Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 235, Section 227 - Empress Titan

The Queen Titan system, located deep within the Koros sector, is home to one of the oldest and wealthiest human civilizations in the Milky Way, and is also the focus of the Great Hyperspace War.

It is connected to Coruscant via the Koros main line, and also to Prakis via the Bis route, and is also located on the carbon crystal route.

This is an eco-city planet, whose capital is Sinnagar. Over thousands of years, the city has spread across the entire planet's surface.

If someone were to rashly jump into the core of the Milky Way, they would never expect that such a wealthy and powerful force would be hidden in this star field known as the "Deep Core".

Even more surprisingly, this force has now allied itself with separatism.

But that's exactly how the Queen Titan Galaxy is.

Seven planets are under the rule of a single city-state: Queen Titan.

The planet is named after the empress who unified the entire galaxy five thousand years ago.

Even Rennes had to admit that, in terms of both cultural heritage and overall strength, it was almost comparable to Coruscant.

When their young Givenian navigator charted this hyperspace route, he said the galaxy would be a safe haven.

Few in the 28th Mobile Combat Fleet could have imagined that Empress Titan was so magnificent.

Most of them had never even heard of the name.

This was the first time for Ryan himself.

Even more unexpectedly, the "Starlight Operation" front has extended to the deep core.

This is understandable. People from the outer ring have no understanding of the galactic core, just as fish in water cannot understand the stars in the sky.

Moreover, for five thousand years, the Queen Titan star system has been ruled by a monarchy.

But times have changed.

The current emperor, Alor Cato, is nothing more than a puppet manipulated by the Galactic Mining Guild.

He doesn't have much real power; the one who truly issues orders is one of the oldest and largest corporate giants in the galaxy.

Although Raine had never heard of Queen Titan, he was very familiar with the Mining Guild.

This guild firmly controls billions of resource-rich planets in the outer ring.

He never imagined that even the core world could be eroded by the corporation, and that the erosion would be so profound.

That's why, when they fought their way into this super galaxy, they were unexpectedly greeted with smiles and a warm welcome.

It should be noted that the Mining Association is subordinate to the Business Association, and the Business Association has long been firmly aligned with the Sereno government in order to suppress its old rival, the Corporate Alliance.

Fortunately, the Titan Queen's faction, having been isolated in the Deep Core for so long, is almost completely unaware of the war that is raging in the Outer Rings.

Or rather, they had no idea how the war was going.

All they knew about was the war, because not long ago, a military district of the Republic's army had occupied Queen Tita.

Ryan stood in the cramped cabin of the Chimera, holding a cup of hot tea in both hands.

This is one of the few robots on the ship that has actually learned how to brew something.

Outside the window, Queen Titan is slowly rotating.

The capital city of Sinnagar shimmered with golden light, like luminous lines drawing concentric circles in the hazy purple atmosphere.

The city covers half of the planet's surface, and from space, the entire planet resembles a giant eye, silently gazing at the starry sky.

Ryan had to admit that this feeling was inexplicably relaxing.

Within this galaxy, most of the Republic's garrison had long been redeployed elsewhere. The deep core region appeared to be an impregnable fortress, but in reality, the Republic had only left a symbolic garrison.

This defending force was quickly suppressed by the 28th Mobile Fleet and the robot legion.

With no immediate threats nearby, the 28th Mobile Operations Fleet has not had a proper respite like this in a long time, making full use of this rest period.

"Master." Hal walked in, holding a data panel in his hand. "The latest report has arrived."

"Thanks." Renn absentmindedly accepted the teacup and casually placed it on the table. "How long do you think it will take for the Republic to react?"

"Should I call a tactical robot?"

"I'm asking you."

"...As long as we haven't been discovered yet, we should be able to stall for a while longer."

Raine chuckled softly and synchronized the data panel with the holographic projector inside the cabin. "Call the tactical robots over."

"What about the food?"

"Prepare some food too."

Hal nodded, and the server on his body hummed softly.

She turned and walked briskly out, probably heading to the kitchen again to try and teach the robots how to make a more presentable dinner. Making tea is one thing, cooking is quite another.

Ryan turned his attention back to the dashboard, opened the first report, and leaned back in his chair.

"Chimera, this is the Kronprinz." Diedrich Greshad's recording came on, a hint of barely perceptible smugness in his voice. "The Third Combat Division has driven the remaining loyalist forces in the system to the outer planets, mainly concentrated around Ronica and Forros. We believe they are attempting to establish a base, awaiting Coruscant's reinforcements to launch a counterattack..."

While listening to the voice report, Ryan quickly scanned the text notes on the data panel:

[06:11] First contact occurred with enemy reconnaissance ships near Ferris, destroying four enemy reconnaissance ships, with two escaping. Our side suffered no losses, and the Ferris local government once again swore allegiance to the Titan monarchy.

[11:46] Pursuing the enemy to Ronica, they encountered fierce resistance. Both warships sustained moderate damage but were still operational and have now captured the planetary facilities.

[18:55] Engaged the enemy's main fleet on the Orbit of Forros, while simultaneously encountering heavy anti-aircraft fire from the surface. After fierce fighting, three enemy heavy cruisers and four destroyers were destroyed, while our fleet suffered moderate damage, with one light cruiser destroyed by surface-to-air fire.

[20:09] Successfully rescued our surviving crew members. Requesting the dispatch of an auxiliary ship to the Forros area. Forros's continued resistance indicates that the planetary government remains loyal. Requesting reinforcements from Titan, preferably with royal authorization from His Majesty Alor Cato.

[22:00] Enemy communications intercepted, indicating they are regrouping near asteroid Kerres II. Please provide instructions.

Raine closed his eyes, letting the low-frequency hum of the Chimera reactor envelop him.

This brief silence lasted for a moment, until the hatch was pushed open with a whoosh, and two heavy metallic footsteps landed, telling him: Little Tower had arrived.

"Little Tower, do you have any potential captains to recommend?" Raine asked without turning around.

Little Tower did not answer immediately. Its bright sensor stared at the back of Rein's head. After a moment, it spoke: "Lame Carroll, captain of 'Habatok-II'."

Rein frowned, trying to recall the ship. "It's a light frigate, right?"

“You’re asking about potential,” the tactical robot replied calmly. “Captain Carroll performed exceptionally well in the battles of Atlantis and Quill.”

“Since you recommended him,” Raine didn’t hesitate any longer. “Give him command of the ‘Unicorn,’ ‘Centaur,’ ‘Shadow,’ and ‘Sea Anemone.’ At the same time, request ten cruisers from the Titan Guard and ask Emperor Alo Keto to sign a royal decree demanding Forros’ unconditional surrender. If they refuse, put pressure on them again through the Mining Guild. Are there any auxiliary ships currently en route to Forros?”

"The 'Rima Express' is currently undergoing resupply in Trieste."

"Have Captain Carroll go directly to Trieste and meet up with the 'Rima Express', and then reinforce the 3rd Division together. Inform the 'Crumplinz' and let him make all the decisions on the battlefield."

"Yes, sir. Any other instructions?"

Renn paused for a moment, then posed the question again: "...How much time do you think we have before the Republic realizes this and begins its counterattack?"

The small tower's optical sensors dimmed slightly, as if it were retrieving data. "The Second Strike Division has begun attacking the 'Agricultural Loop' south of Coruscant. There's no need to worry. Commander Schiff is highly capable. If Coruscant doesn't respond quickly, the Core World will face a food crisis within a month."

Due to the war, many hyperspace routes from outer agricultural planets to the core were cut off, and now the "Agricultural Ring" supplies more than 80% of the meat and agricultural products to the core world.

This crescent-shaped region, bordering the northern boundary of the Deep Core, stretches from Kal-Seti in the west to Soth in the east, encompassing more than a hundred agricultural planets, and is located just south of Coruscant.

To truly draw the attention of the Republic's army, cutting off food supplies is far more effective than a direct attack on Coruscant—after all, Dua Ningo has already launched a surprise attack on Coruscant, and Raine never repeats others' tactics.

Moreover, that method can only be used once.

Their current strategy is to hold their ground, let the fleeing loyalists spread the news that the Queen Titan system has seceded from the Republic, while continuing to attack agricultural routes and waiting for the Republic's army to react.

During this period, consolidating the defenses of the Queen Titan system was both efficient and practical for them.

“Very good,” Ryan nodded, his tone decisive. “Thank you, you may leave now.”

Raine knew very well that Carly Trilm was leading her forces to attack the Arrow Star System at that moment.

It takes eight days of hyperspace travel from there to the Queen Titan system. In other words, while the 19th Mobile Combat Fleet was operating in the core area, the 28th Fleet had been out of contact with the main force for more than a week.

The Republic Military District fleet, which was originally stationed locally, had recently withdrawn, likely because the 19th Fleet had attracted their attention.

Their current task is to bring that military region fleet back, thereby relieving some of the pressure.

Unlike their allies, they had prepared an escape route.

At this moment, the Fourth Combat Division, commanded by Vinok, is advancing in reverse along the hyperspace route they came from, conquering all the planets along the way that have not been publicly identified by the Republic.

According to his recent report... his fleet has just discovered a planet called "Praquis".

[05:30] A large-scale signal shadow was detected on the Nexus route. Preliminary scans show that a highly industrialized galaxy is located at Milky Way coordinates -44.579, -88.820, -7.393 (grid K-10) and is approaching for reconnaissance.

[09:00] Confirmed to be an enemy-controlled star system. Data raid shows that the star system is identified as "Praquis" by the Republic Army.

[14:02] Launch a coordinated attack on the outer reaches of the galaxy and confirm that an enemy fleet is stationed near the third orbital object "Praquis".

[18:46] Successfully ambushed the enemy's main force, destroying two battlecruisers and four heavy cruisers, while suffering only minor damage. Pursuit in progress.

[02:30] The enemy fleet has jumped south and has stopped pursuing. Ground forces have been deployed and are seizing key facilities on Prakis, encountering moderate resistance.

The discovery of unfinished fortifications and dry docks suggests we may have disrupted the construction of a fortress planet.

[12:00] The galaxy is now largely under control. The cleanup operation is ongoing, aimed at identifying and recovering any remaining enemy assets and intelligence.

Data raids revealed that the headquarters of the Fifth Deepcore Fleet, located further south in the Audik system, has requested additional support and manpower to launch the next attack.

P.S.: I'd like to ask for suggestions on what class of cruisers would be reasonable for the ten cruisers requested from Titan. Thanks!
(End of this chapter)