**Chapter 564**
**Scene 1**
**Mygeeto Orbit**
**Admiral Dua Ningo POV**
Admiral Dua Ningo wiped the sweat from his prominent Sullustan brow as he stood on the bridge of his command ship, the *Vengeful Blade*. The massive Republic fleet was dropping out of hyperspace in waves, their Venators and support ships forming up into a textbook assault formation.
He had studied every scrap of intelligence Count Dooku provided him. Dagon Marek was a monster — a Jedi who fought with the brutality of a Sith and the tactical brilliance of a machine. But today, Dagon was not here. Today, the Republic had sent Master Windu, Master Plo Koon, and a host of other Jedi with a large but conventional fleet.
That gave him hope.
His fleet was formidable, one of the strongest defensive armadas the Confederacy had assembled outside of major core worlds:
- 200 Munificent-class star frigates
- 50 Recusant-class light destroyers
- 18 Golan Mark I defense stations
- 20 Providence-class carrier/destroyers
- 10 Providence-class Dreadnoughts (2km variants)
- 50 Lucrehulk-class battleships
- 40 Lucrehulk-class cruisers (Type B)
- 20 Lucrehulk-class battleships (Type C)
- 90 Dauntless-class heavy cruisers
- 120 Techno Union frigates
- 30 CIS Droid Carriers
- 30 Separatist Supply Ships
Hundreds of thousands of Vulture droids, Hyena-class bombers, Droid Tri-Fighters, Trade Federation Droid Bombers, Rogue-class starfighters, and HMP Droid Gunships waited in their hangars, ready to be unleashed.
"Deploy all fighters and bombers," Ningo ordered, his voice steady. "Keep the Dauntless cruisers protected by escort frigates. Draw the Republic ships into the kill zones around the Golan platforms. We bleed them here, then retreat if the situation becomes untenable."
The droids obeyed instantly, transmitting orders across the fleet. Thousands of droid starfighters poured into space like a metallic storm, forming up in defensive screens around the heavier capital ships.
The Republic fleet — 250 Venators, 150 Accumulators, 1,000 CR90 corvettes, 400 DP20 frigates, and 400 Marauder-class corvettes — advanced in standard formation. They were powerful, disciplined, and numerous. But they lacked the unpredictable genius of Dagon Marek.
Ningo allowed himself a small, determined smile. "Let's see if these Jedi bleed like ordinary men."
**Scene 2**
**Venator-class Star Destroyer *Endurance* – Flagship**
**Plo Koon POV**
Master Plo Koon stood tall on the bridge of the *Endurance*, his kel dor mask filtering the recycled air as the battle ignited around them.
"Status report!" he called out, voice calm but firm.
"Seven Venators destroyed so far," Ares Nune reported grimly from the tactical station. "Fifty CR90s, twenty Marauders, and twenty DP20s lost. Over two hundred clone pilots confirmed dead."
Plo felt every loss through the Force — sharp, bright sparks of life winking out too soon. The CIS fleet was fighting with desperate ferocity. Their Dauntless-class heavy cruisers were proving especially dangerous, their heavy armament tearing through Republic escorts at range.
"Target the engines of the Dauntless cruisers," Plo ordered. "All Jedi forces, reform and focus fire. We break their heavy line first."
The battle was turning into a brutal slugfest. Republic ships traded devastating volleys with the Separatist armada. Venators burned as they tried to close range. Accumulators launched desperate fighter screens that were met by endless waves of Vultures and Tri-Fighters. The Golan Mark I defense stations added their own long-range firepower, making every kilometer costly.
Plo watched as another Venator exploded under concentrated fire from three Dauntless cruisers. The Jedi forces were powerful, but the sheer weight of the enemy fleet and the defensive platforms made progress slow and painful.
"This was the plan the Council approved," Plo said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. "But Dagon warned us. Mace Windu, for all his diplomatic skill, sometimes lacks the military instinct needed for such large engagements."
Still, they pressed on. The Jedi would not yield. Not while Mygeeto's crystal reserves — vital for turbolaser crystals and possibly more — remained in Separatist hands.
The battle for Mygeeto had begun in earnest, and it was already proving far bloodier than anyone had anticipated.