Within the Zanbar System, the Mandalore main fleet's assembly point.
Dozens of warships silently hung around the starport, their hulls reflecting metallic luster under the sun's rays.
At the center of the fleet were the core of this operation: ten minotaur-class battlecruisers and the Hyperion. Their massive bodies were like moving fortresses, and the iconic, awe-inspiring Yamato Cannon muzzles on their bows represented their destructive power.
Kurt Vizsla stood on the Hyperion's bridge, clad in his signature beskar steel armor, the dark saber hanging at his waist. He calmly observed the vast fleet outside the viewport. Princess Sesayia stood beside him, wearing a Mandalore-style casual outfit temporarily prepared for her, her face showing worry for her homeland and tension for the impending battle.
"Fleet status?" Kote's voice echoed clearly and steadily across the spacious bridge.
"Reporting, Commander," the adjutant's voice came. "All warships have completed final inspections, supplies are complete, jump coordinates have been entered into the navigation computer. Ten minotaur-class, twenty herculean-class transport ships, thirty vagary frigates, ready for departure at any time."
Kote nodded and turned to Sesayia, "Your Highness, we are about to head to your home. I assure you, the Trade Federation will pay for their aggression."
Sesayia took a deep breath, "I trust you, Duke Kote, and on behalf of all the people of Hapes who refuse to yield, I thank you for your assistance."
"It's not for thanks, it's for Mandalore's future strategic space," Kote corrected, though his tone wasn't cold. "Get ready; for someone like you who rarely makes hyperspace jumps, it might be a bit uncomfortable."
He turned to face the main screen and issued the order, "All ships, according to the predetermined sequence, enter the hyperspace lane in order. Target: Hapan Cluster! Make the Trade Federation repeat the outcome of the Battle of Naboo!"
"For Duke Kote! For Mandalore!" The uniform responses of the ship captains came through the communication channel.
The next moment, the Hyperion's engines emitted a low roar, and powerful energy gathered at the stern.
As a dazzling blue light flashed, the massive warship was the first to tear through space, disappearing from the conventional Universe. Closely following, the entire Mandalore fleet, like migrating steel behemoths, plunged one after another into the ripples of hyperspace, heading for the distant battlefield.
Hapes, above Taa Chume Dan City.
General Dourde was complacent. The Imperial Palace had been completely controlled, Queen Nickrish and Princess Ta'a Chumei were under house arrest, and the sporadic resistance in the city was being gradually cleared by the overwhelming numerical advantage of the droid army. Although the Hapan Royal Fleet had cost him some Vulture Droids and a few lucrehulk-class ships in previous blocking actions, overall, the results were brilliant.
"General, all orbital defense platforms and major ground anti-aircraft positions are now under our control. The planetary orbit is completely under our command," reported the B1 Commander.
"Very good," Dourde's plump face was wreathed in smiles. "Send a message to Governor Gunray; the Hapan Cluster is basically pacified. Ask him to prepare to receive this gift. Also, begin inventorying the wealth in the Imperial Palace and the main noble residences, especially the unique biotechnologies and artworks. Handle them carefully; these are valuable spoils of war.
"
He was already envisioning the rewards and promotions he would receive upon returning to the Trade Federation. As for the Mandalorians? They were too late. By the time they arrived, they would face a de facto legitimate government (a Trade Federation protectorate status acknowledged by documents signed by Taa Chume). Would they dare to defy the world and actively attack a legitimate garrison?
Just then, a piercing alarm suddenly blared in the flagship's command center.
"Warning! Warning! Large-scale hyperspace jump signatures detected! Right at the edge of the Cluster Mist!"
Dourde's smile instantly froze. "What?! How large? Identify the signal!"
The radar operator's electronic voice came, "Numerous! Up to six thousand warships! It's the Mandalorians! They're here!"
On the holographic star map, the mist-edged area, which had been empty moments before, was instantly covered with dense red dots. The Mandalore fleet appeared silently like ghosts, and without any pause, was heading directly for the Hapes main planet in a combat formation!
"How could they be so fast?!" Dourde was both shocked and enraged. "Prepare to engage the enemy! Order all warships to converge on me and form a defensive formation! Quick!"
His previous composure vanished, replaced by a hint of panic. The timing and scale of the Mandalore fleet's appearance far exceeded his expectations, especially the ten minotaur-class battlecruisers, each over seven hundred meters in size, which he had never seen before. And at the very front was still Kote's Hyperion.
The Trade Federation fleet hastily adjusted its formation. lucrehulk-class battleships slowly turned, reactivating their shield Systems. Vulture Droids swarmed out of the hangars like a hive, attempting to establish an interception net in front of the fleet.
However, the Mandalore fleet's speed was astonishing.
On the Hyperion's bridge, Kote calmly observed the Trade Federation's hastily formed defensive line.
"Commander, the enemy fleet is gathering, attempting to prevent our forces from approaching planetary orbit," the adjutant reported.
"A mantis trying to stop a chariot," Kote calmly commented. "Order: minotaur-class battleship squadron, front Yamato Cannons begin charging. vagary frigates advance, use missiles and point-defense cannons to clear Vulture Droids and Trade Federation warships. herculean releases all starfighters to protect the flanks, preventing enemy encirclement."
"Yamato Cannon charging initiated! Energy level 10%...30%... The enormous muzzles on the bows of the minotaur-class battlecruisers began to gather heart-stopping energy light, and the surrounding space seemed to subtly distort due to the high concentration of energy.
Dourde also saw the ten increasingly bright energy sources through his sensors; he had witnessed their power long ago during the Battle of Alaris.
"All firepower, focus on those large warships! Don't let them complete charging!" he shouted loudly to the surrounding B1s.
Trade Federation warships and Vulture Droids furiously unleashed firepower on the leading minotaur-class ships, turbo laser beams and missiles raining down like a torrent, exploding in dazzling sparks on the Mandalore warships' shields.
Mandalore starfighters and vagary frigates immediately retaliated, dense missile barrages and precise laser fire blasting approaching Vulture Droids into smithereens in mid-air, turning them into fleeting fireworks in space.
"Yamato Cannon charging 90%...95%...100%! Charging complete!"
"Target: enemy lucrehulk-class battleships. Fire!"
The next second, a thick, incredibly powerful, and destructive incandescent beam of light, like a spear of divine punishment, erupted from the bow of the minotaur-class, instantly traversing the cosmic space between them, accurately striking several of the most prominent lucrehulk-class battleships in the Trade Federation fleet formation!
There was no explosion, only a blinding flash of light generated by the intense burst of energy.
When the light dissipated, the heavily armored lucrehulk-class battleships that had been directly hit had their armor peeled away and vaporized like butter melted by high heat. Massive, penetrating gashes were torn into their colossal hulls, and their internal structures, droids, and equipment instantly evaporated in the extreme heat.
With just one strike, these main battleships, on which the Trade Federation relied, were completely paralyzed, and one smaller one even disintegrated directly in space, turning into massive metal debris!