As the Dawn Blossom prepared to exit hyperspace near Lantilles, Solo stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ahsoka on the bridge, gazing at the torrent of stars streaming before them.
"Master, something feels wrong," the Togruta girl suddenly said, gripping his arm with an anxious tone.
After the grueling battle at Donovia, Solo was mentally exhausted, and the hyperspace journey hadn't fully restored him.
In that moment, he immediately focused, his Force perception extending outward.
The vague sense of danger suddenly intensified. He collapsed to one knee, a suffocating pressure crushing his chest.
"General!"
Captain Jejerod immediately sprang into action, rushing forward.
"Captain, execute a hard right turn! Accelerate to twenty! Rotate forty-five degrees along the axis! All turbolaser turrets, enter combat status!"
Solo's voice was hoarse but resolute.
"Follow orders! All hands, execute immediately!" Jejerod roared, lunging toward the console to personally take control of the ship.
The torrent of starlight suddenly froze. On the observation screen before them, an epic scene unfolded.
A Bastion-class battleship was hurtling toward them out of control.
More than half of its port side had been torn away, its turbolaser turrets either vaporized or detached. Smoke poured from the battered hull. Had it turned even a second later, it would have collided head-on with the Dawn Blossom.
Fortunately, Jejerod's precise and timely maneuvering allowed the ship to narrowly avoid the collision. The massive enemy vessel roared past the Dawn Blossom's port side.
"Fire!" Solo roared, his eyes fixed on the colossal starship on the screen.
"Commander! The squadron has arrived in Lantilles orbit!" an operator reported simultaneously.
The turbolaser turrets roared to life, followed by the six laser cannons.
But the Bastion-class battleship was incredibly fast, remaining within range for only a fleeting moment. It sustained only minor damage—some armor scraped off and a few new holes in its already battered hull—before completely escaping the range of their weapons.
Solo sighed in relief and turned his attention to the observation screen. In Lantilles orbit, a fierce battle was unfolding: approximately forty Separatist vessels were locked in a brutal clash with twenty Republic Fleet ships and thirty Lantilles-native "Dreadnought-class" warships. The glow of laser cannons and the plasma fire from exploding ships intertwined in a chaotic curtain of light in space.
"All ships, this is your commander!" Solo stood up, his arm sweeping as he projected a resolute will through the Force to the entire fleet. "Assume A-4 combat formation! Flank the enemy ship cluster on the right from the rear! Light frigates, protect the formation's rear! Launch all fighters!"
"Understood, Commander!" The ships' communication channels responded in unison.
"Master! May I join the battle?" Ahsoka's eyes sparkled with combat fervor, her excitement making her nearly leap up.
This child has boundless energy, Solo thought to himself, but I can't keep sheltering her forever. He nodded. "Be careful! Lead Red Squadron to protect Dingyuan's flank!"
"Protection again?" The Togruta girl pursed her lips, her tone tinged with resentment.
"Liar! The enemy wouldn't give us extra time. Hurry up!"
"Yes, Master!" Ahsoka stopped complaining and dashed out of the bridge toward the fighter bay.
"Commander, aren't you going to pilot a fighter?" Jejerod asked.
Solo replied, "In this situation, it's more useful for me to stay on the bridge and coordinate. How's the communication?"
"Commander, Admiral Foka's communication request has been received!" Miro turned around from the communication console.
"Connect immediately!"
On the holographic display, a slightly jittering image of a middle-aged man appeared, his voice choppy and full of static: "—Admiral! Requesting—support! Urgent—aid!"
"Admiral? Can you hear me clearly?" Solo shouted.
"Communication—interfered! Enemy flagship—attacking—core defenses!" The transmission cut off before he could finish.
The operator reported, "Commander! The enemy is jamming our transmissions across all frequencies!"
"Roger that." Solo felt a growing urgency. As the war in the galaxy intensified, his desire to improve himself grew stronger.
There was no choice but to attack.
"Attention! Enemy ship cluster approaching!" Lagnos shouted.
Solo glanced at the tactical display. His three Acclamator-class attack ships were in a wedge formation, with Dingyuan at the apex, Beacon to the left, and Hunter to the right. Star Falcon and Starbreaker circled behind the formation on watch, while Dawn Blossom remained at the center, providing fire support.
Their target was locked onto: one of the Separatist's two ship clusters, centered around four Lucrehulk-class warships, escorted by six Munificent-class frigates.
Though the enemy outnumbered them, they were currently engaged with over a dozen Lantilles-class Dreadnoughts, balancing the combat power.
Their only disadvantage lay in the Separatists' overwhelming fighter superiority—a tactic they always relied on.
"Captain," Solo asked, "where are the control stations for the bow turbo laser turrets?"
Jejerod pointed to the station on the left. "That's for the left turret. The right turret's controls are at the station on the other side."
"Can you transfer control of both turrets to this station?"
"Alright, the ship's design supports single-point control of both turrets."
"Good."
Solo effortlessly jumped down from the two-meter-high passage and patted a Clone Trooper Ensign on the shoulder. "Alright, Ensign, move over."
The Clone Trooper sprang up and handed his communication headset to Solo.
He settled into the operator's seat, put on the headset, and gripped the control stick.
On the small screen before him, the targeting crosshair and various parameters were clearly displayed. The right control stick handled horizontal and vertical targeting, while the left controlled the zoom of the targeting scope.
"Commander, control of both bow turbo laser turrets has been transferred to you."
Alright, let's fire!
Solo silently willed.
"All ships, free fire!" Jejerod's command echoed across the bridge.
The Venator-class's armament was remarkably balanced: eight dual-barrel heavy turbolaser cannons, five single-barrel heavy turbolaser cannons, supplemented by numerous laser cannons and proton torpedo tubes. The concentrated firepower at the bow allowed for both all-around coverage and overwhelming frontal assaults.
Solo closed his eyes, entering a meditative state, merging his Force perception with the turret's targeting system.
He subtly adjusted the control stick, timed his shot, and squeezed the trigger. Four scorching beams of dual-barrel turbolaser fire roared toward the enemy ship.
"Too far left—the enemy ship's turning right—"
Sensing the enemy's evasive maneuver through the Force, Solo quickly adjusted his parameters and fired again.
The Republic fleet's task force closed in at full speed. The Separatist Munificent-class frigates turned to intercept, while the four Lucrehulk-class warships, already facing them sideways, unleashed their broadsides.
The fierce battle erupted instantly.
Hundreds of turbolaser beams crisscrossed in space. Enemy fire struck the Dawn Blossom's deflector shield, sending ripples of energy radiating outward. The Republic's return fire was no less intense, pounding the enemy ships' shields relentlessly.
Simultaneously, fighters swarmed out of the hangar and joined the chaotic fray.
Ahsoka's red Ghost, leading Red Squadron, circled the Dawn Blossom with a dozen LAAT/i assault transports, fiercely driving off harassing Vulture droid fighters.
"Yellow One, enemy bombers incoming from above!"
"Blue Leader, requesting backup!"
"Green One, en route to Sector Two now!"
The comms channel crackled with urgent calls from fighter pilots.
Commander Bram strode onto the bridge and quipped, "Captain, you're having quite the party here!"
"We've encountered a Separatist task force and are assisting the Randtilles Fleet in defense," Jejerod replied, nodding toward the holographic display.
On the screen, Ahsoka's fighter swooped past the bridge, nimbly evading the fire of a Vulture droid fighter before shooting it down in a single, deft maneuver.
"Commander Tano is quite the fighter," Bram remarked with a nod of approval. "What about the General?"
"He's manning the turbolaser cannon," Jejerod said, pointing toward Solo.
"How's the battle going?"
"So far—" Rajjerod began, but Solo's furious shout cut him off.
"Hit! Damn it, right through the core!"
Both men turned to the observation screen. A Munificent-class frigate suddenly pitched downward, thick smoke billowing from its bridge.
"Direct hit on the enemy ship's bridge!" the observer shouted. "The ship's out of control!"
The crippled frigate plummeted, its stern sinking and bow rising, exposing its weakly armored underside.
The Republic ships seized the opportunity, concentrating their fire. Moments later, the frigate exploded into fragments.
The Dawn Blossom and the other Republic ships pressed their advantage, gradually overwhelming the Separatist deflector shields.
Before long, the remaining Separatist vessels began to retreat. The Republic fleet succeeded in destroying another Munificent-class frigate and heavily damaging the hangar bay of a Lucrehulk-class ship.
Solo removed his headphones and walked over to Bram and Jejerod. "We've driven off the tin cans. Now it's time to report to the repair dock."
Jejerod nodded toward the damaged ships in orbit. "It's not just us. The other Republic ships are badly damaged too."
After retrieving their fighters, Solo and his team headed straight for Lantilles.
Once the ship docked in orbit, they transferred to a shuttle and flew to Sector Command. With communications still down, they had to report the situation in person.
As soon as they arrived at Headquarters, they learned the cause of the communication breakdown: Separatist assault robots had destroyed the planet's communication nodes.
Governor Terben turned livid during the all-hands meeting, venting his anger in front of everyone. "The Separatists chose their attack timing brilliantly! Commander Rinuan's fleet was urgently redeployed to the Rosh Sector, and Tirimak's fleet won't arrive for hours. We were all drunk on Kamino's victory, and now we're paying the price!"
He glared at the head of the Intelligence Department. "Didn't you receive any advance warning? With the communication nodes destroyed, we'll be cut off from Coruscant for at least two days!"
"There were no warning signs, Commander," the intelligence officer replied, head bowed.
"I'm giving you 24 hours to restore communications!" Terben roared, his gaze sweeping across the room before settling on Solo. "General Viktor, what happened to the fuel factory?"
"It was destroyed during the attack," Solo replied calmly.
"Damn it! That was their own factory, worth a fortune!" Terben strode to the tactical display and activated the galaxy's holographic map. "This doesn't fit their modus operandi at all."
After a moment's thought, Solo explained, "The Separatist fleet is commanded by a Tactical Droid. It likely determined that destroying the factory was the optimal decision."
"Bullshit decision!" Terben spat. "What were your losses?"
"One freighter, all the fuel reserves in the factory, and a Lantilles-class Dreadnought. We also suffered significant casualties and equipment losses."
"Bullshit!" Terben cursed again, waving his hand dismissively. "General, have your ships land at Landing Pad Six. Deploy your personnel to the barracks and queue your ships for repairs. We can't reach the Jedi Council right now, so rest and stand by."
"What about replenishing our forces?" Solo pressed.
"We'll discuss that later!" Terben waved impatiently. "Wait for the Council's instructions. You'll be reporting directly to them. We've got enough problems as it is—Diado has fallen, the situation in the Rosh Sector is unclear, and the Separatists have gone berserk since their defeat on Kamino. It seems our sector isn't the only one suffering."
That's strange, Solo thought. Normally they'd be hiding and rebuilding their fleet, not launching reckless attacks.
He turned to Lagnos and Jejerod. "Captains, you've heard the orders."
"General, may we proceed?"
"Proceed."
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