Can One Displaced Hero Save the Galaxy? (56-58)
Added 2024-10-22 23:24:46 +0000 UTC*Edits made thanks to Foreign Traveler's noble sacrifice of time and potentially sanity ;-).
Ladies, gentlemen, and others of all types and stripes! The moment you've all been waiting for! Or, well, at least the moment I've been waiting for. Pretty much every bit of this story prior to this release? Build up. All of it just build up. Preparation required to make what followed actually plausible. While it's entirely possible someone or many someones may have guessed where things were going...no one has actually said it. So, so far as I know, no one completely called it :-p. I do wonder if the anyone caught the hint, from the chapter title I willfully and intentionally chose to leave in the Master File last month, that Izuku was planning something...extreme.
Well. I won't spoil that.
I will warn that a fair bit of two of the chapters is spent outlining some details about their forces. Which I know might not interest everyone. Even for those bored by those bits, though...the third chapter also shows off the first reaction to Izuku and Co that we get to see from our not-so-dear Chancellor. As well as some initial reactions from the High Council...and a snippet from Padme's point of view that was extremely fun to write. I think the version of her that is slowly building in my little AU here is going to be making a lot more appearances. Because, seriously, that was actually the single most fun perspective to right, despite how long I've been looking forward to the reveal of what Izuku's long-term plan has been all along. He understood what would really be required to make change on the scale he wanted...
Anyway! Enjoy the chapters. The new ones are attached as always...and there are going to be a LOT of chapter notes set up as comments. Enough that I'm pre-writing them to get them up quickly after I post this. Additionally, however, are a few bits and bobs about the ground forces. I really wanted to get some AI iterations of some of the ships and mechs...but it didn't work out. I've never tried doing AI of anything but people, and the 4+ hours I spent trying to make it work today produced mostly terrible results. Only one was even close to workable, and that's the mech in the attached images for this post. Even that one isn't quite what I wanted.
HOWEVER, I didn't want to leave you all with nothing but the descriptions to work with. So I'm including here some image/wiki links to what I based the various mechs on. Keep in mind that these aren't really the way the mechs look. I'm still hoping to make the AI versions work at some point. Or even just sketch them properly. However, if you can mentally layer the idea of a Cyberpunk Aesthetic over these various examples, you'll have a decent visual idea of what I'm shooting for.
Lancer Model Mech - This one is the most 'generic anime looking' mech. The attached image for the post is pretty decent, except I couldn't get the AI to draw the plasma as part of a spear (or add a spear at all) for some reason.
Battle-Liger/Tiger - This is actually based on two completely different sources. One is the Blade Liger from Zoids. Which I've never seen and just picked out of a bunch of mechs when I went looking for mechs in the general style. The other, a bit closer to what I was going for honestly, is the TMF/A-802 BuCUE from Gundam Seed/Destiny.
Striker Model - This is based on an amalgam of sources. Such as Tokki from Overwatch, The Hulkbuster, or the Atlas from Mass Effect. It's closest in size and function to Tokki, but...definitely not pink despite Mei being Mei. her prototype and personally model might have been/be, though...
Power Suit/Power Armor: Again, no singular source for this. Examples that are similar to what I imagine are things like This, This, or This. Yeah, I know all the examples are hot females. The internet is full of perverts (myself included), and it's actually REALLY hard to find male power armor in the streamline style as a result. Most of the male stuff is super bulky, which isn't what I was aiming for here. The suits are optimized for being able to fight inside bases or while boarding ships. So no bulky Halo Mjolnir style suits. Seriously, that suit would NOT fit as well in ship spaces as those game make you believe.
Note: I did adjust the Volition-Class Heavy Cruiser images to be a bit more accurate, by the by. Minor adjustment, but it's now fairly close to how the ship is supposed to look. Save for the hangar locations, which should be in the most sheltered bit of the wings.
Comments
Oh never Novus. I know you’d never ignore it. That’s also one more reason to say you’re a damn good writer: you listen to your readers and engage in talk. “A lot” of writers, unfortunately, don’t seem to do that from what I’ve personally read.
The Foreign Traveler
2024-11-03 22:36:25 +0000 UTCI get it, and like I said it's helpful! I've made adjustments to clarify sentences once or twice based on feedback like that. Just didn't want you to think I was ignoring them ;-).
Novus Peregrine
2024-11-03 22:32:07 +0000 UTCFirst time I’ve ever seen screen used in this context and thanks for pointing all this out! I don’t always expect you to agree with certain things I point out Novus. I put them there to, like you yourself said, to ensure it was clear and understandable for us readers and for your benefit too. *Shrugs* Sometimes I’ll just come by a passage I’m confused on and just write down my thoughts on “Is this what you meant?”
The Foreign Traveler
2024-11-03 21:55:00 +0000 UTCFinally had the time to do the edits here, thanks! A couple of clarifications for you: Screen: I'm a little surprised you aren't familiar with this term, as it's common between naval battles, sci-fi, and even sports. It's short for 'screening element,' and generally refers to a lighter/faster/more maneuverable ship/player protecting a larger, less mobile, or more vulnerable target. In this case, the fighter screen is there to 'screen' against runs by other fighters. To minimize the amount of fighters that can get through to attack the capital ships. In, say, soccer, the same term might be used to describe the more mobile players acting as a 'screen' for the goalie. The more shots they can stop from even reaching the goalie, the better the odds the goalie can intercept the few that do get through. Same idea with ships. The more ships (or even missiles) that a protective 'screening element' can shoot down before they even enter attack range of, say, the command ship. The more probable it is that the remaining ones that get through will do no damage. The Nikto Comment: It was correct as it was. Aayla is hoping the Nikto will choose not to fight the League. She's less optimistic that they would choose to fight FOR the League, as their failed rebellion against the Hutts was a LONG time ago. She's hoping they just stay out of it entire. Hence, choosing to surrender rather than fighting when she and the combined fleet come knocking. Billions: They are NOT starting the campaign with billions. They have only millions. So the original was correct. Izuku knew they would NOT start the campaign with the billions needed to (traditionally) run a war on such a scale. Thanks for the edits :-). Don't worry about the ones I didn't agree with. Even pointing those out is useful, since it makes me double check to make sure I was clear about something.
Novus Peregrine
2024-11-03 21:05:58 +0000 UTCNumber 3! ...would have done A Very Confused Pokemon Adventure next but I had hadn't gotten around to reading it just yet since, until just before I began editing your stories tonight, I noticed on Fanfiction the 4 chapters already up with Chapter 5 up on your Patreon too. Wow. Dropped the ball a little on this one. But I'll have give it a read within a day then edit it! ...And don't worry Novus, I'll take my time and properly enjoy the story as it deserves. No pressure like you told me yeah? Alright! Enough chit chat! Time to edit! Chapter 56 Page 2 ...strong warrior culture at core... Correction: ...culture at the core... ...it had turned out "the" were quietly... Correction: ...turned out "they" were quietly... Chapter 57 Page 6 ...then what the fuck were you "don't" pretending to be a Hero? Correction: were you "doing" pretending to be a Hero Page 7: ...completely running on droid brains, and "possible" centuries old. Correction: ...and "possibly" centuries old. Page 8: Even "keep" a third the fighters back as a screen (a screen? Not getting it. Something I don't have context for maybe?) Correction: Even "keeping" a third of the fighters back as a screen... Pity for "then" that they didn't keep it on... Correction: Pity for "them" they didn't... Page 11: ...that the Nikto would decide "not to fight"... Correction: would decide "to fight"... "Aayla really hoped they at least decided to stay out of it, even if they didn't join in." (No correction this time. A race that had a third of it's population killed and with how I believe you want to phrase this...the Kintan would want to fight it looks like. This sentence just seems a little confusing to me. Just thought I'd point it out. Maybe I'm just not getting it?) Page 13: Izuku was just "glade"... Correction: ...just "glad"... Page 14: Hence Mei's "instance"... Correction: Hence Mei's "insistence"... Page 15: ...that they'd never start this Crusade "with" the billions... Correction: ...this Crusade "without" the billions... ...Yes. Yes! YYYEESSS!!! MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Get your just desserts you fucking slugs! Finally! A story that takes the fucking fight to the Hutts! May they all die in a blaze of fiery deaths! ...poor Padme though, I so don't envy her position. Maybe she, along with some of her more mischievous Handmaidens, can request Izuku and maybe even Aayla for more "full body" type massage to relieve all their stress? They'd certainly enjoy it I'm sure~ Well, this is where I'm stopping for the night Novus. It's late and I need my sleep. I'll add Eridium Dreams to my reading list along with A Very Confused Pokemon Adventure to read and edit for tomorrow. Sweet dreams!
The Foreign Traveler
2024-11-01 12:58:45 +0000 UTCPretty much. Which...I mean...he learned that from Qui-gon :-p. It's almost a running gag in their entire lineage.
Novus Peregrine
2024-10-24 23:10:18 +0000 UTCObi-wan the "do as I say but not as I do" Jedi
a no
2024-10-24 16:33:29 +0000 UTCHopefully, Anakin doesn't find out that Obi-wan temporarily left the order when he was 13 to fight in a civil war :-p.
Novus Peregrine
2024-10-24 16:20:47 +0000 UTCI bring the salt for the slug. And I imagine Obi-wan saying: "No Anakin you are to young to join the army, your mother say 18 years Standar for joining".
a no
2024-10-23 21:06:31 +0000 UTCGlad you enjoyed it! I may be guilty of the sin of grinning like a loon when I wrong Padme's response. Laughing at your own joke writing is probably some sort of writer's sin, right? :-p
Novus Peregrine
2024-10-23 20:12:56 +0000 UTCThanks for another batch of great chapters! Great to see things taking of in a more direct way! Going to be very interesting to see how these events develop! And I love Padme's part in the last chapter! I'm right there with the handmaidens in finding it highly amusing! And I can't wait to see how the next in person meeting between Padme and Izuku will turn out! ... I will need to have popcorn at the ready. Thanks again for your amazing work! Can't wait to be reading more of this great story!
Aeden Emrys
2024-10-23 17:53:12 +0000 UTCExactly! The Hutts have made themselves the villains for so long, only those that are either in their pockets or REALLY pacifistic, can claim they haven't had this particular crusade coming ;-). I'm glad you enjoyed it :-).
Novus Peregrine
2024-10-23 15:24:43 +0000 UTCJust read it all on the train and I was bitting my jaw shut so as not to be confused with a maniac while curling my toes in exitement and glee. I love a righteous crusade and kicking hutt butt cant be anything but.
Oliver Schöneck
2024-10-23 11:06:31 +0000 UTCOkay, first...holy shit the track you linked is Epic and I'm 100% adopting it for their entire faction's theme :-p. You're right it absolutely fits from the instant they kicked off the invasion and through the rest of Izuku/Aayla's perspective. Second, I'm glad you liked the chapters ;-). I've been REALLY looking forward to hitting this point since the start of the fic. Enough so I frequently had to force myself to slow down and not rush too many timeskips :-p. The buildup was important to get it right, but it felt agonizing at times when I knew what the plan was from the start ;-). *edit* Wow. It works even better if you start it right as her holo starts to speak. That is genius and I love it.
Novus Peregrine
2024-10-23 04:01:47 +0000 UTCOne word that describes this installment is EPIC , i loved it from the start with izuku starting the operation/crusade to mace doing a fury/sj quote🤣 and cant forget padmes attempt to concus herself🤣 and learning izuku has magic hands 😁, has me really psyched for the next installment , also got into it so much that when aayla's message started i started this track: https://youtu.be/8Dji7IKGFko?si=CESuyaqZUURv4wR4 , i think it pairs well, thank you for making what we've all been looking forward to so epic, now going to reread it
Jamie Celtic
2024-10-23 02:07:42 +0000 UTCChapter 58: A/N 1: Whew! Finally time to get a look inside Palpy's head! Before this, he didn't have a big enough reason to take a deep look at Izuku and Co. Now...yeah, they made him sit up and pay attention. I hope I managed to convey, here, just what makes Palpatine so dangerous. He's really not that special of a direct combatant. Dangerous, absolutely, but not the end all and be all that many oddly make him out to be. What he IS, however, is the ultimate politician and schemer. Able to pull strings and spin almost anything to work for him, moving the goal posts around so his shots always score, and constantly adapting to make the most of even his own mistakes, let alone those of others. A/N 2: Okay, seriously, writing Padme's little meltdown was my favorite part of this release. It turned out WAY better than expected, and it wasn't even part of the original plan. The battle bits didn't use as much word count as I'd expected. As a result, I figured I'd add her reaction...and it came out delightfully. I'm now looking for more excuses to write her and her handmaidens, because it was just flat out fun.
Novus Peregrine
2024-10-22 23:30:44 +0000 UTCChapter 57: A/N 1: Okay, this is where I rant about numbers. I'll try to keep this short...but the numbers given in the Star Wars films for Clones are utterly, complete, bullshit. There are over a million troops under arms just in the United States military, let along over the whole planet...and many of the Core Worlds of the Republic have FAR larger populations than Earth's measly 8 billion. If you take the Clone Numbers as given...they couldn't give a war for a single major world, let alone actually spread over the galaxy. It wouldn't be 'The Clone Wars,' it would be the 'Clone Minor Skirmishes' and no one would CARE. The only saving grace is that the Clones are listed as 'Units' and you can skirt the issue by saying 'oh, a unit must be a 1,000 soldier!' Or something like that. Even then, the number are BARELY enough for the Clones to be the Elite tip-of-the-spear against the CIS. Which would fit, sort of, with them being lead by Jedi. The vast bulk of the Republic War Assets would still be planetary armies and system defense forces, though. I made a point to highlight here that Izuku is aware of the numbers issue. Hutt Space is only around 500 worlds, not the hundreds of thousands of the Republic. But it's still a lot to chew on. Which is why he's pushed so damn hard to have superior quality AND to mixed droids and sentient forces. Even then... A/N 2: ...Don't think they are going to sweep all of Hutt Space easily. What we saw here? Sucker punches. Preplanned opening Alpha Strikes that were intended to give the League any chance AT ALL. They still have an uphill struggle ahead of them, as the Hutts react and start pushing every button, pulling out every Ace, and proving why no one has done this before. Izuku managed to level the playing field from the start. But that's all he really accomplished. They are still going to have to slog through to the finish line, and it won't be quick. A/N 3: I used a lot of Legends content regarding Hutts and Hutts Space. But the majority of what I included IS Legends canon. The Hutts really have been around longer than the Republic, really did used to be a warrior race, and really did have those three entire species enslaved as enforces since before the Republic even began.
Novus Peregrine
2024-10-22 23:29:31 +0000 UTCChapter 56: A/N 1: So, yeah...big fleets. They are going to need them. Just a quick reminder? The only reason they've been able to build up so fast is because of the three Infinite Engine Seeds. This is explicitly why I gave those to them. Without them, they simply couldn't have built up a big enough presence to pull this off before the Clone Wars started. Ideally, I would have liked for Izuku to come in 5-10 years earlier to build up more realistically. But since I wanted to pair him with Aayla, that wasn't feasible without massive adjustments to canon. So, I gave them the IESes to make it possible, while still being a serious, grinding effort to pull it off so fast. A/N 2: Poor WIndu. He is going to have SO MANY headaches. Also, I couldn't help but slip in that one glorious word... A/N 3: New weapons systems. Don't worry, they aren't as unbalanced as they might seem. I've already thought through counters that some enemies are eventually going to evolve to things like the Null Torpedoes. Right now, they are a massive edge, and they are going to seriously rattle the standards of warfare galaxy wide. But they aren't unbeatable super weapons...the League will need to continue to innovate to retain its edge over time.
Novus Peregrine
2024-10-22 23:27:41 +0000 UTCThis comment is for my commentary on the chapters! Nested below, you'll find chapter author's notes. They will be spoiler heavy, so I recommend you read the chapters first!
Novus Peregrine
2024-10-22 23:27:28 +0000 UTC
