WotH-2 Chpt 11

==War on the Horizon - Chapter 11 / Book 2==
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===Enemy Reinforcements===
Date: June 25, 3017 AD/25.06.7956 CRC (Coruscant Reckoning Calendar)Location: Cato Neimoidia system, Colonies Region, Galactic Republic
The Leviathan might not be the newest or biggest ship, but she was the flagship of the Marksman. For all that she had been used for evil deeds long ago in the past, in the present, she had become a beacon of hope.
 
And today, she was doing what she had been designed to do.
 
"I want those frigates destroyed," Commodore Jewel ordered. "Have our aerospace assets take them out. Once the escorts are destroyed we'll move in and start hammering those Lucrehulks."
 
"Aye aye, ma'am!" the holotable was showing the fleets converging on each other. The Trade Federation vessels were lit by an angry red glow, while the Marksman ships were golden.
 
Jewel leaned over the table and watched as the small stars that indicated starfighters and ASF darted in and out of furballs around the ships, the heavy Stuka and Lightnings external payload dumping proton torpedoes and concussion missiles into areas where their primary weapons had weakened shields.
 
For a moment, things seemed to be going entirely to plan, and then Saint Murphy got involved.
 
"Contact!" the sensors officer yelled. "We've got another twelve ships that just dropped out of hyperspace because of our interdict."
 
"Identification?" Jewel asked.
 
"Seventh Interstellar Trade Fleet, Trade Federation," the officer reported. "Two Lucrehulks and escorts."
 
"Spin us around to heading one-eight-zero, and have the Gladius and Tip of the Spear come about to flank."
 
"Ma'am, Commander Hober is attaching escorts to assist, but the majority of his ships are with the rest of the fleet."
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The Leviathan led the clash of the fleet against the new trade Federation fleet that had stumbled upon the battle raging. The Lucrehulks were still the cargo carrying variants and only had a few Turbolaser batteries and droid starfighters to fight them off, so they left those two vessels alone for now. Instead, they focused their attention on the warships that challenged them.
 
The Leviathan, Gladius, and Tip of the Spear formed the tip of a triangle as they focused fire on the first of the Munificent frigates that attempted to intercept.
 
The frigate's shields held a first, and then buckled under the fire from the three cruisers before its armor shattered and the ship began drifting.
 
The remaining Trade Federation vessels engaged in evasive maneuvers and returned fire, the sporadic and uncoordinated effort scattering aimlessly across the shields of the cruisers.
 
But as the rest of the Marksman interdiction Fleet turned to engage the 7th ITF, the Trade Federation seemed to rally, and their frigates and cruisers began to coordinate fire and move into an overlapping formation, sharing and boosting their shield strength and weapons.
 
The Inhibitor-Class battleships then made their presence known. The Massive ships moving up behind the cruisers and beginning to lend their firepower to the trio.
 
Then the Gladius began to list, its shields and power generators had been ruptured and hit, the ship now drifting through space. But as the trio of battleships began to open fire, a comms channel was opened.
 
<<"This is Captain Sonady Leekmot, of the Trade Federation's 7th Interstellar Trade Fleet. We surrender. We're a trade fleet, not a defense fleet. We don't want to take more damage.">>
 
Jewel glanced at the map and sighed. "Power down your weapons and shields. Then stand down. Once we're done here, you'll be allowed to approach Neimoidia again."
 
"Understood, we'll stand aside."
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===Flight of the Valkyries===
Location: Neimoidia Orbit
Meanwhile, the battle closer to Neimoidia itself wasn't finished yet…
"Evenstar, pull back into escort formation!" Hober barked at the other Sting gunship. "Those enemy frigates are vulnerable, so let's make sure our heavier ships and fighters get a good opening."
The Evenstar pulled back into the formation, the gunship shredding a handful of droid fighters that entered its engagement envelope.
 
"Hey Hober, that you?" Chopper's Stuka streaked by along with his squadron.
 
"I didn't think they let you out of the cage anymore, motormouth!" Hober replied.
 
"Yeah yeah," Chopper replied. "Open up a hole for us, we've got a Lucrehulk to take out."
 
"Copy that, we've got you covered."
 
The Stings began to power forward, their weapons shredding everything in their path, as they cleared the way for several squadrons of starfighters. The Dart class fighters assisting with destroying the droid fighters while the heavier bombers began to open fire on the Lucrehulk.
 
The concentrated fire opened a hole in the shields and a host of proton torpedoes streaked through the shields for the droid control portion of the Lucrehulk.
 
"Peel off, we've got to move out and rearm!" Chopper ordered. The fighters peeling back off for their carriers for rearm and repair.
 
With the fall of the primary droid brain, the Neimoidian defense fleet hesitated for a moment, allowing the Marksman to take advantage of the gaps and destroy several ships before the secondary brains took control.
 
But the defense fleet was already on the back foot, and had lost momentum to the approaching Marksman.
 
And the Marksman, despite losses utterly destroyed the fleet, pushing forward and securing the void.
 
All that was left was to strip the factories down below and leave. They had already done what they had set out to do.
 
They had shown the Trade Federation and the rest of the Galaxy what would happen if Beloria were attacked again. They had their revenge.
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===R&R Part 3===
Two days later…
 
The 7th Interstellar Trade Fleet moved through the shattered remnants of the Neimoidian defense fleet. The Marksman had salvaged their own vessels and towed them out of the system whenever they could, as well as whatever ships were still repairable from the defense fleet itself.
 
"This is such a waste," Captain Leekmot sighed, the old Kuati captain shaking his head at the wreckage around him. "Whoever authorized the strike on Beloria was a fool."
 
"Captain, the forces on the ground are asking for assistance, it seems that while the damage to the civilian sector was minor, that the droids on the ground are unresponsive."
 
"Patch us into their systems. We'll coordinate the rebuilding efforts," Leekmot ordered. "And get me a channel to the Council. There's a conversation that needs to be had."
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Chapter 2-11