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| - The Imperial task force reverted to real space in the Calamari system; one Imperator Mark II-class Star Destroyer, accompanied by various escort cruisers and corvettes, aligned along the flanks of the mighty "Conqueror." Almost immediately the task force began to take battle formation, their shields and weapon batteries coming to life as sensors picked up the enemy ships and tacticans went to work, feeding the commanding officers with information by the second, who then relayed their orders to their crewmen and officers, officers such as the flight officer, who then relayed the orders to the fighter pilots. One such commanding officer wasn't really an officer at all, but rather a former admiral, standing by the viewport on the bridge of the "Conqueror." Behind him was the ship's captain, Antal Brencis, and other junior officers, busy working at their stations as the battle lines drew closer. "Dispatch all fighters and bomber groups. Fighters will fly cover for us and the bombers as we engage the enemy capital ships. Keep their bloody fighters off us enough to deal some damage to that lovely fleet of theirs," Danik Kreldin said, his hands folded behind his back as he watched the rebel fleet began to move in reaction to the arrival of the Imperials. They were well prepared, as they should be; the Imperials were just here not too long ago, and dealt some mighty damage to the rebel's beloved "Crusader" and their shipyards. Nevertheless, the Imperials failed, and Kreldin failed, and today he would not fail. He would make certain of it. "You know your targets, gentlemen," Danik announced to the bridge, "aim carefully. They may be rebels, but they're good. Better than what the propaganda tells you. Helm, take in us towards their fleet, battle speed. Make me proud, gentlemen." And so the battle began. "Captain, Imperial ships have entered the system! Awaiting orders!" "Battle Stations! Form up with the rest of the Fleet." After shouting the required orders from the manual he just read an hour ago, Morganth adds, "Ok, Gentlemen! We are all new here and some of use here have never seen a Star Destroyer outside of a holo-vid. This is out first battle as a crew! Lets not make it our last!")) Time for another battle. Lieutenant Biff was situated in his bomber, Darksword 4, ready to once again march off to fight the criminals and terrorists who plagued his galaxy. He was a veteran of several battles, including the previous battle at Calamari several weeks ago. He was one of the few survivors of the bombing run on the shipyards, which took the lives of many of his comrades and ended up with no victory at all. It was a bad battle, one Biff hoped to forget. But here he was, back in the fray over Calamari, with new faces to lead and watch die. Maybe today was his number? Regardless, he and his men, and his superiors, had a job to do, and that was to destroy the rebels. He and his missiles were going to make sure that happened. As former admiral Danik Kreldin gave the orders to take off, the bomber wing on the Conqueror took off, several at a time, and formed up in formation with the other bomber squadrons. "Darksword 4 here, ready to go. Give us our targets, control," Biff said, sending his message to the bridge of the Conqueror, watching as the fleets of the rebel navy drew closer. "Captain Brencis, the Republic Assault Frigate "Adamant" is nearby, bearing on vector 3. I'm also picking up the gunship "Garm Bel Iblis" and the Republic-class Star Destroyer "Templar." They're the closet units to our force. The rest of the rebel fleet is slightly near by, including the "Crusader." Shall we proceed?" an officer asked, looking up from his work station in the crew pit. Captain Brencis merely nodded his head, and took a seat, a tactical display of the battle hanging from the ceiling in front of him. "Crush them." And off the Imperials were, the fighters flying out ahead of the fleet and covering the bombers as the Imperial fleet engaged their engines to full battle speed and accelerated forward to meet the "Templar" and its escorts, the "Adamant" and "Garm bel Iblis." Danik couldn't be anymore excited. "Distance to firing range?" Danik asked, moving back and forth. "We're in range, sir," an officer replied from the crew pit, giving Danik the freedom to give the order to open fire. And so the Imperial fleet, their battle formation drawn up, opened fire on the poor, poor rebel fleet. ""Invincible" and "Selene," break off from the formation and catch the that gunship's attention. Draw it away from the "Adamant" and the "Templar." Helm, bring us up right next to that assault frigate. I want a full broadside on it when we get the chance, understood?" Danik said, his eyes catching the wedge-shaped form of the destroyer growing closer. "We'll have to worry about the big boy, too. Half the bomber group split up and engage both the "Adamant" and the "Templar." Moore's Fleet, get in between the "Adamant" and "Templar" and create a buffer for us. Keep the "Templar" off our tail for a bit." Moore's Fleet, which consisted of the majority of the escort ships flanking the "Conqueror," was commanded by Commodore Moore, an established fleet officer who had many victories under his belt, but never got past a Carrack-class cruiser. And his job was to lead his fleet of ships to create a wedge in between the "Adamant" and the "Templar" so the behemoth Star Destroyer would have no problem in picking the smaller assault frigate off. That was Kreldin's plan. Knock out the smaller guys first, and isolate the big guy, the "Templar." Then all of his resources would be devoted to wiping the "Templar" out all by itself, before the rebels could rush in reinforcements. Now he would see how well his plan worked. "Sir, we are receiving orders to form up on the Crusader for escort." shouts the communications officer in a loud but shrill voice "You heard him helm. Form up on the Crusader and get ready for battle.")) cbt/pose Lieutenant Biff grew slightly anxious as the rebel fleet drew near, and his adrenaline began to run. Then came in his orders, from his flight officer. The bomber group would split up and engage both the "Adamant" and the "Templar." His squadron was assigned to the assault frigate, and all the better, Biff figured. Going up against a Star Destroyer was not so easy. And so the bomber group split up into two, and each went along vectors bearing down upon their respected targets. Biff's squadron kept close formation and began their bombing run; proton torpedoes were fired from the twelve craft shortly after, which were soon joined in by the other squadrons attacking the "Adamant." And off to a distance, the bombing run on the "Templar" began, proton torpedoes filling up the void. The TIEs were flying good cover today, Biff though. "Sir, we have the "Crusader" and various escorts are moving to reinforce the "Templar" group. They are in firing range, sir," the same officer announced, peeking up from his crew pit. "Your orders?" he asked, to both Brencis and Kreldin. The Imperial forces had moved swiftly; the fighter squadrons had quickly intercepted the rebel fighter squadrons which had moved in to intercept the Imperial bomber wing, and had intercepted them quite efficiently, Kreldin mused. A few units of rebel fighters had broken through, but still... Better than last time, for sure. Nevertheless, he had to keep his guard up; the "Crusader" was en route, and that meant trouble. Two Republic-class Star Destroyers was not something he wanted to face with the force he had under his command. Maybe he should have brought the "Tormentor" along for the ride, and maybe a few Victory-class Star Destroyers? Eh, didn't matter; he was sure he could manage. "Hmm, stay where we are for now... keep the "Templar" occupied. Just have two squadrons of bombers from the "Adamant" group begin a bombing run on the "Crusader." Moore's Fleet moved in between the "Templar" and "Adamant" and began to pound away at both, while the thirty-six bombers flew in between the Fleet and began their own bombing run on the "Templar." The "Garm bel Iblis," on the other hand, received slightly less treatment than the rest, with only the "Invincible," a Carrack-class cruiser, and the "Selene," a dreadnought, began their attack runs on the gunship. The "Conqueror," on the other hand, entered into a roll as it moved up alongside the "Adamant," allowing its portside turbolasers to open fire while it was facing the "Adamant," and then to recharge as the "Conqueror" rolled, but at the same time, allowed the starboard side batteries to open fire, and then recharge, and the process repeated, a never-ending volley of fire opening up on the "Adamant," and with the thirty-six bombers in the mix, victory was assured, or so he figured. But with the Crusader now in the fray, things were going to get hard. misc/emit Orders were once again changing, Biff thought as his flight officer spoke over the radio. Two squadrons were needed to begin a bombing run on the "Crusader." Great, another Star Destroyer to deal with. Fortunately, Biff's squadron was not one of those designated to attack the "Crusader." Still, the loss of two squadrons took the number of bombers attacking the "Adamant" down to twelve, and to make matters worse a group of rebel fighters had slipped through their fighter screen and began to wade into the bombers. But, now that the bombers were spliting up into a third group, their attack would be more spread out, which cooled Biff's nerves a bit. He wouldn't lose as many as last time. Several bombers over in the "Templar" group winked out from anti-fighter fire, and from the arrival of the rebel fighters, and another four went down in the group en route to attack the "Crusader." Biff's squadron was still firmly intact, and they didn't hesitate a moment to open up on the "Adamant" with yet another volley of proton torpedo fire. misc/emit "Sir, the "Crusader" has dispatched its fighters! They're going to flank us," the officer announced, a sense of worry in his voice. And sure enough, the "Crusader"'s flight of fighters engaged the two squadrons of bombers, which were mostly unattended to, causing a lot of casaulties. Danik had messed up, slightly. "Alright, have Shadow Squadron break off from that dog fight as best as it can and move in to assist that bomber squadron moving in on the "Crusader." This is of the upmost urgency," Danik said, tapping his right foot as he watched the "Crusader" move in on his starboard. "Ugh. Contact Commodore Moore; I want the 5th Squadron to break off from its attack on the "Templar" and move in to assist us against the "Crusader." Tell him to be extremely hasty about it," Danik said to the communications officer, who replied with an affirmative and did as he was told. Commodore Moore, aboard the "HIMS Perry," gave the orders to Commander Fillip, the commander of the 5th Squadron. The 5th Squadron consisted of ten Imperial corvettes of various classes, two dreadnoughts, and five cruisers. Enough to help the "Conqueror" out enough to get them through the fight. Enough to piss the "Crusader" off for sure. As the 5th Squadron moved to reinforce the "Conqueror," breaking off from its attack on the "Templar," so was Shadow Squadron, the squadron of TIE Interceptors breaking themselves off from the vicious dog fight that was ensuing away from the main fleet battle, en route to save the two squadron of bombers that were taking a beating against the A-wings. But the remaining bombers were relentless; they were making sure their bombs found their target, even if it meant death. cbt/pose Ah crap! A-wings had just been dispatched from the damnable "Crusader," which really ruined Biff's day. Just what he needed. He watched his sensors as fellow bombers winked out, but fortunately his squadron had remained untouched, for now. Only casaulties being inflicted were over in the "Templar" and "Crusader" groups, as those both had the most concentration of bombers. And the most concentration of enemy fighters. That cooled Biff's nerves slightly, but not enough. "We have new targets: multiple Y-wings and B-wings, bearing down on our vector. Stay alert," came the voice over the radio. As sure enough, Biff could see the rebel bombers flying past, en route for the Imperial fleet to unleash their payload of bombs. Which is what Biff himself had to do. And off the torpedoes went. misc/emit "New targets, sir: B-wings and Y-wings, bearing down our vector. They'll be within firing range in a few moments. Your orders?" "Lieutenant Janos, rip a new one in the "Crusader"'s hull. And try to knock out the incoming missiles from the Y-wings and B-wings, won't ya?" Danik announced to the master gunner, looking at the bridge of the "Crusader" off nearby. "Keep up the work, bombers." The two squadrons that had been wailing on the "Crusader" had been knocked down to one squadron, and the rebel bombers had been launching their salvos into the "Conqueror." Not good. Shadow Squadron had finally arrived on scene, wading into the rebel A-wings to help the bomber squadron that was attacking the "Crusader." And to deal with the bombers attacking the "Conqueror," Danik called in several reserve units, two squadron of Interceptors. He had hoped he wouldn't need to use them, but the quick arrival of the "Crusader" and its fighters had pulled his hand. And Commodore Moore and his Fleet were still knee deep in a fierce battle with the "Templar," now having been downsized due to the departure of 5th Squadron which had been dispatched to deal with the "Crusader." The 5th Squadron, the ten corvettes, two dreadnoughts and five cruisers, had finally arrived to assist the "Conqueror" against the much-hated "Conqueror. The batteries on each ship opened up on the ol' Crusty, creating a frenzy of fire as the capital ship battle grew increasingly larger and more dangerous. misc/emit Reinforcements, at last! Shadow Squadron was a much-welcomed guest for the remaining squadron assaulting the "Crusader." Now the bombers had an actual chance of survival. The interceptors of Shadow and the A-wings met and did battle, hopefully distracting the A-wings enough to give the bombers more time to unleash their torpedoes on the "Crusader," which they had caught with her shields down. The two reserve units that Kreldin had called for were here quickly enough, aiming to intercept the undefended B-wings and Y-wings which were harassing the shields on the behemoth "Conqueror." Like the scimitars attacking the "Crusader," it was like shooting fish in a barrel. They could only hope the rebels had no reinforcements for the rebel bombers. Lieutenant Biff and his squadron were having great luck so far; their attack on the "Adamant" had so far gone smoothly, with the exception of some fire from the gunship, "Garm bel Iblis," but they were none too concerned, as the "Invincible" and the "Selene" were still hitting that gunship with everything they had. But then the "Invincible" and "Selene" realized its prey was retreating back towards the "Crusader". "Let it go," Danik said, watching the gunship fley. "Have the "Invincible" and the "Selene" form up and join the 5th Squadron in attacking the "Crusader." misc/emit "Revert all power to the turbolasers! Screw the bloody shields! I don't care if we take damage at this point. Blow them up," Danik shouted on the bridge, sending shivers down some of the officer's spine as they realized they were going to be losing a lot of shield power. And that meant they would seen be left open to hull damage. And that meant some guys were going to be floating in space shortly. But Danik was dead-set on blowing something up. Commodore Moore was surely to be promoted after this battle. If he survived, of course. Moore's Fleet, even without 5th Squadron, was performing exceedingly well against the "Templar" and its escort. The "Templar"'s shields were all gone, and a nice hole was left in the starboard side of the battle scarred destroyer. Moore's Fleet, on the other hand, was doing..well, good. The rebels had decided the "Templar" was probably better off to be killed, and thus hadn't sent any reinforcements to it...like they did for the "Adamant." Danik couldn't make any sense of it, but he wasn't going to interrupt his enemy while they were making a mistake. misc/emit Shadow Squadron continued to wade through the flight of A-wings that had been assaulting the bombers, giving the bombers their time to hopefully wreck the "Crusader." The 5th Squadron had by now completely encircled the "Crusader," putting them in between themselves, the bombers and the "Conqueror," which itself was flanked by the "Crusader," rebel bombers and the heavily damaged "Adamant." But the shields on the "Conqueror" were still holding strong. The Star Destroyers were living up to their name. But to make matters worse, the rebels had finally decided to go help the "Templar," and a flight of rebel fighters had entered the battle, knocking out seven of the 36 bombers attacking the "Templar." Danik smiled, preferring this; hopefully it would give the fighters in the dog fight a better chance. Meanwhile, good old Lieutenant Biff and his squadron were still completely unharmed. And they were using that to their advantage to unload yet another twelve torpedoes on the "Adamant." Bombs away! misc/emit "Sir! We've lost the "Implacable"!" the officer shouted, his sensors reading the death of the once powerful, albeit old, dreadnought. Their first big loss of the day. Still, considering all they've done so far, that's not so bad. At least the "Crusader" wasn't attacking them anymore. Well, some things you just had to sacrifice...Danik knew that. Thirty-six years of combat had taught him that well. The loss of the "Implacable" wasn't going to force the Imperials to retreat just yet. But the 5th Squadron did take a nasty beating; it certainly wasn't pretty. But that only intensified their resolve. And so they kept on shooting, knowing death was just around the corner. "We've lost seven bombers over by the "Adamant," sir," the officer announced, watching the sensors as those ships flicked on. Not a very good development... "Intensify fire!" misc/emit "Sir, bad news again: the "HIMS Korolov" has just been lost..." the officer announced, beginning to grow more weary. The lost of two dreadnoughts was a large blow to the once powerful 5th Squadron, but nevertheless, the Imperials were still holding strong. The "Templar" had taking a heavy beating, and the "Adamant" wasn't looking like the "Adamant" anymore. Danik definitely should have brought more destroyers. The rebel bombers assaulting the "Conqueror" had all been wiped out, virtually; they had received no fighter support, thus allowing the two squadrons of reserves to wreck them into oblivion, having caught them between the Star Destroyer and themselves. Thus, having finished up the bombers, they moved to engage the two squadron of fighters that had been sent to help out the "Templar" against the pesky 25-remaining bombers and the rest of Moore's still-powerful and intact Fleet. And as for the "Conqueror," her shields were still holding strong, and her turbolasers were pouring more and more firepower into the "Adamant" and the "Crusader." It was only a matter of time now, Danik figured, watching the squadron of bombers perform another bombing run on the "Crusader." misc/emit Danik Kreldin had seen many battles in his thirty-six years of constant warfare. He had seen a lot of ballsy moves, but the one that stuck with him the most was that one A-wing, with nothing left, rammed into the bridge of the Executor-class dreadnought. That day he realized just how desperate the rebels really were, and how far they were willing to go to achieve their goals. He silently admired them for them. This, however, didn't top that move. The lights on the "Conqueror" went out as the frigate slammed into it, sending fifty-four year old Danik Kreldin slamming into view port and the others in the crew pit all over the place. The ship itself shook violently, explosions ripping across its hull and ending the lives of hundreds. And when it was all said and done, the massive fireball disappearing, the "Conqueror" was still there. Danik had to thank the fact that the "Conqueror" had tough shields, and that they caused enough damage to the "Adamant" that its impact wasn't as powerful. But it was mostly the shields that saved them. Wiping the blood off his forehead, Danik Kreldin stumbled up, Brencis helping him do so. The emergency power had been activated, providing some illumination in the bridge. "Crazy bastards..." Danik noted, coughing up some blood onto his suit. "Can't believe we're still alive. Give me a situation report," he managed, taking the seat Brencis offered him. The "Conqueror" was definitely beat up; a massive hole had been left behind where the "Adamant" struck, and all across the hull there were smaller hulls and marks. Inside the ship it was havoc; fires were everywhere and crewmen worked desperately to extiniguish the flames and patch up the hull. Numerous batteries were out of commission, and the channels were being flooded with reports of deaths and injuries. The medics and engineers were working on the clock to fulfill their duties to save lives. The rest of the Imperial fleet was still in shock; Moore's Fleet was continuing to pound the "Templar," while the 5th Squadron was keeping to the increasingly damaged "Crusader," despite the lost of two corvettes. But maybe it was time to call a withdrawal and get away while they could still say they won. misc/emit Well the "Crusader" was officially ticked off. Danik knew they didn't have long before they too met a similiar fate as the "Adamant." The 5th Squadron, consisting of seven cruisers and seven corvettes, was still pounding away at the surrounded "Crusader," and to their relief, the "Crusader" began to focus on the "Conqueror." But all good things had to come to an end. The "Conqueror" was badly hurt and in need of much repair. And repair it would get, Danik would make sure of that. "Give the order to fall back; Moore's Fleet will regroup at Chandrila, and we'll go straight for Corellia. The shipyards await us. I hope the hyperdrives are still functional? Wouldn't want to bother poor Commodore Moore," Danik said, leaning back in his seat. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. And he was coughing up blood, so that wasn't a good sign. A medic had already been sent for him. Commodore Moore received his orders, and the Moore Fleet broke off from its attack on the severaly damaged "Templar." The Republic-class destroyer would survive for today. For today. The surviving bombers were recalled to their ships, and the flight officer announced the withdrawal message to the TIE pilots. "Order Moore's Fleet to fly cover for us; we need a safe passage out of the system," he said, and the rest of the fleet responded in kind, picking up escort formation around the badly damaged "Conqueror" as the fighters and bombers began to fly back to their mother ships. A safe hyperspace route was picked out, and it was only a matter time before they entered the safety of hyperspace.
- The Imperial task force reverted to real space in the Calamari system; one Imperator Mark II-class Star Destroyer, accompanied by various escort cruisers and corvettes, aligned along the flanks of the mighty "Conqueror." Almost immediately the task force began to take battle formation, their shields and weapon batteries coming to life as sensors picked up the enemy ships and tacticans went to work, feeding the commanding officers with information by the second, who then relayed their orders to their crewmen and officers, officers such as the flight officer, who then relayed the orders to the fighter pilots. One such commanding officer wasn't really an officer at all, but rather a former admiral, standing by the viewport on the bridge of the "Conqueror." Behind him was the ship's captain, Antal Brencis, and other junior officers, busy working at their stations as the battle lines drew closer. "Dispatch all fighters and bomber groups. Fighters will fly cover for us and the bombers as we engage the enemy capital ships. Keep their bloody fighters off us enough to deal some damage to that lovely fleet of theirs," Danik Kreldin said, his hands folded behind his back as he watched the rebel fleet began to move in reaction to the arrival of the Imperials. They were well prepared, as they should be; the Imperials were just here not too long ago, and dealt some mighty damage to the rebel's beloved "Crusader" and their shipyards. Nevertheless, the Imperials failed, and Kreldin failed, and today he would not fail. He would make certain of it. "You know your targets, gentlemen," Danik announced to the bridge, "aim carefully. They may be rebels, but they're good. Better than what the propaganda tells you. Helm, take in us towards their fleet, battle speed. Make me proud, gentlemen." And so the battle began. "Captain, Imperial ships have entered the system! Awaiting orders!" "Battle Stations! Form up with the rest of the Fleet." After shouting the required orders from the manual he just read an hour ago, Morganth adds, "Ok, Gentlemen! We are all new here and some of use here have never seen a Star Destroyer outside of a holo-vid. This is out first battle as a crew! Lets not make it our last!")) Time for another battle. Lieutenant Biff was situated in his bomber, Darksword 4, ready to once again march off to fight the criminals and terrorists who plagued his galaxy. He was a veteran of several battles, including the previous battle at Calamari several weeks ago. He was one of the few survivors of the bombing run on the shipyards, which took the lives of many of his comrades and ended up with no victory at all. It was a bad battle, one Biff hoped to forget. But here he was, back in the fray over Calamari, with new faces to lead and watch die. Maybe today was his number? Regardless, he and his men, and his superiors, had a job to do, and that was to destroy the rebels. He and his missiles were going to make sure that happened. As former admiral Danik Kreldin gave the orders to take off, the bomber wing on the Conqueror took off, several at a time, and formed up in formation with the other bomber squadrons. "Darksword 4 here, ready to go. Give us our targets, control," Biff said, sending his message to the bridge of the Conqueror, watching as the fleets of the rebel navy drew closer. "Captain Brencis, the Republic Assault Frigate "Adamant" is nearby, bearing on vector 3. I'm also picking up the gunship "Garm Bel Iblis" and the Republic-class Star Destroyer "Templar." They're the closet units to our force. The rest of the rebel fleet is slightly near by, including the "Crusader." Shall we proceed?" an officer asked, looking up from his work station in the crew pit. Captain Brencis merely nodded his head, and took a seat, a tactical display of the battle hanging from the ceiling in front of him. "Crush them." And off the Imperials were, the fighters flying out ahead of the fleet and covering the bombers as the Imperial fleet engaged their engines to full battle speed and accelerated forward to meet the "Templar" and its escorts, the "Adamant" and "Garm bel Iblis." Danik couldn't be anymore excited. "Distance to firing range?" Danik asked, moving back and forth. "We're in range, sir," an officer replied from the crew pit, giving Danik the freedom to give the order to open fire. And so the Imperial fleet, their battle formation drawn up, opened fire on the poor, poor rebel fleet. ""Invincible" and "Selene," break off from the formation and catch the that gunship's attention. Draw it away from the "Adamant" and the "Templar." Helm, bring us up right next to that assault frigate. I want a full broadside on it when we get the chance, understood?" Danik said, his eyes catching the wedge-shaped form of the destroyer growing closer. "We'll have to worry about the big boy, too. Half the bomber group split up and engage both the "Adamant" and the "Templar." Moore's Fleet, get in between the "Adamant" and "Templar" and create a buffer for us. Keep the "Templar" off our tail for a bit." Moore's Fleet, which consisted of the majority of the escort ships flanking the "Conqueror," was commanded by Commodore Moore, an established fleet officer who had many victories under his belt, but never got past a Carrack-class cruiser. And his job was to lead his fleet of ships to create a wedge in between the "Adamant" and the "Templar" so the behemoth Star Destroyer would have no problem in picking the smaller assault frigate off. That was Kreldin's plan. Knock out the smaller guys first, and isolate the big guy, the "Templar." Then all of his resources would be devoted to wiping the "Templar" out all by itself, before the rebels could rush in reinforcements. Now he would see how well his plan worked. "Sir, we are receiving orders to form up on the Crusader for escort." shouts the communications officer in a loud but shrill voice "You heard him helm. Form up on the Crusader and get ready for battle.")) cbt/pose Lieutenant Biff grew slightly anxious as the rebel fleet drew near, and his adrenaline began to run. Then came in his orders, from his flight officer. The bomber group would split up and engage both the "Adamant" and the "Templar." His squadron was assigned to the assault frigate, and all the better, Biff figured. Going up against a Star Destroyer was not so easy. And so the bomber group split up into two, and each went along vectors bearing down upon their respected targets. Biff's squadron kept close formation and began their bombing run; proton torpedoes were fired from the twelve craft shortly after, which were soon joined in by the other squadrons attacking the "Adamant." And off to a distance, the bombing run on the "Templar" began, proton torpedoes filling up the void. The TIEs were flying good cover today, Biff though. "Sir, we have the "Crusader" and various escorts are moving to reinforce the "Templar" group. They are in firing range, sir," the same officer announced, peeking up from his crew pit. "Your orders?" he asked, to both Brencis and Kreldin. The Imperial forces had moved swiftly; the fighter squadrons had quickly intercepted the rebel fighter squadrons which had moved in to intercept the Imperial bomber wing, and had intercepted them quite efficiently, Kreldin mused. A few units of rebel fighters had broken through, but still... Better than last time, for sure. Nevertheless, he had to keep his guard up; the "Crusader" was en route, and that meant trouble. Two Republic-class Star Destroyers was not something he wanted to face with the force he had under his command. Maybe he should have brought the "Tormentor" along for the ride, and maybe a few Victory-class Star Destroyers? Eh, didn't matter; he was sure he could manage. "Hmm, stay where we are for now... keep the "Templar" occupied. Just have two squadrons of bombers from the "Adamant" group begin a bombing run on the "Crusader." Moore's Fleet moved in between the "Templar" and "Adamant" and began to pound away at both, while the thirty-six bombers flew in between the Fleet and began their own bombing run on the "Templar." The "Garm bel Iblis," on the other hand, received slightly less treatment than the rest, with only the "Invincible," a Carrack-class cruiser, and the "Selene," a dreadnought, began their attack runs on the gunship. The "Conqueror," on the other hand, entered into a roll as it moved up alongside the "Adamant," allowing its portside turbolasers to open fire while it was facing the "Adamant," and then to recharge as the "Conqueror" rolled, but at the same time, allowed the starboard side batteries to open fire, and then recharge, and the process repeated, a never-ending volley of fire opening up on the "Adamant," and with the thirty-six bombers in the mix, victory was assured, or so he figured. But with the Crusader now in the fray, things were going to get hard. misc/emit Orders were once again changing, Biff thought as his flight officer spoke over the radio. Two squadrons were needed to begin a bombing run on the "Crusader." Great, another Star Destroyer to deal with. Fortunately, Biff's squadron was not one of those designated to attack the "Crusader." Still, the loss of two squadrons took the number of bombers attacking the "Adamant" down to twelve, and to make matters worse a group of rebel fighters had slipped through their fighter screen and began to wade into the bombers. But, now that the bombers were spliting up into a third group, their attack would be more spread out, which cooled Biff's nerves a bit. He wouldn't lose as many as last time. Several bombers over in the "Templar" group winked out from anti-fighter fire, and from the arrival of the rebel fighters, and another four went down in the group en route to attack the "Crusader." Biff's squadron was still firmly intact, and they didn't hesitate a moment to open up on the "Adamant" with yet another volley of proton torpedo fire. misc/emit "Sir, the "Crusader" has dispatched its fighters! They're going to flank us," the officer announced, a sense of worry in his voice. And sure enough, the "Crusader"'s flight of fighters engaged the two squadrons of bombers, which were mostly unattended to, causing a lot of casaulties. Danik had messed up, slightly. "Alright, have Shadow Squadron break off from that dog fight as best as it can and move in to assist that bomber squadron moving in on the "Crusader." This is of the upmost urgency," Danik said, tapping his right foot as he watched the "Crusader" move in on his starboard. "Ugh. Contact Commodore Moore; I want the 5th Squadron to break off from its attack on the "Templar" and move in to assist us against the "Crusader." Tell him to be extremely hasty about it," Danik said to the communications officer, who replied with an affirmative and did as he was told. Commodore Moore, aboard the "HIMS Perry," gave the orders to Commander Fillip, the commander of the 5th Squadron. The 5th Squadron consisted of ten Imperial corvettes of various classes, two dreadnoughts, and five cruisers. Enough to help the "Conqueror" out enough to get them through the fight. Enough to piss the "Crusader" off for sure. As the 5th Squadron moved to reinforce the "Conqueror," breaking off from its attack on the "Templar," so was Shadow Squadron, the squadron of TIE Interceptors breaking themselves off from the vicious dog fight that was ensuing away from the main fleet battle, en route to save the two squadron of bombers that were taking a beating against the A-wings. But the remaining bombers were relentless; they were making sure their bombs found their target, even if it meant death. cbt/pose Ah crap! A-wings had just been dispatched from the damnable "Crusader," which really ruined Biff's day. Just what he needed. He watched his sensors as fellow bombers winked out, but fortunately his squadron had remained untouched, for now. Only casaulties being inflicted were over in the "Templar" and "Crusader" groups, as those both had the most concentration of bombers. And the most concentration of enemy fighters. That cooled Biff's nerves slightly, but not enough. "We have new targets: multiple Y-wings and B-wings, bearing down on our vector. Stay alert," came the voice over the radio. As sure enough, Biff could see the rebel bombers flying past, en route for the Imperial fleet to unleash their payload of bombs. Which is what Biff himself had to do. And off the torpedoes went. misc/emit "New targets, sir: B-wings and Y-wings, bearing down our vector. They'll be within firing range in a few moments. Your orders?" "Lieutenant Janos, rip a new one in the "Crusader"'s hull. And try to knock out the incoming missiles from the Y-wings and B-wings, won't ya?" Danik announced to the master gunner, looking at the bridge of the "Crusader" off nearby. "Keep up the work, bombers." The two squadrons that had been wailing on the "Crusader" had been knocked down to one squadron, and the rebel bombers had been launching their salvos into the "Conqueror." Not good. Shadow Squadron had finally arrived on scene, wading into the rebel A-wings to help the bomber squadron that was attacking the "Crusader." And to deal with the bombers attacking the "Conqueror," Danik called in several reserve units, two squadron of Interceptors. He had hoped he wouldn't need to use them, but the quick arrival of the "Crusader" and its fighters had pulled his hand. And Commodore Moore and his Fleet were still knee deep in a fierce battle with the "Templar," now having been downsized due to the departure of 5th Squadron which had been dispatched to deal with the "Crusader." The 5th Squadron, the ten corvettes, two dreadnoughts and five cruisers, had finally arrived to assist the "Conqueror" against the much-hated "Conqueror. The batteries on each ship opened up on the ol' Crusty, creating a frenzy of fire as the capital ship battle grew increasingly larger and more dangerous. misc/emit Reinforcements, at last! Shadow Squadron was a much-welcomed guest for the remaining squadron assaulting the "Crusader." Now the bombers had an actual chance of survival. The interceptors of Shadow and the A-wings met and did battle, hopefully distracting the A-wings enough to give the bombers more time to unleash their torpedoes on the "Crusader," which they had caught with her shields down. The two reserve units that Kreldin had called for were here quickly enough, aiming to intercept the undefended B-wings and Y-wings which were harassing the shields on the behemoth "Conqueror." Like the scimitars attacking the "Crusader," it was like shooting fish in a barrel. They could only hope the rebels had no reinforcements for the rebel bombers. Lieutenant Biff and his squadron were having great luck so far; their attack on the "Adamant" had so far gone smoothly, with the exception of some fire from the gunship, "Garm bel Iblis," but they were none too concerned, as the "Invincible" and the "Selene" were still hitting that gunship with everything they had. But then the "Invincible" and "Selene" realized its prey was retreating back towards the "Crusader". "Let it go," Danik said, watching the gunship fley. "Have the "Invincible" and the "Selene" form up and join the 5th Squadron in attacking the "Crusader." misc/emit "Revert all power to the turbolasers! Screw the bloody shields! I don't care if we take damage at this point. Blow them up," Danik shouted on the bridge, sending shivers down some of the officer's spine as they realized they were going to be losing a lot of shield power. And that meant they would seen be left open to hull damage. And that meant some guys were going to be floating in space shortly. But Danik was dead-set on blowing something up. Commodore Moore was surely to be promoted after this battle. If he survived, of course. Moore's Fleet, even without 5th Squadron, was performing exceedingly well against the "Templar" and its escort. The "Templar"'s shields were all gone, and a nice hole was left in the starboard side of the battle scarred destroyer. Moore's Fleet, on the other hand, was doing..well, good. The rebels had decided the "Templar" was probably better off to be killed, and thus hadn't sent any reinforcements to it...like they did for the "Adamant." Danik couldn't make any sense of it, but he wasn't going to interrupt his enemy while they were making a mistake. misc/emit Shadow Squadron continued to wade through the flight of A-wings that had been assaulting the bombers, giving the bombers their time to hopefully wreck the "Crusader." The 5th Squadron had by now completely encircled the "Crusader," putting them in between themselves, the bombers and the "Conqueror," which itself was flanked by the "Crusader," rebel bombers and the heavily damaged "Adamant." But the shields on the "Conqueror" were still holding strong. The Star Destroyers were living up to their name. But to make matters worse, the rebels had finally decided to go help the "Templar," and a flight of rebel fighters had entered the battle, knocking out seven of the 36 bombers attacking the "Templar." Danik smiled, preferring this; hopefully it would give the fighters in the dog fight a better chance. Meanwhile, good old Lieutenant Biff and his squadron were still completely unharmed. And they were using that to their advantage to unload yet another twelve torpedoes on the "Adamant." Bombs away! misc/emit "Sir! We've lost the "Implacable"!" the officer shouted, his sensors reading the death of the once powerful, albeit old, dreadnought. Their first big loss of the day. Still, considering all they've done so far, that's not so bad. At least the "Crusader" wasn't attacking them anymore. Well, some things you just had to sacrifice...Danik knew that. Thirty-six years of combat had taught him that well. The loss of the "Implacable" wasn't going to force the Imperials to retreat just yet. But the 5th Squadron did take a nasty beating; it certainly wasn't pretty. But that only intensified their resolve. And so they kept on shooting, knowing death was just around the corner. "We've lost seven bombers over by the "Adamant," sir," the officer announced, watching the sensors as those ships flicked on. Not a very good development... "Intensify fire!" misc/emit "Sir, bad news again: the "HIMS Korolov" has just been lost..." the officer announced, beginning to grow more weary. The lost of two dreadnoughts was a large blow to the once powerful 5th Squadron, but nevertheless, the Imperials were still holding strong. The "Templar" had taking a heavy beating, and the "Adamant" wasn't looking like the "Adamant" anymore. Danik definitely should have brought more destroyers. The rebel bombers assaulting the "Conqueror" had all been wiped out, virtually; they had received no fighter support, thus allowing the two squadrons of reserves to wreck them into oblivion, having caught them between the Star Destroyer and themselves. Thus, having finished up the bombers, they moved to engage the two squadron of fighters that had been sent to help out the "Templar" against the pesky 25-remaining bombers and the rest of Moore's still-powerful and intact Fleet. And as for the "Conqueror," her shields were still holding strong, and her turbolasers were pouring more and more firepower into the "Adamant" and the "Crusader." It was only a matter of time now, Danik figured, watching the squadron of bombers perform another bombing run on the "Crusader." misc/emit Danik Kreldin had seen many battles in his thirty-six years of constant warfare. He had seen a lot of ballsy moves, but the one that stuck with him the most was that one A-wing, with nothing left, rammed into the bridge of the Executor-class dreadnought. That day he realized just how desperate the rebels really were, and how far they were willing to go to achieve their goals. He silently admired them for them. This, however, didn't top that move. The lights on the "Conqueror" went out as the frigate slammed into it, sending fifty-four year old Danik Kreldin slamming into view port and the others in the crew pit all over the place. The ship itself shook violently, explosions ripping across its hull and ending the lives of hundreds. And when it was all said and done, the massive fireball disappearing, the "Conqueror" was still there. Danik had to thank the fact that the "Conqueror" had tough shields, and that they caused enough damage to the "Adamant" that its impact wasn't as powerful. But it was mostly the shields that saved them. Wiping the blood off his forehead, Danik Kreldin stumbled up, Brencis helping him do so. The emergency power had been activated, providing some illumination in the bridge. "Crazy bastards..." Danik noted, coughing up some blood onto his suit. "Can't believe we're still alive. Give me a situation report," he managed, taking the seat Brencis offered him. The "Conqueror" was definitely beat up; a massive hole had been left behind where the "Adamant" struck, and all across the hull there were smaller hulls and marks. Inside the ship it was havoc; fires were everywhere and crewmen worked desperately to extiniguish the flames and patch up the hull. Numerous batteries were out of commission, and the channels were being flooded with reports of deaths and injuries. The medics and engineers were working on the clock to fulfill their duties to save lives. The rest of the Imperial fleet was still in shock; Moore's Fleet was continuing to pound the "Templar," while the 5th Squadron was keeping to the increasingly damaged "Crusader," despite the lost of two corvettes. But maybe it was time to call a withdrawal and get away while they could still say they won. misc/emit Well the "Crusader" was officially ticked off. Danik knew they didn't have long before they too met a similiar fate as the "Adamant." The 5th Squadron, consisting of seven cruisers and seven corvettes, was still pounding away at the surrounded "Crusader," and to their relief, the "Crusader" began to focus on the "Conqueror." But all good things had to come to an end. The "Conqueror" was badly hurt and in need of much repair. And repair it would get, Danik would make sure of that. "Give the order to fall back; Moore's Fleet will regroup at Chandrila, and we'll go straight for Corellia. The shipyards await us. I hope the hyperdrives are still functional? Wouldn't want to bother poor Commodore Moore," Danik said, leaning back in his seat. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. And he was coughing up blood, so that wasn't a good sign. A medic had already been sent for him. Commodore Moore received his orders, and the Moore Fleet broke off from its attack on the severaly damaged "Templar." The Republic-class destroyer would survive for today. For today. The surviving bombers were recalled to their ships, and the flight officer announced the withdrawal message to the TIE pilots. "Order Moore's Fleet to fly cover for us; we need a safe passage out of the system," he said, and the rest of the fleet responded in kind, picking up escort formation around the badly damaged "Conqueror" as the fighters and bombers began to fly back to their mother ships. A safe hyperspace route was picked out, and it was only a matter time before they entered the safety of hyperspace. From SW1ki, a Wikia wiki.
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