**Chapter 560**
**Scene 1**
**Dagon POV**
**Silent Wolf – Geonosian Pennance-class Dreadnought**
The bridge of the *Silent Wolf* was a maelstrom of fire, sparks, and failing systems.
Alarms screamed continuously. Smoke poured from ruptured conduits. The massive Geonosian Dreadnought — captured weeks earlier and repurposed as our Trojan horse — was slowly tearing itself apart under the concentrated fire of the entire CIS fleet at Quell.
Another explosion rocked the ship, throwing me against the command console. The hull groaned like a dying beast. Through the viewport, I could see the station and dozens of enemy vessels closing in, their turbolasers hammering our already failing shields.
We had done enough.
"Girls, run to the *Scimitar*!" I shouted over the chaos. "We're leaving — now!"
Ahsoka, Shin, Zule, Erictia, Stella, Flare, Kayla, Visenya, Aayla, and Sakura moved with practiced efficiency, grabbing emergency kits and data cores as they sprinted toward the hidden hangar bay where the *Scimitar* waited. Ethan, my loyal droid adjutant, remained at the engineering station, his photoreceptors flashing rapidly as he finalized the self-destruct sequence.
"All charges set, General," Ethan reported calmly, even as the deck plating buckled beneath him. "Detonation in ninety seconds. I suggest we leave immediately."
I grabbed his arm and pulled him along. "Then let's not waste time."
We raced through the smoke-filled corridors as secondary explosions tore through the rear sections. The *Silent Wolf* had served its purpose beautifully — drawing the bulk of the CIS fleet into close range, allowing us to cripple their formation from within. Now it was time for the second act.
The *Scimitar* — our heavily modified sith vessel , stealth insertion vessel — was already warming up when we burst into the hangar. The girls were strapping in as Ethan and I dove through the closing ramp.
"Prepare micro-jump!" I ordered, sliding into the pilot's seat beside Ethan. "Just enough to clear Quell's atmosphere and reach the edge of the engagement zone."
The *Scimitar* shot out of the dying Dreadnought like a bullet. Behind us, the *Silent Wolf* continued to draw enemy fire, its Geonosian-designed hull finally giving way under the barrage.
"Jump!" I commanded.
Space folded for a brief, stomach-twisting moment. When realspace snapped back, we were several thousand kilometers away — safely at the border of the main battle. The *Silent Wolf* erupted behind us in a colossal fireball that lit up the void.
The explosion was cataclysmic.
The massive blast wave ripped through the tightly packed CIS formation. One Pennance-class Dreadnought that had been too close was completely vaporized. Ninety other vessels — mostly Munificents and Recusants — were destroyed outright, their hulls shattered by the shockwave and flying debris. Another two hundred and fifty ships were crippled, drifting helplessly with breached hulls and failing engines. Even one of the mighty Malice-variant Subjugators took critical damage, its port side belching thick smoke as secondary explosions rippled along its length.
"Beautiful," I whispered, watching the carnage unfold. "That bought us the perfect opening."
I opened the fleet-wide channel. "Dittmar, this is Marek. Deploy the fleet. All battle groups — execute Attack Pattern Diamond. It's time to finish this."
**Scene 2**
The four battle groups of the Republic fleet emerged from their holding positions like predators unleashed.
**1st Battle Group** – Commanded from the *Grey Wolf* itself
- 6 Nebula-class Star Destroyers (*Abyssal Devourer, Noxian Sovereign, Stygian Serpent, Umbral Drake, Void-Ripper, Erebus Maw*)
- 2 Resurgent-class Battlecruisers (*Grey Wolf, Resurgent*)
- 3 Valiant-class Star Destroyers (*Silencer, Endurance, Retribution*)
- 15 Lancer-class Frigates
- 20 Marauder-class Corvettes
- 40 Arquitens-class Command Cruisers
- 15 Venators
**2nd Battle Group** – Under Fleet Admiral Dittmar
- 5 Nebula-class Star Destroyers (*Blight-Scale, Eclipse Wing, Malefic Wyrm, Obsidian Terror, Void-Gazer*)
- 2 Resurgent-class Battlecruisers (*Fortitude, Fulminatrix*)
- 3 Valiant-class Star Destroyers (*Knull, Necrosword, Enterprise*)
- 25 Lancers
- 30 Marauder-class Corvettes
- 30 Arquitens-class Light Cruisers
- 5 Venators
**3rd Battle Group**
- 4 Nebula-class Star Destroyers (*Cinder-Dark, Midnight Bane, Tartarus Leviathan, Dusk-Fire*)
- 2 Valiant-class Star Destroyers (*Vanguard, Skelter*)
- 1 Resurgent-class Battlecruiser (*Fulminatrix*)
- 20 Marauder-class Corvettes
- 25 Lancer-class Frigates
- 10 Venators
- 15 Accumulator-class Assault Ships
**4th Battle Group** – Heavy Support
- 2 Allegiance-class Battlescruisers (*Dominion, Eclipse*)
- 310 Aegis Hammerhead-class Light Cruisers
- 95 Braha'tok-class Gunships
- 35 Accumulators
- 10 Arquitens-class Command Cruisers
- 40 Arquitens-class Light Cruisers
The four groups converged into a massive diamond formation, their overlapping fields of fire creating an impenetrable wall of death. From high orbit, they rained hell down upon the already battered CIS fleet.
The true strength of the heavy XX-10 and ultra-heavy XX-10 turbolasers revealed itself now. These weapons had been designed — at my request — to turn planetary surfaces into molten slag if necessary. Instead, they were now being used against the enemy fleet at extreme range.
Brilliant emerald lances sliced through space. A Providence Dreadnought tried to maneuver away, only for four Nebulas to focus fire on it. Its shields collapsed in seconds, then its hull disintegrated under the onslaught. A Malice-variant Subjugator attempted to bring its massive forward cannons to bear, but the *Grey Wolf* and *Resurgent* combined their firepower and tore through its port side in a devastating broadside.
"Target the repair station!" I ordered. "Do not let them regroup!"
The Allegiance-class battlescruisers *Dominion* and *Eclipse* opened up with their full armament. Their ultra-heavy batteries punched clean through the massive 5km station's shields. Secondary explosions rippled across its structure as entire docking arms broke away and spiraled toward the planet below.
On the bridge of the *Grey Wolf*, I watched the carnage with grim satisfaction. Through the battle meld, I felt the determination and focus of every crewman across the fleet. This was no desperate defense — this was a calculated annihilation.
The CIS fleet was breaking. What had once been a powerful defensive armada was now a scattering of burning wrecks and fleeing ships. The *Silent Wolf*'s sacrifice had torn the heart out of their formation, and our four battle groups were finishing the job.
"Status?" I asked.
"Over four hundred CIS vessels confirmed destroyed or crippled," Blam reported. "The remainder are attempting to disengage, but our Lancers and gunships are hunting down the stragglers."
I nodded slowly. "Maintain the diamond. Do not let any escape. None survivors should escape to carry the message back to Serenno and Felucia."
Another decisive victory.
But I knew this was only one battle in a much larger war.
The Hydian Way campaign continued