Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 177, page 179 - Alrix

The separatist fleet was approaching menacingly, its ships spread out along both sides, stretching to the horizon.

The flashing navigation lights and the battle-hardened, repair-marked hulls of the Durasteel ship formed a chilling metallic jungle in the void.

The enemy was using a standard bow-and-side formation, with one main battleship parallel to them and the other protruding forward in a port echelon (inverted V-shape).

Although the formation is classic, its strict discipline makes it extremely threatening.

"Have you confirmed the number of enemy ships?" the general asked after a moment of silence.

Ozer leaned closer to a data processing area, looking over the operator's shoulder at the numbers flashing on the screen: "Confirmed to be about two hundred main combat ships. This is not their entire force."

“My intelligence indicates that signals from over three hundred enemy ships have been detected in the area where the shockwave terminated.” General Alrikes suddenly turned around, slightly raising his chin, his all-seeing eyes scrutinizing Ozer with a hint of examination. “Is this intelligence still valid?”

Ozer remained composed, using the calm demeanor of a professional officer to conceal his inner turmoil: "If we include the ships that Ventress's remnants have reorganized and joined, General, the enemy's total strength now exceeds four hundred ships."

“They only used half their forces against us,” she said thoughtfully. “What are your thoughts on this, Brigadier General?”

Ozer straightened his back and analyzed, "The enemy commander obviously has doubts about the combat effectiveness of the newly repaired ships under Ventress's command, but it is really illogical that they are not going all out against us. The intention of using this bow and side formation to deal with our numerical disadvantage is very clear. They want to spread their wings, complete the encirclement, and completely annihilate our task force."

An indescribable light flickered in Aleks's eyes, and Ozer knew it was related to the Force she was connected to.

He himself was not a believer in mysticism, but even so, he still felt an instinctive aversion to this supernatural power.

However, just as it did in the Battle of Metz, it did bring about a victory.

For this reason alone, he had to tolerate the existence of such inexplicable factors on the bridge, which should have been entirely dominated by data and logic.

It is merely tolerance, not agreement.

He couldn't help but wonder, if the mysterious power of the Jedi was really that effective, why hadn't it saved Kolmex's fleet?
“Or…” She turned again, facing the massive enemy formation outside the observation window, “they are protecting something more important. Something is limiting their troop deployment. Are there any other discoveries about this enemy force?”

Ozer nodded slowly: "Most of these ships were urgently dispatched from the Peremian trade route. I advise us to proceed with extreme caution. We are facing extremely experienced commanders and battle-hardened crews. We have already identified the flagships of several well-known commanders."

He pulled up a list: "Captain Kretz clashed with Jedi Generals Tipra and Tipri on Ringo Venda; Commander Shif fought a fierce battle with Jedi General Skywalker on Wozid V. We also discovered the Starfrigate 'Repulsion,' believed to be the flagship of Ryan Bontry, whose name... needs no introduction. The Separatists have assembled their most elite commanders, those with experience fighting the Jedi, to deal with us."

“Bontry…is the one who fought to a draw with Master Procon and Master Sasse Tin in Metalon?” Alrix confirmed.

“Not only that, General,” Ozer added gravely, “he also defeated the combined forces of General Kenobi and General Skywalker at Christophersis.”

The separatists seem to have gathered all the officers who had fought the Jedi General and survived here.

Ozer secretly resolved that he must not allow the "Mediator Task Force" to become yet another exaggerated victory on the infamous battle record of the Pelmian Alliance fleet.

“…Then, I’d like to ask you, Commodore,” Aleks finally spoke, his voice calm. “Why do you feel that their use of this formation is an underestimation of us? We understand our opponents, and they are studying us as well.” “Because the bow and sides are aligned in formation, General, it’s one of the most basic standard battle formations in the Naval Academy’s curriculum,” Ozer answered without hesitation, with the tone of a military academy instructor. “It was indeed effective in its original design, but precisely because of this, it has been repeatedly analyzed and studied by countless military scholars. Its weaknesses have long been made public, and the corresponding countermeasures have been verified through countless exercises. In fact, countermeasures have been developed against these countermeasures… It’s a never-ending cycle.”

“That’s interesting,” Rhys Alrix said, his eyes filled with inquiry. “So, what exactly are these weaknesses you’re referring to?”

Is this a test for me?
Kendall Ozer had to admit to himself that he hadn't expected to hear such a... basic question.

Any qualified graduate of the Republic's Naval Academy should be thoroughly familiar with this basic tactical formation that has been repeatedly studied and applied throughout history.

As if the Jedi could truly sense his inner thoughts, General Aleks turned slightly to the side, a barely perceptible, self-deprecating smile appearing on his face.

“In fact, Commodore, I am not familiar with these specific tactical weaknesses.” She admitted frankly, her voice carrying clearly across the bridge. “During my Jedi training, my master Max Lim was an excellent teacher, but she herself… had no interest in the art of war, or even lightsaber combat. Isn’t the reason I brought you to the bridge precisely because I needed to rely on your expertise and experience?”

If the crew on the bridge of the HMS Resilience felt even a hint of disappointment or unease because of the admiral's frank "ignorance," they showed no sign of it.

The spiritual legacy of Admiral Wyler seems to still be deeply imprinted on this former flagship.

The iron discipline he forged, the deep-rooted hierarchical concepts and respect for authority he instilled, and the rigorous professionalism and diligent work style he demanded still influence every person on the bridge wearing the Republic's uniform.

Perhaps part of the reason lies in the calm and profound confidence that Rhys Alrix himself exudes.

This atmosphere seemed to create an invisible field, subtly adjusting the ambiance within the bridge.

Her long robe trailed across the deck, her shapely combat boots clattered on the metal floor, and her appearance remained impeccable.

"The most critical weakness of the bow and side formation, General, lies in its dispersed forces, making it difficult to form a 'fist' capable of delivering a fatal blow," Ozer began to explain, his tone regaining the rigor of a professional officer. "Their prominent inverted V-shaped flanking formations will create a pre-designed 'killing pocket,' forcing our fleet to avoid this area and only choose to attack the main battle line deployed parallel to it. While we are attacking the parallel battle line, the enemy's inverted V-shaped flanking fleet will take the opportunity to conduct large-scale maneuvers, attempting to outflank our rear and complete the encirclement."

However, in order to achieve this encirclement and extend the battle line to cover our formation, the enemy's parallel battle line itself would be forced to be very thin.

If we can concentrate all our forces and launch a swift attack to tear apart a point on the enemy's parallel line before they can complete their flanking maneuver, we may be able to breach their formation.

General Aleks narrowed his eyes and pressed, "So, your suggestion is to concentrate our forces on attacking that parallel front?"

If Ozer admired anything about the Jedi Generals, it was their tactical preference for direct and powerful frontal assaults.

He himself firmly believes that offense is the best defense, but even offense must be strategic and efficient.

“The enemy is very likely to deploy a large number of starfighters,” he predicted, gesturing with his finger on the hologram, “and hide them under the signal cover of large warships. Once our main force enters the effective range of their parallel lines of fire, these fighter groups will suddenly emerge from behind one wing of the inverted V-shape like a swarm of bees, bypassing the flanks of our formation and launching a harassing attack first, with the aim of holding us back and buying time for their flanking fleet to complete the encirclement.”

The solution is straightforward: we must deploy our own fighter wing in advance to proactively engage and entangle enemy fighter groups before our main force engages, ensuring that air combat occurs far from our main force's flight path.

(End of this chapter)