Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 175-177 - Repair! Revenge?
One significant impact of the Militia Act was that it brought all of Dooku's followers, who had been arbitrarily placed in command positions, into the regular military system.

They were granted formal military ranks, corresponding salaries, and the actual powers associated with those ranks.

But on the other side of the coin, they now have a clear superior, and the rank of "commander" is not considered high in the Confederate Navy.

Ventress's eyes became extremely dangerous, like a wild beast cornered in a desperate situation, flashing with a ferocious light that seemed ready to devour its prey.

Just then, Vinok took a step forward, and an invisible wave of Force energy spread between the two of them.

“You’re nothing but a defective product rejected by the Jedi Temple,” Ventress’s voice hissed, filled with the malice of the dark side. “You really think you’re qualified to challenge me?”

“You will find that I am not so easily defeated, Ventress.” Vinok’s voice was unusually stern, his hand seemingly casually resting on the hilt of his lightsaber at his waist. “Step back.”

"Please stop arguing in front of the Major General." A flat, monotone female voice rang out.

The speaker was a female officer with a pretty face, dressed in a simple black uniform, standing in front of the main control panel on the bridge.

Her expression was as stiff as a mask, her eyes so empty they seemed soulless, making one wonder if it was an extremely realistic robotic mimicry. "I will not allow chaos to occur on my command ship."

This statement seems to carry some kind of invisible power.

Even Renn felt a sense of unease, and Ventress clearly felt it as well.

After a brief standoff, Ventress let out a suppressed snort and reluctantly took a step back.

“…Thank you, Brigadier General.” Ryan grabbed Vinok’s shoulder at the right moment and gently pulled him back to his side, easing the tension.

"Now, I will clearly state the core objective of our current mission: once we obtain permission to attack, our goal is to completely defeat the Republic Task Force commanded by Jedi General Rhys Alrix."

With a serious tone, Raine continued, "Here, I must emphasize the seriousness of this mission. We must not let Aleks escape. We must achieve a complete and utter victory. This is the strategic key to the southern advance of the entire 'Operation Stormgate'."

“This is undoubtedly the most ideal outcome. Considering the undeniably illustrious record of your fleet, achieving this goal is not unrealistic, General.” A Nemodian dressed in the iconic robes of the Trade Federation spoke cautiously, his slender tentacles swaying slightly. “But could you please elaborate on its strategic necessity?”

Renn nodded knowingly and gestured, "Of course, does anyone have a star map of the Rimma trade routes that can be displayed on the holographic projection?"

A young officer, who had been trying to appear focused on his screen and avoid getting involved in high-level conversations, was so startled by the sudden roll call that he nearly jumped up.

He frantically operated the control panel for a few moments.

In an instant, a huge three-dimensional star sector hologram unfolded in the center of the bridge, covering the space of the upper and lower three layers of transparent steel decks.

The entire bridge seemed to be enveloped by a shimmering blue starry sky and bright lines representing hyperspace routes.

The massive Rimma trade route, resembling a glowing tree trunk, stretched from the ceiling of the deck above them to the floor of the deck below, clearly visible through the transparent bridge floor.

Vinok couldn't help but let out a low whistle of admiration.

“We are here now,” Raine pointed to the points of light representing the Salust system reflected on the transparent floor beneath his feet, “and General Ambigine and the main force of his Fourth Fleet are here.”

His finger moved further down the star map, pointing to the Eriadu system located in the middle of the deck beneath their feet. "And our ultimate goal is here!" Raine raised his arm, pointing to a stellar cluster marker flashing on the deck area above them.

It is the intersection of three major hyperspace routes: the Rimma Trade Route, the Corellia Trade Backbone, and the Harlem Trade Corridor, encircling four key star systems.

"Yagdur, our mission is to establish a solid forward defensive position in Yagdur to prevent more Republic troops from reinforcing the front lines. At the same time, General Ambigine will clear the entire Rimma trade route from the south."

“If we allow Alrix’s fleet to escape,” the Nemodian commander immediately grasped the key point, his narrow eyes narrowing, “then when our main force arrives at Agdur and establishes a defensive line, she will most likely regroup and launch an attack from our rear, that is, from the direction of Salust, forming a pincer movement with the Republic’s reinforcements.”

“That’s right.” Renn nodded approvingly.

At that moment, the officer operating the holographic projector timely reduced the star map and focused on the Salust system itself.

A sense of goodwill rose in Rein's heart at the man's shrewdness. "The reserve fleet of the Republic's Second Military District is already on its way to reinforce. Once we break through Salust's blockade, the fleet will directly perform a hyperspace jump and head straight for Agdur."

We will penetrate deep behind enemy lines, but relying on the 6th Auxiliary Division's mobile dock, we can maintain the necessary supplies until General Ambigine's main force marches north and joins us.

That's why we must completely eliminate Arlix's forces here, leaving no future trouble!

Of course, the deeper reason was that he absolutely could not risk having an enemy fleet blocking his way, especially when they were about to carry out "Operation Starburst" and penetrate deep into the core world.

However, General Trench strictly ordered that "Operation Starburst" must be kept strictly secret before the operation began.

Similarly, the choice of Yagdul as a target, rather than the Mechis III forging world or the 'Bakta' production world of Tefara, is precisely because Yagdul is located at the crossroads of two major hyperspace routes, which provides the fleet with crucial tactical flexibility.

Not to mention, the native race of Yagdur, the Givens, are renowned throughout the galaxy for their innate, almost racially gifted, mathematical prowess; they are top-tier interstellar navigators and cryptographers.

If we can get their assistance, it will greatly increase the success rate of "Operation Starburst".

“Well done,” Ryan said to the officer. “Now focus the hologram on the Salust system itself.”

The star map zooms in rapidly, with Sallust becoming the center, and its planetary orbits, the Sululub field asteroid belt, and the positions of various celestial bodies clearly displayed.

A scanning alert sounded, and icons representing both fleets were marked on the star map based on the detected engine signals and their last known location.

"Our order of battle is as follows!" Raine began his deployment, deliberately slowing his speech to ensure everyone could hear him clearly. "'Chuck Drucker,' 'Dark Servant,' and all combat-ready ships under Commander Ventress's command are now reorganized into the 46th Escort Fleet, which will be stationed at the current coordinates of Sulurub Field along with Commander Chom's 6th Auxiliary Division for repairs and resupply."

A suppressed murmur immediately rose in the bridge, and several officers looked indignant, seemingly wanting to protest.

But Brigadier General Diederich Greshad raised his hand, stopping them with an unquestionable air of authority.

"No one questions your loyalty and courage, gentlemen. Under extremely difficult conditions, you have successfully halted the Republic's advance, making them pay a heavy price for every star system they conquered."

Your ships are badly damaged, and your crew is exhausted. Let Captain Chom and his engineering team perform comprehensive and necessary repairs to restore your warships to combat readiness. Rest assured, you can leave the rest of the combat missions to us.

“At least let our ships, which have been basically repaired and are ready for combat, join the battle!” The Nemodian commander waved his arms excitedly, the sleeves of his robes fluttering. “Throughout the war, we’ve been almost entirely in retreat and defense! This is the opportunity for revenge we’ve been waiting for! Sir, my crew is indeed exhausted, but you won’t find anyone in the entire galaxy more eager to teach the Republic a lesson and wipe away our humiliation! Please give us a chance to point our cannons at the enemy!”

(End of this chapter)