TX-07 stood motionless at the center of the flagship's bridge, the blue-white streaks of hyperspace streaming rapidly across the observation screens.
The force deployment for this operation had been personally calculated and determined by TX-07. Thanks to the Confederacy's abundant reserves of new ships and robots, its resource requests had been fully approved by Command.
It reviewed the fleet manifest once more. Two task forces had been committed to this operation, their combined strength more than sufficient to accomplish the mission.
The core of the First Fleet was its flagship, the Providence-class dreadnought, designated RK-00016.
This vessel, operated by the Trade Federation and designed by the engineering facilities of the Quarren Separatist League, incorporated stolen Mon Calamari shipbuilding technology.
The project had been initiated before the war began, but the Confederacy Command initially believed their existing fleet was sufficient to handle the conflict, so it was not prioritized.
It wasn't until the Republic's Hailfire-class attack ships entered the battlefield that the Confederacy urgently accelerated the production of the Providence-class.
The day after the Battle of Geonosis ended, the shipyards of the Commerce Guild and Techno Union began mass-producing the vessels. By the end of the second week, the first twenty-four Providence-class dreadnoughts had officially entered service.
As the Confederacy's first purely military vessel designed from scratch, the *Providence-class* measures 1,188 meters in length, 160 meters in width, and 165 meters in height, requiring only 2,000 robot crew members to operate.
The original design called for 300 organic crew members, but TX-07 insisted on full robotic operation to ensure command efficiency.
Its armament is formidable, featuring one heavy bow turbolaser cannon, four heavy turbolaser cannons, six heavy turbolaser turrets, five medium turbolaser cannons, thirty twin laser cannons, twelve twin light laser cannons, and sixty light rapid-fire laser cannons. Its overall combat capability rivals that of the Republic's *Hailfire-class* attack ship.
Additionally, the ship's hangar can accommodate 120 *Vulture droid fighters*, and its holds carry 40,000 battle droids in standby mode, serving as reserves for landing forces.
The *Providence-class* is equipped with a large communication control station that enables direct data transmission over 100 light-years. With relay stations, its communication range can be expanded several times.
The First Fleet also includes twelve *Munificent-class* frigates, four *LH-3210* *Munificent-class* communication ships, and twelve *Techno Union* *Hardcell-class* transports.
Among them, the *Munificent-class* escort ships were pre-war products originally used by the Intergalactic Banking Clan as armed transports to escort precious metals, gems, and other valuable cargo. Their thick armor and powerful firepower were sufficient to deter pirates.
These ships were 825 meters long, operated by 200 robot crew members, and equipped with standard bow-mounted heavy turbolaser cannons and light autocannons, plus two additional heavy ion cannons. When fully loaded, they could transport 150,000 battle droids.
The ship's hangar space was limited, primarily used to store twelve landing craft, with only enough room for a small number of fighters.
The *Munificent-class* communications ships were modified 3-kilometer-class "quasi-battleships" from Trade Federation cargo ships. Their massive hulls could accommodate 1,500 Vulture droid fighters in the hangar and carry 150,000 battle droids and over 7,000 armored vehicles in the cargo bay. Armed with forty-two quad turbolaser turrets, they offered balanced offensive and defensive capabilities.
The *Hardcell-class* transports, on the other hand, were almost completely unarmed, equipped with only six laser cannons for self-defense. Their cargo holds were filled with the Confederacy's heavy equipment, including NR-N99 "Persuader-class" robot tanks, various models of spider droids, IG-227 "Hailfire-class" missile droids, and anti-aircraft artillery systems. Their primary purpose was to transport ground combat forces to Togoria.
The Second Fleet, slightly smaller in size, would arrive in thirty-five minutes. It consisted of six *Munificent*-class frigates escorting thirty-two *Hardcell*-class transports.
These transports carried follow-up landing forces, materials for constructing forward bases, and weapons and equipment for the Togorian Pro-Confederate Government.
"Reporting in. We're about to reach the target area and will exit hyperspace in three minutes," a robot operator reported.
"All hands, prepare for battle. Once we exit hyperspace, immediately assume SD-209 defensive formation," TX-07 ordered, his voice synthesized through a speech generator.
Although the internal data link had already synchronized the commands, like most robots, he preferred verbal instructions. This behavior had no logical basis, yet it seemed to possess a strange ritualistic quality.
"Hyperspace jump complete!"
The Separatist fleet had arrived in Togoria's planetary orbit.
"Transport fleet, immediately descend to Togoria's orbit and prepare to deploy ground forces. Contact the Togorian Pro-Confederate Government and have them prepare for reception."
Around the ships, the endless stream of stars gradually slowed their pace.
On the observation screen, the star stream in hyperspace gradually slowed, finally returning to the normal view of the universe.
The blue-green sphere of Togoria appeared at the center of the screen, confirming the Confederate Fleet's successful arrival in the target orbit.
Almost simultaneously as the Confederate Fleet began deploying, Dietmar's fleet also arrived.
He studied the holographic display showing the Confederate Fleet's formation, clearly visible in three distinct layers.
The middle layer was anchored by the *Providence-class* flagship, flanked by three *Munificent-class* escort ships on each side. The upper and lower layers each consisted of three escort ships. Four *Communications Ships* formed a staggered defensive position at the rear.
Transport ships began descending toward the planet's surface one after another.
"Attack!" Dietmar barked, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Launch fighters! Approach the enemy ships at full speed, break through their defenses, and fire torpedoes in a coordinated volley. Crush them! We must annihilate the enemy!"
Six *Hailfire-class* attack ships formed a tight formation and charged toward the Confederate Fleet at full speed. Their hangar bay doors opened, and hundreds of *A-wing* fighters roared into space.
Protected by the *Hailfire-class* ships, *Consular-class* escorts engaged their afterburners and swiftly maneuvered into attack positions.
The *Hailfire-class* ships opened fire first, their turbolaser cannons unleashing blue-green energy beams that streaked across space, hurtling directly toward the Confederate ships.
The Confederate Fleet immediately retaliated, crimson turbolaser beams intertwining with the Republic's blue-green energy bolts in space. The rapid-fire cannons created a dense barrage, their fire like a torrential rain.
A Consular-class frigate managed to breach the Confederate close defense. After its shields failed from repeated hits, the crew breathed a sigh of relief, only to be struck by a heavy ion cannon. The ship instantly lost control, spinning like a top as it crashed into the Munificent-class fleet. Finally, the Munificent-class's turbolaser cannons completely destroyed it, reducing the vessel to a blazing fireball.
The Republic fighters intended to intercept the Confederate Vulture droid fighters, but discovered their opponents were inexplicably delayed.
Trapped in the Confederate's rapid-fire anti-aircraft fire, the Republic fighters struggled to weave through the barrage, falling one by one. They were barely able to mount an effective counterattack.
The clash between capital ships proved even more brutal.
Exploiting their numerical advantage, multiple Confederate frigates concentrated their fire on a single Hailfire-class destroyer. Heavy bow turbolasers repeatedly struck, overloading the destroyer's shields. Once the shields failed, a swarm of secondary fire tore through the hull's armor layer by layer.
On the flagship's bridge, Dietmar gripped the armrests, his face contorted with disbelief as he stared at the holographic display. "How is this possible? Their tactics... who is commanding them?"
"Commander, the enemy ships are flanking us! Our formation is about to break!" a Clone Trooper captain shouted over the explosions.
"Keep fighting!" Dietmar roared. "All batteries, fire! Blast these tin cans to pieces!"
At that moment, the Confederacy's Providence-class dreadnought began advancing, its upper and lower layers of escort ships moving in sync to encircle the Republic Fleet.
Behind them, the Munificent-class ships finally launched their fighters. Thousands of Vulture droid fighters swarmed forward like locusts. The Munificent-class escorts also maneuvered behind the Hailfire-class ships, cutting off the Republic Fleet's retreat.
The Hailfire-class ships' shields failed one after another, their hull armor torn open by gaping wounds. Air and technical liquids gushed out, triggering chain reactions of explosions.
One Hailfire-class ship suddenly froze. Violent tremors shook its interior as its main reactor was breached, overheated, and underwent core meltdown. The entire vessel disintegrated in a blinding flash.
"Report! Ship Five-Zero-Four has been destroyed!" an operator shouted.
Dietmar stared at the disintegrating ship on the screen, a single thought racing through his mind: "We've lost. We need to retreat immediately!"
Just as he was about to issue the retreat order, the bridge took a fatal hit.
The heavy turbolasers of two *Munificent-class* frigates struck the command cabin directly, instantly vaporizing the entire bridge and killing all thirty-plus crew members.
Deprived of its command, the flagship quickly lost control. The two *Munificent-class* frigates swooped in from the stern, firing repeatedly, bringing an abrupt end to the *Hailfire-class* ship's short service.
Witnessing their flagship's destruction, the remaining Republic ships' morale plummeted. Yet, driven by their strict discipline, the Clone Troopers continued to execute their final combat orders.
The turbolasers continued to pour fire onto the Confederate ships. Once the torpedo tubes were reloaded, a fresh volley struck three *Munificent-class* frigates at close range, reducing them to shrapnel.
The surviving Republic fighters retreated to regroup. Seizing the opportunity as the Confederate *Vulture droid fighters* ran out of solid fuel and needed to return to their motherships for replenishment, they launched a counterattack, finally regaining a shred of dignity.
But the overall battle was irreversibly lost. The Republic Fleet had been nearly annihilated.
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