Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 238-230 Orbital Bombing
Captain Jane Dordener gazed at the holographic image.

Commander Ada Talon's fighter-bomber formation was conducting its fourth penetration of the day, once again crossing Skako's defensive perimeter.

Fighter jets dropped bombs and torpedoes in succession at the edge of the black and blue atmosphere, violently impacting the planet's shield.

The "Cautious" active detection system closely monitors the ripples on the shield's surface, continuously collecting readings and measurements to estimate the energy saturation level of the shield area.

The basic principle of a deflector shield is not complicated: it reflects or absorbs incoming energy and disperses the energy across the entire shield surface, ultimately emitting it as visible light or thermal radiation, or temporarily storing it in the capacitors of the shield generator.

Shield failure typically occurs in two forms:
One scenario is that overloaded input energy burns out capacitors or melts radiators, causing the entire shield network to shut down and require resetting, which is common in ship-to-ship combat.

Second, if the shield reaches its energy saturation limit in a localized area and can no longer store energy, it creates a "vulnerable vulnerability".

General Honor Salima's plan was specifically aimed at the latter.

The core of this tactic is that the energy input must be continuous and powerful enough to always exceed the energy dissipation rate of the shield.

Essentially, this is a mathematical problem involving energy calculation.

"How is the result?"

“I think it’s feasible, sir,” the sensor officer analyzed the data, “as long as the Skakos don’t have any hidden contingency plans.”

"How much firepower is needed to achieve the objective?"

"All Victory-class cruisers in the home fleet need to fire missiles continuously for a period of time," the officer replied. "Based on the characteristics of the Iskáko shield technology, a sustained attack for one to two weeks should be able to create a breach in the shield."

That sounds... feasible.

In terms of attacking planetary shields, this is already an ideal situation.

“…It can be done,” Dordenauer finally said. “Keep the firepower uninterrupted, prevent them from recharging, and send people up to the general!”

"Captain!" A deck officer strode over. "The admiral summons you to the operations room immediately."

"He's here as soon as I told him to," Donaden muttered to himself, casually straightening his uniform. "I can't keep her waiting."

He entered the operations room, where holographic images of Admiral Honor and Captain Skreed were already waiting.

After quickly saluting, Donaton stood beside the huge holographic table.

"I was just about to report the assessment results of the Skark Shield, Admiral."

"speak."

"We estimate that a sustained large-scale torpedo attack could penetrate the target area's shield within half a day to three days, and ideally, within a day."

Honor Salima slightly raised his chin and squinted his eyes. "This is good news. The Supreme Command has also approved our access to the Hyperspace Route Registry. With this access, we can initially map the activities of separatists in the galactic core and formulate corresponding strategies."

Trinald manually operated the system, unfolding a star map of the Arrow Galaxy region on the holographic table, with flashing red dots marking all reported separatist hexagonal-marked ships.

The right side lists a series of reports from the Republic's military. Some separatist ships appeared so frequently that the registry assigned them codes, thus effectively tracking their movements in the core area.

However, this list of ships is not updated in real time; it can only reconstruct their attack history.

Unless... Admiral Honor's intention was not to track these ships themselves.

Donaton couldn't help but feel suspicious, and he pursed his lips.

“Captain Skreed, continue,” Honno gestured.

“In the initial analysis of the registry data,” Trinald began to report, “we immediately noticed a certain pattern in Carly Trilm’s operations.”

A slender red line leaps out, connecting the various red dots to form a complete history of leaps and voyages.

Jane understood the "pattern" that Trinald was referring to almost instantly.

The 19th Mobile Combat Fleet did not stay on a fixed main hyperspace route, but instead zigzag between different routes.

However, if we consider the combined trajectories of its various squadrons and ships...

This is the area search mode.

Jane Dordenauer almost opened her mouth in astonishment.

He had seen this kind of maneuver before, but never on such a large scale.

This mode is typically used to search for missing objects or people in space, expanding outwards from an assumed reference point to cover a spherical airspace.

The search vessel first travels in the best predicted direction to determine the distance the target may have moved, then turns 60 degrees to the right, travels the same distance, and then turns 60 degrees to the right again to return to the reference point, forming an equilateral triangle.

The search vessel will then pass the reference point, repeat the above turning sequence, generate an equilateral triangle, and return.

This pattern repeats continuously, taking into account the known drift amount, until the entire target area is covered.

"What are the separatists... looking for?" Donarden could hardly hide his surprise. "If that's the case, wouldn't parallel tracking or crawling search patterns be more efficient?"

“Perhaps simple patterns are too easy to detect,” Trinaldmo stroked his chin. “Through regional searches, they create the illusion of random, opportunistic attacks. We have to integrate data from all the route registry points in the Arrow system and reconstruct the attack history to discover this pattern. Look here… We can trace this ‘Bronze Python’ back to its suspected base point, the Recopi system or nearby airspace. I speculate that that was her base of operations.”

Donaton looked outward following the pattern.

Puri, Seyugi, Kolums, Sodey, Loreto, Samaria, and then back to Recopi.

The Bronze Python passed through the Recopi system three times before turning to the next reference point.

Multiplying this pattern by the dozens of squadrons of the 19th Fleet reveals that Carly Trilm was actually searching for the Arrow Galaxy in a seemingly random but actually systematic way.

"But... what is she looking for?" Donaden murmured to himself, then suddenly realized, "Could it be..."

“Admiral Dua Ningo and the Bastion Fleet.” Admiral Honor confirmed his guess. “The ‘Bastion-class’ battlecruisers are the Separatists’ newest and strongest warships, capable of directly confronting multiple ‘Victory-class’ ships or even taking on a ‘Commissioner-class’ ship one-on-one. That Pantora man is likely trying to reclaim these warships, which is the real purpose of this raid on the core area.”

Jane Dordenau quickly grasped Honno's plan: "We can use the 'Bastion Fleet' as bait to lure Carly Trilm into gathering her forces."

General Honoro's face broke into a hunter's smile. "Exactly. All we need to do is select the right battlefield."

This time it was Trinald's turn to look at his commander in surprise. "Why not just in Skako? That way we could lure Carly Trirm deeper into the galactic core."

“The bait must be convincing, Captain Skreed,” Honno cautioned. “Unfortunately, we cannot destroy the Bastion Fleet here, but this is to catch a bigger fish. We must force the Bastion Fleet out and into the battlefield we have chosen, while drawing Trilm’s attention. She will be looking forward to a large-scale fleet battle, joining forces with Dua Ningo, at which point they will walk right into her trap and meet their doom.”

“Understood, sir,” Donaden said calmly, “but how do we lure out the Barrier Fleet?”

“Weren’t you listening, Captain?” Honor Salima raised an eyebrow. “Use firepower to force them out.”

Donaden's heart sank.

Orbital bombardment.

He knew deep down that this was the most direct solution, but the thought still weighed heavily on him.

Captain Trinald Skreid grinned, his prosthetic eye giving the smile a cold edge. "We will avenge Eliadu, avenge Comeno, Jane, your homeland."

No, it shouldn't be like this.

Comeno was not destroyed; the explosion occurred only in the upper atmosphere, at the edge of space!
Honor Salima was his commander, while Jane Dordenauer, though not considering herself particularly brave, was primarily concerned with fulfilling her duties.

General Honoré stared at him, his sharp eyes searching for any sign of weakness.

The Comeno man simply stared back defiantly.

“Once the shield breaks,” Jane Dordener said slowly and meaningfully, “Skako’s surface-to-air turrets will blast us to pieces.”

“They won’t have a chance,” the admiral replied coldly. “Mark the target, Captain Dordena.”

After a moment of silence, Donaton said, "Yes, General."

If there is any solace in this pessimistic view, it is that when the "Cautious" marks the shield zone for the home fleet, at least they will not raze the entire Skako to the ground.

The Skakovs were well aware of the atmospheric characteristics of their home planet and, thanks to their technological prowess, had long been prepared for such situations.

The planet's protective shield consists of hundreds of overlapping atmospheric domes, which appear as a single surface from orbit but actually divide the planet into numerous independent blocks.

The death toll may still be in the billions, rather than hundreds of billions.

How utterly inadequate this consolation was. "All warships," Honor Salima's voice echoed throughout the fleet, "form an encirclement formation! Load proton torpedoes, and fire in unison!"

Donarden could only watch as the "Alione" led nearly a hundred pocket battleships, arranged in a static cone formation, each ship aiming its forward fire at the designated shield zone.

Time seemed to stand still, and he held his breath.

Then...

A blazing purple beam of light, mixed with thick smoke, poured down on Skako like the wrath of the sun.

The torrent of energy struck the target directly; although the shield did not actually bend, it appeared to him as if it had suddenly sunk.

But it held firm; despite the ferocity of the initial attack, the home fleet continued to fire.

Show no mercy.

What did I witness?
Torpedoes and turbo-laser cannons fired their respective shots.

Eight hundred missiles every thirty-five seconds—that's the average firing rate of the "Victory-class" launch tubes.

Forty-six standard hours later, the Cautious's precisely calibrated detection system detected a breach in the shield area.

Upon hearing the sensor officer's report, the captain of HMS Caution hesitated whether he should report it immediately.

But what if we hide it?
The home fleet will continue to bombard until the entire shield is overloaded, causing greater damage.

……

The bridge of the "Alione" was bustling with activity.

Admiral Honor stood solemnly atop the bridge, watching the raging flames and energy outside the observation window.

The Alioune had now ceased firing in order to concentrate its fire more precisely.

The target area, only a few kilometers in diameter, is located directly above the planetary shipyard that houses the Barrier Fleet, and is pinpointed in real time by the Cautionary.

No one knows how long this vulnerability will last, and even if the fleet launches a concentrated attack, they must act quickly.

The command deck was orderly, yet the atmosphere was tense.

The officer shouted out instructions, the screen kept refreshing sensor data, and the spacecraft's reactor continued to emit a low-frequency hum, which was transmitted to everyone's body through the deck.

General Honoré stood at the center of the storm, dressed in a plain uniform, yet exuding an air of authority.

"Vacuum missiles loaded, Admiral," Captain Trinald Skreid reported. "Target locked."

“My concerns about Jane Dordenauer were unnecessary,” Honoré said calmly. “You are right.”

Skreed nodded slightly. "I've known him for a long time. He's often tormented by his conscience, but... he never neglects his duties."

"This is exactly what I need."

The crew worked quickly at the control panel, confirming the target coordinates, calculating atmospheric interference, and determining the final trajectory.

In space, the missile launch bay of the "Alione" reopened, and the dark red warhead indicated that the warhead had been replaced.

Vacuum warheads are designed to ignite the air around a target and create a local vacuum. For methane-rich planets like Skako, they are also specially designed to utilize trace amounts of oxidizer in the atmosphere.

"Fire."

Honoré's commands were devoid of ceremony, ostentation, or even emotion.

His words were as sharp and decisive as the guillotine blade.

With a tremor that reverberated throughout the ship, the missile was launched toward the planet below.

As they entered the atmosphere, the missile shells gleamed from friction, and they crashed straight into the hazy blue-purple sky.

Trinald Skreid stared blankly at the display screen as dozens of missiles struck the edge of the breach, exploding into brief but intense fireballs.

Some missiles successfully passed through the gap.

Deep within the planet's surface, under immense pressure, a dazzling flash suddenly erupted, sending up intense light and heat that remained clearly visible even through the atmosphere, shields, and relentless bombardment.

The warhead detonates, and the explosives it carries ignite the methane, oxidizing the warhead and turning the entire sky into a roaring sea of ​​fire.

The home fleet froze for a moment, as if stunned by what it saw.

For the Earth's surface, the apocalypse came swiftly and painlessly.

The earth twisted and deformed, the air itself became a weapon, and the devastating overpressure shockwave crushed everything in its path.

Buildings collapsed, small amounts of vegetation burned instantly, and living bodies turned to ashes.

From a ground-level perspective, the entire world has become a hell of fire and thunder.

But the view from the track is completely different.

The burning atmosphere is just flames, while planetary shields are designed to withstand attacks far exceeding this level.

The fire was restrained by the overlapping deflector shields, and the flames crashed against the inner wall of the shields like a trapped beast, but could not break through.

"Move the shield forward," General Honor calmly ordered.

Skako unleashed a torrent of hellfire, a massive tongue of flame, like a miniature flare, piercing through the weakened shield above.

However, due to the lack of follow-up fuel and oxidizer, the flare quickly extinguished in the vacuum.

An energy shock swept across the fleet, causing the deflector shields to ripple slightly, as if struck by static electricity.

"Prepare to engage the enemy," the admiral ordered, while keeping a close eye on the movements of the fortified fleet.

A huge black shadow moved through the flames, Honor's eyes sharp as an eagle's.

"Activate the reverse propulsion engines!" she waved her arm. "Proceed with the Barrier Fleet!"

Dua Ningo's flagship, the battlecruiser HMS No Regrets, was the first to break through the inferno, followed by the entire Bulwark fleet, whose turbo-laser cannons opened fire in succession.

The home fleet launched a full-scale counterattack, and the defensive line was forced to retreat and become deformed under the fierce offensive.

Captain Skreed skillfully maneuvered his ships, allowing the defensive line to evade with minimal losses, leading Dua Ningo to mistakenly believe that a successful breakout had been achieved.

But losses were unavoidable.

One, two, three Victory-class destroyers disappeared from the detection screen.

Then came the frigates, and even the two Jagdpanzer-class destroyers behind them were nowhere to be seen.

Admiral Honor watched as the battered enemy ship sped past the observation window, a hint of satisfaction on his face.

"Mission accomplished, Admiral," Captain Skreid reported, the glow of the Skako fire illuminating his face. "The Bulwark Fleet has broken out. What is their destination?"

“No decision yet.” Honor Salima watched the Bastion fleet make an emergency jump away, pondered for a moment, and said, “Assess the situation first.”

"But the ultimate goal must be clear, sir," the flagship captain reminded him.

"The spoils are not the fun, Captain Skreed." Honor Salima's eyes were filled with golden firelight. "The hunt itself is. Notify the landing forces! The Governor of Trahta will be very pleased to hear that the conquest can finally begin."

A shadow loomed over Skako.

Thousands of troop transports and landing craft plunged into the sea of ​​fire below, carrying hundreds of millions of armored soldiers and marines, all equipped with special gear to fight in this extreme alien environment.

The air was filled with the acrid smell of ash and burning sulfides, but this will eventually pass.

Soon, the remaining halides in the atmosphere will burn out, and the fire will be extinguished.

At this moment, the Skark invasion officially began.

(End of this chapter)