Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 5.5 - The Dauntless, Sinking
The sun's rays were gradually blocked by the Jedi cruisers sailing overhead, who were engaged in fierce combat with the "Shadow" and the other half of the first squadron.

The "Repulse" and its half could not fire upwards because the light turrets on their backs were too weak, posing only a slightly annoying threat to their shields.

Raine didn't want to attract their attention, so they lurked below like sharks, letting the Republic fleet continue to pass over them unnoticed.

"It's a data packet, sir!" the communications bot announced. "It's from the enemy flagship 'Negotiator,' they... they're sending combat data to Army Headquarters on the planet's surface?"

The robot seemed unsure when it said that.

"Is...are they looking for advice on short notice?" Renn was equally puzzled.

“It’s too late.” Little Tower said with absolute certainty. “I’ve calculated that there’s an 86.5% chance that two of their cruisers have been destroyed.”

"Only two?" Renn frowned.

“Currently, there’s a 77.2% chance the enemy will detect our trap. According to central records, the last known commander of the ‘Negotiator’ was Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Little Tower explained proudly. “Since the moon blocks his escape route on port, he will either accelerate, decelerate, or turn to starboard. Based on my observations of General Kenobi’s combat records, he will be too cautious to accelerate. I predict he will instinctively turn to starboard because it would take too long to decelerate on their current course. This means the enemy cruisers ‘Negotiator’ and ‘Vanguard’ will escape before our trap is activated.”

This is why Ryan enjoys working with robots.

It's like playing a real-time strategy game, except he has expert-level artificial intelligence on his side.

“Well done,” Renn praised, impressed. “Get the second squad moving at full speed, sub-light speed engines at maximum power.”

“Sir,” Little Tower straightened up, “we are in position. What are your orders?”

If this tactical robot had lips, Ryan could imagine it licking them eagerly right now.

No one appreciates a perfectly executed plan more than a tactical robot, and he completely understands this sentiment.

“Very good.” Renn grinned like a beast. “‘Repulsion’, ‘Rivalry’, ‘Resistance’, ‘Graceful Hope’, roll 180 degrees to port! Forget the shields, put all the energy into the hull-mounted turbolaser cannons! Tear them to shreds!”

……

“I’m sorry, General,” General Yularen said bitterly, “but like you, I don’t recognize this formation.”

“I understand.” Obi-Wan stood in front of the holographic display table. “This… is disappointing.”

"What's going on?" Anakin's image flashed into view, his tattered armor showing signs of battle.

“Take a look for yourself, General.” Admiral Yularen took a step back, allowing Anakin to view the battle projection. “I have never seen such a formation before. Even Trench never used it.”

A strong, almost stinging sensation assaulted Obi-Wan, and he quickly realized that the feeling was emanating from Anakin like the light of a lighthouse.

A variety of expressions flashed across the face of his former apprentice—curiosity, confusion, worry, anger, and then fear.

“Obi-Wan, you have to get out of there right now!” Anakin shouted, clearly alarmed. “You’re heading straight into a trap!”

“I know this is a trap, Anakin.” Obi-Wan tried to remain calm, but Anakin's usual composure and panic made Obi-Wan uneasy. “I’m trying to figure out what kind of trap this is—”

"You recognize this formation, General Skywalker?" General Yularen pressed.

“Yes—that’s right.” Anakin wiped his face, took a deep breath, and said, “The last time I saw this formation was at the Battle of Koval, when Master Luminara’s reinforcements arrived, and the Separatists began to retreat. So I pursued them, but it was a feint—just as my fleet caught up with them, the Separatists suddenly turned back in that formation! All my starfighters were gone, the Redeemer and the Defender were reduced to scrap metal. The Resolute barely escaped unscathed!”

“Listen, Master,” Anakin said urgently, “the escort ships below you will flip over like Otto the Naboo beasts and then open fire directly beneath you!”

Anakin's words suddenly connected in Obi-Wan's mind, and he instantly understood.

Immediately afterwards, a wave of panic washed over him.

At this moment, the Negotiator began to shake violently, and Commander Cody was thrown to the ground. The clone soldiers staggered around the operations room like headless Crabbe beasts.

The blast door separating the operations room from the command bridge hissed open, and an officer, before the door was fully open, stumbled in with wide eyes.

"General!" the clone soldier shouted, struggling to maintain his composure, "'Dauntless' is gone!"

Obi-Wan practically sprinted out of the operations room, his eyes scanning the wide-angle observation window with eager anticipation.

The "Intrepid" was the warship responsible for their port flank, which was closest to the moon.

The Jedi Master stopped in the middle of the central aisle and stared at the transparent steel window.

The USS Resolute and USS Dreadnought were trapped—between the two escort ships. Just as Anakin had predicted, the escort below flipped over and unleashed a barrage of fire on the cruiser's undefended hull.

The Intrepid has lost its engines and stabilizers and is uncontrollably tilting and rolling to port, the entire ship being torn apart by Lysis's powerful gravity.

The "Resolute" was in no better shape, being tightly restrained by two escort ships.

At this moment, Anakin's flagship was like a piece of meat in the mouth of a Kratos.

"What are your orders, sir?"

A bridge officer stumbled out of the starboard crew quarters.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and used the Force to sense their chances of winning.

The quickest way out of this predicament was to keep accelerating and break through the enemy's encirclement—until he sensed a second wave of "Generosity-class" corvettes lurking in the darkness ahead, waiting for them to walk right into his trap.

Clearly, the enemy commander had anticipated this action.

That leaves only the option of slowing down or turning to starboard.

At their current speed, it would take too long to slow down.

"All ships!" Obi-Wan ordered, "Full speed to right, turn sharply!"

The Negotiator made a sharp right turn, rocking violently under the intense gunfire, and Obi-Wan Kenobi adjusted his stance accordingly.

Behind him, he could hear shouts of alarm. The Resolute was beginning to break apart, and its retreat route unfortunately coincided with the attack routes of the two enemy ships that the Negotiator had just evaded.

The deaths of so many clone soldiers and humans weighed heavily on Obi-Wan Kenobi's heart.

He could hear the distant screams of the brave crew of the Intrepid as they were being crushed onto the icy surface of the moon.

He felt the pain of the Resolute as a turbolaser shell struck one of its fuel tanks, filling the main parking apron with gas, before another shell triggered an explosion.

Anakin's flagship first expanded and then exploded, its hollow hull resembling a balloon inflated to its limit.

He felt the helplessness of the thousands of soldiers who should have been fighting bravely against separatists on the planet, instead of being slaughtered in the ship's hold.

There is also a glimmer of hope for those who managed to board the escape pods and be ejected into the dark expanse of space.

Obi-Wan could sense Anakin's anxiety, worry, and anger so intensely that he could clearly feel it even across the vast expanse of space.

However, the Negotiator and Vanguard escaped the encirclement.

Although they were battered and bruised, they did manage to escape.

"...Sir?" the bridge officer said in a low voice.

The Force, like a constantly noisy child, continued to assault Obi-Wan's mind.

Obi-Wan looked up and saw four escort ships speeding toward them, their turbine laser turrets at the bow turning the space blood red.

They are enemy troops on the flank.

His heart sank.

“We can also jump into hyperspace, sir,” the officer suggested weakly.

He is suggesting a retreat.

Obi-Wan wanted to protest, but he knew he had no other choice.

He glanced at the cracked crystal surface of Christopher's eyes in despair.

That's right, they can also rendezvous with Admiral Wurtz's task force, recuperate, and then return.

He could only hope that Anakin and Representative Organa would hold out that long.

(End of this chapter)