Second Assault Fleet
The Second Assault Fleet (2AF) was one of the most notable fleets in the Imperial Navy between Year 0 and Year 4. It was known as one of the finest fleets with a consistently high rate of cadet retention, and a command staff with a history of going on to serve on Naval High Command and often even Imperial High Command. Many of its alumni that resigned from the Empire altogether went on to become notable figures throughout galactic politics.
Contents
The Second Assault Fleet was formed in Year 0 as the Naval Command Fleet. It was initially commanded by Grand Admiral Gorn Veynom and subsequently Captain IWAssassin. On Year 1 Day 247, it was renamed to the Second Assault Fleet. When the Imperial Core separated from the rest of the Galactic Empire on Year 1 Day 307, IWAssassin received a promotion to Vice Admiral and a position as Executive Officer (XO) of the Imperial Navy, leaving Commander Savk in command with Lt. Commander Dwarth as the FXO, heralding a new age for the fleet.
Krayt Dragons
- "In all my years within this sector, never have I seen a fleet that moved with such coordination and grace as the Second [Assault Fleet]."
- — Kuat Sector Adjutant, Year 4 Day 51
Savk led the fleet through the end of Year 2, at which point, like his predecessor, he was promoted to the position of Navy XO and leaving command of the fleet to Commodore Hack Skice and Captain Syn. Despite the formal command change, he remained closely tied to the fleet and regularly attended and monitored its events and training exercises.
During this era, the fleet prospered with a steady roster of competent personnel. It simultaneously saw the lowest turnover of all of the eight Naval fleets, and the highest average rank of its members due to the unprecedented retention rate. A community thrived, and after an art competition to design a logo for the fleet, it became nicknamed the Krayt Dragons, with the motto, When defeat is imminent, our triumph is certain. The Second Assault Fleet was nearly always awarded the Navy's monthly Fleet Activity Award for exhibiting high activity and competence, and, notably, it was mobilized for the infamous From The Ashes campaign in Year 3.
Missions
The Second Assault Fleet, as the most successful and reliable Imperial fleet, was sent into the most important missions:
- Triton sector
- Tatooine system
- Alderaan system
- Firro system
- Tantive system
- Recon system into Bastion, deep into Dark Empire territory.
- Corellia
- Coruscant
- Recon patrol to Berchest
- Alderaan
Battle of Alderaan
Although designed to serve as one of the Navy's two roaming offensive fleets, the Second Assault Fleet was informally headquartered at Kuat, the headquarters for the entire Imperial Navy. As a result, it saw a close relationship with the local defense fleet, the 3rd Sector Fleet or Kuat Naval Guard.
This relationship was further strengthened when the two fleets were mobilized for the Battle of Alderaan within the Kuat sector, with the mission statement to "eradicate the opposition [previously scouted] in Alderaan." The campaign required months of preparation and execution, and during this time, the task force commanding officer, Vice Admiral OVERMIND, and executive officer, Commodore Skice, were called away for a few days, leaving Captain Syn in command of the naval forces at Alderaan.
Only months earlier, the Imperial Core (which had since renamed itself the Dark Empire), had been reluctantly permitted back into the Empire's ranks. One of its ranking personnel, Vice Admiral Dreighton, who had thus far been uninvolved with the task force, arrived on scene and announced that she was taking command. This resulted in Empire-wide suspicions and tension, and she was taken into custody by the Imperial Security Bureau under Emperor Charon's orders. This ultimately led to the overthrowing of Emperor Charon on Year 4 Day 133.
Resignations
- "The 2AF was a fleet that was guided by the idealism. Always truth to what honor, duty and loyalty means. They are chosing a different path from us, because they no longer believe to serve under an Empire guided and ruled by the Sith. They are seeking their own way to continue serving the Empire, but away from the Imperial branches."
- — Commodore Hack Skice
In response to Greyson Uebles ascending to the throne and the hostile atmosphere throughout the Imperial Navy, Grand Admiral Black Lodge and the new Emperor issued a grace period for Naval personnel wishing to resign to do so without formal repercussion, provided they did not subsequently align with a hostile power. Sixteen members of the Second Assault Fleet who had been loyal to Emperor Charon and chose not to serve under the new Sith regime chose to do so, from crewmen to the fleet's own Executive Officer. This left the Navy's finest fleet in pieces.
Resigned Personnel:
- Captain Syn
- Lieutenant Jeroen Veers
- Lieutenant Tacitus Publius
- Lieutenant George Cross
- Lieutenant(jg) Nevag Blackhole
- Lieutenant(jg) Andrew Fel
- Ensign Wan Salk
- Ensign Eulen Mirtash
- Ensign BesKost
- Flight Officer Alexi Voislav
- Flight Officer Dannar SherGarr
- Flight Sergeant Jason Aran
- Flight Corporal Derek Roguelight
- Flight Corporal Shinji Takao
- Crewman Jeremy Riker
- Crewman Zerid Quasar
Following the exodus, Commodore Skice resigned as Fleet Commanding Officer and requested the formal decommissioning of the fleet. Vice Admiral Savk returned to command what remained of the Second Assault Fleet until Year 4 Day 210.
Legacy
Despite its ultimate fate, the Second Assault Fleet left in its wake a legacy. From its earliest beginnings, personnel such as Veynom, IWAssassin, and Savk went on to have particularly illustrious careers within the Imperial Navy. Commodore Hack Skice returned to active duty in the Imperial Navy a few years later, and was appointed as NCoS and subsequently Moff. Syn became a wealthy, successful trader, and later the leader of the Eidola pirates and a prominent enemy of the Empire. Jeroen Veers went on to become Prime Minister of the New Anzat Order (later the Anzatan Commonwealth). Dannar SherGarr was believed to be a pseudonym for Thomas Cherokee, an early Imperial Executor who would later head the New Imperial Order until becoming Emperor himself, although other rumours identify SherGarr as Cherokee's son. Despite formally serving in the Kuat Naval Guard, Eric Jackson was considered the 2AF mascot, and resigned with his peers within the fleet. He would later become a Grand Master of the Jedi Order and second in command of the Avance Coalition before returning to the Empire to serve as a Moff and Sith Lord.
Campaigns
