**Chapter 684: The Art of Conquest**
**Scene 1**
**Hyperspace, En Route to Sullust**
**Liberator-class Star Destroyer, Chimera**
**Admiral Thrawn POV**
Thrawn stood on the bridge of the *Chimera*, hands clasped behind his back, staring into the swirling blue tunnel of hyperspace. The 2,600-meter Liberator-class Star Destroyer hummed with power beneath his feet — a formidable vessel gifted to him by Dagon Marek.
*How amusing,* Thrawn thought. *When I first met Dagon a year ago, I was genuinely surprised. A simple Jedi who rescued me from exile and elevated me to Grand Admiral in the Chiss Navy.*
Now, with sufficient proof after Dagon's daring raid on a Yuuzhan Vong forward base, the Chiss Ascendancy could no longer deny the value of an alliance. To Thrawn's shock, the man had risen to become Grand Master of the Jedi Order and Supreme Commander of the Republic Army and Navy.
Dagon needed capable allies. So he had contacted Thrawn under the cover of a Sienar-Jaemus Fleet Systems "admiral program" — bringing in experienced leaders to help defeat the Confederacy. This operation on Sullust was Thrawn's test.
He had been given command of a powerful task force:
- One Liberator-class Star Destroyer (*Chimera*)
- Ten Venator-class Star Destroyers
- Four Nebula-class Star Destroyers
- Fifteen Lancer-class frigates
- Eight Marauder-class corvettes
- Ten Arquitens-class command cruisers
A sizeable force — more than necessary for most admirals — but Thrawn did not complain. If he succeeded, this fleet would remain under his permanent command.
He had also been given a prototype starfighter to evaluate for mass production: the TIE/vn Space Superiority Fighter, also known as the TIE Vendetta or TIE Silencer. It featured experimental stealth gear designed to foil sensors and tracking. Equipped with a hyperdrive and deflector shields, it was powered by a compact starboard reactor. Twin ion thrust arrays provided propulsion, while corrugated solar collector arrays maximized energy absorption. The fighter could be customized for a single pilot and entered through a top hatch.
**Armament:**
- 4 Medium SJFS L-s9.6 laser cannons
- 6 SJFS L-7.5 heavy laser cannons
- 3 Missile and torpedo launchers
- 20 Arakyd ST7 concussion missiles
- 20 Mag-pulse warheads
- Ventral plasma proton torpedoes
These elite fighters were piloted by a squadron of specially selected clones — ones Dagon considered force-sensitive enough to fully utilize the advanced machine. Thrawn approved of the design. It was elegant. Efficient. Deadly.
"Admiral," his aide reported, "we will drop out of hyperspace in twenty minutes."
Thrawn nodded. "Prepare the fleet for combat formation. Today, Sullust will learn the art of war."
**Scene 2**
**Providence-class Dreadnought, Invisible Hand**
**Hyperspace**
**Admiral Dua Ningo POV**
Dua Ningo stood on the bridge of the *Invisible Hand*, staring at the tactical holomap. The Providence-class Dreadnought had once been the pride of the Confederacy — their first truly functional capital warship. Now, a year and eight months into the Clone Wars, Dua had watched both carrier and dreadnought variants torn apart under the guns of Republic — no, *Dagon Marek's* — warships.
The Supreme Commander of the Republic had earned two stylized names: Hero of Coruscant and Demon of the Shield. The latter came from the massive energy shield he sometimes wielded or the black armored gauntlet on his hand.
Now Dua had been given another critical mission: Sullust.
Count Dooku had sent him an encoded order. He was to lead a force to evacuate key SoroSuub Corporation engineers and officials while making the Sullustans believe they were being protected by the CIS. In truth, it was a raid for valuable technical personnel and data.
The majority of vessels produced by SoroSuub were small freighters and starfighters built in surface shipyards like the Sarrano Yard. The Sullustan Orbital Shipyards were reserved for large capital ships, boasting 450 slipways capable of handling vessels between 900 and 1,900 meters. Small compared to major Republic or CIS yards, but every shipyard mattered.
Unfortunately, Sullust was dangerously close to the Republic's 18th Sector Army — the same sector where Dagon had recently stationed the monstrous *Annihilator*. Most CIS cargo operations in the region had already been relocated.
The fleet under Dua's command was modest but capable:
- 20 Munificent-class frigates
- 2 Providence-class dreadnoughts
- 3 Lucrehulk-class battleships (Class C variant)
Selena's supporting force would arrive thirty minutes later to secure orbit:
- 4 Providence-class carriers
- 8 Recusant-class light destroyers
- 1 Providence-class dreadnought
- 3 Recusant-class heavy destroyers
- 4 Dauntless-class heavy cruisers
Dua hoped Dagon wasn't personally involved. If the Demon of the Shield appeared… Dua might be forced to consider defection. He had no desire to risk his homeworld.
"Admiral," a tactical droid reported, "we are approaching the Sullust system. All ships standing by."
Dua Ningo straightened his uniform. "Begin the operation. Let us remind the Republic that the Confederacy still has teeth."