Ch20: The Reckoning
ISD Chimera, Lothal System, 1 BBY
The Imperial Seventh Fleet dropped out of Hyperspace only to be faced with a stunning sight.
Starfighters plastered their tactical displays like a rash; more than a single Imperial Star Destroyer could bring to bear, for certain.
Off in the distance, Thrawn could see a defensive force of five Capital Ships. Their classes were not instantly discernible, but it was evident that they were not friendly.
Under Rapid Reaction conditions, three I-Class Star Destroyers had been banded together from Thrawn's command on Coruscant, supported by a set of four Arquitens Command Cruisers. Completing their complement was an Interdictor-Class Star Destroyer, added to the fleet to prevent the Rebels from fleeing.
Together, this was deemed to be more than sufficient firepower to win any fight, or indeed hold its ground long enough for reinforcements to be introduced.
"Hail down the commander of the Rebel Fleet," Thrawn commanded his Communications Officer.
Within moments, the helmeted forms of three Mandalorians were cast over his bridge. The fourth and final figure was that of the disgraced Kuati Senator Grace.
"Jason Grace," he addressed the man. "And three members of the Mandalorian Resistance. Your vessels are, therefore, heavily modified. Masterful work from the warriors of Clan Tritonis, as I recall. I assume that your colleagues, also of that same clan, are here to assess its performance in this glorious arena of war."
"No dice, Thrawn," Jason smirked back. "I wish I was in command of this beauty. Officially, I'm here to assess my own work on the Liberation. The others are in command."
The three Mandalorians removed their helmets.
It was all Thrawn could do not to react much further than stiffening and raising his brow. After all, this revelation was one that would shake the Empire to its core.
"Hello there, Thrawn," the voice of Grand Admiral Perseus Jackson greeted him. Beside him were his wife and some clan member of little apparent note.
The Chiss Admiral was stunned to see his former mentor, the man who had catapulted him up through the Imperial hierarchy, present here, and on the opposite side of the conflict to himself.
"Then I can assume that it was you at the head of the Mandalorian Relief Force which bested me over Atollon," he deduced.
"Sharp as ever," the Mandalorian praised. "And yet I see that you've brought an Interdictor along. Have you managed to solve the little problem with it yet?"
"That is for me to know and for you to find out, Perseus," he shot back. "Contrary to the result of this battle, which you and I both know that you will lose, there shall be some unknowns for you to contend with."
"Confident?" the Mandalorian taunted. "I seem to recall that you were present, the day I dismantled an Imperial Warfleet with nothing but light fighters. Are you sure that you don't just want to retreat and allow this system to thrive in peace?"
"I will be reinforced within half a rotation," Thrawn pointed out. "No matter how many of my fighters you destroy, more will come."
"We'll see, Thrawn," Jackson nodded. "We'll see."
"I have been anticipating this day for quite some time," Thrawn said. "The day that I finally defeat you in this theatre of combat. Hera Syndulla has fallen to my hand. You will follow the same fate."
"Oh, Hera's alive," the Mandalorian remarked, catching his Chiss counterpart off guard once more. "She got here pretty busted up, but half of that strike force survived. Not to mention the fact that we blew up those lovely factories of yours."
"Temporary, I assure you," Thrawn dismissed. "Now, Perseus, let us play."
RSD Liberation, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"All cruisers deploy interceptors," Percy instructed. "We're going to have to dominate the fighter battle before we can bring our Y-Wings to bear."
"The Interdictor's a problem too," Hera observed. "We can't sneak anything past Thrawn, either. It'll be cut to pieces. No B-Wings until we deal with that."
"We can deal with that once we've cleared their TIEs out," Percy told her. "I'll need you to pilot a strike team onto the Interdictor's hull. Triteia and Sabine have done this before. I'll let them explain the mechanics of it to the troops you select.
"Done," Hera nodded, leaving with the two aforementioned Mandalorians, probably destined for Triteia's office, or indeed the Ghost's main Mess hall.
Percy turned back towards his tactical display, noticing that Thrawn had deployed TIEs. Spearheading the initial wave of some fifty fighters were a set of Interceptors.
"He's saving his Defenders," Reyna predicted. "Though I do wonder why he's thrown a quarter of his fighter complement at our initial screen."
"He'll have Bombers, too," Jason noted. "They're slow and lightly armed. A single Y-Wing would cause havoc in a crowd of those Sienaar rust buckets."
"Alright, then," Percy stopped their discussion, before zooming in on what was 'no man's land' between the two fleets.
"We can commit an initial force of the Torrents in each of the Cruisers, plus one squadron of V-Wings. That's eighty fighters. Minimal losses, maximum casualties. That'll also buy us time to watch Thrawn's reaction and plan a counter."
The dorsal hangar bay doors of the Venator opened up, baring the flight bays below, illuminated in the blue of the ray shields which resisted the suction of space.
A full squadron; Eight flights of four Alpha-3 Nimbus V-Wing Interceptors hurtled out. This was one of the Liberty Fleet's two V-Wing Squadrons; a quarter of the Liberation's entire fighter complement.
It was, however, a commitment worth making.
Off to either side of the Liberation, the four Restoration-Class Cruisers; modified versions of the Imperial Class 546 Cruiser, launched their own fighter complements into battle. Forty-Eight V-19 Torrent Starfighters would join the fight from the bowels of those four vessels, hurled out in rapid succession by the ship accelerator in the front of the vessel. The General Staff of the Liberty Fleet watched the launches, turning back to their tactical display when they were satisfied that it had gone off without a hitch.
"He's got close range fire superiority," Percy observed.
"So we sit off at range," Jason replied. "Womp Rat?"
"That's your game, boys," Reyna told them with a grimace. "I was never good at all the details of fighter combat. You know who to come to when the fighting gets tight, though."
Percy placed a comforting hand on his wife's armoured shoulder, not looking away from the holotable.
"We maintain fighter superiority," he resolved. "Take it, and don't let go, no matter what. The moment he starts to realise what we're up to, he'll withdraw fighters and press us with Capital Ships. Hit them with Y-Wings, and screen their assault off with the Cruisers."
"No," Reyna corrected. "The Y-Wings are good, but we'll want to tighten ranks around the Liberation. Focus fire on their lead vessel. He'll have to refocus on fighter defence, and suddenly we're in prime position to counter."
"We have a plan," Percy nodded. "Womp Rat, Variation Three. Phase Two details are Reyna's."
ISD Chimera, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"They've countered with Clone War-Era Interceptors," Thrawn's deck officer informed him. "They outnumber us, but not overwhelmingly."
"Let them fight," Thrawn said. "Perseus and Jason are masters of fighter combat. Where Jackson will press aggressively, Grace will play more neutrally, relying on heavy fire support from his cruisers to cover his fighters. We will see whose move this is, and counter accordingly."
Watching the battle play out through the viewport of the Chimera, Thrawn stroked his chin.
While the design and capabilities of the Torrent and V-Wing hadn't changed since the Clone War, it was evident that their weapons loadouts had. Identical weapons to the turbolasers mounted on the more modern A-Wing Interceptor pounded at his TIE Fighters and Interceptors.
"Withdraw fighters," Thrawn commanded, watching as his twentieth TIE was downed in a flaming wreck, the enemy's losses negligible in comparison. "Cover them by moving the Command Cruisers into Attack Position."
His own supply of fighters was limited, half of his complement having been assigned to TIE Bombers, leaving him with some one hundred and fifteen attack craft of the Defender, Interceptor and Fighter variants across his four main capital ships. The contributions of his Arquitens were negligible, but useful nonetheless.
The remainder of his force was made up of bombers. Usually, this would have been preferred for a rapid reaction force, the bomber's ability to pound ground targets into submission proving vital against rebelling systems time and time again.
They were, however, of little use to him in a space battle.
"Command Cruisers moving into covering position," the Deck Officer acknowledged. "The enemy are backing off their Interceptors, however we are seeing a fresh assault being launched."
"Keep me appraised," Thrawn nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. "And ask Pellaeon for an update on his progress."
"Roger that, Grand Admiral."
RSD Liberation, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"Good call, Rey," Percy praised, watching as the Arquitens-Class Command Cruisers inched into the Liberation's range, even as the Rebels backed off.
Indeed, the Rebel Fleet would be well within the Imperials' range, though the balance of power was within their own favour. Where the older Arquitens possessed considerable firepower, the Restoration Class had been up-armoured by the Mandalorians to raid vessels many times its own size.
Concentrated around the Liberation as they were, the Rebel Fleet unleashed a torrent of Turbolaser fire.
The lead Arquitens slowed, its Commander clearly taken aback by the hail of munitions coming his way, and to an extent Percy sympathised.
The Venator was a weapon of war, and its eight dual fire-controlled DBY-827 Turbolaser batteries opened up. Its supporting craft tripled the overall firepower of the fleet, with their four quad-turbolaser batteries.
The first two Cruisers began to take hits, the shields overheating and power being desperately transferred from other systems as the captains attempted to preserve the lives of their crews.
In a final coup de grace, the dorsal hangar bay of the Venator opened up once more, like the gates of hell themselves.
From it emerged four flights of four BTL-A4 Y-Wings each.
They made rapid attack runs, the overextended cruisers finding themselves painfully outside the range of fighter support, and without sufficient point defence weaponry necessary to defend themselves.
Two went down to proton torpedo runs, propulsion systems knocked out.
Gravity took over, dragging the vessels out of Lothal's Orbit in a flaming wreck.
The remaining two Cruisers backed off, their shields having miraculously held against the torpedoes, and their captains thanking their lucky stars that they were still alive to order that withdrawal.
"He's been hamstrung," Jason noted. "He overextended, and he's paid the price with his cruisers."
"I don't think he had a choice," Percy muttered. His two colleagues turned to face him, curious expressions on their faces. "Typically, he would have pressed through with all available fighters. He could have as many as two hundred and fifty across his fleet. If he's getting worried and risking his Cruisers after losing thirty, then we can reasonably assume that he doesn't have quite as many as that."
"Then sitting off at range is even more important," Reyna deduced. "If we have more fighters than he does, we can just win the space battle, and suddenly we're clear to make runs at his Star Destroyers. They don't even have Point Defence; we'll have complete superiority."
ISD Chimera, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"I require reinforcements," Thrawn said to his Deck Staff as he watched his Cruisers fall apart, struck by Y-Wing Bombers. "Send repair teams to the remaining Cruisers, and divert the Interdictor to cover them."
At once, people acted on his orders, shuttles departing the Ventral hangar bay and reaching their designated destinations.
"Press the assault," Thrawn directed. "All three Star Destroyers are to move ahead full. Deploy a fighter screen and a full squadron of bombers. They wish to sit at range; we will deny them this luxury."
The trio of Imperial Star Destroyers pushed forwards, closing in on the combined Republic Fleet which, by now, had reverted to its original formation.
Fighters and bombers streaked out ahead of the fleet, ready to make a distracting run at the Venator before the Destroyers could finish the job.
"Enemy Interceptors deploying from the Cruisers again," the Deck Officer informed Thrawn. "Torrents."
"The Torrent is not incapable," Thrawn acknowledged. "But it is not powerful. Deploy all available Defenders. We will show these insurgents the true might of Imperial arms. Even Perseus Jackson will have no riposte against us."
RSD Liberation, Lothal System, 1 BBY
They're pushing forward again," Jason observed.
"Those Defenders are a cause for concern," Percy nodded. Already, in accordance with their battle plan, the Venator's bridge crew had begun to back off their vessel. The Carrier's Cruiser Escort followed it, remaining in a loose screening formation. "We're going to need to hit their shields hard. Deploy all available fighters to intercept. Ensure that the Bombers are destroyed, and recommend caution."
Once more, the dorsal hangar bay began to spew forth Fighters. Between the numbers of available Torrents and V-Wings, the Rebels had brought to bear a combined hundred and fifty fighters.
The starfighter battle continued in earnest now. Vicious duels broke out between individual pilots as either side attempted to seize the upper hand.
"Put Yeoman in," Percy directed, watching as one of Thrawn's Star Destroyers began to establish a firing solution, "Use the Headhunters to escort them. And pull back again; we can't let them open fire."
The Venator's bridge crew followed the order without question, thirty-two Y-Wings of Yeoman Squadron taking off within moments, followed by the same number of Z-95 Headhunters of Hunter Squadron.
The Air Dominance Fighter, the basis upon which the T-65 X-Wing was built, threw itself into the swarming fight in the centre of the battlespace, drawing away Imperial resources from the Y-Wings. With any luck, the Yeomen would be able to do some damage to the Imperial Capital Ships. With two guns, they would also prove to be enough to cause a TIE Fighter Pilot some problems.
ISD Chimera, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"X-Wings!" the Radar Operator announced. "They're escorting a bomber force!"
Thrawn peered at his holotable's tactical display, sighing as he noticed the subject of his subordinate's worry. "This is incorrect," he said. "If you observe more closely, you would realise that this is the fighter referred to as the Headhunter. A worthy predecessor to the X-Wing, and yet inferior in its original configuration. One might suspect that Senator Grace's hand in their recovery would imply that these deficiencies have been amended."
More worrying, Thrawn noted, was the presence of Y-Wing Bombers. All he still had at his disposal was a sizeable force of TIE Bombers.
The battlespace was far too saturated with enemy light assets for these to be of any use, and dispatching them towards the surface would likely only incur the deployment of the Ghost to intercept them with its impressive complement of firepower.
What he needed was a reason to draw the Rebels in; to force them to halt their infuriating retreat.
A quick glance out of his viewport gave him the answer.
"Cease forward batteries," he ordered. "Direct all available turbolasers at the Capital City. Perseus' morals will force him to stand and fight."
Within moments, the green flashes of Imperial Turbolaser batteries had been halted, and the steady thrum underfoot of orbital bombardment systems being calibrated told him that his orders had been followed.
His musings, however, were cut short by a violent jolt.
"BRACE, BRACE, BRACE!" an Ensign bellowed, throwing himself to the deck as a flight of Y-Wing Bombers made an initial run on the Chimera.
Thrawn shook his head, folding his hands behind his back once more and casting his gaze across the bridge trench, where operators were slowly dragging themselves to their feet.
Their lack of composure was just another deficit that he was forced to contend against; another deficit that he would overcome to secure victory for his Emperor.
RSD Liberation, Lothal System, 1 BBY
The Liberation's bridge crew were up in arms in rage as they watched the Imperial fleet break off their advance, only to direct their weapons at the planet below.
"Azadi, come in!" Reyna thundered, grimacing as another hail of sickly green fire crashed into the planet's surface. "Status report on that evacuation!"
"We're largely unharmed," the Governor's gravelly voice informed them. "Most of the folks are in the mountains, and we're getting distance between ourselves and those imps. That's really not going to be easy to do, though."
"Roger that," Reyna replied. "Do what you can. Stay safe."
Percy and Jason were examining the scene before them in barely-concealed disgust as a fresh squadron of Y-Wings deployed. They had yet to cause any major damage, but with the comparatively few losses that they were taking, they could reasonably use them to weaken the expert Chiss Admiral's shields and primary weapons.
Through the viewport, she could see that the chaos of the starfighter battle was beginning to organise, as they generally did when one side held all the cards.
Rebel starfighters had banded together, forming hunter-killer packs and running the remaining TIE fighters and Interceptors into corners where they would either be cut to pieces by other Rebel fighters, or swallowed up in the deluge of fire that the Cruisers were able to bring to bear.
This, she noted, was exactly how the three of them had designed Womp Rat to be. It would run from the merest of threats, but the moment it sensed opportunity or danger, it would scratch and bite its way through whatever stood in its way to accomplish that goal.
The one bastion that stood in their way, however, was Thrawn's own brainchild; the TIE Defender, with its robust Ray Shielding and considerable firepower, had cut swathes through the Rebel Torrent Fighters.
While the V-Wings were nimble enough to dance out of the tri-fighter's sights, the older V-19 found itself unable to escape.
At least a third of the Cruisers' complements had been whittled away; while some had been able to limp home, most of the pilots stricken by the Defenders had succumbed to Imperial fire.
Shadow Squadron, the more experienced squadron trained by Nico and his Jedi Order themselves, had fared somewhat better, though even they had found themselves depleted over the course of the battle.
"Syndulla," Percy barked into the Comm. "You've got ten minutes. Be ready to deploy with that strike team."
"You got it, Jackson," the Twi'lek General replied. Even now, Reyna had to take a moment to remember the alias under which Percy had operated during the Clone War. It was even more disconcerting when people referred to her as Jackson, having never used the name before. While she had remained on Corulag as an Imperial Governer and later Moff, she had kept the last name Ramirez-Arellano to maintain the secrecy of their marriage. Since then, she had been Tritonis.
It still brought a smile to her face, however, that she was able to display her marital status openly now.
She was dragged forcibly from her thoughts as the Liberation's bridge was shaken by the force of Turbolaser rounds striking their shields.
"He's got us," Jason scowled. "Pinned us, knowing that we'd stop when he started his orbital bombardment, even sacrificed his entire fighter complement to his us with his guns."
Her heart sank like a stone, and instantly visions of the battle over Umbara sprung to mind. Vulture droids slamming themselves into her bridge, the screams of her troops as they were scorched alive in the blaze.
Never again.
"Direct the Reunion on vector eight-two," she told Percy, voice suddenly weak. "Open up his broadside, and then drop the Restoration back half a klick on the same vector."
"You heard the woman," Percy told his battlegroup commanders. "Rey, fire order?"
"Everything they've got, at the Star Destroyer on the Right. He's opened up his belly. Take him."
It took a few moments for the Cruisers to carry out her orders, but the renewed batteries of Ion Weapons in the direction of the Imperial Fleet told her that they had been followed with precision.
"Now follow them up with a full squadron of Y-Wings," she recommended. "Don't go for the Bridge; they won't penetrate with their weapons. Hit the dorsal hull, knock out their forward batteries. Get the shields if you can."
ISD Chimera, Lothal System, 1 BBY
Thrawn observed with some satisfaction as the Rebel Capital Ship was rocked with the force of his combined firepower. Suddenly, despite the loss of the vast majority of his Starfighter Fleet, he had stepped within their range, and had brought to bear his most powerful weapon; his Star Destroyers.
Where the Rebels could take the early stages of the fight with their Fighter Superiority, he would dominate the intermediate and final stages.
As valiantly as his opponents had fought, he had secured victory.
"Grand Admiral, we've been opened up on by the Cruisers," Vanto informed him. "We are taking heavy damage and must withdraw to the edge of their range or divert power to the shields."
"Redirect to flank that side," Thrawn suggested as an alternative. "They have nothing which can strike at you with sufficient firepower to disable you entirely. Direct your fire at the enemy Flagship's bridges."
"Thrawn, I have incoming Y-Wings. Taking evasive action," Vanto announced. "We have no interceptors or point defence, Thrawn. We must divert power to the shields, or we will be damaged beyond repair."
Thrawn watched, not saying a word as the Bombers strafed Vanto's Destroyer. Every time he pushed what would be a decisive move, it was countered, and violently.
Even still, while his Right Flank was taking hits from Jackson's Y-Wings, he continued to enforce the superiority of his heavy weapons by battering at the Venator's shields.
"Grand Admiral, we're detecting a large vessel exiting the Venator's Hangar bay," a young Ensign told him. "Appears to be some kind of Freighter. Should I scan it?"
"No need to scan it," he dismissed. "This is the Ghost. Perseus is desperate, if he is sending General Syndulla to do his bidding. Press the assault; bring the Interdictor up to finish the job. His masterpiece will be the last thing that he sees before he dies."
RSD Liberation, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"Shields at Eighty Percent!" a Rebel Ensign announced. The young girl was worried, and it was quite understandable that much of his ship's crew were.
Percy grimaced. Most of this crew were completely green; they had never seen combat, let alone an Imperial-Class Star Destroyer. For their shields to have taken hits as heavy as these was probably something of a shock to their system.
"We'll survive this kind of batter for hours," Jason assured them. "And that's without diverting any power to the shields. If we can't hold them off for that long, then, in all honesty, we have bigger problems. Dodonna has his people on high alert should we require reinforcements."
"Liberation, this is Ghost," Hera Syndulla's voice crackled over the comm. "I've got the Interdictor moving into attack position. It's within Y-Wing range."
"Hit it," Percy ordered without hesitation. "One squadron, target the upper hull. Hera, hold off on your drop troops until they've made their run."
"Copy that, Liberation."
VCX Freighter Ghost, Lothal System, 1 BBY
Sabine exchanged a look with her comrades as they waited in the Ghost's loading bay. Normally, she would have found it amusing, seeing the ragtag bunch of soldiers they had available to drop onto the hull of an Imperial vessel, even after all the experience she had built up over the Mandalorian campaign in doing so.
"Alright people, listen in," Rex called for their attention.
Indeed, Sabine had done a double take when the aged Clone Captain and his two brothers, Gregor and Wolffe, had emerged from their room, sporting the mended clone armour that she had designed for them. Incorporating a properly fitting pressurised flight suit, much of the older parts of their Generation 1 armour had been maintained, adding Vambraces and some additional armour to replace the plates which they had lost over time.
Also dropping in were Triteia and Ketsu, the pair of them using their Mandalorian armour and flight suits to withstand the pressure of Space. Ezra, Mart and Zeb were in their own space suits, and spares had been produced for Hondo and Vizago.
It wasn't a Clan Wren Strike Team like they had been able to call on last time, but it would do.
Or so she hoped.
Outside the hull, she could hear the howl of fighter engines mixing in with the thunder of guns, and she sent her cousin a confused look.
"Hera, what's our status?" she asked the Twi'lek over the comm.
"Y-Wings are making a pass," came the reply. "Get ready to drop."
The team packed together onto the cargo loading ramp. At the flick of a switch on Chopper's part, it would drop, much like the drop bay on a Kom'rk starfighter. From there, they would be able to get on with their end goal.
To destroy the Interdictor.
ISD Chimera, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"Grand Admiral, the Ghost has deployed a strike team onto the my hull," the Interdictor's Captain informed him. "How do I proceed?"
"Evacuate your crew. Disable your shields. A TIE Bomber will conduct a strike on the hull momentarily."
His Deck Officer gave him a horrified look. To bomb an Imperial ship was almost unforgivable, even if the value of the targets was as high as the crew of the Ghost.
"Sir?" the Interdictor Captain asked, asking for confirmation.
"Evacuate," Thrawn reiterated. "TIE Bombers are incoming."
Thrawn scanned his datapad once more, frowning as he noted a lack of affirmative communication from Pellaeon, his trusted Lieutenant who should have been in the process of deploying from Seventh Fleet Headquarters on Anaxes. The man had sent him a series of assurances that reinforcements were coming, and that he only needed to hold out for a few more hours.
As he continued to sustain losses, however, Thrawn wondered just how long those few hours would feel.
VCX Freighter Ghost, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"Hera?" Sabine warned over the Comm. "We've got incoming!"
The Y-Wings had performed impressively, ravaging the dorsal hull of the Interdictor, but the troops landing on the surface still had some work to do.
Ezra and the Clones had knocked out the first gravity well on landing, Sabine and Triteia using their rockets to destroy a second.
Zeb, Hondo, Vizago and Mart had set themselves to the task of taking out a third, but they had been cut off by the onrushing howl of Twin Ion Engines.
"Bombers," Hera snarled. "I've got them."
The Ghost began to pour out cannon fire, its red bolts forcing the enemy into taking evasive action.
Against an entire Imperial squadron, however, a small number of cannons would be of little use.
The TIE Bombers screamed in, dropping their payloads at low altitude and returning to base.
In their wake they left smoking craters, sending the Rebels diving for cover.
Shrapnel was mercifully limited, though Sabine thanked her lucky stars once more that her armour was true Beskar, as opposed to the more diluted stuff that many from other clans used as she felt her pauldrons and jetpack deflecting flying Durasteel particles.
Looking up, she realised that Rex had a piece of durasteel shrapnel lodged into one of the thigh plates she had given him earlier, the hardened plastoid-durasteel alloy preventing it from depressurising his flight suit.
Hera had flown off, a trio of the remaining TIEs on her tail, though a pair of friendly V-19s had picked the Imperial Fighters up, and were in the process of shaking them off the Twi'lek General's tail.
"It's down!" Ezra announced as he plunged his sabre into the outer armour of the fourth and final Gravity Well.
RSD Liberation, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"It's down!" Percy heard Bridger call over the comm.
This was their moment to strike.
"Sato, you're up," Percy informed his comrade over the comm.
The former Mykapo Defence Force Commander had been placed at the helm of the Carrier, Firebird. He had once commanded an identical vessel by the name of Phoenix Nest, though that had been transferred to Jan Dodonna's Massassi group when Phoenix Squadron had been officially disbanded in the aftermath of the battle of Atollon.
"Jumping now," the veteran Commander confirmed. It was barely a minute before he had dropped out of hyperspace at the rear of the Rebel formation.
"Deploy all assets," Percy instructed him. "Run concentrated assaults on each of the Star Destroyers. Hunter Squadron will provide escort."
ISD Chimera, Lothal System, 1 BBY
Thrawn watched with a sinking feeling in his gut as the Rebel vessel dropped out of hyperspace.
"And so the Womp Rat turns to bite," he murmured.
A Deck Officer gave him a questioning look, only to blanche in realisation when he noticed the bright orange starfighters emerging from the captured Quasar Fire-Class Carrier, forming up off the stern of the enemy Capital Ship and holding position there.
Every young Imperial had heard the horror stories about the Blade Wing Starfighter. It was useless on its own; poorly defended, huge and with limited protection for the pilot and copilot.
Used correctly, however, a single discharge of its main weapon had destroyed an Imperial Command Cruiser.
Thrawn turned, striding towards the Comms deck. He was greeted with a series of salutes, which he ignored without any feeling of particular care.
The Chimera's bridge shook with the force of another Y-Wing's proton weapons. As they had each time they had sustained damage, the bridge crew threw themselves to the ground, bracing for the explosions which they seemed to expect at all times.
"Shield generators down!" someone shouted on the Bridge.
Panic ensued.
"Captain Pellaeon, come in," Thrawn demanded into the Long-Range Comm.
He was faced with the stony visage of his Second-in-Command.
"What is the status of my reinforcements?"
Pellaeon's face dropped.
Space, Lothal System, 1 BBY
The Ghost touched down on the upper hull of the Star Destroyer, and instantly the team rolled into action.
Zeb was carrying Hondo and Ketsu on his shoulders while Rex and Gregor managed their brother, Wolffe, between them. Mart was wounded too, but able to stand of his own accord.
Their loading onto the Ghost was covered off by the team of Ezra, Sabine, Kallus and Triteia, who stood and fought.
"I've got to get up," Hera snarled, her fury evident in her tone. "I'll come back for another pass. Zeb, get these bombers off my tail!"
The Ghost lifted off, leaving the team of six still on the hull, the casualties under the care of a medical droid.
What was left of Thrawn's starfighter complement had been directed at the Rebels formerly of Phoenix Squadron, hounding the Ghost despite the Rebels' overwhelming fire superiority. The Torrents of Shadow Squadron had been withdrawn, replaced by the V-Wings of Viper Squadron. Even still, the entire battle was chaos, entire Imperial squadrons of TIE Bombers being directed at the Durasteel hull of their own vessel.
Sabine ducked for cover as another TIE was shot down, its flaming wreck spiralling into the Interdictor's topside. Rex, however, had no such compunctions. The aged Clone returned fire, cackling with glee as he scored several hits on another TIE Bomber.
"Uncle, we might need a hand here," Triteia ground out, the young Tritonis warrior dropping into a roll to avoid the impact of a bomb, rising to a knee and taking out her assailant with a fire of her whistling bird rockets. "The sooner, the better."
"Already coming your way kiddo," Percy's voice replied.
RSD Liberation, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"Shields down to twenty," the weapons system operator said. The young Rodian's voice trembled as he spoke, the shield operator having been forced into silence as she fought to restore the aft generators.
"Divert power from lighting," Jason said. "Red light only. Maintain weapons, engines and life support."
Out of the viewport, they could see the Nu-Class Attack Shuttle hurtling in the direction of the battle. It had been deployed from the same ventral bay as the Ghost had been stored in; the one used over the course of the Clone War to deploy ground attack forces.
"Hang tight there troops, help's on the way."
ISD Chimera, Lothal System, 1 BBY
Thrawn crossed his arms as he awaited his Second-in-Command's response. The man had a stony expression on his face; one which held no promise of good news.
"There are no reinforcements," Pellaeon said.
"All I require is a pair of ships from the Seventh," Thrawn told him. "Victory is imminent. Even a single Carrier would secure it."
"By order of the Emperor," Pellaeon sighed, "The troops currently in your employ are all that will be assigned to you, for victory or for failure. The tactical value of Lothal is lost, with the destruction of your factories and fuel depots."
"They can be rebuilt," Thrawn observed.
"Per scans of the planet, the Imperial Dome has been destroyed, and Rebel Insurgents have stormed several smaller bases in the vicinity of Jalath. The Emperor has noted your failure, and has replaced you in your role as Commander of the Seventh Fleet."
Thrawn made no move, and said no words. Instead, he cut off the transmission, instead sending a ping to his Destroyer Commanders.
"Deploy all remaining TIEs," he ordered. "Target the enemy Capital Ship."
RSD Liberation, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"A mistake," Percy breathed. "He doesn't make mistakes. Or rash moves. What's changed?"
"His shields are damaged," a young officer observed. "If that's his entire Fighter Complement, then we're looking at ten TIE Fighters."
"He's got no point defence," Reyna observed. "No Fighter Escort. His Star Destroyers are exposed."
"He's not getting reinforcements," Percy laughed in relief, though his expression grew somber. "We all know Tarkin; Thrawn failed once; that might as well have been his own death sentence."
"Bastion, Bulwark, you're cleared hot," Percy informed the two squadrons of B-Wings, currently holding positions outside their carrier. Sato, for his part, was staying wisely out of the way, utilising his point defence to cover the fleet's open arcs.
The twin pair of Squadrons, each made of eight fighters as was the way of newer subunits, fired up their main thrusters and streaked off in the direction of the Imperial Fleet.
They were escorted in by the Headhunters, each flight of four picking one of Thrawn's Capital Ships as a target.
The fight would end imminently.
Space, Lothal System, 1 BBY
The Nu-Class Attack Shuttle arrived just in time, the pilot bursting his way through a pack of TIE Fighters and opening up the rear-mounted hatch to allow the final few Rebels aboard.
"Thrawn's made his final play," the Pilot informed the team the moment they were aboard. "Our route home is going to be pretty rough, but the Admirals have got us covered."
Sabine said nothing, instead gazing out of the viewport.
The space battle's chaos was dying down as Rebel fighters and bombers saturated the battlespace. Even still, she could see the veritable swarm of TIEs gathering for an assault like a rash on the shuttle's radar. The Ghost was back in action, Hera cutting a swathe through the Imperial assault, supported by a flight of V-Wings.
Off in the distance, Sabine could see bright shapes forming up for an assault, escorted by what appeared to be Z-95 Headhunters.
She realised that they could only be B-Wings; the experimental ship designed by Shipmaster Quarrie to wreck Imperial blockades.
They'd have plenty of opportunities to do that today.
ISD Chimera, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"Set the Navicomputer to the following coordinates," Thrawn ordered as his bridge was rocked by yet another Bomber pass.
"Computer's down!" the Hyperdrive operator yelled, "Droid port has sparked out, and the backup's down!"
"Conduct manual override," the irate Chiss instructed. He strode back out to the main portion of the Bridge once more, scanning the horizon to gauge the status of the battle once more.
The Rebel drop troops on his Interdictor had backed off, though he knew that their mission had been completed, with free access to the Lothal System for any Rebel Vessels.
Scans on his holotable indicated that the enemy shields were crumbling, and to that end his battle plan had nearly been a success, though Perseus Jackson's tactic of sitting at range and dancing out of reach had been masterful in its execution.
Every attempt that he had made to close the distance had been thwarted, and even his strike at the city had been rendered useless, starfighters denying Vanto the flanking manoeuvre which would have forced the enemy to redistribute the power ratios of their shields.
His third Destroyer went down as he watched, the B-Wing Bombers ripping its hull to shreds with their devastating primary weapon.
Almost simultaneously, he was forced to hold back a wince as he saw a pair of Z-95 Headhunters hurtle past his bridge. The B-Wings were following closely behind.
"Conduct the jump!" he ordered sharply. Perhaps more sharply than he would have done otherwise.
Vanto's ship fell to pieces, another B-Wing raid shattering its shields and shredding its durasteel hull. The Bridge crew had already begun to bail, and he could see shuttles and escape pods streaming from all quarters.
The entire bridge sparked as the Hyperdrive sought for more power than the Chimera had available to give to them, but with its trademark whirr, it powered up to launch them to light speed. The chaos of battle gave way to the iridescent blues and blacks of light speed.
Retreat to Imperial Space was not an option; the Admiralty would have him lose his rank for his failure, and that was contingent on the Emperor's enforcers not being given the directive to have him die conveniently.
Surrender was beneath him, and with no chance of freedom; not with his record.
His last option was the Chiss Ascendency. Morgan Elspeth knew how to contact him, and with their superior engineering, this Imperial Crew could be put to good use in the cause of the Chiss.
His musings, however, were brought to a crushing halt at the next declaration.
"Hyperdrive malfunction," an operator announced. "Course has changed. It's into deep space!"
RSD Liberation, Lothal System, 1 BBY
"All fighters, return to base," Percy ordered. The Imperials had run their colours, so to speak. Weapons had been deactivated by ship commanders, shield generators switched off.
Thrawn's vessel had been fast enough to jump, but from his people's reports, Percy didn't have high hopes for his former protege. The Hyperdrive had been surging haphazardly, and the jump had quite clearly occurred under strain, judging by the sparks that the bridge was emitting.
The other two Star Destroyers were not in good shape. What the Y-Wings had not been able to do, the B-Wings had accomplished in short order. There was one Arquitens left, and even that was not in good shape.
Their crews would be taken prisoner by the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
Polis Massa, Outer Rim, 1 BBY
The shuttle touched down on the planetoid, the trio of Jedi disembarked in short order. The ship was left running, their R-3 series droid left within the cabin of the Lambda-Class vessel.
"Sabers out," Nico commanded sharply, a few minutes into their exploration. "We aren't alone here. 'Soka isn't here either."
"No, Master Orpheus," a voice replied, "You are not."
"I see that we can all be drawn to a nexus in the Force, no matter how far from the path of the light we have strayed. Now wouldn't you be polite and show your face?"
"So much like Kenobi," the voice crooned. An Inquisitor sashayed out from behind the treeline. A woman of human origin, Nico found himself cocking his head at the cyclone of emotions which seemed to emanate from the darksider's form.
Predominant among them, he noted, was fear.
Curious.
"Your help is yet to arrive," Nico observed. "And the one who my friends and I seek is not present here."
"I do not need help," the Inquisitor snarled, all previous confidence having vanished, and given way to rage.
"We can let you go without consequence," Nico assured. "There is no need for an altercation here today."
"You will die," she snarled.
Nico sighed, shaking his head. Menelaus strode forward, his towering form seeming to dwarf the petite Inquisitor. He drew his blade in a clear challenge, Nico and Pel Kin walking back.
The Pau'an ignited his blades, the double-bladed sabre illuminating his pale face an eerie blue. The Inquisitor did the same, twin red blades igniting simultaneously and her form falling into a traditional sith guard.
Well trained, Nico noted, but without the experience that was necessary to beat a duellist of Menelaus' calibre.
The hulking Pau'an didn't give his opponent time to think, striking at a speed which none could expect judging by his build alone. Blue clashed with red as he pounced.
With the fight firmly in his favour, the Jedi Master reverted from pure aggression to the balance that typified his favoured form 2, Makashi.
The Inquisitor rallied admirably, flicking the catch to send her blades into a spin, and leaping into the air to reengage. When Menelaus blocked with his upper blade, the Inquisitor countered with an uppercut. The Pau'an's second blade came up to deflect, and he danced out of the way.
His deflection transitioned into a low jab, and he rolled smoothly into a backhanded slash towards his opponent's midsection. The Inquisitor was forced back to regain her balance, and Menelaus pushed on.
His strikes came in earnest now, hammer blows being utilised to dominate his enemy.
A vicious cross-cut split the Inquisitor's hilt in two, and the second reverse strike with the other blade sliced her helmet clean in half.
He pushed out in the force, sending her stumbling to a knee.
When she looked up, there was a sabre to her throat.
"There is hope for you yet," he told the inquisitor, her startling green eyes and brown hair exposed to the elements.. "Surrender your weapons, and we will give you a chance to see what you were denied as a child."
The inquisitor dropped her shattered hilt, defeated.
"What is your name, child?" he whispered, dropping down to a knee to be closer to her height.
"I am the fifteenth sister," she replied. "Before that, I was nobody."
"I know the feeling," the Pau'an replied.
Nico smiled.
Capital City, Lothal, 1 BBY
"Admiral?"
The celebrations were in full swing, and the General Staff of the Liberty Fleet had allowed themselves to get somewhat involved. The people of Lothal were practically dancing in the streets, finally rid of the looming shadow of Thrawn.
"Go for it," Percy replied.
"We've been clearing out the Imperial bases, and there's a couple of Cruisers out here. Sabine wanted to destroy them, but Triteia said something about stealing them instead. We thought you might want to come out here and decide for yourself."
Imperial Base, Jalath, 1 BBY
"Three?" Percy asked. "Impressive."
"Four, actually," Sabine interrupted over his comm. In the distance, he saw an Imperial Command Cruiser coming in to land. He grinned.
"Looks like the Liberty Fleet's getting a problem solved," he nodded to himself.
"A problem?" Triteia asked. "We beat an Imperial fleet, what, three times our size?"
"We conceded too much in the way of close range fire. I need close-in weapons, and these things can do it for me."
"A new class of ship, then?" Reyna mused. "You're getting quite good at naming them."
Percy smirked. "I've got some ideas."
Headquarters of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Yavin 4, 1 BBY
The troops inside Rebel Command burst into applause as the victorious staff strode in. Percy, Jason, Reyna, Hera, Sabine, Ezra and Triteia joined the joint heads of the Rebellion all together, possibly for the first time.
Mon Mothma and her staff were present; the likes of Raddus, Ackbar, Dodonna and Sato close to her. Organa was present too, with his daughter, the Princess Leia, Amilyn Holdo and several others.
"Thrawn has not been sighted at any Imperial bases," the Senator for Alderaan announced to the room. "It can be assumed that he is either dead, or no longer a significant threat.
"We've captured valuable ships and resources over the course of the battle, too," Jason told him. "We've sent the four Arquitens Cruisers to Krownest for the folks there to create Percy's prototype Victory-Class Cruiser. If it works, I can prepare it for mass distribution, and we'll get Sienaar onto it."
"That does raise the point, however," Mothma butted in, looking Percy directly in the eye. "This shipbuilding drive; it is being funded by aggressive expansion. In the interest of peace, I once more request that you release Bandomeer and the various other captured systems from Mandalorian control."
"We aren't ruling there," Percy replied. "The trade routes have been negotiated fairly, in exchange for protection, and any cultural conversion is of the people's own free will. The Mandalorian people are not a part of the Rebellion, though aid will be given."
"And what of the large movements of material from Bandomeer?" the Senator asked. "It all points towards the building of large systems."
"Trade ships," Percy replied simply. "There is rampant piracy, and our two Cruisers aren't enough. We're building a transport ourselves, boosting our economy and those of the systems around us, while restoring Mandalorian shipbuilding."
"Hamato Xiono reports-"
"Hamato Xiono is a fool," Percy replied. "There are more important matters to be discussed. The Liberty Fleet remains at the disposal of Rebel Command; I ask, however, that some time is given for the repair of its ships."
"Done," Organa nodded, giving Mothma a stare. "You've secured us a huge victory, Perseus; keep winning, and we will ensure that your victories are capitalised upon. May the Force be with you."
Percy nodded.
A/N
Lots to say about this, as you might understand. It's the end of a pretty distinct arc. Feel free to skip my yapping, it's interesting, but entirely unnecessary.
Yes, I've modified ships. That's fun. Yes, I've messed with who's doing what and where, and yes, Ezra Bridger is still here. I feel like all he needed to do was utilise a little brain power and he didn't need to vanish to the middle of fuck off nowhere.
And yes, Thrawn loses, yeah Percy wins without taking huge losses. You'd be surprised how effective a 2:1 deficit is, and don't forget that an ISD doesn't have any point defence. That being said, Percy does lose a lot of his Torrents, and the V-Wing and Y-Wing losses aren't anything to overlook. Something like 50 fighters lost, plus the Liberation isn't ready to fight anytime soon, what with its battered shield generators. You'll see some consequences of this battle later.
The battle itself is basically the Rebels trying to run away, undermining Thrawn's advantage while maximising
A quick rundown, for those of you interested:
The Liberation is a Venator, no big changes made except for automating non-essential roles. Pretty understandable, I think? The Rebels need a Star Destroyer, but don't want to commit the numbers. Big carrier is a good choice to make, and nostalgic as hell.
The Firebird is a Quasar Fire, like Phoenix Home in Rebels. No changes at all.
The Restoration Class is a Class 546, similar to Gideon's ship in the Mandalorian. It's modified to hold more fighters. Identical to the Haran and Beviin from the Mandalorian Resistance.
We'll see the Victory Class introduced later. They're modified Imperial Arquitens Cruisers. Carrying Capacity has been removed, replaced with extensive point defence weaponry.
If you want to chat about any changes I've made, reach out on CombatTombat's discord.
Until next time, then,
Sol
(I don't own PJO, Star Wars or any related media)