Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 39 - Flanking Maneuver (Part 39)

"Launch the guided calibration torpedo," Karok commanded decisively, his voice still clear amidst the sirens.

"Yes, yes." The robot quickly tapped the launch sequence on the control panel.

A specially designed guided torpedo with a high-intensity signal generator was silently launched from the stern tube of the dreadnought.

Half a second later, it was precisely captured by the highly focused artificial gravitational wave that had just formed in front of the ship, and instantly gained unimaginable acceleration, turning into a bright line that was almost invisible to the naked eye, and shot towards the target area of ​​the planetary belt below like a meteor!

A blinding purple energy ball suddenly erupted 60,000 kilometers away, accurately hitting the engine array of a Bosa cruiser that was trying to hide.

The violent explosion not only instantly destroyed the ship, but the shockwave also propelled its twisted wreckage like a cannonball, sending it crashing out of control into a nearby Republic CR-90 frigate that was unable to dodge in time.

The fragile frigate shattered like a glass artifact struck by a heavy hammer. The secondary explosion triggered by the secondary explosion of its internal ammunition magazine was extremely violent, and the hot fragments even penetrated the thin armor of another warship behind it!

As other "Divine Will" class destroyers in the fleet, having completed gravitational field synchronization, began testing their respective railgun systems, six more dazzling beams of light, representing destruction, tore through the dark space, ruthlessly ripping off chunks of burning "flesh and blood" from the chaotic and fleeing enemy ranks!
"All systems functioning normally, sir," the tactical robot reported in a monotone synthesized voice. "All destroyer gravity projector arrays are reported as ready, reaching preset parameters. Proceed with the railgun firing sequence?"

Karok took a deep breath, suppressing his awe of the destructive power, and nodded: "Initiate firing sequence, target: densely packed area of ​​enemy remnants."

The massive proton torpedo tubes on the sides of the "Calamity" opened one after another, accompanied by a muffled hydraulic sound and the hum of energy accumulation.

Heavy torpedoes shot out, trailing blazing tail flames.

Each one was captured by the precisely pulsating and synchronously flashing gravitational waves at the front of the ship the instant it left the launch tube, forming a perfect coordination!

It transformed into dazzling streaks of light, almost impossible to track with the naked eye, and hurtled towards the chaotic and crowded remnants of the enemy fleet below!

The Republic Fleet was trapped between the Enterprise Alliance's "Generosity-class" warships and the Second Fleet detachment; the battle... was actually over.

All that's left is to enjoy this fireworks show made up of flames, metal fragments, and energy explosions.

To avoid over-reliance on the terrifying power displayed by the Tann Railgun, Karlock reminded himself that the Tann Railgun was not a flawless artifact.

First, the arrays of traction beam emitters used to generate high-intensity gravitational fields are extremely energy-intensive.

Simultaneously activating all ten main launchers on the "Calamity" ship required almost instantaneous energy diversion from all non-critical systems on board, forcing the giant ship to shut down all weapon systems and shield generators except for the attitude thrusters.

Leaving only the bare minimum of power allows the warship, which is now serving as a massive catapult base, to remain relatively stable in space.

Secondly, aiming is extremely difficult.

Since the entire dreadnought is now equivalent to a huge cannon barrel, even the slightest attitude shift or vibration of the ship could cause the final landing point of the projectile to deviate by several kilometers or even tens of kilometers.

Not to mention that the torpedo itself is flying forward in the initial attitude at the moment it leaves the launch tube.

To correct this tiny deviation under extreme acceleration, standard railgun operation typically requires close coordination between at least two destroyers.

A ship that provides the primary propulsion gravitational field.

The other vessel serves as an auxiliary track on its flank for guidance and fine-tuning.

However, in an ideal situation, the first shot is often the most accurate.

The cruiser HMS Victory, which was completely pierced and silently disintegrating in the distance, is proof of this.

However, in the current battlefield environment, there is no need to pursue ultimate precision.

The remnants of the Republic and Bosa's combined fleet huddled together in panic, pushing and shoving each other as they tried to find cover in the wreckage. The target area was vast and chaotic, making it difficult to miss.

In summary, there are two minimum requirements for successfully using the Tann railgun:
A dreadnought, and a suitable range that allows you to safely complete the lengthy charging and aiming process.

Because if the enemy can launch an effective attack while your warships are still frantically supplying energy to the tractor beam emitters and are themselves extremely vulnerable, then this battle will be lost before the railguns even fire. "All warships cease fire."

Tann's icy voice suddenly broke the tense atmosphere on the bridge.

"All energy was immediately diverted from the projector array and prioritized for the sub-light speed engine propulsion and the front heavy turbine laser cannon array."

"Weapons officer, adjust the follow-up fire coverage mode and use conventional artillery to clear out the remaining enemies. Boarding squadron commander, immediately prepare an elite boarding team. There are certain items I need on the 'Negotiator,' make sure they are intact."

The reason for stopping the railgun firing is simple.

The wreckage of the enemy's vanguard, under the fierce bombardment, has now formed an even larger, hotter, and more chaotic cloud of debris, which, like a natural barrier, protects the few surviving warships behind it.

Meanwhile, the Enterprise Allied fleet has completed its maneuver, changed course, and is attempting to bypass the wreckage area to find a clear angle to fire.

Conventional artillery is actually more effective in such chaotic situations.

“This is a lesson, Captain Karrock: make good use of every resource you have, regardless of its size or nature.” Tann turned to him, his voice carrying a mentor-like calm. “It sounds like a simple concept, but it is extremely difficult to put into practice on the ever-changing battlefield.”

Any competent officer, given sufficient numerical superiority, can win a battle.

But a truly excellent officer must be able to win cleanly and decisively, achieving the greatest results with the least cost, giving the enemy no chance to breathe or turn the tide, and that, Captain…”

She pointed to the burning inferno outside the viewing window, "That's the most tangible result of the strategic web you started weaving days or even weeks ago."

“We also had a chance to defeat them in an encounter at the edge of the Mandalorian sector,” Tann continued, as if reviewing a game of chess. “But I carefully planned to ensure that Bosavoy became the focus of the Republic fleet’s reinforcements, the final battlefield we had envisioned.”

Because I knew the Bosa system inside and out, I predicted that when they were hastily seeking a defensive position, they would inevitably choose the Gorm rings as their stronghold.

It seems that the Republic's commander, in his hasty deployment, focused only on finding a strong fortress, forgetting to secure a crucial escape route for himself.

The remnants of the Iron Spear Fleet are now truly in dire straits.

The area in front and above was completely blocked by the massive, burning wreckage and dense debris of their own comrades.

Behind it lay Gorm, a massive, violent gas giant with a chaotic gravitational field.

The dense planetary rings that once served as a bastion of the Republic have now become steel tombs from which they cannot escape.

No matter how fierce the battle, the complete annihilation of such a large fleet is almost unprecedented in the history of galactic warfare.

Normally, a few lucky or astute ships will find an opening and forcefully activate their hyperspace engines to perform an emergency jump escape...

However, the scene before him foreshadowed the second time in General Tann’s military career that he would achieve the astonishing result of “leaving no survivors”.

“Captain Karok,” Tann’s voice pulled him back from the shock of the battlefield, “your next mission: to attack the planet Cortels with the Whitehand Fleet’s First Squadron. You are to take this planet for the Independent System Confederation.”

Commander Melley will be responsible for seizing the Munus Mandel space station and its surrounding airspace, while I myself will personally lead the main force to invade the surface of Bosawui. I intend to personally deal with the core nodes of the Bosa people's proud intelligence network, and completely destroy or incorporate them.

“Understood.” Karok felt a tightness in his throat, but he tried to make his voice sound steady and strong. “Sir.”

Cortels is an industrial world, and the task is by no means easy, but it is the general's trust.

At this moment, the massive hull of the "Calamity" had slowly entered the edge of the wreckage area. The powerful particle shield shimmered with blue and white light, easily deflecting or vaporizing the high-speed asteroid fragments and twisted metal debris, only causing ripples on the surface of the shield.

The Jedi cruiser USS Negotiator was the only remaining enemy capital ship in sight that was still structurally intact. Its battered hull was surrounded by several Diamond-class cruisers and Sirius-class frigates of the Second Fleet, like prey being slowly surrounded by a group of hungry sharks in the deep sea with no way out.

“Look.” Tann’s voice carried a rare hint of cold, barely suppressed joy as her gaze fixed on the isolated Jedi flagship. “This is my purest definition of ‘victory,’ and this… this will plunge the Republic’s leadership of Coruscant into genuine panic.”

(PS: This section describes the battlefield from the sidelines in chapters 29 and 30. Here, Tann used the Tann Railgun to inflict devastating damage on Yularen and Wurtz. However, there are always blunders and oversights in the warship settings. My basic skills are not solid enough. If you find any warship models with settings problems, please leave a message and let me know. Thank you very much!)
(End of this chapter)