attack run on the Shield Gate now."
"Copy that," Garven replied, recognizing his call sign of 'Red Leader.' "Be careful around those turbolaser towers! They'll blast you out of the sky if they get the chance!"
"Copy that," Gold Leader, known as John Vander, said. "Keep it tight and watch out for those towers!" With that, the Y-Wings of Gold Squadron flew closer to the Shield Gate. A couple that didn't react quickly enough got destroyed by turbolaser towers on the Shield Gate's upper surface. Those that weren't maneuvered closer to the station. They began dropping proton charges, carving massive craters on the station's hull.
"Incoming fighters!" Gold-3 shouted. A glance to the right showed Vander what Gold-3 had warned them about. A massive swarm of TIE fighters were flying out of hangars built into the uppermost section of the station.
"More fighters!" he heard another X-Wing fighter pilot shout. "Form up, Six, Five!" A few X-Wings flew back towards the Profundity. A few more also flew in towards the Golan Station, then fired Proton torpedoes. For all their efforts, they might as well have been throwing spitballs at the shield.
"We're having no effect on the actual shield!" an X-Wing pilot shouted.
"How much more can that thing take?!" Another asked.
"Gold Squadron, this is Gold Leader. Form up on me. We're going for another bombing run," Vander said. The other Y-Wings formed up on him, then throttled up…
Onboard the Profundity, Admiral Raddus was continuing to coordinate his forces as best as he could. "Sir!" he heard an officer shout. "Enemy fighters coming in!" Turning around, he watched a storm of TIE fighters fly towards the Profundity.
"Get more X-Wings on those fighters now!" he ordered. Looking ahead, he could see the Star Destroyers getting closer to the Golan Station. If they get into position, they'll be in a prime location to tear apart the rest of the Rebel fleet!. Deep down, he began hoping for a miracle.
"Admiral! I'm picking up a strange anomaly in a region of space near the Star Destroyers!" his First Lieutenant shouted.
"What kind of anomaly?!" Raddus shouted.
"Unknown, sir, but it's big! Really big!"
"How big?!" Raddus asked, exasperated.
"Sir!" another officer shouted. "Outside!" He pointed a finger towards the viewpoint.
Raddus followed the man's finger. Right next to the Star Destroyers, he spotted what looked like a flickering point of light. What is that, he wondered. Apparently, the Imperials onboard the Star Destroyer were wondering the same thing. Their ships turned towards the point of light.
That was when things really changed.
Suddenly, the point of light turned into a portal. It looks like a black hole. He frowned. Of all the things to happen...
Before he could finish his train of thought, a ship shot out of the portal. It was massive, dwarfing even the Star Destroyers nearby. To Raddus, it resembled a large agglomeration of geometric shapes. Said ship was now hurtling towards one of the Star Destroyers. What happened next was a foregone conclusion. The ship simply smashed into the Star Destroyer at a right angle to the ship's length. At the impact site, Raddus watched as a gold-white field of energy shimmered into existence at the front of the unknown ship. Some kind of particle shield, he thought.
The moment the larger ship impacted, it ripped the entire Star Destroyer apart. Durasteel plates flew everywhere, while the two halves were thrown away from the newcomer. Both halves began to slowly descend towards the planet, atmo and escape pods streaming from the ruined hulk. Everyone onboard the bridge had fallen silent, stunned by the colossal event that had just taken place.
Outside, the X-Wings and TIE fighters fought on, though even they noticed what had happened. Inside his X-Wing, Garven Drais was in awe as he stared at the ship. It just ripped through the Star Destroyer like it was flimsiplast, he thought, and it's huge! "By the Force," he whispered. "What is that thing?"
. . .
Onboard the Intimidator, Gorin watched in shock as the massive ship tore through the Persecutor as though it didn't exist. He flinched as it narrowly flew past the Intimidator, before coming to a stop near the middle of the space battle. What is that... thing? he wondered.
. . .
Gorin would've been surprised to know that similar thoughts were going on in the mind of Director Krennic. Everyone else inside the control room had fallen silent, eyes gazing at the feeds they were now seeing on the computer screens. What is that thing? He too wondered...
Out on the beach, Chirrut Îmwe, one of the attacking Rebels, felt a shift in the Force. He looked around, confused. "Baze?" he asked. "What's going on?"
Chirrut's friend Baze, a tall and solidly built man, grabbed some macro-binoculars and looked up. "Well, I'll be dipped in poodoo!" he shouted. "Some kind of massive ship has just arrived!"
"How massive?"
"Big, bigger than anything I've ever seen. Even the Star Destroyer near it looks tiny in comparison." Looking at Chirrut, Baze noticed that his expression seemed far away. "Îmwe?" he asked. "Are you OK? Îmwe?"
Îmwe, though, wasn't listening to Baze. Instead, his attention was focused on the fact that he could hear something. What is that... music? It sounded like a chorus of men singing, and instruments being played.
At that moment, everything changed.
To his amazement, Chirrut watched as the empty blackness that he'd become accustomed to was replaced with colors and shapes. I... I can see using the Force! he realized. I can see... whirlpools and eddies, I can see... the very ground I stand upon, the very place we're at.
Looking up, he saw what Baze had been referring to. It is a large ship, he thought. I can also see thousands of points of light up there. "I… I can see it…" he hesitantly said to Baze.
"What?!" Baze shouted, shocked by his friend's words. "I thought you were blind!"
"I am!" Chirrut replied, "but I can now see with the Force." He shifted his gaze. "We cannot be distracted now! Focus on the task at hand."
Baze shrugged. "You got it." Both men continued to return fire on the Stormtroopers.
. . .
"… you… right… Lasky? Are you… Captain Lasky?"
Lasky groaned, his ears ringing and body aching. The ringing subsided, then he heard, "Are you all right, Captain Lasky? Can you hear me?" The blackness faded as light shone through his eyelids.
Lasky blinked, then looked around. He was lying on the floor, surrounded by various faces he recognized, including the bow section's medic. "Captain Lasky?" the medic asked him. "Can you hear me?"
Lasky coughed, then spoke. "I… I'm all right… At least… I think I am."
The medic held up a pair of fingers. "How many fingers can you see?"
"Two," Lasky replied.
"What is your name, rank and service number?"
"Captain Thomas Lasky. Service Number 98604-72690-TL. Commanding Officer of the UNSC Infinity."
"What is the date?"
"October 26th, 2558," Lasky replied.
The medic sighed with relief. "You're fucking lucky, you know that, Captain?" He helped Lasky to his feet. "You got knocked out, but you avoided a concussion. I guess you're good karma's paying off."
"I guess," Lasky remarked as he stretched his back, popping the joints. A quick glance revealed that Envoy Azikiwe was awake and standing. "You OK?" he asked when she stumbled.
"I'm OK," Azikiwe replied. "Just... shaken from the impact."
"Good." With that out of the way, he focused. "Gabriela, are you there?"
Gabriela appeared over the holo-table. "I'm here, Captain." She frowned. "You look like hammered shit, sir."
"Tell me something I don't know," Lasky retorted. "Status report?"
"Ship is intact and most systems green," she reported. "Shields: Offline. Primary Reactor: Offline. Secondary Reactors: Online. Weapon Systems: Offline. Armor Integrity: 98%. No Fatalities reported."
That's better than I feared, Lasky thought. "Understood. Are COM's online?"
"Partially. All internal COM systems online. WAVE/SLIPCOM Status: Offline. Non-FTL COM Array: Online. ETA to full restoration: 6 minutes."
"Thank you," Keying the COM, Lasky asked, "Bridge to Engineering. What's your status?"
"Lousy," came Jordan's voice. "We temporarily lost power here, but we've got it back now. Right now, we're trying to access the primary reactors and figure out if they've taken damage. SS Drive's offline, and we can't work on it 'till the reactor's online again. Glassman's heading that operation. Dr. Halsey's also chewing us out."
Right on cue, Halsey's voice came in strong and clear over the 'com. "Well, well, Jordan MacCallum. What have you done to my ship? And why are taking too long in speaking with the Captain about the condition of the ship?" She sounded annoyed, and a touch peeved.
"What did I do?" Jordan asked, momentarily forgetting the COM was still open. "I was just doing my job, then this bullshit happened!"
The sarcasm in Halsey's voice, if weaponized, could've torn a hole in the Infinity's 4.9 meter thick hull. "Really? If that was the case, then we wouldn't have ended up in this situation. Now it is up to professionals like me to find out what you screwed up." There was a pause, then she said, "Zanaka, Zorak, Zoram? Would you come here please? Also, Jordan, if you take too long with helping me fix this ship, I'll put in a formal complaint with the Captain."
"Oh, boy, here we go," Jordan groaned. He turned his attention back to the COM. "Right now, we've got some work to do, Captain. Be in touch as soon as we've got something to report."
"Copy that, Bridge out." Closing the channel, Lasky asked, "Gabriella, can you have all section heads on the ship report in?"
"They already have, sir," Gabriela replied. "Minor injuries, but no fatalities"
"Good." At least nobody was killed. "Do you know our location?"
"Unknown at this point," Gabriela reported. "NAV module will reboot in 5 minutes."
"Fair enough. Lower the shutters for the ship. Maybe we can figure out where we've ended up."
"Aye, sir!" There was a muted whine, then the shutters lowered. Once they did so, Lasky looked outside.
While the inky blackness of space was quite familiar, the planet that they were now over wasn't. He could see a vast, tropical blue ocean, with sandy-white and green islands dotting it, like frosting on a cake.
What had his attention the most, though, wasn't the planet before him, it was the objects that were also in space with the Infinity. Looks like we've ended up in the middle of a fleet battle, he thought. On one side, he could see ships that had rounded hull shapes, with a few looking like geometric sections mashed together to form a ship. On the other, he could see what looked like an arrowhead shaped ship that had a large bar on top of the rear. There's even a ring shaped station nearby. Just what did we end up in?
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Azikiwe whisper, "Oh, no…" Everyone flinched when a human body bounced off the viewport.
"Oh shit…" his XO, Conners groaned. "Captain, what the hell have we stumbled into?"
"I don't know," Lasky replied. "What I do know is that we need to get the hell out of here ASAP! Coordinate with MacCallum to get the engines back online!"
"This is not good at all," Azikiwe whispered. "If that COM Array doesn't come online soon, one of those two sides will think that we intentionally did this. They'll fire on us…"
"… and it'll be the First Battle of Harvest all over again!" Lasky finished. "Gabriela, get that COM array back online as quickly as possible. Inform Roland that we need him as well. Tell Chief that we need him to upload Cortana into the AI Cores on the ship as soon as possible! The sooner we can give an explanation for what happened, the better our chances of avoiding a First Contact war!"
"Aye, sir!" Gabriela replied. "I've got an Engineer team working on the COM Array. Roland and Cortana will be with us shortly."
Commander Conners looked around at the bridge crew. "Are you all deaf! Get to work at your stations! Coordinate with Gabriela, Roland and Cortana! MOVE!" There was an explosion of organized chaos as the crew on the bridge quickly went to work.
"Weapon systems online!" Lieutenant Austen said.
"COM Array is still down!" Lieutenant Jespersen added. "Gabriela, when can we expect the COM Array to come online?!"
"Four minutes!" Gabriela reported.
"Sir!" Lieutenant Ryder, the ship's Sensor Officer, shouted from his station. "I'm detecting thermal blooms on the remaining arrowhead ship, as well as from the station below!"
"Shit!" Lasky snarled. "Gabriela, status report on the shields?!"
"Shields Online," Gabriela reported, "and at 43%"
Roland's avatar appeared over the holotable. Roland was an AI designed strictly for military operations, and was trained to work alongside Gabriela to effectively coordinate the ship in battle. "Captain Lasky," he said, "I just got the report from Gabriela on what's going on. If we don't get that COM Array online soon, then we're going to be in a really big shitshow!"
"Tell me something I don't know," Lasky retorted. "We just need to -"
"Incoming weapons fire!" Lieutenant Austen shouted. The entire ship shuddered as something struck it.
"Shields down to 40%!" Roland reported.
Azikiwe groaned. "Hope COMs come online soon. I don't want this incident to become a full-on war!"
"Looks like it," Conners agreed. "Captain, orders?!"
Lasky thought quickly. "Fire Control, lock firing solutions and engage all hostile targets!" He shifted his gaze to the others. "Launch all frigates and get a defensive net around the Infinity! Roland, sound the alarm for general quarters!"
"Aye sir!" Roland said. Alarms blared throughout the ship. Soldiers and crew bolted down corridors and took up combat positions. "All hands at battle stations!" Roland reported three minutes later. "Shields at 34% integrity!"
"Sir!" Ryder shouted. "The ships that were near the station are coming towards us!"
Lasky's gaze shot towards the viewport. Outside, some of the ships moved into an oval formation around the ship, with the largest one quickly moving towards the Infinity's port side. What are they doing? he wondered.
. . .
Onboard the Profundity, Raddus watched as the station and Star Destroyer began to fire at the new ship. Any thoughts they had on the battlecruiser being a new Imperial ship were dispelled almost instantly.
"Admiral!" he heard a Lieutenant shout. "Orders?!"
Raddus knew that he had a decision to make. It's clear that the ship suffered a malfunction that stranded it here, and it's not one of ours. The Imperials clearly don't care; they might even try to destroy it, thinking that it's reinforcements for us. Not on my watch! Turning to his Lieutenant, he said, "Signal the fleet to take up formation around the ship!"
"Sir?!" the Lieutenant asked in disbelief.
"You heard me, Lieutenant! I will not allow the Empire to destroy a ship of that size! If we save that ship, we'll likely win another ally for the Rebel Alliance, and earn some political favor with whoever built it! Order the fleet to take up formation now and divert some bombers to take care of the Intimidator!"
That shook the Lieutenant out of his stupor. "Yes, sir!"
"Contact the Senator as soon as you can!"
"Yes, sir!" the Comms Officer shouted…
Inside his X-Wing, Garven watched as the fleet took up formation around the new ship. He checked his message board, frowned slightly. "Red Squadron, this is Red Leader!" he ordered. "We've got incoming TIE fighters! Take them out!"
"Copy, Red Leader!" the others replied. Before long, numerous X-Wing and A-Wing fighters were flying towards the battlecruiser, laser cannons blazing. The TIEs approaching the ship quickly returned fire.
Throwing his X-Wing into a roll, Garven watched as green laser cannon bolts barely zipped by his fighter, narrowly missing the deflector shields. Pulling off a high speed bank and dive, he got behind the offending TIE Fighter, then opened fire. The enemy TIE Fighter exploded, with the body of the now deceased TIE pilot zipping past the X-Wing.
. . .
Back onboard the Infinity, Lasky and the others were working at a feverish pace as they fought to restore the Infinity to full functionality. "Cortana, are you there?" Lasky asked.
Cortana's avatar appeared and she asked, "Affirmative sir. What do you need me to do?"
"COM Array Status?"
"Repairs completed, sir!" Cortana said. "COM Array is online!"
"Excellent!"
"Sir! I've got an unknown channel coming in!" Lieutenant Jespersen said. "Audio only!"
"Send it through!" Lasky ordered.
The COM crackled to life. "Unknown… ship. Why… you… with… Rebel… Respond…" The words popped and crackled like an old 20th century radio.
"Yes, Captain," Melody replied. "Lieutenant Jespersen, try and get into contact with the attackers! Tell them that we need them to cease fire!"
"Looks like a weak radio signal," Cortana said.
"Amplify it, then send it to Azikiwe!" Lasky said.
"Understood," Cortana said.
"Got it," Melody replied. Speaking into the mike on the holo-table, she said, "Unknown forces, this is Envoy Melody of the UNSC Infinity! We request that you please cease fire so we can explain what happened! Over!" She waited for a response...
Onboard the Star Destroyer Intimidator, Admiral Gorin watched as the Rebel Fleet continued to protect the battlecruiser that had smashed through the Persecutor. The Rebels have made a Star Dreadnought without us knowing about it! It's just what I'd expect them to do!
He heard his Communications Officer shout, "Admiral! We're getting a transmission from the unknown ship, but it's heavily garbled!"
"What?" Gorin asked, surprised. "Are you certain!"
"Yes, sir!" the officer replied. "It's a radio signal, audio only!"
"Put it through!"
The comm array crackled to life. Then a woman's voice spoke. "Unknown forces… Envoy… of the… Infinity… cease shooting… not a hostile… wish to clarify…!"
Not a hostile? Gorin thought, surprised the words were in Basic. Impossible! They rammed through one of our ships! "Can you set up a radio transmission with them?" he asked
"It'll take me a minute, but I should have one ready to go shortly!" the officer replied.
"Set it up fast!" Gorin ordered. "Inform them that their attack on the Imperial Center of Military Research will not go unpunished!"
"But sir -"
Gorin gave the man a look that would've melted durasteel instantly. "I don't care if they claim that they are not hostile!" he snarled. "They tore through the Persecutor as though it didn't exist!" With that, he turned back to the space battle going on…
Unbeknownst to Gorin, another person had heard the desperate call. Admiral Raddus could hear the garbled transmission from the Infinity. "Isolate that signal!" he ordered his Comms Officer. "Clear it up as best as you can!"
"Yes sir!" the Lieutenant replied. "Sir, it's not using Holo Communications. It's using a simple radio transmission. I'll clear it up as best as I can."
"Do it!" Raddus ordered. "Send it to the Tantive IV as soon as possible! Perhaps Princes Leia can make sense of it!" Keying his comm, he said, "Admiral Raddus to the Tantive IV, are you there?" He waited for a response…
Inside one of the Profundity's small ship bays, another woman was listening to the garbled COM transmission. We're facing a First Contact. The video feed clearly shows that it's a new faction, though the Imperials don't seem to care much.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the comm crackled. "Admiral Raddus to the Tantive IV, do you read me?" he called out.
"Open a comm channel," Leia asked. Once the Comms Officer did so, she said, "We read you loud and clear. What is it?"
"We've isolated a comms transmission from the Star Dreadnought. It's garbled, but we've cleaned it up as best as we can."
"I already heard it here as well," Leia replied. "We're facing a first contact scenario, though it's clear that the Imperials think otherwise."
"Any advice on what to do next?"
"I'll get in contact with the unknown ship," Leia informed him. "Try transmitting a radio message instead of the usual Holo Communications. That might allow us to get through."
. . .
Onboard the Infinity, Melody continued to work quickly with Jespersen at his station, while Lasky and the others worked to keep the Infinity intact. Her mind kept on drifting back to what they'd seen, especially the corpse that had bumped into the Infinity's view port. Memories of New Mombasa swam to the forefront of her mind.
She shook her head. Get a grip, Melody, she admonished herself. That was five years ago! Focus on your job: getting us out of here alive without causing another war!
She was so focused on her work that she jumped when Jespersen said, "Ma'am, we've got another signal coming in!"
"Can you put it through to Lasky?" she asked. "Lasky, we've got a much clearer response from the unknowns!"
"Put them through!" Lasky ordered.
This time, the transmission came back crystal clear. "Unknown ship identifying itself as the Infinity, this is Admiral Gorin of the Intimidator. Why are you aiding the Rebel Alliance?!"
Melody looked at Lasky.. Clearing his throat, Lasky said, "Admiral Gorin, this is Captain Thomas Lasky of the UNSC Infinity. Cease firing on the Infinity immediately!"
On a motion from Lasky, Melody said, "This is Envoy Melody Azikiwe of the United Earth Government! We request a cease-fire so that we can explain what happened! We are not hostile towards you and your ships! What happened was an accident!"
The response that came back was calm. "Unlikely, considering the fact that you rammed one of our ships and that the Rebel Fleet is protecting your ship. That tells me, Envoy Melody, that your attack was intentional, and that you are reinforcements working for the Rebel Alliance. Prepare to be assaulted and boarded." The COM crackled once, then went silent.
"Transmission cut, sir!" Jespersen reported
"Can you get it back?!" Lasky asked.
"Negative! They're not responding to my attempts to reestablish communications, sir!"
"That settles it!" Lasky decided. "Melody, can you see if we can contact the other ships?!"
"I've also got another COM transmission on the line."
"Send it through!" Lasky replied.
A moment later, they heard a woman's voice say, "This is Senator Leia Organa of the Imperial Senate. Can you hear me?"
"Imperial Senate? Maybe you can make sense of it, Melody."
"Working on it," Melody replied. "Open a COM link!" Once Jespersen confirmed one was open, she said, "This is Envoy Melody Azikiwe to Senator Leia Organa. We read you. Are you with the fleet that is protecting us?"
"No," Leia replied, "but we heard everything going on. Admiral Raddus has ordered his ships to deploy around your fleet and to provide whatever assistance possible. Did you say you had a hyperdrive malfunction?"
I must've had the signal transmitting on all open channels, Melody realized. "If that's your version of Slipstream Space, then yes, we did. We were testing it to make sure it was working properly when we had a malfunction that propelled us into this star system. We were trying to explain to an Admiral Gorin that what happened was an accident, but he wouldn't listen to us."
"I see," Leia said. "I've tried contacting him, but he's refused to accept my calls. I'll do what I can to assist, but I'm afraid I'm little help at this point."
"Thank you," Melody replied. "I don't know who the Imperials are, but you have my thanks."
"It is the least that I can do. May I propose something?"
"Go ahead," Melody replied. At this point, the Infinity needed all the help it could get.
"I believe that it would be in our best interests if we worked together to end this fight as quickly as possible. If we do so, I'll speak with you to learn what else has happened, and to gather evidence of your innocence and Gorin's poor conduct to present to the Imperial Senate."
Melody thought the proposal over carefully "I understand. Given our current circumstances, that appears to be our only option. We'll assist however we can."
"Thank you. That being said, I've received word of people trapped behind the Golan shield. Admiral Raddus has informed me that they're with his forces, and he's requesting assistance in recovering them. If you help us end the fight, could you rescue them?"
Melody frowned. We do that, we might end up cementing to the Imperials we're on the Rebellion's side. On the other hand, if we don't, we'll end up in a worse situation than we are right now. She looked to Lasky. "Captain, did you hear...?"
"I did," Lasky said. He frowned, then said, "All right, but we'll only help retrieve the ground forces."
Melody nodded, then returned to the console. "Senator, I believe that is most agreeable. What guarantee do you have, though, that you will hold up your end of the bargain?"
"Because I am a member of the Imperial Senate," Leia explained. "My voice carries weight in the Empire. In addition, I have diplomatic immunity for various events like this. Besides, we only came to the ship we are docked to, the Profundity, due to damage we sustained to our hyperdrive. We are not culpable for the ongoing battle, nor are we affiliated with the Rebel Alliance."
"Understood. Do you wish to come onboard when this is over?"
"Yes," Leia said. "I would like to speak some more with you, once the battle is over"
"Very well, then. I'll inform Captain Lasky of what is going on. May we survive this battle."
"Agreed. May the Force be with you," Leia finished. A moment later, the COM frequency went dead...
Back onboard the Tantive IV, Leia pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. This isn't good, she thought. Not only did the Imperials act irrationally, they attacked an innocent crew that had nothing to do with the ongoing battle. Looks like my secret mission is canceled.
"Contact the Imperial Senate," she said to the communications officer. "Inform them that I need to hold an emergency session as soon as possible. If they are already in session, have them immediately redirect me to the session. We have a first contact scenario on our hands. Also, contact Bail Organa."
"Yes, ma'am." the Comms Officer said...
Back aboard the Infinity, Azikiwe turned to Lasky. "Captain, I was able to arrange a deal with the Senator. If we assist the fleet protecting us in getting through the defenses and help their ground forces out, she'll inform her government of what is going on and clear us of any wrongdoing."
"Are you certain she'll uphold her end of the bargain?" Lasky asked.
Azikiwe frowned. "No, but at this point, we don't have any options."
Lasky thought it over, then nodded. "Good work, Azikiwe. You've bought us some time. This 'Leia' wants us to help the Rebel Fleet get their personnel to safety, yes?"
"Yes," Melody replied.
"Good. Did she request permission to come onboard?"
"That she did," Melody agreed.
"I see," Lasky mused.. "All right. We're already working to defend ourselves, so let's get to it."
"Firing on the Intimidator now!" Austen said.
"Also, is the information valid, Roland?"
"Affirmative," Roland replied in response to Lasy's question. "I just screened it for any viruses and evidence of doctoring. It's all genuine."
Lasky jumped when the 'com crackled. "Engineering here!" Jorden reported. "We've got good news, Captain Lasky! Primary reactor's fully online, but the SS Drive is still offline. We're working to get it back online now!"
"Good work. When will the drive be online?" Lasky asked.
"Fifteen minutes, sir!" Jordan said.
"Good," Lasky replied. "Lieutenant, Murphy, get in contact with the CAG, as well as the Flight Officer for Hangar 21-D. Have them prep for an incoming Senator!"
"You got it, Commander," Murphy replied.
. . .
"Admiral!" a Lieutenant shouted. "The Infinity's moving to engage the Intimidator!"
"Understood," Raddus replied. Keying the fleetwide comm, he said, "All ships, move into attack formation. The battlecruiser we've been defending is able to fight again! Continue trying to break through the planetary defense shield! Get into contact with the Infinity!"
"Roger that," the Lieutenant replied. "I've got a radio channel ready to go."
Clearing his throat, Raddus said, "This is Admiral Raddus of the Rebel Fleet. Do you read us, Infinity?"
"This is Captain Lasky of the Infinity, we read you Admiral Raddus. We're moving to engage the Intimidator now."
"Copy that," Raddus replied. "Once you're done with the Intimidator, can you assist us in taking down the planetary defense shield?"
"Planetary defense shield? You mean the energy shield we've been detecting at the station?"
"Affirmative," Raddus confirmed. "The entire planet's protected by an energy shield. The only way through it is through that station, but it's closed it's shield gate. If you can find a way through to the ground, that would be most appreciated!"
"Copy that, Admiral Raddus. We'll do what we can! We're sending op sectors for our forces!"
"Copy, Infinity," Raddus replied. " We're doing the same here now May the Force be with you!" Turning to his Comms Officer, he said, "Send them our military frequencies right now!"
"Yes, Admiral!" the Comms Officer said. Outside, the Infinity and Intimidator turned their guns towards each other.
What happened next was predictable.
A shell from one of the Onagers smacked into the hull of the Intimidator. The shell vaporized upon impact, punching a small hole into the hull. Crew that were inside were instantly sucked out, their screams silenced by the void.
Three more shells from one of the Infinity's smaller weapons ripped into the Star Destroyer. The first and second shells vaporized upon impact, but the third shot through the hole, then ricocheted inside the hull. After tearing through several decks, it finally came to a stop.
Gouts of fire erupted from the launch tubes as a flight of Archer missiles flew towards the Intimidator. point defense lasers fired from the Star Destroyer, destroying a few missiles. The rest tore into the hull of the ship, the powerful HE warheads tearing holes into the interior of the ship.
On the bridge of the Intimidator, Admiral Gorin was thrown about by the sheer force of the kinetic impacts the ship was suffering. Mass drivers and missiles, he thought with shock. That's impossible! How could mass drivers and missiles cause this much damage?!
His thoughts were interrupted when an officer on the bridge said, "Sir, we have reports that they're launching fighters! Numerous small ships approaching!"
Outside, Gorin watched as ten smaller ships deployed from underneath the Infinity. While small, there were enough to warrant concern. "Order Captain Nevas to fire on those ships immediately! Have damage control work on sealing any hull breaches now!"
. . .
Onboard the Infinity, Lasky could see the damage being inflicted onto the Intimidator from a video feed. Not too surprising, Lasky thought. A small ship like that versus the Infinity. I'd say that's unfair. He cleared his throat. "Cortana?"
"Yes, Captain?" Cortana asked.
"Can you hack into the Intimidator's systems and disable the ship?"
"Yes sir," Cortana replied. "Now that I know what format of data can be transferred to them, I can definitely do that. If you want to, however, you can just disable the engines with a MAC shell."
"Good," Lasky replied. "Melody, can you get into contact with the Intimidator and ask them to surrender? If they choose not to, we'll have Cortana access their systems and we'll disable the engines with a Onager."
"Yes, Captain," Melody replied.
"Ryder, status on the second Star Destroyer?"
"Five of our frigates are engaging the ship," Ryder said. "Admiral Raddus' forces are also engaging the ship."
. . .
Onboard the Profundity, Admiral Raddus was alternating between attacking the Exterminator and the Golan Station while also keeping an eye on the Infinity. I'm glad they're on our side for the time being he thought.
"By the Force!" one of his officers gasped. "Is that what the Infinity is capable of?!"
"Looks like it!" the Comms Officer remarked.
"Focus on your work!" Raddus ordered. "We can gawk later!" The officers nodded, then returned back to their work...
Onboard his X-Wing, Garven Dreis saw ten smaller ships deploy from a hangar bay in the Infinity's ventral section. Shaking his head, he refocused on the task at hand. His attention was diverted, though, when he spotted a TIE Fighter coming at him. Throwing his X-Wing into a hard left bank, he flew through the growing fighter debris field. Unwilling to follow him, the TIE fighter broke off, then had to evade another X-Wing.
At that moment, Garven noticed Red 5 diverting from the group, with a TIE on his six. "Where are you going, Red-5?!" he asked. "Stay in formation!"
"I'm trying to shake them off!" Red 5 shouted. "I can't lose him! Someone help me!" For a moment, Garven thought that he was going to lose Red 5.
Fate, however, had different plans.
Garven watched as something shot past him, too fast for him to initially spot. Then he saw a large, bulbous fighter that homed in on the smaller TIE. He watched as the new fighter fired projectiles that tore into the TIE fighter. The TIE exploded, just as a voice said, "Bravo Leader to Red Five, you're good to go!"
"Thanks!" Red 5 shouted as he rejoined the group. "You saved my life!"
Keying his own comm, Garven said, "This is Red Leader to Bravo Lead. Do you read me? Over."
"Roger, Red Leader," came the reply. "Captain Lasky ordered us to assist you however possible. Sending telemetry now."
"Copy, Bravo Leader," Garven replied. "Can you give us a hand with these TIE fighters?"
"Affirmative, Red Leader," Bravo Leader replied. "Bravo Squadron, attack formation! We're going in!" With that, both Red and Bravo Squadrons flew into the storm of TIE fighters coming at them.
Hundreds of star fighters streamed out from the Infinity. Damn, they've got a few big ones! Garven thought. Beyond, the TIE fighters formed up, then shot straight at the oncoming mass of fighters. Within seconds, they clashed.
One fighter quickly swooped behind a TIE. Panicked, the TIE pilot desperately tried to throw off the fighter. In response, the new fighter fired it's main guns, shredding the TIE and leaving it to drift through space in pieces. Changing course, it fired a brace of missiles at another TIE. The TIE attempted to dodge, only for the missiles to detonate on impact. An instant later, there was another small debris field.
That wasn't the only one either. Nearby, three of the larger ones flew towards the Star Destroyer. Two TIE fighters approached, only to be swatted by large caliber weapons. The large fighters then fired off missiles and shells at the Star Destroyer. Particle shields came up and blocked most of the munitions; the missiles penetrated, detonating against the hull in small explosions.
Taking out another TIE, Garven spotted one firing at Bravo 3's Broadsword. To his surprise, a gold-white barrier shimmered into existence, blocking the laser cannon bolts. Then Bravo 3 fired his fighter's main guns. The TIE was shredded by the Broadsword's main guns, hyper-velocity projectiles tearing through the bubble cockpit.
As the fighter exploded, Bravo 3's fighter flew through the explosion, emerging out the other side intact. "Good flying!" Garven shouted.
"Thanks!" Bravo 3 replied. "Got more bandits on our flank! You ready?!"
"You betcha!" Garven shouted. Gunning the throttle, he rejoined the fight.
. . .
Onboard the Intimidator, Gorin rapidly issued orders. On top of the damage they had already taken, the Infinity had deployed a massive fighter screen that was now guarding the ship. They've torn through our own fighter screen with ease, he thought.
"Sir, Deflector shields are down to seventy five percent! Particle shields have failed and the hull's taking severe damage!"
"Keep firing at the Infinity!" Gorin thundered.
"Sir, we've got an incoming transmission from the Infinity! Putting it through on speakers!" the Communications Officer shouted,
A moment later, Envoy Melody Azikiwe's voice came in. "This is Envoy Melody Azikiwe of the Infinity to the Intimidator. Cease your attacks on the Infinity immediately, or the Captain will do whatever is necessary to force a surrender! Don't throw away your life in this foolish endeavor! There is still a chance to end this fight and prevent a war!"
Gorin's rage boiled over, then froze. "No," he said, his voice eerily calm and level. "You will have to take the ship to make me and my men surrender. You will rue this day, Rebel scum."
"Very well," Melody said. "Have it your way. It didn't have to come to this."
"It did," Gorin said. He closed the COM channel. "Continue to fire on the battlecruiser," he ordered. "Comms, what's the status of the Exterminator?"
"Taking heavy damage!" the Comms Officer said. "Five of the smaller ships have engaged her, along with the Rebel fleet. Her particle shields have failed, and..." He grimaced. "Sir, the Exterminator's been destroyed! We're all that's left, aside from the station!"
Gorin frowned. "So it would seem." He fingered the code cylinder in his jacket. "Continue to engage the enemy ships. I -" The ship suddenly shuddered. "Status?!"
"Engines are down!" the Damage Control Officer shouted. "Primary Propulsion is offline. We're drifting, sir!"
"Sir!" one of the officers shouted. "My console's no longer responding!"
"Neither is mine!" another shouted.
"Sir, something's infiltrating the ship systems!" the Damage Control Officer shouted. "I think they've uploaded some kind of virus to our systems!"
Gorin's frown deepened. "Damn. Begin flushing all computer systems. Eliminate the virus."
"You think that'll really work on me?" the woman's voice cut in, this time over the PA. "I've already gotten the information I was looking for. Oh, and it's rude to call a woman like me a 'virus.' I am Cortana, one of the many AIs uploaded to the Infinity, and I believe your ship is no longer at your command, Admiral Rondevus Gorin."
If Gorin was shocked, he didn't show it. "Show yourself!" he growled. The door to the bridge opened. Advancing through it, red in the face, Gorin entered the room where the holo-table was at. There, he found himself looking at the holographic image of a woman covered in circuitry.
It was clear from her expression that Cortana, if this was who the droid or AI as she called herself was, was quite disgruntled. "I have to admit, Admiral Gorin, you are a very rude individual. Firing on the Infinity without due provocation after knocking out your executive officer? Is this how you greet people from another galaxy?"
"Just the ones that aid Rebel scum and trespass into restricted systems," Gorin growled. "You rammed one of our ships, attacked my men, and aided the Rebels. What did you think I was going to do?" He removed his code cylinder.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Cortana said. "I've knocked out your engineers and disabled the auto self-destruct. All you can do now is hope that Lasky's feeling merciful. Ta-ta." She shimmered out of existence.
"Sir, our droid control systems are being hacked!" Damage Control shouted. "The droids are going to turn hostile!"
"Blasters out!" Gorin ordered. "Shoot any droids you come across!" He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small blaster pistol.
At that moment, the doors to the bridge opened. Droids streamed into the bridge, manipulators thrashing and electrical prods crackling. Gorin and the others fired, taking down several droids.
Even with the stream of blaster fire, the droids were simply too numerous. One approached Gorin and swung an arm at him. Ducking down, he disabled it, then threw it into another droid. Before he could turn, there was a sharp pain, then the entire world went black.
. . .
Lasky looked at the reports that were coming in and the ship's status. Looks like the Rebels protecting us really saved our asses, he noted. As they approached the Golan Station, he said, "Cortana, did you infiltrate the Intimidator's systems?"
"Yes," Cortana replied. "Their computer systems were primitive, so I disabled all systems onboard save life support and gravity. Be advised, I disabled some with droids, but the rest are getting ready to fight."
"Good," Lasky remarked. "We'll send in a boarding party once we've figured out how to get past the planetary defense shield. We might need our nukes to get through,"
"Same here," Cortana replied. "With that in mind, though, I think I've got an idea."
"Go ahead.
Cortana smiled. "My analysis indicates that this station is just one of a dozen that generate the planetary shield. One station going down should create a substantial hole in the planetary shield. I recommend that we employ a low powered MAC shot to destroy the station."
Lasky thought it over, then nodded. "Good idea. That'll allow us to get through and save us a few nukes." He turned to Roland. "Roland, charge up the MAC. Low power only. Lieutenant Austen?"
"Yes?" Austen asked.
"Load a flechette shell. You've got firing command of the MAC. Target the Golan station and fire when ready."
"Copy that," Austen said. "Loading the shell now. Priming MAC."
Outside, the Infinity turned and dipped downward slightly. Austen typed in a few commands. "Flechette shell ready, sir!"
"MAC at 20% charge," Roland said.
"Firing in three... two... one... NOW!" Austen hammered a command. A loud, bell-like sound echoed through the ship, while a shudder ran through the deck plates...
"All enemy fighters neutralized," the Sensors Officer reported. "We've achieved space superiority, sir."
"Good," Raddus said. "Secure the immediate op sector and -" At that moment, he spotted something. He glanced up just in time to see a faint flicker of light come from the Infinity.
What he saw next shocked him. The Golan Station promptly exploded. It split into two halves, while part of them looked like holes had been drilled into the armor. The energy shield it helped project flickered, then vanished. What was that?! he wondered...
"Good effect on target!" Austen said. "Enemy station is destroyed."
"Captain, Cortana's info was solid," Roland said. "Planetary shield segment offline!"
"I'm picking up multiple COM signals on the planet surface," Jespersen said. "Sounds like ground forces."
"Roland, Austen, nicely done," Lasky said. "Lieutenant Murphy, launch all Pelicans. Jespersen, inform Colonel Sarpong to deploy boarding teams and ground forces ASAP."
"You got it, Captain!" Murphy replied.
