Lucky Strike (A Star Wars SI)

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 25

"Horizon, Starfury, and Eclipse, I want you to focus on keeping the Munificents distracted," Teskit ordered. "I'll coordinate with Admiral Yularen to get you backup as soon as I can."

Said frigates were clustered in two 'wolfpacks' of four. Of the eight star frigates, four of them were busy sending streams of shuttles to the snowy planet below. Most of them were carrying droids, tanks, and other ground-based troops to support whatever operation was being conducted.

"We'll keep them plenty distracted," I replied. "Godspeed, Captain."

"Move power to the thrusters," I gave the command, glancing at the navigation officer. "And tie the Starfury and Eclipse into our comms."

The problem was that we were still so far away from the action. As with all battles in the void, distances weren't over come in an instant. But, I did still have a few cards to play.

Grabbing my datapad, I began running through calculations, plugging in the exact number and triple checking them before sending the encrypted message to the Starfury and Eclipse.

"Plug in these coordinates to the jump computer," I handed the datapad to the navigations tech. "We're going to microjump."

"But sir, that puts us right in the middle of the wolfpacks!" he protested.

"Droid brains always have issues processing without organics there to give them instructions," I replied. "The main brain for the enemy fleet is going to be the Recusant dreadnought over there," I pointed out the massive form of the ship. And it's going to be a bit busy dealing with Admiral Yularen and Captain Teskit. So, if we do this properly, we can take advantage of that time to cause some damage."

I paused.

"Recall all fighters and bombers," I looked at the comms tech. "We don't need them completely locked in, just enough to jump with us. We'll relaunch after we're done and then redeploy."

A few long moments went by, the bridge a flurry of activity as personnel went back and forth. The systems needed to be prepped for a micro-jump, and all of the personnel throughout the Horizon needed to be ready as well.

Micro-jumps in the heat of combat were always risky. For a brief moment, you were going to be fully exposed to the enemy. Your shields would need to be brought back online, and if you screwed up then you were essentially turning your exposed belly to the enemy. So, the entirety of what I had planned was reliant on a handful of known enemy errors. After this, the Separatists would probably patch the issue I was going to exploit, but until then, it was perfectly viable.

So, once the Eclipse, Starfury, and the Horizon were ready, I gave the signal to begin the jump. There was a lurch, then seconds later we were in between the two enemy wolfpacks. The Munificents frozen in indecision as my teams raced against time to reactive the weapons systems, shields, and check on our power systems.

We were faster than the Munificents, the Horizon's first targets weren't ready yet. For some reason, the four that were discharging troops to the ground had less shields, and as our pilots got closer, they reported less weapons emplacements as well.

"Remember to shift more power to the port deflectors," I instructed. "All gunners focus fire on the ships that react first."

"This is the Starfury," the Arquitens reported. "We're going to move in and hit the frigates supporting the ground troops. Requesting bomber squadrons to assist."

"You've got it, Starfury," I replied, the Horizon shaking underneath us as the first of the Munificents finally returned fire. Its turbolasers scattered harmlessly against our shields, the old tech holding strong. Unfortunately for the Separatists, their shields were not as resilient. Our return fire shredded their shields, and a lucky shot removed their dual-heavy turbolaser as a threat.

"Shields are down to eighty-five percent! Expected to stabilize at fifty-percent if we can eliminate one or more of the Munificents."

"Keep up the pressure," I replied. "Where are the Eclipse's concussion missiles?"

"They're still powering up," the sensors office replied. "Seems the repairs we made weren't as effective as reported."

"Move us in front of them. We'll take fire for them until they're online."

As I said that, the frigate that the Starfury and most of our bombers were focused on went down, the power to its thrusters failed and the frigate began the long fall and crash to the planet below. Leaving the Starfury and the fighters and bombers to shift targets to the next one.

If nothing else, we were definitely the distraction that Teskit had asked for. Because the oversized Recusant had shifted and started powering towards us. The four ultraheavy turbolasers attempted to reach out and hit us from extreme range, but missed. When it got into range though… Well, we'd burn that bridge when we got to it. I needed to worry about things I could control, first.

---

Teskit nodded as he watched the trio of ships disappear into a micro-jump, the sensors picking up them harassing the Munificents he'd assigned them a few moments later.

Now it was time to deal with the rest of the enemy fleet. Yularen had his ships organized in a good defensive position around the planet except for where they'd punched through. His trio of Venators were holding the line against nearly ten Recusants, the sensor feeds patched through to his tactical console told Teskit that it would take a while, but eventually the Venators would win. So, he dismissed that area and focused on where the line was struggling.

A group of Carracks, CR-90s, and Pelta-Class ships were struggling against a large cluster of Auxilia and Captor-class cruisers, and there were more star frigates and destroyers headed for that part of the line. If the Seppies broke through there, then there wouldn't be a point in holding the ground on Rhen Var, the vid would have been completely lost.

"Sir, Admiral Yularen is telling us to hold our position. There's a ground-based Ion-cannon firing!"

"Execute holding pattern then full ahead," Teskit replied, watching his tactical table as the red white line indicating the firing pattern moved across the void, impacting one of the Recusants fighting Yularen's Star Destroyers and stripping it of its shields.

The journey across the system took time, but eventually, they came into range of the oval-shaped cruisers and the Inevitable opened fire. Large red beams flowed from her heavy turbolasers shredding shields, scarring

"New contacts!" The clone maning the sensors reported. "We've got four Acclamators leaving the atmosphere."

"They must be moving to reinforce one of the parts of the line," Teskit nodded. "See if they can split off assistance to the Horizon. After we've dealt with these poor bastards, we're going to group up and eliminate that monster."

Teskit's eyes focused on the Recusant dreadnought. There must be some high-level officer present, or this ship wouldn't be here. The problem was, Teskit and Battlegroup Huntress didn't have the firepower to deal with the oversized craft. So, until Yularen was finished. The Horizon, Starfury and Eclipse were on their own.


Author's Note: I'm going to have to make some changes to the version of the Interdictor-Class cruiser I use here. Honestly, the stats on the wiki don't
make sense. Especially not when at the same time it says.

"The Sith warships made by the Star Forge rivaled Star Destroyers of the Imperial Period.[9]"​
So, I'll end up posting the modified stats once we've gotten to a Shipyard segment.​

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 26

After we had eliminated the first of the Munificents that wasn't discharging troops to assist the ground, our shields stabilized. The Star Frigates had a lot of firepower, but there was only so much of it that could be focused on an individual target at any point in time. As long as we stayed in one of the areas where the turrets didn't overlap, we could keep up our momentum.

The Eclipse had finally managed to sort out whatever was wrong with their missile launchers and as we began to fire on the second target, she joined in. Her missiles finding purchase in the gaps our medium turbolasers opened up.

Meanwhile, the Starfury and the starfighter squadrons savaged the remaining trio of Munificents that were dedicated to supporting the ground. Little by little, they wore them down, the heavier weapons of the Arquitens weakening sheilds for proton torpedoes and bombs to punch through.

Unfortunately, while we were punching way above our weight class for the moment, I could see the enemy that lurked in the distance. Whatever it was that we were hitting right now, it was important to the Confederacy that the ground forces stay supported. Which is why the Recusant dreadnought was headed our way.

Our best estimates put it at thirty or so minutes before it entered the range at which it's four Super-heavy turbolaser cannons could start opening fire. Sure, the odds of a successful hit and damage at those ranges was low, but each minute we spent letting it get closer meant that the odds of any of my small group taking a hit from the guns of it went higher and higher. Not to mention the other guns it brought to bear.

So, with us facing our eminent demise if we weren't very careful, I made a decision.

"Send the Eclipse to assist with the ground support," I ordered. "We're going to take them out and then program a micro-jump to the rest of our allies. We're not dying to that today," I stabbed my finger out at the icon that was the largest on the tactical map.

"Sending message, now sir," the comms officer reported.

"Helm, I need a course in between these two," I highlighted the two forward ships. "And have our tractor beams ready. We're about to see what the true reaction speed of droids and organics is."

The Horizon shifted, her prow now pointed directly between the pair of frigates that I had pointed out.

"Sir, that's going to put us in the firing arcs of everything," The weapons officer reported.

"I'm aware of that, ensign," I replied. "That's what I'm counting on. Helm, on my command, divert power from our forward turbolasers to our engines and rear deflectors."

I was planning on pulling a page out of Earth's past. By ensuring that our speed was 'slow', I'd have the enemy focus fire on where they thought we were going to be. Then, I was going to drag the Munificents closer with the tractor beams before dumping extra power into our engines. Hopefully causing them to shoot eachother and allowing us to kill two birds with one stone.

While we were working on the main enemies in the void, the Starfury, Eclipse, and our starfighters and bombers were putting in work. Whatever configuration those frigates were in, it wasn't as well armed or armored. It seemed like they'd exchanged arms and armor for more storage. Something they were now paying a hefty prive for as the duo sent another one burning towards the ground below.

If I had the time or ability, I would have been able to focus on both fights. But I wasn't able to multitask that well when executing something like what we were doing now. So, I shifted my attention to the maneuver we were pulling off in the Horizon.

A few minutes passed by and our shields began to drop as we entered the optimal broadside for both of the frigates. We could realistically only withstand this for another minute at a minimum, three at the most.

"Execute," I ordered, having sent the instructions to everyone responsible for their part of the plan.

The Horizon stayed in the middle of the twin enemy vessels, but our tractor beams lashed out and pulled them closer, allowing our our broadside to carve away at each of their shields before we cut the beams and moved energy to our rear deflectors and engines. We were soon out of the range of the enemy broadsides and in the weaker arcs of their rear guns. But the damage was done.

Fortunately for us, the Munificents weren't able to recalculate fast enough, and the shields and turrets on their sides, already weakened by our fire, were shredded by the frigate's own turrets.

It didn't eliminate either of the enemy ships, but it gave us some breathing room as we'd taken a large portion of their firepower off the board. Leaving us able to recharge our shields and dealing with the last and rearmost ship before we would need to regroup and head for the rest of the fleet.

I almost wished we'd had the Starbolt Assault Carriers with us. The slight bit of extra firepower and the starfighter squadrons would have ensured that we'd have crippled the pair. But if wishes were reality, I wouldn't be here in this universe at all. So, I made do with what I had.

---

"Sir, the Acclamators are splitting up. One pair is moving to assist us in holding this line, the other two are moving to assist Hull's element," The clone manning the comms reported.

"Understood," Teskit acknowledged. "All elements, pick a target and start working on it. If you need assistance, we'll dispatch fighter squadrons to assist."

"Captain, the Providence is falling behind, they're experiencing engine failures."

"They're to shut down and play dead for the rest of the battle. I'll not spend their lives today," Teskit replied, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched an Auxilia-Class light cruiser vanish underneath the guns of his Venator. "Everyone else, keep up the pressure. If we can take out the rest of the ships here, we'll free up the lighter craft to go help the rest of Yularen's ships."

Battle's were never over in an instant though, and Teskit leaned over the table in the tactical room, watching as more of the blue dots that indicated Confederacy ships winked off the screen. With the ground-based Ion cannon helping strip the shields of the Recusants, Yularen's trio of Venators and pair of Acclamators were able to finally start making headway against the twelve light destroyers. The distant explosions and updates via comms and the Inevitable's sensor suite gave Teskit the best picture of what was happening in the system.

The Captain grinned savagely as he watched the trio he'd sent off meet up with the pair of Acclamators and finish off the Munificents. Whatever was on the ground would be all that the Separatists were going to get.

Then, the last of what Yularen was facing went up in dazzling explosions and shattered debris. Allowing his his detachment to start moving to regroup with the rest of the Republic forces.

The larger dreadnought then jumped out of the system, abandoning whatever remnants of the CIS forces remained.

"Captain Teskit, I have admiral Yularen on the line!"

"Admiral," Teskit accepted the headset.

"We're going to start salvage and recovery operations," Yularen said, his hologram looking slightly stressed. "Thank you for the assistance, captain."

"I'm glad that we arrived at the opportune time," Teskti replied. "Now, I'm in need of repair and resupply, Do you know if the route to Lianna is open? We've been out of contact with HQ for several months."

"The route is open for now," Yularen replied. "I'll transfer whatever data we have to you. But I would be wary. The war shifts suddenly and without warning. So, it is possible that whatever hyperspace routes are open will suddenly be filled with enemy vessels and/or locked down."

"Then I request permission to depart the system and head to the shipyards, Admiral," Teskit didn't allow any emotion to leak out.

"You have my permission, captain," Yularen nodded. "We'll transfer the up-to-date authorization codes so you're not targeted by the System Defence Forces. Again, I thank you for your assistance, Yularen, out."

"Sir, we're receiving the codes," The comms officer reported.

"Good," Teskit allowed himself a brief sigh of relief. For once, he hadn't run into a political animal. "Transmit them to the rest of the battlegroup and give orders, we're moving to the Lianna system. It's time we got some proper rest and repair."

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 27

Ronard had come up to the bridge and taken over command with the second shift crew of the Horizon by the time we regrouped with the rest of Battlegroup Huntress. The hope was that once we got to Lianna, we'd receive more crew, more ships, and new orders. Being out gunned behind enemy lines was stressful, and the Providence was basically just held together by spitshine and dreams at this point. Which left us with only the Horizon and the Ineveitable to be the main line holders if we ended up against another enemy fleet.

So, I shifted back into my role as XO. Even if I ended up simply being the XO of the Horizon when we (hopefully) expanded Battlegroup Huntress, I'd be fine with that. I was honestly doing far better than I'd ever expected when I first woke up here all those years ago.

That said, I did end up taking care of plotting the hyperspace route. It wasn't that Eron was bad at it. I just felt better if I had a little more control over that sort of thing.

We could have gone straight to Lianna, but we were concerned that the Providence might not make the full trip. So we ended up stopping at one small system to evaluate everything and send a message before our arrival.

Of course, it was in that intermediary system that a final decision was made. The jump to Lianna would be the final journey for the old Dreadnought-Class heavy cruiser. She'd fought a good fight, but we were barely able to hold her together as it was. Even if they could put her back together, it would be as if it were Theseus's ship.

The plan was to hold a full decommissioning ceremony once we were back in Republic-held space. Though, I had a feeling that thing were going to get both better and worse for us. Sure, we'd only been a minor thorn in the foot of the Confederacy. But now that we had access to the Holonet, we could see that even the small pinpricks we'd made had had an much larger impact.

In total, we had pulled at least two Confederacy Fleet elements after us when we started attacking behind their lines. Which in turn had freed up Republic elements to go relieve areas that were in danger of being overrun.

If we'd been successful with a tiny battlegroup, how much more could we accomplish with some proper firepower and assets?

My worry was that we would end up under the command of some idiot and that Teskit and the rest of us would be sidelined in favor of politics. That, or we were going to be given a lot more firepower and sent on a suicidal dash to the heart of the Confederacy. To be honest, either option was probably on the table depending on if the Admiralty had changed or not.

But we'd find out more once we got to Lianna. For now, I needed to make sure we weren't going to end up in the middle of a star, or a smear across the face of a planet.

–
–

The system and planet were a sight for sore eyes. In the asteroid belts, a decent amount of shipyards worked on producing new Acclamators and what looked like a handful of Dreadnought heavy cruisers. While the repair yards were working on a handful of Venators that bore heavy battle scars.

As for the planet, it was a far cry from the icy Rhen Var that we'd just departed. Large open plains, great lakes, and massive cities dotted the surface.

"Battlegroup Huntress, you're welcome here in Lianna," Admiral Lorn Hamne broadcast over FLEETCOM. "We've got some free yards negotiated for your ships, and the Republic has leased several compounds down on the surface for R&R."

"Good to hear it," Captain Teskit replied, all of us listening in. "We'll rotate in and out of rest and recovery while we wait on orders from HIGHCOM."

"Acknowledged," the Admiral said. "We're transmitting the pathing for your ships now."

A few seconds later, we had a designated berth and the route we were to take through the system.

–
–

"We'll get everything back up and running that's broke," the foreman passed me a datapad to sign. "This isn't the first Interdictor-Class cruiser we've worked on. Every few centuries, one of them gets brought back from wherever it was found in the void and we buy it for the boneyard," He jerked his thumb off towards a bunch of small lights in the distance. "We've got tons of parts for everything there when we don't scap things for the resources. Now, your Interdictor is the most intact one we've seen in the last five hundred or so years. That's why we're going to be refitting and repairing it instead of sending it up there," He gestured to the boneyard again. "Now, enjoy your leave. We'll have everything done in a few weeks and we'll send out a recall order when we're ready for you."

"Is there any way I can get information about what systems were already in place before the refits y'all do?" I asked.

"Gimme your coms info, and I'll send the report over once we have it," the foreman shrugged. "It's not like it's classified information or anything. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Nothing comes to mind," I replied, signing the datapad. "See you in a few weeks, foreman."

"You too, lieutenant," he accepted the datapad back.

Turning around, I picked up the dufflebag with all of my stuff in it. Turns out the MOD armor was able to be compacted enough to fit in with the rest of my uniforms. So I'd been able to fit everything I owned into the issued bag.

None of us who served aboard the Horizon had left the stuff we'd claimed as trophies behind on the ship. We all knew that RI or some historian would go over it and we'd never see it again if we did. So, we'd all sorted out how to get our stuff off the ship. Through bribes, smuggling, or simply making sure that it never left our person.

Thankfully, there wasn't any regulations on what we were allowed to have as we were military personnel. So, I simply boarded the next shuttle headed for the planet. Thanking God that I wasn't Captain Teskit. He was having to do a full debrief instead of get some rest. Meanwhile, I had simply submitted my report along with the other officers. If I were needed, they would reach me by comlink and I'd report to them. But for now, It was vacation time, and there was a beach, some sand, and some sun in my future…

---

"You are certain that these reports are accurate, Captain," Armand Isard asked.

"Yes, sir," Teskit nodded to the holograms of HIGHCOM thar surrounded him. "Those are the records that we seized from the factories as well as the DH-Omni."

"Your information works out well with ours," Isard said thoughtfully before allowing the rest of the Admiralty to take over.

"It has always been my opinion that competence is to be rewarded," Admiral Jerjerrod stated. "I have long fought for less compromise. And given the results we see here, I see no reason to deny promotions for himself and his officers."

"While I do not necessarily like Teskit or his record," One of the older Admirals thad transferred from the old Judicial forces frowned. "I see no reason to hold him back at this point."

"Captain, we'll send a message once we've sorted out the next assignment for Battlegroup Huntress," Jerjerrod nodded at Teskit. "We'll also work on getting replacement personnel shifted to your command. Until then, enjoy some leave. You and your team have earned it."

 

[MarkWarrior]

Interdictor-Class Cruiser Horizon

Armament

5 Medium Turbolaser batteries
3 light turbolaser batteries

• 40 medium turbolasers total
• 15 light turbolasers total

Firing arc: 16 forward, 12 port, 12 starboard,

8 Point defense batteries (40 quad laser cannons)

Firing Arc: 10 forward, 10 port, 10 starboard, 10 aft

3 tractor beam batteries

• 6 tractor beam projectors

Firing Arc: 1 forward, 2 port, 2 starboard, 1 aft

Capacity: 48 starfighters, various support craft

3 gravity well projectors

Lore:

Most Interdictor-Class cruisers required various work after first leaving the shipyards prior to the Jedi Civil War. While the Star Forge variants required no such work, many of the cruisers that were made by shipyards in the Republic were plagued with issues and needed various refits before they could be used in warfare. (This is made evident by the Leviathan being among the only Interdictors to leave the shipyards spaceworthy)

Among those that were refit for work against the Mandalorians, the Horizon was utilized by a now unknown Jedi Knight as his main vessel. Seeing as their gravity projectors were already plagued with problems from the shipyards, the Republic footed the bill to give the ship a full refit that added more firepower to the ship across the board. Ripping out the gravity well projector that was the most problematic. The Corellian shipyards that produced the ship used the removed mass to add light turbolaser batteries and more point defenses.

The ship served with distinction through the Mandalorian Wars under Revan before returning to the Republic at the end of said war. Then, vanished during the Jedi Civil War. Not to be seen again until the Clone Wars.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Acclamator Destroyer

Description: A rushed project intended to fill gaps in the Republic Navy's fleets, the Acclamator Destroyer was able to be built in the same size bays as the standard Acclamator-Class Transport. Built for escorting and fighting fleets in the void, unfortunately, the Acclamator Destroyer carried much of the same weaknesses of the original cruiser. Though, the heavier armament, hull, and shields did give it more staying power than older ships such as the Dreadnought-Class Heavy Cruiser.

Instead of carrying troops to the ground, the Acclamator Destroyer carried Starfighters in its bays. Using the space that once carried legions for honeycombed support structures and squadrons of fighters.



Armament: 24 Quad Turbolaser turrets, 48 point defense light laser cannons, 8 heavy missile launch tubes. Capable of firing concussion missiles or Proton Torpedos.

Fighter/Bomber Complement: 144 total starfighters.

Acclamator Battleship: One of a handful of prototypes built by Republic Seinar after Kuat Drive Yards licensed the Acclamator and Venator designs to help keep up with the Republic's new production requirements. While not quite at the level of the Maelstrom, Procurator, or other battlecruisers, this ship was capable of handling threats above that which even a trio of Venators could. Unfortunately, the project was discontinued after the CIS's initial land invasion of Lianna. The destruction of the data collected during said invasion ensured that it was never pursued beyond the four or five ships that left the shipyards in 22 BBY.

Armament: 4 Heavy Quad Turbolasers, 16 heavy dual turbolasers, 8 Medium Turbolasers, 56 point defense light dual laser cannons, and 8 Heavy missile tubes.

Fighter/Bomber Complement 120 total starfighter.



Author's Note: I stole these from the "Fall of the Republic" mod of Empire at War and then modified the fluff and armament to actually make some sort of sense.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 28

I hadn't been able to see trees or any sort of greenery in years. The things that grew Coruscant's undercity couldn't be called green, healthy, or anything resembling the sort of plant life that I saw around me. Which is why it felt odd to be in what qualified as a rural town in 'modern' society.

The town that the Republic Navy had leased out for sailors and clones on leave was built around a gorgeous lake. There were a handful of hoverskiffs for lease or rent if you wanted to go out on the water, shops for souvenirs and food that wasn't freeze-dried and nutrient dense, and plenty of other attractions.

To be completely honest. I didn't want to do all that much aside from taking my time and enjoying the quiet. After checking into the small hotel that I'd been assigned, I found a restaurant.

I had plenty of disposable income, and after six months of nothing but freeze-dried and 'nutrient-dense' foods, I was eager for something hot and fresh. So, I took a seat and waited for the wait staff.

After a few moments, a cute young waitress had stepped out and given me a menu and a list of drinks that were available.

Unfortunately, sweet tea didn't seem to exist here. So, I ended up just getting some water and the largest steak that was available along with whatever potato analog existed here.

Sipping my water, I spent the time waiting for my food to just look out at the water. There were plenty of crewmembers from Battlegroup Huntress sitting out there, either drinking, eating, or enjoying the sun and water. There were also crews from other ships and fleets out there, mingling and enjoying the R&R.

"Well, Doc's gonna have some fun dealing with the aftermath," I chuckled, knowing that there would be a lot of hangovers to deal with. And that was before getting into the possible STDs or injuries.

"What's doc going to have fun dealing with?" Aliya asked, taking a seat next to me.

"The aftermath of that," I gestured with my water cup at the party.

"He'll make them handle it on their own," She shrugged, waving down the waiter. "What're you drinking, water? On leave?"

"I don't know what brews are good," I shrugged. "I haven't had a drop of alcohol in nearly seven years. Besides, I don't need it to have a good time."

"Suit yourself," She shrugged, ordering some sort of alcohol and the same steak I had. "You got the right idea about the steak though."

"So, are you not planning on heading out there?" I asked, looking up at the waitress and thanking her for the massive slab of medium rare I'd been handed.

"Not a fan of the water," the engineer shook her head. "And I saw you in here and figured I'd come bother my favorite Lieutenant."

"Well, I appreciate the company," I bowed my head a moment and prayed before digging into my food. "But I'm not planning on doing that much with my leave. I don't exactly have much of a life outside of the Navy right now."

"Why not?" She asked, taking a sip of her beer.

"I'm a penal conscript," I replied, chewing some of the best steak I'd ever had. "Outside of the last nine months, I spent the last five years in a Coruscanti prison."

"Well, surely you had something before that."

"I wish," I scoffed. "You couldn't pay me to go back to the undercity."

"Oh," understanding flashed through her eyes. "Yeah, I don't blame you."

"It's just the way it goes," I replied. "I'm sure once my contract's up, I'll find a place to settle down, But until then, I owe the Captain. He's the one that got me out of the prison, he even worked the paperwork so that I got the officer training. It's why I'm collecting a paycheck and can do things like this," I gestured towards the steak. "So, I might just stay in until he retires."

"More power to you," Aliya raised her beer in tribute. "I started investing my check, and asked my brother to get me a house back on Chandrila. When this war is over, I'm gonna set up my own little garage. Hopefully have few kids, and just enjoy retirement. This deployment has had enough excitement for me."

"You don't like working on antiques?" I asked.

"The learning experience is great. The stress, not so much," She chuckled. "Don't get me wrong. I can appreciate the history and benefits that having the Horizon gives us. I just wish we had something with parts I could easily swap out."

"I just wish the Gravity well generators worked," I polished off the steak and started on the not-potatoes.

"I've heard some rumors that Seinar is working on modern interdictors beyond mines," Aliya said. "It's possible that they try to use the Horizon as a testbed."

"I doubt it," I replied. "Modern computers and hyperspace tech is better. The older generators don't work on the new hyperdrives."

"Sure," she agreed. "But if all they need to do is update something instead of building out new prototypes in full scale…" She trailed off.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I can see where that would be possible."

I finished my food and gestured for the waitress to bring me the check.

"Got any good books you recommend?" I asked, changing the subject away from work.

"Not really?" Aliya asked. "I never really was into reading all that much. I barely made it out of school. I've always been more of the hands-on type, myself."

"Well, there goes that idea," I finished my water and laid out the credit chits required to pay the waitress for the food and to tip on the table. "I'm gonna see if there's anything worth buying in the shopping center. I'll see you around."

"I'll probably move to the bar," Aliya shrugged. "I'd appreciate it if you came and played a couple rounds of Pazaak."

"I'll see what I can do," I laughed and walked out the door. Aliya was pretty. But I was more than a little hung up on being here without my wife and kids. You'd think after five years with nothing to do but think about it, that I'd have moved past it, but no. I'd need a few more years before I was ready for any new romantic connections in my life.

---

It was the sound of the communications console in his temporary quarters that woke Teskit up. Not the alarm he'd set for later in the day. No, this was a priority message from Admiral Jerjerrod. It seemed that he'd gotten confirmation on the next assignment for Battlegroup Huntress as well as what the fleet composition would be.

They were being pulled back towards the Core. It seemed that Greivous had broken through some of the lines, and that there were three or four fleet elements that were forcing worlds into the Confederacy at the point of a turbolaser.

In other words, leave was being cut short. Instead of the month they'd been promised, they were getting one week. Just enough time for the rest of the crews and ships to arrive. Commodore Teskit would be commanding one of the many battlegroups hunting down General Greivous.

Transferring the documents to his datapad, Teskit dressed in casual clothes and started brewing some tea. He wanted to know exactly what he was working with insofar as his fleet was concerned.

A set of six Acclamator cruisers to round out the ground forces and boost their fighter complement, one wolfpack of Pelta-Class frigates, one of the Venators that was currently in the Lianna shipyards undergoing repairs, another wolfpack of Arquitens, and then some ships that he was unfamiliar with to pair up with the ships he already possessed.


"Ahh, prototypes," Teskit sighed.

He'd probably transfer his flag to the larger of the two Acclamator variants he was being assigned, this 'battleship' as they were calling it. The details on the command and control made it too valuable for him to not do so. But at the same time, there was always a problem you faced when working with a prototype.

For one thing, they typically didn't use standard parts, for another, there were often small issues that popped up that weren't fixed or rectified until the final product. But the benefits of having it outweighed those downsides, and it looked like Seinar had used parts from the normal Acclamators as well as parts from the Venator. Things that should simplify the logistics chain.

The pair of Acclamator destroyers were probably going to be paired up with the Arquitens. The wolfpacks combined with the extra firepower from the larger ships would work well together. Though, the rest of the fleet composition would have to be considered after he had everything.

Their captured DH-Omni, was being hastily refit into a mobile repair station, she'd be responsible for keeping their fleet in the fight. The battledroids that were aboard her had their cores ripped out and everything was replaced by the same droids that many shipyards used for work. While it meant the B1s weren't able to fight anymore, they could serve as excellent repair techs and were more replaceable than clones or Republic Navy Personnel.

Leaning back, Teskit considered everything before composing a response message. While he was thankful that they were getting some real firepower, he was concerned that he was once again being thrown to the wolves of politics. Time would tell.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Here are the models of the ships I stole from the game (Empire At War). But it should show the differences fairly well.

Spoiler: Standard Acclamator

https://i.imgur.com/sUugFO7.png

Spoiler: Destroyer

https://i.imgur.com/Cc2hCop.png

Spoiler: Battleship

https://i.imgur.com/oSUQTJg.png

IDK why the images are broken the links show they're working when I insert them...