The gunship delivered Solo directly into the hangar of the *Hailfire-class* landing ship. As the metal doors slowly sealed shut, the relaxed expression on his face vanished, replaced by grim determination.
During the short walk from the hangar to the bridge, countless thoughts exploded in his mind, threatening to snap his nerves.
"To sum it up, this is a fucking disaster!" Solo cursed inwardly. "Priceless combat experience? Bullshit! Whose brilliant idea was it to put Jedi in command? These guys charge into battle waving their lightsabers the moment the first shot is fired, without even issuing proper orders! Command authority is severed instantly!"
He knew, of course, that this was Sidious's scheme—to trap the Jedi in the quagmire of war and ultimately eliminate them all with Order 66.
What infuriated him was that among all the "smart" members of the Jedi Council, not a single one had objectively assessed their own capabilities.
Didn't anyone realize how absurdly foolish the idea of "Jedi commanding armies" was?
*Could it be... that the alternatives were even worse?*
As this thought surfaced, Solo's agitation surprisingly began to subside.
Upon closer reflection, it was entirely possible.
After all, the Jedi had been in decline for a millennium, and the Republic wasn't faring much better. The veteran soldiers capable of leading large-scale battles had long since passed away. All that remained were mercenaries, small-time warlords, individual ship captains, and at best, a few aging veterans from planetary defense forces.
With war imminent, it was utterly impractical to recall these veterans from their home worlds.
"So, either we let the Jedi command, or we send a bunch of greenhorns who've never seen large-scale combat into the fray..." Solo rubbed his temples. "No wonder Palpatine convinced the Council... This is like picking the tallest dwarf in the kingdom."
Once he calmed down, Solo stopped dwelling on the situation and began calculating how to survive this mess.
His first step was to assess his assets.
The *Hailfire-class* landing ship was 750 meters long, over 400 meters wide, and 200 meters tall. Though it looked imposing, it was essentially an armed transport ship. Its sole advantage lay in its military-grade design, built with robust structural integrity and armored materials capable of withstanding heavy fire.
In contrast, the Separatist Alliance's early-war fleet consisted mostly of converted merchant vessels. Even the *Munificent-class* frigates had been repurposed from anti-piracy roles, never intended for fleet combat.
In comparison, when facing Confederate ships of similar size, the combat capabilities of both sides were roughly equal.
Solo's side had military transport ships, while the Confederacy used civilian vessels modified for combat. The Confederate ships were larger and could carry more cannons and fighters, but their structures were more fragile.
Next came two *Consular-class* cruisers.
These were newly modified models from the Rotana Factory. Solo had glimpsed them on Coruscant, and their appearance was indeed striking.
But no amount of aesthetic appeal could change their fundamental limitations. These ships were only a little over a hundred meters long, with pitifully small-caliber cannons. They struggled to take down even the eight-hundred-meter-long *Munificent-class* frigates, let alone the three-kilometer-long *Lucrehulk-class* battleships.
"These things are only good for fending off fighters and acting as escort ships," Solo thought to himself. "The Separatist Alliance has plenty of light cruisers, so they can protect the flagship's flanks. But in a real battle, they'd be nothing but cannon fodder."
The ground forces, however, offered a slight reprieve.
Forty LAAT gunships, including twelve cargo variants specifically for transporting AT-TE tanks, forty-eight AT-TEs—split between kinetic and laser cannon models—and thirty-six SPHA self-propelled heavy artillery...
The moment Solo saw the letters "SPHA," he was reminded of the earth-shattering firepower he had witnessed on the Geonosis battlefield. It felt like seeing his great-grandmother.
In addition to these, there were two hundred Speeder Bikes and one hundred twenty AT-RT light walkers.
For infantry, four clone trooper legions, totaling a staggering nine thousand two hundred sixteen men! Combined with engineer battalions, maintenance battalions, medical battalions, tank legions, various support units, and the cruiser's crew, the total force numbered seventeen thousand clone troopers.
"With this kind of force, we could easily take a small asteroid in the Outer Rim," Solo muttered, clenching his fist. "Let's just hope Donovia doesn't have too many robots. I'd like our first battle to go smoothly."
When Solo arrived on the bridge, he immediately saw the commanders standing in formation—all clones in white armor bearing rank insignia, except for a Zabrak officer in a gray Republic Navy uniform, looking exactly like the Republic Navy officers from the animated series.
"Attention!" the clone trooper at the front barked, and the soldiers snapped to attention, the crisp clatter of armor echoing through the bridge.
"At ease!" Solo stepped forward, striving to maintain a calm tone. "Let's get acquainted. I'm Solo Victor, Jedi Knight, your General. This is Ahsoka Tano, my Padawan."
He gestured to the Little Togruta beside him. Ahsoka straightened up immediately, trying to look serious.
"I am Ento Ragnos, Captain of ship TR-678," the Zabrak spoke first, his voice deep and resonant.
"Commander Brem, First Battalion of the 13th Legion!"
"Commander Enoch, Second Battalion of the 13th Legion!"
"Commander H, Third Battalion of the 13th Legion!"
"Commander Zillo, Fourth Battalion of the 13th Legion!"
"Commander Tern, Walker Tank Battalion of the 13th Legion!"
"Commander Eld, Heavy Fire Support!"
The Clone Troopers rattled off their ranks and units at breakneck speed, their backs ramrod straight.
Solo mentally noted that he was now in command of the 13th Legion. "Are you all familiar with the mission objectives?"
"Yes, sir!" they replied in unison.
"When will loading be complete?"
"In two hours, General!"
"Where's the cruiser?"
"On standby in Coruscant orbit, sir!"
Captain Ragnos's answers were crisp and efficient. Solo nodded, then shifted his tone. "Before we discuss the operation's details, I need to understand a few things. What training did you receive on Kamino? What tactics are you most proficient in? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your equipment? What are the ship's performance limits? Who wants to start?"
The Clone Troopers visibly stiffened at this line of questioning.
They clearly hadn't expected the new general to start with such "basic questions" instead of immediately issuing battle plans.
Captain Ragnos, quick to react, sensed his subordinates' confusion and stepped forward. "General, allow me to first introduce the ship's capabilities."
"Proceed."
"TR-678 is a Hailfire-class large landing craft. Its primary armament consists of twelve quad-barreled light turbo-laser cannons, twenty-four light laser cannons, and four rocket-torpedo launchers with sixteen proton torpedoes and sixteen anti-ship missiles. The ship has a hangar capacity for eighty aircraft and currently carries forty-seven V-19 Torrent fighters."
Ragnos's detailed explanation quickly gave Solo a clear understanding of the ship's strengths and weaknesses.
As Solo had predicted, the Hailfire-class excelled in transport and durability, but its firepower was only moderate. The Consular-class cruisers, with their four light turbo-laser cannons and six rapid-fire laser cannons, were indeed ill-suited for fleet combat, capable of engaging only light targets. However, their cargo holds could accommodate six thousand metric tons of supplies, making them excellent support vessels.
*But there's a critical flaw... The cruisers lack hangars. All their fighters are stored on the flagship.*
Alarm bells rang in Solo's mind. If the flagship were destroyed, even if the cruisers remained intact, they would be without air support, making retreat a serious problem.
Next, the clone commanders introduced their ground forces.
Despite their lack of combat experience, the clone commanders spoke with encyclopedic knowledge of equipment and tactics. As Kamino's "top students," they had earned their names and demonstrated unquestionable professional competence.
From the AT-TE's maximum climbing angle to the SPHA's blind spots, and the V-19 Torrent fighter's fuel consumption and combat radius, their data was accurate to the single digit. Solo nodded repeatedly, his confidence growing.
*Looks like I won't have to make things up as I go along,* Solo thought with relief. *We'll stick to the old routine... After clarifying the mission objectives, I'll have my subordinates propose plans from the bottom up, debate them until we find the optimal solution, and then I'll give the final approval. As long as we don't make any catastrophic mistakes, we should survive the first battle.*
Suddenly, a thought struck Solo: the ship still didn't have a name!
"Captain Ragnos," he interrupted Commander Brem, who was explaining the supply plan, "is this ship really called TR-678?"
"Yes, sir."
"No, a ship needs a proper name."
Solo's mind raced.
*Zhuque* (Vermilion Bird) was too theatrical, *Shenjun* (Divine Sovereign) too ostentatious, *Nianya Zhe* (Crusher) too edgy, and *Pink Hutt* was just absurd... Then a name popped into his head, and his eyes lit up.
"Captain, do I have the authority to change the ship's name?" Solo asked, wanting to avoid breaking protocol on his first day.
Ragnos paused, then nodded after a few seconds. "Yes, sir. There's no prohibition against it in the directives."
"Excellent! From now on, it shall be called the *Dingyuan*!"
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