Alright, everybody. I am back with my second story of the Terran Alliance series. Hope you guys like this one. The original chapter will explain some of what's happened since the rise of the Empire, and show some of the current state of the Terran Alliance.

Let's get to it.

Chapter 1- Rise of Freedom

(August 1, 2013)

The stars glimmer brightly against the darkness of space. It's thoughts like this that cross the mind of Admiral William Gortney as he stares out of the viewport of his flagship, the Baltimore, lead ship of the brand new Baltimore class of Star Destroyers. Far below, Earth is as beautiful as ever, and around it, Gortney can see more Star Destroyers of the Terran Starfleet's Home Fleet.

"Admiral!" The voice draws Gortney's attention away from the stars.

"Yes, Captain?" he asks Captain Anderson, the Baltimore's commanding officer.

"I just wanted to remind you of the commissioning ceremony. You will need to be on board the transport within 30 minutes in order to make it on time," Captain Anderson says.

"Thank you, Captain. I will make my way there immediately," Admiral Gortney says. He then turns and begins walking down towards the hangar bay.

As he walks, he looks around at his ship with pride. The Baltimore is the first of her class, of which there are only 12 in the Terran Starfleet, considered to be the pinnacle of Terran Star Destroyer design. Far more powerful than the previous London class they are meant to supplement and eventually replace, they are expected to hold the mantle of the Terran Starfleet's main ship for decades into the future.

Finally, he reaches the hangar bay, where a transport is waiting for him. Wordlessly, he boards the shuttle, which lifts off a minute later, leaving the ship and heading for the surface.

Slowly the shuttle makes its way to North Carolina, where it keeps low to the ground as it turns north towards D.C. It's a fairly short flight there.

As the transport nears D.C., a shadow passes over it. Admiral Gortney looks up through the top of the front window, and smiles as he sees the cause of the shadow. The massive bulk of the Super Star Destroyer Freedom.

The Freedom had been originally conceived about two months after Terran troops were initially deployed to the Andromeda Galaxy to help the Republic. In a report to the Pentagon about characteristics of known Republic and Separatist warships and how the Terran Alliance needed bigger ships than the Venators with greater offensive firepower if they were to compete with potential enemies, the Newport News Shipbuilding Company included a small section regarding the possibility of constructing a massive ship, over 15 kilometers in size, capable of holding its own against an entire fleet. The section of the report argued that such a massive ship would greatly help with the Alliance's inability to produce ships in such massive numbers as the Republic and Separatists. The report referred to the proposed ship as a "Super Star Destroyer". While the Pentagon agreed with the majority of the report, that particular section was disregarded, and not passed on to the Joint Terran Command.

Two years after the end of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Empire, Newport News Shipbuilding passed the report on to the Terran Starship Industries, the official name of the shipbuilding company responsible for the construction of new starships and of the Star Forge. The company refined the proposal slightly and submitted it to the Joint Terran Command. The idea did not take hold, as the London class, which were already under construction and were planned for mass production at the Terran Star Forge, were believed to be capable of handling the threat of Imperial Venators. But, when word of the Imperial class reached Earth a year later, the idea began gathering support. Two years later, and five total years after the end of the Clone Wars, word was obtained of Imperial work on the Executor class. With the threat of that ship weighing on their minds, the Joint Terran Command revisited the proposal, and finally, almost 6 years after the end of the Clone Wars, design and construction of the ship was given the green light. The design of the ship was finished 8 years after the project was given the go ahead, given that some of the design work had already been done by Terran Starship Industries. The ship, dubbed the Freedom, was constructed at the Star Forge over the next 4 years. After the 4 years, the construction was mostly done, except for some of the weapons and some other systems, and the ship left the Star Forge. The final year of work, involving installation of the remaining weapons, some minor touching up and addition of a few final touches, took place in Earth orbit. Now, she is officially ready to be commissioned into the fleet.

The Freedom is the most powerful known starship ever constructed. Measuring in at 25,828 meters, she's 6.5 kilometers longer than the Imperial Executors. Thanks to her incredibly advanced automation technology, even more advanced than the other ships in the fleet, her crew is only 80,000 officers and enlisted men, as well as over two hundred thousand droids to help man the ship, and three divisions of soldiers, with provision to carry an additional two divisions if necessary. Her hangar bays carry almost 600 starfighters and bombers, with capacity for far more if necessary. And her armament is extensive. She carries 5,500 heavy turbolaser batteries, 3,500 quad heavy turbolasers, 1,500 dual medium turbolasers, 520 ion cannons, 80 dual heavy ion cannons, 200 Space Sparrow anti-starfighter missile launchers, 150 Starhawk cruise missile launchers (20 of which were equipped with nuclear Starhawks), 350 laser CIWS guns, and 60 railguns. Enough firepower to destroy a planet's civilization in hours, or single handedly destroy an entire battle fleet. Her firepower, in numbers alone, is equal to over 100 Imperial class Star Destroyers. She's also equipped with new reactors to power her. She is the pinnacle of Terran engineering. And to people of Earth, and the other members of the Alliance, she is worth everything spent on her.

Following the end of the Clone Wars, the situation between the new Galactic Empire and the Terran Alliance was tense. The Terran Alliance knew they were not yet in a position to launch an attack on the Empire. On the other hand, the Empire knew that with the state of disarray of their military, and with Earth's defenses, including its vast nuclear arsenal, they were not likely to gain enough from an attack on Earth to warrant an attack right away.

And so, the situation devolved into a Cold War between the Empire and the Terran Alliance. It was often called the Intergalactic Cold War. The Empire was content to leave the Terran Alliance alone if the Alliance left them alone.

The Alliance, however, was not content to just sit back. They were determined to take revenge on the Empire and restore the Republic, not just out of a sense of duty to former Republic, but also because of all the Terran forces lost trying to defend the Jedi in the so called Jedi Purge. And so, once the Terran Star Forge was completed, they initiated mass production of ships and fighters, as well as millions of droids to help man their ships, and began earnestly building up their military power, and building up the Terran Jedi Order, which was slightly more militaristic than the Republic's Jedi Order was. The Alliance had also begun exploring the galaxy in earnest, searching for worlds with resources, and inhabited worlds.

Now, it's been 19 years since the end of the Clone Wars. The Terran Alliance Starfleet now numbers over 300 ships. And the Freedom, once it is commissioned, will become the new flagship of the fleet, and the main symbol of the Terran Alliance's military power.

The transport sets down at the Ronald Reagan International Airport. As Admiral Gortney steps off the transport, troops are waiting to take him to an SUV, waiting to take him to the site of the Freedom's commissioning ceremony.

(Terran Jedi Temple, West Virginia)

Master Plo Koon quietly looks out over the landscape surrounding the Terran Jedi Temple. Once again, he finds himself grateful they had decided to build the Temple in West Virginia. The land is beautiful.

Plo and the other Jedi who came to Earth and were appointed as the first High Council had taken to heart their duty to train the Terran Jedi Order. Now, 19 years after the end of the Clone Wars, the Terran Jedi Order has truly grown, with 36 men and women having attained the rank of Jedi Knight, and 161 others, from infants to teenagers, at various stages of training. Despite the changes to the Jedi Code for the Terran Jedi, the Terran Jedi had grown into an Order that the High Council could be proud of.

And the ASAT team. The unit had remained a part of the Terran Armed Forces. Ten of the original 12 members of the team had retired from the team, and their places had been filled by others. The ASAT team was now not just restricted to former special ops members, but also to members of the Terran Jedi Order. Four members of the current team were originally trained as Jedi, but had been selected for the ASAT team.

"Master!"

Plo turns around to see one of the recently graduated Jedi Knights, a young American woman by the name of Kate Baird, approaching.

"Yes, Kate?" Plo asks.

"The shuttle is here to take you to commissioning," she says.

"Of course," Plo says. He then makes his way towards the landing pad.

Getting onto the landing pad, he sees the shuttle waiting for him, along with Luminara, Kit Fisto and Aayla Secura, the only other remaining members of the original High Council. Ki Adi Mundi, Kirak Infil'a, and Simms had all passed away of various causes since arriving on Terra. And just a year ago, Mace Windu had been diagnosed with a heart condition that some doctors suspected may have been caused by his being hit by Palpatine's Force lightning all those years ago. The heart condition had necessitated Mace's retirement from the Terran Jedi Order. In his place, Plo had been appointed as the Grandmaster of the Terran Jedi Order.

Also standing with them is Ahsoka. Ahsoka had decided to join the Terran Jedi Order in 1996, and had transferred to West Virginia University to finish her degree so that she could be closer to the Terran Jedi Temple. She had been appointed to the High Council less than a month after joining the Order.

"Shall we go?" Plo asks.

"Indeed, Master Plo," Luminara says, and the five of them board the transport.

The transport takes off and heads towards D.C. It sets down at Ronald Reagan International Airport, where a limousine is waiting for them. The three Jedi get in the limo, and it begins driving to the Capitol building, where the commissioning ceremony is to be held.

As they arrive at the site and make their way to the stand, they see the current US president, several Terran officials including Admiral Gortney, and representatives from the Alliance's other worlds. Soon after the end of the Clone Wars, the Alliance had commenced exploring the galaxy, looking for other inhabited worlds. Over the course of 19 years, they had mapped a fair amount of the Milky Way, and located 10 inhabited worlds. While one of those worlds had wished to remain neutral, the other 9 had decided to join the Terran Alliance. It was with their help and their inhabitants that the massive Terran Starfleet was able to be manned. Some of the species on these planets were the same or similar to species from the Andromeda Galaxy, while some were entirely different species that had never been seen before. Individuals from these other worlds had also been adopted for training in the Terran Jedi Order.

Admiral Gortney walks up to the three Jedi. "Welcome, Masters," he says.

"Hello, Admiral," Luminara says.

"It's our pleasure to have you here for the ceremony," Gortney says.

The four Jedi nod, then take their seats. As they do, Admiral Gortney steps up to the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the commissioning of the Terran Alliance ship Freedom," Gortney says, which is immediately met with heavy applause.

For almost an hour, various dignitaries speak, and various ceremonial rituals are conducted. Then, Admiral Gortney says, "And now, I would like to invite Jedi Master Ahsoka Tano, our ship's sponsor, to come to the podium. Master Tano christened the ship a year ago when she left the Star Forge, and I wish her to join me as we issue the call to man our ship and bring her to life."

A round of applause echoes over the grounds as Ahsoka stands and walks towards the podium.

Looking out over the crowd, Ahsoka says, "When I left the Jedi Order as a result of false charges, I thought I would be wandering for a long time. But immediately, I was offered a home here, and I have been proud to call Earth my home for the last two decades."

"The Jedi's call of duty is to protect and serve. But when it comes down to it, our duty is to protect freedom wherever it is in danger. For 19 years, the Terran Alliance has waited for the chance to bring down the Galactic Empire and restore freedom to the Andromeda Galaxy. And now, the time is near at hand. Soon, this mighty ship, which bears the name of the very cause for which we fight, will lead our fleet into battle against the might of the Galactic Empire. And we will restore freedom to a galaxy under oppression," Ahsoka says.

She pauses, then says, "On behalf of the Terran Jedi, the Terran Alliance, and all who have given their lives in the struggle against the Sith and the Empire, I now say: Officers and men of the TAS Freedom, man our ship, and bring her to life!"

A swarm of shuttles approach the Super Star Destroyer, moving up to land in her hangar bays. Men swarm out of the shuttles, heading to man their stations as the shuttles begin making run after run, shuttling more men to the ship. Everyone on the ground cheers loudly.

The process of manning the ship will take hours. Once it is finished, Admiral Gortney boards his new flagship, and the Freedom ascends into orbit, taking her rightful place as the flagship of the Home Fleet, and of the entire Terran Starfleet.

The Joint Terran Command is now confident. With the Freedom completed, it will not be long before the Terran Alliance will finally be ready to take the fight directly to the Galactic Empire, and finally exact their revenge.

And there we go. I hope you liked this chapter.

So, this is only a hint of what has happened since the end of the first story. You'll get more on the wiki and in future chapters. But I hope you like what I've revealed so far.

So, the Freedom is something I thought would be interesting to include. We'll see her in action several times, and we'll see her take on an Executor class ship at least once. Also, I will now begin making wiki pages for all the current ship classes used by the Terran Starfleet, including those we haven't seen yet.

Next chapter will be up later today. Until it's up, leave a review, tell me what you think of this first chapter, and stay tuned!