Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 268-270 - The Purpose of War

A remote communication sent directly through an unofficial channel means that the sender not only knew the Invincible's communication code but had also successfully accessed the Confederate Armed Forces' internal network.

Trench remained silent for a moment.

"Get in."

"Yes!"

The robot operator immediately began operations.

Trench had no idea that the sender would be this person.

“General Trench,” Ryan Buntry’s voice came through, “it’s a miracle I was able to get in touch with you.”

“…I feel the same way,” the Hufflepuff general replied. “Let me remind you that the mission you are carrying out must be kept strictly confidential.”

“You don’t need to remind me, I’ve always been very cautious,” Trench said, for some reason, as if he could see the smile on Bontry’s face on the other end of the communication. “Unless, of course, you can pinpoint my exact coordinates from this signal.”

“I can’t do it,” Trench could only admit. “For the sake of confidentiality, I won’t ask you how you did it, but I must emphasize that the content of your communication must be important enough.”

“I don’t want to be punished for breaking radio silence without cause,” General Bontri said calmly. “I assure you, this is of utmost importance.”

"Really? Then I'm all ears."

“The Republic has launched a full-scale attack on Sereno,” Raine said bluntly. “They call it the ‘Jedi Expeditionary Fleet,’ which consists of ten thousand ships. They intend to repeat Operation Trident, only this time their main attack will be along the Hydian Sea Route.”

"This message came from the 'Priestess'?"

“Yes,” Raine continued, “there is another matter. An opposition faction within the Republic, led by a small number of Jedi traitors, is planning a coup in Coruscant with the aim of overthrowing the current government.”

“…This is indeed major news,” Trench tapped his scepter lightly with his fingers, his claws tightening slightly.

"I am asking you for instructions because the Intruder is currently in a dilemma. We can continue along the Villagi trade route to Graflex Med, but that would mean we cannot return before the end of the campaign."

"If you want the 'Intruder' to participate in the Supreme Commander's strategic objectives, you must allow me to abort the mission and immediately transfer to the Seranon."

Trench straightened up, his gaze still fixed on the distant target. "At this very moment, Admiral, I am leading three thousand warships, anchored in front of the fortress planet Fanta."

“If you can break through Fanta immediately, you might still have a chance to intercept the Republic’s expeditionary fleet,” Raine pondered. “But that depends on the intentions of the ‘Independence’ space station. You can also choose not to act for now and wait for Sereno and Coruscant to be weakened before you can clean up the mess.”

Alternatively, one could choose to support one side against the other; I'm not sure what the Supreme Commander's plans are.

“What the Supreme Commander wants is peace,” Trench replied earnestly, “peace and stability, to consolidate her position amid the changing situation in Lax.”

“Then we must eliminate her only rival… Count Dooku.”

Trench nodded. "This time, we're on the Jedi's side."

“In that case…” Raine paused slightly, “If Fanta’s commander is a Jedi, I might be able to persuade them to open the gates, but first, I’d like to know your instructions, sir?”

Without hesitation, Trench quickly made a decision: "Can the 'Intruder' be deployed for combat at this time?"

"Not fully recovered yet, but ready to fight."

“You don’t need to continue to Graflex Mead, nor do you need to return to Serranon,” Trench ordered. “I want you to wait, wait for the best time, until the entry of the Invader can turn the tide of the war, before you enter the battlefield. If I can’t completely trust your judgment in this matter, then I at least trust your strategic intuition.”

“You have too high expectations of me, General,” Ryan sighed softly, “but I understand. The orders have been received, General.”

“Very good,” Trench hissed with satisfaction. “Now tell me, what method do you intend to use to lure the enemy into a trap?”

“This method only works when the commander is a Jedi,” Raine cautioned. “If that’s the case, please keep this channel open. I’ll send you a statement; you should do this…”

Trench listened quietly, his six eyes fixed on the distant Fanta Station, his inhuman face showing no emotion whatsoever.

Ryan calmly and methodically explained his plan, and the elderly Admiral Hedge couldn't help but recall Severn Tann's serious misjudgment of this man's character years ago.

While Tann was a master of the art of war, he lacked the keen intuition needed to understand people's hearts.

Trench found this both amusing and unsurprising.

Politics is about understanding people's hearts and devising strategies, and Severn Tann lacked patience for both.

She once compared Ryan Bondri to a viper and Carly Trilm to a spider… On the surface, these metaphors seem apt.

But as Trench carefully analyzed Raine's proposal, untangling the complex clues and deeper intentions hidden within, he clearly realized that Lord Ondron was neither a viper nor a web-weaving spider.

Of course, Ryan concealed his true intentions beneath a facade of goodwill, carefully controlling the release of information.

But Trench himself was a shrewd and calculating man; he could read the truth between the lines.

After all, isn't he himself a "spider"?

Trench couldn't help but wonder, when exactly did this man begin weaving this web to dismantle the Republic from within?

Is this part of the Supreme Commander's grand contingency plan?
He expressed doubts about this.

If so, Severn Tann wouldn't have been caught off guard by Dooku's furious counterattack.

It was panic that drove her to act, not the composure of having victory in her grasp.

No, the game that Raine was playing was his own gamble, independent of the Pantora man's plan.

Trench even suspected that the game had started much earlier than anyone realized.

“This plan is risky, but reasonable,” Trench finally stated. “I will consider your suggestion when I speak with the enemy commander.” “If the supreme commander cannot envision how and where the war will end, then all of this will be meaningless,” Ryan Bontry warned. “A war without a goal is meaningless.”

“General Bontry,” Trench slowly uttered the name, “from the moment we became soldiers of this country, we were already in the chamber of the Confederate gun, and we would not willingly serve as ammunition if we were unsure who would pull the trigger.”

“General Trench,” Ryan responded just as solemnly, “I fear that hand has changed hands and the intention to pull the trigger has changed. We are indeed munitions waiting to be fired, but even a bullet wants to know where it will ultimately go.”

"Only this?"

"I shall take my leave now."

"It's time for you to go."

Even as the communication cutoff notification sounded, Trench remained standing.

He turned to the communication robot.

Has the enemy commander replied?

“Yes, sir,” the robot saluted, “but… uh—”

"I guess they made some demands?"

“Yes,” the robot nodded quickly, “they require you to come to the Fanta station in person for an interview.”

Trench didn't need to worry about how his subordinates would object.

He stared at Fanta Station with his six red eyes, picturing the image of his upcoming opponent in his mind.

“This…” he tapped his fingers lightly, “…is acceptable.”

……

"I am Ram Kota of the Republic's army!"

As Admiral Trench stepped down the shuttle stairs, General Ram Kota stood firmly on the hangar deck at Fanta Station, saying, "You are Admiral Trench of the Separatist Alliance."

“I prefer to call us the Independent Galaxy Confederation,” Admiral Trench said, making no attempt to conceal his survey of the interior of Fanta Station. “A salute to a capable and respectable adversary. I have come here for peace.”

“You keep talking about peace,” General Ram Kota said sternly, “yet you’ve come with a fleet that intends to crush me.”

Trench's prosthetic eye could indeed analyze the firing positions and combat potential of Fanta Station, and the Hedge General quietly internalized the data he had briefly observed and scanned.

“It is my duty,” Trench said, extending an arm as he walked toward the Republic General. “We are still at war until we talk about peace.”

Ram Kota is a human.

He had a stern face, a thin build, and resolute eyes, exuding the air of a soldier.

His black hair was shiny, combed back and tied up, and he had a neatly trimmed pointed goatee on his chin.

A lightsaber hung conspicuously on his belt, but he was not wearing the standard white plastic armor commonly seen on Jedi generals.

Trench looked around again, this time not at the space station structure, but at the soldiers stationed there, but he didn't see any white plastic armor.

No clone soldiers?
This is interesting for a Jedi general.

“I doubt your sincerity,” Ram Kota was not easily persuaded. “I don’t believe I can hear anything of value from you except clichés or evil schemes. Listen, separatist, whatever you’re selling, I won’t be fooled. As long as I and my soldiers stand, Fanta will never fall.”

“Then, please allow me to set aside the topic of peace for now and talk about war, in order to demonstrate my goodwill to you,” Trench bowed slightly, supporting himself with his cane. “Are you the one who has blocked our advance time and time again?”

General Ram Kota nodded slightly, and the Marines stepped back to make room for the two opposing commanders to walk side by side.

Trench raised an arm, and his super combat robot guards quickly lined up to follow.

The Jedi general frowned, but did not stop his security detail from accompanying him.

“I’ve been stationed here since Operation Trident,” General Kota said. “It wasn’t me who repelled General Coster, it was my predecessor. It was a tough time.”

"I am deeply disappointed to learn that my first attack encountered less resistance than that of Costa!" the admiral of the Second Fleet Group admitted.

“No need for that,” the general at Fender Station replied. “Back then, Fender Station was just a trading port. Apart from dealing with pirates, it had no ability to resist large-scale attacks. My predecessor was a commander far more capable than me.”

Today, Fanta Station is one of the most powerful combat stations on the outer ring.

“I really want to meet him,” Trench said sincerely.

“Me too,” Ram Kota said, looking around and glancing at an old billboard that had been converted into a combat clock. “He was a native Fanta, and he was killed in action when Admiral Coster boarded the ship. It is because of his sacrifice that I can stand here today.”

They walked silently, their boots tapping lightly on the reinforced Dura steel deck, the distant hum of generators and faint human voices filling the silence.

Trench's gaze swept across his surroundings, his sharp mind recording every detail.

Traces of renovations remain on the walls inside the station.

The old trade port infrastructure is intertwined with military-grade reinforcement materials.

Each corridor exudes pragmatism, with rifle racks, emergency sealing kits, and makeshift shelters hastily erected to prepare for boarding.

A faint smell of ozone and lubricant filled the air, reminding people that maintaining this massive war machine required continuous upkeep.

(End of this chapter)