Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 206-208 - The Defeat of the Jedi General

"Connect the fleet channel," Raine commanded, his voice steady but with undeniable authority. "Summon all commanders."

"You are on the fleet channel, General," the communications bot responded.

One after another, blue holographic images of the commander of the 28th Mobile Fleet appeared in front of Rein.

The tall, slender Munman, Hogo Schiff, unconsciously tapped his toes lightly on the deck, his face full of anticipation.

Diderich Greshad and his adjutant stood ramrod straight, their uniforms impeccable, exuding the sternness of professional soldiers.

He glanced in the direction of Hogo and Vinok, a hint of barely perceptible contempt in his eyes.

Vinok wore his strange attire, a mix of a mysterious robe and a naval uniform, and had a relaxed smile on his face.

The Nemoidian commander, Clay, was slightly blurry, but he had clearly pulled up the war zone star map off-screen and was analyzing it rapidly.

Finally, their new members appeared.

The commanders, originally from the Rima fleet, had previously followed Ventress in fighting against Rhys Alrix's "Mediator Task Force" on the Rima trade routes.

After Ventress left, they elected a representative to report to Ryan.

That Nemoidean man, dressed in Trade Union attire and with a straightforward manner.

His name is Maras Voro.

“Gentlemen,” Raine said, his gaze sweeping over the images of each commander, his arms slightly outstretched, “the situation is now very clear. We are surrounded, and our troop strength is one to four.”

“You had foreseen this all along,” Maras Voro’s voice carried an accusatory tone, “just when you suddenly ordered us all to turn our attention to attacking the Yagdul siege fleet.”

“I realized it too late,” Ryan admitted frankly, with a hint of apology in his voice. “Now, we are surrounded and our way out is cut off.”

“Then there’s only one way,” Hogo Schiff’s dark eyes gleamed with a belligerent light as he slammed one fist into the other. “We must take them down one by one!”

“I agree,” Greshad nodded steadily. “The only chance of winning is to divide and conquer, and we must not let them unite.”

“That’s right,” Raine affirmed their assessment. “This is our strategy. The first step is to break the encirclement of Yagdul. We must destroy the besieging fleet as quickly and thoroughly as possible before Octavian Grant, Empatojejos Brand, and Anakin Skywalker tighten the encirclement.”

“They have about four hundred ships,” Clay’s wide, horizontal pupils narrowed, his voice carrying a calculated calmness, “plus the supply ships that have fled to their sanctuary and are capable of fighting, while we only have two hundred and fifty. Just dealing with them alone puts us at a disadvantage.”

Rein met the gazes of each commander in turn and asked, "Would this be a problem?"

Their answer was resolute and without the slightest hesitation—

"No, General."

……

“A perfect plan,” Admiral Yularen said, his tone tinged with rare admiration. “We have finally trapped the Confederate fleet and driven it into a corner. This ‘Hydra War’ should be over.”

Anakin looked at the clear encirclement situation on the tactical display screen and agreed with Yularen's assessment.

But he knew in his heart that underestimating his opponent at this moment would be a fatal mistake.

After the Eliadu incident, public opinion in Fondo completely shifted towards the Republic, abandoning the separatists.

With the return of Fudo to the Republic, the separatists lost another stronghold in the Core World, allowing the "Swift Justice Task Force," originally tasked with besieging Fudo, to withdraw and join the hunt.

Now, the 20th Fleet, the "Swift Justice Task Force," and the "Open Ring Fleet" form a tight blockade on the outer edge of the star system, like an invisible cage.

What Anakin needed to do was coordinate with Jedi General Empatojejos Brand and Sector 20 Army Governor Octavian Grant to ensure they arrived simultaneously and completed the encirclement.

Now, the net has been cast, and the prey is in the cage.

All that remains is to tighten the noose and completely destroy the "Hydra".

However, the price was heavy.

In order to gain time for the three fleets to arrive simultaneously, they had to allow the Hydra to move freely within the system.

The cost was the loss of a large number of supply ships.

At this moment, the Yagdul system is filled with countless broken shipwrecks, scattered ammunition, and food remains frozen in time.

“After clearing this wreckage area, we will make a micro-jump, target Yagdul,” Anakin pointed to the jump coordinates on the star map. “Now, order all medical frigates to deploy and recover as many escape pods as possible.”

“Yes, General,” Yularen replied.

“Master,” Ahsoka walked up to Anakin, “they will try to break the siege.”

“This is their inevitable choice,” Yularen nodded in agreement. “The siege fleet is special in nature. Once they break through the encirclement, they can use the planet Aghdul as a barrier to avoid being completely annihilated.”

"They must be very familiar with what it's like to be surrounded, right?" Anakin retorted, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

Ahsoka frowned slightly. "Even if they successfully destroy the besieging fleet and avoid being surrounded on all sides, they will still have to fight three against one, backed by a planet. 'Hydra'... do they seem like the kind of people who would fight to the very last moment?"

“No…” Anakin slowly shook his head, his gaze deep, “…not at all like it.”

“Yagdul has three enormous satellites,” Yularen said. “Will he use them to create a tactical advantage?”

Yagdul itself is a "dead world." The powerful tidal forces generated by its three moons violently stretch the planet's water and atmosphere, leaving most of the planet's surface in a vacuum, a deadly environment for landing forces.

The local indigenous Giwen people evolved a tough exoskeleton that can be completely sealed to adapt to a vacuum.

They live in sealed cities protected by powerful shields, strong enough to withstand violent gravitational changes and meteorite impacts.

These factors allowed Yagdur to hold out for nearly four months under the relentless attacks of the Republican army.

Given that Hydra has always been adept at utilizing the battlefield environment, the possibility of them using the Yagdul satellite is extremely high.

"Immediately conduct a full-spectrum scan of the system!" Yularen ordered swiftly, his voice echoing across the bridge. "Scan every piece of debris, every unmarked asteroid! Don't miss any suspicious targets!"

"Yes, sir!" the sensor department responded immediately.

"Bearing 318, marking 005, seventy warships detected!" Lieutenant Clive's voice was urgent. "Identified as a 'Generosity-class' frigate group, sir! They are moving in the opposite direction from Yagdul!"

"Why didn't we notice it before?!" Yularen pressed.

"They're in cold flight mode!" Clive's fingers flew across the control panel. "No main engine exhaust, only slow flight using attitude thrusters!"

The officers on the bridge felt a chill run down their spines.

Seventy ships is no small number.

The fact that the Confederate fleet secretly dispatched such a force away from the main battlefield must have concealed a dangerous plot.

“…Wait a minute,” Lieutenant Avre pressed his earpiece, “We’ve intercepted an enemy communication. The signal strength is very high.”

Yularen immediately went to her control panel. "Decode it!"

The communications officer looked up and quickly reported: "Speaking of the Lonne Nebula, Asagi Ventress is heading to the Lonne Nebula with the goal of rescuing a reinforcement force known as the 'Storm Fleet.' The Confederate fleet intends to hold its ground until Ventress returns with reinforcements."

“I see,” Ahsoka stepped forward, his eyes sharp. “This is part of their breakout plan! If this is their target, the Lonne Nebula can’t be far away!”

"In the Itopol sector, General!" came the report from the starboard console. "The round trip will take two standard days!"

“We can get there before Ventress,” Anakin immediately judged. “The speed of the ‘Open Ring Fleet’ is sufficient to do so.”

"The entire 'Open Ring Fleet'? General?" Yularen asked, his hands behind his back, his brow furrowed. "We can't break the current encirclement, or all our previous efforts will be in vain!"

“Not the entire fleet, of course,” Anakin’s gaze swept across the bridge, finally settling on the clone commander, Apo. “We need the fastest ‘Jackal-class’ warship. Which one?”

After a brief silence, the bridge officers quickly retrieved the data and compared performance parameters with service records.

"'Vanguard,' sir!" The answer came quickly.

A slight stinging sensation swept through Anakin's heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

"Po!"

“My soldiers are ready at any time, General,” the clone commander replied immediately, standing ramrod straight.

“Very good. Select your most elite soldiers and prepare for vacuum operations and boarding operations. Transfer them to the ‘Vanguard’.” Anakin finished speaking, turned around, and strode towards the bridge exit. “Yularen, select fifty of our fastest warships to form a task force!”

"—Wait!" Ahsoka caught up, his voice tinged with urgency, "Who...who will command this task force?"

Anakin stopped and looked down at his apprentice, his eyes sharp: "Of course it's me. Do you think you can handle Ventress?"

Ahsoka opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat, and in the end, he couldn't say anything.

“The departure of a Jedi general from the main fleet on the eve of the decisive battle may affect morale, General Skywalker,” Yularen said seriously, even temporarily omitting his formal rank, “I am willing to command the ‘Open Ring Fleet’ against Raine Bontry, but in order to stabilize morale, a Jedi general is needed to be stationed on the bridge.”

Anakin suddenly reached out and gently pushed his apprentice forward: "There is one right in front of you."

“What—?” Ahsoka whirled around, staring at Anakin in disbelief. “Me?! But…but I haven’t…”

“But what?” Anakin stared directly at her, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“But… I’m just an apprentice,” Ahsoka’s voice trailed off, tinged with helplessness, “I can’t command a fleet! I don’t…”

“If you’re going to say you haven’t received any command training,” Anakin interrupted her softly, his tone carrying an undeniable certainty, “that’s a lie, or do you think that all those nights I had Yularen spend instructing you were a waste of time?”

"So that's what Admiral Yularen's instructions were for?!" Ahsoka looked at the admiral in surprise, then turned to Anakin, his face filled with panic. "No, this is different! We're facing Hydra! I'm not... I'm not you!"

Anakin knew she was capable, but she was clearly afraid to take on this heavy responsibility.

He recalled that when he first became a Jedi Knight, he had never felt this fear; instead, he longed to control everything.

“Then,” Anakin narrowed his eyes, his tone calm, “tell me, what am I?”

"...You are the chosen one." Ahsoka's voice was very soft, and he didn't even dare to look him in the eye.

Anakin sighed, crouched down, and placed his hands on Ahsoka's shoulders.

“I am a Jedi General who has lost every time I have faced this opponent,” he calmly corrected, his voice low as if nothing else existed around him. “I am a Jedi General who has never been trained as a Jedi General. Tell me, what are you afraid of? Are you afraid of making mistakes?”

"How can I not be afraid?" Ahsoka's voice trembled slightly. "Our mistakes... could cost people their lives!"

(End of this chapter)