After ending the communication with Lancis, Solo immediately contacted Yularen. "Admiral, this is Warrior Victor. I am now commanding the Space Combat Forces... How is our flagship holding up?"
"General Viktor!" Yularen's face twisted with anger, but he quickly reported, "The damage is less severe than initially feared. We'll be able to restore power soon. Fortunately, the main energy node and several backup nodes are hidden within the ship's special structural framework and escaped the Ion Pulse Cannon's fatal strike..."
"Good. Thank you," Solo said, a cold smile curling his lips. He knew this flagship well—it had stronger shields and more powerful armaments. "Admiral, I want those Separatists to know how foolish it was to attack us with that weapon!"
He switched the communication channel to combat mode and immediately issued his first order: "All Jedi Knights, Commanders, and Captains, this is Warrior Victor... All Hunter-class Star Destroyers, adjust your attack targets to the enemy Lucrehulk-class Communications Ships!"
On the communication screen, Yularen's face twisted with fury, his complexion pale, his hands clenched into tight fists.
"Absolutely no problem, General! Once the flagship restores its power, I'll personally lead the charge! I'll make them pay dearly for every minute our ships were immobilized!"
*How vicious...*
Yularen's initial rage from the surprise attack had gradually subsided.
In war, all tactics are permissible. The enemy's strategic combination was indeed worthy of admiration.
Moreover, this battle had never been a one-sided advantage. They had concentrated all their available forces under Meraji's command.
And Solo had nearly gathered all his available forces as well... except they hadn't fallen into his trap. Instead, they had made a daring, risky move.
The second and third lines of defense, though severely tested, had stubbornly held.
Those Confederate amphibious robots were probably now charging toward the nonexistent "Energy Generator."
When the Kaminoan General reported over the communication channel, he still believed the enemy intended to attack Kamino's underwater infrastructure.
But that's no problem. The Separatists will have their own "hosts" to welcome them.
Solo's priority now was to end this battle once and for all by destroying their flagship weapon.
Considering how they had completely overhauled the Defiant-class ship to accommodate that cannon, and how its power systems couldn't withstand sustained fire, it wasn't like Grievous's Conqueror-class heavy cruiser, the Venomfang, which could launch rapid, devastating assaults.
In the short term, the Separatists had no hope of launching a second attack like that.
Based on his calculations, the modified ship would need at least six hours, possibly more, to recharge and fire again without self-destructing.
But Solo wouldn't give them that chance.
The fighter squadrons he had summoned were now launching one by one from the atmosphere.
"Master Gallia, do you copy?" Solo contacted Jedi Master Adi Gallia. Her Tholothian image nodded on the comms screen. "Order all squadrons to engage. Turn to target... Attack the Separatist flagship, the Defiant-class! Leave only the minimum necessary forces to defend our ships! Green Squadron, form up with me."
"Good, General Viktor."
"Blue Squadron, Orange Squadron, Red Squadron, Pink Squadron," Gallia called out quickly. "Jardin, we're initiating the attack."
"General, want to make a bet?" Jardin's voice came over the comms channel, tinged with playful banter. "Whoever sinks the enemy flagship gets the credit!"
"Jardin, don't get too greedy," Gallia sighed helplessly, then turned to Solo. "He's always like this!"
"Destroying the enemy flagship is the Jedi's honor," Solo stated directly. "Jardin, you remind me of my apprentice, Ahsoka."
"Haha... Master, just you wait!"
"He's truly beyond redemption," Gallia sighed again, then issued a serious order. "All unmentioned squadrons... provide cover for our ships. No mistakes!"
"Then... we've delayed long enough." Solo tightened his grip on the control stick, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Corps, transition to counterattack!"
Behind him, Green Squadron completed their formation.
His Delta-7 starfighter led the charge, followed closely by clone trooper-piloted A-wing fighters, slicing through space like a sharp blade toward the Separatist flagship.
This wasn't the Y-wing bomber-dependent assault strategy Anakin had used in the animated series. Y-wings were still in the early stages of mass production, prioritized for frontline units in desperate need. Solo's System Army hadn't yet received any, forcing them to rely on standard fighters for the attack.
"Green Three to all hands, S-wings switch to combat mode," the squadron commander's voice crackled over the comms channel.
Gallia's fighter battalion was commanded by Jardin of Black Squadron, who also served as commander of the Eighth Fighter Legion. His elite clone pilots were said to be the cream of the clone pilot crop, with the potential to become top aces in the future, though they still lacked combat experience.
Green Squadron, under Jardin's command, was led by the clone officer Acko.
"General Viktor, we're ready to follow. Awaiting your orders," Acko's steady voice rang out.
"Maintain formation and advance steadily," Solo ordered, his voice steady as he quickly scanned the enemy flagship's data. "According to our analysis, their Ion Pulse Cannon won't be operational for hours, possibly even a day. No need to panic. We'll breach their defenses directly and saturate them with proton torpedoes. Pink Squadron, slice in along the arc and take out their Shield Generator. Watch out for anti-air fire... The Confederate ships are heavily armed with low-power cannons. Don't underestimate them."
"Master, I'm in position!" Ahsoka's excited voice came over the comms channel. Her Delta-7 starfighter circled nimbly beside the formation, its red paint scheme particularly conspicuous against the starry backdrop. "Leave those Mon Calamari fighters to me. I won't interfere with the main attack on the flagship!"
Solo could imagine her antennae swaying slightly with the fighter's movements. The girl was always eager to be at the forefront, though impulsive, she never strayed beyond the tactical boundaries he set.
"General Viktor, I've completed the energy fluctuation analysis," a Clone Trooper officer reported. "The unstable voltage not only limits the main gun's rate of fire, but also prevents their standard weapons from operating at full capacity. However, their ship's shields are still functioning normally."
"Then prioritize taking out their shields," Master Gallia's voice chimed in. "We've detected enemy ships converging on the flagship, and fighters are launching... They're Mon Calamari models. Both the flagship and a Lucrehulk-class ship show launch signatures. We've taken down these types before."
Solo's gaze locked onto an amphibious fighter detaching from the Defiant-class flagship. His voice was resolute: "Meraji is leading them."
"Should we divert forces to intercept?" someone asked.
"Meraji will be shot down eventually. This is likely a feint to distract us from our objective." Solo rejected the suggestion outright while adjusting his fighter's posture. "All squadrons proceed as planned. Watch and mimic the maneuver patterns of the forward Jedi Commanders... Each squadron is led by a top-tier Jedi—the core combat power of Adi's Legion... Attack!"
"Roger! Red Squadron, with me—flank and contain!"
Ahsoka immediately responded, her fighter leading Red Squadron through a daring sideslip maneuver to evade several incoming energy blasts. Guided by her keen perception of the Force, she anticipated the trajectory of enemy fire, her fighter weaving through the hail of energy like a fish through water. Simultaneously, she precisely targeted the three most threatening Mon Calamari fighters.
"Ah, let these Mon Calamari taste the might of the Crimson Ghost!"
Following her Master's example, she named her Delta-7 fighter "Ghost" and gave herself the nickname "Crimson Ghost."
With her fighter's exceptional maneuverability, she weaved effortlessly through the enemy formations, precisely targeting the most threatening enemy fighters.
Her laser cannons fired in rapid succession, two crimson energy beams striking the engines of a target fighter. The enemy craft instantly lost control and exploded. Amidst the flying debris, she already had her fighter hurtling toward the second target.
"Roger!"
Anti-air fire instantly interwove into a dense curtain, red and green energy blasts tracing lethal trajectories through space.
But for Solo, the Force-endowed foresight made these attacks seem half a beat late. He could clearly perceive the trajectory of every energy blast. With a subtle push of his control stick, his Delta-7 evaded the incoming fire by a hair's breadth.
Not all Jedi possessed such reflexes; some of his comrades had already fallen to such intense fire...
"General Vaadge!"
A Clone Trooper's alarmed cry echoed over the comms channel.
The Jedi General leading Gold Squadron, along with his fighter, was struck simultaneously by multiple turbolaser cannons. His shields collapsed instantly, and the fighter erupted into a fireball, leaving no chance for evasive action.
"Stay calm!" Solo's voice, infused with the calming power of the Force, was primarily directed at the surviving Jedi. "The clones have stabilized the line. We can't let our comrades' sacrifices distract us."
"Everyone, steady!" Ahsoka's voice rang out, carrying the resolve and infectious determination of youth. "Focus our firepower on one target! No individual actions!"
She piloted the Ghost into a sharp climb, then dove nearly vertically into the swarm of enemy fighters. The fighter's antennae pressed against the fuselage from the force of the maneuver.
Facing a pincer attack from two enemy fighters, she slammed the button on the control stick's side, launching a decoy flare to draw the rear fighter's fire. At the same time, she rolled her fighter, and her laser cannons precisely struck the cockpit of the leading enemy fighter. A sharp turn allowed her to weave through the debris of the exploding fighter, then she finished off the distracted enemy fighter still locked onto the decoy flare. "Master, I've got most of the enemy fighters occupied. You can focus on taking out the shield generator!"
"Warrior Victor, this is Pork O'Warrior of the Notolan Jedi," the voice of one of the Republic's top pilots rang out. "I've followed your orders to approach along the arc, but we've encountered a Separatist fighter ambush. Engaging now."
"Leave two of your men to hold them off. You take the squadron and attack the shield generator," Solo ordered, yanking the control stick. His fighter dove at a nearly vertical angle, leading Green Squadron toward the lower hemisphere of the Defiant-class ship. "They had to move the shield generator to the hull surface to accommodate the ion cannon. It's poorly defended. We have to take it out first if we want to sink this ship for good!"
"General, Separatist fighters are closing in from ahead!"
"Here they come."
Solo's eyes narrowed as he pressed the turbolaser cannon trigger.
Two beams of blue energy struck the incoming Separatist Droid Fighters head-on, reducing them to debris in an instant.
Clearly, not all the enemy fighters had been sent to attack the Republic flagship. They still had enough forces left to protect their own core ships.
But Solo wasn't about to let them succeed.
The squadron swiftly spread out into an attack formation, engaging enemy fighters while maintaining a lock on the "Defiant-class" ship, which was already racked with sporadic explosions.
Under relentless assault, the shield generator flickered with unstable light before finally going dark.
"Shields down!" someone shouted.
At that moment, two explosions echoed from behind as enemy fire struck two fighters from Green Squadron, reducing them to ash.
"All fighters, fire proton torpedoes! Target... the ion cannon emplacement!" Solo roared, maneuvering his fighter to evade a close-range energy blast while pressing the fire button.
The Clone Troopers followed suit, their proton torpedoes streaking toward their target, trailing white flames.
Despite the frigate's defensive fire and the intercepting enemy fighters, which destroyed four fighters—Green Squadron lost one, Orange Squadron lost two, and a Jedi Knight was killed—the remaining torpedoes proved unstoppable.
At this range, the massive Defiant-class ship had no chance to evade. Without its shields, the torpedoes struck the terrifying Ion Pulse Cannon directly.
A violent explosion erupted at the bow of the enemy ship. The intense light pierced through the cockpit canopy, blinding the pilots, and the shockwave's oscillations could be felt even in the vacuum of space.
"Record for the kill is mine!" Ahsoka roared triumphantly over the comms channel as she piloted her Droid Fighter out of the blast zone. "Oh yeah, blow it to smithereens!"
Her attack was textbook precision. The moment before the shockwave expanded, Ahsoka executed a tight barrel roll, narrowly avoiding debris while guiding the proton torpedo along the ion cannon's energy conduit, ensuring a direct hit on the core.
As her fighter swept through the explosion zone, she fired her turbolaser cannons, destroying the enemy turret attempting to activate its backup weapons. Her antennae twitched upward in victory, her face radiating the brash pride of a young warrior after a triumph. "Well, Master? I told you I could handle it!"
Her voice brimmed with uncontainable pride, yet she maintained the perfect balance of respect for her place.
Solo shook his head helplessly. She always loved stealing credit for the final blow, but now wasn't the time to quibble.
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 10+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon