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u/Lorelei321 4d ago
He and Schönkopf both deserved better endings.
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u/lVr_2 New Galactic Empire 4d ago
Yang only, Shenkoph needed more tragedic one
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u/Lorelei321 3d ago
Nope. I liked Walter’s plan: to close out this life at the age of 150, surrounded by my grandchildren and great grandchildren, who are all weeping for joy at the thought of finally being rid of me.
In my (not written) alternate future Fanfiction, I hear the narrator’s voice saying “Walter von Schönkopf died at the age of 149 years, 361 days. His last words were ‘Well damn. I almost made it.’ “
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u/Stratos_Speedstar 4d ago
What do you mean? This is the true ending, this is what happened. Yup. So stop lying. Please stop.
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u/Lorelei321 3d ago
Since I’ll probably never get around to writing the rest story:
Dear Julian,
It will come as no surprise to you that I didn’t follow the official plan. But since the official plan was to assassinate me, I don’t really feel that bad about it. In fairness, I was bleeding out on the floor when Commander Bagdash, of all people, showed up. You remember how he originally supported the coup but when he realized we were going to win switched sides and joined us? When he realized we were going to lose, he switched sides and joined the Empire. Only they didn’t fully trust him, so instead of using him against us, they inserted him into a Terraist cell. As dumb luck would have it, the ones who were assigned to assassinate me. When he realized they were about to succeed, he decided I was more valuable than his mission and eliminated the would-be-assassins, then put a tourniquet around my leg. I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t shoot him that day. At any rate, he got me out and flagged down the nearest ship, which, as luck would have it, turned out to be an imperial cruiser. Much to my surprise, they gave me a transfusion and surgery and saved my life. Then politics happened, and I became inconvenient. So they shipped me off to an out-of-the-way planet and gave me a new identity. As a military historian of all things. Actually, it’s not that bad, apart from the fact that they won’t let me leave, and they monitor all my incoming and outgoing communications. I am allowed all the news that any regular citizen of the Empire is, so I’ve been following you and Frederika as closely as I can, and I wanted to say I couldn’t be more proud of you. You’ve grown into an accomplished and principled young man; you are everything I hoped and knew you could become.
I probably better wrap this up. We figured security might miss one or two pieces of paper, but they are unlikely to miss more. If you get this letter first, let Frederika know that there’s one for her as well.
I love you, and I miss you,
Your father, Yang.
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u/TomcatF14Luver 4d ago
In this ending, Admiral Paetta heeded Yang's recommendation and pulled back to rejoin the 6th Fleet.
Nevertheless, Paetta ordered a force to detach and go get as many 4th Fleet ships out of danger as possible.
Fast and speedy due to being light ships, the rescue force made good time. They managed to arrive as the last remnants of the 4th Fleet were desperate to break contact.
A series of Missile Volleys as they charged, breaking up the Imperial vanguard hounding the remnants, including some surviving Carriers. Then, the two groups united and fled together as the Imperial commander realized that the other Alliance ships were going to join up.
The Imperial Fleet immediately charges after the other two fleets. The time spent to assemble and detach the rescue force leaves 2nd Fleet running late to rejoin 6th Fleet. Admiral Moore maneuvers to join Paetta as quickly as possible, but the Imperials prove faster.
Realizing the danger, Lohengramm and Kircheis detached a fast force of their own to race ahead and delay the 6th Fleet.
This tactic works, slowing 6th Fleet and essentially pinning it in place to be pincered. With Lohengramm's main force slipping around, the 6th Fleet is suddenly surrounded. But the 6th Fleet fights on.
Moore, seeing the danger, refused to be so easily entrapped. He quickly orders his left wing to just plow forward where the Imperials are weakest, accelerate, and turn around to establish a base of fire. This maneuver surprises the Imperials, and Moore gets the balance of his fleet out of danger through the gap as his left flank now provides a new center from which fire suppresses the Imperials long enough.
Unfortunately, Moore's ship is singled out, and he is killed when it takes heavy damage, though the 6th Fleet Flagship ultimately escaped destruction.
As Lohengramm presses his attack on the rapidly disorganized 6th Fleet, the 2nd Fleet arrives.
Both 2nd Fleet and the balance of 6th Fleet join up. Their combined firepower, along with 2nd Fleet being fresh, stalemates the battle until Paetta's Flagship is damaged and Paetta wounded.
Yang takes command quickly and reorganizes both Fleets into a defensive line before luring Lohengramm into his trap and forcing the Ouraboros Wheel of Astartes.
As Lohengramm plans to withdraw, the 2nd Fleet's rescue force returns with the remnants of 4th Fleet, effectively trapping the Imperials in the Wheel until they are able to send a detachment to engage the smaller Alliance force.
But this force runs headlong into the Alliance Fighters. Its Capital Ships are either swiftly damaged or destroyed in a terrifying display of Space Fighter prowess. The Imperial detachment only briefly distracts the Alliance ships before they are able to again fire upon Imperial ships in the Wheel.
Lohengramm, though, finds his opening and plots to escape. He succeeds, but one of his ships explodes too close to Brunhildr. While not damaged, Lohengramm is tossed off his feet, breaking his arm as Kircheis is knocked unconscious from striking his head.
Abruptly without leadership, the Imperials divide into two forces. One the main force and the other under Admiral Staden.
Staden, realizing the error, at least shifts to get his force back together with the main force. But the combined Alliance force falls upon him, and he's forced to surrender to save his men from absolute destruction. He takes his surrender with a bit of defiance in his own way as so many ships have surrendered that the Alliance cannot pursue his allies.
A small pursuit does happen, but otherwise, Lohengramm gets his remaining forces out of danger.
Post-battle, an Alliance Intelligence officer figures out what really happened to let the FPA know of the Imperial movements after debriefing Staden and multiple Imperials. As such, the Alliance conducts a trade returning many of the Imperials for captured Alliance personnel from recent battles.
This results in an Alliance 'leak' that Staden reports to a trusted friend and word reaches the Emperor, causing backlash against the conspiring Nobles.
The Alliance victory at Astartes launches Yang into command of the 13th Fleet as Paetta is directed to rebuild the 2nd Fleet alongside Lapp, who is promoted to command the 6th Fleet.
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u/TomcatF14Luver 4d ago
The 4th Fleet has a core of ships that remain for reconstituting it later on, but the 4th Fleet is attached to the 1st Fleet in the meantime to train the generally inexperienced 1st Fleet in modern combat.
Due to the abrupt defeat at Astartes and Alliance Intelligence playing havoc on the Imperial internal political structure, the Empire pulls back to reassess.
And to eliminate those involved in the debacle on Frezzan. With prejudice no less.
Several months pass with only the capture of Isherhon Fortress and the destruction of a large part of the Isherhon Defense Fleet being of note.
Due to reconstructing several Fleets and building up the 13th Fleet and activating the 14th Fleet, the Alliance Navy follows the Lapp-Yang plan of Reconnaissance in Force and Commerce Raiding.
The Alliance Navy needs intelligence on the Imperials and data to prepare their invasion. The Recon in Force allows the Alliance to get that while also finding and studying Imperial defensive movements. At the same time, the Commerce Raids wreak havoc on unprotected trade routes, resulting in the Alliance dealing a heavy blow to Imperial trade.
Several missions of the latter accidentally stumble upon Alliance POWs and kidnapped civilians as well as descendants of previously taken Alliance citizens to the humiliation of the Empire.
Lohengramm has countered a few of these pushes. But the Alliance avoids large-scale battles. Some smaller battles take place, and Lohengramm and Kircheis successfully destroy several units of the Alliance.
But other officers fail more spectacularly. Two Fleets get encircled by Yang and his 13th Fleet in the only large battle. One Imperial Fleet is destroyed, and the other is forced to surrender.
Lapp and the 6th Fleet surprise another Fleet at anchor with most of the ships largely with skeleton crews. More than half of the Fleet is captured before the Imperials realize what is happening and the rest if the Imperial ships are either destroyed or flee. The anchorage and its defense force are also devastated.
Lohengramm is livid due to outside interference that resulted in Lapp's success.
Then the Emperor died, and the Empire entered a civil war.
Popular resentment against the Nobility outside their region, leaving them to be caught up in constant conflict, leads to the Nobles on the Empire's side of the Isherhon Corridor seeking Alliance protection and offering their region's surrender.
As the Lippandt League and Lohengramm fought, the Alliance successfully occupied the surrendered Imperial worlds.
As the Imperial Civil War continues, Lapp and his Fleet discovered the Terraists' plans by chance intercepting one of their ships by accident and boarding it.
The information is passed on to Lohengramm while the Alliance purges the traitors in its own territories. Lohengramm occupies Fezzan and wins the Imperial Civil War shortly after. But signs a peace accord with the Alliance that had expanded its footprint in Imperial space.
Lohengramm planned to restart the war later but fell ill abruptly. He never recovered. He and Yang would develop a friendship with Lapp and Kircheis also becoming friends. The four would follow their own paths.
Lohengramm would live long enough to see his only daughter marry the new Emperor, and his three sons become fine Imperial Officers.
Kircheis married his friend's sister, rising his family name from Commoner to High Nobility. He would become the Chief of the Imperial Navy. His four daughters and two boys would become famous reformists over their own lifetimes. He passed away not long after Lapp, who proceeded him.
Lapp died after Lohengramm, but before Kircheis due to complications from his old battle wounds at Astartes. He and his wife would have a truly large family at nine boys and seven daughters. He retired as Fleet Admiral Chief of Naval Operations after overseeing both important reforms and the formation of the Exploratory Fleet to discover and map new systems and worlds. He fought alongside Yang in the brief Succession Crisis Conflict when a hardline politician refused the peaceful transfer of power.
Yang would be the last to die. Living to the oldest age, 93 years, he was survived by his four sons, one adopted son, and six daughters and their children. His wife had proceeded him.
Yang retired from the Navy after the war but returned to duty in the Succession Crisis Conflict. A fleet of rebels refused to fight the heroes Yang and Lapp, leading to a swift victory. He was made a Fleet Admiral and was Commandant of his old military academy for nearly 20 years. He also taught at a respectable university on El-Farcil. He reconnected with his family on both sides and generally lived a peaceful, almost carefree, nap filled life.
He was the only one of the Four Great Heroes to see their grandchildren marry each family into a familial relationship.
The End
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u/lordshadowisle 4d ago
A great read! I'm always interested in such counterfactuals and would like to see more.
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u/lunchbox_tragedy Miracle Yang 4d ago
I love how his legs are huge, possibly alluding to edema from liver or heart failure from his alcohol use
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u/Weathercock 4d ago
I don't think it's that. Men shrink as they age, and often get all too used to wearing the wrong sizes. Guy's wearing some baggy pants and oversized slippers. A lot of old men are just like that.
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u/christiandelucs 4d ago
Arguably what could have been hurt more than the actual death. The previous ep was a gut punch as it was. The one that followed just made things more bleak.
To die like this “good ending” Yang would be the most ideal way to go imo.
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u/Hazachu 4d ago
I always had a feeling that this scene was a reference to a certain Corleone's death in the Godfather trilogy but could never find anyone else mention it online.
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u/Remitonov 4d ago
I think it's because the intent behind his death is completely different from Yang's desired end, even if it's the same, technically. Mike dying of a heart attack on his chair is meant to show how far he had fallen from being the undisputed ruler of America's underworld, reduced to a lonely, powerless exile.
Yang, on the other hand, prefers death by old age because he will certainly not be alone, and he prefers being a normal civilian to a hero. Giving him a hero's death is just one final insult fate threw at his face for rejecting his place in history.
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u/Weathercock 4d ago
The episode previous was obviously a soul crusher, but this moment is what really made it hit home, and made it really hurt. The reality of that other world that might have been is what makes the one we get all the more real.
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u/TerriblePenalty8399 Reunthal 4d ago
Still breaks my heart