Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 213-215 - The Dark Force
"Could we have run into some kind of 'dark fleet'?"

One officer said, half-jokingly.

"Dark Fleet".

The name immediately triggered a series of memories in Anakin's mind.

The officer refers to the "Catana" fleet, a task force of two hundred "Dreadnought-class" heavy cruisers, built ten years ago.

The "Catana" fleet was supposed to usher in a new era for the Republic's warships, with each ship equipped with a full set of advanced slave circuit systems for the time.

However, when the system malfunctioned, the entire fleet jumped into hyperspace and disappeared without a trace.

Ten years ago, the Rendili Dreadnought-class battleships had an extremely large crew requirement, with each ship needing more than 16,000 crew members.

Custom-designed slave circuitry reduced that number to just over two thousand.

Today, slave circuit technology is more advanced, but due to the disastrous scandal, it is almost no longer used by the Republic.

In the separatist navy, slave circuits were extremely common, with almost all warships equipped with and reliant on such systems.

Anakin thought to himself, "This is the advantage of using robotic crew members, and also a necessary solution to the shortage of human crew members."

Ten years ago, a complete slave circuit system was seen as the future direction of interstellar spacecraft technology.

Advanced, but not fully verified.

The "Dark Fleet" was supposed to be a grand demonstration of the Republic's ability to control fleets using slave circuits.

However, this fleet, powered by slave circuits, resulted in the deaths of half a million people in the starry sea.

“Class A bulk carriers only need sixty crew members,” Anakin recalled loudly. “If these were warships, as I suspect, they might need several hundred, assuming they used slave circuits and robotic crews… to operate a completely stealthy fleet. Think about it, no home port, not even needing to stop for resupply, when they’re in motion, the average astronaut would just think it’s a cargo convoy.”

"So you think that's all, sir? 'Storm Fleet'?"

“That’s right,” Anakin said firmly. “That’s it. They’re all dormant for a reason, but we’re not here to disturb a sleeping behemoth. We’re here to end it. Notify the secondary bridge: all starfighter squadrons, take off! We’ll approach and destroy them all!”

"New target detected!" the sensor manager alerted. "A 'Divine Will'-class destroyer is almost directly above us, on the same course as us!"

That must be Asagi Ventress.

Anakin was tracking the target's route—it was Ventress's flagship, the Dark Servant, speeding toward the Storm Fleet's safe zone.

"How close does she need to get to transmit control codes to the fleet?!" Anakin asked anxiously, his muscles tense, as if he wanted to rush to the hangar and jump into his starfighter immediately.

“We’re in a nebula, sir,” the sensor director replied as calmly as possible. “You can ask the stars; they might give you a better answer than I do.”

Anakin's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. "Cancel the final order! 'Vanguard' locks onto Ventress! Order all starfighter squadrons to lock onto 'Dark Servant'! The rest of the fleet maintains its original speed!"

As long as those disguised cargo ships are not activated, this place will become Ventress's burial ground.

Anakin's old scars on his face throbbed with pain.

He had waited too long for this day.

……

Asagi Ventress almost unconsciously sat down in her Genievix fan-blade starfighter, the Banshee.

As Anakin Skywalker's "Open Ring" fleet appeared directly below, the Banshee, along with two hundred Vulture droid fighters and over one hundred landing craft, roared out of the Dark Servant's through-type hangar.

She didn't even have time to think about how he tracked her here, or why he tracked her here; all she knew was that she had to reach the "Storm Fleet" before he caught her.

Because a single "God's Will" class destroyer, despite its many advantages, could not escape the pursuit of the "Star Destroyer," let alone the storm-like formation of Republic fighter-bombers.

In the blink of an eye, the Vanguard was right below the Dark Servant, the two giant ships rotating vertically and facing each other with their broadside firepower.

However, without the protection of its escort ships, the "Dark Servant" was powerless to effectively resist the BTL-B Y-wing fighter squadrons that swooped down like hungry wolves.

They broke through the shields and slammed the deadly proton torpedoes into the hull of the "Dark Servant".

Knowing its end was near, the "Dark Servant" overloaded and activated its turbo-laser cannon, transforming into an angry pillar of light composed of blazing beams and torpedoes, letting out a final roar of defiance before the capacitor exploded.

The Vanguard responded with an overwhelming number of fighters, with over four hundred starfighters swarming the Divine Will-class vessel.

Unable to care about the destruction of her flagship, Ventress pushed the Banshee's engine to its limit and charged toward the Storm Fleet flagship "Storm-001" marked on the control panel.

Not far behind her, forty-nine Jaeger-class warships and five thousand relentlessly pursuing enemy starfighters were closing in.

A familiar contrail appeared on the control panel, one that any Confederate pilot would recognize as the sharp flight path left by a Jedi ETA-2 Arctis interceptor.

"It's Skywalker." A Vulture robot fighter emitted a cry, and translated text appeared on the holographic screen in the cockpit of the Banshee.

"What!?" Ventress gritted her teeth and shoved the control stick, making the "Banshee" turn sharply so she could see what was behind her.

Another fleet has emerged from hyperspace.

The separatist frigates shot out faster than light like bullets, each deafening yet silent roar seemingly causing the dust cloud of the Lonne Nebula to tremble.

"Bounty has been following us!?"

The Vulture fighter jets roared again, reminding her that twenty vanguard destroyers were spewing golden tail flames, outpacing the frigates and even the Republic's Star Destroyers.

It is a Mistral-class destroyer.

why?
Bontry sent them to deal with Skywalker?
Should we help her?
But he knew she wasn't bringing him reinforcements... What was he really up to?
In any case, this temporarily alleviated her predicament.

The Mistral fleet appeared almost from the side of the "Open Ring" fleet, with the "Dark Servant" and "Vanguard" sandwiched in the middle.

Almost simultaneously, half of the Republic fighters pursuing Ventress abandoned their target, made a sharp 180-degree turn, and hurtled towards the Vulture fighters taking off from the frigate—

However, the Vulture fighters ignored them and flew straight past the Dark Servant and Vanguard.

Or did Bontri send them to track me?
Alternatively, Ventress squinted and sharply turned the "Banshee" again, pushing the engine power to its limit.

Like all nebulae, the Longen Nebula is vast and boundless, spanning light-years.

Only Ventress knew the exact coordinates of the Storm Fleet, as Count Dooku had told her.

Bontri likely sent the Mistral fleet to follow her and obtain her location.

In any case, her situation became even more dangerous.

The Banshee weaved between the first two Storm destroyers, maneuvering through the dense formation and heading straight for the center of the fleet.

Her fighter squadron followed closely behind, weaving in and out, so close that Ventress could almost count the rivets on the bow panel.

"Storm-1," Ventress slammed her hand on the communications panel, "This is Asagi Ventress!"

She would be sorely mistaken if she thought that her name alone could awaken these sleeping behemoths.

As separatists and Republican fighters battled overhead, stray bullets flew through the void.

The "Storm Fleet" remains silent.

Another Vulture fighter jet emitted a warning sound, and its fuselage began to tremble.

“Count Dooku,” Ventress cursed under her breath, her fingers flying across the panel as she typed in her communication frequency, “Count Dooku!”

As if waiting for this moment, Count Dooku's holographic image appeared.

He raised an eyebrow authoritatively. "So eager, Asagi? This isn't like you."

“Master, I need those codes, right now,” Ventress said as urgently as possible, barely managing to refrain from shouting, “there’s… a problem.”

A Vulture robot fighter jet emitted a cry!

Dooku's eyes suddenly sharpened.

At that moment, she struggled to resist the urge to turn around and blast that stupid robotic fighter into pieces.

“It seems Hydra and Skywalker have both tracked you down. They know about the Storm Fleet,” Dooku whispered disappointedly. “You’ve exposed it.”

“I can still destroy them, Master!” Ventress insisted excitedly. “I only need the code!”

“You have failed, Asagi,” Count Dooku sighed deeply, yet remained calm. “The Storm Fleet might be able to fight against one side, but with both sides, it’s impossible. The Storm Fleet is no longer under your control.”

At that very moment, Ryan Bontry's warning echoed in her mind like a prophecy of vengeance.

In that instant, Asagi Ventress's pride and arrogance crumbled, her mind filled with weaknesses and anxieties, countless questions swirling within her, and one thought repeatedly hammering at her.

The promises she made, the vows she broke.

The battles she fought throughout her life, her years of loyal service.

The dark side of the Force surged and engulfed her; her eyes turned blood red, her blood seemed to boil in the darkness, and her pulse pounded wildly.

(End of this chapter)