Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 249, Section 241 - He's on his way!

The Rendile Galaxy, Rendile orbit.

Major General Carly Trilm did not care about Lundli's fate.

The separatist actions of the Queen Titan system have indeed inspired more audacious planetary governments to side with the separatist alliance for various reasons.

Simply put, some people may think that the Republic is losing this war.

After all, several separatist fleets were rampaging through the core area.

There are also some people who may have always been inclined towards separatism, but because they are close to Coruscant, they have never been able to put it into action.

As for someone like Rendelli, he might simply feel that he hasn't received enough attention from the Republican Senate and has been neglected compared to his rivals... From this perspective, the Confederation has every reason to win Rendelli's loyalty.

After all, the Lundley Star Drive Corporation, under the Lundley government, was one of the few competitors of Quarter Dynamics Shipyard in the field of military engineering, with a deep shipbuilding tradition, which was exactly what the relatively young Confederate shipbuilding industry desperately needed.

Unfortunately, Carly Trilm's mission was not to protect Rundili from the potential consequences of this ill-considered rebellion.

The independent interim government may have expected more star systems to join them, but that is not the case.

Admiral Honor Salima's counterattack within the galaxy ensured that this situation would not occur.

Carly speculated that the many star systems wavering between loyalists and separatists were watching the outcome of this inevitable battle before deciding which side to side to take.

Instead, her mission was to lead the "barrier fleet" back to a safe zone controlled by separatist forces.

She had already searched for that cunning old Sallust in the Arrow Galaxy long enough, and had no interest in looking at any more similar core galaxies.

She didn't care how the Republic decided Lundili's fate, as long as she could successfully evacuate with Dua Ningo and her troops.

Unfortunately, the Republic will not let her go easily.

Even Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom she had twice managed to escape, was currently stationed in Exodus in the south, blocking their path.

Meanwhile, the Coruscant home fleet, with reinforcements arriving from every star system along the way, has expanded to approximately three hundred warships and is currently stationed at Recopi in the north.

Carly's support fleet has been completely wiped out here.

With a total force exceeding five hundred warships, neither of these fleets could easily allow her to leave suddenly.

Even including the remnants of the "Bastion Fleet," Carly commanded only half the number of warships as the enemy.

However, the Lundli home defense fleet still has two hundred warships.

Due to its overwhelming strength and political importance to Coruscant, the Rendili defense fleet was not easily captured. Its ships were all state-of-the-art models and in excellent condition.

This is a crucial balancing force.

“The interim government insists that we only need to repel the Republic’s attack,” Captain Jess Darlin, commander of the Lundili defense fleet, told her solemnly. “That would be enough to change the situation in the region. Samaria, Cedratis, Rehemsa… they will all follow in Lundili’s footsteps.”

“You didn’t have much confidence when you said that,” Major General Trilm retorted incisively.

Jess Darlin impressed her as much as the unremarkable sound of her boots on a normal road.

Like other professional soldiers, he had a stiff expression, tightly pursed lips, and his hair was neatly combed back. There was a faint scar on his left cheek that ran from his forehead to his chin.

Putting aside his ordinary appearance, Jess Darling, despite being such a high-ranking officer, was filled with inner conflict.

He is a staunch loyalist, despite now serving the separatist Rundili government and having distinguished himself in the Stark Hyperspace Wars.

This veteran had fought for the outer siege forces of Eridonia and the judicial forces of the Republic before eventually returning to his hometown of Lendelli, where he quickly rose to become the supreme commander of the Lendelli homeland defense fleet.

Instead of removing him during the ongoing political purges, the independent interim government confirmed that he would continue to serve as the leader of the armed forces.

This is another reason why Carly doubts the reliability of this so-called separatist government.

“You yourself lack confidence,” Captain Darlin retorted. “For a woman who twice outwitted the renowned Obi-Wan Kenobi, I see no belief in victory in you. Are you only thinking about running away?” Carly couldn’t help but laugh. “The definition of ‘victory’ depends on the specific circumstances. If running away means ‘defeat,’ then I would rather suffer a thousand defeats than allow myself to be completely annihilated. The Confederation is not pursuing small victories, Captain, but ultimate victory. On this point, all true separatists understand, and if necessary, they will take this belief to their graves. For the freedom of the Outer Ring, no price is too high, and no sacrifice is unacceptable.”

“...But Lundley doesn’t want to be the one sacrificed.” Jess Darlin gritted his teeth, the grinding sound almost inaudible.

“If your ministers had any brains, they wouldn’t have done that.” The short-statured General Dua Ningo spoke for the first time, his voice hoarse, bearing the marks of time and a heavy accent, “The provisional government must have received some kind of assurance from the Confederation before deciding to split, right?”

Compared to Jess Darlin, Carly Trilm knows very little about Dua Ningo.

She didn't like him much either, because although he didn't mean to, he had caused her a lot of trouble.

She was also unsure whether he would be an ally or an obstacle in the upcoming battle.

The old Sallust man seemed somewhat mysterious, as he had been missing for most of the war.

Nevertheless, he had managed to stay ahead of the home fleet for several months, demonstrating his capabilities, even though he was mostly isolated at the time.

Now she has to work with him, which is no easy task, especially since he is actually one rank higher than her, a fleet admiral.

On the other hand, she commanded twice as many warships as he did, and all her subordinates were absolutely loyal to her.

Carly Trilm didn't want to create friction, but she also wouldn't hand over command to a complete stranger.

“I haven’t received any information in that regard,” Captain Rendelli replied softly to Dua Ningo. “I only know that my government is acting on the instructions of Count Dooku himself.”

"Isn't that enough to guarantee the operation?" Admiral Salust asked sincerely. "Lundili's planetary shield is one of the best in this star system. Skako has held out for more than a year, and the Nemoidean's treasure planet has not yet been breached."

This is another thing that Carly has been weighing in her mind.

She had not informed General Ningo of the true state of the Confederacy, partly because she feared her intelligence might be months behind, and partly because she was unsure of the Sallust man's loyalty.

Will he support the legitimate government and military authorities aboard the Lacus II, or will he support Count Doocu, his old acquaintance and ally in Sereno?
Carly Trilm will carefully probe and observe until she is certain of his stance.

If she finds that his position is contrary to her own, she will not hesitate to point the flagship's cannon at him.

Because her orders were to bring back the "Bastion Fleet," not another person who opposed the Lax government.

"Can the Confederacy win within a year?" Captain Jess Darlin pressed. "As we speak, the Republic Navy's sector fleet is returning to the core."

“If Lundli can persuade the surrounding star systems to join, the Confederation won’t need to win within a year.” Carly decided to return to Darlin’s original point of view, “You’re right that Lundli’s best chance of survival is to attract more star systems to split together.”

Jess Darlin narrowed his eyes, annoyed by her inconsistency. "I told you, only when—"

“We can defeat the Republic’s army here,” General Dua Ningo continued. “It’s not impossible.”

“If we move, the Bloodhounds will definitely warp in to intercept us,” Carly agreed. “If your fleet supports us, we have every reason to believe we can win.”

"We need to fight an offensive war with fewer warships!" Jess Darlin strongly objected. "We should deploy the battlefield around Rendelli, taking advantage of the range of its surface-to-air guns!"

"The reason the Home Fleet hasn't launched an attack yet is precisely because of the disparity in troop strength between us!" Carly retorted bluntly. "We have five hundred warships, and they have six hundred. With Lundelli's cannons, even Honor Salima and Obi-Wan Kenobi have to carefully weigh their chances of winning. But as you yourself said, reinforcements are arriving at the front every day, constantly strengthening their forces. Time is on the Republic's side."

Jess Darlin clenched his fist, but finally nodded reluctantly. "So what are your plans?"

“My advisors told me that the most direct route from the Queen Titan system to Lundiri would take a maximum of three days,” Carly Trilm announced to the crowd. “I sent out a distress signal a day ago, so in two days we will head towards Manan, a remote system on the edge of the central ring that has been largely abandoned by the Republic authorities and is not garrisoned by any Republic troops. From there, we can use the Altmian Pabor hyperspace route to reach a safe area controlled by separatist forces.”

“The Queen Titan System?” Captain Jess Darlin immediately seized on the name. “Reinforcements from the Queen Titan System? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Carly said, sounding more confident than she actually felt.

At this moment, she needs something to push this person to make a decision.

She needs his two hundred warships. "If all goes well, we will launch a breakout as reinforcements arrive."

(End of this chapter)