Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 192, Section 194 - The Awakening of the "Hydra"
Sallust Liberation Point "L5", Sallust Galaxy.

Braymar Sector.

Finally, Hydra awakened.

Kendall Ozer pondered to himself, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

The Mediator Task Force's defenses were disrupted by a burst of hypersonic communications from the southern part of the Milky Way, which they intercepted using some of the captured Sallust satellites.

Less than an hour later, the separatist fleet, which had been lying dormant in its rock-solid lair, began to stir, like a giant beast awakened from its slumber.

Brigadier General Ozer stood on the bridge of the "Majesty," his unease as cold, venomous snakes coiled around his chest.

The Peremian Alliance fleet is closing in step by step.

Two hundred warships of various types poured out from the rift in the asteroid belt, converging like an iron torrent into a silent giant curtain that swept across the entire galaxy, as if this were a preordained stage.

The seventy-nine starships of the "Mediator Task Force" were recalled from their scattered starfighter squadrons throughout the galaxy and were on high alert.

The two remaining "Knight-class" warships in the fleet were located at the core of the formation, with the entire formation arranged in a forward triangle.

Five hundred thousand kilometers away, the two hundred captains of the 28th Mobile Fleet, whether robots or organic beings, all had the same thought flash through their minds.

Follow closely behind the spacecraft ahead.

This is the major general's order.

This command is so simple that it requires no thought.

After all, any captain worthy of the Confederate flag can accomplish the basic task of maintaining a safe distance from friendly ships, and the officers of the Pelmian Alliance are veterans who have experienced many of the toughest battles of the Clone Wars.

Follow closely behind the spacecraft ahead.

These words echoed repeatedly in two hundred minds.

Two hundred warships converged into a straight column, their bows pointing vertically towards the enemy formation.

The separatists completed their formation perfectly and silently, without a single stray communication signal being detected by the enemy.

There was a sense of urgency, an anxiety to end the fighting as soon as possible, permeating the separatist camp.

They had learned that Anakin Skywalker was leading three hundred ships of the "Open Ring Fleet" to Sallust's aid.

On the other side, one could almost see the “fearless hero” standing on the bridge of the “Pioneer” warship, clenching and unclenching his fists, silently urging his fleet to speed up.

Unfortunately, he could only stare blankly at the blurry, fleeting scenes in hyperspace, tormented by anxiety.

Time passed, and the stars mercilessly swept past his viewfinder, twinkling indifferently.

……

A suffocatingly long standoff occurred between the two fleets, their positions mirroring those of the six battles prior.

This will be a fateful seventh encounter.

Kendall Ozer kept shifting his weight between his legs, puzzled as to what the usually decisive General Rhys Alrix was waiting for.

Unbeknownst to him, his Jedi General was enduring immense pain.

The Force fluctuated and trembled violently in an unnatural way, distortingly transmitting the surging waves of pain from 170 billion souls.

Just 500 parsecs to the south, a world is ending, being utterly cleansed in a sulfur storm.

But Rhys Aleix's will was stronger; she built a high wall in her mind, using locks and keys to shut out the agonizing interference. Her vision gradually cleared, and she once again caught sight of the bright flames representing the enemy ship in the Force.

Just as the Republic fleet's flagship, the HMS Resilience, activated its communication channels at the far right flank, Aleks raised his hand, ready to issue the order to charge—

The lead ship of the separatist fleet suddenly started up and swept towards the left flank of the Republic fleet like an arrow!

Aleks's hand froze in mid-air as the flames in the Force flickered, revealing subtle changes in the enemy's weaknesses.

Ozer immediately ordered a full identification and scan of the separatist warship that had broken away from the formation.

The Chimera, a "Divine Will" class aircraft carrier destroyer, was built at the Ringo Venda Rail Shipyard.

After a brief hesitation, the next heavy cruiser in the formation, the "White Sands," followed closely by the "Chimera," then the escort ship "Centaur," and then the next one...

Until the entire separatist fighting force rushed towards the left wing of the Republic.

The loyalist captains could only watch their opponents' actions with bated breath.

Just as it did 133 hours ago, the separatist auxiliary ships remain in the asteroid belt millions of kilometers away.

If the separatist fleet continues this vertical sweep, the attack route ahead will be wide open.

They all felt it was a trap.

They held their breath, their nerves on edge, watching as the Chimera suddenly veered sharply to the left, rotating 180 degrees along a natural, imagined arc until its course was completely opposite to the right flank of the Republic's formation.

The subsequent warships faithfully followed the regular orders, turning and following one after another, forming a double-row formation in front of the Republic's fleet.

A few minutes later, when the Chimera reached the far right flank of the Mediator Task Force, facing the Resilient, it turned left again until it returned to its original course.

Kendall Ozer and his staff witnessed the separatists' maneuvering, and their expectations were gradually replaced by confusion.

The enemy's battle formation had now become a flattened, conveyor belt-like ring.

This is unlike any tactic used before, and it's hard to even call it an effective formation.

The lead ship, the Chimera, began to accelerate until its bow almost caught up with the last separatist warship in the formation, the Judgment.

But as it accelerated, the "White Sand" also accelerated, followed by the "Centaur," and so on. This unspoken acceleration command was passed down the line like a whip across a rope, until the "Judgment" also increased its speed.

When the "Judgment" accelerated, the "Chimera" had to accelerate again in order to maintain synchronization.

Thus, the entire formation transformed into a snake chasing its own tail.

The lead ship accelerated, forcing the entire convoy to speed up as well.

The acceleration of the column, in turn, forced the lead ship to continue accelerating.

But there seems to be a critical and fatal oversight here, which is why this so-called "formation" and all similar ideas have never been actually adopted.

It simply cannot last.

Each warship in the fleet is different in size, turning radius, acceleration, and top speed.

The power systems of each warship are of different levels, some of which are unable to keep up with the overall pace of the fleet, while others are prone to overshooting.

In constantly changing formations, order and discipline are difficult to maintain for long, especially when communication between captains is completely cut off.

(End of this chapter)