Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 65 - The Peremian Alliance
"Is it a separatist alliance, or our alliance?"

Raine remained calm and did not answer directly. "That's not important to you. Let's get back to the issue of Bonta and share your thoughts."

“If some favorable trade terms are offered, the possibility is very high,” Vinok expressed his opinion, but he clearly did not give up exploring the question raised, wanting to find an answer: “Can you tell me why this Pelmian Alliance is so important? It wasn’t in the original plan.”

“Crucial? I’ll say it again, it may not matter to you,” Renn leaned back in his chair, his gaze deep, “but for me, for Trilm, and for every frontline commander in our Alliance, it is crucial. It is our last line of defense, and that is the fundamental reason I created it.”

The fallen Jedi narrowed his eyes, his gaze dangerous: "Explain yourself."

"Here's a hint, think about it yourself." Ryan suppressed the urge to sigh: "From the perspective of those politicians in Congress, what are we doing?"

“Defend the Confederation,” Vinok answered without hesitation.

“Perhaps, but I and other officers believe that this is just wishful thinking.” Ryan’s expression remained unchanged. “What we are actually doing is seen by them as ‘we failed to defend the Confederation.’”

He paused to glance at Vinok's reaction and continued, "Now we're losing ground battle after battle. Do you think those politicians can understand the subtleties of strategies like 'organized retreat' and 'defense in depth'? They only look at the first page of the battle reports, which are full of 'defeats.' Your mentor might be able to shield you from blame, but what about the rest of us?"

"Once General Tann becomes the supreme commander, you will all receive..."

“It’s ‘if’ General Tann could become the Supreme Commander,” Raine corrected seriously. “Remember, the ‘Flanking Maneuver’ has two phases. The first phase is to manipulate the overall strategic situation to force Parliament to establish the position of Supreme Commander; the second phase is to persuade Parliament that it must be Severn Tann who takes the position… There are too many things that could go wrong in the second phase.”

“We will succeed,” Vinok said with the unwavering resolve characteristic of Jedi. “This plan cannot fail. The Force will…”

“You can’t predict the outcome,” Raine interrupted him, her tone leaving no room for argument. “I’m sorry, but I can’t rely on the Force as much as you do. I have to be fully prepared in case our new Supreme Commander ultimately succumbs to pressure from the Council, or… something even worse.”

Raine's voice was calm and firm: "The Peremian Alliance is our insurance against that situation. In any case, Severn Tann must take that position."

Ryan knew exactly what "worse situation" meant.

But he would never allow that to happen.

Vinok unconsciously stroked his beard: "I still don't understand how this alliance can do this."

“Think for yourself,” Ryan emphasized again. “Listen, one of the apprentice’s responsibilities is to fill in the blind spots in the master’s vision. Severn Tann is undoubtedly a military genius, but she is used to thinking from a grand strategic perspective, sometimes ignoring the specific obstacles and human factors at hand. So far, all the strategies she has formulated…”

He paused again, then continued, “I don’t mean any offense, but unless you are Severn Tann himself, those plans seem simply… incomprehensible to the average person.”

Vinok was clearly taken aback by Ryan's blunt, even somewhat disrespectful, assessment.

Ryan dared to say this partly because Vinok was currently just a holographic image.

On the other hand, Vinok does not possess the Force ability to choke someone from a distance like Darth Vader.

“Without a doubt, she is an unparalleled strategic planner, but as frontline implementers, we are like engineers who must turn her outrageously complex blueprints into reality on the ever-changing battlefield,” Ryan continued to analyze. “Look at our current situation. In war, plans can never keep up with changes. General Tann’s plans are far more complex and risky than any rational staff officer could accept. They are… too impractical.”

“…She can foresee the future,” Vinok hesitated for a moment, but still revealed a little, “so those plans…will eventually succeed.”

The Force foresaw.

Renn knew about this.

This is not uncommon in the Star Wars universe.

Didn't Anakin Skywalker have a similar precognitive ability?

He pondered the significance of Vinok revealing this highly classified information.

However, he did not express any concern about it.

This is beyond his job responsibilities and is not a problem he needs to worry about for the time being.

If it really becomes a problem he has to face in the future, then it will be a trouble that Raine will have to deal with in the future.

“Really? I’m sorry, my duties don’t allow me to be as blindly confident as you are.” Ryan pointed out bluntly, “Neither you nor I have the capabilities of General Tann. We can’t decide what resources are needed to execute her strategy; we can only use everything we have to do our best to get her plan running.”

Politics and war are two different things. I'd bet my entire fortune that your master has never truly delved into the quagmire of politics. That's the only plausible explanation for her grand, yet somewhat naive, plan. Think about it carefully, and when you've figured out the right answer, come back and tell me.”

Vinok's hologram seemed to freeze for a moment: "How do I know if I'm right or wrong?"

“You’ll find out. Don’t you have the Force?” Raine’s tone was slightly teasing, but his eyes were serious. “Once you’ve taken that outpost for the Technological Alliance, come back to Simirs.”

After saying that, he cut off the communication without waiting for a response.

The notification tone indicating the end of communication sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet bridge.

Ryan subconsciously wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then straightened his body, which had been slightly leaning forward due to the long conversation, and took a deep breath, as if to exhale the pent-up emotions in his chest.

He stood up and strode to the front of the cockpit, taking a good look at his newly formed "white-handed" fleet through the enormous hemispherical viewing window of the "Repulsion".

Outside the window, the fleet's main warships had reached twenty-one.

And this number continues to climb, as his robotic forces are constantly "requisitioning" more and more unfinished hulls of varying construction progress from the shipyards in orbit around Metalon. These warships are untested, severely understaffed, and most lack even the basic systems needed to sustain their crews.

But in any case, they are now combat ships capable of firing and moving.

Most importantly, they must never fall into enemy hands.

The proximity sensor on the "Repel" suddenly emitted a sharp warning sound.

Looking up, Ryan saw the massive aircraft carrier-destroyer HMS Queen Belle slowly passing over HMS Repulse, its huge hull fully visible in his field of vision.

The ship's hull is adorned with meticulously painted dark green vine patterns that intertwine to form clusters of blooming roses and myrtle flowers, interspersed with decorations in the shape of flocks of silver-white doves and sparrows.

The soft golden light shining through the ship's portholes twinkled like fireflies on a summer night, making the entire design vivid and full of life.

The craftsman certainly didn't disappoint this time.

Raine's lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly.

At the same time, he heard Zinis's monotone synthesized voice reprimanding Captain TJ-912 of the "Beautiful Queen" on the communications channel, criticizing his dangerous piloting.

Since Xiaota was promoted to fleet commander and no longer just an adjutant, the staff has sent several tactical robots to supplement the manpower.

To Rein's slight surprise, TJ-912 was the one whose behavior pattern was closest to... or rather, the one that most liked to imitate organic life forms.

However, his actual tactical abilities still need to be tested in real combat.

On the other side of the fleet formation, the massive body of the "Flame Messenger" floated silently in the void, its outline faintly visible in the dim light of distant stars, carrying a silent sense of oppression.

Both HMS Queen Belle and HMS Crying Sun have appointed captains, but the position of HMS Flame Messenger remains vacant.

Perhaps... it should be given to Little Ta as a reward for his work during this time?

The consoles and repeaters emitted a continuous low hum, forming the background noise of the bridge.

Just then, a series of quick and light footsteps interrupted Renn's thoughts.

This rhythm is definitely not the heavy, rhythmic pace of a combat robot.

"What is it, Hal?" Renn asked without turning his head.

"Atlantis has surrendered to the Republic."

“This…” Renn turned around abruptly, a look of astonishment flashing across his face, “…Huh?”

This news was unexpected.

The Republic actually accepted it?

I've been too busy these past few days to keep up with Barris's situation in Atlas.

"Did Little Tower's report mention to whom they surrendered?"

“Anakin Skywalker.” Hal looked up, his rabbit ears perked up.

“Uh…” Renn was momentarily speechless, subconsciously raising his hand to rub his chin. “Anakin Skywalker…would accept surrender?”

His tone was filled with disbelief and disbelief.

Hal glanced down at the data panel in his hand, seemingly confirming the information, then looked up again: "Why can't he?"

Raine couldn't quite put her finger on the reason... Maybe it was because she had the impression that Anakin was more inclined to strike first and eliminate any threat at all?
For example, the Tusken Raiders, Count Dooku, and even... those Jedi Youngsters.

He found it difficult to associate Anakin with words like "soft-hearted" or "accepting surrender."

The initial purpose of sending Paris Orpheus to Atlantis was twofold: firstly, to temporarily divert her attention from the troublesome situation, and secondly, to push her further towards the separatist camp.

Sending Xiaota along was both to monitor her and to force the Republic to reveal its true colors.

In retrospect, this move worked.

But the surrender itself, and Anakin Skywalker's presence there, completely disrupted his predictions.

Of all the possibilities simulated by the 'Arena' tactical simulation system, the "open-loop" fleet should have launched its attack from the Peremian route.

"Connect to Xiaota and have him explain the details."

　Barring any unforeseen circumstances, updates will now be scheduled for 20:00 PM, with additional updates at unpredictable times.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)