Attack on Ziost: The Battle of New Adasta: The Air

Kurtis had been stationed at Ziost for nearly a month now, his deeds in saving the Adjudicator allowing him to not only attain a promotion duly deserved but now had put him in command of the Orbital Defense Force over New Adasta. The true reason for his position was most likely one of convenience, though, in that his recent induction into Inferno Squad meant that he still served an Admiral and her orders. The Shistavanen had been left in charge while his new comrades were performing an assault on the planet Telos. Odds were fair that the Jedi would either retaliate or perform their own strike while the rest of Inferno's fleet was away and Kurtis would not let them or the Empire down. For this reason he was keeping his forces on alert, performing drills and keeping them on their feet in case the worst were to happen.

Instead of the Leviathan-class Corvette Adjudicator, Kurtis found himself in command of the Empyreal-class Star Destroyer Terminus with his bridge crew transferred with him. Also in his defense force was the Avenger-class Battlecruiser Conviction and three more Corvettes besides the Adjudicator, named Phalanx, Sagacity, and Clysmian. To complement the larger ships, a total of five squadrons of X-58-class Interceptors were ready to engage smaller craft in case they were deployed. It was still nearly an hour until the next drill, the acts now becoming routine and lulling some into a sense of security. It was one thing to be sure of one's abilities and entirely another to truly be prepared, something that Kurtis hoped his forces were more of the latter than the former.

((OOC: ODF Forces:

1 Star Destroyer - 250 points
1 Battlecruiser - 100 Points
4 Corvettes - 100 points
60 Interceptors - 50 points
Total: 500 points))

The galaxy was shrouded in darkness, Imperial claws sinking deep into the core. War had reignited. The strange unnatural peace that had settled while the Jedi Order licked their wounds had been shattered. Ithor had been freed from the choking grasp of the Empire. Malon foolishly retaliated by assaulting Bandomeer. The Mandalorians had shrugged off the misguided attack. All across the galaxy the Empire was being challenged. It was the fringes, the edges, fraying. Sullust, Rothana, Nal Hutta, Ithor. That was changing. The Empire was weak and it was time to strike at their soul. Ziost was the heart of the Brotherhood, it was the soul of the Legion. The terrible march of the Empire had its roots dung into the frozen wasteland of Ziost. They would feel this loss, they would be hit where it would hurt most.

Grand Master Valen Pelora stood on the bridge of the Aurora as it hurtled through hyperspace. He commanded a portion of the Home fleet sent from Dantooine. They had gathered their strength on Ventooine before launching for Telos. A brief conference on Telos had been followed by swift movement. All across the sector Jedi were in action. The Sith were being hit from all angles. Already, the Army of the Light had landed on Ziost to take New Adasta, but they needed help. That was why he was here.

The fleet burst from hyperspace, alarms blaring, and sirens wailing. Information was already streaming into the bridge. He was not interested in offering surrender. The Aurora was flanked by the Marauders on the right and left, two Sabres over top and two below. The fighters were being scrambled and swarming. Valen could see the Orbital Defense Fleet from the viewport. He was staring at glowing engines, they had come out behind the ODF. The Home Fleet was rapidly approaching the ODF above Adasta. Battle preparations were rapidly being made. The bridge received confirmation from all the ships, a corvette was slaved to the Star Cruiser. Valen gave the order to begin firing as soon as the ODF began to move. They would be on high alert for any fighters streaming towards them. New Adasta would fall, Ziost would fall, the Empire would fall. @Insalius

OOC:

1 Defender-class Star Cruiser (250 Units)

2 Marauder-class Frigates (100 Units)

4 Sabre-class Corvettes (100 Units)

5 Antarian Fighter Squadrons (50 Units)​

"Commander, we've just received an alert from New Adasta, they are under attack by Jedi insurgents!" Kurtis' comm officer gave his superior a shocked look as he gave the news, just as alarm klaxons began to sound through the Bridge. "Sir, a fleet of Jedi ships have just jumped out of Hyperspace at our rear! We're under attack!" Kurtis grimaced slightly, hating how he was right he had been. Still, he had done all he could to prepare the ODF for this engagement and their forces were fairly matched by the tactical data he was receiving. Their goal was obvious, aiding their forces down in the city by controlling the sky, so this fleet needed to be repulsed if they were to have a chance at holding New Adasta.

"Open comms to all ships." The Shistavanen was the picture of calm, voice even and totally lacking in surprise. He needed to be this bastion of order amidst the chaos of battle, his forces would rely on it. "To all ships, this is just as we've been practicing for. The Jedi are here, striking at the world that was our birthplace. This is our home, our history, and our lives and families are located down on Ziost." His voice raised, balling a hand at his chest before throwing his arm to the side in perfect poise. "We must not let the Jedi take our planet from us! We shall drive them to the depths of space and live, to return to our families and homes. Do not seek glory in death, live and continue to give strength to the Empire! Every death of ours makes the Jedi stronger. Deny them this advantage and victory. All hands, battlestations!" The cacophony of affirmation let Kurtis know that Tehis speech had worked, his forces were now at the highest morale that he could muster.

The situation they started in was rough but not something unplanned for. "Initiate maneuver Angel Wing. Prepare for Pinion or Cross. Launch squadrons Epsilon, Gamma, and Iota!" To any Jedi listening in the only intelligible part of the transmission would be about launching the fighters. Angel Wing was code for a formation the ships should take, the Terminus and Conviction turning in place while the four Corvettes began to both turn and spread out like wings with two going in one direction and the other two in the other. The aim was to prevent their ships from being flanked while focusing guns and shield on the incoming ships. A squadron of fighters would support each of the wings while another would cover the two center ships of the formation. The focus of it, besides for providing initial defense, was to determine the strategy of the enemy Commander.

"As soon as the enemy is in range, fire upon their weapon batteries. Focus turbolasers then down the line of power. Focus shielding against the enemy ships. Deployed fighters will cover the side of the ships not fully shielded." The Bridge was bustling with activity, though in a calm and orderly type of chaos. Orders were being relayed without panic and data was being recorded and used without fumbling or nervous jittering. In this moment, Kurtis was proud of his crew and his forces in general. Keeping a level head would be needed to defeat the Jedi. "Prepare for missile barrage. Put tractor beams on standby and prepare for Maneuver Lattice."

The enemy's barrage skittered over the shields of the Conviction, a few stray bolts and missiles getting through to damage the hull of the engine block. The shields had been up but not concentrated, meaning even the distant barrage managed to cause some damage. As the ship turned the engines twisted away to safety, though the damage would need to be repaired after the battle with current operational damage still being determined which could cause maneuverability damage and possible power shortages. It seemed the enemy's strategy was to take out the supporting Battlecruiser first, focusing their advance and attacks on the ship despite the other ships moving around them. They had the firepower to do real damage, then again, so did Kurtis. "Calculate firing patterns on their vector of approach. Fire turbolasers first to puncture their shields with a volley of laser fire a moment after. Have the Terminus move to the Conviction's side to aid in shielding and to focus fire on our targets. Prepare the last two squadrons for launch, only when their fighters begin to move in for the attack."

As the ships turned the Star Destroyer and the Battlecruiser began firing on the enemy flagship, the Terminus firing it's maneuvering thrusters just enough sidle into place besides the larger Terminus. The four corvettes, two forming each of the wings of the formation, continued on their trek and began focus firing on the flagship as well. Their targets were the gun placements, as previously ordered, and the wings would fire on placements more towards the side than the front of the enemy ship. If the Aurora focused it's shields to it's front, the attacks to the sides would have little resistance and hit hard, while if it equalized it's shields then the frontal barrage would penetrate faster. As for the Imperial ships, their shields were focused towards the enemy while their starfighters covered their unshielded flanks. They would remain in guard position until the enemy starfighters moved in, and only then if they tried to attack the flank. The crewment on each ship had trained to be precise and quick in their calculations and firing, which combined with their increased morale would lead to a surprisingly high accuracy percentage for the moment.

((OOC: The Battlecruiser's engines took some damage but not enough to knock them out yet, which I rationalized by their shields and the distance of the attack. The star destroyer and battlecruiser have turned enough to be able to fire upon the incoming enemy fleet and are focusing on gun placements on the Aurora. The more nimble Corvettes have already fully turned while advancing forward due to their angle of turn from the previous post, allowing them to target the sides of the Aurora. Two squadrons of the starfighters are waiting to be launched while three are currently in formation, covering the unshielded sides of the Capitol Ships so they can focus their shields to the one direction facing the enemy. The squadrons will not launch nor attack until the enemy starfighters move in to attack the larger ships.)) @Valen Pelora

"Cross." One word was all that was needed, the comms already open and the officers trained to act at that alone. The maneuver had the fleet target the bridge of the enemy's flagship, looking to wipe out enemy command and cause enough chaos in the enemy formation to make them easy to pick off one by one. The attacks on the gun turrets were a feint, the barrage having been used to mainly lower the shields. With the targeting suites on each ship, it would take less than a second to switch targets. All weapons would be used then, Turbolasers of all strengths combined with ion cannons, regular lasers, proton torpedos, and advanced concussion missiles would fly right at the Aurora's bridge. The shields would fall in moments and in seconds the bridge would be engulfed in flames and explosions.

The Corvette's advance was a surprise yet there was enough time to send a final volley of all weapons on the ship. Immediately Kurtis and his crew made to evacuate deeper into the ship, the safest part of the ship in case of that kind of explosion with work starting on getting basic functions of the Secondary Bridge to start working after the corvette hit. Even with the damage to the Destroyer, the other ships would continue their orders as given thanks to their boost in morale and training. Even if the Terminus was disabled it had sent out it's last barrage just before the hit, so even if it couldn't contribute more to the fight it had already done it's part. The Battlecruiser shook from the blast and took some minor hull damage from shrapnel from it's sister ship but the hull of the Destroyer had absorbed most of the direct damage, leaving it still able to rain it's fury on the Aurora's bridge.

The last two squadrons launched, one on each side of the wings from a corvette each. The other squadrons had initially launched from the Star Destroyer, meaning it's forces were already deployed. They flew in to meet the enemy ships, their quicker speed and slightly better mobility giving them an edge in dogfighting. The shields on the other ships were taking a beating though the Corvettes hadn't been focused as much during the fight so their frontal shields were strong. The Battlecruiser was another story, it's forward shielding about to fall with gaps appearing and more damage being caused to the top of the hull. The goal of the maneuver would hopefully have been met, the destruction of the enemy command structure, and then the focus on it would be lifted. If that outcome was detected and the enemy fleet began to act confused, their targets would switch to whatever threat was greatest to each ship in an attempt to take out the danger and cause as much damage as possible if the enemy attempted to flee.

((OOC: The comms were open and it took an incredibly short time to give the order. As it was a trained maneuver and had been prepared at the start of the battle, it would be no problem to switch to it in an instant. With the targeting suites prepared, again as per the previous preparation, the targets could switch to the bridge in an instant and it would only take seconds for the full barrage of each ship to fire on the Aurora's bridge. It would take a few seconds for the Missiles and Torpedos to arrive but the turbolasers, lasers, and ion cannons would get there in a second or two. As the ship's shields have already been taking damage from multiple sides for a couple of posts now they should fall incredibly quickly under this increased assault especially with iion cannons hitting them. This should give the bridge only a second or two to react to what is happening before all manner of turbolasers and such destroyed the fixture. While my Destroyer will have taken heavy damage from the ramming and have been knocked out of the fight, This should cause heavy damage to the enemy flagship's bridge. Also, I had it counter confirmed that the corvette wouldn't have moved as quickly as stated in your post so I would have had time to let loose that volley and for my captain to get to safety.)) @Valen Pelora

The Terminus was lost, at least until repairs could be done to the massive damage it had received from the Corvette that had rammed into it. Kurtis and the survivors boarded lifeboats to leave the ship, learning that the Conviction had also been hit pretty hard by the Jedi forces. The ray of hope, though, came in the confused actions of the enemy fleet that was indicative of the loss of their command structure. The Commander's ploy had worked, though the damage to his own fleet had been substantial. Hopefully his superiors would forgive this damage, though if they lost the planet his future looked rather dire.

The survivors of the larger ships made their way to the Corvettes, still relatively unscathed, as the more nimble and quick Imperial Interceptors made short work of their demoralized and confused opponents. The enemy Flagship was completely destroyed and as the other ships turned to try to escape the fire from all sides ended them before any could reach an escape vector. The fight was over with the Empire having held their ground against an entire Jedi fleet. That alone would be cause enough for celebration, though definitely later as the planet was not out of danger yet.

It was only when Kurtis took the bridge of his old ship, the Adjudicator, the he realized the scope of his victory. "Commander, we just identified the enemy flagship. It...was the Aurora. Jedi Grandmaster Valen Pelora's personal flagship." The words from the analyst made the wolfman freeze for a moment. "Pull up any camera footage from their bridge, before it was destroyed." Was it possible that he, the temporary Commander of the defense forces of Ziost, had slain the leader of one of the Empire's greatest enemies and threats? The images showed undeniable proof. Zoomed in as far as they could go, the image of Grandmaster Valen on the bridge of his ship just moments before it's destruction was displayed for them all to see. There was no cheering, they were far better trained and organized than that. No, this would require something else.

"All hands, stand." Kurtis gave the order to all ships, including the starfighters that were returning to their hangars for repair. "We have confirmation on the death of the enemy Commander. It was Grandmaster Valen Pelora of the Jedi. No matter his status as our sworn enemy, the man was a brilliant Commander and deserving of respect. They may view us as slaves or monsters ourselves, but we are men with hearts and honor all the same. Let us show them that fact now. All hands, salute!" All of the Imperial forces snapped to a salute, praising the man who had passed on during their bout of combat. The repurcussions would be felt later, for now they had more work to do. "Keep watch on the battles taking place on the ground. When we have received enough repairs to help we wiill send what forces we can. We must hold this world, for the Empire!"