Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 186, Chapter 188 - A Desperate Gamble

"I... am powerless to do anything about it."

Aleks's voice came through the communication, calm yet tinged with helplessness, "The Separatists have deployed at least forty warships to reinforce the front lines. As you have observed, Brigadier General Ozer, the deeper we advance, the stronger the resistance we encounter. Our offensive momentum is waning, and we must consider a retreat route as soon as possible. It is regrettable, but we still have a chance to achieve our core objective in this battle."

“Then let my battleships take the lead!” Ozer pleaded excitedly, his eyes gleaming with a thirst for victory. “No matter how many troops the separatists send, my ‘Destroyer-class’ can crush them!”

“Things aren’t that simple,” the Jedi General’s expression grew even more grave, as if he had foreseen something. “I sense a ‘fire’ about to ignite within the enemy ranks. I need you to light that first spark, and the ensuing flames will engulf them.”

This destructive imagery invigorated Ozer. "General, you only need to specify the target!"

Rhys Alrix closed her eyes and slowly turned toward the observation window of the bridge, as if searching in the void. After a moment, she raised her arm, extended a finger, and pointed firmly in a certain direction.

“I sense that there is a ‘weakness’ here.”

Kendall Ozer immediately traced the virtual extension of her finger on the complex tactical holographic star map, his gaze following the invisible trajectory.

That's it!

He instantly understood the deeper meaning behind the "Politician" squad's previous unusual actions... Unbelievable!
He began to feel a sense of admiration for this Jedi general.

Ozer couldn't help but say, "General, that... is not a tactical objective in the traditional sense."

“‘Weakness’ takes many forms and is not limited to a specific place or time. Here and now, it manifests as a ‘choice with no right answer,’” Aleks’s tone was unwavering. “I believe you, Brigadier General, will not fall into the same predicament. May the Force guide you.”

……

On the left flank of the separatist fleet, the asteroid belt has been transformed into a purgatory filled with the light of destruction.

Blinding beams of energy intertwined and collided, bursting forth with dazzling purple flashes, like the brush of death scribbling wildly in the void.

Dense missiles, trailing dazzling contrails, roared through the tunnel and slammed into the retreating Republic "Politician" squadron.

Strangely, the other side did not retaliate with full force, but instead concentrated its firepower on the asteroid walls on both sides of the passage, attempting to create a collapse to block the passage.

With each refresh of the tactical star map, amidst the increasingly chaotic battlefield situation, a signal representing the enemy's engine dims and disappears.

Every successful shelling hit meant that the enemy ship's armor was torn apart, its internal structure was exposed to a vacuum, and the exploding fireballs were like death flowers blooming on the ship's hull, each bloom accompanied by the loss of hundreds of lives.

The massive Destiny-class dreadnought "Olympus Mons" took the lead, unleashing six hundred missiles like a deadly swarm of bees from its launch tubes, creating a devastating barrage.

Its massive hull, like an unstoppable battering ram, led the fleet in a fierce charge against the retreating enemy.

At this moment, the miniature meteorites shattered by the artillery fire and flying at high speed were even more threatening than the enemy ships.

These tiny death particles pierced through the shields weakened by continuous fighting, tearing gruesome wounds into the ship's armor.

"The tunnel structure is collapsing!" Xiaota's urgent electronic voice rang out, unusually revealing obvious concern. "Their resistance is rapidly decreasing!"

"They can't hold on! This is a desperate fight, trying to block our path with rubble!" Renn sneered, decisively switching the fleet broadcast channel, "All warships, full engine power! Break through the lines! Crush them!"

The roar of the sub-light speed engine echoed through the communication channel.

The twelve capital ships and ten heavy cruisers of the "Fourth Battle Division" unleashed their ferocious propulsion, charging forward with overwhelming force.

Ahead of them, the Republic's "Politician" squadron was in a chaotic retreat, desperately trying to escape from the death tunnel that was about to be buried by rubble.

The separatist dreadnoughts, like hungry beasts, fiercely charged through the remnants of the Republic fleet, tearing apart every enemy ship that tried to escape with their concentrated firepower.

The flagship "Statesman" Juggernaut-class aircraft struggled to hold on against the "Olympus Mons"'s ferocious firepower.

The ship groaned under the strain, its thick Duonium alloy armor twisting and breaking under the continuous heavy blows.

Large sections of the ship's hull were blown away, and the cold vacuum instantly swallowed up the air and life inside the cabin.

Even after suffering such severe damage, the remaining turbo-laser turret on the back of the "Politician" continues to futilely spew angry flames into the void.

More Republic starfighters, like a startled swarm of bees, rushed out of the mothership’s massive hole in an attempt to launch a final counterattack, only to be torn to shreds by dense close-in weapon fire and ubiquitous micrometeoroids.

This almost desperate tenacity is both moving and chilling.

"The 'Repulsion's' shield energy has dropped to a dangerous threshold!" Kavia's voice crackled in the internal communication, filled with urgency. "Captain, continuing to remain in this area will compromise the ship's structural integrity!"

"Understood!" Raine struggled to balance commanding the entire fleet and monitoring the status of his own ship; sweat had already soaked through his uniform. "'Weeping Sun,' report your situation!"

His gaze searched the chaotic tactical star map, barely managing to lock onto the "Crying Sun," which had advanced nearly 12,000 kilometers ahead.

The 4th Battle Division is pursuing the remnants of the Alrix star-oriented detachment.

“We can still hold on,” Vinok’s voice came through, tinged with weariness. “The port bow is damaged, but the 2nd Division can still carry out its mission. However… something doesn’t feel right.”

Sure enough there is a problem.

Raine took a deep breath, suppressing his unease: "Speak."

“The forces that Alrix sent to stop us were too few, and they collapsed too quickly. Even if she herself didn’t realize it, her staff couldn’t have made such a mistake… This must be a trap.” Vinok’s tone was full of doubt.

Is this a warning from the Force?

"I...can't tell, the interference is too strong."

Rein's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. "Diedrich and Hogo are under heavy attack from Alrix's main force. The battle is fierce. We must deal with the enemy here as soon as possible and rush to their aid."

“Ventris requests access,” Communications Officer Taylor announced. “Bring him in.”

“Bontri,” Ventress’s hoarse voice rang out directly, omitting honorifics as always, “I’m moving my fighter squadron to the right wing.”

"Reason?" Renn frowned.

"Aleix's killer move... is coming."

65 star system hours after the start of the battle.

The moment Ventress finished speaking, the battlefield situation changed drastically!

The Republic's elite rearguard, consisting of nine massive "Knight-class" star destroyers and twelve "Jackal-class" destroyers, suddenly turned around under Ozer's command!
Instead of proceeding along the planned path, they recklessly plunged into the asteroid-rich region between the two paths, a region filled with deadly boulders that was theoretically impassable!

These steel behemoths, with their powerful new shields, were like unruly bulls, brutally smashing, crushing, or even vaporizing meteorites in their path with their cannon fire, carving a path through the sea of ​​debris!

This near-suicidal charge was a blatant provocation to the entire battlefield.

“Only now are you pulling this stunt…” Renn had just started to speak.

"The probability of this action being a coincidence is less than 0.3%," Xiaota's cold electronic voice immediately followed, "We are currently conducting a full parameter reassessment of the battlefield situation."

If we consider Alrix's previous actions of closely monitoring the auxiliary fleet, the most direct conclusion is that the strike team's objective was to bypass the front line and head straight for the auxiliary ships in the rear.

But this is so...absurd!

A mere twenty-odd warships?

Brigadier General Kretz has a reserve force of nearly ninety warships under his command!

Not to mention, these "Knight-class" ships would probably have exhausted their shield energy long before they reached the Kretz defense zone by traversing such a dense asteroid belt!
So, what exactly are they trying to do?
Speed ​​advantage is meaningless here; the asteroid belt is too dense.

What fatal flaw did Aleks see that they missed?
"Approved! Take all available fighter jets and do everything in your power to delay them!" Rein urgently ordered Ventress, then turned to the bridge crew, "Taylor, bring up all possible sensor views and keep a close eye on those 'Knight-class' ships! Little Tower, immediately calculate all possible paths and probabilities of them breaking through the Kretz defenses!"

“It’s already being done, Bontrie.” Ventress’s voice carried a hint of coldness.

“Understood, sir!” Taylor replied.

“I cannot draw conclusions based on speculation,” Little Tower responded. “There is currently no conclusive evidence that Alrix’s target is still our auxiliary fleet.”

“For the past sixty hours, this has been their target…” Before Rein could finish speaking, the massive tactical holographic projection in the center of the bridge suddenly burst into a blinding light. Countless markers, annotations, and predicted trajectory lines crisscrossed the screen. The “Repulsion” shipboard computer cluster was putting all its computing power into simulations, trying to find the “weakness” that Alyx had sensed. “If it’s not them, what else could she be after?!”

“From a purely tactical perspective, the probability of the enemy successfully breaking through our rear guard is less than five percent,” Xiao Ta analyzed. “Therefore, the likelihood of them targeting the auxiliary ship is extremely small.”

“Little Tower! Once the Force intervenes, all your cold statistics will be meaningless!” Renn felt sweat trickling down his forehead, his uniform back completely soaked.

He forced himself to look away from the frantically calculating star map and glance at the real-time battlefield.

That deadly dagger, composed of "knight-class" asteroids, is relentlessly penetrating the asteroid belt, ignoring all obstacles, and seems to be getting closer and closer.

"So... you think they're coming for us?" Renn asked in a dry voice.

“I have incorporated Brigadier General Kretz’s real-time deployment into the core parameters,” Little Ta’s answer was almost a confirmation. “After comprehensively analyzing all variables, this is currently the most probable conclusion.”

Don't overthink it!

Kretz's warning exploded in Renn's mind.

Once you get caught up in overthinking, you fall into a deadly mental trap!

However, the assault routes of those "knight-level" attackers remain unpredictable and difficult to pinpoint.

A swarm of tiny points of light representing interstellar fighters swarmed around the asteroid like predatory insects, engaging in a fierce dogfight with the Republic's escort fighters in the gaps between the asteroids, their energy beams flickering like deathly fireflies.

"Then turn around!" Renn abruptly shook off distracting thoughts, his mind instantly entering a highly focused tactical state, his entire being immersed in the holographic star map. "Charge them! Immediately contact Kretz and Vinok!"

"The line is connected, sir." The communications officer was extremely efficient.

“‘Weeping Sun’,” Raine gave the order without any pleasantries, “approach me at top speed! ‘Fortress’ and ‘Repel’ request emergency support!”

Kretz's voice rang out first, tinged with a hint of helplessness: "Rein, I just dispatched forty warships to reinforce Greshard's right flank. I see the same threat as you. Now, Ozer's 'Knight-class' ships can attack you or turn around and attack me. It's like a dangerous game of 'Dejaric Chess,' and Alrix is ​​forcing us into a dilemma."

"If I detach my forces to support you, my tactical robot simulations show that those 'Knight-class' ships will most likely switch their focus to attacking my defenses. I have confidence in the 'Fortress,' but facing a frontal assault of twenty-one 'Knight-class' ships? They could very well penetrate my defenses and head straight for 'Jom.'"

Ryan's knuckles turned white from gripping the tactical tablet so tightly that the hard edge of the screen dug deep into his palm.

The asteroid belt severely interferes with the accuracy of sensors.

Each time the star map is refreshed, the positions of the points of light representing "Knight-level" are quite different from the system's predictions, sometimes scattered and sometimes converging, like ghosts.

“I can spare a squadron,” Kretz proposed as a compromise, “and deploy them in the middle zone between our defense zones. We’ll observe how Alrix and Ozer react, and then act accordingly.”

“Those are twelve ‘Jackal-class’ warships?” Rein frowned. “Kretz, your reserve force is mainly composed of frigates. Can their maneuverability and firepower react faster than the starfighters rushing towards your position?”

A heavy, deathly silence fell over the communication channel.

The silence itself is the clearest answer.

"Stand still and await orders," Renn finally decided, his voice heavy with the weight of a desperate gamble. "Order Diedrich and Holgo to launch the most intense attack on Alrix's main positions! Destroy as many of her warships as possible at all costs!"

Since we can't see through Aleks's moves, let's use brute force to break through her tricks and create a gap in her strongest defense!
(End of this chapter)