Solo remembered spending entire nights playing flight simulation games on his computer back on Earth, when online gaming was just beginning to take off and the internet hadn't yet reached every household.
He couldn't recall the exact name of the game, but the scene before him now was a hundred times more impressive than anything he'd experienced in that virtual cockpit.
The fighter simulator's cockpit was equipped with a full array of instruments. The screen that replaced the transparent canopy displayed a real-time rendering of the virtual battlefield.
"But here's the problem," Solo said, frowning after two hours of intense training in the simulator. "I can control the machine, but... this feels completely wrong."
The V-19 Torrent fighter simulator wasn't making training any easier.
In the virtual environment, he couldn't sense his opponents' presence; his Force precognition ability was completely useless.
He didn't know why this was the case. Was his conscious mind refusing to treat the virtual enemies as real threats? Or was his subconscious rejecting their existence entirely?
The result was that the simulated "Vulture droid fighters" shot him down dozens of times, leaving him with a wretched record.
Solo could only console himself with the thought that actual combat would undoubtedly be easier.
As he exited the simulator cockpit, Solo intended to head to the cafeteria to refuel, but four familiar figures intercepted him.
They were the officer cadets he had "appropriated" the previous day.
Last time, he hadn't had a chance to really look at them. Now, he saw that the four were strikingly different: two lieutenants and two ensigns, two men and two women.
The tall, black-haired lieutenant had pale skin and wore his uniform with impeccable precision. Beside him, the blonde ensign still bore traces of a hangover, his eyes slightly unfocused.
The red-haired lieutenant was tall and slender, forming a vivid contrast with the petite, dainty Zeltronian ensign.
Standing among these energetic young officers, Solo felt inexplicably like an "old relic," despite the fact that, by Earth standards, he wasn't much older than they were.
"General! The Junior Command Team ordered to serve under your command has arrived to receive further instructions!" The red-haired lieutenant saluted first, her voice crisp and decisive.
The four stood at attention according to regulations, their gazes fixed intently on Solo.
"At ease." Solo waved his hand and got straight to the point. "Where are your personal files?"
"Here!" The red-haired lieutenant handed over her Identity Authentication Cylinder, and the others quickly followed suit.
These cylinders were an interesting little invention, combining the functions of a USB drive and a mini-computer. They stored the holder's personal information, service records, access codes, and, according to regulations, technical documentation, reports, and confidential notes necessary for their duties.
Solo didn't have one of these cylinders himself. His status was somewhat unusual; his military rank defied clear categorization, being both a General and a Navy Admiral, which seemed rather incongruous.
In contrast, Ahsoka's status was much simpler.
He recalled that around the midpoint of the war, the Jedi rank system would be reorganized, introducing the concepts of Jedi General, Senior General, and Supreme General. The Supreme General rank would be reserved exclusively for members of the Jedi Council, while Senior Generals would jointly command Sector Armies with the Sector Governors.
Solo removed his data pad from his belt and inserted the Identity Authentication Cylinders for the four cadets one by one, loading their information.
Currently, the cylinders contained no classified data, only the cadets' personal files.
He immersed himself in studying the files for ten minutes, nearly drowning in the "sea of words." The "expert scribe" who had written the files had crafted the content into an obscure and convoluted form. Solo only managed to grasp the general outlines through a combination of educated guessing and sheer persistence.
The four cadets weren't geniuses, but they certainly weren't underachievers either.
However, files were just files. To truly understand their capabilities, he needed to interact with them.
Just as Solo was reviewing the documents, Ahsoka bounded over, brimming with energy. "Good morning, Master!"
Her Togrutan head crests swayed gently with her movement, clearly indicating that she had snatched a couple of extra hours of sleep during Solo's training session.
"Good morning, Ahsoka," Solo said with a smile, looking up from his paperwork and nodding to the four cadets.
"Hi, Grace! Hey, guys!" Ahsoka greeted them enthusiastically.
Ensign O'Connor, a Zeltronian, glanced at Solo and replied in a slightly stiff tone, "Good morning, Commander Tano."
Ahsoka paused, surprised. Few people addressed her by her military rank. She leaned closer to O'Connor and whispered, "What's wrong, Grace?"
Solo pretended to be absorbed in his documents, but his ears remained alert to their conversation.
"The General's here, so we have to use ranks according to regulations," O'Connor explained, nodding toward Solo.
"So you only remember the regulations when the General's around?" Kristen, the blonde ensign, teased softly, his voice full of amusement.
"Alright, enough chitchat," Solo interrupted, his tone urgent. "Let's talk about your professional interests... Which field do you lean toward?"
"General, do you mean combat roles?" Lieutenant Cherry, the tall, black-haired officer, asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Yes, which specialization appeals to you most?" Solo clarified, forced to elaborate.
Lieutenant Li Norega exchanged glances with his companions before volunteering the answer. "Ensign Miro specializes in communication systems and electronic countermeasures. Lieutenant Cherry and Ensign O'Connor focus on ship command. As for me... I have some experience in operational planning."
Solo could sense their astonishment through the Force. Clearly, no one had ever interacted with them in such an equal manner before.
"Good, your areas of expertise are clear." After a moment's thought, he had an idea. "Now, go to the bridge and follow Captain Ragnos's instructions. Let him see what you're made of. He'll assign you specific positions, issue access codes, and provide tactical information."
The four of them exchanged looks. Li Norega confirmed, "May we leave now?"
"Go ahead," Solo nodded.
After saluting, the four quickly strode toward the bridge.
Solo turned to Ahsoka. "How about it, Ahsoka? Want to go check out our fighters?"
Ahsoka's eyes lit up. "Yes! Let's go now!"
"Hold on... we should eat first. It'll be a problem if we get hungry halfway through training."
***
Meanwhile, on the bridge of the *Dingyuan*, Ento Ragnos listened intently to the Clone Trooper operator's report as four young officers boarded.
Lieutenant Li Norega saluted and reported, "Captain Ragnos! In accordance with General Viktor's orders, we're at your disposal!"
Ragnos scanned the four officers, then held out his hand. "Good. Hand over your Identity Authentication Cylinders."
After a brief procedure, he began assigning positions: "Lieutenant Cherry and Ensign O'Connor, you're appointed as my assistants, stationed on the bridge. Ensign Miro, your post is in Sector C-3, responsible for reconnaissance and communications. Your direct superior is Clone Lieutenant KK-3489L. Lieutenant Li Norega, you'll go to Sector Q-2, handling combat planning."
"Commander, who's in charge of the Combat Planning Division?" Li Norega asked.
"There's no commander yet. You'll need to establish and lead that department." Ragnos returned the Identity Authentication Cylinders, his tone serious. "I recommend you prepare quickly. We'll be entering combat in a few hours."
***
Meanwhile, in space near Togoria, a T-series tactical droid, TX-07, was analyzing data.
Though devoid of emotions, it possessed an unwavering obsession with numbers.
In its logic, robots were perfect soldiers. As long as they had sufficient energy, they could achieve endurance far surpassing that of organic beings.
Their targeting speed, reaction time, and shooting accuracy far exceeded those of biological soldiers, limited only by their mechanical structure. Most importantly, robots never questioned orders; they simply executed them efficiently.
Of course, the original design of the basic combat robot, the B-1, had lowered the overall combat potential. Although the B-1 had been improved after the Battle of Naboo, gaining basic intelligence, a voice synthesizer, and autonomous movement capabilities, it still fell short in many parameters compared to the clone trooper army.
However, their sheer numbers were enough to compensate for this deficiency.
Through extensive calculations, TX-07 concluded that organic officers without combat experience were unsuitable to command robot armies.
This conclusion was entirely in line with the views of the Confederacy of Independent Systems Command.
The vast robot army required sufficient commanders. The lessons of the Battle of Naboo had shown that control stations were not omnipotent, and the OOM-series droids specifically designed for command had also ended in failure.
Among the Separatist factions, planets with military traditions were few, and the number of qualified officer corps was even smaller. Even if there were excellent organic commanders, their numbers could not meet the demands of war.
The solution was obvious: develop specialized officer robots.
However, Separatist engineers already had relevant experience. Over a decade earlier, Baktoid Armor Workshop had developed the OOM-series droids for the Trade Federation. Equipped with basic artificial intelligence, these droids could perform the role of junior officers on the battlefield.
But the OOM-series were incapable of tactical command and could only serve as executors.
Even before the war erupted, the Confederacy recognized the officer shortage and ordered Baktoid Armor Workshop to develop a new generation of tactical droids.
TX-07 belonged to the first batch of experimental tactical droids produced two years prior. Equipped with a powerful heuristic processor and modern cognitive modules, it could process massive amounts of data. Combined with advanced artificial intelligence, it essentially functioned as a mobile analytical computer capable of autonomous learning and decision-making within the framework of combat protocols.
Military leaders hoped these droids would possess sufficient independence to adapt flexibly to battlefield changes.
After the war began, tactical droid production lines ramped up to full capacity, with deliveries to units beginning within the first week.
Due to the shortage of droids, including TX-07, nine experimental models were deployed to the front lines.
Its mission was clear: Togoria had aligned with the Confederacy, and TX-07 was tasked with commanding a fleet to maintain orbital patrol around the planet, supporting the Confederacy's ground forces during their landing, assisting the pro-Separatist government in stabilizing the situation, and preventing any breakthroughs by the Republic Army.
***
Meanwhile, across the galaxy, Confederate Fleet vessels were carrying out their respective missions.
Satorius Dietmar stood on the bridge of his flagship, his gaze arrogant.
As a hereditary noble from Ulant, he had harbored contempt for commoners since childhood, a sentiment that had only intensified with age.
After consulting with his father, he chose to pledge allegiance to the Republic and enrolled in the Judicial Forces Academy.
Graduating with mediocre grades, he had hoped to rise to the upper echelons of power, but for seven years he remained confined to patrol duty on small escort vessels, occasionally chasing smugglers, surrounded by what he considered "boring and short-sighted" colleagues.
The outbreak of war finally presented him with an opportunity, though not entirely as he had envisioned.
He had hoped to secure a position at Sector Command, but more experienced, wealthier, or nobler rivals squeezed him out, leaving him with only the command of a fleet.
Even so, he was satisfied. Commanding over a dozen vessels, half of which were true combat ships rather than the "skiffs" of the Judicial Forces, this position opened the door to promotion.
The only thing that displeased Dietmar was that, apart from a few captains, the crews of his ships were entirely composed of clone troopers.
In his eyes, these "flesh shields" were nothing more than mechanical robots, rigidly carrying out their duties, far less flexible than organic crew members.
But he could do nothing about it. The Republic simply didn't have enough trained experts to fill the massive crews required for their new ships.
Having never participated in actual combat, Dietmar relied solely on battle reports to understand the situation. Yet this led him to dismiss Separatist officers as mediocre.
In his own mind, he was a born genius, a brilliant commander and strategist.
He was Satorius Dietmar—everyone should admire him!
Upon receiving orders from Sector Command, Dietmar immediately ordered his fleet to full speed for Togolia. "We can't let that upstart Rinuan steal the glory! I'll crush the Separatist fleet before he arrives and blockade the entire star system! Sector Command will surely notice my achievements!"
"Commander, we'll reach the target area in twenty minutes!" a clone captain reported.
"Excellent! All hands, prepare for battle!" Dietmar declared with a majestic wave of his hand, his voice brimming with confidence. "Grind the Separatists into dust!"
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