Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 226-228 - The Plan Ahead of Schedule
"The Republic's military presence in the Yagdul system has been completely eliminated."

Rein said to General Trench and General Ambigine in the holographic image, "Although it may take several weeks for the full effects to become apparent, the Second Military District of the Galactic Republic Army is under tremendous pressure right now. They must either retake Yagdul or open up a completely new supply route."

“They will undoubtedly target Malastar to meet their short-term fuel needs,” the tall Trench said after a moment of thought, leaning on his cane. “But given that our control over Yagdul is not yet secure, we must be prepared that they will send a task force north to try to undermine the gains made by the 28th Mobile Fleet.”

“Let the Republic come at us,” said General Ambigine’s adjutant, a Fallen Jedi named Wifa Zet, viciously. “We are ready and waiting. They will only find their graves in Malastar.”

“What my overly radical adjutant is trying to say is, Admiral,” General Ambigine, known as “the Grave Slayer,” interrupted briefly, though he himself was also known for his radicalism, “that we are fully prepared to confront the Republic’s fleet at Marathar.”

“Just make sure you don’t destroy Malastar while you’re fighting the Republic’s fleet, General Ambigine,” Trench chuckled in a low, slightly mocking voice. “You know, the Confederation’s need for Malastar’s natural fuel resources is, if not more urgent than the Republic’s, at least as much.”

“We are fully aware of this,” the First General said, dismissing the veiled accusation as if it were nothing. “We are also aware of the situation of the Peremian Alliance, and Yagdul is a strategic focus of our common concern.”

“I will hand over command of the 46th Guard Fleet to Commander Maras Voro, who will be responsible for garrisoning Yagdul,” Rein tried to ease the tension, “but I must add that the 28th Mobile Fleet suffered heavy casualties in this protracted battle, and thanks to the exceptional capabilities of Given Shipyard, we were able to salvage and repair many damaged ships.”

However, we will still need about a week to rest and recuperate, during which time our combat capabilities, especially our ability to perform other specific missions, will be significantly reduced.

Therefore, I have to request reinforcements to bolster our forces before the next major operation.

Ryan carefully avoided mentioning "Operation Starlight" because he was unsure whether Horn Ambigine was aware of the plan.

Also out of caution, he did not mention that Maras Voro had been a customs officer for the Trade Federation before joining the Confederate Air Force.

Nevertheless, both parties nodded in understanding, though Ryan guessed that their reasons for nodding might be different.

Unlike when facing Trench, Ryan was much more cautious in front of Horn Ambigine.

Although Ryan himself may not have fully realized it, he knew perfectly well that he was facing an executioner who had ordered the slaughter of billions of lives.

He stared into the eyes of the man who had become a symbol of evil in the eyes of trillions of people in the galaxy, but all he saw was an old man in a crisp military uniform, with an even somewhat leisurely demeanor.

Conversely, his adjutant Zett looked more like a demon in the traditional sense.

Clad in a black armored robe, with obvious, unnatural signs of dark corrosion around her eyes, she stood out starkly against her unusually pale skin.

But appearances can be deceiving.

One is a young woman who is simply too immersed in the power of the dark side, and the other is a man who did not hesitate to order a planet to be burned for two whole days.

"Can you provide reinforcements for the 28th Fleet, General?" Trench asked Ambigine.

“From the moment the 28th Fleet appeared in Yagdul, the Republic realized their strategic blunder,” Ambigine replied grimly. “They have set up a tight blockade array in every major star system along the Rima trade route. Only when we win the Battle of Malastar and successfully connect our territories in the Sidian Lowlands can we use the Sidian Channel and the Harlin Trade Corridor to bypass the Republic’s heavy defenses.”

"But that will take time."

“That’s right,” Ambigine confirmed gruffly, “reinforcements won’t be able to get there in time.”

“This will be a problem,” Trench’s jaw twitched, revealing his concern. “Where is the main force of the Second Military District currently deployed?”

“We are fighting them in the vast area between Vondark and Salust,” Wifa Zetter continued, “On the Crown World of Indupalan, the Republic’s resistance is exceptionally fierce. We can still contend with them in space warfare, but the ground forces led by Jedi Generals Ragnar and Ella Sekula have turned the capture of each planet into a long and arduous quagmire, in fact…”

Wifa Zetter glanced quickly to the side before turning his attention back to the current conversation. "Right now, the Second Battle of Meth is raging. At the same time, the Second Battle of Indupal, the Battle of Starforged Nebula, the Battle of Aiatu, and the Battle of Chindral are also taking place."

“Your meaning is quite clear,” Ryan sighed, glancing at Trench with concern. “Under these circumstances, my fleet and I may have to consider taking some unconventional and extreme measures.”

"Is this operation related to the Fourth Fleet?" General Ambigine questioned sternly, his dark eyes scanning suspiciously between Trench and Ryan.

“No…it doesn’t matter,” the Hatch general drawled, then made a clear click, as if he had reached a conclusion.

“In that case, I don’t want to hear any beginning or end to this matter,” Ambigine said firmly. “If there are no other matters that I must handle personally, I will take my leave. I have a ‘summer war’ to deal with.”

After a brief pause to confirm that no one objected, Ambiginelli gave a quick salute, and his holographic image disappeared.

It is worth noting that only Ambigine and Renn later realized that he and Wifa Zetter were not in the same place at all.

The fallen Jedi woman looked at Raine with a mixture of curiosity and near-obsession in her eyes, as if wondering what it would be like for him to be under the light saber.

"How did you do that, Major General?"

"Commander Zet, what are you referring to?"

"How did you manage to defeat three Republic fleets in Yagdul?"

Raine gave a bitter smile: "You'll find that it all ultimately comes down to precise timing." She was clearly not satisfied with this answer; perhaps she was expecting an explanation of some kind of superweapon or dark magic.

But she nodded nonetheless.

She whispered some polite farewells, and her holographic image blurred and disappeared, leaving only Ryan and Trench behind.

Trench wasted no time and immediately cut to the chase: “You must launch Operation Starburst immediately, Bontri.”

“Understood,” Rein replied, “As soon as my fleet completes repairs and returns to combat readiness—”

"I'm not waiting for your fleet to be repaired, Rear Admiral. I mean now, immediately."

His tone carried an anxiety that Renne had never heard from this giant "spider," an anxiety that quickly infected Renne, though he was not yet fully aware of the reason.

Rein took out his data panel and pulled up his personal memo, which contained detailed records of the 28th Mobile Fleet's itinerary and schedule.

“But…we are still on schedule,” Raine said, expressing his concern. “As far as Operation Starburst is concerned, the 28th Fleet is not behind schedule, although the casualties are indeed heavier than initially estimated. In any case, we should still have enough time for repairs and rest, so…what exactly happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Something went wrong in the Kashyk system,” Trench frowned, “causing the 19th Mobile Fleet to act prematurely. Rear Admiral Trilm shook off the ‘Open Ring Fleet’ and attacked Komenor.”

Fortnite World: Komenor.

A hyperspace route extends from the outer ring to this point, and four other routes radiate from this location toward the core world.

Anyone familiar with "Operation Starburst" would immediately understand that this is the final destination of the 19th Mobile Fleet.

A separatist fleet attacks a heavily fortified world like Komenor with only one purpose: to use it as a springboard to infiltrate the core world.

To any observer of the Republic, this was as if the 19th Mobile Fleet was attempting to recreate the feat of Severn Tann a year and a half earlier—

That attack on Komenor was also carried out on the way to Sarapin.

"She...is she being too hasty?" Renn repeated incredulously.

“I don’t want to speculate on why she made such a rash decision, but the situation is indeed very critical,” Trench told Raine in a heavy tone. “A fleet that ventures alone into the core world is easily preyed upon by the full-scale encirclement and suppression of the Republic’s home fleet, even with the support of the bulwark fleet. That’s why the 28th Fleet must immediately set out to join the 19th Fleet before the Galactic Republic’s army can make a full response. Your timeline has been significantly accelerated.”

“But… my ships urgently need repairs!” Rein argued. “The 28th Fleet currently only has half of its ships capable of combat. Even without reinforcements, I can increase that ratio to three-quarters, but that will require time and safe airspace for repairs!”

My crew also need rest. They've been engaged in continuous high-intensity combat for the past seven days, not to mention they need time to listen to and understand new operational briefings—”

"The 28th Fleet is a mobile fleet. I don't need your fleet to launch a frontal attack on the Republic right now. I just need them to appear in the core world."

Trench interrupted his series of concerns: "And I want the Republic to know clearly that your fleet is there. Find a remote star system, conduct emergency repairs there, and use the ships you have that are operational to divert the attention of the Galactic Republic's army and keep them busy. Hold out until your fleet regains basic operational capability. Our priority now is to relieve the pressure on the 19th Fleet."

The Hatch man paused, as if considering his next words. Then he said, "As for your crew, since they have chosen this path, they must persevere to the end."

……

"Fleet signals detected on the horizon," Little Tower reported just as Raine was pondering how to convey this sudden bad news to his officers. "More than a hundred ships are approaching."

"From which direction should it be inserted?" Renn immediately asked, as this was crucial information.

If they're coming from the south, it's likely Chom's auxiliary maintenance squadron, waiting to rendezvous with the main force for a strategic meeting.

If it came from the West, then there are many more possibilities—

It could be the remnants of the "Opening Fleet" led by Anakin Skywalker, or the remnants of the "Storm Fleet" commanded by Naradan Durin.

To be honest, given the current state of the 28th Fleet, it is simply incapable of confronting Anakin Skywalker head-on.

If it really was him, a thought flashed through Ryan's mind: abandon "Operation Starburst" and retreat to another place to avoid the brunt of the attack.

The only reason he hesitated was that abandoning "Operation Starburst" was almost tantamount to abandoning Carly Trilm and her 19th Mobile Fleet.

Ryan believed that with her wit and ability, she might be able to break through the encirclement on her own, after all, she always planned things out before she acted.

But considering their frank conversation in Yugoslavia, it would be too despicable of him to abandon the 19th Fleet now.

(End of this chapter)