Long way from home (OC x Ahsoka Tano)

Chapter 25: First flight of The Warfortress

Welcome back readers. We finally get to the part where Thomas completes the Warfortress. We also dive deeper in his investigation about Palpatine and the connection between him and the clone army. Sit back. Relax and enjoy.

April 19th, 2023. 21BBY

Jedi Temple, Coruscant.

Thomas POV

It's done. It's finally fucking done. My pride and joy ever since my concept of it. A ship unlike any other in this galaxy. Inspired by two of the most famous US aircrafts in history. The Warfortress. A combination of the A-10 Thunderbolt, AKA the Warthog, and the B-17 Flying Fortress.

This ship has a Titanium frame that is covered by a ti-tungsten alloy armor plating. I didn't want to use beskar as that could put Mandalore as allied with the republic and threaten their neutrality. It's powered by an Arc reactor similar to the one used in mine, Myles', and Ahsoka's armor, basically eliminating the need for a fuel tank. The engines are repulsor-style thrusters like the one in the thruster packs.

For the weapons, they're a hybrid of my own version of the GAU-8 Avenger 30mm gatling gun for atmospheric battles and plasma cannons for battles out of atmosphere. Of course, the 30mm shells are made from synthetic tungsten, or if that doesn't work, I'll use my own HEI rounds made from nitrocellulose. As for the missiles, I will be using similar ones from the A-10 or proton torpedoes that are built to fit the missile armaments. I still kept the B-17 turret placement just to cover all sides of the ship.

I also included wheels for emergency landings as well as 6 escape pods that can hold up to two people each. The bombing bays are now cargo bays that can hold two small fighters or other cargo. I have equipped it to hold a F-35 raptor that I will be building as my own personal fighter later on down the line. It can also hold a Delta-7 starfighter alongside the F-35.

The ship also has 3 private quarters, a bathroom, water purification system, CO2 filter, and food preparation. I intend to use the ship for long term missions and other expeditions we might be going on so I want everyone to be as comfortable as possible. I also included a weapons cache for any type of weapon the GAR can use along with some of my own weapons I create.

Now you might be wondering, how the hell did I finish this thing in 2 months after the retreat. Well, the answer is I didn't do it alone. I had a lot of help. I finally got droid arms for all the heavy lifting and welding. I also got help from Anakin of course since he's the ship guy nerd, the 501st, Myles, Ahsoka, and Boba. This helped speed up the build process by a long shot.

While the 501st guys focused on getting all the important things attached, me, Anakin, and Myles were figuring out how to get it all in. But, with trial and a lot of error, we finally got it built.

I was standing in awe of finally owning my own ship. And damn, she was beautiful. I looked to Ahsoka and Boba who had smiles on their faces too, as they were a big help in this project too.

"I can't believe it's finally done," I said.

"Same here," Boba agreed, "It wasn't easy to get this thing built. But we did it."

"And now we can put this to good use," Ahsoka said, "The separatists won't know what hit them."

"Damn right," I grin, "What do you say we give this thing a test flight?"

Boba and Ahsoka both beamed at that idea. Looks like they've been waiting for me to say that for a while now, and I don't blame them. I thought about inviting Anakin, Obi-Wan, Myles, and Aayla for this trip as well.

Once I got everyone in the hangar, I stepped in front.

"Everyone," I spoke out, "I just wanna say thank you for all your help in building Warfortress. And with that, I want you all to join me on the first flight."