Ch14 - Tip of the Spear
Wren Stronghold, Krownest, New Kleyman System, 2 BBY
"Ma'am, we've got a Rebel Alliance Starship incoming," a clansman informed the room at large. They were in the great hall of the Wren Stronghold, Ursa seated upon the dais at the front of the room, while Rau, Tristan and Sabine flanked her. They were briefing a force of Wren warriors, ready for a strike upon an Imperial prison facility. They would be receiving air support and pilots from the various other clans of the Resistance, but they had made it abundantly clear:
This was Wren business.
"They can land on 14-B," Tristan answered the messenger. "Bring them in."
Oh, Sabine's shock when it was Ezra of all people, who appeared in their great hall, panicked and tense.
"Ezra?" she asked, turning to face him. "Not that you're not welcome, but…"
"Thrawn's besieged us on Atollon," he cut across her. "We need help."
"The rest of the Rebellion?" Tristan asked, brow furrowed. "Surely they can help… A large proportion of Wren forces are preparing to launch a separate strike, and to prepare any other force for a space battle would take days. Your comrades would be dead by then, for sure."
Ezra sighed.
"Mother, surely we can do something," Sabine pleaded, turning to Ursa. "At least make some kind of difference."
"It is as Tristan said, Sabine," Ursa replied, crestfallen. "While we have the resources to help, time is of the essence. The Haran is on Mandalore, and the Beviin is halfway through its deployment. The only high-readiness troops in the entire Resistance at this moment in time are the forty or so awaiting their rotation with the raiding parties."
"Could we redeploy the Beviin?" Sabine asked, eyes lighting up. "Percy's got weapons and soldiers ready for a fight. If we tell them to arm up now, we could get a whole battlegroup in, ready to try and break the blockade."
"He's got Interdictors," Ezra supplied. "Dodonna tried to get in, but his whole fleet got destroyed because of them."
Now, Sabine smiled. "You keep worrying about that, Ezra. We've got the guy who designed the Interdictor."
"You are permitted to go, daughter," Ursa agreed. "Rau, Tristan, gather any volunteers you can from among our clan and from Poseidon's; fill Bridger's Kom'rk, and show this Thrawn why the allies of Clan Wren are not to be trifled with."
Cruiser Beviin, Mandalore Sector, 2 BBY
"Al'verde, I have Delphin on a long-range comm from Krownest," a young warrior informed him. "Says that he has new orders."
"Thank you, Felix," he replied, patching the message through. His smile at seeing his father's right hand man disappeared, however, when he saw the look on Delphin's face.
"Perseus, the Rebels on Atollon have been set upon by Thrawn," Delphin explained quickly. "Jun Sato and his Jetii were unable to best the Imperials through trickery, and have been forced to ground. Jan Dodonna's fleet has been demolished, though I am told the man himself survives only by virtue of his skill."
"Our orders?" Percy replied. He knew that Rebel Squadron; it was the one which Nico had attached his Jedi Order to, until the Order had a more permanent base. It was Sabine's old squadron. The orders were likely hers.
"The new rotation of fresh troops brings four full dropships instead of the expected three. Escorting them will be Lady Wren and Fenn Rau. You will then prepare and execute an assault upon the Imperial Seventh Fleet, with the intention of displacing them long enough for Phoenix Squadron to escape the Blockade."
Percy nodded, bringing up the image that Delphin had just sent. It was a live projection of the tactical situation, taken from their recently captured Intelligence ship. Likely, given the systems that powered his bridge, it was the same image that Thrawn, on the bridge of ISD Chimaera, would be studying himself. Knowing the man, he was preparing ground forces, probably even to lead them out himself.
"I'll prepare my troops," he nodded.
Chopper Base, Atollon, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
Guns spewed blaster bolts of all colours skywards, the Rebel operatives locking in on their targets and letting all hell loose. The gunners had been told in no uncertain terms; anything that landed was a credible threat to them. AT-AT Walkers, Howitzers, Armoured Personnel Carriers…
Their task of shooting anything that moved out of the sky was one that they took seriously.
Deadly seriously.
In the catacombs that the Crawlers still populated, squads of light troops prepared to repel the initial assault, while Mortar Crews hung back within the barricades.
Fortunately, Thrawn had chosen to launch his assault at a time when the two squadrons currently trapped on Atollon had been preparing to retake a planet.
That meant squad tactics, light support weapons, and even some artillery systems. They had enough anti-tank weapons and mines that several of the approaches had been made impassable, unless Thrawn brought up specialist mine-clearing teams, beginning the drawn-out process of clearing them, one by one.
All that left was the open plain to the south, and the catacombs to the west.
"The enemy have set up a small force in the ravine to the West," Nico told Dodonna, Sato and Syndulla, all gathered around the table. "Their strength there is a single troop of Thrawn's own personal guard, supporting a full Armoured Infantry Company. I propose that Kanan, Iyneda and Captains Rex and Orrelios go and head them off there. They will have two squads of Infantry, and enough anti-armour weapons that they should be able to repel that assault."
Kanan and Atalanta nodded, disappearing off into the distance, gathering weapons and troops.
"The remainder of Thrawn's force is stationed on the plains, out to the South. I propose that we place Snipers, Rotary Cannons and Artillery Observers in the thickest shrubbery, and on top of the cliffs here and here." he pointed out the positions with a rod, drawing out their overlapping fields of fire. "We will also place three anti-aircraft gun emplacements on that front; they will be reserved for dealing with any tanks. Mortar crews and the single heavy gun in our possession will be within the shields, on standby for calls from the Observers."
Hera nodded. "And the Jedi?"
"We will reserve the remaining platoon of General Dodonna's troops alongside the remaining Jedi, held in reserve. They will be prepared either to counterattack against the troops in the South, or to support the defence to the west."
"Sounds like a plan," Dodonna nodded approvingly. "I wouldn't have done it much differently."
"General?" Sato asked, drawing Nico's eyes towards him. The veteran Commander from Mykapo was scrutinising Nico's battle schematics.
"Yes, Commander?" he asked.
"I would propose stationing a single section on the open side to our West," he said. "Give them a single Anti-Air gun. They would have field of view not only over the West side, but they would also be able to target troops on the Southern approach."
"I agree, Commander," Nico nodded. "Would you lead them yourself"
"I shall," Sato nodded. "It would be appreciated if Master Phaeris would join me. I might be good in a fight, but he is a far more natural leader on the ground."
"All yours," Achilles smiled. "Give me a second, Commander; I'll just be bringing some surprises for our dear Imperial friends."
Sato send Nico a questioning look, and the Umbaran just smiled. "Don't ask - he's been waiting fifteen years for a good fight. I think we both have, really."
Cruiser Beviin, Mandalore Sector, 2 BBY
"Another Arquitens?" Ezra asked Sabine as they dropped out of Hyperspace. "I thought you only had one!"
"Two, di'kut," Sabine chastised him fondly as the group of fighters entered the Beviin's docking bay.
Percy had been busy, clearly, judging by the groups of warriors finishing up the refuelling of the fighters, and the technician currently servicing the Arc Pulse Generator on the undercarriage of the Sundari.
The docking bay was something of a tight squeeze, but fortunately, when Percy had remodelled the interior of the ship, he had ensured that it was possible to dock further vessels inside the Haran Class' bays, providing that the main complement were all on the dedicated rail that released vessels out of the ventral accelerating shaft.
Leaving her fighter, she made her way along the practised route up to the Bridge, where she knew that Percy and Triton would be busy formulating plans.
Sure enough, when they entered the Bridge, they found it a flurry of activity, all the weapons officers calibrating their systems while Triton coordinated them. Someone was organising a pre-battle meal for the crew, ensuring that each warrior and pilot would go into battle with all the food, water and ammunition that was necessary in case they had to survive in the wild for any period of time.
"Sabine," Percy greeted, and she leant into his side, accepting the side hug that he offered. "I heard about Alrich. Don't worry; we'll get him right back. Kriff, if I can get a live feed from Thrawn's bridge, then we can find some prison records, eh Ad'ika?"
She smiled. "That's the fight, then?" she asked, leaning in to look closer.
"Yeah," Ezra cut in. "The problem's that Interdictor Cruiser up there. There used to be two, but we copied Sabine's plan from Mustafar."
"An EMP?" she asked, amused.
"Nah, just loaded it with Ion Torpedoes," Ezra replied, shrugging. "We needed it gone, and Master di Angelo had some spare."
"I was there that day," Percy huffed. "The single most ridiculous paint job I'd ever seen, Sabine. Tarkin's ship deserved to go down, considering how nobody noticed that thing."
"Ridiculous?" Sabine asked. "I thought it was quite good."
"I thought so too," he replied, raising a placating hand, "But racing stripes on the sides was a little too Ordo for me, you know?"
Sabine shrugged, bobbing her head in agreement. "I've gotten better since then. Just look at the Haran."
"True, true," her uncle conceded. "Now let's think about winning this battle."
"General Dodonna's fleet got pulled out of Hyperspace while they flew," Ezra informed Percy. "It wasn't good."
"They were flying on the wrong axis," Percy nodded. "Thrawn corrected the Interdictor's course to make sure that they were flying at it, but honestly, if it had stayed still, then we might have lost the entire Messassi group. Luckily, Thrawn doesn't know the way I designed the Gravity Wells to fire."
Ezra's face blanched.
"I designed the Interdictor with one weakness," Percy said. "If you fly on the same axis as the gravity wells, then your hyperdrive, on a smaller ship, anyway, should overcome the gravitational force. So, all we need to do is fly directly at the other one."
"That seems…"
"Simple?" Percy offered, and Sabine nodded.
"The easiest sabotages are the most obvious ones," he smirked. "We had to let the ship bed in, because otherwise someone would have caught the sabotage. Now, though? No point in letting an advantage slip in a fight like this."
"Okay," Ezra reasoned. "We get into the system without getting shot to pieces or wrecked in Hyperspace, then what?"
"You forget, Bridger, that you're standing in a ship full of Mandalorians," Triton remarked as he walked past. "We waltz in, we blow shab up, and we leave. Simple!"
Sabine snickered at her uncle's attitude, though she couldn't find the flaw in his reasoning.
"We'll launch a strike team onto the hull of the interdictor," Percy explained. "They'll knock it out in double quick time, and then it's a simple case of clearing the bridges of Star Destroyers."
"Simple?" Ezra asked, visibly confused. "You're going to get cut to pieces by the Star Destroyers!"
"They're shielded against aerial assault, not ground," Sabine explained. "If you can get troops onto the hull, though, there's nothing in the way. They can't shoot out of the windows, so they need to put Jet Troopers onto the deck. All we have to do is blow out the viewports, and the Deck Officers can't command the ship. All the fire control systems are abandoned, and we can just fly right by."
"I couldn't have summed it up much better, Ad'ika," Percy said, ruffling Sabine's hair. "Honestly, the biggest threat to us are the Arquitens Light Cruisers. They're too fast for the same tactic to use, and so unless they pull out a Super Star Destroyer, we should be able to break through pretty easily."
"You make winning seem so easy," the young Jedi breathed. Percy smiled.
"We're not winning, Bridger," he replied. "At the end of the battle, the Empire will be able to take their ships back and repair them. They're not lost; we're not even going to damage the internal systems. They might lose some deck officers, but the Manda know that they're replaceable too."
"We're still getting our people out," Ezra argued.
"At what loss?" Percy challenged. "Nico tried something that might well have worked without the Interdictors, but kriff, four Messassi ships? Fortunately that wasn't Jan's entire fleet, but that's nearly three hundred crew lost."
Bridger nodded, the weight of their losses to that point hitting him all at once.
"Don't get me wrong, it'll be a humiliation for Thrawn, but the chances of a tactical victory disappeared the moment the plan didn't factor in a pair of Interdictors What it will do, though, is it proves that even Thrawn and his Seventh are beatable. We just need to get our guys out to make that happen."
Ezra grimaced, but nodded.
Atollon, Atollon System, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
"All armoured platoons, advance," he ordered calmly. The ravine was narrow, and deep; too much so for the Rebels to assail their positions from behind, and steep enough to prevent their light weapons from affecting his troops.
They thundered forwards, AT-STs leading the way, the larger AT-ATs advancing behind them.
It wasn't long before the Rebels played their hand; the AT-ST walkers went down to a series of mines.
Mines which he was now able to mark out.
Indeed, his sensors had found the Northern Cliffs and the Eastern flank so perforated with mines that his troops would likely be searching for hours.
This one, though?
It was passable, with sufficient force.
The AT-STs were bearable losses, for the information that they gave him.
The AT-ATs opened fire.
The cliffside ahead of them cracked and splintered, the natural defences that the Rebels had placed beginning to fracture.
Layer upon layer fell before his battery, to the point where he wondered if even Syndulla had failed in her strategy, trusting too deeply in Republic-era defensive strategy, and yet with neither the Jedi nor the Clone forces to cut him off as the Republic's doctrine demanded.
Unless, of course…
"Send out Infantry squads to reinforce our Heavy Armour," he instructed his second in command. "Ensure that nobody is hiding in the trees."
The men did so at once, and suddenly his nagging fear came to fruition.
The instant his infantry entered the fray, they found the entire column trapped inside a kill zone.
A pair of heavy-calibre laser cannons were rolled onto the top of the ravine, and these, effective at ranges of whole klicks, were more than effective against his troops.
This was not what his intelligence had informed him; the route was unassailable.
"Pull back," he told his second in command. "The Rebels seem to have played their hand. This passage is not ours to take."
The man nodded, and the infantry began to attempt to pull out, now under the expected small arms fire which seemed to come from every direction possible.
Mortar shells exploded along their route of escape, cutting off any attempts to provide them with cover with brightly coloured smokes.
Through a haze of dust and smoke, he could see a pair of blue lightsabers charging out into the open. Had he possessed the superior firepower in this fight, he might have pushed for a counterattack, aiming to crush their morale by taking two of General di Angelo's valuable lieutenants captive.
He was reminded that this wasn't the case, however, by a well-placed red blaster bolt striking his second-in-command in the head, dropping him in an instant. The trooper beside him befell the same fate, this time to a blue bolt.
Running to the relative cover of his shuttle, he scanned for the shooter.
They were behind the smoke; further than three hundred metres away, and yet closer than the eight hundred that would imply a sniper. The only weapons possessed by units here that could strike at such distance were the Lasat Bo-Rifle and the Clone Wars-era DC-17 long rifle.
Captain Garazeb Orellios and Clone Commander Rex.
He nodded grimly to himself.
The front had been lost, but he had learned something, at the very least.
Atollon, Atollon System, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
"All mortar crews, check your firing," Nico ordered sharply. "Conserve your ammunition. We're going to need it when the Southern assault kicks off."
The Mortar Commander, one of Dodonna's men, nodded, cutting off his men's firing.
Rex had sent through a message not long ago, informing him that Kanan and Zeb's strategy had paid off spectacularly. Thrawn would now be cautious in using his armour, knowing that his troops had heavy enough weapons to knock AT-AT walkers out of the fight.
"Any reports from the spotters?" Nico asked, "We can't engage with the Howitzer until Thrawn commits to the ground assault. He's proud, yes, but we can't allow him time to think."
"Negative," Sato answered. "Agents Theseus and Bellerophon are monitoring the front, but we have had very little by way of enemy contact."
"Not even probe droids?" he asked, confused. "I'm told that they enjoy using their probe droids."
Sato shook his head. "A sniper neutralised three of them earlier on in the battle, forcing him to move his team's position, but otherwise, it has been largely silent."
"Then he'll launch a mass assault," Nico concluded. "He doesn't care about conserving troop strength while doing it, just about wiping us off the face of this planet."
"He's a butcher," Achilles breathed.
"No," Hera shook her head sadly. "He's just learned his lesson. His soldiers aren't good enough to pull off an infiltrating attack, and he doesn't have enough heavy armour to get in close. He knows that our heavy guns would take out his armoured transports, so the best chance of his troops getting anywhere near us is by foot."
"The Captain is right," Nico agreed. "It's how a lot of the Jedi would have done it in the Clone War."
There was a look on his face that made Achilles nod.
"Masters Tiplar and Tiplee told me about the battle on Geonosis. Both Skywalker and Mundi had to move their troops on foot to get past the Geonosian and Droid blockades to Point Rain."
"And they would have struggled to break through if Percy hadn't planned for something just like it," Nico nodded.
"Do they know about Gundark?" Atalanta asked, concerned. "Surely they wouldn't use it here?"
"That plan was designated for the previous generation of Arquitens," Nico said, himself somewhat relieved that the Empire couldn't use Percy's strategy of dropping a capital ship below atmospheric level to lay down overwhelming suppressive fire. "Thrawn doesn't have many of those to spare, otherwise he'd have used them already."
"We've made the surrounding airspace impassable for his fighters and bombers too," Hera pointed out. "The anti-air guns are pulling their weight, hard."
"We all are," Nico agreed. "I just hope that Ezra's cry for help is heard, otherwise we die still tied to that weight."
Cruiser Beviin, Hyperspace, 2 BBY
"Not long before we drop out," Triton told the landing troops, all currently assembled in the mess halls, "Perhaps an hour or so at most. All the ships are fuelled. Percy's briefing the pilots, if you guys want to come and listen in. He'll probably ask for you folks afterwards, too."
Sabine nodded, beckoning for the Landing Squad leaders, as well as Rau and Ezra to follow her.
All the warriors accompanying her on this mission were either Tritonis troops on the regular rotation aboard the Beviin, or Wren warriors enlisted specially for this mission. As such, they were all fairly familiar with one another. The Mess Hall had devolved into a singalong among the group to pass the time, which she had found herself and Ezra drawn into.
She had also learned that the Tritonis effort for the Resistance, namely their raiding rotations aboard the Beviin and their duties flying the troop transports for the other clans during major battles, had left them baying for blood.
There was only so far that capturing Imperial trade assets satiated that bloodlust.
Sabine smiled. There was only one thing scarier than an angry Mandalorian, and that was an angry Mandalorian who had been denied a fight for too long.
"The goal," Percy was explaining, "is to punch Lady Wren and Fenn Rau through to provide close air support. Our intelligence suggests that Thrawn has been repelled on one path to the Rebel camp, and as such his troops are gathered on a single front, their air support grounded or returned to their Carriers."
"Once we have established dominance in the space battle, sir?" someone asked.
"I doubt that we will have true superiority," Percy replied. "Remember your drills, support the ground troops, and ensure that the enemy's more manoeuvrable vessels are removed from the fight as a priority, being unassailable by foot. The Sundari will provide suppressing effects onto the enemy's Star Destroyers, which I have on good authority fall under the authority of Arihnda Pryce, instead of Mitth'raw'nuruodo."
"Then we'll be able to fly rings around her," Sabine smirked.
"We should," Percy nodded. "Surprise and overwhelming violence are our friends. Lose either, and we lose the fight, our lives and all the lives of those left on the surface."
They nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.
"That isn't to say that I don't trust you," Percy smirked. "We have an entire Imperial fleet in front of us; one which hasn't seen even the slightest hint of Mandalorian power. Maintain the momentum, and we'll roll them up faster than they can call for help."
Sabine nodded.
"Flight vector is right down the pipe for the Interdictor," he told the others. "That means that the moment we drop out, we'll need the teams ready to knock out that ship. I don't mean just knock out viewports, either. We either need to get in and overload the core, or blow it from the outside."
"I've got that team," Ezra said. "We're going to land on the decks, and then storm the gravity wells. If blasters don't destabilise it, Rockets will."
Percy nodded his approval. "Your Kom'rk will suffice as air support for your mission. Is your droid reliable?"
Sabine exchanged a look with Ezra.
"Chopper… might do the job?" Ezra shrugged. "We should be fine."
"Gratifying, Bridger," Percy sighed, and Sabine snickered. "If required, we will use Beviin's guns to cover you. And believe me, there are a lot of them."
Ezra nodded.
"The rest of the strike teams know what they're doing," Sabine informed him. "We've done it enough times, though normally we've got a little bit more support."
"We will have to manage," Percy grimaced. "The Fighter escort is larger than normal, so the Kom'rks will be able to provide close air support. I'd suggest that you prioritise the air battle before you move in for runs on the surface. Manda, we might even be able to get a Kom'rk close if we move fast.
ISD Chimaera, Atollon System, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
"New light speed contacts inbound off the Port Side," a young Ensign informed Pryce. Kallus frowned; he hadn't heard of any Rebel Squadrons in the region. Certainly none large enough to take on Thrawn's Seventh.
"Show me," Pryce demanded, striding over to the monitor that the boy was manning.
"Single medium vessel," the Ensign explained, showing her. Appears to have the same long range scan as an Arquitens, Type 546."
"A supply ship, then," Pryce surmised. "Friendly. Hail it down, ask them for their clearance codes."
Kallus hid his smirk behind a very real grimace of pain as he bit the inside of his cheek. Of course, a supply ship was of little consequence. The alternative, though, would make for very good viewing indeed.
Cruiser Beviin, Hyperspace, 2 BBY
"Brace for lock in three, two…"
The entire complement of the Beviin crouched and waited, but no impact came.
There was an insistent chirping from the commander's console. Puzzled, Triteia pressed the button to answer it. The cool voice of an Imperial Ensign crackled over the net.
"Unidentified Imperial Cruiser, this is ISD Chimera. Declare your mission and transmit codes."
For a moment, the entire crew of the bridge stood stock still. Triteia stared, wide eyed, at Percy, who looked just as nonplussed. Triton jammed his helmet on his head to prevent the sound of his laughter from carrying across the bridge.
It was Ezra Bridger, of all people, who pressed the button on the holotable and answered the Imperial Officer.
"Chimera, this is Commander Meiloorun of Imperial Cruiser…" he hesitated a moment as he fumbled for a name, "Wrathbringer, with special assets for delivery to Grand Admiral Thrawn."
"Copy that, Wrathbringer," the Ensign replied, and there was a collective sigh on Beviin's bridge. "You're clear to enter this space."
The connection broke, and Percy and Sabine shared a look, before they both burst into laughter.
"Alright, alright," Percy composed himself. "Mission to run. Get to your stations, keep an ear out for updating orders. Especially you, Bridger. The longer it takes for them to spot us, the better. Manda above, we could even knock out the Interdictor without whoever Thrawn's got in charge of his ship noticing."
People began to run, ready for the mission ahead.
Atollon, Atollon System, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
"Transmission, Sir!" a runner informed Nico as he crouched behind one of the larger trees that made up his defensive line. A few yards ahead, his troops were continuing to dig trenches behind the few mines and tank traps that they'd managed to throw together. They'd always expected that it'd come down to this, and here they were.
The smoking carcasses of downed Imperial gunships littered the open plain, plumes of thick black smoke curling into the evening sky.
He'd heard back from Iyneda, his trusted agent informing him that Thrawn himself had been sighted and repelled with a crack armoured contingent in the Ravine. Sato and Achilles had been engaging in near-constant skirmishes with an Infantry Battalion to the other flank, and while they hadn't sustained any losses yet, there would come a point when the Imperials managed to wear them down enough to force them back.
"It's from Commander Bridger," the runner informed him. "They're back. He suggests that unless the situation has changed, you follow Contingency Zero-Nine-Delta."
"Nine-Delta…" Nico muttered. That was one of Jason Grace's plans. The Kuati Resistance, then?
Either way, it meant that, should he be able to hold out, air support and evacuation would be available to them. It would take a little time, yes, but it was guaranteed to be coming, and when it did, it would come in the form of rapid, torpedo-armed fighters.
Back in the old days, they'd used Headhunters to run that mission, with their speed and manoeuvrability setting them apart from the heavier, less mobile BTL-B Y Wing.
The only fighters under Rebel Command capable of running the mission now would be the X-Wing and what few headhunters remained in Rebel control, having been saved from the scrap pile.
In any case, there was hope.
"Run a message back," he told the young soldier. "Tell the other sector commanders that they're going to be on rapid reaction. Have one heavy gun targeted on Coordinate 18-X, loaded with smoke ammunition."
"Rapid reaction, gun on 18-X, smokes," the runner surmised, and Nico nodded. The soldier set off at a run once more.
In front of him, the men continued to dig.
Cruiser Beviin, Atollon System, 2 BBY
Percy watched as Bridger's Kom'rk slunk out of his rear hangar bay, hidden from the view of the other capital ships' bridges as they made their way over to the Interdictor.
He knew that the rest of the Beviin's fighter complement were arranged on the launcher rail below him, deep in the belly of the ship. The other Kom'rk borne strike teams, as well as their dedicated Arc Pulse Generator Kom'rk, the Sundari, were to launch out of the two rear hangar bays.
"All wings ready, weapons hot. Gunners, lock magnetic torpedoes onto Arquitens on Mark Point Five," he said into the communicator grimly. "Fighters, number off."
They did so, from Sabine and Rau in their Fang Fighters, all the way down to the last strike team in their Kom'rk transport.
"Good," he nodded approvingly. With Triton occupied at the helm of a Kom'rk, his second in command on the Bridge was his young niece, Triteia. "Kiddo, your call."
Fang-Class Fighter Jai'galaar, Atollon System, 2 BBY
"Launchers going hot in ten," Sabine heard Triteia's voice say over the comm. "Five, four…"
The accelerators in front of her began to glow bright blue, the rings of superpowered electromagnets pulsing as they charged up, and the electrified rail above her that held her fighter powering up to a high-pitched whine.
"... Brace! Brace! Brace!"
Tensing, Sabine felt herself pressed into her seat as her fighter accelerated straight to combat speed from a halt, being hurled forwards and out of the ventral passage, right into the heat of a fight.
Already, the Interdictor was ablaze, two of the gravity wells on overdrive and a Kom'rk lifting off its top deck and away to find a new target to knock out of the fight.
The Beviin's guns were focussed on an Arquitens, its sister ship already aflame and launching escape pods courtesy of the pair of torpedoes that Percy had sent its way.
Sabine processed this in the space of two seconds, making a hard right bank and seeking to engage fighter targets. No matter how beautifully Percy's plans always seemed to turn out, she knew that she played a pretty important role in this one.
"Phoenix 5, Protector 1 on your wing," Rau's reassuring voice informed her over the net. Looking briefly over her shoulder, she saw the familiar paint scheme of a Protector's starfighter covering her right hand side.
"Copy that Rau," she replied. "Let's clear up this place. We've got lives on the line."
"That's the plan," The veteran pilot replied, peeling off to the right and engaging a pair of TIEs. Sabine followed, watching as the Jaig's targeting systems picked up the right hand of their new opponents. When it gave her tone, she pressed down on the triggers, watching as the fighter exploded.
"Strike Team, engage Left Hand Star Destroyer," Triteia's voice instructed. "Get our guys a way out. Fighters, your mission is to escort and destroy any hostiles you find."
Sabine turned in the direction of the ship in question, noticing the customary swarm of TIE fighters flooding out to intercept the strike. Thrawn had likely briefed his officers on the way the Mandalorians used their Aloriya-Class vessels, so they had drilled in forming protective cordons around the destructive Arc Pulse Generator-Equipped transports.
"Phoenix 5, Protector 1, two times TIE Interceptor on your starboard eight-four," Percy's voice told them. Sure enough, a pair of the Empire's elite pilots was en route to cut off the Mandalorian strike. Rotating the foils of her spacecraft, she brought her weapons to bear, engaging with guns as soon as she heard tone again.
This time, though, the Imperial pilot was no slouch.
Jinking from one side to another, they swept their way around their wingman and below Sabine.
"He's mine," she growled, inverting vertically and swooping in pursuit.
"I've got you covered," Rau told her, the dazzling yellow of his fighter's blaster bolts streaking towards the second hostile.
Sabine paid him no heed. "Switching to missiles," she called.
"Negative Phoenix 5," Percy replied. "Missiles to be conserved at all costs."
"Copy," she growled, firing her guns again. One of her rounds clipped the Interceptor on its left wing, causing it to lose control briefly. The pilot, though, wasn't about to let that beat them. They recovered admirably, breaking their attack run on the Mandalorian strike force and retreating behind the cover of another Imperial fighter.
A quick burst saw off the ace's cover, and Sabine reengaged. Rolling her wings once more, this time she used the true ace up her sleeve.
Allowing the wings to keep going, she dropped the power of her bolts, increasing the frequency with which the weapons could recharge. Keeping her triggers depressed, she engaged. A flurry of low-powered bolts saturating her opponent's instrumentation and forcing them into a mistake.
That was when she capitalised.
With a final shot, her opponent was a smouldering wreck, hurtling into another comrade, the two husks falling to pieces on the shield of a Star Destroyer.
Searching frantically for a moment, she found Rau, forming up on his wing as he strafed the upper hull of a Star Destroyer in an unbelievable show of starfighter control. In order to do so, he was not only running the gauntlet of turbolaser batteries and secondary turrets that littered the hull of a vessel that size, but he was also maintaining his altitude below that of the shields, so that his ammunition wasn't just absorbed by the deflectors and his efforts for naught.
All that, of course, at upwards of 600 miles an hour in an active battlespace.
"You done showing off?" Sabine asked, smirking as he broke off his run. Mandalorian Jet Troopers were facing off against their Imperial counterparts in a furious battle on the hull that he had just been strafing, rockets careening into turrets and viewports.
"They've got it covered," he replied. "Prepare for assault on the second Star Destroyer. I expect that Perseus wants two out of commission before we make a run on the surface."
"Copy that Rau," she replied.
Atollon, Atollon System, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
"Ohh, we've got incoming," Hera breathed, almost in awe. Nico nodded, grimacing.
"More than I thought he'd bring," Nico admitted. "Those reinforcements had better sort their breakthrough out quick, or we're all dead.
"Some fight up there," Kanan remarked. "I've felt at least three Capital Ship-sized explosions, even down here."
Nico turned to him, surprised. "You can feel that?"
"This place is just special, I guess," Kanan shrugged.
Nico nodded slowly, though it was clear that the subject wasn't a closed matter.
"That's four platoons within range," Rex said, bringing his binoculars back up to his eyes. "Snipers have their commanders locked as solid targets, General."
"Thank you Rex," Nico nodded. "I need them closer, though. If they hit the mines and run, there's nothing Thrawn can do about a mass break of his lead company. If they recommit, then they choose to enter our killing trap."
Rex nodded grimly. It was a sorry state of affairs, dealing with that number of troops, just thrown into a meat grinder, their commander not caring if they lived or died. The pair of them, Jedi and Clone had dearly hoped that those days were behind them.
They had no such luck.
"Chopper Base, Protector 1, breaking through now," a message crackled over the net. "Provide coordinates for defensive run."
"Protector, this is Shadow 1," Nico replied. "Make your run on our south side, on the plains. Engage any priority targets. Thanks for your help."
"Pilot discretion, acknowledged," the pilot replied. Protector wasn't a call sign he'd heard across secure Rebel channels, certainly not that of a known bomber squadron. And yet, here they were, risking their lives for Nico and his troops.
"Two times airborne assets making a dive," Rex noted, raising his binoculars to his eyes. "Size indicates Interceptors."
He peered through the device for a moment further, before he started to chuckle. At Nico's questioning look, Rex merely passed them over.
"Those are Fangs…" Nico muttered, puzzled. "The Protectors of Concord Dawn?"
"Bridger's done well," Rex cackled, with a joy that only a man who knew just what was about to happen could feel.
"Hey there Shadow 1," the familiar voice of Sabine Wren called over the net as two Imperial AT-ATs fell to proton torpedoes, "we heard you needed some help."
"You heard right, Phoenix 5," Hera pitched in. "How many of you are there?"
"Switch frequency to Yellow-5," Rau offered. "You'll get a better battle picture that way."
"Roger that Rau," Hera said, cutting off the transmission.
Atollon, Atollon System, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
"Grand Admiral, two times unidentified interceptor breaching the blockade!" the pilot of his shuttle informed him. "Scans indicate Mandalorian."
"Sabine Wren," Thrawn surmised quickly. "An aggressive tactician. We can expect further company in the near future. Tell Pryce to divert two Interceptor Squadrons in this direction, but to hold off for ten minutes before she does so."
"New Intel suggests that flight lead is in Protector Colours," the Radio Operator supplied. "We expected that the Guard had been reformed. This is evidence of it."
Thrawn nodded in his direction. An apt observation.
"You are right, Ensign," he pursed his lips in thought. "While I doubt that the Mandalorians have contributed a large contingent of their elite fighter squadrons to this failing cause, one would assume that the… legendary Fenn Rau is among their number. This indicates that they would understand when to back away, and choose to fight another day. We, naturally, will not give them that choice. Recommit to the assault."
Cruiser Beviin, Atollon System, 2 BBY
"Star Destroyers backing off, Sir!" a warrior called. "This is where we make our punch!"
"Hold that thought, Ragnar," Percy replied, holding a hand up. "Rau and Sabine have punched through. There's no point in running down a tunnel we can't see the end of. That's how you get yourself trapped. Triteia, keep an eye on our ships; make sure nobody overcommits, especially that droid of Bridger's. Felix, the Bridge is yours."
The seasoned warrior took over without question, allowing Percy to take a look over the holotable displaying the battlespace in detail. Sure enough, Pryce had backed up. That either meant that she was preparing for large-scale battery of the Beviin, or she was awaiting some form of reinforcement.
He wasn't sure which option he preferred. With his troops having been locked in high-intensity, aggressive combat as long as they had, they didn't have too long left in them. On the other hand, if they decided to open up a large scale battery, they'd likely be forced down to below the atmosphere, and into an exhausting ground battle, likely to the death if their vessels sustained drastic damage.
He paused.
"Triton, come in," he barked into his communicator. He knew for a fact that his adoptive brother was piloting the Kom'rk currently closest to the Beviin, being held in reserve while the other three troop carriers, supported by the Sundari, attempted to knock a second Destroyer out of the fight.
They found themselves locked in a fierce close quarters battle on the hull against a seemingly ever-increasing horde of Imperial Jet Troopers, as Pryce threw troops from all her available vessels into the battle to save one of her ships. The Mandalorians, some sixty seasoned veterans of their campaigns back home, were holding admirably against a force several times their number. Already, two rockets had struck the viewport of the Imperial vessel, and a third seemed to guarantee victory on that front.
Any Rebel force worth its salt could break a blockade of three weakened Star Destroyers, and that was even before it had been battered and bruised as Thrawn's Seventh had.
"Brother?" Triton replied. "What's news? We can recommit within five; we're conducting final rearming and preparing to launch."
"Hold out," he replied. "I need you on the Bridge. Erik will take over your ship."
"Roger that," Triton replied. The Kom'rk flitted into the rear hangar of the Beviin, to be removed from the fight for a few minutes more.
Chopper Base, Atollon, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
"New plan," the voice of the Mandalorian Commander told her. "Are you familiar with Gundark?"
Hera paused. She'd heard of the plan from stories, even modified it for pickups from tight situations on the Ghost. The Mandalorians, though, didn't have anything capable of running that mission, unless they'd brought their Cruiser, Haran.
Even then, the Imperial troops wouldn't be affected, as spread out as they were across the southern plains.
"Affirm," she replied. "I'll warn you, though; it'll be hard to pull off."
"Acknowledged," the Commander replied. "If you have a Shield Generator, engage it, and withdraw behind it. Lady Wren should be able to aid the power management of it. We're going to use plan nineteen, Jaig variation."
"Roger that."
Atollon, Atollon System, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
"Instructions from the Mandalorians is to run a fighting retreat," the same runner told Nico. Captain Syndulla said that we're running Gundark, plan 19, Jaig."
"There were only eighteen Gundark plans," Nico frowned.
"Well, apparently there's a planetary bombardment incoming, so that retreat might be useful, Sir," the runner replied, clearly stressed.
"Alright then soldier," Nico nodded. "Are you ready to fight?"
"Me, fight?" the runner asked, shocked. He trembled slightly, eyes flitting between the AT-ATs that still continued to fall to the impacts of Proton Torpedoes, and the Jedi who held out a blaster to him, encouraging him to take it.
"Every one of us must fight if we are to make it out of here," Nico told him, eyes hard. "Are you willing to protect your comrades?"
"I… I am," he nodded, snatching up the blaster, leaping into the trench as a heavy round thudded into the tree behind them. Nico turned and ignited his blade.
"Soldiers of the Rebellion!" he roared. "We're going to fall back behind the shields! Our reinforcements are just minutes away; if you can hold, and you're willing to fight for one another, we might just all make it off this rock alive. Are you willing to do that for me?"
He was answered with a roar of defiant rage.
Rex smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. "Welcome back, General."
"I don't think I ever left, Commander. I don't think either of us did."
If Rex reacted to his field promotion, he didn't show it. Instead, with a series of commands, the troops began to engage, half of them falling back through the trench lines, as the other half covered them with rapid fire.
Atollon, Atollon System, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
"Arquitens dropping below orbit," the ensign informed Thrawn.
"And just who might have authorised such a move?" he frowned.
"Appears to be Governor Pryce's directive, Sir, but she hasn't replied to any comms in the past half hour."
Thrawn hummed curiously. "The old commanders of the Republic used, in the most desperate of situations, a plan by which they supported a legion whose armour had been depleted, by utilising a light cruiser to provide overwhelming fire support."
"We don't use that anymore," the Ensign noted. "Seems pretty clever. Turbolasers hit harder than even tank guns."
"That appears to be what is being attempted. And yet, on whose side, I cannot hope to tell."
"Sir…" a stormtrooper rushed in, not even bothering to salute. He was breathing hard, clearly panicked.
"The rebels are falling back, and we're taking heavy losses. And it looks like Governor Pryce has recommenced planetary bombardment."
He fought to contain his shock, and his rage. His eyes hardened.
"Prepare for take off," he ordered his pilot. "I will not be outmanoeuvred by some Mandalorian fools and Niccolo di Angelo."
Chopper Base, Atollon, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
The troops reached the base moments before the bombardment did. Sabine found herself sprinting for the central control station of Chopper Base, weaving her way through crowds of panicked Rebels who were making their way to their defensive stations.
The camp was nearly unrecognisable, with most of the old logistics and inventory crates turned into barricades, old shelters turned into heavy gun emplacements that were being hastily pulled apart and the weapons reattached to the ships they'd been taken from.
She found Hera there, surrounded by Kanan, Nico, Sato and a bearded man she'd never met before. The rest around the holotable were various members of Nico's order who hadn't been sent off to move heavy equipment.
Percy's voice was being projected over the din, updating them from his own point of view, where the Beviin was making its way down to ground level.
"Thrawn is no longer on the surface," he was saying. "Partially so that he can rip Pryce a new one for ruining his plan, and partially to regain control over the space battle. Of course, that's all quiet now; just some of the Protectors and our Arc Pulse Generator harassing Imperial fighters and preventing them from recommitting with a proper assault."
"And the bombardment?" Hera asked. "The shields won't hold forever."
"Well, we can assume that Thrawn wants at least some of his men to survive. He's now lost all his tanks, and my guns are helping Pryce to rip right through the ground assault. The Jet Trooper Regiments have either been crushed or forced to withdraw, despite losses on our side. Twelve wounded to the point that they won't fight until the end of the year, and eight more dead."
"So we take the pause to pull everyone out," Nico surmised, and Percy's helmeted face nodded. "We can take perhaps a hundred more on Beviin, should they be required. Any bombers can be placed within our hangars too, though my own vessels take priority in that regard."
"Phoenix Nest will suffice as a mobile base," Sato supplied. "I recommend that Captain Syndulla takes lead on our breakout."
"Seconded," Percy replied.
"Al'verde, timings?" Rau asked, already looking prepared to take to the skies again.
"Thrawn will return to the Chimera within fifteen minutes," Percy predicted. "Any essentials that remain on this base need to be squared away in that time, and pilots placed on high alert. In ten minutes, we begin to take off, with Beviin at the head of the column. All power will be diverted to dorsal shields, allowing me to become an umbrella for the rest of you. Upon cease of Imperial bombardment, we break close formation, with the Ghost taking point."
Hera took over. Of course, to her, Sabine realised, Percy was just another Mandalorian, appearing to them in holographic form. Not even she would have realised just yet just who she was dealing with.
"From then on, it's a blockade run. I'll lead the way, but I'll need your guns behind me. The other Blockade Runners and Troop Transports follow behind us. Any fighter with a Hyperdrive runs escort. Head off the TIEs, and we've got a chance."
"Throw in our own blockade buster, the Sundari, and your Freighters, we should be able to punch through. Go with the Manda, Phoenix Squadron, and we might just see each other once more once this battle is behind us." Now he turned to face Sabine. "Lady Wren, you're requested at your post on the Beviin."
ISD Chimaera, Atollon System, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
"Governor Pryce, Report," Thrawn barked as he stepped onto the command deck of his flagship. His voice wasn't raised, but it carried with a malice that didn't need rage behind it to convey his normally closed off emotions.
"An entire Mandalorian Battlegroup, Grand Admiral," she sighed. "Entered this space under the disguise of a resupply contingent, before destroying the Interdictor and our Cruiser Escort. Ground Assaults cleared the bridges of two of our Destroyers with concentrated Jet Trooper assaults. They will be recovered, but are combat ineffective for now."
"Sabine Wren's tactics," Thrawn noted, bringing up a holographic image of the Rebellion's now infamous crest. "Aggressive, designed to put a conventional commander on the back foot. It is no shame to be beaten by her."
"The Capital Ship is troubling," Vanto observed grimly.
"Sabine Wren was aboard a fighter," Thrawn frowned. "This capital ship was not used as a mere starship carrier?"
"Far from it, Sir," Vanto shook his head. "The Commander was easily better than most. Wren was merely a piece on their board."
"An exceedingly good one," Thrawn scratched his chin. "A Mandalorian to whom Fenn Rau and Sabine Wren would both concede command. Balanced in style, and yet suited to their natural aggression. Skilled enough even to outplay yourself, Eli. An interesting prospect indeed."
"Sir, contacts incoming!" an ensign called. The trio of commanders made their way across to the viewport, Thrawn's brow furrowing even more than it had done a few moments prior.
"The Ghost is leading the way," he observed. "And behind it…"
He turned towards his holotable console once more.
"Your orders, Grand Admiral?" Vanto asked.
"Those are Tritonis colours," Thrawn muttered. "Jackson wore them while he discharged combat duties. Rau. Wren. The heal in the Death Watch rift."
"Sir?"
"Focus fire on the rear transports," he ordered. "Jan Dodonna will have taken command of them, and he will attempt to save his crews in a sacrifice, no matter how needlessly selfless."
Cruiser Beviin, Atollon System, 2 BBY
"They're opening up on Dodonna!" Hera Syndulla ground out over the comm.
"Deploy a strike team," Percy ordered, watching the scene unfold. Already, a Hammerhead Corvette began to veer off course. "Sundari takes lead. Green Squadron's A-Wings to support, and one strike team on high readiness. Suppress the Chimera. Remainder of vessels, break. Dodonna leaves first."
"Your will, Al'verde," a Warrior replied, rushing off to prepare the vessels for combat.
Splitting wide, the Messassi group made their way through the formation, breaking through the gap that the Ghost and Mist had formed, and jumping to Hyperspace. Suddenly, the Rebels found themselves in a rather enviable position, but with some loose ends to tie up before they could make a move.
Light Freighter Mist, Atollon System, 2 BBY
"Shadow, this is Beviin. I need cover to get Sato's ships out. Can you provide it?"
Nico grinned. He'd known, of course, but experiencing it was something else entirely.
"You've got it, Beviin," he replied, relaying a quick message to his four former students aboard Phoenix Nest. Atalanta, Achilles, Menelaus and Orion were the ones to answer the call. Within moments, a flight of Jedi Interceptors was airborne, joining the mishmash of Rebel, Mandalorian and Imperial starships in the rapidly progressing battle. Sato was the next out, Percy's strategy obvious to the Umbaran master.
The Ghost, Mist and Beviin were by far the best armed and armoured vessels in this series of ships, and so the trio would find themselves playing rearguard. Thrawn had little by the way of starfighters, courtesy of Percy's efforts earlier that day, and so all he could do unless and until reinforcements materialised was unleash his heavy batteries.
The Mist and Ghost, being light and manoeuvrable, would do a good enough job of dancing around the incoming munitions, while the Beviin could use its formidable shields to protect itself, while serving as a docking station for the non-hyperdrive equipped fighters before they made their final escape.
It was with amazement that he watched a Star Destroyer fall to pieces under the combined assault of the Ghost and Beviin, his own torpedoes and heavier batteries being put to use in defence of the Mandalorian ship Sundari. The modified vessel had, at long last, been put to its full intended use, directing its fearsome primary weapon at Imperial vessels' shields, and rendering them useless, allowing its heavier counterparts to capitalise on the new weakness. The first Destroyer fell to pieces, its upper hull rendered little more than dust, while Thrawn's own flagship fell back under the Mandalorians' assault.
"All fighters aboard. Mist, make your jump."
Nico didn't question it, punching his ship into light speed at the flick of a switch.
A/N
Unfortunately long stretches between updates might end up being the norm, though I think I can be spared for pulling out 9k over 2 months. Finally Zero Hour's over, which concludes Rebels S3. Next up, the focus will shift towards the Mandalorian theatre once more, though there are other bad guys to beat.
I'd like to think that I made the action interesting - I certainly found some of my decisions to be decent, while still roughly following the plot of Zero Hour. That is to say, my changes make sense to me, with the factors I've added in.
It's pretty obvious if you read in that Hera doesn't know that it's Percy at the helm of the Beviin, but I'll reiterate that again. There'll be a point where she finds out later.
If anyone wants the capacity of these ships, remember that I had them gutted and rebuilt around the Hangar and weapons capacity, removing a lot of the weapons stores and troop sustainment facilities (kitchens, training facilities) that the Empire would have kept. It's built to be spartan, with few creature comforts, but that gives it the ability to store upwards of ten ships in its hangars; more if the fangs are on the launch rail, up above head height.
In my head, it maintains eight fighters and three transports pretty easily. If you disagree, please don't be offended if I don't give a shit, it's just a plot device.
I'll try to get the next chapter out a little faster for you fine folks, I appreciate all the support.
Make sure to check out Dudududhehe's work, he's slowed down much as I have as life gets in the way for us ageing folk, but his work's well worth a read.
Until next time, then,
Sol
(I don't own PJO, Star Wars or any related media)