Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 308, Section 312 - Pointing to Coruscant

The Duro Galaxy.

Before the aura of the Confederate main fleet leaving hyperspace had dissipated, Admiral Trench re-established communication with Rein.

“General Trench, you’ve come at the right time.” Ryan’s voice was somewhat cold.

“We’re pressed for time, I can’t be late… for all of us.” Trench’s gaze swept over the fleet assembly data on the bridge screen.

"I'll send you the updated course now. Once your ships are ready, we'll all set off." Rein's fingertip slid quickly across the tactics panel. "According to my men, we've successfully confused the enemy. I've dispatched a decoy fleet to Belassa, then turned towards Quarte to coordinate with Ningo in a diversionary tactic."

Upon hearing the word "Quart," Trench's few remaining natural eyes gleamed with a sharp light: "Even if they send their reserves to Corellia, I have a way to deal with it. If we're lucky, our 'raid' fleet might be able to infiltrate undetected. In any case, our ships and firepower are more than enough to ensure success."

“That’s right.” Raine’s lips curled up. They had spent weeks clearing the surrounding airspace of Republic reconnaissance ships, and had suffered considerable ship losses in order to destroy listening stations and interfere with the holographic network of neighboring star systems. Now they were finally ready.

Meanwhile, the fourth and final star fleet responsible for attacking Corellia had quietly arrived in Duro an hour before his troops were to arrive.

“I want you and your senior commanders to board the ship during the jump.” Raine’s tone suddenly turned serious. “We can use this time for additional training and to further refine the plan. You can return to your respective ships during the final leg of the voyage. This will be the largest battle in the galaxy in thousands of years.”

“I am well aware of the stakes,” Trench retorted firmly.

“I know, but it’s necessary to reiterate.” Before cutting off the communication, Ryan left his final instructions: “Get your men moving. I’ll be waiting for you in the hangar. Over.”

……

Upon receiving the latest instructions, a stream of entirely new emotional data surged forth from the core processor of the super tactical robot AOG for the first time.

Over the past week, it led its troops in a fierce attack on the Republican army defending Camino, but suffered repeated setbacks. This intense sense of frustration was both novel and extremely unpleasant.

Two new "rings" of destroyed ships and shattered space station debris have appeared in Kamino's orbit, with floating metal fragments gleaming coldly in the starlight.

Although the Republic's army is slowly but surely heading toward defeat, the Confederation has paid a price that is almost unbearable.

Augu knew very well that the Confederation had the capacity to deploy massive resources to wipe out the planet, but the first four waves of assault teams were all composed of robots.

They broke through the outer defense perimeter, but with the exception of a few lucky ones, almost all of them were wiped out.

For the first time since he was created, Augu felt this fact was worthy of indignation.

It paused for 0.3 seconds, immediately activated its self-diagnosis subroutine, and only after confirming that there were no abnormalities in the core logic did it turn its attention back to the current task and break through to the surface of the Kamino.

This mission is of paramount importance.

All the ships captured by the Augu in the previous battles have been repaired and crammed with advanced combat robots and new Confederate allies.

A group of Jedi from the Republic.

It needs to simulate a pursuit battle, where these captured ships "attempt" to seek safety under the cover of "friendly forces" protecting Camino.

Once in position, all ground forces on board the ship will be deployed in full force to strike the nearest Republic target.

This deception will unfold as the fifth wave of assault teams launches a full-scale attack on the Republic's last line of defense and engages in a fierce battle with the still overwhelming number of remaining enemy ships.

The plan was flawless... In the past few days, several Republic battle groups have broken through Confederate interception and reached Camino. Two of them were almost completely wiped out before reaching their targets, which even caused the fourth wave of assault echelons to suffer heavy losses due to an unexpected surprise attack, and they failed to complete the mission at an "acceptable cost".

Suddenly, the alarm sounded.

The tactical diagram shows that ten Republic cruisers disengaged from hyperspace in an area far from Confederate forces.

Augu immediately issued instructions to calculate the hyperspace entry coordinates in front of the new enemy. Making this "escape" seem real was quite a challenge.

……

"Multiple hyperspace signals! Tactical map being updated!" The communications officer's voice broke the silence on the bridge of the "Dreadnought".

"Fleet to combat readiness. All main guns charged. Fighters, prepare for takeoff." Admiral Coburn gave the order, his eyes fixed on the holographic tactical screen, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest of his command chair, wishing the screen could update faster. "So many ships... but far fewer than Corellia's," a staff officer murmured, a clear sense of relief in his voice.

As a vital shipbuilding center for the Republic, the fall of Quarter would have unimaginable consequences.

The display screen finally refreshed and loaded the new data.

Coburn looked at the troop strength comparison on the screen, and his tense nerves relaxed slightly: although the Republic and local forces of Quarter were clearly outnumbered, the fleet's firepower steadily suppressed the enemy, and they only needed to defeat the enemy before they could destroy their industrial facilities.

"First echelon combat group, proceed at will. 'Red One' plan in effect." Coburn's orders were clearly transmitted to each ship. "Quart Command, dispatch battlecruisers, but keep the 'Mandalo-class' cruisers in reserve. Second echelon, intercept the enemy after they lock onto their targets. Before further orders are issued, the primary task is to protect industrial facilities throughout the system."

Thirty battle groups, each centered around three "Jackey-class" cruisers, quickly planned their hyperspace routes and appeared in front of the enemy fleet within seconds.

Following closely behind were all the "Consul-class" battlecruisers and a few earlier models of the same series.

These three-thousand-meter-long flying fortresses are covered in heavy armor, with incredibly strong shields, and their main guns are powerful enough to penetrate the defenses of most Confederate ships.

The thought of seven more powerful Mandalorian-class cruisers waiting in the wings filled Coburn with awe.

However, this sense of security was quickly shattered. Although the initial engagement went as smoothly as expected, with the surprise firepower of their own squadrons instantly tearing apart the nearby light enemy ships, the Confederate fleet showed no intention of retreating. Instead, it split into its own units and charged forward with all its might, intending to concentrate its firepower on the first echelon. Meanwhile, the main force avoided direct confrontation and began to disperse and deploy to various industrial sites.

"Second echelon, prepare to move! The enemy has begun selecting targets!" Coburn immediately adjusted the orders.

Something unexpected happened.

Nearly a quarter of the Confederate fleet suddenly cut in front of the reserves, clearly to buy time.

The remaining enemy forces all moved to various industrial sites to engage in firefights with local small-scale defense forces and fixed fortifications.

"Send half of the 'Mandalor-class' tanks to clear the passage and cover the second echelon," Coburn decided decisively. "The second echelon will avoid the attacking enemy and carry out its original mission. The third echelon will evacuate the gravity well and await further orders. Quarter Command, the remaining reserves are under your tactical command; they are sufficient to handle any contingency."

Looking at the scattered enemy forces on the tactical screen, Coburn muttered to himself, "What exactly are you planning, Hydra?"

……

"Is this your plan?" Renn chuckled as he looked at the Republic's response on the tactical screen. Coburn's deployment was exactly what he had anticipated. "Vanguard, disperse by squadron to approach the enemy, encircle them, escort ships cover the battleships, concentrate fire on the enemy's propulsion system, disable the target and immediately move out of range, ignore it. Designate 'Generosity-class' frigate units, permitting them to execute ramming tactics."

He turned to his right, where Trench's holographic image awaited: "Admiral Trench, you will lead your forces to contain the Republic's main fleet near Corellia. Fourth Fleet, continue to apply pressure and reinforce the vanguard until the Corellia cruisers are destroyed. Second Fleet, divide into task forces as planned. We must capture the core objective... Quarter's shipyard."

"Leave it to me." After giving a salute, the holographic image disappeared, clearly having gone to deploy troops.

Raine then focused his efforts on a more challenging task: coordinating almost the entire Second Fleet, breaking it down into more than twenty battle groups and deploying them throughout the galaxy.

He knew very well that he only had one window of opportunity.

Heavy reinforcements from the Republic could not arrive within hours, so every minute and second had to be seized.

He first sent two battle groups to the vicinity of two desolate planets in outer space, where newly built shipyards were located, making them the weakest points of defense among the main targets.

Subsequently, he personally led the strongest task force in the fleet, targeting Thelonia.

"The ships under my command are divided into four combat groups to maximize firepower output while avoiding mutual obstruction or stagnation due to unclear firing routes," Raine gave the order, tapping the attack coordinates on the tactical panel.

"Coordinates locked, General," the tactical robot reported.

"Initiate the assault." Rein ordered, a halo of hyperspace warp flashed, and the fleet returned to solid space the next second. "Launch fighters and assault boats. 'Generosity-class' squadrons, destroy the outer space station after clearing the minefield. 'Divine Will-class' dreadnoughts, concentrate your attacks on enemy light ships. 'Lukeri Hook-class' battleships, prioritize high-value targets, especially the Golan Space Station and other heavy firepower points."

……

Raine watched the battle raging in deep space and slowly closed his eyes.

(End of this chapter)