TFTC-TC 13: The Hammer Falls

General Information

Title: Out of Time: Far From Home

Number of Missions: 4

Original Upload Date: 2024-11-24

Author: Jagged Fell III

Hammer Memorial Medal

Readme Background

During Imperial Storm 6 I got the idea to make a battle featuring a squadron other than Typhoon in the lead role and arrived at wanting to make a battle featuring Lambda Squadron. When the Battle of B1307 and B1208 happened in the competition I felt the strong need to tell that story and to Remember the Roost.

The TIE Corps has been tasked with defending the Tkon Rift and defeating the religious slavers, the Kilji. The TIE Corps has split into three equal sub-fleets with the ISDII Hammer leading the Eastern Command. They are sweeping up the middle of the Rift seeking to break through to the enemy’s rear line and searching for any enemy forces to eliminate...

Script

Mission 1: Hunting the Enemy

Commander's Briefing

Lord Grand Admiral Darth Rapier has sensed a dark presence coming from the unknown regions. After conferring with the Grand Master of the Secret Order and the TIE Corps Commander it was decided that a portion of the Emperor’s Hammer Strike Fleet must move to respond to this potential threat, or potential ally.

The move was a long one, taking years due to attacks and raids along the way but finally the Fleet finished its move towards galactic north into the Unknown Regions in the area of Bakura. The next leg of our journey took us into a region called the Chaos.

The Chaos is a very dangerous place to navigate due to supernovae, black holes, gravity wells, and stranger phenomena. These hazards made navigation computers unreliable, and are the source of the name "Chaos". Due to such hazards, hyperspace jumps are short and require frequent course correction, taking long periods of time just to go from one system to the next.

Many political factions occupy the Chaos with the greatest of them, and our most natural ally, being the Chiss Ascendancy, a great but very secretive power. Other potential allies in the area also include the Paccian Governance, Garwian Unity, Paataatus Hiveborn, Vak Combine, and the Lioaoin Regime.

After we arrived in the Chaos, we discovered the old Imperial colony of XC-50391 abandoned without apparent reason. But from its databanks, we learned of “Navigators.” Beings with the precognitive ability to safely guide a ship in hyperspace through the Chaos.

The TIE Corps and the Grand Admiral quickly made contact with the Navigator’s Guild and contracted several of their members for long term use by various parts of the fleet.

With the aid of the Navigators, the Fleet made contact with several member states in the area, and found that the Kilji had been making raids on all of them over the last several months. The Kilji are a large group of religious fanatics from the far side of the cluster that are bent on converting everyone to their beliefs, and if they can’t be converted then they are to be killed.

We made contact with the Chiss Ascendancy and introduced ourselves in an effort to reestablish Imperial relations with the secretive people. The fact that we are a unit formed by Grand Admiral Ronin, a Chiss himself, aided in this.

We learned from the leader of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force that a large fleet of Kilji, a Kilhorde, seemed to be planning a mass attack on the Cluster.

The problem is that the various fleets of the cluster can only protect their own territories and there is a gap.

The Tkon Rift, a nebula located between the Kilji Illumine and a lot of the other species of the cluster. If the Kilji send a large fleet through it, they could strike at the rear and sides of the cluster’s inhabitants, including the Chiss. No single group has enough forces to fill this gap, and none of them trust each other enough to work together. If the Emperor’s Hammer can fill this gap, it would relieve the rest to defend their borders.

The Fleet has been divided into three sub-fleets, each a combination of ships from the separate Battlegroups. The Eastern Command comprises over a third of the TIE Corps, and is headed by the ISDII Hammer, ISDII Relentless, and MC-40 Roost.

We are sweeping up the middle of the Rift seeking to break through to the enemy’s rear line and searching for any enemy forces to eliminate on our journey.

Tactical Briefing Text

Alright Pops, I have assigned Lambda Squadron to be today's forward scouts.

You are to take three other pilots with you and patrol a sector ahead of the Fleet.

As your normal craft are not suited to reconnaissance work, you will be flying in TIE Advanced fighters today. And I don't want to hear any requests to fly your Tugs instead.

We are currently in Sector 1308 with our goal being Sector 1107 and the planet we know as P3009, we really should come up with a better name.

You are to go first to 1307, and then on to 1207 and finally 1107. Along the way keep a lookout for an Kilji ships that we can come to eliminate.

If you find any significant Kilji forces, gather Intel on them and then report back to the Hammer.

Due to the nature of the Chaos your fighters cannot freely navigate in hyperspace.

Your navicomputers are only programmed to journey to 1307, 1207, 1107, and finally back to 1307 directly from 1107.

Good luck.

Radio Messages

<RA Genie> OK Lambda, get out there and scout our path, I want to be to that planet as quick as we can

<COL Gytheran><Jawaese> We got this Blue Buns. Wolve, Sam, and Cheeks, form up on me and let's get moving

<MAJ Berkana><Ithorese> On your left Pops

<LCM Arsio> I am your right hand man Pops

<MAJ DemWookieCheeks> And I will guard your butt Colonel Pops, sir

<Gytheran> How come that doesn't seem to comfort me?

<Arsio> Who wouldn't want Cheeks guarding their rear? He is so good at it

<DemWookieCheeks> Lots of practice from before you all were born

<Berkana> Why, so much practice? Do that many want to smack that?

<DemWookieCheeks> More than you might believe

<Arsio> Ohh, I would believe it. Have you seen the size of them?

<Gytheran> Seen them? They're eye level for me! Some nights I go to sleep and all I see is two ochre hills in my dreams

<Berkana> You sure you want to talk about those dreams?

<Arsio> I am sure they are pleasant dreams, nestled in that deep valley

<Gytheran> Alright, knock it off. We got a mission to finish

<Berkana> But where is the fun in finishing quickly?

<Arsio> Looks pretty empty here

<Gytheran> Agreed, calling the Hammer to let them know it is safe to move the Fleet up to this Sector

<Arsio> Kriff! That is a big kriffing fleet of Marmalades!

<Gytheran> Alright Lambda, stay tight on my wing and let's inspect this fleet so we know JUST how much we are going to be out matched if they find our Fleet. Remember, don't engage unless you have no choice. We are scouts not attackers right now

<DemWookieCheeks> My board shows that is half of their capital ships

<Gytheran> OK, now to get out of here

<Arsio> Are we heading straight back to the Fleet in 1307?

<Berkana> If we do that, they may be able to follow us. We should head on to 1107 as we have a hyperspace solution to get from there directly back to 1307

<Berkana> Good call, give me a moment to pull up the course back to 1307

<DemWookieCheeks> Marmalade fighters just jumped into the system, they followed us!

<Gytheran> Destroy them so they can't track our exit vector

<DemWookieCheeks> Marmalades are toast! We had them for breakfast!

<Berkana> Course back to 1307 laid in

<Gytheran> Hammer, we got problems. It looks like half the kriffing Kilhorde is in the next sector over

<Genie> OK, get back to the Hammer for debriefing

<Arsio> Pops! I show Marmalade fighters just entered the system

<Genie> Must be their forward scouts. Lambda take them out before they report our position!

<DemWookieCheeks> We aren't going to make it in time, they are too far away!

<DemWookieCheeks> They got away!

<Genie> You did what you could, get back here so we can talk about just how big a mess we are in

<Gytheran> Hammer, we just got away from what must have been half the Kilhorde!

<Genie> And you came straight here!? What if you were followed!

<Arsio> They followed us alright! I show Kilji fighters just entered the system!

<Genie> Take them out before they report back!

<DemWookieCheeks> Too late! They got away!

<Genie> Lambda, get your kriffing butts back here so we can have a chat about Operational Security!

Victory Briefing

The patrol pilots were gathered in Rear Admiral Genie's office looking over the data they had collected on their scouting run.

“Well, there is no easy way to put this, they have us outnumbered and outgunned,” RA Genie began. “It would have been nice if you had been able to destroy their scouts before they escaped into hyperspace, but I know they were just too far out from your position for you to have gotten to them all.”

“We expect their fleet to reach us within a few hours and block our escape from this Sector. Damn this Rift and the Chaos as a whole. It just takes too long for us to calculate each hyperspace jump for us to get the fleet out of this Sector before they arrive, we can't even go back the way we came due to the shifting nature of the nebula here.”

“Sir, we don't know how effective their weapons and shield systems are going to be against our ships,” put in Gytheran. “I think we may have a chance to deal a significant blow to these orange freaks

“Of course I believe our pilots and ships can severely damage these Kilji, I am just talking of the tactical necessity of always having an exit route available for our forces. Either way we are sure to see significant action soon, get back to the rest of your pilots and begin your flight preparations. Dismissed.”

Mission 2: The Bloody Nebula

Commander's Briefing

The pilots of the Eastern Fleet prepared themselves for the coming battle. They knew that they had the dubious honor to be at the tip of the spear for the Emperor's Hammer's first major engagement with the Kilji Kilhorde.

In recent days other TIE Corps forces had fought and destroyed lone or paired small scout ships of the religious zealots, but none had seen the combat abilities of the crusading War Cruisers and Battle Cruisers of the Kilji as of yet.

They certainly looked to be of similar size and firepower to ships the pilots were familiar with, being seemingly ISD and VSD analogs, but they were about to find out their true nature.

The hyperspace anomalies around them were severely limiting any avenues of withdrawal, if Rear Admiral Genie called for one in the battle. The Navigator informed the Admiral that they would need several minutes after the Kilji arrived to calculate a safe exit vector for a fleet of the Eastern deployment’s size.

It would be up to the brave pilots of the TIE Corps to destroy the enemy’s ability to damage the Hammer and her escorts. Or failing that, hold them at bay until the exit could be affected.

Tactical Briefing Text

Ok, I am not going to pretend on this one, we are in for a slog of a battle.

If the intel gathered by Pops and the gang is to believe we will be outnumbered significantly in this fight.

But we don't know if these Kilji ships are all bark and no bite yet so we are going to be pursuing a two front strategy.

First, we will attack the Kilji with our bombers and support vessels to ascertain their capabilities.

Lambda, you will be in TIE Defenders for the battle and you are responsible for escorting the bombers on their mission.

At the same time our Navigator will chart us a course out of this Sector, just in case their forces prove too much for us.

But we will have to wait for the Kilji to arrive first so we know which of the limited hyperspace exits in this Sector we will have available to us for our withdrawal.

If it comes to that, it will fall on the pilots of the TIE Corps to defend as many of our ships as you can while we make the needed calculations.

Good luck.

Radio Messages

<CM LPhoenix> What do you think? Any chance they DON'T bring their whole fleet? Maybe they like fair fights or being outnumbered?

<MAJ Keblaomega> These orange freaks have not given me the impression that they are all that interested in fair fights. More the convert or die types, and they generally are bullies, and bullies don't fight if they aren't certain they can win

<COL Gytheran><Jawaese> Yeah, I don't see them not bringing the hammer down on us

<RA Genie> Poor choice of words Colonel. Anyway tighten up pilots, sensors show they are arriving soon

<LCM Arsio> Here we go!

<Genie> Bombers, focus on those corvettes first. Fighters, keep the Kilji fighters off our ships and bombers. Steer clear of those War and Battle Cruisers for now

<MAJ DemWookieCheeks> Their corvettes are dropping like Phosfleas!

<LPhoenix> That is all their corvettes!

<Genie> Lambda, we show their bombers are targeting the flagships! Keep them off of us!

<Keblaomega> We are losing corvettes left and right!

<Genie> I said to steer clear of the big ships, keep focused on their smaller craft

<LPhoenix> We have lost all our frigates!

<LPhoenix> No! We lost all our corvettes!

<Keblaomega> Our Fleet can’t take much more of this!

<Genie> Lambda, the Hammer’s shields are almost down!

<Genie> Protect the Relentless, it is almost out of shields!

<Genie> The Roost needs help, its shields are about to fail!

<Genie> That’s it! I am ordering all remaining forces to retreat! We have sent over the hyperspace route to your computers

<Gytheran> Lambda, you heard Blue Buns, get to our exit vector! On the double!

<Genie> Colonel, I told you to get out of there!

<STRKC Hermes> We’re done for!

<STRKC Hermes><Breaking up> Our com...antenna...hit...can’t...coordinates...remember us...

<Hermes>We took a hit to the hyperdrive and can’t jump. Remember us!

<STRKC Mithras> We’re going down!

<STRKC Mithras> We’re cut off from the exit point. We aren’t going to make it! For the TIE Corps!

<A/CRS Pan> We’re breaking up!

<A/CRS Pan> We will guard your retreat, it has been an honor. Go!

<A/CRS Aedgillis> For the Empire!

<A/CRS Aedgillis> Someone has to hold the line! Get out of here!

<A/CRS Ratchet> We’re about to blow!

<Ratchet> Our hyperdrive won’t come on line. We will do what we can

<A/CRS Chisel> We are venting atmosphere!

<A/CRS Chisel> Get the intel back to the fleet! We’ll hold them off!

<A/CRS Pliers> We are getting crushed!

<A/CRS Pliers> Our hull integrity can’t withstand a hyperspace jump. For the Emperor’s Hammer!

<A/CRS Torch> We’re burning up!

<A/CRS Torch> Our engines are out. Never give up! Never surrender!

<INT Wrench> The gravity generators are exploding!

<INT Wrench> We are caught in some gravity anomaly and can’t break free. Go on without us!

Victory Briefing

Of the original thirty-three capital ships of the Eastern Fleet, three remain. They had entered the battle with two Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, ten cruisers, three frigates, eighteen corvettes, and all the accompanying fighters and support craft. They ended the battle of B1307 with only the two Star Destroyers, both heavily damaged, and one Light Mon Calamari Cruiser, lightly damaged. Of the fighters and support craft, only the pilots of the ISDII Hammer remain, all others have been lost to the hated Kilji.

The Kilji had started the battle with four Imperial-Class Star Destroyer analogs, six Victory-Class Star Destroyer analogs, six cruisers, eight corvettes, and all the associated fighters. The Emperor’s Hammer’s forces were able to destroy all the enemy fighters, all their corvettes, four of the cruisers, one Victory-Class analog, and severely damage one of the Imperial-Class analogs. But there is no sugar coating it, the Eastern Fleet has been wiped out. They have reduced the combat effectiveness of the Kilhorde by roughly half, but almost all the losses have been of easily replaceable fighters and smaller ships, the Kilji’s holy crusade has not been stopped in the slightest.

Now, the remaining three ships are on a desperate mission to reach friendly lines in-order to effect repairs before it is too late.

Mission 3: A Tactical Withdrawal

Commander's Briefing

The battered remains of the Eastern Fleet are limping through space, desperate to reach Western Fleet. But it will take days to reach them at the jump by jump pace they are forced to endure due to this damnable Chaos.

They are sending out what scouts they can in front of the fleet to try to escape the hated Kilji.

Tactical Briefing Text

With the losses we took in what is now known across the Emperor's Hammer as the Battle of B1307, we can only afford to send out two TIE Advanced fighters on today's patrol.

Major Keblaomega and Commander LPhoenix, you will be our eyes and will be responsible to prove our next few jumps safe for our damaged ships.

First go to Sector 1207, as we think the Marmalades won't guess we would head for the same sector they launched their attack on us from.

After that, we will proceed to Sectors 1106 and 1006, skirting around P3009 as they are sure to have some observers on the planet.

Good luck.

Radio Messages

<RA Genie> Ok you two, get out there and check to make sure the coast is clear. We are still working to effect repairs for our hyperdrive after the battle damage and the emergency jump we made

<MAJ Keblaomega> You can count on us Admiral

<CM LPhoenix> We will be back before you know it

<Keblaomega> I am not so sure about the plan for us to move through space we KNOW that fleet was just days ago

<LPhoenix> It makes a certain perverse logic to go where they would never think we would go. And it is not like we are going in blind with the fleet, they are sending us to check that the sector is clear of Kilji spies first

<Keblaomega> Point granted. Alright, hyper buoy coming up now

<LPhoenix> Ok, my scanners aren’t finding any marmalades

<Keblaomega> Same here, but we should check out those satellites to make sure that they didn’t leave any type of probe droid hidden in them

<LPhoenix> On your wing

<LPhoenix> Hey Kebla, I have a question to ask you. Does the squad room smell off to you today?

<Keblaomega> I mean not to me, but your sense of smell is better than mine

<LPhoenix> I just thought I would ask as you aren’t human and maybe you could smell or sense something off too

<Keblaomega> Well, as most of the squad isn’t human that break room has to be a BIT off on its smells

<LPhoenix> No, I know what it usually smells like. It is dominated by the wookiee and his dandruff and the musk coming off the commander’s robes, but with a mix of everyone else too. After that firefight it just smells off now

<Keblaomega> What does it smell like?

<LPhoenix> Fear and worry

<Keblaomega> That, did you consider that we just saw our fleet get its teeth kicked in and the death of hundreds of our friends?

<LPhoenix> I have been with the squad for a while now and this is the first I have smelled this

<Keblaomega> You are used to us being on top as Lambda is normally the leader in all the TIE Corps War Games. We just lost, and lost hard. You are probably just smelling the stress sweat from a whole squad, made up of eight different species, who barely made it through a huge battle

<LPhoenix> You’re probably right

<Keblaomega> Satellites show clean, on to Sector 1106

<LPhoenix> No sign of the Kilji here either, but should check those asteroids just in case

<Genie> Lambda, our sensors are showing small craft headed our way. Our hanger doors jammed closed after you left and the repair crews are still working on them. The other two ships lost all their fighters in the battle. Get back here on the double to deal with this new threat!

<Keblaomega> On our way!

<LPhoenix> Stupid Chaos making us have to go through 1207 to get back to 1208!

<LPhoenix> Ok, I see six marmalade scouts just exited hyperspace in three groups of two

<Keblaomega> Ok, let’s destroy them before they can report our location

<Genie> Some got away! Get back, we need to prepare for what is about to come

<LPhoenix> They just jumped out of the system!

<Genie> Get back here you two! Because you took so long to get here they got away and our position is now compromised to the enemy!

Victory Briefing

Disaster has struck. The beleaguered Emperor's Hammer's ships have been found! The Kilji did not fall for the deception of the ships backtracking along the Kilji's own route.

It is not known how the Kilji forces got new fighters already for scouting but the damage has been done.

The Navigator aboard the Hammer does not believe he will have the time to calculate a jump out of this system before the Kilji Fleet arrives once again.

Mission 4: Blaze of Glory

Commander's Briefing

And so, the valiant, last stand of the Hammer, Relentless, and Roost is about to begin...

Tactical Briefing Text

I won't sugarcoat this, we will not survive this next encounter with their forces.

We are too weakened and our hyperdrives too damaged to run from the fight.

Your goal is only to make sure at least one of them goes down with us too!

For the TIE Corps!

Radio Messages

<RA Genie> Go for one of their cruisers! Make sure it follows us into the grave!

<COL Gytheran><Jawaese> You heard the man! Get the closest cruiser!

<Arsio> There goes its shields!

<DemWookieCheeks> There! Take that you religious zealots!

<MAJ Keblaomega> We lost the Roost!

<CM LPhoenix> The Relentless is dead!

<Genie> It has been an honor!

<MAJ Berkana><Ithorese> The Hammer has fallen!

<Gytheran> Let’s go for the second cruiser too!

<Genie> Don’t bother with those War Cruisers! <They are invincible>

<Keblaomega> We got them, that is both cruisers down?

<LPhoenix> Why don’t we try for the Battle Cruisers next?

<Ariso> What do we have to lose!

<Gytheran> There goes a Battle Cruiser!

<LCM Arsio> I thought we had destroyed all their fighters?!

<MAJ DemWookieCheeks> They must have had more shipped in from nearby

Victory Briefing

And so the heroic pilots of Lambda Squadron, along with all the other Emperor's Hammer personnel aboard the Eastern Fleet ships, met their end at the hands of the religious zealots, the Kilji.

Their deaths would not be in vain as a battle cry would ring out across the Emperor's Hammer after the battle...Remember the Roost!

—--

You have been experiencing a dramatic, interactive retelling of the events of the Battles of B1307 and B1208. This combat simulation was produced by the Imperial News Network in conjunction with the Tactical Office and Reconnaissance Office.

The “historical” record shows that while many Emperor's Hammer crew members and pilots lost their lives in the conflict, all capital ships were able to withdraw from the Tkon Rift and be later repaired by the shipyards of the Paccian Governance. In fact several of the damaged ships of the Eastern Fleet were able to return to duty during the month-long campaign to stop the Kilhorde's advance, including the Hammer and the Roost.

No pilot of the TIE Corps lost their life during the events of the battles, they were all able to be carried to safety aboard the retreating ships when they left the Rift.