Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 204, page 206 - It was predicted!

Yagedul Galaxy, Harlin Sector.

Three hundred warships appeared without warning at the center of the hyperspace route intersection in the Yggdul system.

The Yggdul system controls the intersection of two of the most important hyperspace shipping routes in the southern half of the Milky Way: the Rima trade route and the Corellian trade spine.

This location makes it a major trade crossroads and transportation hub.

The Givan "mathematical regime" that ruled this area thus accumulated enormous wealth, which was further enhanced by their famous shipbuilding industry.

The warship had just recovered from the shock of the hyperspace jump when the scanning system immediately locked onto the thousands of supply ships in the vicinity.

Merchant ships, medical frigates, fuel transport ships, ammunition supply ships, troop transport ships... all kinds of ships crowded into the two virtual channels that form the X-shaped skeleton of the galaxy.

The busy shipping lane fell silent the moment the supply ships turned their scanning beams toward the suddenly appearing fleet.

Wow, they've really attracted a lot of attention.

Raine watched with great interest the “Enemy Scan” warning flashing on the tactical screen.

"Who is the priority contact target?" Rein remembered that the siege of Yagdul was commanded by a task force of the 20th Fleet of the Galactic Republic.

That should be the place with the highest concentration of heavy warships in the star system, and their firepower is enough to fight them a tough battle.

The answer was quickly displayed on a glowing repeater, right next to the tiny digital sphere representing the planet Yggdur.

Relative bearing 044 degrees, marked 013.

Distance: 151,100,000,000 kilometers.

Traveling at near-light speed... Renn calculated in his mind.

Maintaining a constant acceleration of 1000 grids would take at least 48 hours.

Even if the Republic Army were to risk accelerating to 1500 units, it would still take 35 hours.

If the other party were to make a micro-jump, the risk would be extremely high due to the congested traffic within the galaxy.

Rennes already had a contingency plan for this.

"Small tower?"

"Yes, General."

“Calculate the optimal attack vector for the split fleet,” Raine stood up, stretched, and his spine cracked slightly. “Before the 20th Fleet arrives, we need to destroy as many of those ships as possible, maintain distance from Aghdul, and keep them waiting.”

"Yes, yes."

According to conservative estimates, it will take the besieging fleet a day and a half to reach their current location.

This means they have a day and a half to create chaos in this galaxy.

However, this timeframe is only one-way. If they move towards Yagdur while attacking, the time it takes to encounter the enemy will be shortened.

They must carefully weigh the distance to the besieging fleet and the most efficient attack route to make the most of this brief window of opportunity.

The tactical computer on the temporary flagship "Chimera" was running at high speed.

On the tactical hologram, dozens, then hundreds, of red vector lines representing attack paths appeared and disappeared repeatedly.

The navigation computer comprehensively assesses the effects of orbital gravity, cosmic star map data, and the hundreds of small boats that abruptly changed course in panic, their engine nozzles dragging out escape trajectories.

……

Five minutes later, the vector lines stabilized in green.

The display clearly indicated that 2710 enemy targets were detected beyond the vast blind spot on the far side of the star.

According to this plan, they could launch attacks on 500 to 800 targets before the enemy's main warships could reach them for interception.

“Once it’s all sorted out, send it to the entire fleet,” Raine said slowly, looking at the star map. “Also, get me on communications and broadcast it across all channels.”

"Should we issue a statement, sir?"

"almost."

Little Tower gave Renn a scrutinizing look and nodded: "Understood."

Raine cleared his throat and looked at the progress bar for the command data packet transmission.

A flashing indicator light on the console alerted him that his voice was being broadcast over an open channel.

Meanwhile, the fire control repeater showed that the firing plans for the 27 nearest supply ships within range had been calculated.

“To all ships in the Yagdul system,” Raine’s calm and clear voice echoed across the public channel, “This is the Confederate Navy ‘Chimera.’ You are hereby warned that you are in restricted airspace designated by the Confederacy. Immediately shut down the main reactor and all crew members evacuate to the escape pods. Repeat, immediately shut down the main reactor and all crew members evacuate to the escape pods… This is the final warning.”

Transmission successful.

A loud notification sound rang out.

Immediately afterwards, a series of green lights lit up, and all the warships of the 28th Mobile Fleet confirmed and accepted the attack order.

“Sir,” communications officer Godell reported, “escape pods have been observed ejecting around the nearest target ship.”

“A wise choice.” Raine nodded slightly and switched the communication to the internal encrypted fleet channel. “All warships, execute the order. Good luck.”

The Chimera opened fire first, with one hundred proton torpedoes piercing the dark void and accurately hitting twenty-seven supply ships within its field of vision.

This thunderous strike simultaneously signaled the start of the battle to both allies and enemies.

27 ships destroyed, remaining targets: 2710.

One percent complete. More than three hundred Confederate warships scattered from the assembly area like birds of prey.

The first batch of missiles and torpedoes formed a dense cluster of blue-purple dots, heading towards the target in the shadow of the shipping lane.

They learned their lesson, and the 6th Auxiliary Division was safely left in a nearby uninhabited star system, allowing the combat forces to carry out unrestricted independent hunting operations.

The 28th Mobile Fleet instantly split into more than fifty squadrons, each consisting of two to three warships.

The faster raiding ships and hunters quickly overtook the capital ships.

A few republican ships equipped with self-defense weapons fired laser beams and dense anti-aircraft gun barrages in vain, but they were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot in the face of the missile onslaught poured down on their escort fleet.

On the tactical hologram, the golden dots representing the flow of traffic in the waterway began to go out in patches, like a city highway experiencing a large-scale power outage.

“Order the First Reconnaissance Division to execute a precise jump. The coordinates are here, and here,” Raine pointed to the two sides of the star on the hologram, which are the northern exits of the Rima and Corellia hyperspace routes. “Report any enemy reinforcements immediately. The Chimera, Centaur, Unicorn, and the intelligence squad will be on standby at this location between the southern exits.”

The three points he drew almost formed an equilateral triangle, covering most of the galaxy and minimizing blind spots caused by the back of planets or the stars themselves.

“Notify the Shadow Guard to stand by,” Raine added. “Pay special attention to the ‘Dark Servant.’ If Ventress wants to make a move, this is her chance.”

More accurately, Ryan was creating opportunities for her to act.

By launching a surprise attack with a dispersed fleet, this was the best opportunity for Ventress to escape to the Lonne Nebula without being intercepted.

He even specifically deployed her "Dark Servant" in the western quadrant of the galaxy.

It is the closest to an outer galaxy, and there are no large celestial bodies obstructing the path to the Lonne Nebula.

Now, it remains to be seen whether she will take the bait.

"As ordered."

Time flies.

Raine watched as the number of enemy ships confirmed to have been destroyed steadily climbed, surpassing six hundred after twenty-five hours of standard time.

Their surprise attack strategy was meticulously planned long ago.

The agile "Generosity-class" and "Disobedience-class" raiding ships executed precise jumps, cutting into key nodes of the channel ahead of time.

Slower-moving battleships would flank from behind, tightening the encirclement.

This is essentially a miniature version of a strategy that the Confederate Air Force is trying to implement along the entire Rima trade route.

Meanwhile, as the First Reconnaissance Division made a series of small jumps and detours to reach its designated location, more precise intelligence about the enemy fleet was continuously transmitted back to the Chimera.

The besieging force has more than 400 ships, but given the nature of its siege mission, the vast majority of them must be "Cheerleader-class" amphibious assault ships.

These types of ships lack the firepower to directly confront specialized warships like the 28th Mobile Fleet.

The key lies in how the enemy commander responds to this asymmetric attack.

Four hundred ships is a huge number after all.

After the long Battle of Salust, preserving the combat effectiveness of the 28th Mobile Fleet is Rein's top priority.

By dispersing its fleet, Raine presented the problem to its opponent.

Is the enemy spreading out their forces and risking being defeated one by one to pursue the hunting team?

Or should they coldly maintain the encirclement of Yagdul and watch their supply lines be destroyed?
If the enemy chooses to split their forces to counterattack, the Confederate hunters can wipe them out one by one, like a pack of wolves tearing apart lone prey.

After all, even a single "Generosity-class" ship could easily tear apart a "Cheer-class" ship.

However, as the twenty-fifth hour passed, Raine realized that the enemy commander had made a decision.

The main force of the besieging fleet remained motionless, firmly anchored in the Yagdul orbital region.

Meanwhile, the surviving supply ships that had not yet escaped to the outer planets were systematically gathering at the last safe harbor in the galaxy.

This abnormal order is the first warning sign that things are not as simple as they seem.

Renn frowned, his sharp eyes scrutinizing the dynamics on the star map.

This doesn't resemble the behavior of a panicked escort fleet that's simply trying to escape.

Instead, he felt like he was watching an evacuation drill.

Immediately afterwards, the besieging fleet ships on the outskirts of Yagdul began to maneuver, forming a wide battle line, like a protective net, covering the approaching supply ships.

Seeing this, Ryan gritted his teeth.

Clearly, the other party was prepared.

This was a completely premeditated response.

"Who is the enemy commander?" Renn's voice was unusually calm.

“Unable to find,” Little Tower replied. “The 20th Sector Army has not conducted any noteworthy large-scale operations on the front lines. They are mainly responsible for such siege missions in the Inner Ring and the colonies. Their commander is Governor Octavian Grant, but apart from that, there is very little information about the 20th Fleet.”

Are there no renowned generals or commanders?
A sense of foreboding swept through Raine's mind.

"...Broadcast to the entire fleet," Raine suddenly ordered, his voice decisive, "Cancel the previous order! All warships, proceed at full speed towards Agdur and break through the encirclement! Helmsmen, sub-light speed engines at maximum power!"

The massive hull of the Chimera suddenly accelerated forward.

Meanwhile, all the warships of the 28th Mobile Fleet, scattered throughout the star system, turned their bows in unison, their engine nozzles spewing out dazzling tail flames, chasing the supply ships that were gathering, and heading straight for the core of the Yagdul siege circle.

(End of this chapter)