Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 191, Section 193 - Bringing Liberation and... Doomsday

Eriadu orbit, Eriadu galaxy.

Ceswina Sector.

“General,” Commander Zetter reported, stepping behind the Confederate First General, “a Republic fleet is attempting to break out. Should we intercept them?”

"Is this the outer ring security force of Marisa Zisingi?" Horn Ambigine turned around, sizing up the commander assigned to him by the Pantora, noticing the gleaming metal cylinder at her waist.

“Yes, sir,” Wifa Zetter confirmed coldly.

“Ignore her,” Horn Ambigine scrutinized the dark-skinned commander with her neat, short hair. Her burning orange eyes shone like two blazing stars, and an undisguised malice emanated from her black battle robes, reminding him of his own youthful, angry struggles against galactic injustice. “Wifa, satisfy my curiosity. What made you leave Dooku and seek refuge with the Pantora?”

"For the same reason you left Taidan and joined the Confederation, sir," the fallen Jedi wrinkled his nose, "I left the Jedi Order to follow Dooku because we both realized that the Republic was no longer worth our loyalty. At that time, many in the Temple still held Master Dooku in high regard. With a blind hatred for the Republic, I obeyed his teachings as if they were gospel. He taught me many dark arts that Jedi would never teach, and I became stronger because of it. For that, I am grateful to him."

"But when the separatist parliament passed the Militia Act, you still left him."

“Like many of his followers, I finally understood,” Wifa Zetter said through gritted teeth. “Dooku didn’t believe in the cause of the Confederation; he only believed in ‘his’ Confederation. He didn’t truly believe in the goals he founded; he only cared about the power they brought him. Disobedience was punished, protesters were executed, and he made us fight each other for his favor and the power he bestowed upon us. He sent us to murder and kill, often not against the Confederation’s enemies, but against ‘his’ enemies.”

She sighed softly, "Tann is the oldest among us. She must have seen through Dooku's true colors long ago and chosen her own path. The Militia Act has also made many people realize the reality. Now we follow her."

“I recognize the look in your eyes,” Horn Ambigine, a man of many experience, said. “It is the source of the dark side of the Force, the very force that the Jedi Order condemns.”

“I only want to destroy the Republic with power, to burn its decay to ashes in the flames,” those fiery orange eyes met his cold gaze. “Whether the Force is light or dark is meaningless to me. Dooku sees the Jedi’s light as weakness and slaughters all dissent. How is that any different from the Jedi’s coercive ideology that he opposes? He is no more noble than the Republic or the Jedi Order.”

“As for me…” The First General of the Confederation turned his gaze to the observation window, “I left Dooku because Tann gave me something grander. Tell me, Wyver, have you ever seen anything like this?”

Through the expansive viewing windows of the Pioneer warship, the planet Eliadu and the 1500 warships of the independent Confederation surrounding it are all visible.

“A fleet,” Commander Zet described, “is another kind of power, contained in rolled steel, in the hollow barrels of turbolaser cannons, in the warheads of missiles… This is the power to fight against the Republic.”

“It’s much more than that,” Horn thought with deep emotion. If he had been young and witnessed this scene, he would have been moved to tears.

He wanted to tell his fallen comrades: Look, we were never alone.

"This is the Outer Ring, the long-standing injustices of the Outer Ring, now converging on the same goal. Like you, I once shook hands with Count Dooku. For revenge, and for a cause I've longed for since fifty years ago, this, Wifa, is vindication."

1500 warships from the outer ring.

From the bustling shipyards of Sluis-Van to the fiery lava surfaces of Mustafa.

From the bustling trading planet Enark to the desolate Sanaf VI, and then to the exploited Salicia mines.

One hundred galaxies, one hundred flags, one hundred symbols.

One hundred worlds that might have been enemies over airspace are now united under the hexagonal flag of the Confederation for a common goal.

Horn Ambigine's decades of struggle seemed to have found meaning at this moment.

This is to vindicate his war-torn homeland and prove that their sacrifice was not in vain.

“It already exists, General.”

“That’s right,” Ambigine smiled with satisfaction. “What are the Supreme Commander’s instructions, Wifa?”

"Operation Stormgate can begin," she repeated. "Operation Eliadu should be taken as soon as possible, followed by a move to Salust to take over the 28th Mobile Fleet and fortify the system in preparation for an enemy invasion."

"As soon as possible" to occupy Eliyadu?
This supreme commander is really a girl who doesn't know anything about war, isn't she?
To take down a planet like Eriadu "as soon as possible"... would still take several months, which would not only prevent timely reinforcement of the 28th Mobile Fleet and fortification of Salust, but would also result in heavy casualties.

Horn Ambigine was tired of pointless sacrifices.

He despised people like Tann who only knew how to take but never understood the difficulties of executing a plan.

“I heard that Rear Admiral Bontri suffered a lot under Rhys Alrix’s command in that desperate place,” Ambigine said, well aware of the realities of war. “Considering we might be delayed here, let’s send him some support. Isn’t there a ‘black sheep’ in the Fourth Fleet that can be sacrificed?”

“Naradan Dulin’s twenty Mistral destroyers,” Wifa Zetter recalled, “entered our operational area a day earlier and then hid among the fleet.”

“That infamous detachment of the Embryne fleet,” Ambigine nodded. “Those women are excellent mercenaries. I remember now, Major General Trilm once asked me privately to do him a favor and quietly send these mercenaries away without alerting that Pantora.”

“Our supreme commander has no fondness for privateers and mercenaries.”

“I think they’re quite useful,” the First General said, his expression hardening as he thought of the Pantora. “For Kari Trilm’s good fortune, I don’t like Tann. I was previously constrained by strict ‘Standing Orders’ and couldn’t help, but now that ‘Operation Stormgate’ has begun, it’s the perfect opportunity. Send a covert communication to Naradan’s flagship and have her set off… just say we’re pursuing the remnants of Marisa Zisingi.”

“Yes, General,” Wifa Zetter returned after relaying the order. “But I must say… Kari Trilm’s influence permeates every corner of the Confederation. Many say she is Dooku’s personal assistant and confidante, but she commands the Pelmian Alliance fleet and supports the Pantora’s rise to power, not Dooku’s choice. Now she is the Supreme Commander’s political advisor, yet she deals with mercenaries behind the scenes.”

“Spider webs are hard to spot unless you look for them specifically,” Horn Ambigine agreed. “But the question is, is it worth looking for them in the first place? I don’t think so, at least not for our purpose.”

He didn't care about Confederate politics, nor about the Confederation itself.

He loathed those Laxus vipers who exploited the suffering of the outer ring to satisfy their own desires.

No one cared about the outer ring road, no one cared about the slaves in shackles, the open-pit mines that tore the earth apart, or the massive factories that devoured the ecosystem.

They didn't care.

Simply because they were enemies of the Republic, and the enemy of the enemy was his temporary ally.

Even the Confederate army he fought for was the same.

A third of the Confederate army consisted of former corporate lackeys, such as that despicable Trench, Lossom, and Tony.

If their current strength were not being used to fight against the Republic, Ambigine would not hesitate to eliminate them.

As for Supreme Commander Tann?

She is nothing more than a military dictator, single-mindedly focused on turning the galaxy’s largest war machine into her private domain.

The Confederation, the entire Clones War, were merely means to achieve her goal; everything else was expendable.

Billions of people died for her ultimate victory? She didn't care.

What about those two rising stars, Bontri and Trilm?
They were nothing more than nobles in military uniforms, concerned only with their own power.

Everything else can be discarded.

Even Count Dooku himself could not hide his true nature forever; his crimes have now been exposed through the holographic network.

The Independent Galaxy Confederation was founded by idealists, but ruled by pragmatists. But he didn't care.

Because the Confederation gave him what he had always dreamed of.

He paused for a moment, gazing at the outline of Eliadu's verdant continent and azure ocean.

"This world is already under my control," he thought, "but I'm still willing to give them one last chance to surrender."

“Connect Gideon Tarkin, I’m going to give him one last chance to be merciful.”

The Republic has never been kind to me.

I have never been merciful to the Republic.

Maybe I've changed?
He almost laughed at the absurd idea.

Wifa Zetter bowed and left.

A moment later, a holographic bust of Gideon Tarkin appeared before him.

“I have already explained the laws of war to you, Tarkin,” Ambigine said bluntly. “I will not repeat them. Surrender, and I guarantee that Eliyadu will join the Independent System Confederation. The Outer Ring will still welcome Eliyadu back. Don’t force me to make your world bleed.”

Eliadou, Coruscant on the outer ring. It sounds like a name to be proud of.

The Confederation had repeatedly invited Eliadu to join the Federation, but this despicable world had repeatedly rejected the outstretched hand of its outer brethren, instead accepting the pitiful handouts from the core world.

As the last major loyalist stronghold of the Outer Ring, Eliado has been under siege since the outbreak of the Clone Wars.

Its fleet has been destroyed, and its planetary shields are riddled with holes.

Apart from ground resistance, there was no way to reverse the situation.

“I refuse again, Ambigine,” Gideon Tarkin made no attempt to hide his disgust, as if even admitting that Eliyadu was an outer ring planet made him nauseous. “You will find that we are willing to shed blood, and our loyalty to the Republic is unbreakable. If you want to take over this planet, then come and fight on the ground. We will fight for every landing point, every mountain fortress, every hill, every city, and every street.”

Horn Ambigine scoffed at Tarkin's boast, "Do as you please. Out of our shared heritage with your people, I must say that Elyad is ultimately an outer ring planet. I cannot bear to see the blood of the outer ring shed in vain any longer. In accordance with the Yavin Wartime Civilian Protection Code, I allow you to evacuate civilians without interference. Do not let them perish for your arrogance."

“Your arrogance will destroy you, you mad dog!” Gideon Tarkin roared. “We are not like you. We will not run away! Every citizen of Eliadu will serve the Republic!”

“That’s it then, we have nothing more to say to each other,” Horn Ambigine closed his eyes with a hint of regret, ordered the communication to be cut off, then suddenly opened his eyes wide with anger, “Was it recorded, Wifa?”

"There are no civilians left on Eliado, General. If they wish to die for the Republic, let them perish with it," the fallen Jedi grinned, a cruel glint in his eyes. "The fleet is ready, General, awaiting your command."

The Confederate First General picked up a tactical tablet, which displayed the entire Eliyadu and the 1500 warships surrounding it.

He saw power.

The power contained within rolled steel, cold cannon barrels, and deadly bullets.

He saw the attack trajectory.

He saw the attack paths of every detachment and every warship.

He saw his target.

Every landing point, every mountain fortress, every hill, every city, and every street was clearly marked as a target for destruction.

The bridge of the HMS Pioneer was eerily silent, the tense atmosphere almost suffocating.

Horn Ambigine reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out an old metal flask.

The pot is covered with dents from impacts, wear marks, and scorch marks, bearing witness to a lifetime of battles.

He unscrewed the lid of the kettle with a sound like thunder, shaking the liquid inside like waves crashing on the shore.

He raised the wine jug towards the light above his head.

Neither he nor those around him noticed that a tear was sliding down his weathered cheek.

The surface of Eliadu was reflected in the teardrop, as if the whole world was imprisoned in a tiny crystal ball.

This is the last trace of that young soul.

That soul who dedicated his life to pursuing justice and fighting against the Milky Way, which sought to tear apart its mother planet and extract its flesh and blood.

This is the last trace of that aging soul.

That soul that exhausted its last bit of humanity in the ruthless war, leaving only bones and ruins on its home planet.

This is the last trace of that cold-blooded soul.

That soul that fought against injustice for too long and eventually forgot its original intention.

Until all that remained was endless hatred for the Milky Way, a vast abyss yearning to devour stars and fill itself with revenge.

What did the Confederation give him that he cherished so much?
It is the power that allows him to unleash his fury on his hated nemesis for the rest of his life, until the very last moment.

Finally, more than half a century later, this moment has arrived.

“My friends,” he whispered to the long-dead, ignoring the crowd, “I stand here in your place, on behalf of all of us, to avenge the blood debt we owe you. I will bring liberation and the end of the world.”

He drank the solitary toast alone, and the "Ghost of Taidan" gave the order in a deep voice—

"Erase this malignant tumor on the outer ring from the surface."

"Extremely happy."

Looking up from the surface of Eliadu, even in broad daylight, the sky seems to be instantly lit up with 100,000 new stars.

Immediately afterwards, lightning tore through the sky, thunder shook the earth, and destructive flames poured down from the heavens.

Turbo laser cannons wove a dense net of fire, while missiles and torpedoes rained down like a never-ending storm.

People on the ground could only look up at the sky, their stomachs churning, feeling as if the weight of the entire Milky Way was pressing down on them.

The fury of 1500 warships crashed down like a cosmic hammer.

There is nowhere to escape.

There is nowhere to escape on the ocean, which has been boiled into a scalding storm of steam.

There is nowhere to escape on the shores of lakes and ponds that have dried up and cracked from the front of the hellfire-like atmospheric storm.

On the landing site, which had been churned into a bloody swamp and baked into crystalline scorched earth, there was nowhere to escape.

There is nowhere to escape in the twisted, fractured, and plunged mountain fortress into the abyss of the mantle.

There is nowhere to escape on the hills, which have been devoured by merciless hellfire and are now filled with flowing lava.

There is nowhere to escape in a city reduced to smoking ruins.

The metal skeleton of the skyscraper resembles the skeleton of a giant reaching towards the sky.

There was nowhere to escape on the streets engulfed by a raging storm of flames.

The screams of terror from all the inhabitants echoed through the galaxy like a death knell, before fading into deathly silence in inevitable atomization.

The screams surged into the Force, eventually coalescing into a roar that could be heard throughout the entire universe.

A Jedi strolling through the corridors of the Jedi Temple looked up at the sky, wondering if anyone else could hear the sound.

A person in the desolate Dantouin desert felt the sand beneath their feet tremble.

A traveler trekking through the Mimban swamp stopped when he noticed the still water inexplicably trembling and flowing.

A Jedi who had tripped over tree roots in the dense forests of Togoria heard the wind weeping among the treetops like a choir.

A Jedi standing on the bridge of a starship witnessed an unprecedented intensity of starfire.

A Jedi standing atop Coruscant closed his eyes and sensed the Milky Way dimming further.

Two Siths conversed in the depths of the "Factory District," savoring this cursed moment, yet puzzled as to when the monsters they had created had broken free of their chains and collars and vanished.

The devastation lasted a full 48 hours and claimed 22 billion lives.

The entire galaxy knew clearly that the Confederation's final and grandest offensive had begun.

(There will be another chapter soon, please read on for the new book!)
(End of this chapter)