**Chapter 664: The Arrow of Annihilation**
**Scene 1**
**Selonia Orbit, Corellian System**
**Malice Bridge**
**Selena POV**
Without a doubt, the destruction of a large warship is a majestic and captivating spectacle. And the larger the ship, the longer its agony.
Corvettes and frigates often simply vanish in the flashes of reactor explosions. Even the most modern cruisers sometimes disintegrate so quickly that after five minutes it's impossible to tell what the debris field was. But dreadnoughts… dreadnoughts don't perish immediately. Even a reactor explosion doesn't always mean instantaneous destruction — the hull is too strong, the armor too thick. They're too large. And so, having lost orientation, the kilometers-long hull begins to spin erratically, spewing clouds of smoke in all directions.
What would burn there? Even the fuel for reactors and fighters is more likely to explode than ignite. And various technical fluids, like cooling system coolants — not to mention water — don't burn at all. However, on a damaged ship, all these elements, having left their designated containers and pipelines, can suddenly mix, forming wild chemical combinations that cause fires; sometimes they can't even be extinguished…
And none of this happens in an instant — so the process drags on so long that even metal begins to melt or evaporate… Yes, the ship still seems to be holding up — but it's already the end.
A fascinating picture.
Especially if you had a hand in it yourself.
Selena chuckled, turning away from the panoramic window of the *Malice*'s control room. The massive 7,500-meter flagship continued to dominate the battlefield, its upgraded weapons systems tearing through Republic and Corellian ships with ruthless efficiency.
"Report damage," she ordered, facing the captain — a T-series tactical droid.
"The ship is eighty-five percent combat-ready," the droid reported flatly. "We've lost five of our sixteen engines. Speed has been reduced by twenty percent. Repairs possible within ten minutes. Three Providence-class Dreadnoughts have been destroyed. Sixty will be repaired within fifteen hours. The air wing is forty percent depleted… I'm issuing a request to use captured spare parts and engines from enemy ships to restore the ship's combat capability."
The battle for Selonia had been fierce. Corellians and Selonians defended one of the Five Brothers with desperate tenacity, but the CIS forces involved in the assault were overwhelming. The seven-and-five-kilometer flagship *Malice*, supported by hundreds of warships, proved almost as powerful as Corellia's four-kilometer dreadnoughts. While those engaged in brutal close-quarters combat, other ships handled the details. Most vessels produced over Selonia were built for use within the Corellian system, and since Selonians had little interest in long-distance travel, the ships weren't equipped with hyperdrives — they couldn't even escape.
Selena's fleet had taken orbit. And just in time — reinforcements from other worlds began arriving to support the planet's defenders. The Republic fleet had also arrived.
She commanded nine hundred ships, but the GAR vessels were no less powerful: one hundred and five Venators and three hundred corvettes and frigates. Not counting the ships of the Corellian Security Force. The odds had been against them at first. However… the attack on Selonia wasn't spontaneous. Lacking significant surface assets, the planet boasted powerful orbital shipyards that would have greatly aided the CIS. Naturally, the Republic defended them — but Count Dooku had prepared everything very well, including plans for the capture of the shipyards themselves.
And she, Selena, had not only carried out the attack but contributed creatively. Several Lucrehulks were loaded not with standard Vultures, but with cheap Techno Union Mankvim-81 starfighters. This "flying coffin" was no match for any Republic fighter, but it was ideal as a guided torpedo. So the enemy was in for a surprise: hundreds of suicide bombers flying straight at them. Yes, B-1 droids were at the controls, and expecting much from them would have been overly optimistic, but they accomplished their mission — the enemy formation was broken, and many ships were hit, damaged, or even lost control.
It was then that her main forces attacked. While the Republic Hunters outclassed the CIS ships in individual combat, the Corellian ships were inferior for one simple reason: their weapons were arranged according to the standard Corellian layout, which prevented them from concentrating all firepower forward. The Munificent-class frigates, Recusant-class light destroyers, and Dauntless-class heavy cruisers, on the other hand, were dangerous from the front. And their air superiority was utterly irrelevant. Hordes of Vulture fighters simply swept aside enemy fighters, while Hyenas attacked ships and ground targets with near impunity.
So far she had destroyed eight Corellian dreadnoughts, fifteen Corellian destroyers, twenty Republic Venators, and over one hundred small corvettes.
It was going well… but the enemy ships weren't fighting to defend anymore. They were escaping.
Why give up Selonia?
The massive Republic and Corellian fleets suddenly jumped away.
"The enemy fleet has retreated," the tactical droid reported. "Are we to begin landing on Selonia and occupying the shipyards?"
"Yes," Selena ordered. "Begin deploying the fleet."
Suddenly alarms blared across the bridge.
"Twenty-five Liberator-class Star Destroyers have appeared," another droid announced.
Selena laughed. "Such a meager fleet — not worth our time even in that spread-out position."
Her fleet — the *Malice*, fifty Allocator-class Star Destroyers, five hundred Recusant-class heavy destroyers, two hundred Providence-class Dreadnoughts, one thousand Munificent-class frigates, and seventy Lucrehulk-class battleships of the new Class A model — began to take aim.
Then the alarms grew louder.
"Massive object approaching," a tactical droid noted, its voice rising in synthetic alarm.
A colossal vessel emerged from hyperspace — blue and white with bold black markings, easily dwarfing everything on the battlefield. The *Annihilator*.
Selena's laughter died in her throat as the first barrage of green turbolaser fire erupted from the monstrous ship. Forty Munificent-class frigates vanished instantly. Massive shots tore through over a dozen Lucrehulks in seconds.
"Issue the retreat!" Selena shouted. "We can't handle this!"
**Scene 2**
**Annihilator Bridge**
**Shin POV**
It felt odd commanding this ship instead of Dagon. But with the Separatists launching a major offensive across multiple sectors, the girls had spread out. Apart from Shin, only Aayla had been given command of such a massive fleet operation.
At first it had felt wrong — like wearing someone else's armor. But as she reached out with the Force, she felt… almost nothing. Mostly droids. The enemy fleet was a sea of mechanical minds. There was fear, yes, but it was distant now. The Corellians watching from their surviving ships were in awe as the *Annihilator* tore through the enemy formation.
"I wonder how Dagon is doing," Shin murmured to herself, her hands resting on the command console as another volley of super-heavy turbolasers ripped apart a Providence-class Dreadnought.
The *Annihilator* was alive in a way few ships were. Its kyber matrix cores thrummed with power, resonating with her own connection to the Force. Every shot felt personal. Every destroyed enemy vessel sent a ripple through the bond she shared with Dagon and the others.
A Corellian officer standing nearby — one of the survivors they had rescued — stared at the devastation with wide eyes. "By the stars… that thing is a monster."
Shin allowed herself a small, proud smile. "It's *our* monster."
The battle continued, but the outcome was no longer in doubt. The *Annihilator* had turned the tide in minutes.