well let's see if the fight for mon cala will be more interesting cause the republic really doesn't have any heavy gear to fight underwater like what the sepertist had in the clone wars cartoon with the squid and jellyfish
Guardian of the Republic (Star Wars CYOA)
- Thread starter Oshha
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
It sure is. One time, it even tried changing the superior term, autocorrupt, to autocorrect
kinglugia
Hora hora~
Never did understand that. Like, you guys use autocorrect?
Same here. Well, not now, given that I'm on my computer at the moment, but often
16.2 (Battle of Mon Calamari) - Chapter Eighty-Nine
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"You wanted to speak with me, Ben?" inquires Wol as he walks into the office of his friend and commanding officer.
"Yes," replies Ben from behind his desk, where the Jedi Knight is in the middle of his paperwork, "I wanted to informally get your opinion before I presented my naval plans to the rest of the senior leadership."
"We are able to have an influx of new warships," says Wol as he takes a seat, "So you want to sort out their purposes and the logistical feasibility of fielding them."
"Right in one," confirms Ben, "We have nine MC80 Liberty-type Star Cruisers, eighteen Hammerhead-class Cruisers, forty-five Recusant-class Light Destroyers, sixteen Providence-class Carrier/Destroyers, two Recusant-class Dreadnoughts, four Providence-class Dreadnoughts and that Subjugator-class Heavy Cruiser. That's close to a hundred warships and most of them are capital ships too."
"It is going to be a nightmare and a half to crew them all," agrees Wol as he winces at just the thought of finding that much crew.
The number of individuals needed to crew all of those warships easily reaches into the tens of thousands. That many warships, it is easily equal to any two legion fleets. Huh, that might be an idea.
"Ben, how about forming another legion or two?" suggests Wol, "We'll have to go recruiting for the ground pounders as well, but I've been keeping up with our finances and we have the credits for it thanks to that liberated Aurodium. It might take some more time, but we could easily get a 5th and 6th Republic Patriot Legions if we went down that path."
"I'm leery of that," admits Ben and for a moment, he looks awfully old for his age, "Call me paranoid, but I want to have the loyalty of my legions. Not to me specifically, but to the ideals and principles of the Republic. Not the corrupt and rotten thing that it has become, but the bastion of liberty and freedom that it should be."
"And you fear that new recruits will lack that belief in our ideals," concludes Wol.
"Yeah, that," says Ben, "It isn't so much the lack of commitment as it is…I could be certain that if I made a stand for what is right, the 1st Republic Patriot Legion would back me. Now, I can be confident that the Mandalorian Guardians and all four Republic Patriot Legions would stand by me. But if we recruit more newcomers? Would they be willing to make a stand against the galaxy for what is right?"
"We couldn't be certain," agrees Wol, having already realised that on his own, "Which leaves us in a dilemma of not being able to expand our forces."
"Hence why I am speaking to you before coming up with an official plan," says Ben.
"What have you got so far?" inquires Wol, "I've served alongside you long enough to know you have at least some ideas on how to proceed."
"We continue to lean into heavy automation to keep our crew requirements down," answers Ben as he pulls up something on a datapad and pushes the device towards Wol, "It should only take a two and half million credits and a few days of work to extensive automated our Star Cruisers like we have with our Hammerheads, Dreadnoughts, Recusants and Providences. That would free up enough crews for nine Star Cruisers instead of just three. From there, we can pull from the crews of the Dreadnoughts for the last three Star Cruisers along with the rest of our new warships."
"That is certainly doable," agrees Wol as he reads the datapad, "It wouldn't be without cost, but a few million credits, a few days and a dozen Dreadnought-class Cruisers would be a cheap price to pay for what we get in turn."
"I have also come up with an alternative plan in light of my new status as Mand'alor," continues Ben, "The Clans have a lot of starfighters and plenty of gunships, armed freighters and corvettes, but lack any proper warships. The heaviest warships in the Mandalore sector are DP20 Frigates."
"So you want to give some of our new warships to these Mandalorian Guardians of yours," concludes Wol as he figures out what his boss has in mind, "Clever. We solve our dilemma of manpower and loyalty while the Mandalorians get some real naval firepower. Do you have any particular warships in mind?"
"I was mainly thinking some of the Recusants and Providences," answers Ben, "Maybe the Hammerheads. Heavy firepower, low crew counts work well with the Mandalorian Clans and it would deter anybody from striking at the Mandalore sector. At least it should make them think twice about attacking the clans."
"It could work through I part of me hates the idea of losing those ships for the legions," replies Wol as he leans back in his chair and mulls it over, "It doesn't hurt as much when we are getting the Star Cruisers, but that those captured Seppies warships represent a lot of firepower with low crew requirements. At the same time, I also recognise why it would be a good idea to hand those warships over to Mandalore."
"Let's focus on the Mandalore sector right now," suggests Ben, "Once we work out what is going on there, we can sort out our naval situation."
"As long as it is limited to naval matters, politics and running a sector aren't my forte, Ben," says Wol, "No offence."
"None taken, you are an admiral after all," says Ben, "In terms of military power, the Clans have a lot of starfighters, most of them pre-war designs that we refused to touch. That said, there are a decent number of Fang Fighters and Gauntlet Fighters along with some gems like Z-95 Headhunters, but nothing we would want to keep."
"Which is why you have put in more orders for Aureks from Rendili and Liberators from Corellia," says Wol.
"That and to give us some more reserves," continues Ben, "Even with both Corellia and Rendili prioritising me as a valued customer, it is still going to take at least month for those starfighters to be built and that's with them bumping back other orders to make way for mine. Fortunately, it will likely take the Separatists at least that long to organise an invasion of the sector. I also have MandalMotors producing more Fang Fighters and Gauntlet Fighters now that they don't need to worry about New Mandalorian restrictions.
"As for other ships, there are plenty of Pursuer-class Enforcement Ships due to it being a Mandalorian designs and beyond that, we have CR90 Corvettes, DP20 Frigates, Marauder-class Corvettes. Sphyrna-class Corvettes, Gozanti-class Cruisers and assorted freighters, often modified for battle. Plus a couple of Dreadnoughts and even an old Thranta. They'll suffice for now, but I'm hoping to get a more organised and modernised navy for the Clans."
"We use Corellian Corvettes and Gunships ourselves so they'll fit in just fine," says Wol as he racks his brain for knowledge on the various designs, "The Pursuer-class is a gunship not a warship. Stick it in with the starfighters. The Marauder is another acceptable warship, but the Sphyrnas and Gozantis are better as transports. They and the other freighters are better off being used for their intended purposes and being replaced with purpose-built warships."
"I'm leaning towards purchasing from Rendili StarDrive for that," says Ben, "I have a good relationship with them and the Hammerhead is a solid warship, especially when supported by DP20 Frigates and starfighters. The only downside is that the Hammerhead Cruiser is heavily associated with the Republic Navy."
"That might be a good thing if you are trying to associate your Mandalorian Guardians with the Republic," suggests Wol, "You haven't been shy about where your allegiance lies."
"That's a fair point," concedes Ben, "What was I thinking when I became Mand'alor?"
"I expect it was either an ideal solution to many problems at a time or the least bad option available to you," says Wol with a smile on his face, "And for all the trouble it has brought us, I do think what you did was for the best. Things will be better for the galaxy if the Mandalorians are on our side rather than split between neutrality and the Separatists. And the Mandalore sector will prosper while united under a single leader, especially when that leader is you. Not to mention, the Mandalorian Clans have the potential to be a massive force multiplier. They once brought the galaxy to its knees and have turned the tide of more than one war."
"Yeah, I'll do right by the Mandalorians as Mandalore the Guardian," says Ben with a sigh, "It is the least that I can do after, ah, it doesn't matter. We were the discussing the future Mandalorian navy?"
"We agreed upon Liberators, Aureks and Fangs for the Starfighters along with Kom'rks and Pursuers for gunships," says Wol, "Hammerheads supported by DP20s for warships plus what other purpose-built warships the Mandalorians have. Though you might want to consider a page from what we're going with the legions and strip those Dreadnoughts to find crew for new warships."
"Given how both of those Dreadnoughts are default models and not the Katana-style that we are using, you have more of a point than you realise," replies Ben, "Alright, I'll spend more of Ziro's credits and purchase what I can for the Mandalorians in a timely manner. Whatever Hammerheads, CR90s and DP20s I can get from Rendili and Corellia. Thrantas too. They have been a solid warship that has served us well."
"Grab some more Marauders too if you can," suggests Wol, "The Corporate Sector owns their production rights and while they are sympathetic to the Separatist cause, they are also neutral and ultimately loyal to their bank accounts. If you offer them credits, they'll cut a deal. Not necessarily a fair or even good deal, but they will be open to selling to us."
"Haven't we pissed them off?" inquires Ben.
"We aren't exactly fond of them given some of their practices are borderline slavery, but no, they aren't one of your many enemies yet," answers Wol dryly, "Actually, I think I'll handle contacting the Corporate Sector. No offence, Ben, but…"
"I'm me," concludes Ben, "I get it. You handle the Corporate Sector and Corellia, I speak with Rendili and MandalMotors."
"Sounds good, but I think we should finish this meeting first," says Wol, "You wanted to discuss what to do with our newest batch of warships and we still have yet to come to a decision on that."
"Yes, we should stay on track," agrees Ben, "Kriff, I'm tempted to just say split them fifty-fifty. Keep half of them for the Republic Patriot Legions and give the other half to the Mandalorian Guardians."
"That is one way to do it and it has a certain simplistic appeal to it," Wol concurs, "And there isn't really a good reason to favour either the legions or the Mandalorians. Fifty-fifty, Ben?"
"Fifty-fifty, Wol," echoes Ben in agreement, "Thanks for the talk, Wol, I appreciate it, but I do have paperwork to get on with."
"So do I, especially since I need to talk with both CEC and the CSA," replies Wol as he gets up from his chair, "I'll speak with Arvass and see what CEC can offer us on short notice. I recommend that we decide on what we'll get from Rendili and Corellia before getting Marauders from the Corporate Sector."
"Sounds good, Wol," agrees Ben, "Who knows, we might get lucky and get this sorted before the Seppie attack on Mon Cala."
"I thought there was no luck and only the Force," jokes Wol, a grin on his face.
"Same difference," Ben jokes back.
And with that, Wol leaves as he ponders whether or not to let Arvass know the reason he wants to purchase a small navy of warships from her is so they can give the Mandalorians said small navy of warships.
The conversation was originally only going to be the first half of the chapter, but then it spiralled until it took up the whole thing. Anyway, the Pammant loot is being doled out and Ben is having to balance having two militaries now, especially since he is trying to turn the various Mandalorian militias into a proper military.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
"Yes," replies Ben from behind his desk, where the Jedi Knight is in the middle of his paperwork, "I wanted to informally get your opinion before I presented my naval plans to the rest of the senior leadership."
"We are able to have an influx of new warships," says Wol as he takes a seat, "So you want to sort out their purposes and the logistical feasibility of fielding them."
"Right in one," confirms Ben, "We have nine MC80 Liberty-type Star Cruisers, eighteen Hammerhead-class Cruisers, forty-five Recusant-class Light Destroyers, sixteen Providence-class Carrier/Destroyers, two Recusant-class Dreadnoughts, four Providence-class Dreadnoughts and that Subjugator-class Heavy Cruiser. That's close to a hundred warships and most of them are capital ships too."
"It is going to be a nightmare and a half to crew them all," agrees Wol as he winces at just the thought of finding that much crew.
The number of individuals needed to crew all of those warships easily reaches into the tens of thousands. That many warships, it is easily equal to any two legion fleets. Huh, that might be an idea.
"Ben, how about forming another legion or two?" suggests Wol, "We'll have to go recruiting for the ground pounders as well, but I've been keeping up with our finances and we have the credits for it thanks to that liberated Aurodium. It might take some more time, but we could easily get a 5th and 6th Republic Patriot Legions if we went down that path."
"I'm leery of that," admits Ben and for a moment, he looks awfully old for his age, "Call me paranoid, but I want to have the loyalty of my legions. Not to me specifically, but to the ideals and principles of the Republic. Not the corrupt and rotten thing that it has become, but the bastion of liberty and freedom that it should be."
"And you fear that new recruits will lack that belief in our ideals," concludes Wol.
"Yeah, that," says Ben, "It isn't so much the lack of commitment as it is…I could be certain that if I made a stand for what is right, the 1st Republic Patriot Legion would back me. Now, I can be confident that the Mandalorian Guardians and all four Republic Patriot Legions would stand by me. But if we recruit more newcomers? Would they be willing to make a stand against the galaxy for what is right?"
"We couldn't be certain," agrees Wol, having already realised that on his own, "Which leaves us in a dilemma of not being able to expand our forces."
"Hence why I am speaking to you before coming up with an official plan," says Ben.
"What have you got so far?" inquires Wol, "I've served alongside you long enough to know you have at least some ideas on how to proceed."
"We continue to lean into heavy automation to keep our crew requirements down," answers Ben as he pulls up something on a datapad and pushes the device towards Wol, "It should only take a two and half million credits and a few days of work to extensive automated our Star Cruisers like we have with our Hammerheads, Dreadnoughts, Recusants and Providences. That would free up enough crews for nine Star Cruisers instead of just three. From there, we can pull from the crews of the Dreadnoughts for the last three Star Cruisers along with the rest of our new warships."
"That is certainly doable," agrees Wol as he reads the datapad, "It wouldn't be without cost, but a few million credits, a few days and a dozen Dreadnought-class Cruisers would be a cheap price to pay for what we get in turn."
"I have also come up with an alternative plan in light of my new status as Mand'alor," continues Ben, "The Clans have a lot of starfighters and plenty of gunships, armed freighters and corvettes, but lack any proper warships. The heaviest warships in the Mandalore sector are DP20 Frigates."
"So you want to give some of our new warships to these Mandalorian Guardians of yours," concludes Wol as he figures out what his boss has in mind, "Clever. We solve our dilemma of manpower and loyalty while the Mandalorians get some real naval firepower. Do you have any particular warships in mind?"
"I was mainly thinking some of the Recusants and Providences," answers Ben, "Maybe the Hammerheads. Heavy firepower, low crew counts work well with the Mandalorian Clans and it would deter anybody from striking at the Mandalore sector. At least it should make them think twice about attacking the clans."
"It could work through I part of me hates the idea of losing those ships for the legions," replies Wol as he leans back in his chair and mulls it over, "It doesn't hurt as much when we are getting the Star Cruisers, but that those captured Seppies warships represent a lot of firepower with low crew requirements. At the same time, I also recognise why it would be a good idea to hand those warships over to Mandalore."
"Let's focus on the Mandalore sector right now," suggests Ben, "Once we work out what is going on there, we can sort out our naval situation."
"As long as it is limited to naval matters, politics and running a sector aren't my forte, Ben," says Wol, "No offence."
"None taken, you are an admiral after all," says Ben, "In terms of military power, the Clans have a lot of starfighters, most of them pre-war designs that we refused to touch. That said, there are a decent number of Fang Fighters and Gauntlet Fighters along with some gems like Z-95 Headhunters, but nothing we would want to keep."
"Which is why you have put in more orders for Aureks from Rendili and Liberators from Corellia," says Wol.
"That and to give us some more reserves," continues Ben, "Even with both Corellia and Rendili prioritising me as a valued customer, it is still going to take at least month for those starfighters to be built and that's with them bumping back other orders to make way for mine. Fortunately, it will likely take the Separatists at least that long to organise an invasion of the sector. I also have MandalMotors producing more Fang Fighters and Gauntlet Fighters now that they don't need to worry about New Mandalorian restrictions.
"As for other ships, there are plenty of Pursuer-class Enforcement Ships due to it being a Mandalorian designs and beyond that, we have CR90 Corvettes, DP20 Frigates, Marauder-class Corvettes. Sphyrna-class Corvettes, Gozanti-class Cruisers and assorted freighters, often modified for battle. Plus a couple of Dreadnoughts and even an old Thranta. They'll suffice for now, but I'm hoping to get a more organised and modernised navy for the Clans."
"We use Corellian Corvettes and Gunships ourselves so they'll fit in just fine," says Wol as he racks his brain for knowledge on the various designs, "The Pursuer-class is a gunship not a warship. Stick it in with the starfighters. The Marauder is another acceptable warship, but the Sphyrnas and Gozantis are better as transports. They and the other freighters are better off being used for their intended purposes and being replaced with purpose-built warships."
"I'm leaning towards purchasing from Rendili StarDrive for that," says Ben, "I have a good relationship with them and the Hammerhead is a solid warship, especially when supported by DP20 Frigates and starfighters. The only downside is that the Hammerhead Cruiser is heavily associated with the Republic Navy."
"That might be a good thing if you are trying to associate your Mandalorian Guardians with the Republic," suggests Wol, "You haven't been shy about where your allegiance lies."
"That's a fair point," concedes Ben, "What was I thinking when I became Mand'alor?"
"I expect it was either an ideal solution to many problems at a time or the least bad option available to you," says Wol with a smile on his face, "And for all the trouble it has brought us, I do think what you did was for the best. Things will be better for the galaxy if the Mandalorians are on our side rather than split between neutrality and the Separatists. And the Mandalore sector will prosper while united under a single leader, especially when that leader is you. Not to mention, the Mandalorian Clans have the potential to be a massive force multiplier. They once brought the galaxy to its knees and have turned the tide of more than one war."
"Yeah, I'll do right by the Mandalorians as Mandalore the Guardian," says Ben with a sigh, "It is the least that I can do after, ah, it doesn't matter. We were the discussing the future Mandalorian navy?"
"We agreed upon Liberators, Aureks and Fangs for the Starfighters along with Kom'rks and Pursuers for gunships," says Wol, "Hammerheads supported by DP20s for warships plus what other purpose-built warships the Mandalorians have. Though you might want to consider a page from what we're going with the legions and strip those Dreadnoughts to find crew for new warships."
"Given how both of those Dreadnoughts are default models and not the Katana-style that we are using, you have more of a point than you realise," replies Ben, "Alright, I'll spend more of Ziro's credits and purchase what I can for the Mandalorians in a timely manner. Whatever Hammerheads, CR90s and DP20s I can get from Rendili and Corellia. Thrantas too. They have been a solid warship that has served us well."
"Grab some more Marauders too if you can," suggests Wol, "The Corporate Sector owns their production rights and while they are sympathetic to the Separatist cause, they are also neutral and ultimately loyal to their bank accounts. If you offer them credits, they'll cut a deal. Not necessarily a fair or even good deal, but they will be open to selling to us."
"Haven't we pissed them off?" inquires Ben.
"We aren't exactly fond of them given some of their practices are borderline slavery, but no, they aren't one of your many enemies yet," answers Wol dryly, "Actually, I think I'll handle contacting the Corporate Sector. No offence, Ben, but…"
"I'm me," concludes Ben, "I get it. You handle the Corporate Sector and Corellia, I speak with Rendili and MandalMotors."
"Sounds good, but I think we should finish this meeting first," says Wol, "You wanted to discuss what to do with our newest batch of warships and we still have yet to come to a decision on that."
"Yes, we should stay on track," agrees Ben, "Kriff, I'm tempted to just say split them fifty-fifty. Keep half of them for the Republic Patriot Legions and give the other half to the Mandalorian Guardians."
"That is one way to do it and it has a certain simplistic appeal to it," Wol concurs, "And there isn't really a good reason to favour either the legions or the Mandalorians. Fifty-fifty, Ben?"
"Fifty-fifty, Wol," echoes Ben in agreement, "Thanks for the talk, Wol, I appreciate it, but I do have paperwork to get on with."
"So do I, especially since I need to talk with both CEC and the CSA," replies Wol as he gets up from his chair, "I'll speak with Arvass and see what CEC can offer us on short notice. I recommend that we decide on what we'll get from Rendili and Corellia before getting Marauders from the Corporate Sector."
"Sounds good, Wol," agrees Ben, "Who knows, we might get lucky and get this sorted before the Seppie attack on Mon Cala."
"I thought there was no luck and only the Force," jokes Wol, a grin on his face.
"Same difference," Ben jokes back.
And with that, Wol leaves as he ponders whether or not to let Arvass know the reason he wants to purchase a small navy of warships from her is so they can give the Mandalorians said small navy of warships.
***
The conversation was originally only going to be the first half of the chapter, but then it spiralled until it took up the whole thing. Anyway, the Pammant loot is being doled out and Ben is having to balance having two militaries now, especially since he is trying to turn the various Mandalorian militias into a proper military.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
Last edited:
- Location
- My happy place
I think you want a "The" at the start here, or just reword it slightly.
Edit: Yeah there is some weirdness at the start.
Last edited:
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Fixed. Thanks for catching that.
- Location
- England
They should get more men (and women, lol) not just lean heavily on automation. It's Star Wars, people have a weight in the force which machinery and technology alone can't match. They definitely shouldn't have all the new guys lumped together, though. They should be spread out among the veterans to learn the culture and skills they need.
They also need to be very careful in selecting recruits. Get those who have experienced the effects of the Republic's corruption but not lost their moral code in the process.
They also need to be very careful in selecting recruits. Get those who have experienced the effects of the Republic's corruption but not lost their moral code in the process.
16.3 (Battle of Mon Calamari) - Chapter Ninety
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"Admiral!" calls one of the watchstanders aboard the Freedom, "We have multiple warships jumping out of hyperspace, over fifty of them."
"About time the Seppies showed up," says Wol as the Corellian man makes his way over to the tactical display, "General Shan has been informed?"
"Yes, sir," someone reports, "I took the liberty of sending him an alert."
"Good work," Wol tells them as he studies the tactical scene.
As predicted, a large Separatist fleet has come to attack the Calamari system and the Seppies have committed a substantial amount of force to the invasion. One of their precious Lucrehulk-class Battleships and an almost as precious Providence-class are the largest enemy capital ships. Three Recusants are in formation around the Providence while a score of Munificent-class Star Frigates make up the usual suspects of the Confederate Navy.
Yet those warships make up less than half of this enemy fleet as the Freedom's scanners are picking about fifty small warships of three unknown designs. Wol frowns as while he doesn't know every ship design in the galaxy, he does recognise some of the design choices in some of these unknown warships. The second-most numerous design clearly has some SoroSuub influence in it.
"What do we have those unknown designs?" Wol barks the order.
"Their transponders are identifying them as Line-class Frigates, Nest-class Light Carriers and Shark-class Corvettes," reports a watchstander, "This is our first time encountering them. Sensor scans indicate that they are armed with a mixture of turbolasers and laser cannons with the Line-class Frigates and Nest-class Light Carriers."
"Understood," replies Wol, "I want an analysis run on all three designs. I want to know their strengths and weaknesses and if they have any tricks up their sleeves."
"They are a new Separatist warship design that was recently put into production," reports Commander Randanys as Admiral Jace Dallin pays close attention to the impromptu briefing, "We don't have any combat reports on them so far, but they have come up in some of our intelligence reports. In response to their heavy capital ship losses at Geonosis and Pammant, the Confederate Navy began an informal shift away from big capital ships that cost both a lot of credits and time to build to more affordable and quickly produced warships to fill the gaps in their fleets. From what intel we have been able to gather, these three designs were chosen for mass proliferation for production rate and shipyard size. A Munificent will provide you with more per credit spent, but the three new designs both take less time to finish construction and, unlike the Munificent, can be built at small shipyards."
"So relatively cheap designs that can be produced quickly and in mass numbers," summarises Wol.
"That is correct," says Commander Randanys as a holographic image appears in the middle of their meeting, "This is the Line-class Frigate by SoroSuub Corporation."
The warship in question is blocky, shaped like a curved brick and clearly built for utility purposes. A pair of twin engines stick out the back while the port and starboard sides both contain a hangar with a turbolaser on either side of it. A fifth turbolaser is built into the prow while there is a ventral battery of six laser cannons mirrored by a dorsal battery.
"The hull is weaker than one of our Hammerheads or DP20s, but the Line-class makes up for it in superior deflector shields with disproportionately strong generators for its size," continues Commander Randanys, "A heavy turbolaser in the prow with a pair of lighter turbolasers on either side provide it with anti-capital ship firepower while a dozen laser cannons act as point defence to deter starfighters. We also estimate that each hangar is capable of supporting a single squadron of starfighters, allowing each Line-class to field two dozen snub fighters. Next up is the Nest-class Light Carrier by the Techno Union."
The image changes to a new warship, this one shaped more like an egg than a brick. A trio of engines are built into the back of it while the smooth sides are covered by half a dozen laser cannon batteries, each one at a set interval from the others with a hangar bay between them.
"The Nest-class is designed purely for starfighter combat," says Commander Randanys, "About as tough as the Line-class in terms of hull strength despite its mildly larger size with subpar shielding and speed for a warship of its size, the Nest-class is capable of carrying up to sixty starfighters. Its point defence batteries leave it vulnerable when fighting other capital ships, but also make it capable of fighting off one or more starfighter squadrons. The last design is the Shark-class Corvette by Baktoid Fleet Ordinance."
The image changes once again, this time becoming a warship that looks rather reminiscent of a shark. Smooth and sleek, it has three fins jutting out near the prow while the twin engines are placed on top of each other with coverings that spread out to look like the tail of a predatory fish. Two turbolasers are underslung into the prow like a jaw while each fin has multiple laser cannons with a few more along the back of the warship.
"The Shark is weaker hull-wise than both the Line and the Nest through its toughness matches the Line-class pound for pound," reports Commander Randanys, "It has fairly standard shield strength and no hangars for starfighter squadrons. Its prow-mounted heavy turbolasers let it pack a punch while its high speed and manoeuvrability allow it to get into place to apply its bite. It also has a dozen laser cannons to either support its turbolasers or to deal with enemy starfighters."
As the others begin to debate what the implications of these new warships are, Jace just worries about the battle ahead. A capital ship will take apart one of these new warships with ease and even a Hammerhead or a Corellian Gunship will come out on top against one of these.
The biggest issue is the niche they will fulfil within the Confederate Navy. A few Nests will go a long way to dealing with the vulnerability to starfighters that most Separatists fleets have while the Sharks could overwhelm one of their frigates with numbers. The presence of these new Separatist warships will either provide a much needed boost to the vulture droids or it will keep their own escort ships from aiding their starfighters.
"The Nests will need to be priority targets," says Wol confidently as Jace refocuses on the ongoing discussion, "Even with their hangars empty, their laser cannons could be enough to nullify our starfighter advantage. The Lines and Sharks might be more threatening to our capital ships, but retaining our starfighter advantage will be key."
"That will be difficult with those Munificents present," notes Admiral Pellaeon, "They can bring enough firepower to bear that we will need to be wary with our own capital ships."
"And we can't take them out with our starfighters because of the enemy escorts," says Admiral Rowan with a slight groan, "And we can't take out the enemy escorts because of the Munificents."
"Yes, it is a bit of a catch twenty-two situation," says General Shan and Jace tries to place the phrase, "We need to find some way to bypass one of the problems."
"Surely we can just win with what we've got?" suggests Admiral Solman, "We have the might of five fleets here and we do have them outnumbered."
"I would rather keep our losses down," replies General Shan, "My legions don't come by replacements as easily as your official forces and I don't want to treat your legions as…expendable."
"Yes, I do appreciate that sentiment," agrees Admiral Pellaeon dryly, "I do think Solman has something of a point, mind you."
"Go on," urges Wol.
"Even with these new warships, our starfighters still have the edge in any dogfight, they'll just have to be more careful," says Admiral Pellaeon, "Whittling the enemy starfighter is still doable, it will just take more caution and time. And if the enemy rushes ahead, we can still beat them."
"The problem is if they don't let us engage them piecemeal," says Jace, throwing his thoughts into the conversation for the first time, "If they hold back their starfighters to screen their warships and come at us as whole fleet, we won't be able to engage their starfighters before it becomes an all out brawl."
"In that case, our starfighters will occupy their starfighters, our warships will target their escorts and while both of those are occupied, our bombers will take vital points on the enemy capital ships," says General Shan, "It isn't ideal, but we can pull this off."
"Do you have some secret trick up your sleeve?" asks Admiral Rowan, managing to sound both sceptical and hopeful at the same time.
"Actually, I do," answers General Shan and most of the room perks up at the news while Jace watches his fellow Republic Patriot Legion officers glance towards Nelaria, "Though it isn't exactly a secret, just not widely known."
"Sir, as one of those who aren't aware of it, I would like to know," says one of the clones, "Especially if it is going to be relevant for the upcoming battle."
"General Nelaria Telis is one of the Order's most talented individuals when it comes to battle meditation," says General Shan, "A talent she has spent the last couple of years honing with actual battlefield practice."
"Battle meditation?" repeats Admiral Pellaeon as he glances towards the Jedi Knight in question, "I'm not familiar with that technique."
"It is the ability to use the Force to bolster the connections between individuals, allowing for subconscious coordination for maximum efficiency," explains General Shan, "It boosts morale and keeps fright from entering the hearts of those affected by it. It can also demoralise enemy forces, sowing doubt and uncertainty into their minds, but that only applies to organic foes and won't be relevant."
"Wait, it messes with our mind?" exclaims Admiral Solman, throwing a distrusting look at Nelaria.
"It only messes with the minds of your enemies," says Wol, coming to the defence of his comrade as he glares at Admiral Solman, "As General Shan, General Telis has been using this technique since she joined the Republic Patriot Legion long before this war started. I'll admit I had some hesitation at first, but it doesn't change how you think."
"That's right," adds Loren dutifully, "It is like honing your instincts that every veteran gets. You just make the right choices and know what everyone else is doing. Rather than guessing what your comrades are doing or what the enemy is going to do or if you can make the shot, you just sort of instinctively know. It is one hell of a boost in a battle, let me tell you that."
"If you have a problem with it, you are welcome to request a transfer to another unit," says General Shan, firmly and his tone brooking no protests on the subject, "Aria's battle mediation is one of the biggest assets in my arsenal and I won't refrain from using it just because people feel squeamish about it. Is that clear?"
Everyone gives a bunch of affirmatives, including a reluctant Solman and the conversation moves on.
"Beyond the new Separatist warship designs, I believe we could be concerned about boarding attempts," says Wol, "Not against our warships, but those we are fighting to protect. We took them from the Seppies via our own boarding actions and I believe that the Separatists will attempt to do the same. The Force knows that they need the capital ships."
"What about assigning some of our ground forces to defend them and the shipyards?" suggests General Shan.
"That runs the risk of losing them if the enemy just goes for destruction rather than capture," points out Nelaria.
"We'll just have to determine if that is an acceptable risk and do so quickly," says General Shan, "We don't have that long before the enemy is in engagement range."
New Separatist ships as part of their adjustment to Ben taking out large quantities of their capital ships while he catches them with their trousers down. After all, the Confederacy isn't just going to stick to canon when things aren't playing out the same way. Going for big and expensive ships isn't working out for them so the Confederate Navy is making the switch to lots of smaller and cheaper warships.
Anyway, Ben and co need to come up with new tactics and battle plans because the enemy is adapting to them.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
"About time the Seppies showed up," says Wol as the Corellian man makes his way over to the tactical display, "General Shan has been informed?"
"Yes, sir," someone reports, "I took the liberty of sending him an alert."
"Good work," Wol tells them as he studies the tactical scene.
As predicted, a large Separatist fleet has come to attack the Calamari system and the Seppies have committed a substantial amount of force to the invasion. One of their precious Lucrehulk-class Battleships and an almost as precious Providence-class are the largest enemy capital ships. Three Recusants are in formation around the Providence while a score of Munificent-class Star Frigates make up the usual suspects of the Confederate Navy.
Yet those warships make up less than half of this enemy fleet as the Freedom's scanners are picking about fifty small warships of three unknown designs. Wol frowns as while he doesn't know every ship design in the galaxy, he does recognise some of the design choices in some of these unknown warships. The second-most numerous design clearly has some SoroSuub influence in it.
"What do we have those unknown designs?" Wol barks the order.
"Their transponders are identifying them as Line-class Frigates, Nest-class Light Carriers and Shark-class Corvettes," reports a watchstander, "This is our first time encountering them. Sensor scans indicate that they are armed with a mixture of turbolasers and laser cannons with the Line-class Frigates and Nest-class Light Carriers."
"Understood," replies Wol, "I want an analysis run on all three designs. I want to know their strengths and weaknesses and if they have any tricks up their sleeves."
***
"They are a new Separatist warship design that was recently put into production," reports Commander Randanys as Admiral Jace Dallin pays close attention to the impromptu briefing, "We don't have any combat reports on them so far, but they have come up in some of our intelligence reports. In response to their heavy capital ship losses at Geonosis and Pammant, the Confederate Navy began an informal shift away from big capital ships that cost both a lot of credits and time to build to more affordable and quickly produced warships to fill the gaps in their fleets. From what intel we have been able to gather, these three designs were chosen for mass proliferation for production rate and shipyard size. A Munificent will provide you with more per credit spent, but the three new designs both take less time to finish construction and, unlike the Munificent, can be built at small shipyards."
"So relatively cheap designs that can be produced quickly and in mass numbers," summarises Wol.
"That is correct," says Commander Randanys as a holographic image appears in the middle of their meeting, "This is the Line-class Frigate by SoroSuub Corporation."
The warship in question is blocky, shaped like a curved brick and clearly built for utility purposes. A pair of twin engines stick out the back while the port and starboard sides both contain a hangar with a turbolaser on either side of it. A fifth turbolaser is built into the prow while there is a ventral battery of six laser cannons mirrored by a dorsal battery.
"The hull is weaker than one of our Hammerheads or DP20s, but the Line-class makes up for it in superior deflector shields with disproportionately strong generators for its size," continues Commander Randanys, "A heavy turbolaser in the prow with a pair of lighter turbolasers on either side provide it with anti-capital ship firepower while a dozen laser cannons act as point defence to deter starfighters. We also estimate that each hangar is capable of supporting a single squadron of starfighters, allowing each Line-class to field two dozen snub fighters. Next up is the Nest-class Light Carrier by the Techno Union."
The image changes to a new warship, this one shaped more like an egg than a brick. A trio of engines are built into the back of it while the smooth sides are covered by half a dozen laser cannon batteries, each one at a set interval from the others with a hangar bay between them.
"The Nest-class is designed purely for starfighter combat," says Commander Randanys, "About as tough as the Line-class in terms of hull strength despite its mildly larger size with subpar shielding and speed for a warship of its size, the Nest-class is capable of carrying up to sixty starfighters. Its point defence batteries leave it vulnerable when fighting other capital ships, but also make it capable of fighting off one or more starfighter squadrons. The last design is the Shark-class Corvette by Baktoid Fleet Ordinance."
The image changes once again, this time becoming a warship that looks rather reminiscent of a shark. Smooth and sleek, it has three fins jutting out near the prow while the twin engines are placed on top of each other with coverings that spread out to look like the tail of a predatory fish. Two turbolasers are underslung into the prow like a jaw while each fin has multiple laser cannons with a few more along the back of the warship.
"The Shark is weaker hull-wise than both the Line and the Nest through its toughness matches the Line-class pound for pound," reports Commander Randanys, "It has fairly standard shield strength and no hangars for starfighter squadrons. Its prow-mounted heavy turbolasers let it pack a punch while its high speed and manoeuvrability allow it to get into place to apply its bite. It also has a dozen laser cannons to either support its turbolasers or to deal with enemy starfighters."
As the others begin to debate what the implications of these new warships are, Jace just worries about the battle ahead. A capital ship will take apart one of these new warships with ease and even a Hammerhead or a Corellian Gunship will come out on top against one of these.
The biggest issue is the niche they will fulfil within the Confederate Navy. A few Nests will go a long way to dealing with the vulnerability to starfighters that most Separatists fleets have while the Sharks could overwhelm one of their frigates with numbers. The presence of these new Separatist warships will either provide a much needed boost to the vulture droids or it will keep their own escort ships from aiding their starfighters.
"The Nests will need to be priority targets," says Wol confidently as Jace refocuses on the ongoing discussion, "Even with their hangars empty, their laser cannons could be enough to nullify our starfighter advantage. The Lines and Sharks might be more threatening to our capital ships, but retaining our starfighter advantage will be key."
"That will be difficult with those Munificents present," notes Admiral Pellaeon, "They can bring enough firepower to bear that we will need to be wary with our own capital ships."
"And we can't take them out with our starfighters because of the enemy escorts," says Admiral Rowan with a slight groan, "And we can't take out the enemy escorts because of the Munificents."
"Yes, it is a bit of a catch twenty-two situation," says General Shan and Jace tries to place the phrase, "We need to find some way to bypass one of the problems."
"Surely we can just win with what we've got?" suggests Admiral Solman, "We have the might of five fleets here and we do have them outnumbered."
"I would rather keep our losses down," replies General Shan, "My legions don't come by replacements as easily as your official forces and I don't want to treat your legions as…expendable."
"Yes, I do appreciate that sentiment," agrees Admiral Pellaeon dryly, "I do think Solman has something of a point, mind you."
"Go on," urges Wol.
"Even with these new warships, our starfighters still have the edge in any dogfight, they'll just have to be more careful," says Admiral Pellaeon, "Whittling the enemy starfighter is still doable, it will just take more caution and time. And if the enemy rushes ahead, we can still beat them."
"The problem is if they don't let us engage them piecemeal," says Jace, throwing his thoughts into the conversation for the first time, "If they hold back their starfighters to screen their warships and come at us as whole fleet, we won't be able to engage their starfighters before it becomes an all out brawl."
"In that case, our starfighters will occupy their starfighters, our warships will target their escorts and while both of those are occupied, our bombers will take vital points on the enemy capital ships," says General Shan, "It isn't ideal, but we can pull this off."
"Do you have some secret trick up your sleeve?" asks Admiral Rowan, managing to sound both sceptical and hopeful at the same time.
"Actually, I do," answers General Shan and most of the room perks up at the news while Jace watches his fellow Republic Patriot Legion officers glance towards Nelaria, "Though it isn't exactly a secret, just not widely known."
"Sir, as one of those who aren't aware of it, I would like to know," says one of the clones, "Especially if it is going to be relevant for the upcoming battle."
"General Nelaria Telis is one of the Order's most talented individuals when it comes to battle meditation," says General Shan, "A talent she has spent the last couple of years honing with actual battlefield practice."
"Battle meditation?" repeats Admiral Pellaeon as he glances towards the Jedi Knight in question, "I'm not familiar with that technique."
"It is the ability to use the Force to bolster the connections between individuals, allowing for subconscious coordination for maximum efficiency," explains General Shan, "It boosts morale and keeps fright from entering the hearts of those affected by it. It can also demoralise enemy forces, sowing doubt and uncertainty into their minds, but that only applies to organic foes and won't be relevant."
"Wait, it messes with our mind?" exclaims Admiral Solman, throwing a distrusting look at Nelaria.
"It only messes with the minds of your enemies," says Wol, coming to the defence of his comrade as he glares at Admiral Solman, "As General Shan, General Telis has been using this technique since she joined the Republic Patriot Legion long before this war started. I'll admit I had some hesitation at first, but it doesn't change how you think."
"That's right," adds Loren dutifully, "It is like honing your instincts that every veteran gets. You just make the right choices and know what everyone else is doing. Rather than guessing what your comrades are doing or what the enemy is going to do or if you can make the shot, you just sort of instinctively know. It is one hell of a boost in a battle, let me tell you that."
"If you have a problem with it, you are welcome to request a transfer to another unit," says General Shan, firmly and his tone brooking no protests on the subject, "Aria's battle mediation is one of the biggest assets in my arsenal and I won't refrain from using it just because people feel squeamish about it. Is that clear?"
Everyone gives a bunch of affirmatives, including a reluctant Solman and the conversation moves on.
"Beyond the new Separatist warship designs, I believe we could be concerned about boarding attempts," says Wol, "Not against our warships, but those we are fighting to protect. We took them from the Seppies via our own boarding actions and I believe that the Separatists will attempt to do the same. The Force knows that they need the capital ships."
"What about assigning some of our ground forces to defend them and the shipyards?" suggests General Shan.
"That runs the risk of losing them if the enemy just goes for destruction rather than capture," points out Nelaria.
"We'll just have to determine if that is an acceptable risk and do so quickly," says General Shan, "We don't have that long before the enemy is in engagement range."
***
New Separatist ships as part of their adjustment to Ben taking out large quantities of their capital ships while he catches them with their trousers down. After all, the Confederacy isn't just going to stick to canon when things aren't playing out the same way. Going for big and expensive ships isn't working out for them so the Confederate Navy is making the switch to lots of smaller and cheaper warships.
Anyway, Ben and co need to come up with new tactics and battle plans because the enemy is adapting to them.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The problem is that Ben already did that at the start of the war. The Republic Patriot Legion has more than quadrupled in size about two months ago. He can't extactly do that again. And with the Mandalorians, that's a culture not just a military. Expanding the manpower of the Mandalorian military is difficulty because it isn't just a job, it is a way of living and a lifelong commitment.
While Ben would like to do this, this is one of those times where Ben's political connections hamper him. He can't just turn up the eager and willing recruits from the homeworlds of his Senate backers without harming his political powerbase.
16.4 (Battle of Mon Calamari) - Chapter Ninety-One
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Siaran Vareta, Padawan and Commander, has found himself oddly enjoying the relative simplicity of battle, especially against the droid armies of the Confederacy. He doesn't have to worry about the corruption, politics and morality of the Republic and the war and just needs to worry about keeping his people alive and defeating the enemy.
Now as he flies his Delta-7B Aethersprite-class Light Interceptor into battle, he ponders how many of those flying alongside him are going to die today. The enemy has more starfighters, but that's nothing unusual. What is unusual is the presence of escort warships in the Separatist fleet.
Siaran has seen a few of them over the last couple of months, but only as part of local Separatist forces and never as part of a main fleet. And they have never been in such numbers either as there are over fifty of them, a far cry from the odd Dreadnought-class Heavy Cruiser or local design.
"This is Knight-Four," reports Siaran as he gets into formation, "All systems are one hundred percent."
Other pilots sound off and the comms quickly crowded with over two thousand starfighters on the Republic side of the battlefield. And yet they will be outnumbered as hundreds of droid starfighters launch from the Separatists warships, easily adding up into thousands of hostile starfighters.
It can be disconcerting for the Miralukan Jedi to look upon the droid ships, sense the warships and their motions yet little or no life aboard. The warships of the Republic are all teaming with life, especially the larger ones, but Siaran can feel almost nothing aboard the Separatist warships. Just a few lifeforms aboard the Lucrehulk in what Siaran thinks is the core ship and what feels like a dark presence aboard the Providence. Every other enemy warship is devoid of life and that sends a shiver down the spine of Siaran.
Unlike in Siaran's previous battles, the vultures and hyenas of the Separatist fleet aren't surging ahead. Instead they copy the Republic starfighters as they match the speed of their escort warships, with their capital ships not far behind.
The Republic forces open fire at extreme weapon range, volleys of turbolaser fire lashing out at the opposing fleet. The Separatists warships begin to return fire, but it is disorganised and inaccurate compared to what the defenders are dishing out. The attackers struggle to land their hits at such sheer distances with only the odd shot smashing against the deflector shields of the Republic warships.
Meanwhile the Republic warships are unusually precise despite the extreme distance. While at least half of their shots go wide into the spacious void, a good number find their targets amongst the escorts of the Separatist fleet. The foremost Shark-class Corvettes bear the brunt of the Republic firepower, but even the Line-class Frigates and Nest-class light Cruisers find themselves taking fire.
As the first two Sharks go down under the weight of the Republic turbolaser fire, the enemy starfighters leap into action and they are met in kind by their Republic counterparts. The moment that the droid starfighters begin to move, Siaran and his fellow Republic starfighters also make their move, just knowing it is the right moment to act.
Two swarms of starfighters clash as Liberator Starfighters and V-19 Torrent Starfighters trade blows with vulture droid starfighters. Aurek Starfighters target the hyena droid bombers and the Y-Wings pull back, waiting for the right moment to unleash their payloads against the Separatist warships.
Siaran flies in, blasting apart a vulture droid before moving onto second, catching it in a crossfire between himself and another starfighter. He soars through the starfighter furball, weaving past both vulture droids and Republic starfighters. He lines up behind a hyena bomber, blasting off one of its wings with his laser cannons.
A vulture droid attempts to get on his rear, but Siaran just fires up his sunlight engines and flies off before it can get a firing solution. He glances at the approaching enemy fleet as the Shark-class Corvettes throw themselves into the fray in support of the droid starfighters. The Jedi Padawan estimates that they won't last long. The defending capital ships are still bombarding them with turbolaser fire and more Sharks than not are bearing battle damage as a result of that.
Still as the Line Frigates, the Munificients and the other Separatist capital ships push forth, the Republic starfighters are going to be forced back to the protection of their own capital ships. Nonetheless, that is a problem for his master and Master Shan to take care of. Siaran's job is staying alive and picking off more enemy starfighters.
Siaran flies over a Corellian Gunship as it darts in to finish off a wounded Shark with its concussion missiles. Siaran adds a couple of proton torpedoes from his Aethersprite to the barrage as the missiles rip into the already damaged hull of the Separatist escort. Explosions rip apart the corvette as the DP20 Frigate swiftly pulls back to the defending fleet, its shields already beginning to fray under hostile turbolaser fire.
Siaran flies at a Liberator-class Starfighter, opening fire at the vulture droid pursuing it as the Republic starfighter rolls out of the way to give him a clear shot. The droid starfighter goes up in a fiery explosion that Siaran flies through as he begins his retreat back to the main fleet. The Munificients have finally arrived at the furball and begun to add the point defence guns to the fight.
As he and the other Republic starfighters pull back, Siaran notes that as predicted, the Lucrehulk has been left exposed at the rear of the Separatist fleet. He hopes that Master Shan's plan works out.
Vyssa Randandys, Padawan of the Jedi Order, Commander in the Republic Patriot Legions and Mandalorian warrior of the newly formed Clan Shan, stands tall and serene in the passenger bay of the Kom'rk-class Fighter/Transport. With her amongst them, two dozen Mandalorian Guardians eagerly wait in the passenger bay as their ship jumps out of hyperspace. Despite having no way to know what was going on in the Calamari system, Master Aria's battle meditation is proving to be worth its weight in aurodium as usual as they arrive at precisely the right moment.
Opening up its passenger bay, the Kom'rk swoops over the Lucrehulk-class Battleship, going low and close to the hull as it flies over the engines and towards the core ship. Before the battleship's turret emplacements can react to what is happening, Vyssa and the other Mandalorians jump from their seats, landing on the hull of the core ship with their magnetic boots.
After losing too many Lucrehulks to hostile small craft flying into their hangar bays, the Separatists have taken measures to prevent the trick from working again. It isn't cheap, but it is cheaper than replacing the Lucrehulk and even the megacorps are willing to shell the credits if it means not losing an even greater amount.
"Go for an airlock!" orders Vyssa as she runs towards the closest one in question.
Meaning on the hull like this should protect them from the turrets of the Lucrehulk. The warship can't fire on them without damaging itself thanks to their close proximity. Even if the Seppies were willing to harm their own warship to kill them, they would have to take out their own deflector shielding first as being so close to the hull means that it will cover the Mandalorians from external attacks.
Nonetheless, the Zeltron mando'jetii would rather not risk it. They have the chance to snag another Lucrehulk for her master and Vyssa would rather not kriff up the job by getting herself killed.
A handful of vulture droids come flying at them, the droid starfighters switching to their walking mode as they land in front of the Mandalorian Guardians. The Mandalorians scatter as the vulture droids open fire with Vyssa deflecting with her lightsabers while two of the the Mandalorian Guardians stand by her, using their shield gauntlets.
"Missiles!" orders one of the Mandalorian warriors as Vyssa makes bounding leaps towards the vulture droids.
Missiles whizz past Vyssa, striking multiple vulture droids and blowing them into scrap. As for the survivors, Vyssa pounces upon them. She severs the head of one droid starfighter from its body before slashing off half a leg-wing of another, dropping it low enough that she is able to slice it in two with a wide swing of her blade.
The final vulture droid doesn't fall to Vyssa as one of the other Mandalorians tosses a thermal detonator onto it. The explosive sticks to its main body before exploding a moment later, causing the droid starfighter to slump as while its body remains mostly intact, its head and processor have been damaged to nonfunctionality.
"I have an airlock open over here," someone calls and Vyssa glances over to where one of her team has opened up an airlock.
"Move quickly!" calls Vyssa, "The sooner we get in, the less time they'll have to prepare."
"Yes, ma'am!" reply several Mandalorians as the team either runs to the airlock or jetpacks over depending on their distance.
As she watches them drop down into the airlock, Vyssa feels a twinge of guilt. For all that she is called a mando'jetii, Vyssa doesn't really consider herself to be Mandalorian. She and her master are just pretending to be real Mandalorians in order to use the Mandalorian Clans for their own ends
It is for the good of the galaxy, the Republic and even the Mandalorians themselves, but it irks Vyssa to be so deceitful. To wear stolen beskar'gam and wrongly call herself a mando'jetii, well, she just hopes that no one finds out.
"Everyone has the map uploaded to their buckets?" asks one of the leaders amongst the Mandalorians in Vyssa's team, the same one that ordered the usage of jetpack missiles earlier.
"If they deploy the blast doors, I have a key to open them here," says Vyssa as the other Mandalorians give their affirmatives, holding her lightsaber.
"I like your thinking, vod'ika," says the Mandalorian as Vyssa senses approval from the others, "Anything else we should be expecting?"
"Mostly B1s, but a lot of them," answers Vyssa as she gives it a moment's thought, "Super battle droids will be more challenging, but not by much. They just need a few blaster bolts to go down instead of just one or two. The real problem will be the droidekas or any of the new specialist droids that the Seppies are using. Destroyer droids are mobile with energy shields while lightsaber droids fight like a Jedi and commando droids are exactly that, commandos."
"They aren't real verd," says one of the Mandalorians dismissively, "They're all just tincans."
"Hey, one of my vode fought the lightsaber droids in Sundari!" protests another warrior, "Those ones at least are tough."
"Cheap battle droids are nothing more than pieces of osik, but a good quality one can be more deadly than a light tank or starfighter," adds a different warrior, "I fought a couple of different droids that made me fight for my life."
"Enough chatter, dikuts," says the leader, "The Mand'alor wants us to capture this ship and that's what we're going to do. Vyssa, you've done this before?"
"Yes," answers Vyssa, "We need to disable the hyperdrive so they can't escape, secure the power core so they can't blow it up and take the bridge before waiting for reinforcements. The first two are priorities. If they can't flee with the ship or destroy it to deny it to us, we can just bunker down and wait for backup."
"The Mand'alor will be able to reinforce us once the space battle is over," agrees the Mandalorian leader.
"Exactly," confirms Vyssa, "We just need to make sure that we are alive and in the same system for that. Not that he would abandon us if we weren't in the same system, but it makes it much easier for him."
"Alright, you heard the Mand'alor's ad'ika," says the Mandalorian leader as he turns on his fellow Mandalorian Guardians, "Let's get moving."
Split perspectives this chapter between the two padawans. Aria's padawan Siaran is amongst the Republic starfighters while Vyssa leads a Mandalorian boarding party in hopes of snagging another Lucrehulk for Ben. For the latter, I was inspired by the 501st boarding Cad Bane's frigate in the Cargo of Doom and the Mandalorians taking out the interdictor in Zero Hour: Part 2.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
Now as he flies his Delta-7B Aethersprite-class Light Interceptor into battle, he ponders how many of those flying alongside him are going to die today. The enemy has more starfighters, but that's nothing unusual. What is unusual is the presence of escort warships in the Separatist fleet.
Siaran has seen a few of them over the last couple of months, but only as part of local Separatist forces and never as part of a main fleet. And they have never been in such numbers either as there are over fifty of them, a far cry from the odd Dreadnought-class Heavy Cruiser or local design.
"This is Knight-Four," reports Siaran as he gets into formation, "All systems are one hundred percent."
Other pilots sound off and the comms quickly crowded with over two thousand starfighters on the Republic side of the battlefield. And yet they will be outnumbered as hundreds of droid starfighters launch from the Separatists warships, easily adding up into thousands of hostile starfighters.
It can be disconcerting for the Miralukan Jedi to look upon the droid ships, sense the warships and their motions yet little or no life aboard. The warships of the Republic are all teaming with life, especially the larger ones, but Siaran can feel almost nothing aboard the Separatist warships. Just a few lifeforms aboard the Lucrehulk in what Siaran thinks is the core ship and what feels like a dark presence aboard the Providence. Every other enemy warship is devoid of life and that sends a shiver down the spine of Siaran.
Unlike in Siaran's previous battles, the vultures and hyenas of the Separatist fleet aren't surging ahead. Instead they copy the Republic starfighters as they match the speed of their escort warships, with their capital ships not far behind.
The Republic forces open fire at extreme weapon range, volleys of turbolaser fire lashing out at the opposing fleet. The Separatists warships begin to return fire, but it is disorganised and inaccurate compared to what the defenders are dishing out. The attackers struggle to land their hits at such sheer distances with only the odd shot smashing against the deflector shields of the Republic warships.
Meanwhile the Republic warships are unusually precise despite the extreme distance. While at least half of their shots go wide into the spacious void, a good number find their targets amongst the escorts of the Separatist fleet. The foremost Shark-class Corvettes bear the brunt of the Republic firepower, but even the Line-class Frigates and Nest-class light Cruisers find themselves taking fire.
As the first two Sharks go down under the weight of the Republic turbolaser fire, the enemy starfighters leap into action and they are met in kind by their Republic counterparts. The moment that the droid starfighters begin to move, Siaran and his fellow Republic starfighters also make their move, just knowing it is the right moment to act.
Two swarms of starfighters clash as Liberator Starfighters and V-19 Torrent Starfighters trade blows with vulture droid starfighters. Aurek Starfighters target the hyena droid bombers and the Y-Wings pull back, waiting for the right moment to unleash their payloads against the Separatist warships.
Siaran flies in, blasting apart a vulture droid before moving onto second, catching it in a crossfire between himself and another starfighter. He soars through the starfighter furball, weaving past both vulture droids and Republic starfighters. He lines up behind a hyena bomber, blasting off one of its wings with his laser cannons.
A vulture droid attempts to get on his rear, but Siaran just fires up his sunlight engines and flies off before it can get a firing solution. He glances at the approaching enemy fleet as the Shark-class Corvettes throw themselves into the fray in support of the droid starfighters. The Jedi Padawan estimates that they won't last long. The defending capital ships are still bombarding them with turbolaser fire and more Sharks than not are bearing battle damage as a result of that.
Still as the Line Frigates, the Munificients and the other Separatist capital ships push forth, the Republic starfighters are going to be forced back to the protection of their own capital ships. Nonetheless, that is a problem for his master and Master Shan to take care of. Siaran's job is staying alive and picking off more enemy starfighters.
Siaran flies over a Corellian Gunship as it darts in to finish off a wounded Shark with its concussion missiles. Siaran adds a couple of proton torpedoes from his Aethersprite to the barrage as the missiles rip into the already damaged hull of the Separatist escort. Explosions rip apart the corvette as the DP20 Frigate swiftly pulls back to the defending fleet, its shields already beginning to fray under hostile turbolaser fire.
Siaran flies at a Liberator-class Starfighter, opening fire at the vulture droid pursuing it as the Republic starfighter rolls out of the way to give him a clear shot. The droid starfighter goes up in a fiery explosion that Siaran flies through as he begins his retreat back to the main fleet. The Munificients have finally arrived at the furball and begun to add the point defence guns to the fight.
As he and the other Republic starfighters pull back, Siaran notes that as predicted, the Lucrehulk has been left exposed at the rear of the Separatist fleet. He hopes that Master Shan's plan works out.
***
Vyssa Randandys, Padawan of the Jedi Order, Commander in the Republic Patriot Legions and Mandalorian warrior of the newly formed Clan Shan, stands tall and serene in the passenger bay of the Kom'rk-class Fighter/Transport. With her amongst them, two dozen Mandalorian Guardians eagerly wait in the passenger bay as their ship jumps out of hyperspace. Despite having no way to know what was going on in the Calamari system, Master Aria's battle meditation is proving to be worth its weight in aurodium as usual as they arrive at precisely the right moment.
Opening up its passenger bay, the Kom'rk swoops over the Lucrehulk-class Battleship, going low and close to the hull as it flies over the engines and towards the core ship. Before the battleship's turret emplacements can react to what is happening, Vyssa and the other Mandalorians jump from their seats, landing on the hull of the core ship with their magnetic boots.
After losing too many Lucrehulks to hostile small craft flying into their hangar bays, the Separatists have taken measures to prevent the trick from working again. It isn't cheap, but it is cheaper than replacing the Lucrehulk and even the megacorps are willing to shell the credits if it means not losing an even greater amount.
"Go for an airlock!" orders Vyssa as she runs towards the closest one in question.
Meaning on the hull like this should protect them from the turrets of the Lucrehulk. The warship can't fire on them without damaging itself thanks to their close proximity. Even if the Seppies were willing to harm their own warship to kill them, they would have to take out their own deflector shielding first as being so close to the hull means that it will cover the Mandalorians from external attacks.
Nonetheless, the Zeltron mando'jetii would rather not risk it. They have the chance to snag another Lucrehulk for her master and Vyssa would rather not kriff up the job by getting herself killed.
A handful of vulture droids come flying at them, the droid starfighters switching to their walking mode as they land in front of the Mandalorian Guardians. The Mandalorians scatter as the vulture droids open fire with Vyssa deflecting with her lightsabers while two of the the Mandalorian Guardians stand by her, using their shield gauntlets.
"Missiles!" orders one of the Mandalorian warriors as Vyssa makes bounding leaps towards the vulture droids.
Missiles whizz past Vyssa, striking multiple vulture droids and blowing them into scrap. As for the survivors, Vyssa pounces upon them. She severs the head of one droid starfighter from its body before slashing off half a leg-wing of another, dropping it low enough that she is able to slice it in two with a wide swing of her blade.
The final vulture droid doesn't fall to Vyssa as one of the other Mandalorians tosses a thermal detonator onto it. The explosive sticks to its main body before exploding a moment later, causing the droid starfighter to slump as while its body remains mostly intact, its head and processor have been damaged to nonfunctionality.
"I have an airlock open over here," someone calls and Vyssa glances over to where one of her team has opened up an airlock.
"Move quickly!" calls Vyssa, "The sooner we get in, the less time they'll have to prepare."
"Yes, ma'am!" reply several Mandalorians as the team either runs to the airlock or jetpacks over depending on their distance.
As she watches them drop down into the airlock, Vyssa feels a twinge of guilt. For all that she is called a mando'jetii, Vyssa doesn't really consider herself to be Mandalorian. She and her master are just pretending to be real Mandalorians in order to use the Mandalorian Clans for their own ends
It is for the good of the galaxy, the Republic and even the Mandalorians themselves, but it irks Vyssa to be so deceitful. To wear stolen beskar'gam and wrongly call herself a mando'jetii, well, she just hopes that no one finds out.
"Everyone has the map uploaded to their buckets?" asks one of the leaders amongst the Mandalorians in Vyssa's team, the same one that ordered the usage of jetpack missiles earlier.
"If they deploy the blast doors, I have a key to open them here," says Vyssa as the other Mandalorians give their affirmatives, holding her lightsaber.
"I like your thinking, vod'ika," says the Mandalorian as Vyssa senses approval from the others, "Anything else we should be expecting?"
"Mostly B1s, but a lot of them," answers Vyssa as she gives it a moment's thought, "Super battle droids will be more challenging, but not by much. They just need a few blaster bolts to go down instead of just one or two. The real problem will be the droidekas or any of the new specialist droids that the Seppies are using. Destroyer droids are mobile with energy shields while lightsaber droids fight like a Jedi and commando droids are exactly that, commandos."
"They aren't real verd," says one of the Mandalorians dismissively, "They're all just tincans."
"Hey, one of my vode fought the lightsaber droids in Sundari!" protests another warrior, "Those ones at least are tough."
"Cheap battle droids are nothing more than pieces of osik, but a good quality one can be more deadly than a light tank or starfighter," adds a different warrior, "I fought a couple of different droids that made me fight for my life."
"Enough chatter, dikuts," says the leader, "The Mand'alor wants us to capture this ship and that's what we're going to do. Vyssa, you've done this before?"
"Yes," answers Vyssa, "We need to disable the hyperdrive so they can't escape, secure the power core so they can't blow it up and take the bridge before waiting for reinforcements. The first two are priorities. If they can't flee with the ship or destroy it to deny it to us, we can just bunker down and wait for backup."
"The Mand'alor will be able to reinforce us once the space battle is over," agrees the Mandalorian leader.
"Exactly," confirms Vyssa, "We just need to make sure that we are alive and in the same system for that. Not that he would abandon us if we weren't in the same system, but it makes it much easier for him."
"Alright, you heard the Mand'alor's ad'ika," says the Mandalorian leader as he turns on his fellow Mandalorian Guardians, "Let's get moving."
***
Split perspectives this chapter between the two padawans. Aria's padawan Siaran is amongst the Republic starfighters while Vyssa leads a Mandalorian boarding party in hopes of snagging another Lucrehulk for Ben. For the latter, I was inspired by the 501st boarding Cad Bane's frigate in the Cargo of Doom and the Mandalorians taking out the interdictor in Zero Hour: Part 2.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
Last edited:
- Location
- England
Disconcerting
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Fixed. Thanks for catching that.
16.5 (Battle of Mon Calamari) - Chapter Ninety-Two
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"What do you mean there are Mandalorians aboard the Revenue?" demands the Dark Acolyte Wulbin Skot as he glares at the useless battle droid, resisting the urge to crush it there and then.
"The captain of the Revenue reports that the Mandalorian fighter dropped multiple Mandalorian on the hull and they somehow got inside," says the B1 and Wulbin takes a deep breath rather than lash out.
This battle has not been going according to plan. The defending fleet was larger than expected, but nothing he couldn't handle. He would just have to sacrifice more of his lighter forces than expected. Wulbin would still come out on top with the Republic fleet broken and the stolen Separatist warships either reclaimed or destroyed.
The only problem is that the Republicans are just too damn good. Half of his starfighters are gone, most of the Sharks have been wrecked and now his precious Lucrehulk has been boarded by Mandalorians of all things.
No, the Mandalorians being here makes sense. Ben Shan recently became the new Mandalorian king, right? Wulbin remembers that from his briefing though his master doesn't like to speak about it. The matter is something of a sore spot for Lord Dooku and Wulbin has no desire to upset his master by unnecessarily bringing up the matter with him.
The only problem is that Wulbin can't let them take the Revenue. Lord Dooku made it clear how valuable the battleship is when he assigned it to the attack on the Calamari system. He can't let it be destroyed, let alone captured. The infamous Ben Shan has already captured too many of their Lucrehulks.
"Is that all?" snaps Wulbin, hoping that it is.
"There might also be a Jedi aboard the Revenue?" offers the droid helpfully.
"What?" demands Wulbin as this is worse than the Mandalorians.
"Errrr…one of the Mandalorians was using a lightsaber?" says the B1 nervously.
Wulbin thinks about smashing the battle droid for a moment before keeping himself in check as he whirls on the tactical droid accompanying him.
"Alright, you bucket of bolts," snarls Wulbin, "Tell me why the kriff is this battle going so differently to your calculations?"
"The Republic fleet is performing far above predicted calculations," reports the blue and white T-series Tactical Droid, "While both Republic Patriot Legions are performing at high end of recorded past performances, all three clone legions are operating with a similar degree of ability, far beyond anything we've seen in the past. This has allowed for them to inflict disproportionate losses on us and each asset lost only further weakens our ability to fight."
"And how do the Mandalorians work into this?" demands Wulbin.
"Unknown, sir," answers the tactical droid, "They should not be here. This is far outside their expected behaviour, especially the reported presence of a Jedi. Have the reports of the Mandalorians been confirmed?"
"Well, have they?" demands Wulbin as he turns back to the useless B1 from before.
"Errr…let me check, sir," replies B1 before turning back to the communication unit, "Uh-huh. Right. Really? Uh, sir, there are definitely Mandalorians aboard the Revenue. All reports from the squads sent to deal with them identify them as Mandalorians. There is also a Jedi there for sure."
"Are you certain?" asks the tactical droid.
"Yes, sir," confirms the battle droid, "One of the Mandalorians is using both a lightsaber and the Force."
"We cannot afford to lose this," says Wulbin, "You, tactical droid, how are the Republicans fighting so well?"
"Intelligence reports the Jed Knight in command of the 2nd Republic Patriot Legion and the 333rd Legion is reported to have the ability known as battle meditation with a notable degree of skill," answers the tactical droid, "While data on said ability is…unscientific, according to the most commonly accepted information on it, usage of battle meditation would allow the discrepancy between my pre-battle calculations and the current results."
"So we know why the Republicans are doing so well and how to stop it," says Wulbin, "Where is he?"
"General Nelaria Telis' flagship is the Mon Calamari Star Destroyer Liberty," reports the tactical droid as one of the Republic capital ships is highlighted on the tactical display, "She is most probably aboard this enemy warship."
"Good," says Wulbin, a smile coming across his face for the first time since the battle began, "I want that enemy star destroyer gone. Even if we are forced to withdraw, we'll at least deprive them of this Jedi and battle-winning ability."
"Yes, sir," replies the tactical droid, "Prioritising the Republic warship Liberty as number one target."
"Good, good," says Wulbin as he plots on how to salvage this battle, "Now what to do with the Revenue?"
"Count Dooku will be most displeased if you lose it," warns the tactical droid.
"Like I don't already know that you bucket of bolts!" snaps Wulbin, "Kriff it, we're not getting to those shipyards anyway. Order all forces aboard the Revenue to deal with the boarders. Pull the Munificents back and send out the chaff to eliminate the Liberty."
"The chaff, sir?" inquires the tactical droid questioningly and Wulbin scowls at its ineptitude.
"Whatever starfighters and escort ships we have left!" shouts Wulbin, "They're supposed to be cheap and replaceable compared to the rest of our fleet!"
"Understood, sir," answers the tactical droid, "Issuing new orders now, sir."
Wulbin frowns at the tactical display. He isn't the greatest commander, but even he can see that he has taken enough losses that victory is no longer an option. Things were bad enough at the start when the defending forces were far more equal than expected, but now? He lost half of his escort ships and most of the droid starfighters are gone, including almost every last one of his bombers.
He'll preserve the less replaceable ships in his fleet and take out General Telis. His master will have to accept that as a partial victory, especially in light of there being five Republic legions here instead of the predicted two.
"Prepare all of our capitals for a jump to hyperspace," orders Wulbin, "Let the chaff cover our escape."
"Count Dooku will not approve of this failure," warns the tactical droid.
"This battle is already lost!" roars Wulbin, grabbing the stupid tincan and yanking it closer, "We lost it when the defenders were twice as numerous, when they fought better than any of your calculations, when the kriffing Mandos showed up out of nowhere. Now we are going to accept that we lost and save the most important parts of this fleet rather than throw them away in vain hope of somehow winning this, you bucket of bolts!"
"Understood, sir," replies the useless pile of scrap, "Orders to retreat have been issued."
Wulbin lets it go and begins to plot about how he can salvage something out of this disaster. He doubts his master will kill him over this failure, but Wulbin is under no illusion that returning with his head hung in shame will be…painful for him.
"How bad is the damage?" asks General Shan, having made the journey to physically visit the Liberty.
"Fairly bad, sir," answers Admiral Jace Dallin as he guides the Jedi Knight to the infirmary, "The Liberty has been hit hard and while it could have been a lot worse, we're still looking at least a month of dockyard time."
"At least we are close to the said docks," says the General.
"That is one blessing," agrees Jace, "We'll also need to get replacement crewmembers. Most of the crew made it through in one piece, but we're still looking at a couple hundred dead and more than twice that injuries. The majority of the wounded will make a swift recovery, but a few will need long-term care if they recover at all."
"They'll be provided for," promises General Shan in a firm voice full of conviction that leaves Jace with no doubts about his sincerity, "Is there anything else that your crew needs?"
"Just medical attention and time," replies Jace, "My crew are good people, hardy and determined. We just need the chance to get back into fighting shape, General."
"I have no doubts about that, Jace," says the General, "I'll give you that chance. It does mean that the 2nd Legion will be spending more time here in the Calamari system for the foreseeable future."
"We and the locals are certainly used to each other by now," says Jace.
"Speaking of which, King Yos has generously agreed to cover the costs of medical treatment for wounded and the repair costs for the damaged warships," says General Shan, "Don't let it be said that the Mon Calamari and Quarren are ungrateful to those that aid them."
"No, they certainly aren't," agrees Jace, "Please pass on my thanks to King Yos."
"Will do," says General Shan, "Anything else before I get to healing?"
"Just a somewhat unrelated question, sir," says Jace, "I was wondering if we had any official confirmation on the rumoured demise of General Grievous yet?"
"Ah that," says General Shan, "There is still no body for confirmation of his death, but the clanker in chief hasn't shown up yet so that is a positive sign. The fact that the Confederacy has appointed Merai as a replacement Supreme Commander is another indication that Grievous is either dead or won't be coming back soon. Even if Grievous is still alive, him not showing up to cause trouble for us is a good sign."
"Merai is Mon Calamari, isn't he?" inquires Jace as he remembers some of his conversations with the locals.
"Yes," replies General Shan, "He is also a respected veteran and decorated war hero of the Quarren War from a couple decades ago. As you might have found out already, his defection to Separatist cause is something of a controversy here on Mon Cala."
"I've heard about it," says Jace, "According to both the Mon Calamari and the Quarrens, he is an excellent admiral."
"Merai is certainly a better strategist and tactician than Grievous from what I've seen of their respective records," agrees General Shan, "Not nearly as good as a personal combatant, but Merai is reported to be a respectable starfighter ace."
"If he is better than Grievous, why didn't he already have the position?" wonders Jace.
"Politics and timing," answers General Shan, "Merai only defected to the Confederacy after the war began while Grievous was already Supreme Commander at the start of it. And politically speaking, Merai is an idealist and true believer while Grievous was morally bankrupt and willing to do whatever Dooku wanted."
"Ah, I see," says Jace, "Perhaps there is a way to exploit that to our advantage?"
"It does seem like there will be less Separatist war crimes in the future," says General Shan, "It certainly says something about how the war is going that Dooku is choosing competence over reliability."
"Things certainly seem to be going badly for the Separatists," notes Jace, "We cost them thousands of starfighters, dozens of escorts and another Lucrehulk today."
"The Lucrehulk is still being secured," says General Shan, "I've sent reinforcements to back up Vyssa and her team, but the Separatists packed a small army aboard the Lucrehulk."
"At least we have time to clear them all out with the hyperdrive disabled," says Jace optimistically.
"That's true," agrees General Shan, "I'm concerned about the enemy ships that got away. What's left of the Separatist fleet is still substantially enough to cause some trouble."
"A problem for another day, sir," says Jace.
"I suppose it is, Jace," replies General Shan,, "I'll head on into the infirmary now."
"I'll coordinate the Liberty's status with Wol," says Jace and then after a moment of hesitation, he adds, "Thank you for being here to heal the crew, sir. They don't deserve this suffering."
"Those who suffer rarely do deserve it," says General Shan before marching into the infirmary.
This is a sort of a wrap up to this arc, which turned out to be briefer than I planned. I got the Separatist counter-attack in the Calamari sector, but beyond the battle and the introduction of the new Separatist escort ships, there isn't too much to it beyond showing some details about the wider war.
Anyway, the next arc is going to be some political interludes. I'm not sure if that counts as an arc, but it is what you are getting. But it is going to be a while because I haven't really written much since Christmas and what I have written has been sporadic and rarely on the same story.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
"The captain of the Revenue reports that the Mandalorian fighter dropped multiple Mandalorian on the hull and they somehow got inside," says the B1 and Wulbin takes a deep breath rather than lash out.
This battle has not been going according to plan. The defending fleet was larger than expected, but nothing he couldn't handle. He would just have to sacrifice more of his lighter forces than expected. Wulbin would still come out on top with the Republic fleet broken and the stolen Separatist warships either reclaimed or destroyed.
The only problem is that the Republicans are just too damn good. Half of his starfighters are gone, most of the Sharks have been wrecked and now his precious Lucrehulk has been boarded by Mandalorians of all things.
No, the Mandalorians being here makes sense. Ben Shan recently became the new Mandalorian king, right? Wulbin remembers that from his briefing though his master doesn't like to speak about it. The matter is something of a sore spot for Lord Dooku and Wulbin has no desire to upset his master by unnecessarily bringing up the matter with him.
The only problem is that Wulbin can't let them take the Revenue. Lord Dooku made it clear how valuable the battleship is when he assigned it to the attack on the Calamari system. He can't let it be destroyed, let alone captured. The infamous Ben Shan has already captured too many of their Lucrehulks.
"Is that all?" snaps Wulbin, hoping that it is.
"There might also be a Jedi aboard the Revenue?" offers the droid helpfully.
"What?" demands Wulbin as this is worse than the Mandalorians.
"Errrr…one of the Mandalorians was using a lightsaber?" says the B1 nervously.
Wulbin thinks about smashing the battle droid for a moment before keeping himself in check as he whirls on the tactical droid accompanying him.
"Alright, you bucket of bolts," snarls Wulbin, "Tell me why the kriff is this battle going so differently to your calculations?"
"The Republic fleet is performing far above predicted calculations," reports the blue and white T-series Tactical Droid, "While both Republic Patriot Legions are performing at high end of recorded past performances, all three clone legions are operating with a similar degree of ability, far beyond anything we've seen in the past. This has allowed for them to inflict disproportionate losses on us and each asset lost only further weakens our ability to fight."
"And how do the Mandalorians work into this?" demands Wulbin.
"Unknown, sir," answers the tactical droid, "They should not be here. This is far outside their expected behaviour, especially the reported presence of a Jedi. Have the reports of the Mandalorians been confirmed?"
"Well, have they?" demands Wulbin as he turns back to the useless B1 from before.
"Errr…let me check, sir," replies B1 before turning back to the communication unit, "Uh-huh. Right. Really? Uh, sir, there are definitely Mandalorians aboard the Revenue. All reports from the squads sent to deal with them identify them as Mandalorians. There is also a Jedi there for sure."
"Are you certain?" asks the tactical droid.
"Yes, sir," confirms the battle droid, "One of the Mandalorians is using both a lightsaber and the Force."
"We cannot afford to lose this," says Wulbin, "You, tactical droid, how are the Republicans fighting so well?"
"Intelligence reports the Jed Knight in command of the 2nd Republic Patriot Legion and the 333rd Legion is reported to have the ability known as battle meditation with a notable degree of skill," answers the tactical droid, "While data on said ability is…unscientific, according to the most commonly accepted information on it, usage of battle meditation would allow the discrepancy between my pre-battle calculations and the current results."
"So we know why the Republicans are doing so well and how to stop it," says Wulbin, "Where is he?"
"General Nelaria Telis' flagship is the Mon Calamari Star Destroyer Liberty," reports the tactical droid as one of the Republic capital ships is highlighted on the tactical display, "She is most probably aboard this enemy warship."
"Good," says Wulbin, a smile coming across his face for the first time since the battle began, "I want that enemy star destroyer gone. Even if we are forced to withdraw, we'll at least deprive them of this Jedi and battle-winning ability."
"Yes, sir," replies the tactical droid, "Prioritising the Republic warship Liberty as number one target."
"Good, good," says Wulbin as he plots on how to salvage this battle, "Now what to do with the Revenue?"
"Count Dooku will be most displeased if you lose it," warns the tactical droid.
"Like I don't already know that you bucket of bolts!" snaps Wulbin, "Kriff it, we're not getting to those shipyards anyway. Order all forces aboard the Revenue to deal with the boarders. Pull the Munificents back and send out the chaff to eliminate the Liberty."
"The chaff, sir?" inquires the tactical droid questioningly and Wulbin scowls at its ineptitude.
"Whatever starfighters and escort ships we have left!" shouts Wulbin, "They're supposed to be cheap and replaceable compared to the rest of our fleet!"
"Understood, sir," answers the tactical droid, "Issuing new orders now, sir."
Wulbin frowns at the tactical display. He isn't the greatest commander, but even he can see that he has taken enough losses that victory is no longer an option. Things were bad enough at the start when the defending forces were far more equal than expected, but now? He lost half of his escort ships and most of the droid starfighters are gone, including almost every last one of his bombers.
He'll preserve the less replaceable ships in his fleet and take out General Telis. His master will have to accept that as a partial victory, especially in light of there being five Republic legions here instead of the predicted two.
"Prepare all of our capitals for a jump to hyperspace," orders Wulbin, "Let the chaff cover our escape."
"Count Dooku will not approve of this failure," warns the tactical droid.
"This battle is already lost!" roars Wulbin, grabbing the stupid tincan and yanking it closer, "We lost it when the defenders were twice as numerous, when they fought better than any of your calculations, when the kriffing Mandos showed up out of nowhere. Now we are going to accept that we lost and save the most important parts of this fleet rather than throw them away in vain hope of somehow winning this, you bucket of bolts!"
"Understood, sir," replies the useless pile of scrap, "Orders to retreat have been issued."
Wulbin lets it go and begins to plot about how he can salvage something out of this disaster. He doubts his master will kill him over this failure, but Wulbin is under no illusion that returning with his head hung in shame will be…painful for him.
***
"How bad is the damage?" asks General Shan, having made the journey to physically visit the Liberty.
"Fairly bad, sir," answers Admiral Jace Dallin as he guides the Jedi Knight to the infirmary, "The Liberty has been hit hard and while it could have been a lot worse, we're still looking at least a month of dockyard time."
"At least we are close to the said docks," says the General.
"That is one blessing," agrees Jace, "We'll also need to get replacement crewmembers. Most of the crew made it through in one piece, but we're still looking at a couple hundred dead and more than twice that injuries. The majority of the wounded will make a swift recovery, but a few will need long-term care if they recover at all."
"They'll be provided for," promises General Shan in a firm voice full of conviction that leaves Jace with no doubts about his sincerity, "Is there anything else that your crew needs?"
"Just medical attention and time," replies Jace, "My crew are good people, hardy and determined. We just need the chance to get back into fighting shape, General."
"I have no doubts about that, Jace," says the General, "I'll give you that chance. It does mean that the 2nd Legion will be spending more time here in the Calamari system for the foreseeable future."
"We and the locals are certainly used to each other by now," says Jace.
"Speaking of which, King Yos has generously agreed to cover the costs of medical treatment for wounded and the repair costs for the damaged warships," says General Shan, "Don't let it be said that the Mon Calamari and Quarren are ungrateful to those that aid them."
"No, they certainly aren't," agrees Jace, "Please pass on my thanks to King Yos."
"Will do," says General Shan, "Anything else before I get to healing?"
"Just a somewhat unrelated question, sir," says Jace, "I was wondering if we had any official confirmation on the rumoured demise of General Grievous yet?"
"Ah that," says General Shan, "There is still no body for confirmation of his death, but the clanker in chief hasn't shown up yet so that is a positive sign. The fact that the Confederacy has appointed Merai as a replacement Supreme Commander is another indication that Grievous is either dead or won't be coming back soon. Even if Grievous is still alive, him not showing up to cause trouble for us is a good sign."
"Merai is Mon Calamari, isn't he?" inquires Jace as he remembers some of his conversations with the locals.
"Yes," replies General Shan, "He is also a respected veteran and decorated war hero of the Quarren War from a couple decades ago. As you might have found out already, his defection to Separatist cause is something of a controversy here on Mon Cala."
"I've heard about it," says Jace, "According to both the Mon Calamari and the Quarrens, he is an excellent admiral."
"Merai is certainly a better strategist and tactician than Grievous from what I've seen of their respective records," agrees General Shan, "Not nearly as good as a personal combatant, but Merai is reported to be a respectable starfighter ace."
"If he is better than Grievous, why didn't he already have the position?" wonders Jace.
"Politics and timing," answers General Shan, "Merai only defected to the Confederacy after the war began while Grievous was already Supreme Commander at the start of it. And politically speaking, Merai is an idealist and true believer while Grievous was morally bankrupt and willing to do whatever Dooku wanted."
"Ah, I see," says Jace, "Perhaps there is a way to exploit that to our advantage?"
"It does seem like there will be less Separatist war crimes in the future," says General Shan, "It certainly says something about how the war is going that Dooku is choosing competence over reliability."
"Things certainly seem to be going badly for the Separatists," notes Jace, "We cost them thousands of starfighters, dozens of escorts and another Lucrehulk today."
"The Lucrehulk is still being secured," says General Shan, "I've sent reinforcements to back up Vyssa and her team, but the Separatists packed a small army aboard the Lucrehulk."
"At least we have time to clear them all out with the hyperdrive disabled," says Jace optimistically.
"That's true," agrees General Shan, "I'm concerned about the enemy ships that got away. What's left of the Separatist fleet is still substantially enough to cause some trouble."
"A problem for another day, sir," says Jace.
"I suppose it is, Jace," replies General Shan,, "I'll head on into the infirmary now."
"I'll coordinate the Liberty's status with Wol," says Jace and then after a moment of hesitation, he adds, "Thank you for being here to heal the crew, sir. They don't deserve this suffering."
"Those who suffer rarely do deserve it," says General Shan before marching into the infirmary.
***
This is a sort of a wrap up to this arc, which turned out to be briefer than I planned. I got the Separatist counter-attack in the Calamari sector, but beyond the battle and the introduction of the new Separatist escort ships, there isn't too much to it beyond showing some details about the wider war.
Anyway, the next arc is going to be some political interludes. I'm not sure if that counts as an arc, but it is what you are getting. But it is going to be a while because I haven't really written much since Christmas and what I have written has been sporadic and rarely on the same story.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
Last edited:
- Location
- England
It took me a while, but I finally realised you meant "on the hull"
Missing 'not' from "nothing he could not handle"
meditation
dead
Last edited:
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Fixed. Thanks for catching those.
17.1 (Senate Politics) - Chapter Ninety-Three
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Today is a busy day for Candabrine Bu, Senator of Lansono and the leader of the Militarist coalition within the Galactic Senate. That's nothing new as even before the war, she was a busy woman, but the war has only made things worse. She rises to the challenge with each passing day as if Candabrine Bu wanted a peaceful life, she wouldn't have become a Senator or the leader of one of the big three factions in the Senate.
She has a meeting with Senator Kathrose Tashi of Rendili first on today's agenda to discuss the Rendili StarDrive's business with the various members of the Militarist faction. While still the weakest of the traditional big three starship manufacturers, Rendili StarDrive is no longer struggling to get by.
Modernised Hammerhead-class Cruisers are in fashion these days and even with her limited military education, Candabrine Bu can understand why. There is a reason why the warship was the workhorse of the Republic Navy for thousands of years and that is because the Hammerhead is very much a jack of all trades for its size.
It isn't fast, but neither is it slow and it carries a mixture of anti-starship and anti-starfighter weapons at a good degree of firepower for its size. It can take a pounding in a warship brawl in addition to being able to carry a squadron of starfighters, a pair of shuttles or gunships and two and a half companies of infantry. All for a fairly affordable price at ten million credits.
And then there is the politics involved in the situation. Kuat Drive Yards is the top warship provider in the galaxy since the Ruusan Reformations crushed Rendili StarDrive with its reliance on Republic Navy contracts. It has provided the Core with warships for their system defence fleets for centuries and with the outbreak of war, Chancellor Palpatine has chosen them to supply the newly reformed Republic Navy with warships, the only exception between contacting the Corellians for refitted Consular-class Cruisers. Such an act has firmly cemented Kuat's position in the Loyalist camp.
Rendili StarDrive was hung out to dry with many of its shipyards in the Outer Rim considering defection to the Separatist cause due to the potential contracts from the Confederacy. Candabrine Bu shivers at the thought of what would have happened if Rendili hadn't been brought into the Militarist coalition.
As things had turned out, Rendili StarDrive found itself as the primary warship producer for the Militarists, starting with General Ben Shan purchasing a dozen Dreadnought-class Heavy Cruisers, several dozen Hammerheads and hundreds of Aurek-class Starfighters as part of the expansion of the Republic Patriot Legion from one legion to four legions. A drop in the bucket, but it set the tone for what was to come.
Things had truly turned around when Kuat Drive Yard unofficially deprioritized the orders of the worlds whose Senators politically opposed Chancellor Palpatine in favour of Republic Navy production and the orders of the Chancellor's supporters. Perhaps it had been a punishment, possibly an incentive to support the man leading the Republic, but Candabrine doesn't know and doubts she will. What she does know is that when Kuat proved unreliable, Rendili was more than eager to step up in their place.
Hammerheads are the primary commodity these days, having reclaimed their place as Rendili StarDrive's flagship product from the Dreadnought-class. Aureks are also popular if you can afford to spend your credits on such an expensive starfighter. The old Valour-class has been modernised and is being put back into production as Rendili's alternative to Venator-class Star Destroyer. It already has interested buyers with General Shan having purchased the first eighteen and other Core World defence fleets have expressed their desire in acquiring it upon learning about that.
Even Candabrine's own home world was looking to acquire a Valour-class to act as a flagship for their fleet, seeing it as a more affordable expense than refitting their ageing Procurator-class Star Battlecruiser for modern warfare. Not that was Candabrine's business as what deals Lansono's government makes with Rendili StarDrive aren't something she has a personal hand in.
No, she just needs to handle high level politics in the Senate and keeping the Militarists together and on track.
"Care for a glass of wine, my dear?" asks Count Yeger Basmirk, a Senator from Carida and a long-time Militarist dating back to the days of Ranulph Tarkin and his ORSF, "You look like you could do with some of my Alderaanian wine."
"It would be remiss of me to turn down such a generous offer, Yeger," replies Candabrine, "Today has been particularly difficult."
"Yes, you had a meeting with Mee Deechi, didn't you," muses Yeger, "The alien is quite exhausting to deal with from what I've heard."
Candabrine refrains from visually expressing her displeasure with her fellow senator's words, but the attitude of her fellow Militarist is something that Candadrine is still trying to purge from the coalition. The traditional membership of the Militarist faction by human-dominant Core Worlds has left some humanocentric beliefs amongst Candabrine's coalition, something not helped by the lingering legacy of Ranulph Tarkin.
Candabrine has done her best to purge such attitudes for reasons both moral and pragmatic, but it has been unfortunately slow and she doubts she will ever be fully rid of it. At least Yeger is fairly moderate when it comes to his dislike of nonhumans with his pragmatism overruling his prejudices.
"Senator Deechi is just rather patriotic about the Republic," says Candabrine, "And more importantly, his primary concern at the moment is defeating the Separatists and he is open to the idea that the Militarist cause might be better for the war effort than the Loyalist cause."
"It is always useful to get another vote, especially one motivated by proper ideals rather than rank opportunism," says Yeger as he pours a glass of wine, "Umbrara is in the Expansion Region if I recall correctly."
"Yes, the Ghost Nebula sector," answers Candabrine as she accepts the wine glass that Yeger is offering her, "Right on the frontlines."
"That would explain his desire to see the war waged right," says Yeger, "Something for us to work with."
"Indeed it is," says Candabrine, "Forgive me, Yeger, but I don't believe that you invited me here to share wine and discuss Senator Deechi. Not that I don't appreciate the glass. This is a fine vintage."
"Yes. it is a bit out of character for me to request a meeting over such trivial things," agrees Yeger, "Forgive me, Candabrine, but I wish to discuss the Mandalore situation."
"That Force-forsaken mess," mutters Candabrine, not bothering to hide her frustration for her long-time ally as she lets out a sigh, "With all honesty, it is a classic Ben Shan situation. He goes and makes a mess that is a pain for us in the Senate to deal with, but ultimately something beneficial for both the Republic and the galaxy. This one just happens to be the biggest one yet."
"Ah, that does sum our darling general," muses Yeger with a chuckle, "For all the trouble that he causes, Ben Shan has ultimately been beneficial for our cause."
"Thanks to his actions, the Militarists are stronger than ever," says Candabrine, deciding to press the point home, "Corellia, Mon Cala, Mandalore, Rodia and others have only aligned themselves with us thanks to the actions of Ben Shan. Not to mention that his victories have only bolstered our cause thanks to our pre-war support of him and Shan's open antagonism with the Chancellor."
"Hmm, have you figured out what happened between them?" inquires Yeger, "They didn't have this dislike for each other prior to Geonosis."
"All I can find is the slave status of the clones," answers Candabrine, "If there is anything beyond that, neither of them are sharing."
And there is certainly something beyond the slavery issue. Candabrine has seen how Ben has reacted to slavers before and while he has had his outrage and disgust, it has never gone as deep as Ben's borderline hatred of Chancellor Palpatine. Whatever it is, Candabrine doubts she will ever understand how the Jedi Knight thinks. Whenever as she does, Ben Shan just goes and upends her grasp of his character.
"A shame, it would be nice to know what makes them tick," says Yeger, "Still, I will support Ben Shan over Sheev Palpatine any day of the week. One is a reliable and trustworthy ally who has proven themselves time and time again while the other is a fair-weather friend at best."
"We are Militarists not Loyalists," agrees Candabrine.
Even with his change in opinion with the outbreak of war, Chancellor Palpatine is no Militarist. He made that clear with his desire for using clones from some unknown Outer Rim world instead of real soldiers from respected Republic Core Worlds with long and proven martial traditions. Not to mention that his actions then and since have only reinforced Candabrine's belief that Palpatine merely wished to hijack the Militarists for his Loyalists.
"Indeed, we are," says Yeger, "But back to the Mandalore situation, how is the new Mandalore handling things?"
"Mand'alor," corrects Candabrine, "And Shan is doing quite well. He has been organising his Mandalorian Guardians into a proper military. He has put in a large order for blasters from Concordian Crescent Technologies and he has been reaching out to get warships for the Mandalorian navy."
"What kind of ships are we talking about here?" asks Yeger.
"All escort sized," answers Candabrine, "Corellian Corvettes, Thranta-class Corvettes, Marauder-class Corvettes and the like. Just as he is reorganising the naval forces into Republic Patriot Legions into more standardised fleets, he is reforming the Mandalorian naval assets to pure military, all purpose-built warships and no more converted freighters and shuttles."
"I heard he has been making large orders from RSD and CEC," notes Yeger, "A few dozen warships, thousands of starfighters. Dare I ask how he is paying for it all?"
"When I asked him that myself, I was informed that the Hutts were paying for it all," says Candabrine with a sly grin on her face.
"He took money from the-ah, I get it," exclaims the Senator from Caridia, his shock changing into an amused smirk, "Yes, taking the credits by force seems far more in line for Ben Shan than cutting a deal with slavers. I trust it won't backfire on us?"
"If it was, we would have heard about it by now," Candabrine assures him, "It happened over a month ago."
"A month isn't that long," points out Yeger, "But I concede the point that we would have heard something by now. Speaking of shipyards, have you heard about the new deal between Rendili and Mon Cala?"
"No, I have not," answers Candabrine as she takes a moment to rack her memories, "I can't recall any recent meetings between Kathrose and either Meena or Tundra."
"You wouldn't because the agreement was not made here in the Senate," replies Yeger, "The terms were agreed upon directly between King Yos and the Arch-Provost."
"I take it that you know the terms of this agreement?" inquires Candabrine because she doubts Yeger would be bringing this up like this if he didn't.
"Collaboration between Rendili StarDrive and Mon Calamari Shipyards to create a Star Cruiser answer to the Star Destroyers of Kuat Drive Yards," answers Yeger, "Rendili was already looking at making their own Star Destroyer equivalent, but those Star Cruisers used by Ben Shan have been impressive enough that the Arch-Provost wishes to bring aboard the expertise of the Mon Calamari."
"Hmm, that could be useful," says Candabrine, "Compared to Kuat, Rendili is rather short on larger warships."
"That's what happens when you obey the law and don't violate the Ruusan Reformation with a secret warship program," says Yeger, "But we're getting off-topic. Back to the Mandalore situation, what are we going to do now that Ben Shan is the head of state for an entire sector? It has been two weeks and nobody knows what to do about it."
"That is the question of the month," says Candabrine with a sigh before downing what's left of her glass.
Politics ho! As a heads up, I haven't really done much story writing this year and this is about it. This chapter is showing what some of Ben's old allies are up to. Other chapters planned will show what his reliable allies, unreliable allies, his rivals and his enemies are up to.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
She has a meeting with Senator Kathrose Tashi of Rendili first on today's agenda to discuss the Rendili StarDrive's business with the various members of the Militarist faction. While still the weakest of the traditional big three starship manufacturers, Rendili StarDrive is no longer struggling to get by.
Modernised Hammerhead-class Cruisers are in fashion these days and even with her limited military education, Candabrine Bu can understand why. There is a reason why the warship was the workhorse of the Republic Navy for thousands of years and that is because the Hammerhead is very much a jack of all trades for its size.
It isn't fast, but neither is it slow and it carries a mixture of anti-starship and anti-starfighter weapons at a good degree of firepower for its size. It can take a pounding in a warship brawl in addition to being able to carry a squadron of starfighters, a pair of shuttles or gunships and two and a half companies of infantry. All for a fairly affordable price at ten million credits.
And then there is the politics involved in the situation. Kuat Drive Yards is the top warship provider in the galaxy since the Ruusan Reformations crushed Rendili StarDrive with its reliance on Republic Navy contracts. It has provided the Core with warships for their system defence fleets for centuries and with the outbreak of war, Chancellor Palpatine has chosen them to supply the newly reformed Republic Navy with warships, the only exception between contacting the Corellians for refitted Consular-class Cruisers. Such an act has firmly cemented Kuat's position in the Loyalist camp.
Rendili StarDrive was hung out to dry with many of its shipyards in the Outer Rim considering defection to the Separatist cause due to the potential contracts from the Confederacy. Candabrine Bu shivers at the thought of what would have happened if Rendili hadn't been brought into the Militarist coalition.
As things had turned out, Rendili StarDrive found itself as the primary warship producer for the Militarists, starting with General Ben Shan purchasing a dozen Dreadnought-class Heavy Cruisers, several dozen Hammerheads and hundreds of Aurek-class Starfighters as part of the expansion of the Republic Patriot Legion from one legion to four legions. A drop in the bucket, but it set the tone for what was to come.
Things had truly turned around when Kuat Drive Yard unofficially deprioritized the orders of the worlds whose Senators politically opposed Chancellor Palpatine in favour of Republic Navy production and the orders of the Chancellor's supporters. Perhaps it had been a punishment, possibly an incentive to support the man leading the Republic, but Candabrine doesn't know and doubts she will. What she does know is that when Kuat proved unreliable, Rendili was more than eager to step up in their place.
Hammerheads are the primary commodity these days, having reclaimed their place as Rendili StarDrive's flagship product from the Dreadnought-class. Aureks are also popular if you can afford to spend your credits on such an expensive starfighter. The old Valour-class has been modernised and is being put back into production as Rendili's alternative to Venator-class Star Destroyer. It already has interested buyers with General Shan having purchased the first eighteen and other Core World defence fleets have expressed their desire in acquiring it upon learning about that.
Even Candabrine's own home world was looking to acquire a Valour-class to act as a flagship for their fleet, seeing it as a more affordable expense than refitting their ageing Procurator-class Star Battlecruiser for modern warfare. Not that was Candabrine's business as what deals Lansono's government makes with Rendili StarDrive aren't something she has a personal hand in.
No, she just needs to handle high level politics in the Senate and keeping the Militarists together and on track.
***
"Care for a glass of wine, my dear?" asks Count Yeger Basmirk, a Senator from Carida and a long-time Militarist dating back to the days of Ranulph Tarkin and his ORSF, "You look like you could do with some of my Alderaanian wine."
"It would be remiss of me to turn down such a generous offer, Yeger," replies Candabrine, "Today has been particularly difficult."
"Yes, you had a meeting with Mee Deechi, didn't you," muses Yeger, "The alien is quite exhausting to deal with from what I've heard."
Candabrine refrains from visually expressing her displeasure with her fellow senator's words, but the attitude of her fellow Militarist is something that Candadrine is still trying to purge from the coalition. The traditional membership of the Militarist faction by human-dominant Core Worlds has left some humanocentric beliefs amongst Candabrine's coalition, something not helped by the lingering legacy of Ranulph Tarkin.
Candabrine has done her best to purge such attitudes for reasons both moral and pragmatic, but it has been unfortunately slow and she doubts she will ever be fully rid of it. At least Yeger is fairly moderate when it comes to his dislike of nonhumans with his pragmatism overruling his prejudices.
"Senator Deechi is just rather patriotic about the Republic," says Candabrine, "And more importantly, his primary concern at the moment is defeating the Separatists and he is open to the idea that the Militarist cause might be better for the war effort than the Loyalist cause."
"It is always useful to get another vote, especially one motivated by proper ideals rather than rank opportunism," says Yeger as he pours a glass of wine, "Umbrara is in the Expansion Region if I recall correctly."
"Yes, the Ghost Nebula sector," answers Candabrine as she accepts the wine glass that Yeger is offering her, "Right on the frontlines."
"That would explain his desire to see the war waged right," says Yeger, "Something for us to work with."
"Indeed it is," says Candabrine, "Forgive me, Yeger, but I don't believe that you invited me here to share wine and discuss Senator Deechi. Not that I don't appreciate the glass. This is a fine vintage."
"Yes. it is a bit out of character for me to request a meeting over such trivial things," agrees Yeger, "Forgive me, Candabrine, but I wish to discuss the Mandalore situation."
"That Force-forsaken mess," mutters Candabrine, not bothering to hide her frustration for her long-time ally as she lets out a sigh, "With all honesty, it is a classic Ben Shan situation. He goes and makes a mess that is a pain for us in the Senate to deal with, but ultimately something beneficial for both the Republic and the galaxy. This one just happens to be the biggest one yet."
"Ah, that does sum our darling general," muses Yeger with a chuckle, "For all the trouble that he causes, Ben Shan has ultimately been beneficial for our cause."
"Thanks to his actions, the Militarists are stronger than ever," says Candabrine, deciding to press the point home, "Corellia, Mon Cala, Mandalore, Rodia and others have only aligned themselves with us thanks to the actions of Ben Shan. Not to mention that his victories have only bolstered our cause thanks to our pre-war support of him and Shan's open antagonism with the Chancellor."
"Hmm, have you figured out what happened between them?" inquires Yeger, "They didn't have this dislike for each other prior to Geonosis."
"All I can find is the slave status of the clones," answers Candabrine, "If there is anything beyond that, neither of them are sharing."
And there is certainly something beyond the slavery issue. Candabrine has seen how Ben has reacted to slavers before and while he has had his outrage and disgust, it has never gone as deep as Ben's borderline hatred of Chancellor Palpatine. Whatever it is, Candabrine doubts she will ever understand how the Jedi Knight thinks. Whenever as she does, Ben Shan just goes and upends her grasp of his character.
"A shame, it would be nice to know what makes them tick," says Yeger, "Still, I will support Ben Shan over Sheev Palpatine any day of the week. One is a reliable and trustworthy ally who has proven themselves time and time again while the other is a fair-weather friend at best."
"We are Militarists not Loyalists," agrees Candabrine.
Even with his change in opinion with the outbreak of war, Chancellor Palpatine is no Militarist. He made that clear with his desire for using clones from some unknown Outer Rim world instead of real soldiers from respected Republic Core Worlds with long and proven martial traditions. Not to mention that his actions then and since have only reinforced Candabrine's belief that Palpatine merely wished to hijack the Militarists for his Loyalists.
"Indeed, we are," says Yeger, "But back to the Mandalore situation, how is the new Mandalore handling things?"
"Mand'alor," corrects Candabrine, "And Shan is doing quite well. He has been organising his Mandalorian Guardians into a proper military. He has put in a large order for blasters from Concordian Crescent Technologies and he has been reaching out to get warships for the Mandalorian navy."
"What kind of ships are we talking about here?" asks Yeger.
"All escort sized," answers Candabrine, "Corellian Corvettes, Thranta-class Corvettes, Marauder-class Corvettes and the like. Just as he is reorganising the naval forces into Republic Patriot Legions into more standardised fleets, he is reforming the Mandalorian naval assets to pure military, all purpose-built warships and no more converted freighters and shuttles."
"I heard he has been making large orders from RSD and CEC," notes Yeger, "A few dozen warships, thousands of starfighters. Dare I ask how he is paying for it all?"
"When I asked him that myself, I was informed that the Hutts were paying for it all," says Candabrine with a sly grin on her face.
"He took money from the-ah, I get it," exclaims the Senator from Caridia, his shock changing into an amused smirk, "Yes, taking the credits by force seems far more in line for Ben Shan than cutting a deal with slavers. I trust it won't backfire on us?"
"If it was, we would have heard about it by now," Candabrine assures him, "It happened over a month ago."
"A month isn't that long," points out Yeger, "But I concede the point that we would have heard something by now. Speaking of shipyards, have you heard about the new deal between Rendili and Mon Cala?"
"No, I have not," answers Candabrine as she takes a moment to rack her memories, "I can't recall any recent meetings between Kathrose and either Meena or Tundra."
"You wouldn't because the agreement was not made here in the Senate," replies Yeger, "The terms were agreed upon directly between King Yos and the Arch-Provost."
"I take it that you know the terms of this agreement?" inquires Candabrine because she doubts Yeger would be bringing this up like this if he didn't.
"Collaboration between Rendili StarDrive and Mon Calamari Shipyards to create a Star Cruiser answer to the Star Destroyers of Kuat Drive Yards," answers Yeger, "Rendili was already looking at making their own Star Destroyer equivalent, but those Star Cruisers used by Ben Shan have been impressive enough that the Arch-Provost wishes to bring aboard the expertise of the Mon Calamari."
"Hmm, that could be useful," says Candabrine, "Compared to Kuat, Rendili is rather short on larger warships."
"That's what happens when you obey the law and don't violate the Ruusan Reformation with a secret warship program," says Yeger, "But we're getting off-topic. Back to the Mandalore situation, what are we going to do now that Ben Shan is the head of state for an entire sector? It has been two weeks and nobody knows what to do about it."
"That is the question of the month," says Candabrine with a sigh before downing what's left of her glass.
***
Politics ho! As a heads up, I haven't really done much story writing this year and this is about it. This chapter is showing what some of Ben's old allies are up to. Other chapters planned will show what his reliable allies, unreliable allies, his rivals and his enemies are up to.
Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
Last edited:
- Location
- California, USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This sentence cuts off in the middle
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Fixed. Thanks for catching that.
kinglugia
Hora hora~
Can't wait.