Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 262, Section 264 - Admiral Bontri & Invader-class
As he listened to the list of names, a hint of unease about the current situation crept into Ryan's seemingly calm face.

“Keldras!” Diedrich gritted his teeth. “That’s the Tion’s star system! Part of the Tion Hegemony! Felucia too!”

“The situation in the Confederacy outside the Peremian region is still unclear,” the Hach continued. “We are still waiting for reports from Fasta and Ambigine.”

“It seems I have no choice but to support the Supreme Commander.” Dua Ningo clapped his hands. “Obviously, all of us here support… no, Captain Darlin, what’s your decision?”

Jess Darlin, sweating profusely, said, “I would have obeyed the wishes of my home planet… but I don’t know which side the Confederation will side with, and I personally have reservations about fighting for a nation that is so easily torn apart.”

“If you support Laxus,” Admiral Trench said bluntly, “we will have your men assist the auxiliary forces… Lundelli’s expertise is exactly what our shipyard needs. If you support Sereno or the Republic, your ships will be impounded, and your men will have to work anyway.”

Darlin smiled: "The answer is obvious, and the current situation on our home planet cannot refute my decision. I must seek the best for my men. Promise me, General, don't sacrifice their lives lightly."

"Captain, the value of your people and your ship goes far beyond this."

"I completely believe you on that point."

"And what about us, General?" Ryan asked.

"Admiral Ning Ge, I will request the Supreme Commander to appoint you as the new commander of the First Fleet Group, with the 'Bastion' Fleet at its core. Do you agree?"

"agree."

"I want you to send the ships and blueprints that need repair to the Ringo Venda shipyard, start the production line, and then go to Laxus Sub-Star to meet the Supreme Commander in person."

"Ok."

"Captain Darlin, your fleet will remain in Kolumex for inspection and will assume auxiliary duties as I instructed. You will be under my command and await further orders."

"Understood, General."

“Finally,” General Trench turned the attention of his six eyes to Diedrich and Rein, “Diedrich Greshad will be promoted to Major General.”

“Ah…” the Kolmogoks man smiled, “This was my old rank. I must admit, it feels very comforting to have this familiar title back on my shoulders.”

He was referring to his original rank as deputy commander in the local community forces, a rank he was stripped of after the Militia Act standardized all Confederate military institutions.

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Trench said, a glint in his eyes, “because you will be the new commander of the 28th Mobile Fleet.”

"Please repeat that, sir?"

Ryan asked, somewhat puzzled, with a bad feeling about this unexpected arrangement.

“Because you, Ryan Bontry, are dead,” Trench stared straight at Ryan, “and no one must know you are still alive… I have made it clear to Celis Mott that this must not be leaked.”

Ryan's mind raced: "You're trying to use me as your trump card."

Are you out of practice?

Ryan recalled his experience in Lundley, and thought, "Perhaps."

Then I thought of the even more distant Yagdur.

“Hopefully not,” Ryan replied.

“Very good, Admiral Ningo, Captain Darlin, you may return to your ship,” Trench said, looking at them. “Remember what we said here today: keep the fact that Bontri is still alive a secret as much as possible.”

“Of course, General.” Jess Darlin saluted.

“Take care, you old spider.” Dua Ningo nodded reluctantly. “You too, Bontri.”

“Likewise.” Ryan shook hands with them.

After the two men left, Trench looked at Diedrich and Rein with a serious expression. The two men immediately straightened up, stiff as wooden boards: "So, General Bontri, are you ready to accept your new mission?"

"General, sir?"

"General Bontri, do you know what 'Operation Starburst' has brought about?" Trench's gaze seemed to pierce through his soul.

“I consider it a successful operation, sir.”

“The Supreme Commander thinks so too,” Trench forced a terrible smile through his open mouth. “Me too. Despite the losses in the North, on the home front we not only forced the loyalists back to Salvara, but we drove them out of Salvara and all the way to Roche and even Fanta.”

Operation Starburst caused widespread panic in the core world, with even important star systems like Lundli deciding to secede from the Republic.

Congratulations, Ryan Buntry, you are being promoted to full general.

Rennes didn't know whether to feel joy or despair.

“The reward for success is more work,” Trench continued ruthlessly. “You brought back a warship that could turn the tide of the war for the Confederacy, and now we want you to bring back another one.”

While Ryan was still in shock, Trench threw a holographic projector onto the table.

A blue beam of light shot out, scanning and revealing a brand new warship.

He had never seen it before. The bottom was written in Oribesh script: "Aggressor-class long-range artillery platform".

This is completely different from the existing design of the Milky Way, and even seems to have popped out of a video game from his home planet.

At first glance, the Intruder-class is about 1600 meters long, shaped like a tuning fork, with a four-pronged structure at the stern, equipped with eight sub-light-speed thrusters. Above the thrusters is the traditional Star Destroyer bridge, with a shield generator on each side.

What attracted him most was the "tuning fork" part.

Composed of two huge vertical spikes, protruding forward from the engine room, accounting for two-thirds of the ship's length.

When he looked at the projection from the front, he noticed two openings and realized that the two spikes were the largest shipborne cannons in the history of the Milky Way.

“This is the ‘Intruder’ class battleship, designed by the Lorona Corporation and built by the Technology Alliance…” Trench introduced. “It is located in the Kolumex system. Its main armament consists of two kilometer-long gravitational wave cannons mounted on the spine of the hull, capable of sniping targets from one end of the system. The Supreme Commander believes that even one such warship can determine the outcome of a battle or even a war. Kolumex is currently building two of them.”

So Lorona Corporation and the Technology Alliance have been working on this all along?
Rein knew that Lorona was known for its quirky designs, but this… he recalled the original prototype that Grenif Mark Dimura had shown in Laxus, which resembled a starship catamaran.

This is like modifying a catamaran by turning it sideways, so that each of the two spikes becomes a wave cannon, instead of sharing one.

“If…if these battleships were built in Kolmogorov,” Diederich said, his tone a mix of joy and fear, “why couldn’t they be deployed immediately? Were they not finished?”

“We are indeed missing the last component. There’s only one place in the entire galaxy where we can find it: Graflex Med.” Trench waved his hand, and an image of a high-gravity planet replaced the warship's schematics. “We’ve already signed a contract with the Graflex Launch Complex to manufacture this component, but unfortunately…”

“Graflex Med is in the new territory… the core area of ​​Sereno’s influence.” Raine continued, secretly lamenting his predicament.

Did Carly Trilm feel the same way at the time?

He finally understood. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, making him listen mechanically like a zombie, with no energy left to argue.

Graflex Mede.

Rein studied the planet when he was developing the tank railgun for the Battle of Kolmmex.

Its gravity is extremely high, making interstellar travel impossible for the local Ankers. So they built huge cannons to launch their ships into orbit and then send them to nearby star systems.

The Graflex Launch Complex is still manufacturing these cannons to this day, both to launch spacecraft and to hurl planetary debris at stars.

It can be said that if any race could use gravity to build giant cannons, it would be the Anxians of Graflex Med.

“Make no mistake,” Trench warned them. “The ‘Intruder’ class is already operational, and field tests show that the wave cannon parameters are normal. But the parts obtained from Graflex Mede will allow the wave cannon to fire regularly, without the need for continuous maintenance checks after each salvo. We originally planned to have the parts delivered here, but after the new territory seceded, Graflex Mede fell into enemy territory.”

“So the mission is simple,” Trench slid a data chip from the table to Renn. “You command an Intruder-class battleship, lead the Given Fleet obtained from Agdur, head to Graflex Med, perform a full overhaul of the Intruder at the launch facility, and then return… It’s that simple.”

Raine stared at the data chip, his fist clenched so tightly under the table that his nails dug into his skin, leaving pink crescent-shaped marks: "'Operation Starburst' was said to be simple, and this time it's simple too? Forgive my bluntness, but you expect me to pilot a flawed, untested superweapon into the heart of enemy territory, stay there for who knows how long, and then swagger out without Count Dooku noticing? Is that what you call simple?"

He jumped to his feet, looking down at the enormous spider: "Why don't you take the Second Fleet, drag the 'Intruder' along, and storm Graflex Mead! And turn Sereno to ashes while you're at it! The Confederate armed forces are in your hands… What could Count Dooku possibly have to threaten you with!? Is there another secret fleet!?"

Admiral Trench clicked his tongue: "Not Count Dooku, but the Republic. Sereno was able to take over the new territory so easily because Laxus Sub-Star has never been able to govern the north. Fanta, our problem is Fanta... the indestructible planet Fanta."

Ryan closed his eyes in frustration, but understood what he meant.

Between the Peremian and Hydian routes, only the Salin Corridor is a major hyperspace route that allows large fleets to pass, and it happens to be guarded by the loyalist fortress planet Fanta.

Since the outbreak of war, the Confederacy has been trying to conquer Fanta to connect the two territories, but has yet to succeed.

Another route is to go north and detour through the Shartin Tunnel into the Republic-controlled Enterprise Sector, or through the dangerous, labyrinthine Gordian Passage.

Fanta was like a wall, preventing military fleets from passing between the new territory and near Peremian.

This is also why General Coles asked Dooku for help in the first place.

Even Trench couldn't break through Fanta's defenses.

But what if, as Trench suggested, a small task force was sent, along with Giwen navigators?
They can bypass Fanta...

"Is this the only way?" Renn asked through gritted teeth.

“We are now fighting on two fronts,” Trench said seriously. “We must use all the superweapons. Only you can complete the mission, Bontri… with your experience and your ‘dead’ status.”

"My 'experience' led the fleet into a death trap at Rendelli!"

“Then don’t make the same mistake again,” Trench replied simply. “Now, to the Republic and the Confederation, you’re a dead man, and a dead man doesn’t die a second time.”

"What about Fanta?" Diederich asked. "We're fighting on two fronts. If we can't break through Fanta..."

“The Supreme Commander has plans for Fanta,” Trench interrupted him.

"what's the plan?"

"Trying to persuade the Republic to let us pass."

(End of this chapter)