Flame of the Rebellion - Lisanna Assault

Endor + one year

Time stood still in the auditorium as the members of the rebellion high command reflected on the past year. Endor was to be the shining moment for the rebellion and now a year later the force which once tottered on the edge of victory over the Empire now lay in ruin and broken. Many of the worlds which once had shown sympathy to the Rebels now lay in waste from imperial retribution or have voluntarily sided in fear of reprisals of their treachery towards the dead emperor and the Empire.
Reshmar listened as the members of his staff listed the losses from the sparse battles which have been nothing but a nescience to the empire since Endor and had been the best the fleet could muster at the time. After his aid was finished Reshmar stood and looked at the admirals, generals, and political envoys gathered before him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you on the anniversary of the most decisive battle yet fought in the war with the Empire. We look back in remembrance and morn the friends and soldiers who we lost there and since that dreadful day.”

Reshmar paused and drank from the glass he had been holding. The room was dry for the calamari and other aquatic races gathered in the room. Since the battle the Dar system had been the fall back and regroup zone for any and all who sought to escape the fist of the new empire. Many argued the new empire was far better then the new order under Palpatine but in the eyes of the men and women who fought over the forest moon the memories were vivid and clear. Palpatine had not been the one who slaughtered thousands over the moon in the massive space battle. The new leadership of the Empire was no better then the sith. In fact they were far worse. The emperor and Vader had been singularly minded in the idea of what the empire was and should be. Now the empire has more voices. Many leaders from around the galaxy bid for power and leadership. These men and women in there move for powers have created a strong and powerful leadership which is more powerful and more importantly far better at waging war.

“We need to move on and look to those memories as motivation to carry on the fight against the Empire. We need to fight and in fighting we need to show the Empire that we are still around, still a force which can match them on the battlefield.”

One of Reshmar’s aids stood and began passing out data chips. Once he had finished and the members of the meeting had begun looking over the data on their pads Reshmar continued.

“Before you I have a plan for the next year. We have the resources now to strike at the Empire. We need to show the galaxy that the rebellion is not dead as imperial propaganda says we are. As I have indicated on pages four and five of the document I have passed out the plan is to make a show of force. We will give the impression that we have the power to be in more then one place at one time. Our forces will be separated and outgunned in most of the cases but our objective is to put up a front of power. As we move out against key targets word will spread that the rebellion is in fact alive and that we can bring the fight anywhere we need to. This will open up political windows on worlds once loyal to us who look for protection and strike fear into smaller imperial world which the Empire lacks the forces to protect. We will move to take two worlds in this operation. Sullust will be the first world we move to liberate. The peoples of Sullust have been supporters of the rebellion from the beginning. The second world will be Kashyyyk. The wookie peoples also have been valuable allies in the past. These two worlds are key in the rebuilding process over the next year.”

Reshmar paused again for people to look over the data. He watched as members of military and government alike whispered between themselves.

“Now if you will look at phase two of my plan. Here I lay out the show which will put up a false front of power. The fleet will perform rapid assault strikes at twelve key locations. These will be carried out in rapid succession to one another to make it appear we have fleets spread through out the galaxy with the power to defend and attack the empire directly. These targets are small independent worlds that are loyal to the empire. Most produce goods and materials for the empire. Some are strictly show. We need to rethink our tactics and the scope of the war we wage if we are to survive the next year. Calamari and the Dar system will be the Head quarters for the fleet and will be protected against anything the empire can muster against us.”

“What about Training? My ground forces have very little room on Calamari to train. And we are in need of Armor support. WE can do little once we get on the ground against AT-ATs and Speeders.”

“General Forlon, That is a problem we have are aware of. And it is for that reason we are moving on Kashyyyk as our second target. It will provide a training ground for us and obtains us wookie heavy infantry to support our troops.”

The general seemed content with the idea and sat back to listen to the remainder of the meeting. Reshmar wrapped up his speech then took more questions from military and political members alike. He concluded the meeting and retired to his quarters to rest and began plans for the first of the Attacks. Fleet deployment, reassignment, and readiness were always a headache. The Rebellion had lost most of its senior commanders and the best warships it had available at Endor and in the fallowing exodus which fallowed. Many ships, commanders, and crews still remained unaccounted for including the supreme commander Admiral Lion. A year had past since the commander of the rebel fleet escaped to the unknown regions to repair and regroup. One year without word of his situation of wellbeing. High command had no other choice but to list him and his battle group as lost.

Endor + sixteen months

Reshmar stood looking out the forward view port of the Independence. The massive Command cruiser had spent the last year in the Calamari yards being refit and repaired. Now as the massive ship orbited the blue ball of Calamari Reshmar could see the vision he had when he planed the assaults on the twelve minor imperial worlds. The rebel navy was undermanned and out gunned and stood no chance of combating the empire in a massive engagement. This was now not the situation. In the last three months the yards at Calamari had repaired and refit the four remaining MC-80 Cruisers to the MC-80a standard and built another three MC-80 a’s along with twelve Assault frigates and four Calamari light cruisers. With the ships active and the new additions to the fleet his plan to show the galaxy that the rebellion still lived was finally possible. Now was the time to strike and strike fast. The battles of Sarapin and Sullust had both drug on for far longer then the rebel high command wished. The assault on Kassyyyk had been postponed until the twelve minor assaults had been concluded and reviewed.

The fleet had lost minor engagements and any engagements won even marginally had been deep space engagement with little to no influence on the worlds which the Rebellion needed on its side. The time had come to show the worlds who once aided and supported the Alliance that indeed the rebels are ready to aid them and free them from tyranny and defend them there after.

Reshmar looked over the status report on his group and the three other groups which would be assaulting their own targets through out the galaxy. Around the massive command cruiser smaller cruisers, frigates, and gunship’s gathered and prepared for the jump to hyperspace. Their target Lisanna.

Junta grinned, waving her hand at him as if he were a pesky insect buzzing around her ears.

"Don't you think you've had enough to eat?" she asked as she sat down in beside him. Trix shrugged.

"Ah'm fhungry," he said aound a mouth full of food. Junta rolled her eyes, and elbowed him. "Ey," Trix said, now fully comprehensible that his mouth was no longer full of food. "Watch that bony elbow of yours, you could hurt someone."

Junta elbowed him again. "Like that?"

Trix grinned as he chewed another mouthful of the rations that were rather plentiful lately, what with the Rebellion being fairly quiet and not hindering trade lanes and supply routes.

"How many hours did you log?" she asked after a moment. Trix was comfortable with long silences; she wasn't. Trix blinked, swallowed his food again and began counting on his fingers. Junta blew out a breath in annoyance. "Can't you be serious?"

Trix looked at her, his expression slightly confused. "Eh?" he replied. "I've logged about two hundred in the last couple weeks."

Junta looked closer at Trix, suddenly noticed the faint bags underneath his eyes. "You look it. I don't know how you survive, Trix; I swear no one sleeps or eats as much as you."

Trix gave his trademark grin. "What can I say? Guilty as charged."

He gazed out the transparisteel port, watching as the Assault and Interdictor Cruisers which accompanied the Star Destroyer Glory on its orbit around the planet of Lisanna. Junta followed his gaze and saw a couple of the Defenders which were stationed planet-side making a few runs to keep themselves in good working order.

"I'll fly one of those," he said quietly. Junta sighed a bit wistfully.

"I sure hope you do. And I hope I'll be there to watch you when you do."

Trix grinned. "Nah. You'll be flyin' one too."

Junta grinned and shook her head as Trix stretched and picked up his empty tray.

"Come on, it should be about time for our own perimeter run," he said. Junta stood as well, and followed the slightly older pilot on a route to the hangar bay, where their Interceptors waited.

Reshmar sat looking over the day’s log. All security scans and patrol s had been wrapped up and the fleet was moving into position. In the distance Reshmar could make out the lines of the Rebel Hope and its assault group. Her sister ship Delinda Reef sat aft and to port finishing its movement into position to jump. They would strike their own target somewhere near the rim of the galaxy. Reshmar’s Command group sat near Calamari's third moon and was now in position.

"Admiral, Strike force Hope requests permission to jump to hyperspace."

Reshmar looked over the final fleet status then waved an affirmative too the operations officer. The officer returned the nod then went to communicating with the fleet in the distance. Reshmar waited then watched as the Strike force began accelerating then vanished into hyperspace. With the departure of Strike force hope, all battle groups but Reshmar’s had departed for their targets. The darkness of space now replaced the spot where the starships once sat.

"Commander, send word to all ships. We will be departing in two standard minutes."

Reshmar stood and turned to walk off the command deck.

"Captain you have the bridge."

A stocky Calamari officer walked up and saluted Reshmar then turned and began barking orders. Reshmar walked through the hatch door and to his quarters. The first jump would take twelve hours. And Reshmar intended on resting the entire time.

The TIE Interceptor was, to Trix, a work of art. A purely space superiority fighter, it had speed and firepower to spare, but it couldn't take on anything larger than a bombing craft, and even then it would take a good amount of hits to take it down if you didn't hit it in the right area. Thankfully, in Trix's experience being the pilot of a bomber automatically meant that the pilot wasn't good enough to realize he was being shot at until the bomber was nothing but scrap floating in the black.

It could out manoeuver the best the Rebellion had to offer, and with a suitably good pilot (or in other words, Trix himself, but his was a biased opinion), the enemy fighters wouldn't stand a chance.

"Oy, Junta," he called into his radio. The red tint that the helmet lenses gave him automatically brightened the lights of the control panel, allowing him to see without a problem despite the lack of a good peripheral vision matrix in them.

"Yeah?"

"Seems we're getting company. 'Nother Star Destroyer's makin' it's way in sometime in the next fifteen or so hours."

"We rotating out?"

Trix lazily pulled the Interceptor into a low angle arc while the Glory slowly grew smaller behind them.

"I don't think so. I haven't checked in the last day or so, but we weren't slated for movement for another few standard days. I think they're movin' a few engineers here or something to work on the Defenders."

Junta, with the ease of long routine, pulled her own Interceptor into the same arc, positioning herself on Trix's wing, though neither expected anything to happen.

"Widening scanner range," he said, turning the appropriate knob. "Don't have anything visible or on scanners for the immediate area."

"Neither do I."

Trix sighed quietly as they drifted along in the black, idly wishing he hadn't given up smoking; but then, deathsticks were bad enough anyway, and he wouldn't be able to play with such expensive toys; Imperial Personnel Requirements strictly prohibited the use of deathsticks or their variants. It didn't stop a lot of pilots, but when one had aspirations of attaining a higher pay grade, such things needed to be observed.

"We'll do three orbits and head back," he said finally.

"I copy," Junta's voice filtered through the helmet's receivers.

Reshmar awoke to the chime of his personnel alarm. He had rested most of the trip to the Lisanna system. He knew he had fifteen minutes till reversion and the start of the mission. Fifteen minutes to collect himself and ready for the battle to come. His life had been one battle or another since he was young. Even before the empire, life for his family was hectic and at most times unstable. Now his responsibility to the rebels out weighed any desires he had to retire and live the rest of his life swimming in his families ancestral waters.

The alarm sounded informing the vessels crew that ten minutes remained until reversion. Reshmar stood and walked to the hatchway and waited for it to open. Crews were moving down the command access deck rushing to get to their action stations. Reshmar walked the short distance to the command lift then went to the aft command pod. The door opened and the aft command deck was dim and lit by the action emergency lights. All Command crew had reached their stations and the ship had already begun preparing for battle.

“Port batteries twelve thru twenty are manned and ready; Starboard Ion Batteries are powered and manned. ….”

Around him the reports came in from all stations of the ship. He ignored the going’s on and walked to the command chair.

“I have the Com. Captain.”

The captain stood and allowed Reshmar to take his seat.

“Status captain?”

“All stations report ready and powered. Engineering reports reactors stable at ninety eight percent efficiency, all secondary and emergency shield generators are on standby, and Gunnery has enabled long range targeting and await orders.”

The captain handed Reshmar a data pad the saluted. Reshmar looked over the pad then handed it back.

“Very well Captain, man operations and prepare for reversion.”

“Aye Sir”

The Calamari Captain walked to the aft of the deck to the Command ops station and sat. The Communications station was running checks on the communications equipment and preparing for battle. All stations were busy and all hands were ready for what ever was to come. The clock began running down from one standard minute and the ship started to shutter as the hyper drive motivators released and the ship exited hyperspace. The blurred lines which had been continuously passing in the forward view now disappeared into spotty pots in the distance. Four points to starboard one spot shined more fervently then the others.

“Admiral, we have exited hyperspace three billion kilometers from the target. All vessels have exited and are reporting now.”

Reshmar nodded and looked to the Star which their target orbited. The fleet began moving into position to make the final jump. Battle lines began forming and in the distance the tiny shapes of fighters could been seen launching from their vessels and forming attack lines. The massive form of the independence dwarfed even the Cruiser which mover up beside her. From the port side three gunships speed by past the Command Cruiser and off to form up with the fighters.

“Admiral, First wave is forming and will be jumping in twelve minutes.”

Reshmar pressed a sequence of buttons on his chair and rotated it towards the rear of the Command Pod. A holographic display rose up from an emitter between him and the Command Operations station. The display filled and rendered itself to show the Assault fleet and the formations it was now moving into. The three Gunships had mover into position at the rear of a massive V formation of seventy two X-wings. Behind them twenty four B-wings lay ready to pounce.

“Alpha Wing reports all elements are ready to jump.”

As the timer began running down from thirty seconds Reshmar looked to the second group which was forming up. As he looked back to Alpha Wing they had already disappeared and were on their way to Lisanna. Behind them Beta Wing sat posed to move in.

Seconds later Alpha flight reverted two hundred thousand kilometers from Lisanna and began accelerating toward their target.

They were on their third orbit and about to head back to the Glory when the scanners began beeping loudly.

"What?" Trix asked as the scanner was suddenly loaded with "blips". He looked up, and he could see the largest of the incoming fleet.

"Trix," Junta's tinny voice refracted from the receivers. "I don't think those are friendlies."

Trix shook his head and sent the transmission to the Glory. "Glory, this is Scout One. I have a visual on an incoming Rebel Fleet. One Cruiser sighted, three Gunboats. Lots of fighters. Innumerable. I recommend we scramble and prepare for engagement. At enemies' current speed, contact estimated in ten standard minutes. I repeat, ten standard minutes."

"This is Star Destroyer Glory; we copy Scout One. Get back here and form up with the taxiing Tie Interceptors."

Junta cut in. "Star Destroyer Glory, Scout two. Recommend every available fighter is readied. Repeat, LARGE incoming enemy formation."

"Recommedation noted. Hurry."

Trix and Junta hurried over to the Imperial Class Star Destroyer, on full tilt. By the time they had reached it, most of the Interceptors and TIE Fighters had been released and swarmed over the Star Destroyer like a horde of angry wasps.

-----------

On the bridge of the Star Destroyer, the Captain was the lone still figure in the midst of a flurry of activity.

"We have a read on the Capital Ship, Captain," A lieutenant said, looking up from over the soldier of the ensign manning one of the scanner relays. "It is noted as the Independence."

The Captain nodded. "Have the Interdictor Basilisk prepare for starting its gravity well generator. The Avenger should prepare its missile bays and turbolasers."

"We have shields up to maximum strength, Captain. Engines are green. Ion cannons are prepped and fully charged."

"Well done," the captain praised, though soberly. Despite the quick reaction, the battle hadn't even begun. He knew the second that the Interdictor had its gravity-well generator running, it would be one of the primary targets of the Rebel fleet, which wasn't as well suited to an all-out battle as the Imperials. They needed to be able to run, and the time they spent on hitting the Interdictor would be capitalised on by the Star Destroyer and its own cruiser.

"How much time until the Conqueror reverts from hyperspace?"

"One standard hour, sir."

"Send a message, request they make haste and prepare for engagement." The Glory, a ISD-I class Star Destroyer, could hold its own for an hour, and when the ISD-I Conqueror reverted the battle would be quite in the Empire's favour. The problem was how much damage would the Basilisk and the Glory take until then. Not even the Captain, in all his experience, could tell.

"Aye, sir."

"Fire on the capital ship as soon as it is in range. Have the Avenger fire upon the cruisers with turbolasers and missiles. We must not stop until they are wiped out. Have all available fighters on Lisanna join us."

"The Basilisk reports that the gravity-well generator is ready to operate."

"Have it prepare for firing first. We want the Rebels in the right position before activation."

Clasping his hands behind his back, the Captain watched as the Rebel fleet drew nearer.

Reshmar watched as the last jump ended and the dark green ball of Lisanna appeared before the fleet. Emergency sirens sounded and the crew began the tasks of warfare.

"Admiral, we have confirmation on one Star Destroyer. Transponders list it as IDS Glory, and a Cruiser, maybe a loronar Strike Cruiser, Transponder ID'ed as Avenger. We also have positive id on an interdictor Cruiser listed as Basilisk."

Reshmar looked over the data which was scrolling up on the halo display. The Imperator Was listed as target blue and the Interdictor Target Green. Other various smaller escorts began being listed as secondary targets.

"Have alpha wing begin its run on the Destroyer. Have those b-wings keep the shields busy with their ion cannons. Order the X-wings to engage only when necessary. We aren’t here to fight the fleet."

Reshmar’s orders where relayed to alpha wing. The B-wings closed formation and began moving off escorted by the X-wings to engage the Glory.

"Time till reversion of Beta Wing captain?"

""Beta wing will be entering from the back side of the planet in twenty minutes sir."

Reshmar made a note on his display of beta wings hyperspace reversion co-ordinates then moved his attention back to the battle at hand.

"Launch Valkyre and Freedom Squadrons. Have them hold position aft of our position and await orders"

Moments later twenty four A-wings began exiting the launch bays of Independence. In the distance the tiny specs of Fighters could be made out only as light reflected of them. They had begun forming up around the destroyer and were moving to intercept Alpha Wing.

"Gunnery Get me a firing solution on the Interdictor. I need that ship to work for us not against us."

"Firing solution plated sir. Optimal range in six minutes."

Reshmar looked over the data scrolling on the data pad attached to his command chair. The primary target was lit up and labeled Tango beta on the halo display. Targeting was acquired and now it was just a waiting game for the ships to move into weapons range.

"Valkyre and Freedom Squadrons report they have cleared the hanger and are forming up ten kicks aft of us and awaiting orders."

"Excellent, Send word to captain Verss that his Gunships may begin their run."

Off to port of the Independence the Three Corellian Gunships began to accelerate and move off towards the incoming Imperial fleet. The bright glow of their drives caused the forward view port to darken slightly as they mover over the top of the independance and turned to flank the battlefield.

"Two minutes till weapons sir!"

The captain yelled from the command ops station. The battle was pitched and now nothing but luck or the force if not both would dictate the next few minutes.

"The Independence is charging its weapons. No angle for a target yet, however. We have large numbers of Enemy fighter closing in on our position, Captain."

The Captain nodded and wiggled his trembling fingers a bit. Nothing put one on the alert like a battle where loss meant your life. Outside the view-port, the hundreds of TIE Fighters and Interceptors, with more joining them from Avenger, hid much of the hull of the Star Destroyer from view.

"Status on ground based fighters?"

"All available Interceptors and Fighters are lifting off now. Estimated time until orbit, seven standard minutes," replied the communications officer. "We have also received word from the Conqueror, Sir. 'En route at highest speed; shall arrive in forty-five standard minutes.'"

The Captain made no reply, but looked at the now raging battle between the Imperial and Rebel fighters.

"Have the Glory, Basilisk, and Avenger immediately concetrate their fire on one Cruiser at a time; their shield should not hold out long against a combined assault. We must protect our fighters and bombers."

"Sir!" replied the Weapons and Shielding Officer.

The wait was a tense one, but altogether short, as the cruisers made their way towards the Imperial ships.

"We have a firing solution on the lead Cruiser, Sir. Sending information to the Basilisk and the Avenger. The Independence has locked onto the Basilisk sir."

"Fire at will, Lieutenant. Have the Basilisk set a course while firing to fly behind and slightly below the Glory and the Avenger. We will serve as shields for the moment. Have the Bombers attack the bridge and thrusters of the Independence. I want that ship stranded."

The ship shuddered under the close hit of the B-Wings' ion cannons, but the Glory all but ignored the incoming fighters, setting their weapons arrays at the lead Cruiser and unleashing a concentrated barrage of fire.

Whatever the pilots of the B-Wings and the escorting X-Wings had expected as a response to the initial attack, they were soon beset by the several hundred TIE fighters of varying classes that swarmed in the space around the Star Destroyer and its escorts.

---------------------------------------

"You've got one on your six!"

"Pull up! Pull up! Aghhhhh!"

Trix Idalix, for all of his self confidence, and his quite good skill, was in his first real confrontation with Rebellion Pilots. His estimation of them in general went up, to being slightly easier than the hardest simulations depicted in the Academy; of course, some pilots never finished one of those simulated missions. The Rebel pilots juked and rolled and spun about as many times and as often as Trix himself did.

"I've got you now," he muttered, a B-Wing spinning madly as they realised someone had a lock on them. His cannons came to life, pouring green shots of plasma across the black of space around the desperate dodging of the B-Wing. Suddenly, it cut hard and fast to the right. With an ease borne of an intimate knowledge of his craft, Trix slightly over-compensated his aim, and let loose another barrage, this time striking the doomed fighter's thrusters while easily over whelming the shields. It exploded into dust, and Trix began to lock onto the next fighter. "Four!" He called triumphantly into the microphone.

"Four? You're off today, I've just gotten my fifth!" responded Jan smugly.

"Five!" Trix responded as he flew through the wreckage of another fighter, this one an X-Wing.

Not far off an unlucky Imperial Standard TIE was gunned down mercilessly by a rebel pilot. Trix immediately set his sights on the fighter, and fired quickly, but only managed to get a slight hit on the junction of the wing and the main body of the fighter.

He spun about, only to see the fighter passing above him, having done the same thing. Trix grinned. "Junta, I've got a sticky one!"

"On it boss!" she replied, and sped by. Trix juked out of the way of several shots, and returned fire, missing also. But he wasn't planning on calling this one a splash. Several rays of green light penetrated the X-Wing's cockpit, and the fighter exploded magnificently.

"Well done!" Trix called, and watched as the Star Destroyers let loose their first barrage onto the Corellian Corvette that was beginning to wade its way into the furball. He spared only a moment, and joined the fray with enthusiasm once again; he was needed.