**Chapter 728: The Dragon's Reach**
**Scene 1: Aboard the Rosmerta – Lantilles Staging Grounds**
The bridge of the Nebula-class Star Destroyer *Rosmerta* hummed with restrained tension. Admiral Montiley Quintest and his senior staff turned as one toward the masked figure who had just stepped out of the turbolift. Supreme Commander Dagon Marek's durasteel mask gleamed under the bridge lighting, the Wrath Shield armor making him appear even more imposing than usual. Beside him stood Clone Marshal-Commander Bly, commander of the 10th Sector Squadron.
"Admiral," Dagon's distorted voice cut through the quiet. "Status report."
Quintest straightened, offering a crisp salute. "Supreme Commander. The 10th Sector Squadron is fully assembled and ready. All ships are at Lantilles Army Base, as ordered. We stand prepared to launch the broad offensive alongside the Eighth, Fifth, Twelfth, and Twentieth Squadrons."
Colonel Rick Lee, the Admiral's adjutant, stepped forward with evident pride. "Our squadron is one of the most powerful and experienced in the fleet, sir. It has fought since the opening days of the war. Seventy-two ships total: fifteen Accumulator-class assault ships, sixteen Venator-class Star Destroyers, and more than thirty-five corvettes and frigates. We've earned our reputation the hard way."
Dagon nodded once, the mask making the motion mechanical. "Good. The Outer Rim campaigns have stretched us thin, but the recent victories at Umbara and the securing of the Great Kashyyyk Branch have opened new opportunities. This offensive will solidify control over the liberated sectors and prevent any CIS flanking maneuvers before *Spear of Light* begins."
Bly's helmeted head tilted slightly. "The clones are ready, sir. The 10th stands with you."
Dagon placed a gloved hand on the Marshal-Commander's shoulder plate. "I know you do, Commander. We hit hard, we hit fast, and we leave no room for Separatist resurgence. Coordinate with the other squadrons. Lantilles will serve as the spearhead. Dismissed."
As the officers returned to their stations, Dagon lingered at the viewport, staring out at the assembled armada. Hundreds of warships stretched across the void — Venators gleaming, Accumulators loaded with troops and armor, escort frigates forming protective screens. The Dragon's growing industrial web was finally bearing fruit. With Umbara's shadow technology flowing into Republic shipyards and new sectors under firm control, the Republic was no longer merely reacting. It was dictating the tempo of the war.
**Scene 2: Deep Core – Atrisian Commonwealth Approach Vector**
Fleet Admiral Dittmar stood on the bridge of his command vessel, a modified Venator refitted with the latest Sienar solar ionization reactors. The journey through the treacherous Deep Core had been long and difficult, but the coordinates provided by Dagon Marek had proven accurate. Ahead lay the Atrisian Commonwealth — a mysterious, isolationist power that had largely ignored the Republic for centuries.
Dittmar reviewed the briefing files again, his expression thoughtful. *A Star Destroyer with a full legion of clones… No. The Artisans would consider that an unfriendly gesture. Besides, you cannot impress them with a single Venator. They possess a fleet of at least a thousand large capital ships, two and a half thousand medium vessels, and roughly seven thousand light ships.* As an independent state, the Atrisians had never been bound by the Ruusan Reformation's restrictions on warship length. Their dreadnoughts were said to rival or exceed even the Republic's Nebula-class Star Destroyers.
The history of the Commonwealth was ancient and impressive.
Over thirty thousand years ago, during the reign of the Rakata Infinite Empire, a generation ship had fled Coruscant carrying the ancestors of the Atrisians. Their journey through the hazardous Deep Core lasted millennia. In 25,165 BBY, they finally settled a habitable world they named Atrisia — now more commonly called Kitel-Fard.
Cut off from hyperdrive technology and many other advancements, their development was slow. Like the early settlers of Naboo, they clashed with native species. The wars lasted far longer than the Naboo-Gungan conflicts, but eventually the humans prevailed. A visionary leader emerged — the founder of the Kitel-Fard dynasty — who united the people and forged the Atrisian Empire six thousand one hundred thirty-nine years ago. The Giju Route was established, triggering a golden age of expansion, diplomacy, and military innovation. Atrisian texts on strategy, governance, and administration were still studied in Republic academies millennia later.
At its peak, the Empire had no rivals left. But dynastic stagnation set in. In 504 BBY, after the sudden death of Emperor Li Tching, Empress Oiana Tching negotiated a peaceful transition. The Empire became the Atrisian Commonwealth. The Emperor and Empress remained symbols of the nation with limited powers, while a Parliament governed day-to-day affairs. The state's might, however, had not diminished.
Their navy rivaled the Republic's in size and sophistication. Their ground forces were legendary — elite Yovshin swordsmen who wielded dual lightsabers in the Jar'Kai style (a term Dagon himself used frequently), the Atrisian Stormtrooper Corps composed of highly trained clones, His Majesty's Riflemen, the Imperial Atrisian Grenadiers, and the Queen's personal reconnaissance company.
And yet, despite this power, the Commonwealth remained staunchly isolationist. The current rulers — Emperor Dze-Dze Tching and Empress Xiuyin Tching — continued this tradition. They had little interest in galactic affairs, preferring to focus inward on their own prosperous, highly advanced society.
Dittmar closed the file. *This will not be easy.* The Republic needed allies, not just conquests. With Dagon's clone rights legislation recently passed, there was at least a potential opening — the Atrisians' own military relied heavily on clones, and their treatment of them was reportedly far more equitable than the Republic's had been before the reforms.
He straightened his uniform as the fleet dropped out of hyperspace at the designated rendezvous coordinates — far enough from Atrisian space to avoid triggering defensive protocols, but close enough to signal serious diplomatic intent.
"Open a channel on all standard diplomatic frequencies," Dittmar ordered. "Transmit the credentials provided by Supreme Commander Marek. Inform them that the Republic comes in peace and mutual interest. We seek dialogue with the Emperor and Empress regarding the growing Separatist threat and potential cooperation."
The communications officer nodded. "Channel open, Admiral. Awaiting response."
Dittmar gazed at the distant star system on the viewscreen. Somewhere in that direction lay Kitel-Fard — a world of ancient human achievement, powerful fleets, and proud isolation. Convincing them to join the Republic's cause — even as limited allies — would be a diplomatic triumph worthy of the Dragon's grand strategy.
Back on Coruscant, Dagon Marek would be waiting for results. The war was accelerating. *Spear of Light* loomed. Every new ally, every new ship, every secured hyperspace route brought the Republic closer to survival.
The Atrisians had built an empire that endured for thousands of years through discipline, innovation, and careful strength. Perhaps they would recognize a kindred spirit in the Dragon of the Republic.
Or perhaps Dittmar would have to find another way.
The stars waited in silence for the Commonwealth's reply.