Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 289-291 - A Galaxy of Stars (Part 1)

Karamis Sector, Toprava Galaxy.

Admiral Trench's hoarse voice came through the communicator: "Our outposts have detected a ship leaping out from the direction of the Simpra star system. If it really is Grievous, now is the time for him to appear."

“It’s definitely him.” Raine stared at the growing Toplava outside the porthole, his voice low. “That bloodthirsty robot will never let such an opportunity slip by.”

Ryan's mind raced as he devised a strategy to counter Grievous.

His gaze swept across the holographic star map of the Toprava system, filtering out possible battle zones.

Based on his understanding of Grievous, Grievous would likely use this opportunity to settle their score.

This means that Ryan must act as the bait himself.

"Will this disrupt your overall strategy?" Trench pressed.

Rein suppressed his dissatisfaction: "What do you take me for? Of course not. I've already included him in my calculations. You and Diedrich will proceed to the Sereno system as planned and execute my scheme. Give me three hundred warships, and I can pin Grievous down in Toprava."

Veteran General Trench still seemed to have doubts, persistently asking, "How do we confirm the signals for executing the plan?"

At this critical moment, the ever-reliable Dietrich Greshcher spoke out in support of Rennes.

General Kolumech interjected, "I can recognize the signal. My communications technicians are monitoring the 'Priestess' around the clock. Once you send me the launch code for the 'Fang,' we'll be ready."

Rear Admiral Melley's tone was tinged with obvious skepticism: "That is, the Jedi happen to be in the place we need them to be."

“They will be there.” Reynard could sense Diedrich frowning on the other end of the communication. “Jedi are not people who go back on their word.”

"These Jedi are betraying their republic."

“Strictly speaking, it’s no longer their republic,” Raine retorted sharply. “They see the royalists as traitors, just as we see the Sereno government as traitors. I have already sent the Garland task force to the Findal space station as you suggested.”

“Even if they’re not here, it’s none of our business.” Admiral Trench finally made his decision, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Our mission is not to save the Jedi or maintain the so-called ‘real’ Republic, but to take Sereno and capture Count Dooku.”

Eliminating all internal threats and restoring the Confederation's right to its name is our most important duty.

My main force will capture Sereno, the Twenty-Eighth Mobile Fleet will hold back the Jedi, and the Merry's Twenty-First Escort Fleet will be directly engaged in battle to wipe out all remaining forces... whether royalists or Sereno's army.

"clear."

"Roger that!"

“Admiral Bontri, I will allocate three hundred warships to you. Combined with the Givens’ seventy ‘Crest-class’ frigates, the total size of the ‘Invader Task Force’ will reach three hundred and seventy ships. Are you sure that will be enough to restrain Grievous?”

Rein turned to the super tactical robot beside him: "If Augu's calculations are accurate, it should be enough. ST series tactical robots rarely make mistakes, otherwise you wouldn't have sent one to me."

“Very well.” Trench let out a grating chuckle. “Then I’ll leave Dooku’s mad dog for you to cook.”

A flash of Krono radiation appeared on the holographic repeater, and the Confederate Second Fleet Group leaped into hyperspace, leaving only Raine and Dodsian Illyet in the Toplawa system, along with 370 warships.

Rein and Augu immediately began scanning the entire galaxy for the most suitable location for a battle.

Traditional battlefields are usually chosen in the orbit of habitable planets, such as Toprava, but this usually only makes sense when the planet itself is the target of contention.

This time, Griffiths' goal was not to seize Toprava, but to traverse the galaxy.

It's important to know that Sereno is not located on any major hyperspace route, but rather a few parsecs in the direction of the Hydean route's spiral arm, just west of Toprava.

This means that General Griffiths must exit hyperspace from Toprava, traverse the entire galaxy to the exit in the spiral arm direction, in order to re-enter hyperspace.

Fighting in Toprava would only result in civilian casualties, which is clearly something Rennes wants to avoid.

Another possible location is the exit in the direction of the spiral arm, where Raine could directly intercept Grievous's fleet.

The problem is that the exit in the direction of the rotating arm is a vast void, and any firefight will eventually turn into a head-on melee, which is not an ideal battlefield for Raine.

Nevertheless, advance planning is always beneficial.

“Dodsian Illyet,” Raine switched the communication channel, “Please have your squad lay mines in the spiral arm jump zone leading to the Sereno star system. On the return trip, do not take the same route; instead, circle around Toprava primary.”

"Received, 'Intruder'."

Raine slowly leaned back in his command chair, straightening his purple silk cloak and draping it over his lap: "What suggestions do you have, Augu?"

Augus's three sensors were intently focused on the galaxy map, while its internal processor calculated the optimal astronomical topography.

It must not only provide the best tactical advantage, but also strategically prevent Grievous from directly crossing into the spiral arm jump zone.

Taking all the preconditions into account, Ryan quickly came to an obvious conclusion.

“Assessment: Toprava Prime.” Augu and Rein agreed. “Its field of vision covers the entire system. We can hide the ‘Conqueror’ in solar radiation. Grievous can launch a sniper attack the moment he leaves hyperspace at the core exit. We don’t need to hit him directly. We just need to make him realize how dangerous it would be to be within our firing range throughout the entire journey.”

Rein nodded in agreement: "Maintain course and head to Toplava."

The hyperspace journey from Simpra to Toprava takes only eight hours, meaning that Rein must race against time to get to the position and complete the deployment.

Soon, Raine discovered that the most difficult part was convincing the captains Trench had assigned to him to accept his plan, which they called "crazy."

Having fought alongside the Peremian Alliance for many years, he had long been accustomed to the absolute loyalty and obedience of his subordinate captains.

But Krett's steadfastness and decisiveness are gone, and Hogo Schiff's fervent eagerness has also faded away.

Vinok's consistent reliability is equally memorable; he is currently on a secret mission with Chom in the Deep Core.

And those crew members... the men and women who went through life and death with Renne, are now under Diedrich's command.

The captains of these three hundred warships were all strangers; Renn neither knew their names nor did they fully trust him.

Raine's knowledge of them was limited to the specifications of their warships, while their knowledge of Raine was limited to his name. Therefore, most of the eight hours were spent forcing the captains to obey Raine's orders, using both soft and hard tactics, and invoking various titles... including his own and those of Trench.

Ultimately, he successfully persuaded most of the crew to pilot the warship directly to an active star.

The others, more or less, also submitted under pressure from their companions.

Under the escort of three hundred warships, Raine ordered the fleet to dangerously approach the churning surface of Toprava.

The star's fiery embrace is both a great danger and a potential ally he hopes to leverage.

It is commendable that the fleet trained by Trench was highly disciplined, with the ships slowly approaching the dazzling light of the star in a neat wedge formation.

At such close range, the corona of Toprava spews out streams of charged particles, each gust of solar wind a chaotic lash of radiation and magnetic force.

The star's electromagnetic field flickered violently, generating a violent energy storm that impacted everything within its range.

The sensors hummed in the electrostatic interference, and the shield generator wailed as it constantly adjusted to withstand the bombardment of high-energy particles.

The electromagnetic radiation emitted by stars severely interferes with navigation systems and communications, turning encrypted channels into chaotic static noise and distorted signals.

But the method worked.

Rein and his fleet maintained a safe distance, their ray shields sufficient to regulate temperature, completely concealing the fleet within the radiation background of Toprava's main star. The hulls shimmered with a molten metal-like luster, reflected against the churning surface of the star.

He was covered in sweat, and beads of water condensed on Augu's breastplate.

The Skaccoan engineers, dressed in pressure suits, were practically steamed alive.

Their ray shields are layers of energy fields that undulate in iridescent ripples, absorbing and deflecting radiation, converting most of the energy into excess heat, which is then transferred to the pressure hull and seeps into the ship's interior.

Unlike most fleets, the flagship of the "Invader Task Force" is equipped with the most advanced observation equipment.

Therefore, the Intruder would be the first to detect any fleet leaving from the core exit and would open fire without hesitation.

The tension on the Intruder was almost palpable.

The intense heat from Toprava's radiation, coupled with the suffocating anticipation of war, turned the bridge into a crucible for tempering nerves.

The officers reported in hushed tones, each word shrouded in a veneer of professionalism, yet beneath the surface, an undercurrent of unease simmered.

"Radiation levels remain within operational tolerance," Chief Engineer Bont Danto reported, beads of sweat glistening on his face. "But we're nearing the limits of long-term exposure; if the shields become unstable..."

Rein quickly glanced at the relay screen on the left: "Order the fleet to advance slowly until the environment improves, so that the observation equipment is undisturbed, and remains under the cover of the star."

At the heart of the Intruder, a Scacoan technician is fine-tuning a remote sensor that is far more accurate than any other device in the fleet.

The system emitted a low hum, struggling to penetrate the electromagnetic noise to process the data, while his gaze was fixed on a point in the distance.

"Admiral," Captain Nifmark Demura finally spoke, his voice weary from waiting so long, "a signal has been detected, though faint, but it clearly indicates that a fleet is leaving hyperspace."

Rein leaned forward and said, "Prepare the launch procedure for weapon number one."

The holographic display lights up, marking the emerging drive cone on the star map.

At least two hundred ships, identified as "Divine Will-class", "Generosity-class" and "Disobedience-class".

That huge, iconic spot of light is undoubtedly the "Invisible Hand".

Without a doubt, it was Griffiths.

“He has noticed our presence,” Augu warned. “The enemy’s formation is widely spaced, making it unlikely to trigger a chain reaction.”

Rein breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems my worries were unnecessary. The forces Grievous has gathered are far smaller than we were prepared to deal with, and the star systems in the new territory have probably figured out the wind direction. As long as we take the 'Invisible Hand,' we can outflank the remaining remnants and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Augu paused his calculations: "Suggestion: Initiate the launch procedure?"

"start up."

They spent a full hour calculating the speed and course of the Invisible Hand, after which the Intruder began to fine-tune its attitude and correct for distance errors.

During data synchronization, the onboard computer of the kinetic kill vehicle received the interception plan, and the attitude thrusters completed preheating.

The automatic loader slid the warhead into the launch chamber with a heavy clanging sound.

"Don't use full power," Ryan cautioned. "Weapon One must remain intact after firing."

"Understood, sir!"

A spherical distortion forms at the focal point of the cannon muzzle, and gravity pulls the light rays, creating a strange lens effect.

A wave of dizziness washed over him, and Renn's vision distorted as if he were looking through a magnifying glass.

But it's much lighter than last time; perhaps he's getting used to it.

"Aiming complete!"

"Data synchronization complete!"

"Weapon One charged to 50%, target locked!"

Renn waved his hand to signal: "Launch."

Even though he tried to remain calm, the bone-chilling, grotesque sound of the gravitational wave cannon firing still caught Rein off guard.

In an instant, the universe seemed to hold its breath and stand still, then a cascading pulse tore through the void, and distant stars distorted and flickered in the ripples.

(End of this chapter)