Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 225, Section 227 - Extinguished
For the 28th Mobile Fleet, such losses, though severe, were not unbearable.

Most of their damaged ships were able to be towed back to dry dock, repaired, and put back into battle.

This is precisely the significance of equipping auxiliary maintenance teams.

However, regardless of the actual situation, for any commander, losing more than half of their troops in battle is undoubtedly the most bitter pill to swallow.

“So…” he growled almost angrily, “this is the work of Woolf Ullarren?”

It would be perfectly natural for him to make this inference.

Anakin Skywalker was far away in the Lonne Nebula, while Jedi generals usually took their apprentices with them.

Therefore, command of the "Opening Fleet" inevitably fell into the hands of the highest-ranking officer, Admiral Yularen.

This inference is also correct.

Wolfe Jullarren was indeed a cautious and traditional commander, but this also made him an outstanding organizer and master of fleet formations.

It was under Yularen's invisible yet precise command that the "Open Ring Fleet" was able to demonstrate such efficient coordinated combat capabilities.

In such an extremely complex formation as the double "Zeta", without the interference of Anakin Skywalker's bold actions, which were effective but often unconventional, Woolf Jullarren's talents were fully displayed.

However, the lessons that "Battle Hydra" learned from this setback go far beyond that.

He also had a "head" who did not participate in this operation.

"I will never again suffer defeat because of the hesitation and wavering of so-called allies!" His voice was hoarse, suppressing his anger. "Where are the Givens?! Are they so afraid of losses? Haven't I sacrificed enough for them? Haven't I proven my sincerity enough?!"

If Diderich Greshad were on the same communications channel right now, the former symbiote officer would probably be incredibly embarrassed.

"Little Tower, immediately connect me to Commander Given's line!"

……

On the visual display screen of the Pioneer, separatist missiles exploded into blinding flashes of light as they struck the Republic's shield.

The ship trembled slightly from the impact of the explosion, and damage reports sounded from time to time, recording the damage caused by occasional fire that penetrated the defensive spindle array.

However, this damage was negligible compared to the devastating blows inflicted on the Separatist 2nd Battle Group by the "Open Ring Fleet".

The dual "Zeta" formation activated its attitude thrusters and pressed downwards, pursuing the retreating separatists above while attempting to create distance from the enemy below.

The top-tier Republic spindle formation thrusts straight into the heart of the enemy's collapsing array. Each Republic warship is only briefly exposed to fire as it passes through the enemy lines, while the separatist ships in the area endure continuous attacks from one Republic warship after another.

The weaker enemy units finally succumbed to repeated attacks and disintegrated, turning into dazzling orbs of destruction around the "fortified islands" formed by the surviving capital ships.

“This is our only escape route,” Yularen said, pointing to the tactical map. “We must break out of here before the Givens decide to deliver the fatal blow.”

"But what about the 20th Fleet?" Ahsoka asked anxiously. "We've already severely damaged half of the Alliance fleet; we still have a chance to win!"

Yularen shook his head regretfully. "We were outmaneuvered. If it weren't for the presence of the Givens, I believe we would have had a great chance to completely defeat the Peremian Alliance here, especially given their weakened state after their battles with the 20th Fleet and 'Fast Justice'."

But with the Givens still watching us intently, the situation is completely different. Our best option is to rendezvous with General Skywalker as soon as possible, then gather the full strength of our Second Fleet, deployed in the southern Rai-Gall sector and commanded by General Jedi, and return to this system to launch a decisive counterattack.

"But the Second Fleet is engaged in combat with the separatist Fourth Fleet Group."

“That’s the priority we need to address after our safe withdrawal,” Yularen said, turning to Lieutenant Avre. “Avre, immediately try to contact General Skywalker and report that while we failed to annihilate the Alliance fleet, we have successfully destroyed half to two-thirds of its combat strength, significantly weakening its fighting capacity. The Alliance fleet has temporarily lost its strategic role until their Fourth Fleet arrives to reinforce it.”

"Where shall we meet the general, sir?"

"The edge of the Lonne Nebula is a good choice."

The order was given, and the evacuation began.

But it's easier said than done.

Although the separatist forces above them scattered and fled like a disturbed swarm of bees, the enemy below caused continuous harassment and sabotage as the Republic fleet changed formation.

The Zeta formation began to contract, with each "petal" pulling inward. The massive battlecruisers and aircraft carriers adjusted their bows, aligning their main thrusters with the predetermined withdrawal vector.

However, the complexity of the improved double-layered "Zeta" formation also comes at a cost.

At this moment, there is a delay in maneuvering between ships on different levels, especially the dozen or so "Jeffer-class" Star Destroyers located on the outermost "D level," which are the slowest to adjust their thruster angles.

This tore a small but fatal rift between the two parts of the "open-loop fleet" that were changing formation, namely layer C and layer D, and the ships in layer D gradually fell behind the main body of the fleet.

No matter how hard Admiral Jularen tries to coordinate, for such a complex formation that was originally static but is now turning in a unified direction, the delay caused by inertia and volume is almost unsolvable.

Imagine a stationary line stretching for kilometers; even if the head of the line starts to move, it takes time for that movement to travel to the tail.

The standard Zeta formation has only two layers, while the improved version adds two more layers, and these two layers face the opposite direction to the upper layer.

The inherent coordination difficulty increases exponentially.

It was this brief delay and gap that the patiently waiting Given defense fleet precisely detected.

Seventy Given Wave-class corvettes emerged from the thick atmosphere like ghosts once again, launching a volley of torpedoes at a specific "Jester-class" Star Destroyer on Layer C.

Under this precise and fierce barrage, the powerful Republic warship's shields quickly overloaded and collapsed.

Immediately afterwards, a single blow struck a vital point, directly triggering a catastrophic explosion in the reactor.

Meanwhile, the ships on level D are accelerating to catch up with the main force.

An aircraft carrier named "Radiant Light" was too close to the exploded ship near level C.

Ahsoka stared intently at the sensor screen, where the massive shockwave from the explosion of the "Jackal-class" ship, like an invisible giant hand, violently pushed the "Radiant Light" off course and out of formation.

If that's all there is to it, perhaps it can still be salvaged.

Unfortunately, the trajectory of the "Radiant Light" as it rolled out of control collided with the planned course of another "Jester-class" Star Destroyer, the "Star Explorer," which was accelerating towards it from Layer D.

At that moment, everyone on the bridge of the Pioneer understood that the Givens had calculated everything precisely; otherwise, how could there have been such a series of "perfect" coincidences?
Even the advanced computer-aided collision avoidance system on the Star Explorer was too late to avoid the completely out-of-control Brilliant Light.

Their relative speed and angle sealed the fate of tragedy, leaving no time or space for avoidance.

Ahsoka watched in horror as the two massive "Jester-class" Star Destroyers collided head-on, an inevitable event.

Viewed from the relatively safe distance of the Pioneer's bridge, the collision appeared slow and silent, but in reality it undoubtedly occurred at a speed of thousands of kilometers per second.

The two giant ships instantly transformed into a massive sphere of light that expanded continuously, composed of scorching plasma, torn metal, and violent energy, blooming suddenly in the dark void like a flower of death representing destruction.

A dual-reactor explosion annihilated a massive amount of supermatter in less than a second.

The energy it released was so terrifying, like a brief but dazzling artificial star that instantly illuminated the deep space of the Yggdul galaxy.

Before anyone could even scream or sigh, the intense light, strong enough to burn the retina, had already stung everyone's eyes, but that wasn't the worst part.

Because the explosion point lacked sufficient mass or gravity to confine the scorching gas and energy, the "artificial sun," after its ultimate burst, suddenly collapsed inward and then exploded outward with even greater force!

The three closest warships were almost instantly vaporized, turning into ultra-high temperature molten slag and ionized gas that sprayed outwards at near-light speed.

The remaining warships were pushed away in all directions by the powerful shockwave.

Ships in the C layer were pushed upwards and outwards, crashing into the relatively safer B and A layers, while the unfortunate ships in the D layer were pushed downwards and inwards, crashing directly into the Separatist 3rd Battle Group, which was on high alert.

Only then did a collective gasp erupt from the bridge of the Pioneer, filled with shock and despair.

Or rather, everything happened so fast that by the time people realized what was happening, the disaster was already over.

Admiral Yularen, seemingly genuinely shaken for the first time in his life, shouted an order, attempting to refocus the crew, who were in a brief daze: "Total damage report!?"

"No...no direct attack penetrated our shields, sir!" a shaken technician stammered. "It was...it was the ships on level B that absorbed most of the impact for us!"

Ahsoka forced himself to look away from the sight of the mass grave where more than 10,000 people had perished in an instant, and refocused on the tactical situation.

The dozen or so D-level ships that were unfortunately pushed downwards by the shockwave had already signaled their surrender. Clearly, given a choice, they did not intend to fight a battle to the death, and the "Combat Hydra" had a precedent of accepting surrenders.

In fact, the Allied fleet had already slowed down, preparing to board the ships and take over the Republic's warships.

After inflicting this devastating blow, the Given defense fleet quietly retreated once again.

As Ahsoka and Yularen witnessed, the Givens' precise strike had the most devastating effect.

They themselves were unharmed, but indirectly caused the loss of fourteen capital ships and dozens of escort ships, and they don’t seem to be stopping yet.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and focused on leading the remaining forces of the "Open Ring Fleet" out of the system, which required the fleet to turn upwards and to the right.

While this maneuver was a necessary choice to escape the complex gravitational field and atmospheric anomalies of the four-star system, it inadvertently brought them back to the edge of Given's battle fleet's firing range, putting them at risk of being intercepted.

Like sharks that have smelled blood, the Peak-class corvettes swam around the damaged Republic fleet, tearing at their decks with fire as the "Open Ring Fleet" sped away.

Fortunately, the "Open Ring Fleet" still retains a considerable number of frigates, and their most powerful warship shields remain robust enough to withstand attacks from enemy frigates.

A concentrated, deadly attack requiring perfect timing and location, like the destruction of the "Radiant Light" and "Starseeker," is unlikely to be repeated.

"The fleet's hyperspace drive is ready and synchronized, Admiral," Avre reported, her voice heavy and subdued, lacking its usual vibrancy.

Yularen clenched his teeth, his facial features stiff.

Ahsoka took one last look at the battlefield.

I'm sorry, General Grant.

I made a mistake, and we all paid a heavy price for it.

As if in response to Ahsoka's thoughts, she felt the Force connection that had always been there behind her shoulder twist and ripple. Then, the faint, candle-like connection finally went out completely after the fuel was exhausted, dissipating into the Force.

I'm sorry, Master Alex.

no respond.

That existence has completely disappeared.

"Execute the jump." Yularen's voice broke the silence, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.

Of the 250 ships initially deployed to counter the 28th Mobile Fleet, only 158 successfully activated their hyperspace drives and leaped into safe space.

……

Sixty thousand kilometers away, on the wrecked bridge of the Star Destroyer USS Illustrious, another scene was unfolding.

General Octavian Grant dispatched all combat-ready ships of the 20th Fleet to support the Open Ring Fleet against the Peremian Alliance Fleet, and now they have returned with a battle report.

It appears that shortly after they received news that the Pioneer was coming to join the remnants of the Excellence, the Open Ring Fleet was intercepted to the southeast of the last known location of the 20th Fleet.

After observing the desperate and deteriorating battle situation of the "Opening Fleet" from a distance, the captains of these dispatched ships, mainly operated by Tapani crews, discussed among themselves and eventually made a joint decision.

They turned around and headed back.

They believed that engaging in battle at this point would be futile and would only increase losses.

Therefore, neither the Open-Loop Fleet nor the 28th Mobile Fleet, which were engaged in fierce fighting, noticed the movements of the 20th Fleet, and both sides believed that the 20th Fleet had temporarily lost its combat capability.

However, on the wrecked Star Destroyer, systems restarted one after another, and warm air flowed into the corridors of the powerful Star Destroyer once again, bringing some comfort to the crew.

The ion engines reignited one by one, and the 20th Fleet awoke once more, ready to return to the battlefield.

But here's the thing.

Should they really do this?

“We can retreat to the orbit of another planet in the system,” one of Grant’s adjutants suggested. “There, we can take up a favorable position and prepare for a new battle. Our ships report that the Separatists currently have only about a hundred combat-ready warships left. We have the capability to defeat them.”

“The Givens know far more about their own system than we do,” Octavian Grant shook his head. “I don’t want to take that risk. What I’m really worried about is whether Buntry will really pursue us relentlessly if we retreat to another planet in the system.”

The adjutant glanced quickly at the tactical screen that had relit, seeing the Allied Fleet and Given's fleet rapidly advancing back to the area where the 20th Fleet had previously been, intending to annihilate it completely. He then turned to his commander: "I think they will, sir, but why is that a problem?"

“Because it exposes their true intentions for this galaxy,” Grant said, crossing his arms. “Why are they so determined to completely and utterly control Aghdul?”

"Uh, maybe it's to cut off the supply lines to the Second Military District?"

“There’s no need to go to such lengths,” Grant shook his head again. “Even without taking over Aghdul, they can easily disrupt this system and make it unusable as a supply depot or transit point for us.”

If their only goal was to cripple the Second Military District's logistics, they would have achieved that by dispersing our auxiliary ships, crushing the besieging fleet, and reducing the orbital supply depot to scrap metal… But they didn't stop there; what they needed was absolute control.

The adjutant, himself a Tapani, swallowed hard after understanding the deeper meaning of the words: "You believe... that the separatists intend to use Yagdul as a springboard to attack the core world?"

This inference is indeed logical.

Yagdul is located at the intersection of two hyperspace routes leading to the core region of the Milky Way.

One was the Rima trade route to Fondo, and the other was the Correlia trade ridge to Coruscant.

If the separatists firmly control this area, the 20th Fleet will be forced to split up and guard two routes, while the separatist Fourth Fleet Group can concentrate all its forces and head straight for the core world along either route of their choosing.

“This…” the adjutant hesitated before continuing, “is it unlikely? The strategic command’s assessment is that the separatist alliance is on the verge of collapse, and they are almost certainly incapable of launching a large-scale, sustained offensive against the core world!”

“However,” the general of the 20th Military District said softly, but his words carried immense weight, “we have just received news that the Peremian Alliance fleet, led by Kali Trilm, has attacked Comernor.”

Komenor, that fortress world, the eastern gateway to the core world.

When the news came, the hearts of every crew member on the bridge of the "Illustrious" sank.

If Komenor is the eastern welcoming carpet of the core world, then the Tapani system is the southern gateway.

If their general's judgment is correct, then the flames of war will soon reach their homeland.

It is important to note that the 20th Military District's forces are almost entirely composed of children and grandchildren of the Tapani system.

The Tapani Federation is a polity that enjoys a high degree of autonomy within the framework of the Galactic Republic.

Due to its unique location on the star map, the Tapani Federation has dominated the southern core region politically, economically, and culturally for four centuries.

Therefore, it was quite natural that the entire 20th Military District and its fleet were mainly composed of Tapani people.

Even their governor, Octavian Grant, was a Tapani nobleman, because the Republic’s Supreme Command knew very well that the Tapani army would not easily obey the orders of outsiders.

Of the twenty military regions in the Republic, only two have minimal influence over the office of the Supreme Speaker.

One is the Second Military District, whose governorship is vacant due to Corellia's neutrality. It is currently jointly commanded by Jedi Generals Ra-Gol and Ella Sekula, who are fighting General Horn Ambigan in the Rima theater.

The other is the 20th Military District, whose combat forces are mostly derived from the Tapani Federation. Therefore, it is loyal to Tapani first and the Galactic Republic second.

Therefore, the 20th Military District is essentially an army that places the interests of the Tapani Federation above those of the Galactic Republic.

Having grasped this point, Octavian Grant's subsequent decision, while hardly one of loyalty to the Republic, seemed logical and even predictable.

He is not disloyal to the Republic; no world in Tapani is a separatist camp.

The fundamental reason they fought for the Republic was that the noble class of Tapani, like the Republic's Senate, was threatened by separatist ideology.

"We will withdraw to friendly airspace," Grant finally ordered, knowing full well that this meant abandoning his Second Military District allies who were still fighting bitterly. "Establish forward defenses in the Bestin and Gorman systems, inform our fleets on Mechis III and Tefala to immediately establish blockade arrays, and send the highest priority warnings to Procopia and Fondo, informing them of the possibility of invasion. We will not allow any separatist fleet to defile the sacred territory of our homeland!"

……

As the 20th Fleet turned around and quietly withdrew, Raine, based on his previous knowledge of the star system and the internal politics of the Republic, suddenly felt a strong sense of unease.

He sensed that the original "Operation Starlight" plan now seemed even more unattainable.

(End of this chapter)