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A SECOND GREAT HYPERSPACE WAR STORY THE ERA OF RECLAMATION
Pilots, it's good to have you here,
The Alliance is preparing to make its move against the Maw, but these plans extend beyond retaking the core and neutralizing the Maw Corridor. We want to strike into the heart of their territory, and to do that, we acquired and deciphered a Maw Wayfinder. Paired with navigational data we received from Knight Iris Arani
after herscouting mission, it'll allow us to find a path through their territory.
Along this way, however, the Maw has various installations dedicated to observing the corridor, as well as our fleet movements. To make our war efforts more efficient, we're going to test the data we have to remain undetected, and strike at various locations along the border.
The Wayfinder is connected to my X-wing, and I'll be transmitting its information to all small craft joining this mission. Together, we will be gathering new intel and making the strikes necessary for the Alliance to win this war.
Good luck and May the Force be with you.
I — Carving the Way
Follow Valery Noble
into Maw Space using both the Wayfinder and navigational data acquired from Iris Arani
's scouting mission. The goal is to gain more intel about defenses, and safe passages and to strike against Maw installations and ships meant to detect Alliance fleet movements. But be careful — enemy fighter squadrons protect said installations, and their Monitoring frigates are not to be underestimated either.
There will be no support from larger vessels, as those will certainly be detected, so fighters and bombers are all you have.
II — Into the Corridor
While a Task Force of small craft travel into Maw Space to gain intel and carve a path for the Alliance, the corridor remains a problem as well. Those who aren't within the Task Force have been assigned to cripple enemy supply lines, raid small Maw Task Forces and cause more damage to the already unsustainable corridor. Every little bit helps to weaken the enemy in preparation for the full liberation of the core.
Don't give them a chance to breathe.
BYOO Got other stories to tell? Feel free to do so!
<Alright pilots, transmitting navigational data now,> Valery said over comms to all within the Task Force. The deciphered Wayfinder was feeding a stream of data continuously into their computers to offer paths through the otherwise very lethal territory. But it was the extra information that her former Padawan had acquired that allowed the group of ships to also bypass listening posts and monitoring frigates.
Now, they were at the gates of hell, and by the time they'd begin their strike, it would already be too late for their enemy. The ships made a short jump through Hyperspace together soon after and dropped back into real space, not within the corridor, but within territory the Maw had held for many years now.
"Bee, let's start with the listening post on that large asteroid. I'm going to leave the targeting computer to you, and manage the power systems. I'll handle the flying," Valery told her little buddy with a grin that Kahlil could likely see and feel, despite being in a completely different fighter on his own.
She always loved this part, and visibly showed that.
<Pilots, pick your targets and coordinate. Let's carve a way through them> With that, Valery rolled to the right, switched S-foils to attack position, and began her first attack run. But, of course, the enemy was quick to respond as well, and a squadron of Maw fighters were coming in to defend the listening post.
Jasper was practically bubbling over with anticipation. He had flown X-Wings before, but never one purely of his own design. Needless to say after it's last successful test, he was very excited to finally test it in the field. No jammers this time, unfortunately (seeing as he didn't want to scramble the sensors of his allies as well), but there was plenty more to utilize. And, of course, it was for great importance as well. This was a run that would determine their entry into the depths of Maw space, something that would ultimately be of great importance for the conclusion of this war. Jasper needed to be here for that.
As they came up on an asteroid with a Maw listening post, starfighters were quick to defend it. As Val opened her S-Foils, Jasper followed suit, opening his irregularly positioned foils, designed to allow for optimal drifting both in space and in planetary atmospheres.
<< I’m right behind you. I’ll take point on right flank. >>
With that, Jasper moved ahead on the right as Mawite fighters sped towards them, opening fire. The knight was quick to spin and avoid the incoming fire, flying ever closer to a pair of fighters.
“Blip, reroute power to the maneuvering jets,” he told his astromech co-pilot.
As he got close to the Maw starfighters, close enough for a head on collision, the jets on the foils roared to life. His vessel began to drift, swinging around the backside of the enemy vessels like a ball on a string. Jasper fired on the ships, tearing them to shreds before drifting back into formation, advancing towards the asteroid.
To many, space could be seen as frightening. Merciless. It's a cold, empty vacuum, and during the times in which its icy talons were full, it was swarming with danger. To BB-610, space was comforting, providing a scratch to the itch that plagued his systems and urged him to see his prime directive through. Droids like him were built for this; no better fit for them is the snug confines of a starfighter's astromech slot, synced up to its navicomputer with a neurolink that was pure harmony for his droidbrain. The intimidation from enemy vessels was present, but BB-610 very seldom felt more comfortable than when he was surrounded by blinking stars and guided by the person he trusted most.
"Bee, let's start with the listening post on that large asteroid. I'm going to leave the targeting computer to you, and manage the power systems. I'll handle the flying."
With an affirmative chirp, the X-wing's targeting computer bweeped online, the astromech's advanced sensors feeding the starfighter the perimeters necessary to swiftly project a digital simulation of the space around them in less than a second. Intertwined with the sensors of the ship, the target device's crosshair inched closer to the enemy listening post, trajectory calculated in advance as Valery steered them closer for a steadier shot. Opposing forces dotting the wavelengths of the screen, BB-610 kept their engines roaring as a myriad of probabilities are ran through his droidbrain, walls of chance directing his choice as the X-wing's power remained firmly fixed on its speed.
No shots are taken, relying entirely on Valery's piloting and Jasper's aim with the utmost of trust. The Lonestar twirled with grace, earning the attention of Maw fighters and covering for the X-wing while they soared closer to the targeted asteroid. The sufficient distance closed, BB-610 finally redirected their starfighter's power to its KX14 laser cannons, with a burst of powerful energy blasted into the listening post with a deafening discharge, thudding like thunder as portions its walls are engulfed in flames, a chunk of the asteroid's course exterior swallowed by firepower and clouding the surrounding space in scattered dust.
Satisfied with his progress, the astromech droid quickly returned power to the X-wing's engines, ripples of fire projecting them forward with a crackle of energy. As another squadron of Maw fighters trail after Jasper's X-wing, BB-610 spoke in low, rumbling binary as he advised both Valery and Jasper that it would be beneficial for them to briefly swap positions: the Lonestar on the attack against the listening post, and the X-wing's on the defensive as they cover for him.
Head twirling to face his Master, the astromech bweeped hurriedly that he's lining up shots against the enemy starfighters, and that Valery needed to both fly them steady as well as dodge incoming fire. BB-610 had no doubt in his mind that she was more than capable - the dynamic between pilot and astromech is built on trust, after all, and the droid trusted his friend with his life.
three squadrons of eight Chir'Shada Starfighters
Single Path Engine equipped light cruiser of the Emerald Nebula
Squadron quipped with a mixture of proton torpedoes, disruptor torpedoes and Witchfire Missiles
The palliduvan marauder was sat in the bar at a mawite refuelling instalation when the alerts came through. Her raiders were fresh from a deep penetration raid into Ashlan space and having a little rest and refuelling break in friendly space during their long trip back to the Nebula in their small ships. Several of her fighters had been damaged and had docked with the much slower salvage vessel than followed nearly a week behind them, but at least casualties had been light on this raid.
But now the Final Dawn had come under attack, some minor base in the edge of mawite space, Khione rolled her eyes as she stood and began walking to her awaiting fighter, sending a recall message to all of her brothers and sisters. She lamented this deal with the dullard imperials of the Final Dawn, yeah she got to refuel and rearm safely, but in return she had local defence obligations if anything happened withing intercept range. Her wingman ran up behind her and she looked at him. Dit is veertig minute om, hulle kan net sowel weg wees teen die tyd dat ons daar aankom. Kom ons kry dit gedoen, ons het 'n reputasie om te handhaaf." Khione said in their tribal language.
Dit behoort 'n koek te wees, laat ons nog 'n alliansie doodmaak. Dink jy nog daaraan om ons Sularen te verkoop?" came the reply from her wingman.
Khione just laughed in response. The cash value of his head would probably fund raids for a while, maybe one day.
"Dink dit is sy?" the wingman joked at his leader with a raised eyebrow, reaching for his helmet.
"Dit is 'n groot sterrestelsel, geen kans nie" Khione shrugged, girl was fun, Khione kind of missed not having her shoot at her for a while, and the force kept drawing them together some how. She carried on, grabbed her helmet and climbed into the ball cockpit of Torr'chir its white hull with black markings like her face made it looks quite striking in the hangar, but most of her brethren had some form of Customisation on their Chir'shada fighters.
<<Almal vorm op my en berei voor vir onmiddellike geveg spring op my punt>> she called into the comm as her helmet came to life and she activated the glowing array of switches and dials on her cockpit. Her wingman was first out of the hangar followed by Khione and the rest of the Emerald Nebula fighters quickly arranged into a travelling wedge ready to activate their path engines. She hoped they could engage before the enemy left, but at least their intervention could prevent the enemy having complete free reign to attack wherever they like.
Within thirty seconds the seventeen fighters were lined up and Khione gave the order for them all to activate their path engines.
Throughout the listening post, alarms were blaring as starfighters were scrambled and personnel rushed to man their battle stations just as the first Alliance Starfighters began to emerge from hyperspace and began to approach the facility. From the Central Command Center of the listening post, it's security officer watched as more enemy starfighters continued to emerge from hyperspace to carry out the daring strike on her station. Given that it was located within the core of Final Dawn Territory, neither she or anyone stationed onboard the listening post had expected such a sudden attack but even when caught off-guard, training and discipline was all they needed to handle the situation and repel the attackers.
"What type of opposition are we looking at" the security officer demanded. "Seems to be a small strike force, mostly starfighters. Although given their unique design we believe we're dealing with Jedi pilots." one of the officers responded. Without hesitation, the security officer was quick to issue new orders. "Scramble all fighters, and have the Disciple move in to engage them with their air wing. We won't let a single starfighter touch us.". The security officer was confident that despite the skill of the Jedi, she had the advantage in both firepower and numbers, which in her eyes would be enough to win the day.
Regardless as protocol dictated, O'reen had to be notified of the attack even if she felt as if the odds were in favor, after all it was better to be safe then sorry. Thus, as the Listening Post's compliment of two TIE/fd Interceptor squadrons emerged from their hangars to confront the Alliance Strike Force, the security officer once more proceeded to speak "Are they jamming our comms?" she inquired. One of the communications officers quickly checked their console to verify before giving a response in a surprised tone. "Apparently, they aren't jamming us." he said. "Good." the security officer said. "Send word to O'reen. Inform them that Listening Post I-946 is under attack by an Alliance Strike Force." she ordered. The sooner Central Command got the message the better, as it would only take a few minutes before the full force of the Final Dawn would come crashing down upon those who were bold enough to strike at this Listening post. But until then she needed to hold her ground and prevent them from accomplishing their mission.
Meanwhile outside the listening post, as the first TIE/fd Interceptors from the Listening Post began engaging the Alliance Strike Force led by Valery Noble, a single Ascendant Mark-I Pocket Star Destroyer, the FDS Disciple, began moving into position to confront the Strike Force and further support the listening post's starfighter compliment. Soon enough, it would appear on the sensors of the starfighters of the Alliance Strike Force as it continued to close the gap between itself and the attacking strike force, ready to unleash it's compliment of five starfighter squadrons upon the enemy attackers.
From the bridge of the Disciple, it's captain observed the ongoing battle as the Jedi Starfighters cut through many Interceptors as they tried to repel their attack. Unlike the security officer in charge of the listening post, a native O'reenian who had never fought on the frontlines, the captain of the FDS Disciple was a veteran officer who had fought in the Sith-Imperial Navy and was familiar with force-sensitives having worked with Sith Lords and fought against force-sensitive pilots whether they were Imperial Knights or members of the New Jedi Order.
He was far aware of the dangerous potential of the Jedi and knew well that even with overwhelming firepower and numbers they could still triumph, and given the FDS Disciple's limited anti-starfighter capabilities, he knew that his ship would be an easy target for their faster and more maneuverable starfighters and thus was unwilling to directly confront them in the open. "Cease our advance. This is as far as we go." the captain ordered. Soon enough the FDS Disciple came to a halt, resting above the starboard portion of the listening post. "Can't we simply move in to attack? We clearly have more firepower and starfighters then they do" a lieutenant who was standing beside the captain said, questioning the orders of his superior. "If we move into the open, we'll be vulnerable to whatever tricks the Jedi have in store especially considering our limited Anti-Starfighter Capabilities" the captain began.
"Let them approach, and we shall annihilate them with the combined strength of the Listening Post's defenses and ours along with our own starfighter compliment. Force them to fight a battle on our terms." the captain proclaimed. As such, the FDS Disciple would remain motionless in it's current position, it's starfighters still in it's hangars as it patiently waited for the Alliance Strike Force to come at them, where they could annihilate them once and for all and end this daring raid pre-maturely.
Kahlil nodded once. Not that he should've been seen, but Valery would've been able to tell regardless. Sitting in a fighter was a newer experience for him. Something to get used to, given he spent most of his time in a freighter. Very different ships. And this one? The Jedi Vector had plenty of handy features for a Jedi Pilot. Some took some getting used to. Feeling his ship like an extension of himself.
Funky.
<I'll go left, then.>
And left he did. The ion blasters burst to life as he soared through the enemy interceptors, easily at that. When they tried to target him, his ship was already in a completely different direction. Moving almost in a way ships shouldn't. Exactly in a way ships shouldn't. A subtle pull of the Force was all it took to shift his vessel around. He paused before glancing towards the coming Star Destroyer.
"Shorty! We are nearly outta Hyperspace, make sure weapons are charged and that we got full mobility, don't want to be caught off guard by some Maw fighters around." Kat stated, she saw the astromech screen light up as M1-NI gave his response to her instructions. Letting her know that weapons were charged but also informing her that this was a silly idea to do it without other N-Wing fighters since the ships were built to work in a tight, trusted squadron. This time of work should be on a ship she made to work solo.
Chuckling deeply, "there are other fighters joining us and we should have the upper hand here Shorty. Happy beeps, remember we talked about you being more positive." Kat laughed as M1-NI gave his respond which was a lot of cursing and very unhappy beeps as he clearly held a lot of doubts in the others on this mission. "Look, you've not met Valery, or any other others on the mission, you don't know how capable they are. I believe that they are going to just as good, if not better than the other N-Wing pilots."
This reply did not sit well with M1-NI who was giving nervous beeps and whirls as they dropped out of hyperspace. Flicking switches and tapping on her consoles, Kat heard Valery's directions and smirked. <<Copy that. N1 heading down to offer covering fire.>>
Engaging the thrusters, Kat soared in behind the other fighters as she fired down, drawing the fire and focus away from the main corridor runners with their attacks. M1-NI whirled in the back how much he hated the idea of being the center of enemy fire. "Shorty, we got this. Remember positive attitude and keep your focus on the engines, will need you to engage them if things get a little too spicy." Kat chuckled as she spun around and fire at the Maw fighters.
"The bad news is time flies, the good new is you're the pilot" - Michael Althsuler
The Galactic Alliance were not the only Jedi in the Galaxy, or with an air corps. Caltin Vanagor was one of the instructors for the Jedi Starfighter Corps and decided to bring some recent graduates with him. A flight of four “Jedi Variant” X-wings (“Jedi Variant” meaning they were custom made to fit the pilot and multiple systems were imbued with the Force) escorting a section of eight “AMF” Class Y-Wings. Something in his gut (the Force) was telling him that the bombers would be needed, on this mission and while Caltin was not planning to go on it, this would be a good bit of field training for the young Knights. It was also a good bit of practice in a fighter for the big man as before Guardian Authority Ltd. started building custom fighters down to the pilot, he could never fit in on (don’t ask him about the time he had to be cut out of an X-wing).
It didn’t take long, their trip through hyperspace as they were well behind Valery Noble
and the main part of the task force. He would normally be up front as well, but there was something about this that was telling him that he and his “boys and girls” were in the right position. The snap of light that is customary with dropping out of hyperspace was blinding for a moment, which was odd, but it meant one thing. There was a Star Destroyer in the sector (something he learned while flying with the Rebel Alliance). Sure enough. BB-55 told him that sensors and IFF’s identified it as an Ascendant Mark-I Pocket Star Destroyer. He laughed to himself at how jealous Admiral Angellus was going to be when he would read the A.A.R. (After the Action Report), he’s been researching the Final Dawn for months. These little buggers are nasty and their firepower combined with the Listening Post meant that they were going to have some work to do and considering the fighters already in the air, there needed to be something else for them to worry about.
[Alright Wings, report in!]
[“Blue 2”]
[“Blue 3”]
[“Blue 4”]
[“Green Leader”]
[“Green 2”]
[“Green 3”]
[“Green 4”]
[“Green 5”]
[“Green 6”]
[“Green 7”]
[“Green 8”]
[Alright boys, accelerate to attack speed and switch your shields to double front.]
[“What about the incoming Maw?’]
[“Cut the chatter!”]
[No, that’s fair. The Alliance is engaging them. We can help by giving the Maw a reason to panic.]
[“We’re not shooting to kill, are we?”]
[They’re not going to give us a choice.]
As the fighters increased speed, the turrets were engaging any Maw Fighters in range, most were paying them little mind, engaging Alliance X-wings, but those that did learned how good a shot Padawans could be.
[“Grr!”]
[“You okay 6?’]
[“Yeah! That was my fault, left myself open for a shot.”]
[Alright, here we go. Lock S-foils into attack position. Blues clear out as many surface guns as you can… Greens clean up the rest.]
There was something about flying an X-wing designed with you in mind. It was just so much easier and made you look that much faster.
Silas was not known to be a fantastic pilot compared to the rest of his counterparts. He was better on the ground and fighting compared to being high in the sky. Nonetheless, he had proven to Valery he was more than capable of handling himself and was assigned to help her on an important mission. Not long ago she had given him her x-wing to provide security and transport to different planets, now he was using it in a proper battle. He had taken part in mini skirmishes, but nothing of this magnitude.
<Copy that master>
A group of jedi including himself were all in formation heading toward their target location. They all needed each others backs if they were going to get through this safely. As they came up to the outpost, Maw fighters began heading their way with purpose. Jasper, who was beside him went after some who were close by and disposed of them with some trickery. Chuckling, he smiled openly
<I've got it, Bee,> Valery said in acknowledgment of his plan. Her Jedi senses and reflexes made it easy to weave between enemies, avoid dangerous trajectories and follow behind enemy fighters without losing them. It made it much easier for Bee to gain his targeting locks, and with bursts of heavy fire, their teamwork soon paid off as the first enemy fighter was torn apart by cannon fire. The Maw, however, had plenty more and even brought in heavier reinforcements.
<Reinforcements. I'll handle it.>
Valery grinned after hearing her husband's voice and turned her ship about to assist. No pilot should ever fly alone, regardless of skill, and it would be foolish not to make use of their bond. The better they performed as a team, the more likely it was everybody was coming home intact, so she couldn't rationalize any other plan.
<Got yourself a wingman,> Valery told him, as she shadowed his movements flawlessly from behind him, and just to his left. She'd let him lead the way, but because of their bond, it was almost as if they were both lead and wingman at the same time. It almost made her feel bad for whoever they were about to hit.
<Bee, get cluster missiles ready, I'm picking up on a squadron.> It was much harder to use the target-seeking cluster missiles, but with her piloting and Bee selecting the targets and ensuring the missile's trajectory was good, she felt confident they could take out a large number of them.
Of course, as she moved into the battle together with Kahlil, she still needed to offer direction to the others as well, and so her voice opened up comms again. <Make sure our bombers are covered and hit that station hard. Force guide you all.>
< It's just repetition. You get the hang of it after a while. I will say, it's nice to be in a ship designed for combat for a change. >
Of course, it was a ship of his own design, but the point still stood. It wasn't long before the others were getting to work as well. After switching positions with Valery upon the request of her droid, she peeled off to assist the recently returned Kahlil, who wasn't actually dead. It was a story he would need to hear eventually. The two flew in a tight formation. No, they were matching each other perfectly. It was a product of the weird force bond they shared. A dyad, was it?
< Damn. They're good. Maybe I need to form a dya-whatsit... Hey Silas, you think we could merge our brains or something to make one of those? >
Jasper, naturally, had no clue how they worked. He was a mechanic-pilot-greaser-person, not some force guru.
<< Copy that. I see'em. Follow us, big man. We'll clear a path for your Y-Wings. >>
"Blip, prime a mag pulse warhead," Jasper told his astromech. "Let's see if we can't chip through some of the post's defenses and soften it up for our bombers."
As Blip did just that, Jasper would continue to tear through Mawite fighters, weaving through chaotic formations and laser cannon fire.. They were growing ever closer to the listening outpost. Pretty soon, he'd be in range to take out their defenses and leave it clear for the bombers to blow it to hell.
As the battle outside the Listening post raged on, the TIE Interceptors initially deployed by the station were slowly getting torn apart by their NJO counterparts having inflicted no casualties so far. Already some NJO Starfighters were breaking off from the main dogfights and were headed towards either the Listening Post or the FDS Disciple that lay above it. The security officer was alarmed at this new development as the Listening post possessed only a few anti-starfighter defenses, it would only take a a few bombing runs to neutralize the shields and begin tearing the station apart. "Intensify forward firepower and prioritize their bombers, i don't want anything getting through our defenses" she ordered.
As such, the crews of the defensive weaponry of the Listening Post patiently waited for the first enemy ships to get in their range ready to unleash barrages of anti-starfighter weaponry upon the bold and daring pilots who had sought to destroy their station. As long as the shields were up, the enemy could not disable or destroy any weapon emplacements and as such they had more then enough time to inflict damage on those that would directly attack the station. They all knew the stakes at hand, it was either kill or be killed and for the sake of bringing glory to the Final Dawn, those crew would give their all to ensure the survival of the station.
With the Jedi pressing their attack, the Listening Post wasn't the only thing they were targeting, the presence of the Disciple also made it an important target for them, as it carried a significant amount of firepower and starfighters, enough to give the Jedi more trouble and bigger problems to deal with. The captain of the Disciple was well aware of this as the amount of starfighters he had were more then twice the amount of starfighters the Jedi had brought and thus deploying them would significantly delay any direct assault on either the Listening Post or the Disciple . As such, he had refrained from deploying his starfighters until the right moment, when the Jedi would begin rushing towards both targets thinking that they had cleared all significant opposition.
"Sir, we're detecting a group of fighters and bombers headed straight for us" a Sensor officer said. "Good, that means they've taken out a majority of I-946's starfighters and are moving in for the kill. This is where we surprise them." the Captain said. "Deploy all Fighters and prioritize their bombers. The sooner we take them out, the better." he ordered. The Flight Bay Officer immediately went to his console and relayed the Captain's orders to the main hangars, while the Chief Flight Officer began giving specific objectives to each Squadron leader. Soon enough, a small swarm of Final Dawn TIE Fighters began to emerge from the hangars of the Disciple immediately moving to attack the enemy bombers along with their starfighter escorts.
With over sixty TIE Fighters on the field, the Captain of the Disciple was certain that they would be able to at least take down a majority of their bombers and significantly delay their mission, which would be more then enough time for reinforcements to arrive and turn the tides in their favor. However if they were lucky enough those TIEs would be sufficient enough to deal enough damage to the point that the Jedi would be forced to withdraw. Regardless, with such significant opposition, the Jedi would be unable to achieve any sort of decisive victory in a short period of time which was crucial for the Final Dawn Defenders and thus ensuring their ultimate victory.
FINAL DAWN O'REEN, UNKNOWN REGIONS Deep within the Grand O'Reenian Palace, High Regent Marlon Sularen was in his personal study, revising the latest improvements made by Admiral Kaine Hamilton
to the Final Dawn's defenses in the Maw Corridor. With the Galactic Alliance distracted with more border skirmishes with the Empire, the High Regent sought to further fortify the Maw Corridor in anticipation of a large Galactic Alliance offensive against the Final Dawn, the culmination of their so-called "Liberation Front" that had been building up for a while. Thanks to the assets he had acquired from his now deceased corporate partner, Haon Hafey
, and the recent progress of Project Rejuvenation, Sularen finally had enough resources to fend-off a major offensive, contrary to the beliefs of his own peers within the Maw.
However despite these achievements, there was still a lot of work to do and many projects and operations to implement hence why even at this late hour, the High Regent was still in his study reviewing reports in regards to the very projects and operations that were well underway. Suddenly, the doors leading into the High Regent's study opened as his personal assistant, Colonel Rackham entered the room. "Ah Sir, there you are. I'm surprised you're still here at this hour." the Colonel said. "Finding a means to turn a losing battle back in your favor is a time consuming task you know, especially when the wrong people are chosen to lead the war effort" the High Regent said, referring to Kyrel Ren
's disasterous handling of the Core Campaign since he was appointed Warmaster of the Brotherhood of the Maw.
"Do you have anything for me, Colonel?" Sularen asked, as the Colonel walked up towards his desk. He was holding a rectangular datapad in his arms as usual, in which he often utilized to manage his day-to-day operations. The Colonel soon came to a halt right beside the desk and placed the datapad on the desk. "There has been a situation." the Colonel began. "What kind of situation." the High Regent inquired. "Apparently, one of our Listening Posts, Post I-946 is under attack from a Jedi Strike Force." the Colonel said. This immediately caught the Regent's interest as it was rare for the New Jedi Order to strike against the Final Dawn considering their primary focus was on Darkside-aligned FUs and related Darkside-aligned FU Sects
"Where is the targeted listening post located?" Sularen asked once more. "One jump-point away from Selvaris, located outside the Maw Corridor within our own core territories." the Colonel asked. The High Regent took a datapad where he found all the information Rackham could gather on the current attack, as Rackham had outlined the Strike Force was mostly comprised of Starfighter Models that even the High Regent did not recognize , most of which were assumed to be custom models built for New Jedi Pilots. The Listening Post had taken no damage as far as Sularen and Rackham were concerned but Jedi Pilots were known to use Jedi Shadow Bombs, a pair of which could annihilate a Light Frigate. A few well-placed shots would be enough to destroy the entire listening post.
However, there was another thing that was on the High Regent's mind, if the New Jedi Order were spearheading this raid, then there was a good chance that the notorious Valery Noble was leading the attack, and if that were true then that mean the Final Dawn was dealing with an attack on a similar magnitude as the Batorine Incursion led by Valery Noble shortly before the Alliance's reclamation of Empress Teta. This meant that the Galactic Alliance was planning something big, potentially using this strike as a build-up towards another offensive just like they had done at Batorine before Empress Teta.
Then there was the fact that the intended target of the NJO Strike Force was a single listening post located near Selvaris. Destroying that listening post would do little to weaken the Final Dawn's hold in the Corridor, but if this was an attack on a similar magnitude as Batorine, then there remained the possibility that the listening post wasn't the only target and that more assets might be attacked, perhaps even all across the Corridor. "Sir?" Colonel Rackham said, trying to get the High Regent's attention. Having been made aware of the stakes that were at hand, the High Regent did not hesitate to elaborate on his thoughts with his aide. "Colonel, what we're dealing with is more serious then you might think. If my hunch is correct, then that NJO Strike Force is being led by none other then Valery Noble. I don't know how they've managed to make it into our territory without us detecting them, but clearly what they're doing is reminiscent of their earlier incursion at Batorine." Sularen said speaking in a more serious tone.
The High Regent then stood up and turned around to face the windows of his study, looking upon the cityscape of Fort Maximus down below. "They're trying to soften us up before landing a killing blow at a later date, a buildup to a larger offensive just like how Batorine preceded Empress Teta. But this time they might launch numerous attacks across a wider area" He proclaimed. "What course of action do you suggest we take?" the Colonel said. Sularen pondered for a second before lifting his finger as some ideas came to mind. "Where are the Crimson Linings right now?" the High Regent asked. The Colonel took his datapad and did a little bit of searching before coming up with answer. "They're currently at Selvaris carrying out regular patrols, they were deployed to the Maw Corridor in response to thatminor incursion over Foerosta while back."
Sularen once more turned around and placed one hand on his chair. "That's good. Hamilton and Wraith Squadron are already within the Corridor so we already have a safeguard against any further attacks across the area" the High Regent added. After taking a few seconds to reflect on the situation, Sularen proceeded to speak once more "Okay, here is what we'll do, have the Crimson Linings redirected to Post I-946, they'll deal with Noble and whoever she brought with her." he began. "Then i want you to send word to Admiral Hamilton, tell him to place the entirety of Wraith Squadron on High Alert. Any incursion into the Corridor is to be repelled as soon as they show up. It's about time we taught the Alliance what it really means to fuck around and find out." the High Regent proclaimed. "Dismissed."
Soon enough Colonel Rackham left the High Regent's study, leaving Sularen alone once more. This was it, Sularen thought, the moment he had been waiting for. The Tribes had been quite skeptical on his abilities to maintain the Corridor, confident that his hold over the Maw Corridor was so fragile that it's defenses would collapse the moment the Alliance struck. Now, the High Regent had the perfect opportunity to prove them wrong, to remind the Tribes of the true power of the Final Dawn, first by dealing with this incursion and then by crushing the Galactic Alliance when they'd launch their major offensive. A magnificent display of power, enough to humble the Tribes and assert himself within the Maw once and for all.
He flashed a grin, knowing all too well she'd at least be able to see it. Kahlil settled his hands on the controls then, turning his ship right for the incoming Star Destroyer. And blinked. So that was their intention? He didn't wait. The Jedi Master closed his eyes, fell deep into the Force. The ship he had did wonders with helping him focus. The ship and Valery. He pulled on their bond, made it all too clear what he was about to do.
A hand lifted as he reached towards the invisible cords binding all things in the Force. He found the strands he needed, and pulled. As the Tie Fighters flooded out, he grabs just the right number to send them spiraling into each other. Create chaos, overwhelm the hanger, and maybe stop the last of the fighters still trying to get out and into open space.
three squadrons of eight Chir'Shada Starfighters
Single Path Engine equipped light cruiser of the Emerald Nebula
Squadron quipped with a mixture of proton torpedoes, disruptor torpedoes and Witchfire Missiles
It was a straightforward shot to the operation theatre with Khione and her squadrons thudding out of the hyperspace path and quickly assessing the area. A Final Dawn warship was engaging the Alliance and swarms of Tie fighters had spilled out into space around the beleaguered target of the Alliance attacked.
<<Energie handtekeninge wat talle gevorderde vegters aandui. Bomwerpers wat inkom, sluit s-foelies en betrek, vir die Avatars!>>. Her squadrons followed commands and peeled off into their formation to engage. The Tie fighter chaff would likely eat a lot of the Alliance ordanance giving the Emerald Nebula pilots a greater chance of surviving the attack.
The ships accelerated and began picking their targets. The incoming fighters were moving like aces, not racked up in a mass, this could be a difficult fight. She quickly send her IFF details to the Final Dawn forces before rolling her ship over along with five of her squadron mates and attempting to break into the centre of the enemy formation to engage the bombers. Activating her phase masque, her ship began to shimmer and distort making it extremely difficult to target, the side effect being it would signal her ship as an important target, with her skills and advanced fighter she could shrug off a few extra attacks that might otherwise take out her family.
Locking on with proton torpedoes at long range Khione targeted the lead of Caltin Vanagor
's Y-wings, heavier ships that would hopefully struggle to dodge the proton torpedoes in a head on joust with the extra speed the approach added. Immediately after she switched to her disruptor beams and banked to target one of the escorting x-wing starfighters, leaving her advanced Squadron to deal with the Y-wings, and the following Squadron would pick up the x-wings alongside her. The relative velocity of the two sets of starfighters would likely make them pass through each other, this would mean the Nebula would quickly be in the rear arc of the bombers, hopefully putting pressure on them to break off their attack, or at least draw their escorts away to make them easier pickings for the tie-fighters.
A flash burst in space in front of Khione, causing her to spin her s-foils around her ball cockpit, her forces were now in range of the enemy and both sides would have to evade or begin to take damage.
"The bad news is time flies, the good new is you're the pilot" - Michael Althsuler
Jasper was dropping in trying to lead them in on an attack run, it was a nice effort that Caltin did appreciate but there was a problem. Jasper was heading in on the Listening Post as Caltin and his flight of X-wings were leading the Section of Y-wings in on the Star Destroyer. It would have been a great play to make if they were able to coordinate it ahead of time but it did not work out that way and only by luck of the Force were they able to pull off what they did.
The Fighters already “in the air” were engaging as the Star Destroyer’s complement was deployed.
[Keep on task, we were expecting this.]
“Green 6” was hit again in the left engine, as they were lining up for the first attack run. Try as they might, those incoming proton torpedoes from Maw fighters were just too much for some, engagements were broken off and those that weren’t?
[“I’m hit! Port Engine! I can’t hold it! I’m hit again! Main computer off line! Targeting computers offline! BB-75 find us a*”]
He tried to hold it together, but the Silver Jedi Knight Haul Moasdare could no longer hold it as “Green 6” lit up in a fireball. Stai Ontahrgit, “Green Leader '' was having problems as well as he was drawing fire on his opening salvo. Hechose to take a wide berth in his run where his wingmates went in tight. This gave more chance to do damage, but it also left him open to cannon as well as starfighter blaster fire and the young Jedi was getting hit from all sides.
[Get out of there, “Green Leader”, you can’t do any more good… get to safety…]
[“I’ll get back in the fight as soon as I can!”]
Green’s “Leader” pulling out made things that much tougher on them as eight was the bare minimum that they could have to make a dent in a situation like this. Now they were going to have to improvise. Seeing Kahlil and Valery flying through the Chaos, it gave him the idea of something.
[Bombers! New target! Form up on the NJO and take the Star Destroyer’s Shield Generators then don’t stop on to the communication transceivers on that Listening post. Then back to Square one!]
That was “Code” for them to leave to relative safety and hold position until called for. They had the firepower that was needed (in his mind at least). Switching channels to the NJO, he listened to the comm-chatter.
[Nobles, would you mind if my bomber buddies tag along for a moment?]
Fairly certain of the answer, Caltin banked on a Maw TIE that was targeting Jasper. The kid was more than capable of handling this fighter on his own, but the big man was close, besides, he wanted “Ace” status” even if he didn’t need it.
[“What about you, Blue Leader?”] Asked Green 4
[We’ll be right there with you. We’re taking out their comms!] 5’s get our ordinance up and send word to your buddies. We’re going on the attack!
BB-55, or “5’s” as Caltin would call him has the luxury of two droidbrains, this was not for increased abilities or outright intelligence. The droid carries the brain of his old astromech R2-T3, the droid who had never had a “wipe” and ultimately “died” saving his life. “5”’s was not “R2” but was able to access the memory banks when needed, and it helps in “his” energetic approach to things. When Caltin said that they were going on the attack, the droid accessed back to the days of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic. If a droid is capable of being excited about something, “5”’s was.
[“2 on you, Leader…”]
[“3 moving in.”]
[“4 on your eight…”]
[“Blue Leader! This is Green 2, acting Green Leader… Give’em Mustafar, Master!”]
Though it made him smile, the comment was not what he wanted to hear, not from Jedi. They would talk later on that, but right now surviving was more important.
[Alright boys, keep your speed pinned. Let’s show these Maw pilots what Jedi pilots can really do.]
His comment was not that much better, but they were flying X-wings that were imbued with the Force in many respects. They were slower than regular X-wings because of their true “multi-role” capabilities, but their enhanced systems more than made up for this. The fighters screamed past a section of TIEs sending them into disarray, each space superiority fighter deployed something that an X-wing was not known for… a point defense turret. The turrets would not destroy the enemy fighters by any means but the random targeting (as they flew by) was more than enough to throw their opponents into chaos.
[Blue’s! If you can hit the Destroyer’s targeting array on the way up, do so! All damage we can in one shot! We may not get another!]
<Force Dyad. They do seem to be handy.> Kat informed Jasper when he commented on wanting to get one. They weren't super common but Kat had heard of them and was curious how they were forged. It made sense that Valery and who Kat assumed was her husband had one. It was an intense bond, and a very risky one. Kat wasn't sure she could cope with a bond like that with her partner, not only was everything shared between the two but it was also devastating when one died, as if half of you died. <Does look like the pros outweigh the cons in situations like this.> She added as she flew hard into the fray and fired upon enemy fighters.
Several pilots were losing their lives to enemy fire and Kat could feel their lives being cut short through the Force. She held no connection to them but it was never easy and only brought flashbacks to when she was leading fighter squadrons into battle and losing them. Her breathing quickened as she felt the anxiety clawing through her stomach and the fear of losing everyone floating in her mind. However, she had prepared for this, she knew better than to let it take hold on her and she breathed out slowly. With the slow breathing, Kat focused on adding strength and uplifting everyone's spirits in this fight. Her task was adding Battle Meditation, to assist in the few who might have felt as she once did, now they could feel stronger and willing to push things into what the Maw might think impossible.
<Using a Battle Meditation in case anyone is feeling lost or wanting to push to do more damage against the Sith.> Kat informed the others, she wasn't sure if it would help or was necessary but it was a skill she had worked hard in perfecting when working as a medic in many refugee camps and war medical tents. The need to keep spirits high and enhance others abilities was one she never overlooked.
"Okay Shorty, I may have made us more of a target now with some Battle Meditation but gotta risk this in order to ensure we are more successful." Kat warned the astromech was not exactly well pleased with the turn of events but decreased firepower to divert energy to shields and engine so they could be more nimble and take blows better. It was a smart move and Kat appreciated her droid helping things out.
<"You'll have to tell me the specifics when you get back. Sooner or later I may need your help with a few upgrades!"> he said back to his friend whose ship did truly look impressive in this battle. Although, Silas had not really yet tested his new ship just yet. Looking ahead, he saw Master Valery and Kahlil work in perfect unison like as if their minds were in the perfect link <"You mean dyad Jasper? it's harder to form than you think, deep connections are needed for such a thing to be achievable">
He doubted they were in love either
After hearing orders to protect the bombers as they reach their destination, Silas snapped his eyes to a pair of maw fighters who were making a beeline for a bomber. No one else had spotted them so it was up to him to stop them. His ship moved away from the formation and managed to send them packing. Even so, Silas pressed after them and tried to shoot them down. They were nimble buggers, but after a few tries, he managed to shoot both down with relative ease.
The padawan rejoined the group and kept an eye on the bombers, ready to move at a moment's notice <"How far do we have for these bombers?">
To nobody's surprise, BB-610 had made the right call in trusting his co-pilot. As Valery swiftly glided their ship between incoming fire, the astromech held their cannons steady, internal targeting system synced with the X-wing's; locking onto the opposing Mawite fighters to ensure critical hit after critical hit of powerful cannon blasts shred through their hulls and engulf them in flames, clouds of smoke dispersed as Jedi starfighters weave among the stars.Bweeping excitedlyto Valery to giddily tell her'I did it, I did it!'in pride, the dissonant shrieks of reinforcements promptly kill his enthusiasm as the astromech glared at the foreboding swarms homing in on them.
BB-610's lifeform scanner emerged from his head, satellite swirling as the droid's antennae rise and fall to stabilize his sensors, signal enhancer soon following suit as to boost his scanner's range. He twirled to face Valery,chirping worriedlythat he had detected upwards of ninety enemy vessels surrounding NJO ships. Thankfully, their allies had done well at slowly chipping away at those numbers, and while they were still en route to damaging the listening outpost, the Mawite starfighters had certainly delayed them.
Twirling his head back around to center his advanced photoreceptors on the fighters on their tail, the droid hurriedly primed the X-wing's cluster missiles, servos working on overtime; every millisecond spent pouring string upon string of coordinates - precise down to the thousandths decimal - into the starfighter's targeting computer. With Valery and Kahlil intertwined in an airborne tango, BB-610 focused the entirety of his processing power into ensuring their missiles soared directly into two TIE/fd interceptors: resulting in a satisfying BWOOSH of flame and destruction, beginning to prime their next pair of missiles in advance.
Soon, as the Disciple spouted out a wave of TIE fighter reinforcements, BB-610 could only watch as they homed in on them, uttering a nervous'uh oh...'. Re-directing the X-wing's power into its engines to grant a boost in speed to form distance between them, the astromech turned towards Valery, rattling in clickings of binary to the Jedi as he informed her that he'd picked up an additional five squadrons, now totalling to over one-hundred enemy vessels engaging with them. Holding the X-wing steady, its cannons whirr once more, firing a volley of upward blaster shots, not necessarily to flawlessly destroy the incoming TIE fighters, but rather to steer them away from the X-wing's line of fire, guiding them downward, only to-
BWOOSH. A calculated assault on behalf of the fighter's cluster missiles, all thanks to BB-610's predictive mapping system,giggling mischievouslyas he marvelled in his handiwork, two TIE fighters having been emancipated.
Iris Arani
after herscouting mission, it'll allow us to find a path through their territory.
Valery Noble
into Maw Space using both the Wayfinder and navigational data acquired from
