Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 305-307 - The Crimson Defense Line Breaks

In the high orbit of the Duro Galaxy, the flames of the explosion dyed half of the void red.

Inside the combat intelligence center of the Republic's "Victoria"-class star destroyer, General Dao gripped the armrest of the command chair tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

On the holographic tactical screen, the blue dots representing the vanguard fleet were extinguishing at a visible speed. One-third of the fleet was being encircled and annihilated by the Confederate battle groups working together. Laser beams and torpedo tail flames intertwined to form a web of death.

He knew very well that the only way to rescue them at this moment was to lead the main fleet away from the inner defensive perimeter of Duro.

There is fire support from the Golan Space Station and weapon satellites, but leaving the defense perimeter means leaving the planet's gravitational well and losing the safety barrier for hyperspace jumps.

Worse still, the fleet would be directly exposed to the Confederate reserve's raid range and would most likely be annihilated in one fell swoop.

Alternatively, they could remain in place, acting as a "fleet in existence" to contain the enemy and threaten their supply lines.

If the "Battle Hydra" wants to completely take down Duro, it must leave a large force to blockade his fleet, which may buy time for its allies in Corellia and Quarter to train coordinated tactics.

But the price is that his fleet will be gradually devoured by the enemy, eventually becoming fish on the chopping block.

"Communications officer, immediately encrypt and send the battle log to the Supreme Command, as well as the garrison fleets of Corellia and Quarter." Admiral Dao's voice was unusually calm, without the slightest fluctuation, only his slightly trembling fingertips betrayed his inner turmoil. "All fighters and bombers scramble immediately and execute the 'λ' defensive formation. Make sure to hold the entrance to the inner defensive perimeter."

They underestimated Hydra.

The minefield, originally laid to prevent enemy forces from crashing into the Golan space station, has now become a shackle trapping their own vanguard fleet.

He had assumed that "Combat Hydra" would advance steadily according to conventional tactics, but he did not expect the coordination precision of its combat groups to be so astonishing.

The salvo error of the turbo laser cannon is no more than 1 kilometer, and the timing of the fighter jet swarm's surprise attack is absolutely perfect.

If all the Confederate fleets reached this level, the Republic's defenses would be torn apart sooner or later.

Meanwhile, the fleets of Corellia and Quarter were busy training coordinated tactics and were far from ready to engage in battle.

He had to slow down the enemy's advance, even at the cost of everything.

The clone captain of the "Victoria" accepted the order in a deep voice, and the roar of fighter jet engines instantly filled the communication channel.

The "Torrent" fighters and Y-wing bombers roared out of the hangar, forming a dense defensive formation in front of the "Victoria," their laser cannons pre-charged and glowing with a pale blue light.

Half an hour later, the last blue dot of light in the vanguard fleet went out, and the entire fleet was wiped out.

The Peremian fleet quickly regrouped and turned its attention to the main force led by Admiral Dao.

Unlike the sophisticated tactics used in the previous annihilation of the vanguard fleet, this attack was simple and brutal, with an overwhelming momentum.

More than a dozen "Generosity-class" frigates were the first to jump to the edge of the minefield. The hangar doors on both sides of the ship opened simultaneously, and three thousand "Vulture" robot fighters poured out like a black swarm of bees, followed by thousands of assault aircraft carrying assault robots.

After releasing all their aircraft, these frigates immediately turned around and charged toward the Republic's defensive positions.

Instead of firing, they deliberately exposed themselves to the defenders' concentrated fire, using their hulls to draw enemy fire.

After several salvos, the dozen or so "Generosity-class" corvettes were destroyed one after another, but their wreckage did not fall into the Duro atmosphere. Instead, it hovered at the edge of the minefield, providing natural cover for the follow-up forces.

The "Vulture" fighter jets swarmed towards the defensive positions like locusts, crashing into the energy barriers and anti-aircraft fire of the minefield in droves. The explosions echoed in the void, yet they carved a path through the dense casualties.

"Concentrate firepower to block the breach! Send Y-wing bombers to cover the air defense positions!" General Dao's voice was urgent, his eyes fixed on the red dot on the holographic screen that represented the "Vulture" fighter breaking through the defense line.

Before the words were even finished, the Confederate "Generosity-class" frigates, their engines whirring, leaped into the gap torn open by the minefield.

Due to interference from the Duro Gravity Well, the four escort ships deviated from their planned jump trajectory and crashed directly into an uncleared minefield, where they were reduced to fragments in a series of explosions.

But the remaining ships withstood the Republic's gunfire, unleashing more fighter jets and assault aircraft into the defensive perimeter like an endless tide.

The Republic's "Torrent" fighter jets surged out like a rain of silver arrows, engaging in a fierce battle with the "Vulture" fighter jets.

The red trails of laser beams and the orange flashes of explosions wove a dense web across the night sky over Duro, and within minutes the Confederates lost thousands of warplanes.

But they seemed completely unconcerned about the losses, and fighter jets continued to pour out of the jump point, as if there was no end in sight.

Dao Shangjiang's expression grew increasingly solemn.

He knew very well that Hydra was using sheer numbers to wear down his air defenses, trading the number of Vultures for gaps in their defense perimeter. When the last Vulture crashed, trailing black smoke, the minefield had been cleared for the better, and nearly half of the defense satellites were destroyed.

Two Confederate battle groups seized the opportunity to jump in, and the fighter squadrons instantly overwhelmed the Republic's bomber formation. The wreckage of the Y-wing bombers drifted into the Douro atmosphere like falling leaves.

Only half a squadron of Y-wing bombers broke through the interception and, before being torn apart by hundreds of Vulture fighters, dropped proton torpedoes that accurately hit the right flank of a Lucrehook-class battleship.

The explosion erupted in the air, the battleship's shields shattered instantly, and a massive gash was torn through its hull. A grim smile curled at the corner of Admiral Dao's lips.

At least, this counterattack was not in vain.

"Execute 'Beta-5' firing plan! Ignore the remaining enemy forces and prioritize crippling the enemy's capital ships!" Admiral Dao slammed his hand on the armrest of his command chair, his voice filled with a do-or-die determination. "Order all Duro militia fighters to take off and provide support. Switch the 'Guardian' air defense system to 'Avalanche Mode' and intercept enemy missiles with all our might! Once our fighters have created an opening, concentrate all remaining missiles on the enemy's vanguard!"

This was exactly the time he had been waiting for.

The main force of the Peremian fleet has penetrated deep into the Duro Gravity Well and cannot activate the hyperspace engine to evacuate in a short time. They can only fight him head-on within the gravity field.

The weapons bay of Jarvis Space City suddenly lit up with red light, and thousands of missiles shot out of the atmosphere, trailing plumes of fire.

The floating city's defense system was originally designed to civilian standards, but the general temporarily added military missile launchers to it, which now became an unexpected counterattack force.

At the same time, two thousand Torrent fighters and over a thousand Duro militia fighters formed a mixed formation and, under the cover of dense anti-aircraft missiles, launched an attack on the Confederate fleet.

The pilots all knew this was a suicide attack.

Their number of fighter planes was less than a third of the Confederate's, and their weaponry was also inferior.

Many fighter jets were struck by the laser beams of the "Vulture" fighter jets before they even reached their targets, turning into a burst of sparks. But they did not back down, using their aircraft to clear a path for subsequent missiles. Some pilots even flew their damaged aircraft straight into Confederate frigates.

While the "Battle Hydra's" "Umbrella" defense system intercepted most of the attacks, it could not withstand close-range saturation attacks.

The three lead Lucrehook-class battleships were hit by missiles in succession, their engines were completely disabled, and they were separated from the battle formation.

The wreckage of the "Generosity-class" frigate floated in the void, becoming a new obstacle.

"Now!" Dao Shang abruptly stood up, his eyes fixed on the holographic screen. "The remaining Golan Space Station and the fleet, unleash full firepower and concentrate your fire on the Confederate escort fleet!"

The remaining Golan space station immediately adjusted its cannons, and the red beams of the turbo-laser cannons continued to fire at the Confederate ships.

The main guns of the "Victoria" also opened fire at full power, and every shell hit the shields of the Confederate frigate with precision.

Under the cover of a barrage of missiles, the Republic's fighter jets broke through the blockade of the "Vulture" fighters, dumped all their remaining munitions onto the enemy ship's deck, and then crashed into the nearest target.

Some pilots even sang the Republic's military anthem on the communications channel, and the singing was transmitted through the encrypted channel to the combat intelligence center of the "Victoria", carrying a tragic and resolute tone.

The bridge of the HMS Victoria was deathly silent.

As Dao Shang watched the friendly signals gradually fade on the holographic screen, a wave of nausea washed over him. Each extinguished dot represented the sacrifice of a fighter jet and a pilot. He knew the cost of this decision, but he had no other choice.

As the smoke and dust in the void dissipated, the Confederate's two new battle groups had quietly moved above and below the Republic's fleet, forming an encirclement.

On the holographic screen, the red dots representing the Confederation were densely packed. Even if Duro's ground defenses were taken into account, the enemy's firepower far exceeded that of his remaining fleet.

But Admiral Dao's smile grew even clearer. He looked at the communications officer and said calmly, "The enemy's capital ships have entered the range of the planetary shields and cannot escape through hyperspace... We have succeeded in this containment. Communications officer, send the final battle report to the Supreme Command, informing them of the situation at Duro and the Confederate fleet composition."

At this moment, inside the bridge of the "Intruder," Rein was coldly looking at the tactical screen.

Duro's orbit was covered by warship wreckage, and a third of the battle group was rendered combat ineffective, but the Republic's defenses had been completely breached, and the inner defensive perimeter was destroyed.

"Send a message to Governor Duro," Raine said coldly. "Accept conditional surrender... hand over all clone troop prisoners of war and open the planet's industrial facilities, or the bombing will begin immediately."

As soon as the order was given, Confederate landing craft flew out of the frigate's hangar, broke through the Duro atmosphere, and hurtled toward the floating city and ground outposts.

The combat robot army inside is about to take over this planet.

In the distance, Peremian's supply fleet is arriving with repair equipment; Duro will become their next fortress in their attack on Corellia and Quat.

(End of this chapter)