Mirrthful
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Chapter 49
🕑 Added 2024-03-31 15:14:05 +0000 UTCSululluub Asteroid Field, Sullust System
Brema Sector
“We have received another transmission from Admiral Trench,” Tuff informed.
“Good news?” I asked hopefully.
“Negative. Our standing orders are still in effect,” a note of disappointment was produced by the droid’s artificial personality, “We are not to engage with the enemy until Operation Storm-Door commences.”
Hope shrivelled into a confused frown, “You did remember to tell him that the enemy is engaging us, right?”
“I have briefed the Admiral with all the necessary information, including the state of our forces and all actions that have transpired in the last sixty-one system hours,” the droid replied, “This is our third request for orders to engage. Admiral Trench has shown every indication of maintaining his stance.”
–And his stance was the Office of the General’s stance, which in other words meant the Pantoran. Before the Supreme Commander affair, Trench and Tann were the two most reputable officers in the Separatist Alliance. Pillars, you could say, holding up the Confederacy’s military, and as we are at war, thus the Confederacy itself. That naturally meant a rivalry, one perhaps tinged by mutual respect, but still persists to this day.
The reason for which? There were still two prevalent groups of officers in the CAF. Those formerly on corporatist payrolls, and those on federal payrolls. The Militia Act had by and large eliminated the former, mandating the latter nation-wide, but there was still a noticeable difference in culture between one and the other.
Sev’rance Tann may be the Supreme Commander now, but Trench still had the ear of a not insignificant fraction of the CAF. The point I’m getting at is that if Trench and Tann aren’t on the same page, the CAF would not be operating as smoothly as it currently wass.
In other words, Trench wouldn’t so blindly enforce Tann’s ‘standing orders’ unless he himself personally agreed with her.
I breathed out.
So is this all part of the plan? I could only suspect.
It has been sixty-one system hours since that initial bloodless skirmish, and Jedi General Rees Alrix has attacked us two more times. Three skirmishes. Three messages to the Admiral begging for permission to attack and wipe them out. Three rejections.
It was actually infuriating, how obvious Alrix’s play was, and how we were unable to respond due to–what I assume, at least–greater strategic concerns. For sixty-one system hours, I could almost see the cogs turning in her head as she methodically tore apart our situation like a noir detective, sussing out every detail that made us tick.
See, I had made a mistake, sixty-one system hours ago. We did not know why General Alrix had targeted the Auxiliary Division; we didn’t even know if that was her intent at all. In preparation for her attack, we had taken every precaution. Not only had we moved our main battle line forward by fifty-five million klicks, we also left the Auxiliary Division in the middle of an asteroid field, guarded by over an additional hundred warships. An attack on the auxiliaries shouldn’t have even existed in the realm of possibility.
Who would take that risk, for five unassuming converted bulkers? Who would spend a hundred veteran warships for that?
Alrix did anyway.
We think Alrix did anyway. And that was the problem, we soon realised. There was no exaggerating the importance of the ‘6th Auxiliary Division. Not only was it the fulcrum for Operation Starlance, it was also a cornerstone of Operation Storm-Door on the Rimma Trade Route. So when Alrix fixed her intercept on the auxiliaries and charged, we flinched.
Because our plan was blatantly obvious from the start; allow Alrix to come to us, and encircle her forces. She must have known that as well. For all we knew, her insane charge was simply a test to gauge our reaction, with no intent to actually follow through. Whatever the reason, we gave her an answer.
Because we flinched. I gave the order to prioritise the defence of our auxiliaries. We abandoned our strategy to encircle, and pivoted into a defensive line ahead.
And that confirmed her suspicions. Because we were slated for a crushing victory. Even if Alrix had followed through and smashed straight through us, the ultimate result would have been her fleet being caught isolated in the black, between two Separatist forces. We could have easily adapted and envelop her anyway, completely destroying the one major obstacle in our path without Storm-Door even starting.
Except the risk to our auxiliaries was too great. Taskforce Conciliator still wielded nine Tector-class Star Destroyers and sixty Venator-class battlecruisers. Enough firepower in both capital ships and starfighters to pose a real threat to our rearguard. By the time our main battle line has reversed and caught up… even a single auxiliary being lost would cut down our chances of success in future campaigns by a fifth.
Sixteen system hours later, Taskforce Conciliator launched their second attack. Alrix split her force into half a dozen squadrons and dispersed them across the star system, keeping her main formation between us and Sullust In the first skirmish, we had flinched, raising Rees Alrix’s suspicions–now she wanted to confirm those suspicions.
For the next eighteen system hours, we suffered raids and skirmishes all across the Sululluub Asteroid Field. She prodded different sections of the 28th Mobile Fleet, gauging our reaction each time and slowly building up a case. This effectively forced us to withdraw all the way back to the asteroid belt, creating a cordon around the ‘6th Auxiliary Division as she struck from different directions.
It was then she all but confirmed that the ‘6th Auxiliary Division was truly the linchpin the 28th Mobile Fleet pivoted around. After all, the ‘6th was what put ‘Mobile’ in ‘Mobile Fleet.’ Every time she pressured the position of the ‘6th, we would redeploy in force, slowly but surely retreating the auxiliaries deeper into the asteroid field.
In that time, she realised the second thing; we weren’t going on the offensive. When she split her force, she opened up a massive weakness. We could have surged out, crushing each squadron in detail. But we didn’t. We were under standing orders not to. But she didn’t know that, and with her suspicions raised, she wanted to confirm that too.
Twelve system hours later, Task Force Conciliator sallied out a third time. But this time, she didn’t adopt any formation. In fact, she adopted the antithesis to ‘formation.’ As if mocking us, she deployed each of her ships in isolated groups of two to three, parading them just outside the Sululluub Asteroid Field. She tested our limits, like dipping her toes into gryzard infested waters, trying to figure out exactly how close she could get without us attacking.
She got her answer when she came within five-million klicks of the asteroid field, when Horgo Shive’s ‘2nd Strike Division struck out with the speed of a viper, destroying a cruiser and two corvettes in the blink of an eye. She withdrew again, after that.
After all three skirmishes, we immediately requested orders to attack. Jedi General Alrix was, after all, slowly but steadily discovering the true purpose of the ‘6th Auxiliary Division. We had already intercepted multiple outgoing transmissions requesting reinforcements from nearby Loyalist taskgroups. Our situation was deteriorating by the hour. Taskforce Conciliator had discovered our fatal weakness, and mercilessly exploiting our inability to attack, flipped the battlefield on its head.
Taskforce Conciliator had the upper hand against an opponent four times their size. And infuriatingly, in all three skirmishes, she used insane tactics that should have never had succeeded, if not for the chains bound around our hands.
It has been fifteen system hours since then.
Horgo Shive contacted me.
“Alrix is out in force again,” the Muun Commodore reported, “She’s headed right for us with her entire fleet.”
I shared a look with my tactical droid, before breathing out slowly, “What mad strategy is she going to employ this time?”
“She’s already employing it, Admiral,” Shive possessed a tone one would have observing an exotic animal in a menagerie, “She’s coming at us through the asteroid field.”
Despite myself, a note of astonishment dropped from my tongue, “She’s actually doing it?”
⁂
Commodore Kendal Ozzel observed the tactical display and deflector readout in tandem.
The Sululluub Asteroid Field was a vast thing, a torus-shaped belt orbiting the star in between Sullust and the gas giant Lununmo. It was there that the enemy had hidden their most protected assets; the five auxiliaries. Over the past sixty-one system hours, the Separatists have withdrawn deeper and deeper into the asteroid belt under the constant pressure of Taskforce Conciliator.
That alone was proof that the auxiliaries were key to their campaign. No other force would sacrifice so much, and risk so much, to protect some mere retrofitted merchantmen. Bringing bulkers into an asteroid field was bold enough. They didn’t have military-grade deflectors; all it took was a few fast moving asteroids slipping through their escorts to cripple them. Yet, they hazarded the threat anyway, all to create as much distance between them and Taskforce Conciliator.
After all, who would fight a battle in an asteroid field?
Kendal Ozzel grinned.
We would.
Over the last sixty-two hours, they had discovered two key objects of interest. First, the Separatists were prioritising the safety of their auxiliaries to an unbelievable degree. Second, they were unwilling, or unable, to go on the offensive. With both factors in mind, Taskforce Conciliator possessed an incredible advantage. They could choose the time of battle, they controlled the initiative, and they could set the siege.
“Deflectors holding steady, sir,” a technician notified.
“I’m not blind, ensign!” Ozzel snapped, “Look in front of us! Resilient’s division is shielding us from the asteroids! Our only priority at the moment is to remain untouched until the General gives the order.”
“Y-Yes sir.”
Intermittent flashes of blue light battered the polarised viewports. Turbolaser bolts, vaporising any asteroid that draws too close for comfort.
The Separatists have chosen their fortress cleverly. There was a clearing, deep within the asteroid belt, carved out by a derelict mining station, large enough to station the entirety of their fleet. From the clearing branched two winding corridors, each around 2,000,000 klicks long and 40,000 klicks wide, separated by a some hundred-degree angle transversely and thirty-degrees vertically, in which laid the tumultuous chaos of the Sululluub Asteroid Field.
In this nature, the Separatists only needed to defend two thin, navigable strings of space. And should Taskforce Conciliator push down one capillary, they can evacuate their auxiliaries through the other. The tunnel-shaped voids were originally excavated by the Sullustans, to access their old mining station–but now it was to be another battlefield of this ever expanding war. Even Ozzel had to admit, there was no better location to stage a defensive battle.
There were concerns among the staff, though it seems there always was some way or the other. It must be a Separatist trick, they say, the enemy most certainly awaits us with a trap–that is plain to see!
Ozzel had to remind them not to think so hard about it. No need to look at the guarlara in the mouth, as it were. The only thing they had to focus on was the destruction of the enemy fleet before their foe suddenly finds the will to attack.
They didn’t have to stress over the true purpose of the auxiliaries if said auxiliaries were scrap metal drifting on solar winds.
But the Separatists have chosen a location where we can’t trap them! They bickered loudly again. After all, a diameter of forty-thousand klicks was not too small to host opposing lines of battle. The Perlemian’s Coalition Armada, hamstrung by unknown forces as they were, still boasted many times their number. For Taskforce Conciliator to bear any possibility of breaking through one corridor, they must bring the full might of their fleet–which will allow the enemy to escape from the other exit.
No matter. The answer to this conundrum was obvious.
“Follow the General’s lead!” he roared, jabbing forward, “Deflectors to the bow; all ships, forward!”
Star Destroyer Imperious forged ahead at the head of nine Tectors and twelve Venators. Directly ahead of them, battlecruiser Resilient’s ice-blue ion drives sputtered, then roared, leading the way for two dozen Venators and a score of escorts–while on their starboard bow laid the main mass of the Sululluub Asteroid Belt. And on the opposite side of the belt, little over seven-million klicks starward, was the battlecruiser Statesman leading the remainder of Taskforce Conciliator.
Said answer was of course approaching down both corridors, trapping the enemy.
One of Imperious’ batteries thundered off, vaporising an asteroid that dared to slip Resilient’s reach.
Ozzel diverted his attention to the radiation scanners, and the fiery red blots piercing through the cool blues and blacks of lifeless rocks.
He would have preferred to be leading the vanguard, but the Jedi General had all nine of their battleships grouped together under his command. Even if he wasn’t privy to her exact plan–if she even had a plan–it was clear enough that his nine Tectors would be hammerblow to crush the Separatist menace once and for all. He only needed to be a little bit patient…
Still, there was that nagging feeling at the back of his head, that all was not what it seemed. Why did General Alrix split our fleet in two, for one, or three, counting my squadron. It couldn’t be as simple as trying to hit the enemy from two angles; the Separatists still boasted four times their number…
He chewed air.
Jedi’s still seeing something I’m not. Again.
⁂
“They’re coming in from both corridors,” Krett laid out the basic details, “Two-thirds led by Resilient to our starboard, and one-third led by Statesman to our port.”
“Splitting their force like this…” Horgo narrowed his eyes, “Do they not understand that Statesman will have their positions overrun immediately?”
“We’ll match them,” I said to the officers, “Diedrich and Horgo will hold the line against Resilient and Imperious. They will give ground and buy time. Vinoc, Ventress and I will take our port flank, against Statesman. We’ll take our heaviest dreadnoughts, smash their starward division, sweep around to the rimward side of the belt, and block Alrix’s rear.”
Diedrich Greyshade and Horgo Shive had the most experience with independent command, and their ‘2nd and ‘3rd Divisions were nothing to scoff at either, with a combine 115 warships–twice the number of the the Republic’s left flank, if not quite twice the tonnage. Against the full-forward firing arcs of Star Destroyers, they were initially going to have a hard time about it, but we had an astrographical trick up our sleeves.
Vinoc, Ventress and I, on the other hand, will have 130 ships, among which were some of Ventress’ repaired warships. Three times the Republic’s starward flank. That left Krett with some hundred and twenty warships in reserve.
“I’ll take the rear again,” Krett confirmed, “I’ll keep an eye out for any enemy stratagems. But for now, stay wary.”
Krett was our defence specialist, aboard the floating fortress Fortressa. He was one of the first to figure out Alrix’s play sixty or so hours ago, even without the Force in his head. Seeing how I was blind as a mole-rat, we’ve since made the collective decision that he’d serve as our acting overall commander until Operation Storm-Door began. I mean… he successfully stalemated not one, but two Jedi Generals at the Siege of Ringo Vinda for three entire months. Neimoidian or not, he had a better head on his shoulders than any of us, in this regard.
“General Alrix’s stratagems may seem mindless at first,” Krett warned, “But as with all Jedi, the idea behind all of them are rather simple. The hardest part is to stop overthinking. Consider meeting us in the belt. It may seem the height of lunacy, but it has its merits.”
A round of affirmative nods swept through us. Looking at the tactical readouts shared across all of our displays, it was spelled out plainly. Within the confined spaces, Alrix was likely seeking a brawl, where Republic ships held the tactical advantage.
See, the battlefield doctrine of the Republic and Separatist Alliance had irrevocably diverged. The Republic had greater access to high quality ammunition, thanks to their heavily industrialised Core Worlds–seen with the widespread use of their iconic blue ionised blaster bolts. The Confederacy, on the other hand, was forced to rely on cheaper, unrefined gases, as apparent from our red bolts.
As turbolaser bolts were close quarter armaments, Republic starship designers naturally gravitated to heavier, frontloaded brawlers. Star Destroyers.
To counter this, the Separatist Alliance moved away from gas-based weaponry, and focused on self-propelled warheads. The Providence-class destroyer was the product; boasting a heavy array of turbolaser batteries, indeed, but its main firepower lay in its three-hundred and six torpedo tubes in one-hundred and two launchers. Then came the dreadnought variant, boasting twice that number. It was designed to be the antithesis to the Star Destroyer; to levy its missile armament to pound its opponents to scrap before they could ever get trapped in close quarters combat.
By contrast, Venators only had four torpedo tubes, and it has been discovered that the Republic’s newest Tector-class had foregone torpedoes and missiles entirely.
Long range battles like Centares was where the Confederacy’s starfleets shone most brightly, but get trapped in a Star Destroyer’s hammerlock–even a Venator’s–and a Providence is unlikely to win in a one-to-one brawl.
“Looks like Alrix doesn’t want a repeat of sixteen hours ago,” Shive grinned, “Can’t blame the girl, you know?”
Sixteen hours ago, Alrix sent a Hammerhead a bit too close to us, into the effective range of one of Shive’s missile frigates. This time, she was approaching under the cover of the belt, effectively forcing us into the close quarters brawl Separatist battle doctrine had evolved to avoid.
It was true that the only reason we were in this predicament was because of Ventress, even if none of us would say it in her presence. If it wasn’t for Ventress’ damaged flotilla stuck here, we could be stationed safely outside of the Sullust System’s termination shock, waiting patiently for Operation Storm-Door to begin. However, we chose this location for a reason. The navigable tunnels had a quirk Alrix couldn’t know from outside, one that allowed us to marshal our full numbers.
And it was that they widened ever so imperceptibly closer to the clearing, until it was too late, ballooning from 40,000 klicks to nearly 100,000 klicks in diameter near our end.
“One more thing,” Ventress rasped, “Our Vultures will be useless.”
“Not useless,” Diedrich admonished, “Just… diminished.”
Vulture swarm tactics don’t work in an asteroid field, for obvious reasons.
“I will take our best aces,” the Sith Acolyte said, “And only the most responsive Vultures. Any more would be a liability out there. This time, Bonteri, when I warn you, do your best to listen to me.”
“Duly noted,” I sighed, “Anything to add, Vinoc?”
“Look out for me too, Ventress,” he drawled, “I’m not the most connected with the Force.”
Ventress sneered, but crossed her arms in agreement anyway, “I know.”
There was a jab there, depending on how you took it. But Vinoc only seemed amused, and I wasn’t in the mood for stepping into other people’s quarrels.
“If that’s all,” Horgo clapped with long, spindly hands, “Let’s get the show on the road!”
“Remember,” Krett said one more time, “In a battle outside the bounds of common sense, commonsensical thought is always found most lacking. The Jedi’s first and final trick is not on the battlefield, but in our heads. Whatever happens, do not overthink it.”
The holograms then flashed out of existence. Repulse’s pilothouse dimmed into battle lighting, and the heavy thuds of blast shields vibrated the bridge as they covered the viewports. The holographic HUD spun up a moment later, cycling through a dozen different sensor modes before settling on IR.
I patted one of Repulse’s consoles as the ship automatically pinpointed the enemy signatures ahead, Star Destroyer drive cones radiating brightly through the dense asteroid field.
“Time for another go at it, old girl.”
Repulse rumbled in agreement.
⁂
A firefight was breaking out.
Ozzel could only watch the shadowed backs of Resilient and her two-dozen battlecruisers as the first opening salvos trumpeted the declaration of battle. There had been once again cautionary words of Separatist trickery from the staff, right before the outset. After all, in these narrow corridors it was impossible to use a large force to its best advantage. The Separatists will not be able to marshal their most irritable tactic, the presentation of broadsides in line ahead.
It was reasoned, then, that the Separatists were likely to prepare a trap ahead.
Ozzel scoffed at that.
It’s not so complicated. The Separatists won’t spring any trap, because they won’t be able to. It is the Republic taking the initiative, setting the stage, and controlling the pace. This was the Republic’s game, not the enemy’s.
Sixty-three system hours since the first Skirmish at Sullust, the forces of the Republic and Confederacy met in the first major engagement in the star system. Loyalist warships, in convex formation, steadily pounded forward, intent on overwhelming the enemy with the depth of the all-forward firing envelopes of their Star Destroyers. Hundreds of brilliant beams pierced the boundless forest of asteroids, blue-red fangs of energy bit into deflector shields in sparks of bright light, the sheer volume trapped within the constriction turning them almost violet.
Don’t overthink it. That’s what Ozzel always said.
There were no fancy formations, no brilliant manoeuvres, no convoluted stratagems. There were only shields forward, and the enemy ahead. This was not a battle of skill, but one of pure firepower.
And the Navy of the Republic was not lacking in firepower.
General Alrix’s battlecruisers roared ahead in furious forward assault, heavy DBY-827 turbolaser batteries shoving shot after shot down the throats of the enemy. In this battlefield, the main Separatist ships of the line, their Providences, were unable to present their broadsides, whereas the Republic’s tapered hulls could open fire with all guns.
Ozzel felt his stomach churn. They were winning, that much was certain. After responding to the initial assault, the Separatist right flank had finally laid down a steady stream of laser fire, and began retreating back up the corridor. But something still nagged at him. His Tectors, the heaviest warships in Taskforce Conciliator, were stationed at the rear.
It was not so much that it was a questionable decision–though it no doubt was–simply that he wished he was in the vanguard, so that he could see the faces of the fleeing enemy himself.
Unable to do so, Ozzel occupied himself by reviewing the tactical displays to vicariously live the battle through the screens
And it was there he noticed that as the Republic left wing pushed the Separatists further and further, the diameter of the corridor was slowly beginning to widen, like a reverse funnel. As it did, the enemy was able to introduce more ships to their frontline one by one. Already, some Separatist Providences were trying to storm past the bow of Resilient, nearly brandishing their torpedo launchers, if not for the relentless fire of the Republic front pushing them back.
“Get me a line to the General!” Ozzel barked.
“Right away, sir!”
General Alrix’s hologram commanded the deck of Imperious as she appeared, earthen cloak ruffling in an imaginary breeze.
“Something the matter, Commodore?”
“Reporting, sir,” Ozzel missed the timing to salute, but the Jedi didn’t seem to notice, “The passage is expanding, allowing the enemy to leverage their greater numbers against us. The further we push them back, the more the astrographical advantage will slip from us and tilt towards the Separatists.”
It appeared the Separatists had prepared accordingly by blasting out a greater region of navigable space in the belt in their rear. It was difficult to parse on the tactical display, but with a keen eye and some skill with the hardware, one could project what looked like a wine bottle in the asteroid field. Right now, they were in the ‘bottleneck,’ but as they pushed, they were gradually moving into the ‘bottle’ itself.
General Alrix disappeared for a brief moment, ostensibly to corroborate his findings.
Sixty-four hours. A wave of asteroids buffeted Imperious and Ozzel’s rearguard, bypassing the bow-concentrated particle shields and tearing into their Tectors’ armour plating. Superficial damage, and perhaps from some freak event.
Two minutes later, a second wave of asteroids broadsided his ships with chaotic turbulence, knocking their formation off-kilter. Ozzel, cracking whips of rebuke at his panicking deck crew, ordered shields diverted to starboard to block the next wave.
“Get our formation back in order!” he demanded fiercely, “Lieutenant, I want details, now!”
The General had not yet returned, leaving the holoprojector flourishing a mildly blue empty space, one intermittently interrupted by Resilient’s deck officers passing back and forth like apparitions.
“It’s hard to tell, but it looks like our right flank is the cause, sir!” the sensor officer reported hastily, fingers dancing across his dashboard.
“How!?”
“It’s the Statesman, sir!” the lieutenant swallowed thickly, “They’re targeting the asteroids around them!”
Ozzel fell into contemplation, but the sensor officer took his silence as confusion.
“...They are shattering the asteroids, sir,” he tried to explain, “Creating a chain reaction of fragmenting asteroids that is now reaching us. Our right flank is trying to collapse the tunnel, and make the space unnavigable–”
“I know that,” Ozzel snarled, “I want to know why they are doing that! It wasn’t part of the plan!”
If it was, then he wasn’t informed. And that only served to irritate him further.
“Commodore,” the Jedi’s calm voice nearly made him jump as he snapped around, “Statesman reports they are being pushed back.”
Ozzel wetted his lips, looking out through the starboard viewport. Apart from splintering asteroids, there was no sign of the battle so far away yet so near. The enemy strategy clicked in his head. The reason they were so easily pushing back the paltry force on their front must be because the enemy had marshalled their heaviest squadrons against Statesman.
“They must be intending to crush our starward division, then sweep around and hit us from our rear,” he predicted, “How will we respond?”
“I am unable to,” Alrix said, “The Separatist rearline had sent some forty ships to reinforce the front. It is as you say. The further we push them back, the stronger the resistance. We are already losing momentum, and must soon consider our vector of retreat. Unfortunate, but we can still accomplish the objective of this battle.”
“Then cycle my battleships to the front!” Ozzel demanded heatedly, “Our Tectors are more than an even match for however many numbers the Separatists try to throw at us!”
“Not quite,” the Jedi General’s expression grew a mote colder, “I foresee a great blaze in our foe’s ranks. I need you to ignite that blaze, and the ensuing wildfire will consume them.”
Ozzel quite liked the sound of that.
“You only must point me in the direction, General.”
Rees Alrix closed her eyes and spun towards the viewports, as if she was only deciding upon his target right at that moment. After a long moment, she lifted up an arm and pointed a finger.
“I sense a vulnerability right… there.”
Kendal Ozzel tried to trace her finger on the tactical display, following it as a straight line until– would you look at that, so that’s why the Statesman was… unbelievable. He was starting to like his Jedi. Maybe Admiral Wieler had been onto something.
“That’s not a target,” he had the compulsion to point out.
“A vulnerability isn’t always a specific place,” Alrix lectured with a sense of finality, “I trust you will make the correct decision when you arrive.”
⁂
On the Separatist left wing, the forest of asteroids transformed into a garden of red, blue, and violets overrun with wildly blooming blossoms. Javelins of light blazed and gleaming missiles screeched down the corridor as we stormed the Republic back. For some reason, they weren’t directly responding, but instead focusing on trying to collapse the tunnel by shattering the asteroids around us.
Every time the display refreshed, a drive cone would dim, then disappear, among the mounting chaos. Flowers sprung across the hulls of ships, smoking wakes their stems and destruction their petals, each colourful blossom consuming the lives of hundreds.
Star dreadnought Olympus Mons led the charge, six-hundred missiles erupting from her hulls like the black wings of a god of war incarnate, unfurling out as she lashed at the enemy. By now, microasteroids were more hazardous than the enemy; miniscule grains of rock zipping around like a mad game of pinball, slipping through exhausted shields and tearing plating from warships.
“The corridor is collapsing,” Tuff reported, audibly concerned.
“We have them on the ropes. This is their last ditch attempt to stop us,” I grunted, toggling the comms, “All ships, all ahead full! Break the enemy!”
Sublight drives ignited, and the ‘4th Battle Division roared in triumph, its dozen battleships and ten battlecruisers driving ahead in furious tempo. Before us, the Republic was burning a furious retro as they attempted to withdraw from the worsening situation. Like a nest of rampaging leviathans, our dreadnoughts surged past the enemy’s bow, unleashing concentrated fusillades of strikes against the enemy.
Battlecruiser Statesman, buckled, then snapped under the pressure. Olympus Mons unleashed another broadside, tearing out chunks of doonium and ripping apart bulkheads. From the wreck, debris and bodies streamed out into the hard vacuum. And yet, even then Statesman’s dorsal turbolasers continued defiantly thundering out into the void. Even more, as if escaping their mother’s corpse, a flurry of starfighters streamed out of the gaping holes in a last ditch attempt to strike back, only to be met by whips of point defence–if they had not already been popped by the stray micrometeoroid.
The indomitable spirit displayed was something to be admired.
“Our shields are in the red,” Kavia warned through the intercom, “Any longer in here and I can’t guarantee hull integrity.”
“Got it,” my uniform was soaked through with hot sweat on cold skin as I did my best to manage both the fleet and my own ship, “Crying Sun, you alright?”
Far ahead of me, I tried to make out Crying Sun through the array of battle. The ‘4th Battle Division had pushed nearly 12,000 klicks ahead Repulse, hounding the remnants of Alrix’s starward wing every step of the way.
“Going strong,” Vinoc answered, “We’ve taken damage on our port bow, but the Second Division can still follow through with the plan. There’s a problem, though.”
Of course there was. I blew out a breath.
“Let’s hear it.”
“Something doesn’t feel right. Alrix sent so little to face us over here, and they’re crumbling so easily. Even she should know better, and if not her than her staff. This has to be a trick.”
“Is that the Force talking?”
“I can’t tell the difference.”
I swallowed, “Diedrich and Horgo are running Caraya’s Gauntlet out there, by how far Alrix is hammering them. We need to clean this up on our front and help them as soon as possible.”
Despite Vinoc, my every instinct was still roaring to push, push, and push. Our opponent was on the back foot, their line was crumbling, and we had momentum on our side. Just a little further, the devil on my shoulder seemed to whisper, just a little further and we’ll crack them open.
“Incoming transmission from Ventress,” Taylor looked at me.
“Patch her in.”
“Bonteri,” Ventress’ naturally gravelly voice said, “I’m bringing my fighters to our right flank.”
Not even asking for permission, huh?
“Why?”
“Alrix has played her hand.”
Sixty-five hours. The Republic rearguard of nine Tector-class Star Destroyers and dozen Venators sprung into action. Battleships in the lead, they veered starboard and plunged straight into the field of asteroids in between the corridors, crashing their way through the forest of cosmic rocks, shoving and trampling every obstacle in their way without any concern for their own safety.
For a moment, it felt like the battlefield was holding its breath as all sides watched the some thirty warships slamming through the supposedly unnavigable region. With relatively fresh shields, the Tectors rammed every asteroid it did not vaporise beforehand, driving a deep wedge into the gap and blatantly posing the question; ‘where am I headed!?’
“To do this now…” I started.
“The plausibility of this action being a coincidence is exceedingly low,” Tuff finished, “I will conduct a full recalculation of the battle.”
If we were to consider Alrix’s main objective in the past, then the obvious conclusion was that they were going to try reaching our rearguard and target our auxiliaries. But it just seemed so… unreasonable. They had what, some thirty ships? Commodore Krett had almost ninety ships in reserve, not to mention that even those Tectors would have their shields spent long before they reached Krett’s main line of battle.
So how would they do that? They can’t rely on sheer speed this time, not this thicket. Shit, what was the enemy seeing that we weren’t?
“Take every fighter you need and slow them down,” I hastily told Ventress, “Taylor, bring up every angle of the battle as you can. Tuff, try to calculate every possible way those Tectors could break through Krett’s line.”
“Don’t need to tell me, Bonteri.”
“Roger roger.”
“I will not assume,” Tuff declined, “There is no evidence that our auxiliaries are General Alrix’s target.”
“They have been for the past sixty hours–” the tactical holos exploded onto the bridge, pins and annotations and vectors criss-crossing all of them as the collective computing power of Repulse’s bridge plunged into calculations as we tried to find the ‘vulnerability’ that Alrix was seeking out, “–What could she be after if not them?”
“It is statistically impossible for the enemy to breach our rearguard,” Tuff inserted, “The plausibility of such an event is a percentage of a percentage. They cannot be targeting our auxiliaries.”
“You know statistics aren’t reliable when the Force is in the equation–”
My uniform was soaked through, now. Did Repulse’s radiators get destroyed? From time to time, I would look back up from my figures to see the enemy Tectors drawing closer and closer.
“I concede that your statement is more true than false,” Tuff was deathly calm, “However, consider the ten-point-two-three-three percent chance that the Tectors manage to destroy the Fourth Battle Division.”
Wait. Closer and closer?
There was no way to accurately tell their vectors, as they were flying manually, weaving through the asteroid field as they avoided the larger rocks and pushed through the smaller ones. However, if they were targeting our rearline, shouldn’t they be proceeding laterally relative to our stations?
“In that case… you think they are coming here?”
“I have included Commodore Krett’s input into my calculation parameters,” the droid all but confirmed, “I can only conclude that the most probable answer is the correct answer.”
Don’t overthink it. Once you do, the Jedi’s got you in their trap.
The Tectors were still headed in such a way that there was no predicting which way they could go. A swarm of lights–starfighters–were now buzzing around them, starting a lightshow amidst the asteroids.
“Then bring us around,” my mind settled into a concentrated fugue, completely absorbed into the tactical holo, “Let’s meet them. Get me Krett and Vinoc.”
“We’re patched in, sir.”
“Crying Sun, Repulse,” I wasted no time, “Withdraw to my position at best speed. Fortressa, Repulse, I’m requesting reinforcements.”
“I already sent forty ships to reinforce Greyshade’s Battle Division,” Krett replied first, with a tone of apology, “I’m seeing the same thing you are. Right now, those Tectors could either hit you or me, correct? If we were playing dejarik, then Alrix got us in a fork. If I reinforce you– my tactical droid calculated that the Tectors will come for me instead. I’ve got my pride in Fortressa, but against twenty-one Star Destroyers? They’ll have a straight run to Jorm.”
I fist was so tightly clenched around my tablet that I wouldn’t be surprised if the crystal screen cracked. The asteroid field was still interfering with our sensors. Every time the display refreshed, those Tectors appeared in completely different places than the system predicted, splitting up and converging time and time again.
“I can dispatch a squadron,” Krett tried, “Make it linger half way between us. We’ll observe how Alrix responds, and redeploy accordingly.”
“Those are twelve Venators,” I winced, “Can your frigates react faster than starfighters storming your position?”
The ensuing silence was all the answer needed.
“Stay put,” I told him, “Tell Diedrich and Horgo to storm Alrix’s positions and take out as many of her ships as possible.”
“That’s all well and good,” this time it was Vinoc who made his presence known, “But I think I just found out Alrix’s trick. We’re stuck.”
“Say again?”
“We used to fish back on Folende,” he said, “This is a fish trap. And we’re the fish.”
I looked back at the tactical holo, spinning it to get a better angle on our port flank. With his words in mind and heart in my throat, I found the corridor… still there. Confusion blossomed in my chest. From Repulse’s scopes, it was true that the passageway had been constricted thanks to Statesman’s wild firing, from some 40,000 klicks sloping down to 10,000–but it still appeared entirely navigable.
“I don’t follow,” I nudged Tuff to pry into his thoughts on the matter, “Are you able to withdraw?”
“We are,” Vinoc hastily swore, “But we’ll have to thread the needle. From our side, the corridor is no wider than a hundred and twenty klicks. The friendly folks here know it–they planned it. They’re just waiting for us to turn around so they can rip into our rear as we try to squeeze through the hole.”
In other words, I’ll damn the 284th Battle Division to annihilation if I retreat, as I would be allowing the Tectors to complete the encirclement. If I remained in an attempt to buy time for Vinoc to extract, however, it may be signing off my own annihilation. Munificents were capable warships, and could punch far above their weight class… but against Tectors? Those things were triple Repulse’s size and had quadruple Repulse’s firepower.
For a moment, I considered asking Vinoc to go through the asteroid field, just as the Tectors were doing now, but Tuff seemed to realise what I was thinking, and dissuaded me with a stern look from his pitiless photoreceptors. Demanding foolish acts made in desperation are unlike you, they seemed to say.
Then the Tectors turned, finally settling onto their ultimate heading–straight towards us. My mouth dried. I have to make a decision. The thought seemed so far away. Do I stay or retreat?
“Get your game together Bonteri!”
For a moment, I thought it was conscience coming back to haunt me again. Then I reasoned there was no way my conscience would have the grating voice of a chainsmoker.
“Alrix isn’t kriffing invincible!” Ventress berated.
As if illustrating her point, a thundering explosion roared through the comlink–briefly deafineing me–followed by a flash of light and blinking pin. The drive signature of a single Tector-class Star Destroyer was wiped off the map.
“There’s no trying to outwit her game,” Ventress snarled, and a second drive signature disappeared. But for each Star Destroyer downed, it cost dozens of her own pilots, “So just play it!”
The dozen Venators opened their hangars, flooding the tactical holo with a convulsing mass of ARC-170s, swiftly overwhelming Ventress’ squadrons and forcing her to retreat. As the Dark Acolyte did, she swung around a 120-klick wide asteroid and struck the nearest Venator in retaliation, hitting something nasty and blowing it up. The ARC-170s pursued briefly, before breaking off and turning their attention– to me.
“The odds have reversed on our right flank. Conciliator is now being pushed back, due to Commodore Krett’s reinforcements,” Tuff notified, “This battle will be decided here. Your decision, sir?”
I looked back, ears still muted from the destruction of the Venator. The first of Vinoc’s battleships had just crossed the collapsed tunnel. Repulse’s scopes could just faintly make out a great blaze tearing apart the asteroid field on the other side as Olympus Mons fought like a dreadnought possessed, near-singlehandedly keeping the counter-attacking enemy at bay.
“...How many ships do I have?” I asked anyone who could answer.
“Fifty-five,” Taylor immediately said, “Five Providences; thirty Munificents, including Repulse, Renown, Revenge, Unicorn, and Centaur; and twenty smaller ships.”
And each and every one of them had an open palm painted onto their hulls. It was my personal fleet, the White Hand. The symbol was proof of my existence, a small, personal rebellion against the unfairness cosmic powers had dealt me. Maybe, just somewhere, somehow, I had hoped I was not the only Earthling in this foreign place, and that someone might have recognised the symbol as I gained notoriety in the galaxy.
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, nothing ever came of it. Maybe that simply meant that this was my galaxy now, and there was no point looking back.
I made a cursory check of the White Hand’s overview, confirming something I already knew. Depleted shields, major structural damage, hull integrities failing. There would be no coming back.
Demon Moon smile upon me, I’m going to do something stupid.
I tapped the comlink, “Crying Sun, Repulse, we’ll hold the door open for you.”
“Force be with you.”
I took the consolation as it was, despite my boiling hatred of this unreasonable ‘Force’ right then, "Tuff. I will have some choice words for Trench later."
"I will prepare the tea, sir."
“Knew I could count on you. All ships,” I swallowed, pointing a finger gun straight into the asteroid field, at the Republic division that dared to try and outplay me, “All power to sublight drives. Intercept the enemy.”
Sixty-six hours. Star Destroyer Conciliator and the Republic left wing made a bloody withdrawal under the onslaught of battlecruiser Kronprinz and destroyer Havoc. Star Destroyer Imperious, threatening to cut off the 284th Battle Division, crashed into the remnants of the defending White Hand Fleet amidst the asteroid belt, at the head of seven Tectors and eleven Venators. On the starward flank, the 284th Battle Division made an orderly retreat despite suffering counterattacks from the Republic right wing.
Preliminary casualties report Taskforce Conciliator suffered the loss of Statesman and twenty-one other warships.
The 28th Mobile Fleet lost Olympus Mons and sixty-six other warships, including fifty of the fifty-five strong White Hand Fleet.
Comments
Mirrthful
Yeah, that's what I'm trying to figure out. I'm well aware of my blindside, so I'm trying to cover for it. How did I make Rain dumber? Of course to me I didn't, intentionally at least, but since you all think so, I'm trying to figure out where I went wrong. So I asked. And haven't really gotten any solid answers. As tibbish pointed out, the scenario is too engineered, but then that's poking at the wrong thing I feel like. Others say its just feels like that, or that Rain is being bipolar(?), or theres a lack of tension in Ozzel's POV... Thing is, I didn't change a single aspect of my writing style, or Rain's character. I don't know how I made him dumber because I didn't consciously change a single thing. I've always written him the same way. I'm trying to put my finger on the pulse, but I'm just not finding it. Of course I can just remove the problem entirely by turning him into an undefeatable powerleveller like most isekais, but that's not fun to write. I know its not that simple, and there's no singular magical problem I can just fix. But if you know agree with the criticism and got an idea for a fix, I'm all ears.
Biff Alexander
If the reader's are telling you that, to them, it reads as if Rain is getting dumber, perhaps take that into proper consideration? I get that your perception of this arc is different, but that perception is meaningless if your readership doesn't agree. Either you want to write the story well, or you want to be right. I understand the frustration, truly, but this is just part of being a public writer. Lashing out at your readership, especially ones supporting you, is just poor form.
Mirrthful
I can see your point. I'm only annoyed because I designed everything to work against Rain (a reasonable criticism) and not that I made Rain dumber in the process, which you seem to get at. Within the limits of his orders and extent of his knowledge, Rain has made exactly zero unforced mistakes this entire arc (other than not trust his subordinates, but he also fixed that as well), and yet everyone is saying he was made dumber. Even though he literally can't do anything in the scenario I designed. I put Magneto in a plastic box and everyone is wondering why I made Magneto stupid and dumb because he isn't escaping. You can criticise me for making it unfair by putting Magneto in a plastic box, but please realise that's different from criticising Magneto's 'sudden' lack of plastic-bending abilities.
tibbish
"I had purposely designed" I think that is kiiiiind've the problem there. It comes off as TOO designed, over engineered if you will to me, and doesn't seem fit with what the MC has been able to do in the past so it doesn't seem believable. Your goals are fine in of themselves, its a execution issue. Which everyone runs into with these sorts of stories with complex plots at some point. Please don't take me pointing out that it doesn't seem right as a insult or something here either. I wouldn't be paying for this story if I didn't like it!
Mirrthful
I had purposely designed the scenario so that Rain would lose and learn. Not only that his opponent is a hard counter to him, but that hes chained by orders from above as well. Imagine trying to fend off a mugger. Both of you have knives. Usually, the mugger would protect himself while attacking because he doesn't want to die. But Alrix doesn't care. She will rush you down without care for herself. She doesn't care if she dies, as long as you die too. The moment Rain gets the go-ahead, itll be his turn to flip the table. He's definitely already have a ton of pent up frustration and has to direct somewhere.
Mirrthful
Hmm, you're right. I do disagree. Because Rain adapted the moment Ventresss told him of Alrix's Force ability. He chose to use the bow-and-quarter line to counter Alrix, and as everyone mentioned, it would have worked if Alrix had any modicum of self-preservation. Then, he adapted again, finding a highly defensible location via local astrography that not even Alrix can use her Force powers against, forcing both fleets to fight on even terms. Again, it would have worked, had Alrix had any modicum of self-preservation. I think you are missing that Rain already knows everything about Alrix. He knows that she can find the vulnerabilities in any tactic or formation he throws at her, and thats why he acts cautiously. He can't 'adapt faster' or 'develop insights' any faster because he already has adapted and developed insights. You said it yourself, he can't do any more than he already has precisely because he has his hands tied behind his back by Tann. "To read the chapter it seemed like... if he was allowed to attack and there wouldn't have been as issue." I'm glad you understand. Bonteri literally cannot use his insane tactics precisely because he isn't allowed to take initiative. You think he doesn't want to beat Alrix? You think he hasn't spent hours creating battle plans to counter her? He stated over and over how pissed he was he couldn't attack. That's the scenario of the story. I see you also understand Tann's flaw, that she sees everything from the top down and seeks 'perfect' maneuvers. From her POV its all well and good, but from the grunt actually fighting, trying to work within her plans is brutal and unrealistic. That's whats being shown first hand here.
tibbish
Tann might have a plan but that doesn't mean its a good one in the long run if word of Bonteri's fleet is leaked or gets too damaged here because she kept trying to pull off some 'perfect' maneuvers. To read the chapter it seemed like Bonteri could have run them off any time if he was allowed to attack and there wouldn't have been a issue. In previous fights he adapted much much faster + seemed to develop insights about his opponents ever so much faster. He comes off as competent or highly skilled in previous combats. This one he is constantly on the back foot, constantly reacting, and suddenly adapts relatively poorly. Honestly he reads like a completely different character at moments. I'm sure you'll disagree with vehemently here but that is how its reading to me. "Unheard of tactics", "insane maneuvers", "adapting quickly", etc all sure seem to come off as examples of how to deal with Jedi that he has used before several times in a competent fashion. And given his comments about their plot armor to his drones it was sure reading to me like he was assuming they were going to be factor in his fights.
Mirrthful
I can't ever recall writing him to ever disobey orders? He's quite a stickler for them, in fact. No one knows Tann's (true) plan. The last part is the weirdest. He never did assume anything about the Jedi, ever. Case studies: 1. v Obi-Wan. His achieves victory by blindsiding the Jedi with yet unheard of tactics. His only assumptions was that the entire galaxy had forgotten how to fight in 3D space, due to the Great Peace. Nothing against the Jedi. 2. v Luminara Unduli. He achieves victory by blindsiding the Jedi with yet unheard of tactics. This time he uses the local astrography to his advantage. His only assumptions was that Clone Troopers were by the book and unable to quickly adapt to insane maneuvres. Nothing against the Jedi. 3. v Plo Koon. This is the weirdest part for your claim that Rain 'forgot' how to fight Jedi. At Metalorn, Rain was utterly tactically trounced by Plo Koon, because he never expected the capabilities or even existence of Battle Meditation. He only 'wins' by adapting quickly and using insane maneuvres. 4. (BONUS ROUND) v Aayla Secura and Anakin Skywalker. Not Rain, but TF-1726 (Tuff). It is here that the first 'special' assumptions against Jedi are used for making tactical plays. Note that Rain wasn't present in the battle. It was all Tuff. 5. v Oppo Rancisis. At Centares, Rain was once again blindsided by the introduction of a Mandator. Enough said. 6. v Oppo Rancisis, ROUND 2. At Columex, Rain achieves victory in a large scale battle by using, once again, yet unheard of tactics and insane maneuvres. Nothing against the Jedi. Every single battle Rain has fought, he assumed nothing about his opponents, instead relying on his own unpredicability to eke out victories. For the first time, Rain is fighting an opponent even more unpredictable than him. I literally have no idea why everyone is saying I made him dumber.
tibbish
The problem with assuming the hold up is due to Tann trying to pull some nonsense is that it doesn't make sense in the long run and means whatever strategy she had in idea for Bonteri's fleet is put to rest. She might get a short term victory but the Republic will know about Bonteri's fleet and their location now. Just knowing about it and where it is gives most, if not all, the game away. And ultimately Bonteri's fleet is at best defensive in nature so his ability to defend his fleet was always going to be poor making him easy pickings.
tibbish
Hrrm chapter seems weird. The set up doesn't make sense. Why prevent him from attacking and winning easily when their only other apparent option otherwise was to withdraw and give away the game anyways but now in a manner that puts them in a worse position? He's also shown that he is quite willing to disobey orders when convenient before in the past so I think after the 2nd request got denied he wouldn't have waited until the 3rd one got denied too to try something. At best Tann could work some voodoo and get a short term victory but now the long term plans for Bonteri's fleet are blown since word of its existence, composition, and location will get out. Also feels like Bonteri's intelligence and skills got nerfed a bit for most of the chapter. He must always assume he is going up against Jedi who will either be commanding or giving advice with info they can get with their BS space magic to see things they shouldn't otherwise. He has demonstrated abusing that before in the past, to take advantage of the Jedi's ability to make impossible decisions with limited or no information, but for some reason 'forgot' it here.
William M.
"Maybe, just somewhere, somehow, I had hoped I was not the only Earthling in this foreign place, and that someone might have recognised the [white hand] symbol as I gained notoriety in the galaxy." What does the white hand symbol mean anyways?
tianzigamer X
It was Rain who ignited the whole thing, he was the one who said the confederate has to lose so that they will choose a supreme commander, and he is also the one who commanded the whole defense strategy. All Tann has to do was to arrive/reinforce at the right time.
PearsMan
Thoughts on chapter: nice chapter, was overall easy to visualize, glad to see rain lose some makes it a bit too self inserted and dull when it’s more or less just wins (speaking in generality not story related). I’m curious about our tactical droid, the more battles they fight the smarter and more wins they get (exponentially I hope). Really curious how far tuff would go considering the tactical droid in rebels was able to find Ashoka. In response to some comments: guys we just saw how tann and rain planned a bunch of moves ahead so they come out on top (supreme commander instead of Grevious), considering that rain isn’t in the known this time but it’s the same persoanlities we are dealing with, we can probably assume a hold up here is a big 4d chess move from our same blue lady who is watching over a lot of battles and seeing the domino effect
PearsMan
He only disobeyed command when the higher up with him died. He follows orders. Let’s think of the wider context and not just this battle, clearly the two people who are above him who are also planning the entire droid army movement across the entire galaxy might be seeing something that we don’t?
Ryan Kalagher
Its obvious from our perspective that Tann’s orders are dumb. However, its only now that the consequences of those decesions are heing revealed. Maybe in the next chapter Rain may get the all clear. Or maybe Tann is trying to not tip off Alrix’s pre-cognition. No clue but the author has given themselves a lot of tools to play with the plot
Felix
But they did retreat? If I'm not misunderstaning anything, the ones who got stuck are the ones who were sent into the corridor that got collapsed by the Republic. The rest could retreat. The whole problem was that Alrix shot the asteroids to cause Kessler syndrome that would prevent ships with already exhausted shields from retreating.
tianzigamer X
In the first Chapter Rain beat the Obi-Wan ignoring the command to stay defensive once Trench was gone, but now he is command in chief and he won't ignore fleet command? in chapter 47 he was prepared to engage Alrix but withdraw once he saw Alrix targeting the auxillary fleet. Now he KNOWS Alrix is targeting the auxillary fleet, why the f can't he withdraw the auxillary fleet (around 100 ships) and engage with his 300 vs Alrix 3:1??? Or why can't he choose a strategy luring Alrix with the auxillary fleet and annihlate them... even if he looses some ship but still beat Alrix is better than losing to Alrix and ships for nothing? Chapter makes me boil, it's very stupid setup.
SureRuseUser
Jungles and Forrest are pretty clear equivalents to an Asteroid field both hinder movement but are not an insurmountable hurdle for an army (however large) if they have basic tools for clearing a path and decent scouting abilities (rather than on foot people here it is sensors). And for all that Rain introduced more actual 3D strategies into space combat most of these naval battles seem to be massively landbased/waterbased fighting style engagements/manoeuvres still.
SureRuseUser
The biggest mistake I could think of is that once he got orders to stay put and defensive he and his fellow captains did not prepare their position by blasting the asteroids in their vicinity to have free space for their range superiority. I mean he comes from a world in which they also have static fortifications and if the Onderonians are not clearing a swath of space around their walls for easier sight and engagement of beasts and armies I would consider the populace of the Star Wars galaxy dumber than rocks.
H.H.W
I think it is still kinda dumb how Rain & Co were seemingly unable to retreat from the asteroid field. Did they seemingly forget that space is 3D? They couldnt have gone "up" or "down" instead of being stuck in the middle of a field with zero reinforcements? They couldnt have weaponized the asteroid field, whilst also making a orderly retreat from the battlefield?? They couldnt have just stayed back and played a defensive battle, which would be to their strengths since if arix tries to bullrush them they still have a numerical advantage AND they could also fire up the ol' tann railgun to decimate the tightly packed republic ships??? Idk man this chapter was kinda weird. Battle was excellent of course but the setup was what got me annoyed.
Felix
I, for one, don't think the mc is acting dumb. This situation is a result of strict limitations, force bullshit and a bad matchup against Alrix. Rain is used to winning through superior and unexpected tactics, meanwhile Alrix can just scry for the greatest weakness and go YOLO. So it's understandable why this would be extremly annoying. On another note, Alrix must be getting pretty annoyed too. She is probably used to pulling off decisive victories and, she may not be loosing, but she isn't getting what she wants either.
Felix
Edit. Deleted. Patreon decided to be dumb and posted my comment as a reply...
Null
Battle: 💯/100 MC Actions: -♾️
Mirrthful
So the mistake wasn't in the battle itself but in the preliminary actions?
Null
How do you enter an asteroid field and pretend that's it's a fort .... without making ab exit just in case your shields are unable to last... or let the enemy throw you around as a ping pong ball till you end up inside the asteroid field (when the enemy it's supposed to be defending their position) or if you are suppose to not attack them then do not attack them just defend your position since they don't know your are in a operation to enter deeper in enemy territory you can just make it as if you are support of ventres. There are many little details that's can easily be used as excuse to execute the operation and he didn't use it just because the supposed SECRET operation have not started..... BRO. I know this entire chap please just to make the PLOT flow easily in the future but I really find annoying this kind of stories that only let the MC be in the brink of dead every 2 or 3 chapter... give the dude some wins instead of the bland victorys he is having since the start... Just try not to make the MC look so useless in chapters where battles are in play, make it look like he even have a fighting chance instead of things surprising him at the end of certain chapter when battle it's the focus. This is just my suddenly cranky head finding this chap just acceptable because how you mc the strategic and planning look cool. Or maybe it was the formating?
Mirrthful
Wait, what mistake did he make?
Null
Acceptable but yet the WORSE chapter to date.... I just don't like stories of how senseless and idiotic they make the MC, unable do to do all possible to win... Instead it make the mc idiotically make mistakes that he clearly would not make in the past... This kind of chapters are so annoying. Thanks for the chapter anyway.
Straven
Agreed though personally I feel he's gone from an unexperienced tactical droid to a simple minded droid that cannot think outside any of its main programming. Just reading how he completely fails to parse any points that could be the true target of the enemies attack only further drove home how badly he's gone from capable but unexperienced to......a simple minded bloody worthless droid.......makes no damn sense to me. All of this after he's gone head to head with many a jedi knight/master and kicked there buts left and right to some degree without nearly as bad a loss yet here he's incapable of even really thinking apparently against this one. I understand the orders, but "HIS" personal inability to comprehend what his opponent is likely to try insulted me personally as I 'hate' stupid crap like that in military films.
Voligne
Because he has strict orders not to attack them. He can shoot back if they engage him, but he can't seek them out to fight. He has asked for orders to engage and has been refused three times.
tianzigamer X
It made no sense in previous chapter Rain goal was to annihilate the fleet of Alrix because he wanted no loose end when he invade the republic but now can't engage them anymore why? because his order is to protect the auxillary fleet? Just jump the auxillary fleet out and engage all in... i feel the chapter is just to made Rain loose in a dump way.
King Henry V
Going off the numbers for the operation that were cited pushing in from the other angles… Bonteri and Ventress are the world’s most juiciest bait with the most obvious target that are clearly awkwardly stuck. Wonder why Alrix isn’t admiral ackbaring yet
Aaron V.
Also with the divergent timeliness and such, are we going to see Tarkin here? Cause lorewise he attended the Sullustan Spacefarers academy, so he does have some connection to the sector, not to mention that Sullust is an economic powerhouse.
Aaron V.
2 comments. 1st I'm so happy to see the Fortressa here, it's probably my favorite named ship the CIS (and later rebels) have in star wars cannon. 2. As alluded above by Armo I also agree it's probably a ploy to pull in more reinforcements, however I think at this point in time it's specifically meant to pull in as many Jedi as possible, as I belive that Tan is intending to use Bonteris force blank aptitude to it's fullest advantage.
Max
If the plan is indeed as the fellow commentor Armo deduced, the Pantoran may find herself surprised that Rain hasn't got enough ships left to still execute the pivotal strategy of the operation.
Armo
XD My powers of foresight are immense! Huge! Well, at least when compared with a rock… If you actually want a battlecruiser callsign, you can use ‘Blinding Light’. When the ship does something stupid and explodes, you can say that it literally became a blinding light :)
Mrsean22
Hmmm the strategy probably will work but not sure Tann and Trench are considering the loses Rain is taking from the decision. Like less ships make it harder for Rain to do Operation Star Lance in certain ways. Unless Rain can get new ships from the loses.
EnderScroll
Hope Trench has accounted for Bonterri receiving heavy casualties. This reminds me a bit of christofsis.
SpaceFan839
You know there is a secret fleet of combat ships shaped like cargo ship roaming around were Rain has to go. Mabye he could "acquire" them to boost his own forces. Still won't justify any orders that require him to lose that many ships for essentially free.
Mika Willems
Information security is a good thing but too much can hamper your forces if they don't have the full picture to make decisions based on it, not to mention morale.
Mrsean22
Yeah this order to play defensive is hurting Rains forces in this battle and the operations that Tann wants done. Like what is Tann and Trench waiting for? Republic is already attacking so that's not really a excuse. Wait any longer and it seems like Rain won't be able to do anything. Rains is starting to lose too many ships while the Republic aren't losing a lot and probably getting reinforcements. Rees Alrix and Kendal Ozzel must be pretty smug right now. They were given good advantages from Rain being so limited on what he can do. Using the asteroids to get rid of the numbers advantage was smart and limited what the CIS can do.
Mirrthful
You are a strategic mastermind. No need to spoil the story man, come on. In exchange, I'll let you name a battlecruiser. So if you have a callsign in mind... xd
Armo
Oh man, Alrix is really good at using the force to find weaknesses! And they have some good commanders on their side… I wonder if Rain will figure out how to shut down that ability. He *is* a force blank… I think the order to attack may be being withheld to lure more forces to Sullust, and so allow operation Storm Door to encircle them. After they are destroyed and surrounding systems taken, it will be much easier to carry out operation Star Lance.
Parrot5035
“General Alrix’s roared ahead in furious forward assault, heavy DBY-827” is this supposed to be General Alrix’s ships?
Dineshraj Dhandapani
Trench better have a good excuse. We practically lost the fight because of his orders.
Puncake1102
Man, if I’m Rain I’d be livid right now. That’s what, 1/6 of their fleet lost due to their orders to play defensive?
Mirrthful
Don't know why Patreon screws up formatting now when copy pasting. I'll fix it, sorry about that.
