**Chapter 771: Victory and Titans**
**Scene 1: Kuat – Engineering Room**
Vallex Blissex cast a critical eye over the holo-simulation of part of the power supply system and nodded with satisfaction. He then grasped the circuit diagram with his specially gloved hands and compressed it to a manageable size of one in five hundred. He gave the command to merge the remaining completed circuit diagrams. The compilation of the drawings began. The designer himself leaned his hands on the edge of the table, resting his head on his palms.
For almost six months, he'd been working on a new warship together with Rendili, and now it seemed all that remained was to build the ships themselves. The design was ready.
The new ship would undoubtedly be the most powerful in the Republic's fleet. Vallex had no doubt about it. Yes, his daughter had managed to create a fairly good warship within the same project, but the Triumph would be no match for the Victory. Yes, it was a good warship, but it was already outdated. The Victory-class Star Destroyer would have the best armor, the best weapons… It would incorporate all the most advanced technologies and components available. The Victory literally embodied the Rendilian motto of the three Ns: Reliability, Invulnerability, and Attack.
The datapad beeped, indicating readiness. A projector illuminated a model of the new ship above the table. Nine hundred meters long, five hundred and seventy meters wide, and two hundred and twenty-nine meters high. The ship's shape was the triangular wedge that had become standard in recent years, but several details made it unlike its predecessors.
First, Blissex had abandoned the use of lower, or even upper, hangars. The Victory-class Star Destroyer would have only two side hangars. While this solution seemed odd at first glance, when combined with other considerations, it offered significant advantages. The downside of a lower hangar was the added benefit of protecting the lower hemisphere, plus the added volume for rearranging the ship's interior. All this allowed the Victory to accommodate two reactors, like the Triumph, without the main reactor protruding beyond the hull's edges as it did on the Venator. The hangars were also relocated slightly forward, making them larger than they would have been had the lower hangar been used. Now the Victory-class Star Destroyer could carry up to six squadrons of TIE fighters and half a dozen shuttles.
Yes, another innovation was that the air wing was designed specifically for Sienar-Jaemus Fleet Systems aircraft, which were quite advanced and took up less space. Therefore, the entire hangar infrastructure was tailored specifically for TIE fighters. Fighters and bombers from other manufacturers could also be housed in the Victory hangar, but in that case they would have one, two, or even three fewer squadrons.
Thirdly, the main fighting superstructure was strikingly different from those of the Allegiance or Triumph. It partially resembled the latter's conning tower, but only in its shape. The Victory's conning tower did not rise above the rear of the hull but was literally flattened against the hull, barely rising above it. This made the entire structure stronger and more reliable, reducing its vulnerability.
Fourth, the armament had changed. Little remained of the original design. Taim & Bak would provide their most advanced weapons, which again would soon dominate the fleet — simply because nothing better existed and certainly wouldn't appear in the coming years. Yes… Ten quadruple heavy turbolaser mounts in turrets, forty medium twin turbolasers in casemates, thirty light quadruple ion cannons as anti-aircraft weapons, and eighty missile-torpedo launchers similar to those on the Triumph. Except their rate of fire was much higher. Instead of ten minutes to reload, these took only two. This was ensured by the use of different safety measures: the Victory's hull was equipped with two "wings" that opened to fire a salvo and closed while the cannons reloaded. These "wings" also protected the loaded vehicles. Besides providing protection, these wings could help the ship maneuver in the atmosphere.
There were fifth and sixth points, too. Admittedly, not all of them were positive. For example, in the pursuit of speed and power, they had to sacrifice range and — price. Instead of the projected fifty-seven million, the price jumped to sixty-five.
But the Victory was well worth the money. In two weeks, the first batch of a thousand ships would be laid down, and in five months the first of them would be launched.
"Mr. Blissex, are you finished?" his assistant asked. "The committee has scheduled a meeting for four o'clock."
Limelisk entered the room silently.
"Yes, Bevel. I was looking over the details," Vallex grinned. "So those Rendelians wouldn't find fault with anything later…"
First his beauty would make a visit to Coruscant to destroy the ship Dagon Marek insisted was better than anything Kuat could build. Well, let's see to that.
**Scene 2: Ringo Vinda Space Station – Command Section 5**
Alaskan Admiral Kuro Dilhade stood watching the massive drydock.
Twenty years — that was how long Kuro had served in the Alsakan navy, and ten years onboard the Mandator Alsakan had purchased from Kuat. All that power, and his homeworld had still been attacked by Crimson-71. If it weren't for the Alsakan hero Dagon, he struggled to even think what would have become of his world.
And now all three of Alsakan's Mandators were undergoing what the Sienar engineers called the Titan Protocol.
**Mandator I-Class Star Dreadnought (Titan Protocol Refit)**
**Length:** 8,700 meters
**Maximum Acceleration:** 7 MGLT/s
**MGLT:** 3 DPF
**Maximum Speed (Atmospheric):** 65 MGLT
**Hyperdrive Rating:** Class 2 (Class 7 backup)
**Power Plant:** Solar ionization reactor + Auxiliary reactor
**Shielding:** 9,400 SBD
**Hull:** 10,200 RU
**Armament:**
- 500 heavy turbolaser batteries
- 250 turbolaser cannons
- 250 ion cannons
- 300 proton torpedo launchers
- 500 concussion missile launchers
- 150 tractor beam projectors
**Complement:** 1,800 starfighters, 180 transports
**Crew:** 75,000 officers, pilots, and enlisted crew
**Passengers:** 20,000 troops and support staff
**Consumables:** Three years
The three ships — *Gilagimar*, *Lawbringer*, and *Leviathan* — were now fully armed and ready.
Admiral Dilhade placed a hand on the viewport. "The Dragon saved us once. Now we repay the debt. These three Titans will make sure Mygeeto does not fall."
**Scene 3: Mygeeto Orbit – Bridge of the Devastation**
Dagon stood with his arms crossed, watching the updated tactical display. The reinforcements from Alsakan were en route, and the new Victory-class designs from Kuat would soon enter production. The war was accelerating.
He allowed himself a small, satisfied nod. The pieces were falling into place. The CIS counterattack was coming — and the Republic would be ready.
The Dragon of the Republic was preparing to meet them head-on.