Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 183, Section 185 - Testing
The Sulurub asteroid belt, Salust system.

Brema district.

Inside the bridge of the "Repel".

The cold metal walls reflected the gleam of the control panel, and the air was filled with the low hum of electronic components and the faint hiss of the circulating filter.

The spherical head of the robot adjutant, Little Tower, turned toward Commander Rein, its optical sensors glowing steadily.

"Commander, another communication from General Trench." Little Tower's voice was steady, but conveyed a hint of helplessness.

Rein stared intently at the main tactical hologram, which was covered with countless dots marking enemy and friendly ships. "Any good news?"

“Unfortunately, no.” Little Tower’s answer was crisp and clean. “Our ‘standby order’ remains in effect. Before ‘Operation Stormgate’ begins, we are prohibited from engaging in any combat with enemy forces.”

My expectations were dashed in an instant.

Raine's brow furrowed, confusion replacing hope. "Little Ta, you must have reported the actual situation to him, right? The enemy is firing on us; this is not a drill!"

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the cold handrail.

“Commander, I have given the admiral a full report on the current status of the fleet, as well as all contact incidents that have occurred in the past sixty-one standard system hours.” The synthesized tone of the small tower remained professional. “This is our third formal request for permission to engage in combat. Admiral Trench’s attitude is very clear; he insists on his original decision.”

This decision is practically equivalent to the general's office's final stance.

In other words, it represents the will of the Tann faction.

Renn's thoughts drifted away.

Before the rise of the Supreme Commander, General Trench and General Tann were the two most prestigious military leaders in the Separatist Alliance.

They were like two giant pillars supporting the Confederate war machine.

With the state of war continuing, their position was tantamount to supporting the Confederation itself.

This situation naturally fostered competition, perhaps mixed with a degree of mutual respect among rivals, but this competitive relationship has continued to this day.

why?

The root cause lies in the two factions of officers that have always existed within the Confederate armed forces.

One group comes from corporate security or private military companies.

The other faction consisted of the regular federal troops from the various Confederate member planets.

Although the Militia Act nominally integrated the former and incorporated it into the unified national military system, the differences in operating styles and ideologies brought about by the two backgrounds still haunt the fleet like a ghost.

Now, Tann sits on the throne of Supreme Commander, but Field Marshal Trench still enjoys broad and firm support within the Confederate armed forces, especially among officers who are from the Union or share its ideals.

Ryan knew that if Trench and Tann disagreed, the Confederate armed forces' command chain would not be functioning as smoothly as it was now.

In other words, Trench's insistence on following Tann's "standby order" implies that he personally agrees with the strategy, rather than simply blindly following it.

Ryan and his staff had given Trench a detailed account of the predicament facing the 28th Mobile Fleet.

He let out a long, heavy sigh.

Since Trench, after fully understanding the situation, still chose to maintain the original order...

So, is all of this really an indispensable part of some grand plan?
Raine felt powerless; he could only piece together the underlying intentions through guesswork.

Sixty-one galactic hours have passed since that first frustrating "contact" where they retreated without firing a single shot.

During this time, Jedi General Rhys Alrix's Mediator Task Force launched two more attacks against them.

Three small-scale conflicts led to three urgent requests to the Marshal, pleading for permission to launch an attack and annihilate the relentlessly advancing Republic fleet.

Three times, the requests were coldly rejected.

Renn watched helplessly as Alrix made his tactical intentions.

She probed their defenses and reactions with surgical precision, while he was bound by higher-level strategic considerations, unable to mount a powerful counterattack. This feeling was like poison eroding his nerves.

For the past sixty-one hours, he felt as if he were under a microscope.

He could almost picture Aleks on the bridge of the Mediator, like a seasoned detective, meticulously analyzing the data from every contact, leaving no stone unturned, dissecting, filing, and studying the operational patterns, defensive focus, and reaction speed of the 28th Mobile Fleet.

She is piecing together a complete picture of their weaknesses.

The problem arose from that contact sixty-one hours ago.

At that time, Ryan made a critical mistake.

They were unclear why General Alrix had suddenly turned his attention to their auxiliary fleet.

It's not even certain whether this is truly her primary objective.

In response to her fierce attack, Raine ordered all conceivable defensive measures to be implemented.

They not only advanced their main battle group 55 million kilometers forward to form a barrier, but also firmly positioned the crucial auxiliary fleet in the core region of the asteroid belt, and deployed more than 100 additional escort ships to completely surround it.

Logically speaking, attacking this auxiliary fleet should be an impossible task, with the risks and rewards being completely disproportionate.

Who would risk attacking such a tight defense for just five seemingly ordinary, modified transport ships?
Who would think it's worth taking such a risk with an experienced fleet?
But Aleks did exactly that. At least, at the time, all indications pointed to her launching the attack.

And this was precisely the fatal problem that Renn later realized.

The importance of the "Sixth Auxiliary Fleet" cannot be overstated.

It is not only a core element of Operation Starlight, but also a crucial cornerstone for the success or failure of Operation Stormgate, which is about to unfold on the Rima trade route.

Therefore, when Aleix adopted a posture of charging straight at the auxiliary fleet at all costs, Raine and his fleet retreated.

Because his original battle plan was simply to lure Alrix into attacking, and then use a pre-arranged ambush to encircle and annihilate his fleet.

It's impossible that Aleksé was completely unaware of this.

In Ryan's view, her seemingly crazy charge was likely just a carefully planned probing attack to observe their reactions, rather than a real suicide attack.

However, whatever the reasons, the reaction of the 28th Mobile Fleet gave her a clear answer.

Because they backed down.

The highest priority order was issued.

Protect the auxiliary fleet at all costs.

They voluntarily abandoned their carefully laid encirclement and instead withdrew their fleet, constructing a defensive line in front of the auxiliary fleet.

This action completely confirmed Aleks's suspicions.

This auxiliary fleet is extraordinary!

According to the original plan, the Republic's fleet should have been in dire straits.

Even if Alekss miraculously manages to break through the vanguard defenses, the final result will only be that her fleet is isolated in the vast expanse of space, blocked by the main force in front and surrounded by ambushes from behind.

In any case, the 28th Mobile Fleet could easily adjust its deployment and complete the encirclement, cleanly and efficiently removing the biggest obstacle in its path before "Operation Stormgate" even began.

The only variable is that the risks faced by the auxiliary fleet are simply too high.

The Mediator Task Force still possesses nine powerful Knight-class Star Destroyers and sixty other capital ships.

Its heavy turbo-laser cannon array and dense starfighter swarms are sufficient to pose a substantial threat to the escort fleet acting as the rearguard.

When the main battle group turns around to provide support... even the loss of just one auxiliary transport ship could drastically reduce the probability of success in future battles by one-fifth.

Sixteen galactic hours later, the Mediator Task Force launched its second attack.

This time, Alrix divided her forces into six independent combat squadrons, spreading them out like a net across various strategic points in the Salust system, while placing the main battle group between their 28th Mobile Fleet and the planet Salust.

Her opponent's retreat during the first conflict raised her alarm, and now she was determined to thoroughly understand the boundaries and depth of this "weakness."

The next eighteen galactic hours were a nightmare for the separatist forces within the Salust system.

The Republic Fleet's six squadrons moved stealthily throughout the system, launching surprise attacks and engaging in harassing small-scale firefights.

Alrix constantly changed targets, jumping from one satellite to another planet, testing the reactions of different areas along the 28th Mobile Fleet's defensive line.

Every contact, every defensive adjustment or retreat they were forced to make, was like providing Aleks with a crucial puzzle piece.

She patiently collected this information, gradually outlining the true defensive focus and tactical intentions of the 28th Mobile Fleet.

Ultimately, in order to avoid being divided and annihilated and to protect the core objective, Rein was forced to order the entire fleet to retreat to a strategically advantageous and difficult-to-attack location deep within the Sulurub asteroid belt.

That was the ruins of a long-abandoned mining station discovered by the Holgo Assault Division.

Since Alrix has clearly abandoned the siege of Salust and instead focused all his efforts on tracking down and attacking their auxiliary fleet, establishing a solid defensive line based on the complex terrain of the asteroid belt and abandoned space stations becomes the only way to ensure that she is kept out before the "Operation Stormgate" order is issued.

This passive waiting makes every minute and every second more agonizing.

Ryan felt like he was being tormented by anxiety, and couldn't help but want to contact Trench again and again to ask about the progress.

What troubled him was that Xiao Ta always rationally advised him that submitting reports after each enemy operation would accumulate more "evidence," making their reasons for requesting to fight seem more sufficient and convincing.

In any case, it was during this frustrating period of defense and stalemate that Aleks became almost certain that the "Sixth Auxiliary Fleet" was the true Achilles' heel of the Twenty-Eighth Mobile Fleet.

After all, this auxiliary fleet is the core of what gives the "mobile fleet" its key maneuverability.

Every time she exerted pressure on the possible location of the auxiliary fleet, whether it was real or not, the 28th Mobile Fleet would make large-scale, high-cost mobilizations, carefully but with unwavering determination, moving those transport ships deeper into the asteroid belt, fearing the slightest mishap.

It was during this period that Aleks keenly perceived the second key characteristic of his opponent.

They will never take the initiative to attack.

When she boldly dispersed her fleet, exposing obvious weaknesses, the 28th Mobile Fleet had an excellent opportunity to launch a counterattack and defeat her scattered squadrons one by one.

However, the opposing fleet remained stationary, holding its defensive positions. This was because they had received strict "standby orders."

Aleks didn’t know this at the time, but her suspicions had already arisen, and all her subsequent actions were aimed at verifying this crucial guess.

(End of this chapter)