Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 294-296 - Controlling the Stars (Part Two)

Renn nodded expressionlessly, lightly touching the control panel with his fingertips to switch to the designated communication channel.

"...What's wrong, Bontri? Too nervous to speak?" Griffith's hoarse laughter came through the frequency, with a harsh, metallic quality. "You look like a clueless recruit!"

Rein sighed deeply, deliberately raising his voice to ensure the cyborg could hear him clearly: "You think you can fool me with such tricks? Grievous, Dooku is a fool blinded by ambition, and you are not fit to command a fleet at all."

You may be able to lead an army into battle on land, but in interstellar naval warfare, you won't even reach the level of an admiral. In this dark void, it is I who can command warships and control the trajectory of stars, not you.

A brief silence fell over the communication channel, with only Griffith's heavy breathing echoing through the air.

Renn sneered inwardly, thinking that this guy probably hadn't expected him to retaliate so directly.

Grievous's prey has always been Jedi; those knights who uphold the code of benevolence may be wary of him, but he, Raine, is not.

What he held in his hand was not a lightsaber, but a main cannon capable of tearing apart starships, and a tactical layout capable of turning the tide of battle.

Raine was never afraid of strong opponents who fought alone. What he truly feared were those who were his equals in fleet tactics and could even predict his next move.

Space warfare is not a fast-paced street fight; every turn and every round of firing requires advance calculation.

Warships move slowly and heavily in space, and the results of a decision often take several hours to materialize.

This is more like a game of chess that transcends time and space. An excellent commander must be able to foresee the battlefield situation hours later, lay down a deadly move without making a sound, and quickly adjust his strategy once the situation deviates from expectations.

Looking back on his career, Ryan has faced death before.

At the Battle of Colwell, he had his first brush with death. Two Jedi squadrons crushed the Separatist fleet, and he led the rearguard in a desperate resistance, sacrificing half of his ships to cover the main force's retreat.

In the Battle of Centares, a single Republic dreadnought shattered their weeks-long deployment, and the Salvaran fleet was almost completely annihilated.

In the recent Battle of Rendili, the Coruscant home fleet repeatedly blocked his breakout routes, and the battlefield debris covered the entire star field, becoming the bloodiest battle in the memory of the core world.

But on the bridge of the million-ton warship, Renn firmly believed that he was invincible.

The only things that could make him wary were either super battleships with more powerful firepower and thicker armor, or enemy generals with superior tactical thinking.

Clearly, Grievous is neither.

Rein waited intently for a response until the ship suddenly trembled violently, bringing him back to his senses.

Captain Demura clenched his fists and roared the order: "Fire! Full power!"

Outside the porthole, a massive Tongke stone cannonball ripped through the void, its edges gleaming coldly under the starlight, tearing a gap in the battlefield and hurtling toward the "invisible hand."

On the sensor screens of the "Intruder," the "invisible hand" remained motionless, the massive hull resembling a floating steel fortress.

A slight smile played on Ryan's lips. For the "Intruder," a stationary target was a sure hit.

The Tunker Stone bomb struck the core area of ​​the Dreadnought at near the speed of light, and the enormous kinetic energy instantly created a breach in the ship's surface.

Even more deadly was the gravitational vortex caused by the projectile's wake, which distorted and deformed space around the point of impact, causing the ship's structure, like an "invisible hand," to begin to disintegrate under the invisible pressure.

At first, the "invisible hand" was still struggling and resisting.

The massive body trembled violently, and scorching air gushed out from the ruptured compartments. The ship's armor plates squeezed and twisted against each other, trying to maintain their overall shape.

But under the continuous tearing of the gravitational vortex, it eventually succumbed to its fate of destruction.

The superstructure collapsed inward first, breaking along the trajectory of the Tunker stone projectile, and the remaining parts of the ship peeled off one by one, carrying the crew, fuel and flames into the void.

The engine compartment briefly maintained energy for a few seconds before breaking off from the main hull and disintegrating into countless fragments in a silent explosion.

Even through the reinforced transparent steel porthole, Renn could still feel the destructive tremor.

But the battlefield situation did not allow him to linger. A few seconds later, a Providence-class battlecruiser broke through the cloud of debris, its sub-light-speed engine spewing out a dazzling stream of plasma as it hurtled towards him.

"Order: All warships fire salvo along the enemy line! The port flank group shifts three coordinates backward to form the left echelon defensive formation!" The super tactical robot AEUG reacted extremely quickly, its mechanical arm operating rapidly on the control panel. "Formation data transmitted, all ships execute immediately!"

Ryan frowned, knowing that the "invisible hand" had already completed its mission.

This giant dreadnought used its massive radar cross-section to shield the fleet behind it, giving them enough time to close in. Now, the Intruder's long-range sniping advantage has vanished.

As expected, Grievous's fleet abandoned its single-line formation, with the rear ships collectively turning to starboard to quickly form a left echelon formation directly opposing them.

Rein leaned back in his command chair, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, and switched the communication channel again: "You're sending your robots to their deaths in vain, General. It's a real shame to see such excellent warships destroyed pointlessly. If I were to offer surrender terms now, would you consider it?"

"...The battle isn't over yet! Admiral Bontry!" Griffith roared, his metallic voice crackling with the howls of an organic being. "I am not Dooku's pawn! I do not fight for him! I know your purpose... Just like you saved that Jedi in Talis, you want to rescue other Jedi from me! You and Trench are both traitors who betrayed the Confederacy!"

betray?

A thought struck Renn.

Although Grievous was a violent war machine, he was not entirely irrational; at least he never showed any self-destructive tendencies.

For Ryan, Grievous is far less of a threat than a tactical mastermind like Admiral Honnold.

If Grievous can be used to fight against the Republic controlled by Palpatine, it might become a turning point in the war.

“I’ve reviewed your file.” Raine’s tone turned serious. “The Jedi owe you something, but it has nothing to do with me. Now that the Jedi have betrayed the Republic and are attempting a coup, this is an opportunity that the Separatist forces cannot afford to miss. Your personal revenge against the Jedi is meaningless.”

"Meaningless!? Those Jedi—"

"The Jedi have lost power!" Raine suddenly raised his voice, interrupting the other person, "They no longer control the Republic's narrative, and they can no longer wage war at will! They've been enemies of the Confederation for years, but now they've betrayed their own side! Don't you understand? The galaxy has avenged you!"

"We destroyed the Republic's authority!" Renn slammed his fist on the control panel, causing ripples to spread across the surface. "Those who persecuted your people are all dead. We ended them with our own hands! That corrupt galactic order that tolerated injustice has been shattered to pieces by us! Everything Count Dooku promised the Confederation, we fulfilled step by step!"

At this moment, the Grievous fleet had crashed into the central area of ​​the "Invader Task Force," and the intensity of the starboard fire network had increased sharply, gradually pushing them into the gravitational pull of Toprava.

But Raine remained unfazed; on the tactical repeater, 70 faint points of light were flashing. Those were the "Crest-class" warships under Dodsien Ellitt's command, silently approaching like lurking sharks, cutting through the magnetic field of Toplava's main planet.

On the bridge, dozens of eyes focused on him because of his roar, but Rein didn't care and continued to speak into the communicator: "This is your last chance, General."

He slowly rose, his eyes sharp as knives, each syllable carrying undeniable power, "End this pointless battle. The Jedi are finished. They don't deserve your hatred anymore, because they are worthless now."

The organization fell apart, its legacy was completely severed, and when the war ended, they would only become homeless wanderers, barely surviving in the ever-evolving galaxy.

Their names will become relics, distorted and exploited by speculators.

The former authority has vanished, the accumulated goodwill has been exhausted, and that once-proud elegance is now nothing more than a forgotten whisper.

Renn paused deliberately, letting the silence spread through the communication channel, as oppressive as a vacuum in the universe.

On the other end of the holographic communication, Grievous remained motionless, like a steel statue radiating rage.

His skeletal frame was half-hidden in the shadow of the blue signal, and his golden eyes were narrowed into long slits, making it impossible to discern his true emotions.

The buzzing of communication signals, the hum of the bridge, and the aftershocks of distant warship explosions became the only sounds at that moment.

A moment later, Griffiths finally made a move.

A subtle yet deliberate sound of mechanical joints turning rang out, and the light in his golden eyes intensified, revealing the turbulent emotional storm surging beneath his steel exterior.

“You speak as if you know exactly how utterly they failed,” Griffith roared, his voice a mixture of organic resentment and synthesizer distortion, “as if you can understand what it feels like to be abandoned by those self-proclaimed righteous guys.”

“Experience?” Raine raised an eyebrow, his tone calm yet penetrating. “No, I don’t care. I just want the war to end, to go back to my bed, to find my friends, to see my family. Don’t you want that? The sooner this war ends, the sooner we can return to normal life.”

Before Grievous could respond, Ryan pressed on sharply, "Does misfortune mean your life should be completely ruined? Does having your body in a steel cage mean you are no longer a free individual?"

Griffiths abruptly stopped, his hateful gaze shifting to the sensor screen outside the hologram.

Ryan knew exactly what he was looking at.

Ellit’s “Crest-class” squadron has crossed the gravitational tangent of Toprava’s primary star and is now fully exposed to the sensors, approaching from behind at a speed of 2310 kilometers per second.

The battlefield situation reversed instantly.

Grievous's fleet disengaged almost immediately, with over a hundred warships turning to intercept the "Crest-class" squadron, while the rest desperately rushed toward the hyperspace exit in the core area, attempting to escape the predicament of being attacked from both sides.

"Order: Full fleet, pursue!" Augu's mechanical voice was filled with excitement. "Crush all fleeing enemies!"

The sub-light speed engines of the "Invader Task Force" reignited their eerie blue flames, and the turbine laser cannons spewed blood-red energy beams from their muzzles, advancing like a pack of hounds that had caught the scent of their prey.

As Raine watched the remnants of Grievous's fleet burn and disintegrate in the void on the sensor screen, his tone softened slightly: "Let me give you a suggestion, General. Take the remaining forces back to Cali. The Republic can't control the far reaches of the galaxy where your home is now, and the Confederation has no interest in interfering. Stay there, and you'll find peace."

If you want to settle scores with the people who wronged you back then, go and blow their home planet to smithereens.

If you still want to fight, go fight the remnants of the Republic and take your revenge from their corpses.

None of this concerns us; in fact, we can even help you if necessary.

He paused speaking, letting the words settle in Griffith's mind.

The holographic blue light cast dappled shadows on Grievous's mechanical face, his golden eyes shining like embers about to be extinguished.

Although the other party still did not make a move, Ryan could sense that Griffith was listening attentively.

“I assure you,” Raine slowly sat back in his command chair, his tone solemn, “Go back. As long as there is no hostility, we will never invade your territory. But if you dare to cause trouble again and turn back into this war monster, even I cannot protect your home planet from the retaliation of those cold-blooded politicians and corporations of the Confederation.”

The two stared at each other in silence for a long time during the holographic communication.

Then, a strong static interference struck, and Grievous's image vanished instantly, while his remaining fleet accelerated into the depths of space.

Ryan pressed his fingertip on the communication cut-off button, and with a gentle press, he completely ended this unusual negotiation.

He slowly exhaled, his tense nerves finally relaxing a bit: "Have Ilit send a reconnaissance plane to track Grievous's movements, and report back to me immediately if anything happens."

“Order received.” Augu responded quickly, then asked, “But was that wise? We could have wiped him out here and eliminated him forever.”

Rein leaned back in his chair, gazing at the stars outside the porthole, his thoughts drifting to the post-war galactic landscape.

Will Grievous return to Calee to live a quiet life, or will he establish a warlord regime in the Outer Rings?

The new territory is now in complete chaos.

With Sereno surrounded, the northern part of the galaxy has lost its core power, law and order have vanished, and a power vacuum awaits to be filled.

General Paul Tonis's fighting against the Republic in the Macito area was likely also aimed at rebuilding the banking group's sphere of influence there.

Sending Grievous north would be entirely beneficial to them.

If Grievous chooses to live out his remaining years in peace, that would be for the best.

If he insists on revenge, it will be a good opportunity to tie down the remnants of the Republic and add more trouble to the crumbling enemy.

Moreover, Kali is far from the Laxus government's sphere of influence, and the Supreme Commander is currently more focused on consolidating existing territories and will not care about the disorderly areas on the border.

The Independent Galaxy Confederation never intended to dominate the entire Milky Way. As long as Grievous didn't provoke them, they were even willing to provide resources to fight against the Republic.

“We should start planning for the post-war galaxy.” Renn withdrew his gaze, his tone tinged with complexity. “Besides, I can’t be completely indifferent to what he’s gone through… After all, he was forced into this state by misfortune.”

Right now, we should focus our efforts on dealing with the battle of Sereno.

Raine tapped his fingertips on the console, bringing up Sereno's battlefield data, and a new tactical plan began to take shape in his mind.

(End of this chapter)