Fleet Engagement by a-wingsrule

PART ONE

The Victory-class Star Destroyer Glory tore into the system like a burning Shaak running for a pool of cool water. A torrent of flame streaked from the starboard engine, and a large portion of the ship's bow was missing. Carbon scoring ran the length of the hull, and instead of weapons emplacements sat dirty great craters, the result of heavy proton torpedo bombardment.

On the command deck of the Glory stood General Denin Law, his once-pristine white Jedi fleet uniform stained with soot and blood. All around him, Clone troopers were recovering from the comprehensive beating they had just been given.

The mission itself had been easy enough - take the Glory and three Acclamator starships to the Confederacy base at Siskeen, and destroy the shipyards stationed there. With the great General Law in charge, it should have been a rout.

It would have been a rout, had the Confederacy commander not threatened to completely destroy the eighteen small pockets of civilisation down on Siskeen itself. It was a bluff, that much was evident - the Siskeen shipyards relied on a constant influx of supplies from the enslaved population - but Denin had hesitated for a spit second, giving a squad of three Corellian corvettes the change to pummel his supporting vessels. Eight explosive-laden rocketships had then been fired into the burning remains of the Republic fleet, two of which hit the Glory, forcing it to retreat to the outpost at Benetal.

The ranking officer down on the ground, Field Marshal Brashin, suddenly appeared in hologram form on the bridge of the Glory, and stared lethally at Denin, his penetrating eyes boring into the Jedi's head.

"Field Marshal Brashin, it's good to see you!"

"A pleasure, General Law. Now we haven't much time to waste. Reports from Siskeen show a large Confederacy fleet heading here - the very same one you were ordered to destroy, I believe."

"Yes...the Glory is out of commission, Brashin, get me a shuttle and I'll transfer my flag to one of the local warships."

"That won't be necessary, Captain Law. An analysis of the battle at Siskeen has shown that you are unfit to command. Benetal's own fleet commander, Major Okins , will lead our fleet in this battle. You are to report to the surface immediately, where we will court martial you in the morning."

Denin felt his jaw dropping. "Field Marshal, you lack the authority to make such a decision!"

Brashin gave a predatory smile. "I may, but Councillor Tarkin does not. I've just been speaking to him via. the HoloNet, and he gave me full permission to implement any appropriate jurisdiction as I see fit. Now hurry up, Captain, we don't have long before the Confederacy fleet arrives."

Law watched the battle over a cheap holoscreen in his rudimentary quarters, appalled at the battle. Benetal had eight large ships in it's system defense fleet - four Corellian corvettes, two Dreadnought cruisers, and a pair of ragtag freighters, outfitted for war. The incoming fleet was similarly outfitted, boasting a contingent of five Corellian corvettes and a pair of newer Corellian Gunships. However the defenders had the advantage in the large KDY Ion Cannon situated on the ground.

Running his hand through his thick brown hair, Denin thought about how he would command his forces in this battle. The answer was simple enough - knock out the Gunships first, using the Ion Cannon, and then hammer the corvettes using the more powerful Dreadnoughts, whilst the weaker ships finished off the deactivated Gunships.

Peering past the lines of static and deeper into the heated conflagration, Denin was confused by Okins' tactics. He hadn't hit one enemy warship with an Ion blast yet - but the cannon was certainly firing, or so said the huge waves of static that washed over the screen every time the emplacement took a pot-shot.

Okins' flag, the Dreadnought Celebratory, made a sharp dive, heading towards an enemy corvette - the Trade Runner, the Confederacy flagship. What in the name of the Force is the man doing? Oh no. Denin suddenly realised Okins' plan. For some reason, he seemed to want to engage in a personal honour duel against the enemy commander - and he was getting hammered very badly because of it. The Runner fired off a few shots at the Celebratory, before deftly twisting out of the way and avoiding the return fire.

Static once again rocked the screen, but Denin kept his view transfixed on the screen. He saw a blurry line shoot up towards the Runner - an Ion bolt - and saw the enemy corvette twist out of the way, avoiding the powerful shot. Damn it, Okins, the Corellian corvettes are to fast to hit with Ion cannons! Didn't you go to Fleet School? Meanwhile, the two Corellian Gunships were pounding the Republic corvettes. Two, no, three corvettes burned and died in space, their remains gradually breaking down. The Gunships converged on the last corvette, heavy turbolasers blazing.

The commander of the Conformance, the second Dreadnought, seeing some sense, left Okins to his personal duel and took the two tramp freighters, the Akata and the Toaplan to hammer the two Gunships. After rescuing the last corvette, the Republic ships rounded in on the Confederacy corvette fleet. A lucky Ion blast hit the Runner, and Okins gleefully finished it off, before helping the Conformance mop up the remaining corvettes.

Okins had won, by the skin of his teeth.

Instead of the cold, stony face of Brashin, it was the calm visage of Mace Windu who awoke Denin from his slumber.

"Denin? Denin!"

"Master Windu...what are you doing here?"

"Speaking, on your behalf. We've managed to get Brashin to call off the charges against you, but that can't stop him from making Okins out to be a hero. From here to Coruscant it's all people are taking about - the 'great' victory of Major Okins."

Denin shook his head, disgusted. "Thanks, Master. Does that mean my demotion..."

The look in Mace's eyes told him. "I'm sorry, Denin, I tried. It was hard enough to get him to relinquish the hearing - Brashin can be relentless when he wants to. We'll get you back to General, don't worry about that, but you'll have to do some low-priority work - escorting convoys, mop up duty - until we can do it without causing a debacle in the Senate."

"And the Glory?" Even though the Jedi Code discouraged attachment, Denin had grown quite fond of his flagship over the three months they had been together.

[ Part 1 | Part 2 (coming soon) ]

Submitted July 7, 2003. © a-wingsrule 2003.

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