The Battle Above Klatooine

Posts : 21 Join date : 2011-11-25

Seeing his plan preempted, Friagne ordered his fighters to scatter early into the rubble field, forcing them to break off the attack after only one successful strafing run, dragging the aforementioned doomed vessel to its death. He at least managed to save some of his fighters through this measure, and, despite his plan's meager success, Friagne felt a reasonable amount of satisfaction. After all, he had destroyed two of the Republic's most powerful warships using only his fighter squadrons.

And then the communications officer signaled that they were being hailed with an offer of surrender. It made sense, given that the Aegis was the most distinctive of the remaining Coalition cruisers, most of the others being simple CorSec models. The Star Destroyer stood out like a bar of gold in a stack of hay. Friagne could guess what this was about, and so signaled all of his squadrons to return to the ship while the Republic forces loomed just out and range, waiting until their offer was rejected to fire.

"Well, well, well," The Zelosian said, turning to face the hologram projector, placing his armored self - Jedi robes and all - before the Admiral's view. "To what do I owe this sudden visit? No, don't answer that. It was a rhetorical question. I already know you're here to ask for my surrender, and I'm really afraid that, except under certain terms, I can't accept that. You see, I happen to like this ship, my crew, and my life. Surrendering all of that into the hands of the Republic to be destroyed after a mockery of a trial really doesn't sit well with me. We both know what the Republic's policy for so-called terrorists is, don't we, Admiral? So tell me, under what terms would you have me give up my life to appease your corrupt government? Tell me, and perhaps I'll think about accepting your offer. We can settle this like adults, after all."

Posts : 130 Join date : 2011-06-22 Age : 29

Admiral Rall raised an eyebrow in his chair."Well now, that's not the way to thank someone for sparing that ship you care so much about, is it then? Our government is not corrupt. We have established this Republic to fight tyranny and corruption of the likes of you and your coalition. Surrender this system, and you and your remaining fleet will be free to return direct to Corellia. There has been enough blood shed today, I think, for this battle to be decided, and your fleet is well-too damaged for any other attacks to be made. You are, like I, a citizen of this galaxy we call home, and I do not wish to kill one if I do not have to. I am an honorable man, sir, and I wish to be respected like one. Along with your departure from this planet, however, the Republic demands reimbursement for it's losses in today's battle. 1.7 million credits, a month of cease fire above this planet and your surrender of this planet in exchange for your freedom are my terms. If you choose not to accept, I am bound by duty to fight until I've recieved complete and unconditional surrender.

Posts : 21 Join date : 2011-11-25

Friagne laughed, his voice distorted by both his helmet and the holocommunication line.

"Whatever you say, Admiral. Who is corrupt and who is not is a matter for another day, since I can see you're far too loyal a guard dog to bother with arguments. In any case, I'm afraid I can't accept your surrender, because while I do have command jurisdiction over this fleet, I'm afraid I can't also speak for those good men down on planet. It's a real shame, but I'm going to have to turn down your offer. Communications, cut the line. Sorry, Admiral. If both of us survive this, then perhaps we might meet on better terms another day. But it seems there's no such luck this time. Farewell."

Watching as the hologram of his adversary faded from view, Friagne turned to the rest of the bridge crew.

"Alert the entire fleet. Turn toward the forces emerging from behind that small moon. All engines, full speed ahead, Shields and weapons full front. Enter cannonball formation for maximum shield efficiency, and slash over their left flank. All targeting computers, synch. Lock in on the lead ship and blast its weapons batteries to pieces, and then do the same to the next. Capital ships are top priority, so fire for maximum effect. I want all fighters in spearhead formation within the capital ships' shields, we'll smash the enemies on a shield wall, and then eliminate all remaining fighter craft!"

Posts : 130 Join date : 2011-06-22 Age : 29

"It is regrettable. So be it."

Shutting down communications with the enemy, Rall moved the fleet back into firing range. The fleet that had came from behind the moon contined approaching, opening fire on the incoming vessels, unaware of their near-suicidal plan to ram through the line. 70% power of the fleet now behind the coalition fleet was now diverted to the turbolasers, blasting the coalition ships to pieces. Much of the fire was focused on Friagne's "Golden Bar," while a large portion of the coalition was shot down. A Republic Blockade Fleet was now entering hyperspace, preapring to blockade the planet regardless of the outcome of the ground battle. The Republic Fleet now held a singular goal. The Coalition fleet would not make it out of this alive. Since no shield power on the Coalition ships were diverted to the rear, destruction of the engines (and the rest of the ships) was easy. Many had already been shot down, and Admiral Rall would not allow the Coalition to escape. He had a reputation to uphold, after all, as the ships obliterated the defenseless coalition fleet. The ships further infront of the formation would be lucky, and many would not be destroyed until the rest of the fleet had been cut down, allowing them to escape.

The starfighters at the front of the coalition fleet, lacking the shields of the frigates, cruisers, and Capital Ships, and their poor pilots, were not to survive the day. Leading the Coalition charge, they would be mercilessly shot down, forcing many to either break formation or die. The Coalition fleet seemed fated for Ultimate destruction, unless Friagne could devise a way to escape. In all likelikhood, only one or two coalition cruisers would escape today, taking down anoth one or two republic cruisers upon exit. The fate of the planet now completely rested on the battle on the ground.

Posts : 21 Join date : 2011-11-25

Such might have occurred, under any other circumstances. However, the fleet was concentrated in cannonball formation, the shield overlap between the cruisers protecting them for the most part as they made their rush toward the forces attacking from behind the moon. Meanwhile, the fleet attacking from behind would have to navigate around the capital ship Friagne had already crippled, and thus by using that ship's burning wreck as a sort of shield, the Coalition fleet managed to move most of its ships out of range of the main fleet in time to avoid annihilation. Several did not make it, and so their crews, after ejecting all escape pods for the planet below and evacuating almost all of their crews, set their ships' reactors to overload, creating a curtain of explosions that would further impede the Republic fleet's progress, It had been a close call, but Friagne had saved his fleet, for now, anyway.

The enemy ambush fleet, coming from behind the moon, had put almost all their power to their turbolasers, as planned. However, Friagne's ships' shield overlap could withstand the firepower of the enemy fleet due to their large advantage in numbers. The flanking fleet had, after all, had to fight through a massive Coalition force to get where it was, and one of its principal cruisers had already been shot down by Friagne's bombers. With all their power to the turbolasers, concentrated fire from all of the Coalition's cruisers would decimate that fleet ship by ship, and not the other way around. Several Coalition frigates and corvettes plummeted to their deaths, unable to sustain the enemy fleet's enhanced firepower, but Friagne's bigger ships held up. Meanwhile, the fighters, staying within the shields of the capital ships, would indeed be able to, for the most part, weather the storm of attacks leveled against them. They stayed within the shields, their sole purpose to pick off the enemy bombers, should they attack. The Coalition ships took quite a bit of damage in the charge, but upon breaking through the enemy lines, all fighters returned to their motherships. The Republic fleet, driven deep into the mass shadow of the moon by the cut across their flank, would not be able to extricate themselves in time to follow the Coalition's remnants into hyperspace as they retreated into deep space.

"I want a status report. How many ships are left?" The Zelosian asked, pacing the bridge of the Aegis. The Aegis was holding up at 64% integrity, its position at the very heart of the Coalition fleet having allowed it to survive the concentrated fire from the Republic ambush fleet.

"Sir. We lost four frigates and seven corvettes in that engagement. Our fighter squadrons suffered 45% casualties, as well. In addition, the bombardment cruiser Pathos was destroyed." An officer on the bridge dutifully replied.

"Estimated Republic losses?" Friagne asked.

"Unknown, sir."

Posts : 130 Join date : 2011-06-22 Age : 29

//Okay, you lost me. Firstly, I neer said that the flanking fleet had transferred all the power to it's turbolasers. The burning ship you mentioned using as a shield had already plummeted to the surface, so there you have no shield. The main Republic fleet had approached range, and annihilated many of the ships. You couldnt stop that, because you had no rear shields. And another problem here I found, this one with the shielding of ships in the Star Wars Universe. As I'm sure many of us have played, in nearly every star wars game featuring shields on spacecraft (and the player, for that matter), the shields are in close-contact with who they are shielding. The exception here is in ray-shields and personal deflector shields, whereas ray shields are deployable from the point they begin and end at a set point, and personal deflector shields are the same as droideka shields. A sphere around the user. However, for Starships, the shields form in extremely close contact to the surface of the ship, otherwise they would be useless. This invalidates your theory that the shields would overlap and protect the fleet, as well as your theory that the starfighters would be able to hide under the shields. If a starfighter was travelling that close to a cruiser, it would be utterly annihilated from impact. We also know this from the films, where scare evidence of shields are even present. Although shields technically *can* take any shape, a shield spaced from the cruiser or starfighters would hinder it, the shields not functioning properly and the ship unable to fire through them. Also, a spherical shield projector inside a ship would be impossible. To generate that much energy to protect a vacuum along with the large ship would be unfeasible.

Posts : 21 Join date : 2011-11-25

//You seemed to say that the flanking fleet did so. I must have misread it. Anyway, the rear-guard's detonation of their ships would still hinder the Republic fleet. As for the shields, several of the expanded universe books which have been acknowledged as canon have had ships expanding their shields outward and linking them with other ships shielding in close quarters. The fighters could then hide behind the "Wall" created by the forward shield reinforcement, launching out of it only when they were within the enemy fleet, by hiding beneath the capital ships.

Also, planetary gravity isn't powerful enough to drag a capital ship on the very edge of its mass shadow down within only about 1 minute, which is the time frame between when the ship was crippled and when the Republic fleet would have to pass it. Even if it did work that way, the rearguard would obviously have some power to their rear shields - albeit not that much. I didn't include that in my post because I was under the impression that the Republic fleet was further away, which was my mistake. And then, seven corvettes, four frigates, and a full blown bombardment cruiser - a type of battleship - all detonated their cores in the way of the Republic fleet. That, as well as other factors, would certainly slow them down long enough for the Coalition fleet to run across the flank of a severely weakened battle fleet and escape, would it not?

Anyway, back on the subject of shielding, Ray shields ARE the type of shielding used by capital ships, as well as particle shields. While the particle shields cannot extend beyond the hull of the ships, the ray shields can, so even if there wasn't evidence of it in sources, you could still expound upon the shield linking that the Gungans did in Episode 1 with their ray shields and reason that the same could be done with larger ray shields, could you not?

Posts : 130 Join date : 2011-06-22 Age : 29

//And then, seven corvettes, four frigates, and a full blown bombardment cruiser - a type of battleship - all detonated their cores in the way of the Republic fleet.
Missed that part. That sacrifice would give you enough of a shield from fire to escape without total annihlation.

I believe shielding works differently in a vacuum than in the atmosphere. A shield has to form around something, whether the atmosphere, a hull, or a person. In a vacuum, the shield has nothing to form around, and must cling to the ship in order to exist.

It seems that the fleet would be allowed to escape, but sustaining heavy casualties. I have some problems with the starfighters somehow being close enough to the capital ship (aka physical contact) to use its shields as protection.

And it's obviously been more than a minute for the ship to be dragged down. It was dragged down during the battle, and would have already entered the atmosphere by the time surrender negotiations had finished.

By Ray Shielding, I meant that form of shielding that is used to create a solid wall, such as in prisons and factories.

I have never seen, in any of the star wars universe, a shield extending beyond the boundaries of a ship, which I again theorize has to do something with the vacuum.

The Coalition does not have very many ships remaining, and their formation would be quite small.. The rear guard would most likely be totally annihilated, as well as the ships taking point. A total of up to 5 ships at the heart of the formation would escape, albeit damages. They would also need to create a hole in the flanking fleet, which had been firing at them as they turned around, and retained forward shields. This hole would need to be large enough for the formation to escape through, e.g. about two ships destroyed, which would have to be dragged down by the planet's gravity. I think you're also confused on the locale of this battle, which takes place directly above the planet, not the moon. The earlier battle behind the moon had taken place near the moon, and was affected by the moon's gravity and shadow, but that does not play much into this battle.