**Chapter 534**
**The Hammer Falls**
**Dagon POV**
**Cadinth – Surface Command Post**
The ground battle on Cadinth ended far quicker than expected. My armored battalions under Colonel Veers and Captain Cat had rolled through the capital and key industrial zones with overwhelming force. AT-STs, AT-XTs, AT-PTs, and repulsor tanks had torn through the enemy's light defenses — a handful of repulsor tanks and a few hundred special police guards who had thrown in with the Oligarchy. On our side, there were zero casualties. The enemy… not so fortunate. Hundreds lay dead or wounded in the streets, their resistance crumbling under the sheer weight of modern Republic firepower.
I stood on a makeshift command platform overlooking the capital, the wind carrying the distant crackle of dying fires and the low rumble of our vehicles. The oligarchs had been rounded up, shackled, and loaded onto a Consular-class cruiser bound for Coruscant. They would face Senate justice — or what passed for it these days. Soon enough, civil war would erupt on Cadinth as loyalist factions clashed with Separatist remnants. The Republic and the Senate could deal with that mess. It wasn't our problem anymore.
"Mission complete," I said into the comm. "All ground forces return to orbit. Secure the prisoners and any useful intelligence."
Veers' voice came back crisp and professional. "Acknowledged, General. No losses on our end. The locals are calling for surrender."
"Good. Let them. We're not here to occupy — just to break their spine."
I turned my gaze skyward. "Blam, prepare a salvo. Ten Harpoon missiles targeted at the three main droid factories. Double warhead configuration."
"Understood, sir."
From orbit, the *Gray Wolf* and her escorts fired. The Harpoon missiles streaked down through the atmosphere like vengeful comets. Each carried two high-yield warheads — the first to breach defenses and shielding, the second to ensure total destruction. The factories vanished in a series of brilliant, rolling explosions that lit up the sky. It took less than fifteen minutes for the entire industrial complex to be reduced to glowing craters and twisted scrap.
I felt the deaths through the Force — workers, technicians, droids. Some innocent, some not. War rarely allowed clean hands.
"Prepare for jump," I ordered. "Next system: Jaminere. Twenty-minute hyperspace transit. All ships, form up."
The fleet began maneuvering into the wide-angle crane formation once more — Nebula and Resurgent-class vessels forming the forward U-shaped wings, Allegiance, Venators, and Accumulators closing the rear. It was a deadly formation, designed for maximum overlapping firepower and kill zones.
**Scene 2**
**Jaminere System**
**Dagon POV**
The fleet dropped out of hyperspace with lethal precision. Jaminere — the capital of the Allied Tion sector — was a powerful manufacturing world known for its efficiency. It had been a key player in the ancient Tion Cluster, once part of the Kingdom of Jaminere, later absorbed into Xim the Despot's empire, and eventually falling under Republic and then Separatist influence.
This time, the enemy was ready.
"Contacts!" Captain Piett announced. "One Providence-class Dreadnought (2km variant), one hundred Munificent-class frigates, and five Dauntless-class heavy cruisers. They're forming a defensive wall around the orbital shipyard."
I allowed myself a small, predatory smile. "Blam, ready to kill another fleet?"
Blam's voice was steady, almost eager. "Yes, sir. Shall I prepare the gunships for invasion?"
"No," I replied, eyes locked on the tactical display. "Prepare troops for boarding parties. They have a decent orbital shipyard around the planet — ring-shaped, similar to Ringo Vinda but scaled for civilian ships and frigates like the Munificent at 825 meters. I'd hate for that to go to waste."
The shipyard was a rare find — not on the scale of Kuat or Corellia, but substantial enough to be valuable. Capturing it intact would give us a forward repair and production base in the sector.
"All ships, weapons free," I ordered. "Focus fire on the Providence and Dauntless cruisers first. Lancer frigates, screen the formation. Gray Wolf will lead the push."
The battle erupted in seconds.
The *Gray Wolf* and her sister Resurgents opened fire with their heavy turbolasers, green bolts lancing across the void. The Nebula-class ships added their overwhelming firepower, XX-10 batteries ripping through shields and hulls. Sienar-Jaemus Harpoon missiles streaked out in salvos, their double-warhead design proving devastating once again. One Dauntless cruiser lasted less than two minutes before it broke apart under concentrated fire.
The enemy fought back desperately — Munificent frigates firing in coordinated broadsides, the Providence launching waves of Vulture droids. But it wasn't enough. The crane formation enveloped them, overlapping kill zones shredding their lines.
From the Venator *Bright Home*, Jedi Master Tiplar watched the engagement from the rear with her sister Tiplee, Admiral Coburn, and Clone Commander Doom.
"It seems easier this way," Admiral Coburn remarked, "staying in the rear and letting Dagon do all the heavy lifting."
Tiplee frowned as she watched the *Gray Wolf* tear apart another Dauntless cruiser. "Yes, very easy. Though I begin to question these tactics. We're currently in the rear, not even firing a single shot, while Dagon's fleet just advances and we pick up the stragglers."
Doom nodded. "It seems sound when you actually think about it. Look at the Nebula and the Resurgents — their green comes from their turbolasers and the blue from their ion cannons. They fire at the same time, shredding ships while moving without taking any damage."
Tiplar crossed her arms. "Still, are we not supposed to be at the Felucia system instead of here? We need to move with Mace Windu and the other attack groups when they begin at Mygeeto."
Coburn shrugged. "Not really. All that matters is that we accomplish our goal within the timeframe. Particularly total control of the Hydian Way in two months. This just so happens to be the route Dagon chose."
Tiplar remained silent, watching as another enemy ship exploded in the distance. The legendary Starkiller was living up to his name.
**Scene 3**
**Dagon POV**
The battle was over in under thirty minutes. The Providence Dreadnought and all five Dauntless cruisers were reduced to scrap. The Munificent frigates fared no better. Boarding parties were already launching toward the orbital shipyard, securing it with minimal resistance.
"Secure the shipyard," I ordered. "Prize crews to all intact vessels. We move on to the next target within the hour."
As the fleet consolidated, I allowed myself a small, satisfied smile. The Hydian Way was slowly falling under our control. One system at a time.
The war continued.
But we were winning.