Lieutenant Exceron Ship Training

[Darth Viscera]

This mission for you is a further test of your abilities as a future Fleet Commander.

Lieutenant, you will be commanding a medium Taskforce with the following ships under your flag:

Imperial-Class Star Destroyer Mk.II Subjugator
Victory-Class Star Destroyer Mk.II Adamant
Victory-Class Star Destroyer Mk.I Hammer
Interdictor Cruiser Constrainer
Dreadnaught Heavy Cruiser Corusca Fire
Dreadnaught Heavy Cruiser Balmorra's Wrath
Dreadnaught Heavy Cruiser Mantooine Terror
Carrack Light Cruiser Dominant
Carrack Light Cruiser Predominator
Carrack Light Cruiser Subdominator
Carrack Light Cruiser Dominator
Imperial Assault Transport Undaunted
Imperial Assault Transport Dauntless

You are currently blockading an Imperial World that is in the process of uprising against Imperial Rule.
The World is called Ghorman.

Before your Assault Transports and Star Cruisers can launch their troops which will bring peace back to the world, and supplement the Imperial Garrison which is already in place, a Rebel Taskforce arrives at the edge of the system. Your sensors indicate that the following Rebel ships have arrived:

Mon Calamari Star Cruiser MC80-mod. Home One
Mon Calamari Star Cruiser MC80 Independance
Mon Calamari Star Cruiser MC40 Maria
Alliance Fire-Class Cruiser-Carrier Freedom
Alliance Fire-Class Cruiser-Carrier Flurry
Nebulon-B Frigate Redemption
Nebulon-B Frigate Rebel Star
Corellian Corvette Sparrow
Corellian Corvette Shadow
Modified Corvette Victorious
Corellian Gunship Spear
Gallofree Yards Medium Transport Success
Gallofree Yards Medium Transport Paradigm
Rebel Bulk Transport Lucrative

The previous ships have full Starfighter Complements, and begin launching their fighters to challenge your blockade.
Their main objective in this battle may be to deliver Rebel Troops to Ghorman, and secure the planet for themselves.
Since the Rebel ship Home One appears to have arrived, it is believed that the rebel Admiral Ackbar himself is leading the taskforce, as it is his flagship.

You are now in charge of the battle, Lieutenant. You may choose your flagship, and attempt to win the battle.

Please note that you are slightly outnumbered. The previous cadets failed to recognise that, which cost them a few promotion points. Knowing that, you'll have to use superior tactics in order to win this battle. Good luck.

[Darth Exceron]

The man who had been deemed all too vulnerable on previous occasions, specifically that of a somewhat tramautic starfighter flight, now stood rigidly at the command post on the temporary flagship just put under his command, the Subjugator.

It had been mere months since the light-eyed, soft-faced cadet whom bore the aura of only a small, ignorant cadet with a face to match that of a porselain doll had entered the academy with a face of that of one simply looking for adventure. But now...now his eyes had grown to a distilled and placid shade of grey which matched various streaks of grey which manifested in his once jet-black hair. His body was now built to an extent much greater than in the past, one that faired rigorous training and fine-tuning of his overall ethics insight.

The stern Lieutenant stood without taint at the command post with a dissimulated expression on his face, and a vicious gleam in his eyes as he observed the NR fleet exit hyperspace rather arrogantly in method. Almost simotaneously, the Captain of the Subjugator gestured to Exceron, with a look that he was in-need of his orders.

Exceron: "Form a subtle arc with ends facing outward just outside the atmosphere of Ghorman with the perception to block a straight-on attack from the taskforce's predicted route. For now, form the arc in the quickest alignment, which will merely block them; we shall go for efficiency once their intial attack is deflected. Oh yes, order the Interdictor, Constrainer, escorted by the Dominant and Dominator to the farside of the planet to activate gravity wells in a seperated though efficient formation towards deep-space. If the NR plans to send another taskforce to our blindside, they'll be at-least greatly delayed in their travel."

Captain: "Yes, sir."

[Darth Exceron]

Exceron soon found himself pacing back-and-forth with a droning click and hands linked behind his back, upon his relatively roomy command post. He was not worried or confused about anything pertaining to his current condition, he was only attempting to pass the time quickly because the NR fleet had exited hyperspace clicks away.

Exceron: "Captain...how long until the NR fleet reaches one click from firing range?"

Captain: "Approximately 5 standard minutes, sir."

The Captain, a man who stood at about 6' and with a strong though flimsy stature had always been obedient though self-confident in words and in action; one who Exceron had grown to trust over his fleet command training. Exceron could feel that it was hard for the Captain to take such orders from one with a lower ranking than he; hence Exceron's orders were intentionally made with great leniency and with room for suggestion.

Once again, Exceron realized that he was lost in thoughts during confrontation, so quickly exited to the bare reality of the situation. That was when he had noticed that the 5 minutes had passed, and that it was time for action.

Exceron: "Captain; have all starships align as closely as possible in their chain, so that the larger ships can overlap portions of their shielding upon the smaller ships. Once this is done, order the smaller-class ships to divert minimal power to shielding and maximum power to weapons."

Captain: "And of the transports?"

Exceron: "Have the remaining 2 Carrack Cruises escort them to the outer-atmosphere of the planet(behind the blockade), to await furhter orders."

Captain: "And of the starfighters?"

Exceron: "Send 3 squadrons of the TIE Defenders into the center of arc...just infront of the Subjugator. Have them hold their position for now. Send 2 squadrons of TIE Interceptors to patrol both ends of the arc, consequentially between the 2 VSDs at either end. They shall never travel outside the arc's area...they will merely assist the VSDs if we are attacked at the ends of the arc."

Captain: "If I may ask...what is your general strategy, sir?"

Exceron: "The NR will not be able to colonize on the planet if they do not get through us...hence, the only way they will be able to hit the mass of our fleet is in the center of our arc where they will be fired-upon from all directions. All the while, our own transports will converge on Ghorman's surface."

Captain: "Yes...then the VSDs on either end of the arc will be in fire-range in one minute."

[Darth Exceron]

Precisely 1 minute and 23 time seconds passed from that moment until direct action was seen exhibited from the NR taskforce. It was also exactly what Exceron had been waiting for; the Home One and its two MC80 escorts remained just out of firing range in terms of length away from the ends of the arc while the rest of the smaller ships managed to fit in the small safe radius slightly inside and in the center of the arc.

By this time, the Interdictor Cruiser and 2 Carrack Cruiser Escorts had made their way to the farside of the planet, and maintained clear scanner readings of unidentified craft the entire time. Once word of this was relayed to Exceron, it resassured him that the biggest threat he would be dealing with was the one right in front of him; Ackbar. Once it was clarified that everything in the area was already detected, the Inderdictor Cruiser was directly ordered to activate its gravity wells as broadly as possible from the farside of the planet.

Simotaneously, the Imperial Assault Transports had made it to the back of the Imperial blockade with the remaining 2 Carrack Cruisers, barely undected by the NR scanners. Once there, they remained stationary and prepared for the planetary invasion.

Captain: "Sir...your preparations are in order...though it seems that the NR will soon launch an attack with any taskforce within their manifest, besides the Home and and two MC80s."

Exceron: "Interesting...order the TIE Defenders to bring-up their center, though to remain just outside of NR fire range. Have the capital ships at the imediate tips of the arc to tighten, just into firing range while simotaneously bringing the TIE Defenders into conversion on my mark."

Captain: "And of the TIE Interceptors?"

Exceron: "Those will withdraw to just in front of the Subjugator also on my mark...we will hold them at their current markers until then to prevent any tip-offs of our intentions to the NR."

The silence of the depth of space remained manifested throughout all of the precedings; it remained just as quiet from when it was just the Imperials to when the Imperials and NR were mere kilometers away from eachother. But, it was only the silence before the iminent and forseen storm which would plunge both forces into complete chaos sooner of later.

Exceron had felt as one with the silence the entire time, and almost had regretted that he, alone, would give the order to break it when he had just grown at peace of it. "Oh well," he exclaimed to himself, for it was the way of the Imperial to love nothing but power, so reluctance would not come when it came to surpressing any opposition. Harsh the Imperial ethics may have been, but they were the very ethics Exceron had come to live by and love for the remaining years of his life.

"...Now."

[Darth Exceron]

The order was issued to the ends of the arc almost simotaneously after Exceron ordered it personally, for the Communications Officer had exhibited sweat beads on his hair from the anticipation of it during Exceron's entire hesitation lapse. Moments after the order had been given, the silence of space was broken with a roar of laser cannons, turbolasers, and ION cannons which ignited the dark backdrop of space with a brilliant display of light.

The Imperials struck with 2 VSDs and 2 Dreadnaughts, where as the NR only had the Alliance Fire Cruisers to effectively defend.

Captain: "Sir...2 Squadrons of the NR Y-Wing have exited the 3 MC80s(which are still out of fire range), and are on an interception course with Mantooine Terror."

Darth Exceron: "Instruct Mantooine's Terror to maintain current procedure, and have the TIE Defenders intercept the Y-Wings before they hit the Dreadnaught."

Captain: "Yes, sir."

Darth Exceron: "Order the TIE Defenders to make anti-fighter combat. thereafter. their first priority, and to intercept the capital ships only when enemy fighters are not present. All the while, the VSDs should concentrate fire upon the Alliance Fire Cruisers, and the Dreadnaughts should concentrate fire upon the Corellian Gunship, and then to go for any ship whom is assisting the NR effectively."

Captain: "Yes, sir...and of our transports and Interceptors?"

Darth Exceron: "Instruct the pair of Carrack Cruisers escorting our transports to continue the escort until just outside of the planetary atmosphere. From there, I want the Interceptors to converge and to take-up the escort through the planetary atmosphere while the Carrack Cruisers return to the Subjugator for further orders.

The small-scale battle still did not lighten throughout any of the changes which had been barked-out from officers of both the Imperials and the NR. Yet, the Imperials always had the upper-hand due to the essence of surprise within their attack, along with exploiting Ackbar's known reluctance to send his own flagship along with its large escorts into the physical battle; very advantageous for the Imperials, indeed.

Once in the heat of battle, it was estimated that the Alliance Fire-Class Cruisers had maintained 75% shield loss due to the VSDs' unsurpressed fire power it managed to lay upon them in the face of surprise. At just about the same time, it was estimated that the Imperial VSDs lossed 25% of shielding, along with 40% shield loss of the Dreadnaughts. Though for the Corellian Gunship, nearly 90% of the shields had been lossed.

[Darth Exceron]

The entire currently-inactive bridge command glared from the foward observation sight in awe at the battlescene constantly erupting in front of their very eyes. Almost as if they had never seen a battle; though nearly every one of them had, but never lost the intrigue of just looking one straight into the face.

For what had already transpired in the battle was uncertain, for there was not a report for nearly one hour from any one of the ships currently enveloped in combat. And since nothing new was brought to Exceron's intention, he had no reason to assume that new circumstances did turn-up, hence he had no reason to have the ships contacted with new orders. Patience was all that he needed.

Captain: "Sir...it seems that the NR Corellian Gunship has just been destroyed, as seen on our scanners. As of now, the ship is reported to have been nuetralized with ION Cannons...though another transmission has just been recieved from the taskforce's flag, asking of what is to be done with it."

Exceron: "Have the sublight and hyperdrive thrusters completely blown-out, and keep fire away from the portions of the ship which may contain crew members. Follow that up by instructing the closest VSD to engage tractor beam projectors to pull them in, and to be boarded. Once out of the ship, hold the crew for future questioning, and completely destroy their ship."

Captain: "Yes, sir. Also, the 2 Carrack Cruisers have reached their designated mark just outside the Subjugator, and are awaiting further orders."

Exceron: "...Have them hold-back with the remaining Dreadnaught, as a precaution if we need reserves."

Captain: "Oh yes, your transports have landed on Ghorman's surface, and the units are dispatching now."

Captain: "One more thing...we have gotten an official report of our standings. The Alliance Fire-Class Cruisers have sustained 100% shield loss, and minor hull damage. Our VSDs have 75% shield damage, and have sustained no hull damage; along with our Dreadnaughts, which have sustained roughly the VSD statistics, also."

After the report was given once again, confusion was returned to a minimum once-again, only to amount before the new report was given...hopefully the one of victory, where as the NR's goal had nearly diminished. Though the loud cracks of fire could be heard echoeing throughout the once-placid halls of the Subjugator, while it shook as if it would fall to pieces at any time; at least an end was seen on the horizon.

On the planet's surface, the comings came to much more of an advantageous end than did that in space. The jubilant and rage-filled rebels which had disturbed the peace of Ghorman for months had been nuetralized, and later disposed of properly for their acts against the Empire. Order was restored to Ghorman with only the downside of perhaps more restraint of free-expression...though it would not extinguish the self-righteous, yet moving conquests of the Empire from the citizens' hearts; nor would even a taint of loss daunt most's obedience and love for the Empire...nothing would.

[Darth Exceron]

A victorious boom rushed among the nebulas as Ackbar turned his tail, escorted by the remaining 2 MC80s, into hyperspace with the impressionable feeling of defeat left in their ego. A few remainding Frigates and Corvettes followed if they managed to evade the Imperial ships and odds...though most had become trapped in a fury of gunfire, only to ultimately be destroyed, one way or the other.

Why had they fled? The answer was even uncertain in the heart of Exceron; perhaps because the Imperials had beaten them to re-occupying Ghorman, or even the impression that Ackbar possibly felt that the his enemy would fight any odds to destroy him, potentially even sacraficing their own lives for the cause...all for the supreme glory of the Empire.

Hours passed before word of that the Imperials were once-again dominant on Ghorman, and that the traitors to the Empire had been executed properly. And almost simotaneously, the sun rose from being blocked by a rather large astroid field, and awarded the New Order the day of their triumph once-again. The emitted sunlight gleaming among the planets represented the Imperial's constant span throughout the galaxy of their order...and the shades of red and oranges at the center represented the blood sacraficed for the purpose.

Sitting at his command post, the center of Exceron's eyes glimmered in sucession with the system's sun as he observed deep space and thought about all of those whom occupied it...and all of those to be conquered. And as he philosphied of this as he gazed from the bow of the Subjugator, his lips created a small click as they opened no more than a centimeter before he muttered:

"All for the Empire."

OOC: The End

[Darth Viscera]

I am promoting you to full Commander, and assigning you to Vice-Admiral Zorin Hexes as his Chief of Staff.

[Daemon Hyfe]

You should report to the Delteon Sector forum, Commander. I believe Vice-Admiral Hexes is currently deployed in the field of battle, but you should leave a post in the forum to report for orders anyways.