Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 245, Section 237 - You are already dead!
The Rendile Galaxy, Rendile orbit.

The explosion woke up the headmaster, Benjila Ulan.

At first, he didn't realize it was an explosion.

Thunderstorms are common on terrestrial planets, and Rendili is no exception.

But as his consciousness gradually cleared, he realized that the sound was too dense and could not be natural thunder.

He sat up abruptly, as more explosions approached from afar, and his heart raced.

He rolled out of bed, put his bare feet into his shoes, and at the same time reached under his pillow to pull out a standard military blaster.

The moment the bedroom door was kicked open, he crouched down, turned around, and raised his gun to aim.

Fortunately, he recognized the man in time that he was wearing the uniform of the Rendelli National Security Forces, which prevented him from pulling the trigger.

"We must escort you out, Principal!" The soldier rushed forward, grabbed Ulan, and hurriedly led him out of the room.

"What happened?!" Ulan demanded sharply. "Are they separatists?! Have they attacked?!"

He was aware that a separatist fleet was operating in the core area.

The Peremian alliance has broken through the Comenore defenses, and now... has it really reached Lundli?
This is the second largest shipbuilding base in the Core World, after Quart.

He wouldn't be surprised if it really was a separatist attack.

But he was genuinely shocked.

Like Quarter, Rendelli also possesses its own fleet, a powerful and autonomous defense force.

The Lundli homeland defense fleet comprises over 250 warships, all built by the planet's shipyards: Dreadnoughts, Cheerleader-class assault ships, Hunter-class Star Destroyers, and the latest Victory-class Star Destroyers, all of which are advanced ship types.

He recalled that the Comenore separatist fleet consisted of about three hundred ships before it split up to attack the core area shipping lanes.

An enemy of this size should not have been able to break through the defenses of the Rendili fleet, much less penetrate the planetary shield so quickly.

Benjira Ulan knew the fleet inside and out. He was the one who revitalized the Lundili shipyard, the one who secretly fought against Quarter for influence, the one who secured the Victory Initiative contract, and the one who personally oversaw the launch of the first Victory-class ship.

He couldn't believe that the fleet had performed so poorly, allowing Carly Trilm's separatist fleet to break through so silently.

But if not a separatist, then who is it?

National security forces soldiers led him into a smoke-filled corridor, where luxurious carpets were covered in dust, and flames were spreading toward his suite amidst the sirens of fire alarms.

Ulan was almost overwhelmed by fear; the whole world seemed to tremble amidst explosions and war.

He had seen countless reports, holograms, and indirect footage of war, and thought he had long since become numb to war.

After all, isn't it Rendili Stardrive Corporation that provides warships and weapons for the war?

But at this moment, the principal is no longer experiencing war through a screen.

He is personally involved in it.

However, as the soldier pulled him through a broken window, all doubts suddenly ceased to matter.

Ulan instinctively looked outside, trying to figure out the situation—

He saw the Randli Dreadnought hovering above his planet.

"Cheering Class", "Jet Soldier Class", "Victory Class".

The entire Lundli home defense fleet hung in a magnificent array above the capital, with the rising sun forming a halo behind the fleet, like an angel descending.

"Sir, we must keep moving forward!"

Ulan then realized that she had completely stopped, staring blankly out the window, her feet seemingly nailed to the ground.

That was his fleet, perfectly arrayed in the sky, the most magnificent sight he had ever seen.

"What...what exactly happened?" the headmaster pressed again. "I need answers, soldier!"

The National Security Forces soldier paused, his mask obscuring half his face. "Quart and Republic agents attempted to assassinate the Grand Principal. The Grand Principal... has been assassinated, and his residence was set on fire. The Lendili Independent Provisional Government has been established to decide the future of this system and the shipyard. The Home Fleet has been ordered to block the assassin's escape route."

“But…” Ulan couldn’t understand this absurd statement for a moment, “I am the principal! I’m still alive!”

Benjira Ulan looked up in anger and fear, only to see a soldier's blaster pointed directly at his forehead.

“It’s a pity, sir,” the soldier said calmly. “You have perished in the palace fire, but rest assured… Lundelli will forever remember your legacy.”

“If you want to humiliate me like this, at least tell me why.” If Ulan had been afraid of death just now, he felt no fear at all now.

The soldier shrugged, feeling there was no need to hide it from the dying man. “The Republic is collapsing, and the Council of Provosts has no intention of staying on a sinking ship that sees no value in us. To the Separatist Alliance, Lundli is worth as much as the weight of a Keber crystal.”

"I should have shot you right there at the door," the headmaster thought, then his mind went blank. ...

The Silius Galaxy, the Kamas approach space.

"First-priority communication from Coruscant, General."

Admiral Honor Salima barely paid attention to what flagship captain Trinald Skreid was saying.

She watched expressionlessly as the "Bastion Fleet" struggled to extricate itself from the battle.

This fleet, which once boasted three hundred warships and ran rampant in the northern core area, has been reduced to a mere hundred or so remnants after two months of pursuit.

The survivors were mostly the "Bulwark-class" battlecruisers that gave the fleet its name, but compared to the home fleet that was twice its size, Dua Ningo's only chance of survival was clearly to retreat.

"Full retreat," the honorary admiral ordered, as a Bulwark-class warship, listing on its side, was revving its engines at full power. "Aim at that ship. Where is the Rainbow?"

Captain Skreed paused for a moment before switching his focus, “Captain Otem is leading the left wing, sir.”

As soon as the honorary general turned his head, he saw an extremely dazzling ball of light bursting out of the observation window. Its light was as intense as hellfire, and it was still dazzling even through the automatic filter of the observation window.

After its engine was hit, the "Bulwark-class" ship attempted to ram into the Republic fleet formation, intending to self-destruct through its main reactor and perish together with the enemy.

However, the Coruscant home fleet had already clashed with the "Barrier Fleet" more than six times, and they were well aware of Dua Ningo's stubbornness; he would never allow his warships to fall into enemy hands.

"Suppress them!" Honor roared, his voice blazing with fury. The tablet displayed that three Victory-class Star Destroyers had been severely damaged in the explosion. "Order Rainbow to form a battle line and attack the enemy's right flank!"

The home fleet intercepted the "Bastion Fleet" at the exit of the hyperspace passage leading to Kamas.

Kamas is one of the most revered planets in the Core and one of the founding planets of the Republic.

A closer look at the sensors reveals that the Kamasi Galaxy fleet is sparsely deployed near the orbiting space station.

Following orders, Captain Otem led his Victory-class squadron forward, and the Rainbow, like a burning spearhead, struck the flank of the Dua Ningo fleet.

Once it cut into the enemy's starboard rear, the Rainbow immediately turned to starboard, began to push the "Bastion Fleet" away from Kamas, and maneuvered northward to prevent it from jumping out of the core area.

In this way, the "Bastion Fleet" only had routes to the south or east, while the home fleet was chasing from Skako in the west, Demophon in the south, and Odran in the east.

"Captain Skreed?" the honorary admiral called out after being satisfied with the battle line arrangement. "You can report that message now."

Captain Skreid cleared his throat, his prosthetic eye fixed intently on the commander, and returned to the previous topic, "First-priority communications from Coruscant, Admiral. A coup has occurred in Lundelli, the ruling Grand Chancellor has been murdered, and the system, along with Lundelli Stardrive Corporation, has announced its membership in the Separatist Alliance. To prevent a domino effect that could trigger a large-scale rebellion in the core region, we have been ordered to quell this unrest."

"……what?"

Trinald Skreid resisted the urge to frown.

"Do they think I have multiple lives?" the honorary general asked in a soft but sharp voice. "Do they see me as 'Fighting Hydra'?"

"...The Supreme Command has promised Jedi Order reinforcements, and a second fleet will bolster our forces." Captain Skreed remained unmoved by the admiral's anger.

"Who? Which Jedi?"

"No name mentioned, sir."

General Honor Salima gritted his teeth, "Then let's head to Lundili immediately."

"As you command, sir."

"We must stop that Sulusta from jumping toward Odron," Honor Salima ordered. "Order the right flank to retreat in an orderly fashion, the center to move to the left, and command Captain Otem to extend behind enemy lines."

She had to admit that Dua Ningo was an excellent battlefield commander, and the "Bastion Fleet" reacted swiftly to the unpredictable maneuvers of the home fleet.

Honor thought to himself that, though old, his intuition was still sharp—this Sulusta had deployed his heaviest “Bulwark-class” battlecruiser against the weakened right flank of the home fleet.

Unfortunately, he didn't realize that he was reacting according to her wishes, or more precisely, he had no other choice.

The Rainbow and its sister ships were bombarding his vulnerable stern flanks with heavy missiles. Dua Ningo certainly understood that the fastest way to break through was to use his heaviest capital ships to directly breach the deliberately exposed weak points in the Republic's defenses.

Frankly, the other option is death, and Honor does not wish for that... although just a week ago, if anyone had suggested releasing the "Bastion Fleet" for any reason, she would not have hesitated to order their execution.

There's no need to toy with the prey unless you can catch a bigger fish. And the Peremian Alliance is the biggest "fish" in this region.

"Have you calculated the jump target for the 'Bastion Fleet'?"

“Aldreg or Demophon, sir.”

“Very good, that’s the direction we want them to go.” She nodded. “Make sure Carly Trilm knows about our operation, and leak information if necessary. Also, send letters to Camas and Odran. We have stopped the enemy from getting close. We may need their support, as well as their warships… Gather as many ships as possible. They may not provide warships for Coruscant, but they will help save their home fleet.”

"Yes, sir. And... are we still going to Rendelli, General?"

"Coruscant has kindly chosen the battlefield for us, Captain." The Honorary Admiral watched as her right-wing warships skillfully feigned a "rout" while maintaining order to allow the "Bastion Fleet" to pass. "We cannot refuse this 'invitation.' We will deal with Carly Trilm, Dua Ningo, and any fools who think jumping into the interstellar sea is a good idea in the Lundiri system."

(End of this chapter)