Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 200, Part 202 - Arriving Late
When traveling continuously in hyperspace, the concept of time becomes blurred.

Looking out the window, the universe appears stretched into a flowing blue band of light, with the rays of stars and galaxies elongated, distorted, and rapidly receding into the distance.

In this dimension beyond the normal passage of time, even the sophisticated timers inside the bridge of the HMS Pioneer could not calculate it precisely.

They can only maintain a relatively stable rhythm until the fleet finally leaves hyperspace and returns to the real universe, at which point they can recalibrate and synchronize with real time.

The operating principle of the Hyperspace Drive is extremely complex.

Although engineers have conducted in-depth research on the speeds achievable by certain types of drives, their core mechanisms have not yet been fully understood.

These devices are so precise and sensitive that even the slightest maintenance or adjustment can alter the actual time required for a hyperspace jump.

For long-distance voyages, this deviation can accumulate for up to several days.

The hypermatter fuel injection system, the energy output of the drive core, the shields that maintain the spacecraft's relative stability in hyperspace... every component, regardless of size, is crucial.

The complexity of a hyperspace drive is comparable to that of Anakin Skywalker's prosthetic arm, and it is by no means simpler in structure than the lightsaber in his hand.

Anakin himself knew this all too well.

This "chosen one" prefers dealing with machines to dealing with people.

As a result, the "Pioneer" and the other cruisers in Anakin's direct command of the "Open Ring Fleet" were significantly superior in performance to other ships of the same class.

They react faster and are quicker.

The regular journey from Coruscant to the Salust system usually takes two weeks, but they were able to complete it in less than half that time.

However, even though they had pushed the fleet's hyperspace drives to their performance limits, striving to shorten every minute and every second of travel time.

But the sense of urgency that "there's not enough time" still weighed heavily on everyone's mind.

What's even more worrying is that, apart from a slim hope, they have no way of confirming whether they can arrive in time.

Spaceships traveling in hyperspace, in a physical sense, "do not exist in the ordinary universe." They are encased in a simulated reality bubble and are completely isolated from all sub-light-speed communication.

Existing hyperspace communication technology is still immature and cannot reliably penetrate the barrier of simulated reality bubbles to transmit clear information without causing serious distortion.

Therefore, the only feasible communication method is limited to communication between spaceships within the same simulated reality bubble instance.

This is precisely the current situation of the "Opening Fleet" detachment.

Because of this restriction, commercial cargo ships, supply ships, and warships all periodically disengage from hyperspace when conducting long-distance hyperspace voyages.

This is not only for re-orientation of interplanetary positions and calibration of timers, but also for establishing contact with the outside world and obtaining the latest intelligence.

This is especially important during wartime.

Because no one knows whether, while rushing on their way, the destination has already fallen into enemy hands, or whether they will be surrounded by an enemy fleet after jumping out of hyperspace.

Anakin wouldn't dare take that risk, nor could he afford it.

The process of getting the entire massive fleet of over a hundred "Jester-class" Star Destroyers out of hyperspace and then regrouping and re-entering hyperspace could take several hours, especially when precise coordination is required.

In this dimension where the passage of time becomes bizarre, every second is precious and can determine the life or death of countless people.

They had no choice but to move forward at full speed, praying silently that they could receive the hyperspace signal from the outer navigation beacon of the Salust galaxy as soon as possible.

Even with the fleet's superior performance, Anakin's heavy sense of unease grew stronger.

He stared intently at the endless, wildly spinning blue hyperspace vortex outside the observation window, his legs feeling like lead, too heavy to move an inch.

“General,” came the hoarse voice of General Yularen beside him, his tone grave, “I have a very bad feeling that if we rush over like this, we might just be walking into a trap.”

"You think Rhys Alric has already lost?" Anakin's gaze remained fixed on the eerie blue light.

“This time we’re dealing with Ryan Bontri, General,” Yularen habitually tugged at his neatly trimmed mustache, trying to maintain the composure typical of a soldier, but Anakin knew the old general too well and could clearly sense the tension beneath his calm exterior. “This guy is no ordinary separatist commander; his cunning and ruthlessness are notorious. Forgive my bluntness, but in this situation, I must be extra cautious.”

“What are your thoughts?” Anakin finally turned his head. “I know your original plan was to use the immense gravitational shadow of Salust as cover to escape hyperspace as close to the planet as possible, catching the enemy off guard,” Yularen said, his words quickening. “But I suggest we escape hyperspace from an outer planet, such as Mumunub or near Mumunub. That way, even if there is a trap waiting for us, at least we won’t crash headlong into the center of the enemy’s pre-set encirclement, leaving us no room to maneuver.”

“That would be a waste of time…” Anakin frowned.

"Excuse my bluntness, General," Yularen said, his tone tinged with barely perceptible impatience, "but it's too late. This situation can only happen if we happen to jump out of hyperspace at the exact moment General Alrix is ​​engaged in a fierce battle."

“…Alright,” Anakin paused for a moment, finally choosing to compromise, “You brought this up specifically because we’re almost at Salost?”

“Yes, General,” Yularen nodded in confirmation. “Navigation data shows that we have passed the relay point of the Mays and Chindral systems and are expected to leave hyperspace in a few hours.”

"Pass down the order: the entire army is on high alert!" Anakin's voice instantly hardened. "Notify Commander Apo to have his men board the ships immediately and stand by. All pilots, get into your cockpits and prepare for flight. Where is Ahsoka? Where is she?"

“In her own cabin, General,” Yularen replied somewhat dryly, “it seems to me that she is better off resting and recuperating than… pacing anxiously back and forth on the bridge deck.”

"Oh? It seems your opinion of her has risen?" Anakin rarely noticed this change.

"She was very dedicated to her work and got along well with the soldiers."

Anakin's lips curved upwards for once, and his tense shoulders seemed to relax slightly. "Send someone to call her to the bridge and have all the soldiers prepare for battle."

"Yes, General." Yularen gave a crisp salute, then turned and strode quickly toward the operations command center.

The piercing red battle alarm instantly resounded throughout the entire "Pioneer," its sharp siren sounding like a death knell, echoing across every warship in the fleet.

Millions of clone soldiers and crew members were on edge, their faces grim.

Beneath the tightly closed hangar doors, hundreds of pilots nimbly climbed into the cockpits of ARC-170 or V-wing starfighters, while clone commandos lined up neatly to board LAAT/i gunships.

The intense pre-war preparations were proceeding in an orderly manner.

This was their third direct confrontation with the separatist Ryan Bontry. The ferocity and bloodshed of the previous two battles were deeply etched into the memories of every survivor.

"Jedi Commander Ahsoka has arrived at the bridge!"

Ahsoka paid no attention to the subtle rustling of their uniforms as they saluted, and half-ran to his master Anakin's side, his breathing still a little rapid. "Master, I remember during the Battle of Peremian, you always wanted to find an opportunity to confront the Peremian Alliance fleet head-on."

“But not in this way,” Anakin’s voice was low, carrying a heavy sense of unease.

With a violent sense of spatial distortion and hull vibration, the Pioneer suddenly broke free from the constraints of hyperspace.

Looking out the window, the desolate, rocky planet Munumub comes into view.

Under the cover of this massive planet, hundreds of Republic "Jester-class" star destroyers quickly deployed into battle formation. The hangar doors burst open, and a dense swarm of interstellar fighters poured out like wasps leaving their hive, with combat escort ships following closely behind.

The massive turbine laser turrets spun dully, their cold muzzles all pointing toward Salust, each cannon poised to fire, ready to meet the anticipated, heavily armed separatist fleet.

However, the unease that had been lingering in Anakin's heart finally found its source.

Dead silence.

Suffocating silence.

The Force, that energy field that should be omnipresent and connect all things, now seemed like a lifeless mist, heavily permeating the entire galaxy, exuding an indescribable eeriness.

The universe itself remains vibrant and colorful, with countless stars twinkling with cold green, blue, and red light, like billions of indifferent eyes silently watching this void, as if they were the only spectators of this fierce battle that no one knew about, and that only they witnessed.

"...General, we...have not detected any signals from any fleet." Lieutenant Clive's voice broke the silence on the bridge, reporting to Yularen with disbelief and confusion, "The entire system...is empty, there's nothing there."

"Immediately dispatch all reconnaissance fighter squadrons!" Admiral Yularen gave the order decisively without the slightest hesitation. "Order the entire fleet to leave the cover orbit of Munumub, set a course, and head towards the planet Salust!"

"Are we... too late...?" Asoka murmured to herself, subconsciously taking a step back, her body naturally blending into the busy group of operators and officers in the data center, as if she were born to be there, skillfully beginning to assist in analyzing sensor data.

Time ticked by, and the worst-case scenario that General Yularen had anticipated did not occur.

(End of this chapter)