"The United States Navy at the end of the Cold War was the most powerful navy the world had ever seen. With over four-hundred and thirty surface vessels, nearly one-hundred and twenty submarines, headed by a force of sixteen fleet carriers and seven capital grade surface combatants, it superseded the next five navies in the world combined in terms of sheer numbers. This surge in capability could not be continued indefinitely, however. As such, even by the time of the Sol Campaign, several dozen ships had been decommissioned, including the aircraft carriers USS Lexington and USS Coral Sea, or had their construction cancelled, such as all but three of the Seawolf-class of attack submarines.
This would be followed by even more cuts upon the Terran Systems Alliance declaring war on the Confederacy of Independent Systems to free up resources for the growing Terran Systems Alliance Navy. These included the retirement of the carrier USS Midway, all remaining Sturgeon-class submarines, the Charles F. Adams and Farragut-classes of destroyers, and all frigates built prior to the introduction of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class. By the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars in 1997, the fleet was down to thirteen carriers, two battleships, three large cruisers, twenty-nine guided missile cruisers, sixty-eight destroyers, fifty-one frigates, eighty-nine submarines (both attack and ballistic missile), and several dozen amphibious and logistical vessels. In just the following year however, several more capital ships would also be decommissioned, with only a single battleship and large cruiser, and ten carriers in service.
The organization's purpose was even questioned by several in the United States Congress, given the massive number of starships that now protected the planet.
However, the Pacific Crisis of 1998 would change that view, with elements of the USN and Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force playing key roles in solving the crises, with the battleships Missouri and Yamato managing to destroy the hijacked cruiser Tosa whilst their destroyer escorts intercepted an attempted missile strike on Okinawa, and a surface action group centered around USS Guam providing support to the beleaguered U.S. Marine forces on the island of Oahu, as well as destroying many CIS remnant water-assault craft in the process whilst the majority of the TSA Navy was occupied with a diversionary raid on the newly formed colony of Reach.
-The U.S. Navy in the Age of Space Warfare, published by the U.S. Naval Institute Press in 2055 A.D./40 ABY.
November 12, 1994
High in the planet of Serinia's orbit lay a Republic fleet. Consisting of six Venator-class star destroyers and a dozen lighter escorts, it was proof that the days of Republic units made up of only small Venator task forces standing in the way of massive CIS fleets were well and truly over.
However, they were not here to do battle with one such Separatist formation today. They were instead there to provide security.
Aboard the bridge of the flagship of the fleet, the Star Destroyer Repentant, Admiral Darla Immich looked over a data-pad as she walked onto the bridge, before handing it off to a bridge officer.
"Admiral, we are picking up the hyperspace signals of the 8th Assault Group" another officer said. Turning to face the bridge windows, Immich stared out into the darkness.
Then, as quiet as the void itself, a series of eight Acclamators and two Venators exited hyperspace before setting course for defense fleet.
"Are their recognition codes authentic?" Immich asked.
"Affirmative ma'am, green across the board," the officer replied. He then turned and looked at his station. "The lead ship is attempting to hail us."
"Put it through."
Soon enough, a deep voice called out over the comms system. "Star Destroyer Repentant, this is Commodore Trideich. I am requesting clearance to head down planet side to offload my ship's complements. I hear they are badly needed down there."
"Clearance granted Commodore. Repentant will clear you a path. Safe journey and good luck," Immich replied.
The Repentant and its escorts altered their orbit to create a small gap in their formation, which the assault ships went on through, whilst the two Venators that had come with joined the defense fleet.
Prior to the CIS invasion the fleet withdraw nearly two weeks earlier to assist Republic forces in the far Outer-Rim. Upon returning, they launched a counterattack and drove the Separatist fleet away, but not before they had landed a sizable army to seize the planet's massive ground-side shipyards. The shipyards produced many of the logistical and escort vessels for the Republic Navy, alongside smaller factories owned by Rothana Heavy Engineering that produced hundreds of ground vehicles every single day.
All of which was now at risk of destruction as an army of thousands upon thousands of battle droids advanced on the Republic manufacturing facilities. Orbital bombardment was not an option due to the risk of damaging said facilities, so that left one option.
A ground campaign to drive the Separatists either off world, or far enough away from the yards to allow for the safe use of orbital strikes.
A campaign that the first elements of the 'Terran Expeditionary Force' would treat as its true baptism by fire.
Aboard the Amity, Thomas, Will, Sarah and their companions gathered in the bay of a LAAT gunship, its hull still caked with that fresh factory product smell.
"So, Mei... what do you know about this planet?" Thomas asked inquisitively, knowing that Mei's newly discovered habit of analyzing the galactic frontier would likely give them some more information than the much more simple briefing most of the troops were going to get.
"This place is apparently some sort of major shipyard for the GAR or something," Mei replied. "They get a lot of their tanks and such from here. That's pretty much all I could get out of some of the clones and the holonet. They seem to be in the dark as much as us."
"So, what we're up against sir?" Beau asked Ethan.
"According to Republic Intelligence, once the Seppi fleet withdrew they left behind at least around three divisions alongside armor and air support, mostly consisting of AAT tanks and Vulture droids," Ethan said as the gunship's doors closed and they began to lift off. "They haven't been reinforced since their fleet's withdrawal, so they are not at full strength, but make no mistake, this is not going to be a cake walk. They are dug in across the city, and they know that if we push them out of it, we are going to lay waste to them from orbit with the wrath of God, so they are going to fight hard to prevent that from happening. Keep yourselves alive and kill every droid bastard in your way. Am I understood?"
"Sir yes sir!" the group replied.
"Also, alongside the clones we're going to get some help from the Serinia Milita. They're mostly infantry with some heavy weapons, so try not to rub the fact that we have more tanks than they do in their faces too much" Ethan finished with a smirk to the group's light laughter.
"Three divisions huh?" Sarah said. "That's still probably around 30,000 droids. Going to be difficult to dig these guys out."
"Don't worry Scotty," Will said using her nickname, to which Sarah simply rolled eyes, having already gotten used to Will's style of humour. "I'm sure the clones already have these guys on the ropes."
"Yeah," Thomas agreed, slugging him in the shoulder. "But let's not be too overconfident."
"I just want to ask you to destroy my body if I get hit. I'd rather not let this perfect human specimen become a droid experiment," Will said jokingly gesturing to himself.
"Don't worry, I'll be sure to get someone to call down an airstrike if something happens to you."
"Well, it's nice to know that I'll be well taken care."
"You two are certainly something" Mei said exasperatedly.
"Comes with being a southern boy," Will said grinning.
"Thirty seconds to touchdown," the gunship's pilot announced.
"Alright, check your belts boys and girls. Try and look somewhat presentable" Ethan ordered.
A short time later the gunship slowed to a hover before landing with only a slight jostle, a far cry from the experience of landing in a traditional helicopter. The LAAT's doors then slid open, revealing a massive airfield, its runways covered in arriving and departing gunships and their carrier variants. Overhead flew the Amity and its sister ships, heading off to land on the other side of the field as several fighters flew around them in escort.
Thomas looked around as the group walked out, noting that over two dozen other gunships had landed to their sides and were also disgorging their complements of soldiers, including Captain Dilaon and the other half of their squad, who began to make their way towards the seemingly hastily constructed buildings that served as the base's barracks.
"The size of these ops never really hit you until you see it all in action" he thought to himself. But would it be enough to drive the droids off the planet?
"Well... lets go find out," he mentally finished as the group reached where Captain Rex and other officers were waiting.
November 26, 1994/21 BBY
Thomas ducked his head to avoid a blaster bolt. Quickly sighting the droid responsible, he fired a burst in its direction, forcing it back into cover. A Bradley then rolled up next to his position, its 25mm chain-gun ripping into the Separatist positions as the roar of LAAT engines filled the air quickly followed by sounds and feeling of missiles detonating in the distance. Next to him, Sarah tossed a grenade towards the droid lines, catching a pair of B1s in the blast.
"Hardcase, hit that turret!" Anakin yelled whilst blocking the incoming blaster fire. The clone in question hefted his rocket launcher and fired, the warhead traveling the almost two-hundred-meter distance in barely three seconds, impacting almost dead on the turret mount and blowing the now former enemy position into more pieces of rubble then anyone could ever hope to count.
"Push up! Go, go!" Anakin ordered as he and Ahsoka leapt out of cover towards droid lines, quickly followed by the clones. The Terrans, however remained entrenched, providing covering fire as their weapons were much less suited to firing whilst running across the semi open terrain of the streets that made up the durasteel jungle that was the city of Jangur.
Since landing on the planet two weeks earlier, the TEF and 501st had been placed in the thick of the action. Acting as the spear into the occupied zones of the city, the two formations had managed to liberate almost 50% of the city by themselves, with elements of the 81st Blaster Regiment, a force of clones already stationed on world, and the Serinia Milita acting as pincers on the droid's flanks managing to secure another 20%.
This wasn't done without cost, however. Four members of Thomas's squad had fallen victim to enemy fire, though thankfully only one had been fatal. Captain Dilaon had been one of them, taking a blaster bolt to his leg two days before, leaving Ethan once again in command.
"B2s four o'clock! One-hundred forty meters! Count six!" Will yelled as his SAW buzzed away, quickly destroying two of the super battle droids, while the combined fire of the rest of the squad eventually cut down the remaining four.
"How many more of these guys are there?" Beau asked as he reloaded his rifle.
"Far too many!" Mei replied as she continued firing.
"Alright listen up! Gunships have the droids pinned down, so it's now or never! We'll advance behind the Bradleys! Let's move!" Ethan ordered.
Thomas grunted as he lifted himself off the ground and made his way to the IFV, his exhaustion being evident after hours of near continuous fighting.
"You know what? Forget my promise; we should have just nuked this place from orbit either way," he said mentally in frustration.
Nearly three hours later, the 501st and TEF had managed to secure most of the city, but the Separatists were still managing to hold on to the city's far edges despite numerous airstrikes. The allied forces were now being given a moment's respite, but who knew how long it would last.
"I'm starting to see why the clones hate these droids so damn much..." Beau said as he sat down on a piece of a destroyed AT-RT.
"Really? No shit," Will replied scoffing.
"How many do you think there were?" Sarah asked Will.
"I lost count after like thirty. Damn things just kept on coming."
"And to think that this isn't even considered a full invasion force," Mei said shuddering. "How do we stop that many?"
"Trust me you haven't seen anything yet rookie," a voice called out. The squad turned to see Denal and Ethan walking over to them, the former taking a swig out of his canteen as he did so.
"Ask one of the older hands about Teth, and you'll find out just how bad it can get," the clone said as he tossed the now empty canteen aside.
"Orders just came down from up top," Ethan said. "Considering our utter lack of force recon, our platoon has been called up to perform lazy bastards' task for them. We are to divide into pairs and perform recon behind the lines to provide accurate intelligence on the clanker's positions for the chair force and whatever bombers the Republic can currently scrounge up."
He then held up his hand before anyone could even begin to reply.
"I know, I know, it's more bullshit than actual shit, but we have a job to do and this whole campaign might depend on it, so let's get to it. Be advised that once you're behind the lines you'll have no communication with friendly forces. The Separatist have several signal jammers in place, so be cautious out there. Wilson you're with Addie, Williams you're with Yokoi, Tipton you're with Settle, Driver you're with me. We good?"
Everyone in the group nodded, with little enthusiasm. "Alright, let's get to work," Ethan said. The group got up on their feet and grabbed their gear.
Several hours later, Thomas and Sarah were making their way through the city's crumbling streetways.
They stealthily crept through the buildings, avoiding droid patrols and marking different objects and places of potential use by intelligence analysts, such as the conditions of what looked like underground tunnels similar to subways and positions that would make for excellent sniper nests.
Thomas checked his map. "We still have two clicks before we reach our vantage point. Once we're there, we'll have a bird's eye view over this whole sector until the sun sets. Then we make our way back with any info we manage to get our hands on and hope it's worth it."
Sarah nodded in reply. "Then we better pick up our pace. There's only three hours left before sundown." Unlike Earth, Serinia had roughly twenty-eight-hour days compared to Earth's twenty-four. Which was both useful and disadvantageous for various reasons.
Continuing to the next street over, the two troopers came upon a scene of utter carnage. Numerous Separatist and Republic vehicles lay amongst the rubble of city, some destroyed by weapons fire whilst others seemed to have been crushed by sections of the buildings above crashing down on top of them, with not too few bodies of clones and the destroyed remnants of battle droids alongside them. The most unnerving thing, however, was the near complete silence.
No gunfire. No animals. No people. Not even the distant clank of battle droids or artillery fire. There was only the sound of burning fires, soon to be turned into embers and subsequently ashes.
"Could this place get any creepier?" Thomas asked in a low voice as the pair passed a burned-out AT-TE.
"Don't ask that, you'll jinx us and the next thing we know we're dealing with some sort of nightmarish droid," Sarah replied in the same tone.
Thomas snorted. "You think it'll have three arms?"
"Nah, knowing our luck it'd be something like an SBD built up to massive proportions," Sarah joked.
Suddenly, the roar of a distance explosion sounded out, causing Thomas and Sarah to snap their rifles around towards it. This was quickly followed by blaster fire, the distinct sounds of Republic DC-15s contrasting with the E-5s of the Separatists.
"I thought the Republic pulled back prior to our insertion," Sarah said.
"They did," Thomas replied in a monotone voice before beginning to make his way towards the sounds of war, Sarah quickly following.
After travelling some distance down the street, they spotted a small squad of droids who were firing upon someone just out of sight. Taking cover behind a piece of concrete, Sarah tapped Thomas's shoulder causing him to look at her.
You take the back two. I'll take the leader and his partner. I'll take the first shot, she signed. It was certainly a surprise to find out that they both knew American Sign Language whilst onboard the Amity. They'd almost immediately been ribbed by Will for it, but it allowed them to communicate much more effectively beyond just using the standard military signs everybody learned in basic.
Thomas nodded and took aim. Sarah fired a second later, her first round taking off the leader's head, quickly followed by its partner when a trio of rounds pierced its chest. Thomas opened fire immediately after, the further back pair of droids dropping as the 5.56 bullets ripped through their heads.
"Terran Army! Terran Army!" Sarah called out as the two advanced.
"Blue! Blue! Check your fire!" a voice sounded from around the corner.
After rounding said corner, Thomas finally saw who the droids had been firing at. A group consisting of three clones and half a dozen men and women in the uniforms of the Serinia Militia. All of which seems to have been put through the ringer. One of the clones was missing his helmet, and the other two were missing varying sections of armor plates. The militia members weren't much better, with scorch marks, blood and bruises all over their armor and skin, whilst another lay on the ground, his leg covered in blood as he was tended to by one of his fellows.
"Who the kriff are you guys?" One of the militia members asked.
"Corporal Sarah Addie, 3rd Infantry Division, Terran United States Army. This is Corporal Thomas Wilson" Sarah replied.
"Corporal Grex, 82nd Blaster Regiment" the clone missing his helmet said. "You guys are the ones attached to the 501st right?"
"One and the same" Thomas confirmed, surprised that he knew that. "Now, what the hell are you guys doing out here? The Republic pulled out of this sector two weeks ago," he asked.
"The droids managed to cut us off before we could retreat, killing most of my men in the process. It's been a game of gundark and womp rat since."
Sarah furrowed her brows in thought. "Is there anyone else left other than you?" she asked.
Grex shook his head. "Negative, we're it," he replied.
Sarah considered their options. Continuing their mission would provide more information that could be used to shift the tide of the battle and perhaps the entire campaign for this sector of space, but at the same time these men and women wouldn't last another few hours out here without support and almost certainly wouldn't make it back to friendly territory with their lives, even if they'd had a straight route back. When comparing those two scenarios, Sarah chose the one that was the only one that made sense.
"Then consider our recon mission scrubbed, we're getting you out of here," Sarah said looking at Thomas, who nodded in acknowledgement. Despite the pair being the exact same rank, Sarah had been designated lead for the mission, so she was in charge.
"We made our way in, so we know our way out. We're going to have to move in a hurry to breach the jamming field before the droids send in their big guns, so anybody who can't walk on their own gets carried out. We aren't leaving anybody behind," the Scottish American finished.
Grex nodded. "You heard the lady! Mers get Trax patched up and ready to move. We leave in-."
He was interrupted by the sound of clanking metal legs. Snapping around, Thomas spotted an entire platoon of battle droids heading right for them.
"Now! We leave now!" Grex yelled out, his order quickly being followed as the group, which now numbered eleven, broke into a dead sprint as the droids opened fire. They ran down the street, using the corners as cover to keep the droids guessing as to where they were going and to keep as much distance between themselves and their enemy as possible.
"How much further until we breach the jamming field?" one of the militia men named Tark asked.
"There's still at least a mile between us and there!" Thomas replied.
"What the kriff is a mile!?" Tark asked in exasperation.
"1.6 kilometers dickhead! We still have a lot to go!" Thomas said in anger.
"Focus you nerf herders! Keep moving!" Grex ordered as an explosion rang out to their right.
"There! An entrance to the subway!" Mers pointed out as more blaster bolts hit near them.
"Inside quickly!" Grex ordered. The group quickly did so, with Mers carrying Trax in, quickly followed by the other militia members, whilst the Terrans and clones provided covering fire against the advancing droids. Grex then pulled out a series of magnetic thermal detonators and threw them against the entrance's walls as the two other clones ran inside.
"Come on!" he yelled to Thomas and Sarah, who likewise sprinted inside. Once the pair were past him Grex ran in as well before turning and pressing the button on his detonator, collapsing the entrance in a shower of dust and debris.
"That'll buy us some time," the clone finished as Mers set Trax down and rechecked his bandages, whilst the others took several deep breaths to recuperate from the sudden sprint and simultaneous combat.
"Yeah, but now we're trapped underground with potentially no way to navigate," one of the other clones named Pris said. "Several sections of this network have already collapsed due to artillery barrages and air strikes. Odds are at least a few more have joined them since our last update on their condition."
"Then we're lucky that I know my way around," Trax groaned as he sat up. "I grew up in this city. We're in junction A20," he continued whilst pointing at a faded map of the city's tram network.
"We follow the tracks about three kilometers down that tunnel, take a left here, then go another half kilometer, and there should be a secondary maintenance hatch we can use to escape. It should be close to our lines, but we should be cautious when exiting."
Grex stared at the militia man, surprised at the level of detail.
"You worked here before the war, Trax?" he asked.
The Serinian native rubbed the back of his head. "No... and let's just say it was a good thing the workers never knew I was here either," he said.
Thomas stared blankly at him. "You used these tunnels to smuggle contraband, didn't you?" he asked.
Trax shrugged. "Kid does what he has to do in order to eat. Family wasn't well off back then. Things got better and I left that life behind, though the knowledge still comes in handy."
"It's settled then," Sarah said. "We'll make our way to that hatch and get out of this hell hole of a city. Hopefully without another droid platoon dropping on our heads."
She then gestured towards the tunnel. "Think you're fit enough to lead the way, Trax?" she asked.
The trooper in question groaned as he stood up with assistance from Mers. "Yeah... yeah I think so."
"Then let's get a move on. We don't have time to waste."
"Where are all the droids?" Mei asked herself. She and Beau were several kilometers east of Thomas and Sarah's assigned sector on top of a four-story building. Unlike their companions however, they hadn't seen nearly any droids at all. They had snuck past the perimeter guards and a few scattered patrols, but of the main army there was no sign other than a few abandoned tanks and shattered droid remains.
"Hey! Look at that door!" Beau called out. "Just under that shattered five-story building on the cliff, northeast."
Mei looked through her binoculars at the building her companion spoke of. Its partially collapsed structure looked as if it would seemingly fall off the cliff it currently rested upon, with its now shattered stylized glass windows having been an undoubtedly scenic sight during the city's prime. It was nothing on the building itself which had drawn Beau's attention however, but rather the sizable doors at the cliff's base.
As far as GAR and Terran intelligence had been concerned, the hanger located within had been converted into a sort of command-and-control facility for the local CIS units, having originally been a private hanger for the higher echelons of society. It had been targeted by an LAAT raid a few days before, which had reportedly disabled the center.
Apparently that assumption was utterly wrong as the doors began to open, groaning as their ancient gears strained. Beau's eyes widened as the sunlight that now entered the structure revealed a most unwelcome sight.
Several squadrons of Vulture droids, their power cores charged and eyes glowing red. Within moments they were launching into the air, all immediately engaging Republic and Terran air elements in the sky above the city. Several were shot down before they could react to the newly appeared swarm, but soon enough the airspace had devolved into a massive furball.
"We have to get down from here!" Beau said. "One of those Vultures picks us out and we're dead!"
Quickly grabbing their gear, the pair raced back to the stairwell which they had used to reach the roof. Yet before they got there, they heard a whirring sound, shortly followed by an object of some sort smashing into their building. Despite being thrown to the ground by the impact, Mei quickly recovered and yanked Beau into cover behind a piece of debris. Once the smoke cleared, the pair saw it was some sort of pod, its spindly arms having penetrated the structure and left a hatch open to the air with almost ten feet between the hatch and the ground. Said hatch then opened, quickly followed by a group of six brown figures jumping out of it, the bright white eyes glowing like lanterns at the end of a dark tunnel.
Mei's eyes widened. "Commando Droids!" she whispered to Beau.
Beau took another look the droids, then pulled a pair of grenades from his belt. Taking on six BX-series commando droids with just the two of them was practically suicide. Not only were the droids programmed to efficiently kill in many different ways, but their armor was also extremely durable, reportedly taking several hits to pierce. This made a simple 'shoot to kill' ambush extremely risky. Which left only one option.
Overwhelming firepower.
"We blow these guys to hell" Beau replied in the same hushed tone as he hefted one of the grenades. Mei nodded and then pulled out a grenade of her own. Pulling the pins on his grenades, Beau used his fingers to silently count down to three before he and Mei threw their respective explosives towards the BXs. They clattered and clinked as they impacted the ground near the droid's feet, which drew the attention of the squad leader.
"Grenades!" it shouted, mere milliseconds before one of said grenades blew him to pieces. The other two detonated nearly simultaneously, taking out another three of the elite droids, leaving only two behind, both sparking from the shrapnel damage that, whilst having not destroyed them, had still left them in a severely damaged state.
Their respite would be short lived, and Mei and Beau quickly rose from their position and rapidly fired into them. Mei's first round would bounce off one's chest armor, but the second would find its mark directly in its head. Beau meanwhile continually hit his target in the chest, keeping it staggering, until one sliced through its neck, decapitating it.
"Alright come on, hopefully the impact of that thing didn't damage the supports-" Beau began to say.
"I think we have bigger problems," Mei said as she pointed up into the sky. Masses more of the pods were raining down all over the city and even the Republic base they'd been stationed at. Missiles and AAA fire ripped into the open air, destroying several of the Separatist vehicles. But many more got through, with one even colliding with an errant Y-wing, ripping off its wing and sending it spiraling into a skyscraper.
"Oh no..." Beau said.
Miles away, another one of the pods impacted on the top of another building. Its hatch spiraled open, allowing its contingent of commando droids to disembark.
They were not alone, however. Two more droids jumped out of the pod, their purple electrostaffs glowing with energy. They were quickly followed by a third and final figure, his cloaked frame landing on the ground with a small burst of energy.
The figure then made his way over to the edge of the rooftop and studied the surrounding carnage, his cloak blowing in the wind, the glint of a lightsaber visible on his belt. He then pushed his hood back, revealing his clean-shaven head, and raised his communicator to his face.
"I've made it planet side. Looks like the droids are playing their part well. The Republic forces are in complete disarray," he said.
"Excellent. I am already enroute to the datacenter. We must reach it before the Jedi get wind of our operation" a female voice replied.
"Any sign of said Jedi?" the man said with a slight growl in his tone.
"They're currently engaging the droids near the entrance to the shipyards proper, so we will have to move quickly."
"Understood" the man acknowledged before preparing to jump off the roof.
"Oh, and Gadaan?" the voice called out causing Gadaan to stop. "We are here for the data first and foremost, so be sure not to let your desire for revenge cloud your judgement."
"I will accept your scolding only if you actually manage to kill Skywalker next you meet, Ventress" Gadaan retorted before disconnecting the transmission. He then jumped off the building, his Magnaguards and Commando droids following.
One day the Jedi would pay for what they did to him.
One day very soon.
Hello again everyone! Been a long time, hasn't it? Apologies for the wait between this chapter and the last but let me tell you it has been a rather busy and stressful few months. To recap:
College started back up for me (taking summer classes).
One of my dogs passed away from a rattlesnake bite.
We got a new puppy to help heal my stepdad's broken heart.
My mother had to have a gall bladder stone removed, then have the bladder itself removed, putting her out of commission for a few weeks.
Then we got another new puppy even younger than the first.
And lastly our water went out for a few days, so we didn't have water until literally the day I am writing this.
So yeah, all that stuff has been taking up most of my time, which combined with writer's block and my obsession over making sure this world works is not exactly a winning combination. I feel as if I'm going to end up on one of those 'Fanfic Writers Are Insane' videos, but I'm back now so that's what matters at the end of the day.
Once again, I'd also like to thank my friend Striker-Echo for beta'ing this chapter. Thanks, bud!
Now onto the reviews:
Mancy Faced Mage: Other characters may receive cameos, but I only really have plans for a select few characters from BSG to have major impacts on the overall story.
deathstroke733: Many of the arcs of the Clone Wars will be featured in this story, though many original events and arcs will occur as well. One such example is a sort of prelude to the Slaves of Zygerria arc involving Thomas.
Imhappy0126: I'm going to presume you meant to say 'annoying', but yeah dialogue isn't really my strong suite. If you have any recommendations, I'm open to hearing them.
PeterHK: The Force isn't some Deus ex Machina for the Wilsons. It's actually not even really a factor other than Erica having it, and now Thomas. Everyone else wasn't force sensitive. Mei and Beau will continue to show up as they are now members of Thomas's squad. The CIS peace faction will likely have something to say about the attack during their discussions on the war. Other factions will also be shown at various points during the story, such as the Mandalorian Skull Squadron that Fenn Rau was a member of.
SilentType 1997: I have the order of episodes open every time I write to be sure that I am not writing events out of order. So, whilst Kamino happened during the time skips of last chapter (explaining away Ahsoka, Jesse, Hardcase and other known clone's absence during the battle), events between then and now also include the Senate mini-arcs, Hunt for Ziro, and Pursuit of Peace, with Savage's introduction being slightly delayed to compensate for the lack of time to do everything, since I can only fit so much in the space of a few months. This also includes Ahsoka getting her second lightsaber (also offscreen). These, as well as more minor over all changes (such as Denal's survival past the Jedi Holocron arc) have also occurred.