In the Base's rest area, Sumelagi Lee Nolle hurried over to her friend. "Grace, I'm so glad to see you!"
The two girls embraced tightly, while behind them, Lichtendal Cherry and Chris Miro shook hands.
"That mission of yours was quite dangerous," Lichtendal remarked.
"It was more than dangerous—it was a near-death experience," Grace O'Connor said, pulling away from Sumelagi, her voice still tinged with lingering fear. "We barely finished the escort mission and rushed straight to Kamino, but the most perilous part was the London mission. Did you see the news? We almost became Separatist captives."
"I saw it. It was indeed harrowing," Lichtendal interjected. "On Kamino, Sumelagi nearly threw up."
"Grace was about the same," Lichtendal added, raising an eyebrow meaningfully at Chris. "What about those precious drinks you were saving?"
"They're all gone," Ensign Chris sighed.
The men exchanged a knowing glance.
TX-07 boarded the bridge of the Providence-class warship, and a cold electronic voice announced, "Fleet, prepare for hyperspace jump to coordinates A-4-4-E-3-1-7-6."
"Roger, Commander," the Captain's robotic voice replied. "Estimated flight time: sixteen hours, seven minutes, thirty-one seconds."
TX-07 moved to its designated position before the Captain's chair, maintaining perfect precision and order, as befitting a T-series tactical droid.
Not long ago, the Republic had launched a series of daring raids on Confederacy-controlled territories. TX-07 had been recalled from the front lines to defend a critical planet.
But the expected follow-up attacks never materialized, leaving it temporarily idle.
It wasn't until the Confederacy Command recovered from its shock and took the initiative that TX-07 received a new mission.
This time, the objective was to seize a fuel factory within a Republic-controlled star system.
To achieve this, they had to destroy the Republic base on the surface of Donovia.
The "meatbag" clone troopers' defenses were remarkably sturdy. To counter this, Command allocated six Lucrehulk-class battleships, each carrying a million battle droids as the invasion force. Seventeen Munificent-class frigates would escort the transport ships.
Unfortunately, orbital bombardment was impossible. Donovia Base was equipped with powerful anti-orbital and anti-aircraft systems, protected by deflection shields. A ground assault was the only viable option.
Four brand-new T-series tactical droids would command the ground forces, while TX-07 remained in orbit to provide fire support.
Its core processor rapidly calculated the probabilities.
The Donovia Fleet had recently received reinforcements and adopted a more aggressive combat style. However, based on current data projections, the Republic's chance of victory stood at only sixteen percent, while the Confederacy's plan had an eighty-four percent success rate.
"The Republic Army will be utterly defeated," TX-07 declared.
The tactical droid's electronic eyes glowed crimson.
Rinuan stood on the flagship's bridge, gazing down at the wreckage of the battleships in orbit around the planet.
Hours earlier, a fierce battle had raged here. The Republic Fleet had destroyed four Confederacy battleships, their wreckage now slowly descending into the planet's atmosphere.
"Commander, we've just received an emergency transmission from Donovia. They've detected a Confederacy reconnaissance unit," a Clone Trooper operator reported, rushing forward and handing Rinuan a data pad.
"A reconnaissance unit?" Rinuan frowned deeply. "Small units wouldn't be specifically tasked with reconnaissance. This means the Confederacy is preparing for a large-scale offensive."
He immediately issued orders: "Send a reply to Donovia. We'll arrive to support them within twenty-four hours. We must beat the Separatists there and give them a surprise."
Leo Church leaned wearily back in her seat on the interstellar passenger ship, her mind consumed by worries. The Pantoran Council had summoned her back to report, and she knew what awaited her: more complaints from officials. But she had already done everything she could.
She had managed to meet with Chancellor Palpatine in person to explain Pantora's dire defense situation. But the Speaker could only express that the Republic Army was stretched thin and had no troops to spare. He merely promised, "We will provide assistance to Pantora as soon as we have the opportunity."
Church held little hope for that promise.
The Jedi, Solo Victor, had promised to help after the Battle of Kamino. But as she thought about the Senate's treacherous politics and the cruelty of war, the girl's hope gradually faded.
In Donovia orbit, four Gozanti-class transport ships slowly ascended into space.
They were embarking on a eleven-day journey to Pantora.
Initially, Solo had rejected the idea of a purely robotic crew. Robots lacked the adaptability needed for long voyages, where unexpected incidents were common.
In the end, he assembled eight-member clone crews for each transport ship from idle clone troopers at the base, soldiers recovering from minor injuries, and technicians temporarily without vehicles to operate. These crews would also serve as boarding inspection teams. The cargo holds were loaded with 112 B-1 battle droids for defensive assistance.
Solo appointed ARC-56, an Alpha-class clone, as overall commander, giving him clear orders:
Upon reaching Pantora, prioritize contacting Senator Church or the Pantoran Council. Then, patrol the satellite's orbit, assisting in defense.
He also prepared a special letter for the Pantoran people, explaining that this support unit had been dispatched at Senator Church's request and pleading for them to provide the clone troopers with necessary supplies and food.
No one at the base questioned Solo's orders. The army was commanded by the Jedi Order, and whenever the "Warrior Order's mission" was mentioned, the clone troopers would silently carry it out.
"I hope the plan goes smoothly!"
But Solo had a premonition that this matter might cause trouble later. He shook his head and dismissed the thought.
Elizabeth Mary-Novell stormed into the barracks with purposeful strides.
Ever since their "Valiant Boys" battalion arrived on Donovia, the militia had only left the base for a few patrol missions. The rest of the time, they were stationed at fixed guard posts within the base.
No one wanted to wander through the desolate, uncivilized mountain forests.
Fortunately, the local natives were friendly and even supplied the Republic with meat and fruits. No one knew how the Jedi General had negotiated this arrangement, but the fact remained: the days were unbearably dull.
After the novelty of the first few days wore off, the battalion split into two factions: those who spent their days in a stupor, and those who huddled together playing sabacc.
Her commander, Colonel El Jensen, was sprawled lazily on the bed, clearly belonging to the former group.
"El Jensen, get off the bed immediately!"
"What's the rush?" The Colonel rolled over, his voice languid.
"The Command is holding an emergency meeting."
"Mary, you can go. You're the Chief of Staff—handle it yourself. I've got better things to do." He grinned, exaggerating a yawn.
"Always the same! You dump all the paperwork on me, a helpless girl!"
"Correction: you're not helpless, and you're certainly not—"
"Shut up."
"Already shut."
The other officers in the barracks roared with laughter, watching their commander bicker.
Mary-Novell dramatically raised her chin and turned away with affected pride.
As she reached the door, she glanced back. "Gregory, aren't you coming?"
"What's the point? We're still responsible for base security, just like before. You want to go play in the trenches?"
"Uh, never mind, thanks!"
"Then I don't see what you're complaining about, Elizabeth. So stop disturbing your Commander's sleep."
"Yes, Commander!"
The officers chorused in unison.
"What a bunch of clowns," El Jensen muttered, turning over to continue sleeping.
Ento Ragnos was in a good mood.
This Zabrak not only served as the captain of the Dingyuan, but also commanded the entire fleet of seven warships.
Previously, multiple Separatist attacks on Donovia and the Fuel Factory had been repelled, and now General Viktor had finally returned to Donovia.
But with the General's return came new challenges.
According to intelligence obtained by the General, the Separatists were likely to launch a large-scale offensive soon. Additionally, the General had requested the assignment of two young officers to his headquarters to assist with operations.
Ragnos let out a barely perceptible sigh.
He was well aware of Ensign Sumelagi Lee Nolle's potential, but also understood that ground operations were far more complex. The General clearly wanted to fully mobilize all available resources to ensure mission success.
"Captain, you summoned us?" Li Norega and Warrant Officer Miro entered the Command Room side by side, saluting.
"You've been reassigned to General Viktor's Headquarters. Pack your belongings immediately. A shuttle is standing by in Hangar Three."
"Yes, Captain!" they replied in unison.
No sooner had they left than a Clone Trooper Warrant Officer hurried over. "Commander, the Arsenin is requesting communication. Captain Falk wishes to speak with you."
"Connect to the main screen."
Having worked together for years, Lagnos and Falk were well-acquainted. They often engaged in in-depth discussions on tactical deployments and political situations.
"Lagnos, what's the situation?" Falk's figure appeared clearly on the screen.
"The General believes the Separatists are preparing a large-scale assault—you know we detected enemy reconnaissance activity earlier."
"What? What should we do?" Falk's tone turned serious.
"The plan isn't finalized yet, but the initial proposal is for us to withdraw from Donovia's orbit, rendezvous with you, and jointly protect the Fuel Factory."
"What about the ground forces?"
"They'll hold their positions until reinforcements arrive. We've already sent a distress signal to Military District Command."
"Good to hear reinforcements are coming," Falk sighed in relief.
On the frigid planet surface, the permafrost was as hard as iron.
Asajj Ventress sidestepped the dying Jedi's desperate counterattack. The Jedi's corpse crashed heavily to the ground, its lightsaber slipping from its lifeless grip.
Not far away, the Jedi Apprentice lay convulsing, clutching his lightsaber tightly, his body frozen like an ice sculpture, his eyes filled with terror and fury.
Ventress twirled her double-bladed lightsaber in her hand.
This was a new weapon she had assembled to replace the one Solo had stolen. The crimson blade glimmered with a bloodthirsty gleam in the cold air.
Exhaling a cloud of white vapor, she taunted mockingly, "I can sense your fear and anger. You want to avenge your Master, don't you?"
The insectoid humanoid let out a series of frenzied clicks and charged at her.
A cold smile curled Ventress's lips. "Too easy."
A minute later, she stepped over the corpse, the red lightsaber slowly fading to darkness.
The waves of fear and despair emanating from the Force filled her with a sense of satisfaction.
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