For anyone that wants to read it, The Angellus family history to this point Is here.
Angellus
Ewan Isaacs - CAG/SCAR Teams CO
LCaptain Halpern "Celestial City CO"
Captain Zev Tantor "Silver City" CO
Captain Rojuh Pouil "Valhalla" CO
Captain Scott Pouil - Flight Director 5th Fleet
Chief Gribbs - NCOIC 5th Fleet.
S.E.R.A.P.H.I.M. - 5th Fleet A.I.
[ANY COMMUNICATIONS INSIDE THESE BRACKETS ARE THE RESULT OF COMMS COMMUNICATION]
Code:
SECTOR: Tython
ORDERS: Retake the Planet and the system.
WINGMATES:
ENGAGING:
Chapter One: The Weight of Command
Admiral Liram Angellus stood on the bridge of the
Celestial City, his flagship, with the panorama of chaos unfolding before him. Tython’s surface, once a beacon of wisdom and hope, the home and birthplace of the Jedi Order was now obscured by the smoke of battle, marred by the relentless siege of the Dark Empire forces. The command display flickered with red alerts as data streamed in, detailing the overwhelming numbers they faced: two fleets of Star Destroyers and Cruisers, Interdictors lining their path, and swarms of TIE fighters buzzing with ominous intent.
“Admiral, the
Loki has taken heavy damage!” a tactical officer called out, his fingers flying over the controls. “Weapons are completely offline. They’re sending out escape pods.”
“Damn it!” Angellus cursed under his breath. He felt every life lost acutely, like a weight pressing on his soul. He was a strong leader, driven, and yet this battleground felt different. The stakes were higher, the pressure unabating.
“Be ready to take in their escape pods and shuttles. “
Chapter Two: Hope on the Horizon
The Tenth Sector Fleet was making their way into position. As the unfolding battle above Tython, a sharp determination coursed through the veins of the main Alliance Fleet. The peril the 5th Reactionary Fleet was facing pushed and prepared the 10th to strike back. Angellus was a man of integrity, one who would not abandon his comrades. He could have gotten them out long ago, but they were there, holding the line so that others could complete their mission. This no doubt drove Von Soren and the entire Sector fleet to make sure the opportunity for their rescue would not slip away.
“Conn-Sensors! The 10th is engaging the Imperial Defense fleet. They’re appear to be driving them apart.” Shouted a sensor officer
“Con-Tactical! They’re punchin’ a hole for us to slip through!”
Angellus had heard them but was paying more attention to his UCAS (Unmanned Carrier Aerial system) units. The silence of anticipation settled as automated units were dispatched, their metallic bodies gleaming against the backdrop of destruction, intent on ramming enemy ship bridges with devastating force. There was a sense of satisfaction as the
Celestial City maneuvered into position, its imposing frame shielding the beleaguered frigates.
Chapter Three: The Desperate Gambit
Admiral Angellus felt a flicker of hope as he witnessed the arrival of the Tenth Sector. The tide could finally turn. But desperation clawed at him; he had to secure their escape.
“All ships,” he transmitted, his voice calm but urgent,
“prepare for extraction maneuvers. We disengage—now. We’ll reposition and fired from a better angle.”
As his fleet scrambled to comply, he knew he had one last sacrifice to make. The
Admonitor, a torpedo frigate, was all but adrift, ravaged and out of weapons. To save it and delay the enemy’s advance, the commander set all non-command personnel to the escape pods and set a tactical ramming operation against “Invictus 2” one of the Dark Empire Orbital defense platforms. Meanwhile a group of SCARs (Special Combat Aerial Rendition) volunteered for a suicide mission, initiating a hack on the reactor to set it to overload of the Orbital Defense platform “Invictus 1” simultaneously. They had destroyed as many viewports and forcefully ejected as many Imperials as they could into the void of space before entering.
Their fighters were destroyed and they knew they had no way back to the carrier. It didn’t matter.
“Get them out! We need to get them clear!” Angellus shouted, as the dread filled his chest.
“No way off, Admiral,” one of the SCARs replied grimly through the comm. “It’s just us now.”
With a heavy heart, Angellus acknowledged their resolve.
“Then make it count.”
Chapter Four: Engines of War
The battle raged on as the
Celestial City covered the extraction of the remaining heavy cruisers, including the
Valhalla, which was overwhelmed and sending out escape pods and shuttles. Angellus watched as the automated Skycranes and H.E.R.C.U.L.E.S. manipulated the battlefield, carving through enemy lines.
“Target the Interdictors now!” Angellus commanded.
“We need to clear a path!”
On the tactical display, the Stealth Fighters—Elysian and Seraphim classes—plunged into the fray, weaving through laser fire, engaging Interdictors with lightning speed. Their nimble maneuvering became the beacon of hope in the dark void of space.
“Status on the Invictus 3?” Angellus pressed, every second stretching into eternity.
“Under heavy siege, Admiral. They’re about done!” cried the communications officer.
“Reinforce our position with our interceptors!” he barked.
Chapter Five: The Price of Valor
The fiery spectacle of war engulfed him, but Angellus pressed forward. He could see the
Celestial City as more than just a vessel; it was a lifeline for those fighting against tyranny. As the
Invictus 3 blasted through the night, it forced a wedge in the Dark Empire’s forces, allowing the 5th Fleet a path to safety.
But victory was bittersweet. As
Invictus 1 erupted in brilliant flames, taking its crew with it. The SCARs had sacrificed themselves for a fleeting moment of hope; their worship of duty now silenced by the void. Were either of the results from the self-destruct? Were either of them a result of the actions of the 5th? Didn’t matter at the moment, they were down.
Admiral Angellus stood silent as he felt the weight of their loss. In war there were no guarantees, only bloodied memories of
sacrifice, loss, and, against all odds, the flickers of resilience.
“Commander, we’re clear to move!” the tactical officer informed him, excitement struggling against the unbearable truth of the losses sustained.
“No!” Angellus shook off the impulse.
“We cover the last escapees. Valhalla, redirect fire now—now!”
“Can’t do, sir!” Shouted Captain Pouihl from the holovid on his command table.
“What are you saying?” Admiral Angellus retorted, flabbergasted.
“Main Computer is offline. Targeting computers are offline. We’re losing our reactor. I’ve already called for evacuation.” Rojuh stated calmly, he was done and he knew it.
Angellus had other plans.
“Seraphim! Can you connect with them.” He shouted into the air, speaking to the Fleet AI.
“Can you find any way to take control of the ship?”
“I am afraid not, sir. I am sorry. I cannot connect with any of The Valhalla’s systems. I only know what you know.”
In a fit of rage, Angellus yelled out
“DAMMIT!” and threw his shades at the wall, shattering them. Each loss, each and every one was “personal” to Liram, but
this one hit him in the gut. Not just because Captain Rojugh Pouihl was going down with his ship, a man on Angellus’ command staff, but because both of the Pouihl brothers had been by his side since
they were fighter pilots.
His fleet was his “family”, but his staff were his “brothers”. He already lost Isaacs today, now Rojuh? Who else? Who was next? Angellus immediately felt guilty for taking out his anger on the AI and everyone around him. He knew that the AI was not at fault and that he had to make a decision quickly. He had lost too many good sentients, but had many more still alive and still needing him to carry himself in the manner he had always done. He took a deep breath and composed himself before speaking.
Looking around, he spoke calmly…
“I’m sorry for my outburst, to you, SERAPHIM” and to each of you who witnessed this."
“Apology not necessary, but accepted, sir.” This was the few times that the AI spoke for everyone. His actions might have been frightening, but it wasn’t surprising, nor was it anything that any of them were not feeling themselves.
“Tactical! I want targeting control transferred to my station.” He spoke out, walking back to his command table and pressing a few buttons, bringing up a different style tactical display. A display like one in the “gunseye” of a fighter pilot’s cockpit.
“Sir?” The Tactical Dept. supervisor asked out quizzically.
“Sir, I get it you’re mad…” Captain Halpern spoke up fearing Angellus was starting to break. He was wrong.
“Captain. I got them into this. I got us all into this. I’m getting us out.” His words were simple and direct. Not another word was spoken, except by the Admiral himself.
“I want all non-essential operations cut, and all non-essential power transferred to shields, maneuvering and weapons. Weapons- I want you to fire the MOMENT you see the reticles. Everything you can!”
“Aye!”
“Aye!
“Aye!”
“Sensors, keep eyes on their fighters. Scott! I want our fighters keeping them as occupied as they can!”
“Sir!”
“On it!” Scott was going to make sure they pay for every life they took, tenfold. Rojuh had just gotten married and
he would have to tell his sister-n-law what had happened here.
“Let’s show this Nerf-herders what we can really do! Even in exit.”
As the
Valhalla made a move towards the remaining two Interdictors its final maneuver to crash into the heart of the Imperial vessels while issuing out a final distress call, Angellus felt the gravity of the choices he had made. There was no time to mourn, not now. He was busy giving his weapons officers as many critical targeting shots as he could while they did this.
Chapter Six: Resilience in Infinity
With the last surviving Liberator carriers,
Stellar and
Silver City, beginning their move to the opening, Admiral Angellus felt the battle echo in the silence that followed. The
Celestial City expanded its shield as they would make their way through the opening to relative safety, and he turned to his crew, their faces worn but alive with the thrill of survival against their sheer odds. Angellus was determined that the legacy of the fallen would not die, and he vowed to protect those who survived with the same tenacity and dedication they had shown throughout their journey. He knew that their sacrifices had not been in vain, and that a new chapter of Infinity had begun.
In the depths of the void, the war was not yet over, but the fires of resilience had only just begun to burn.
“So... whose still got some fight left in’em?”
To be continued…
Mahsa
Ran Serys
