**Chapter 840: The Gray Storm**
**Scene 1: Annihilator – Dagon's Private Office**
Dagon Marek stood alone in his private office aboard the *Annihilator*, the massive super-dreadnought's hum a constant, almost soothing presence as it orbited Coruscant. The holographic map of the galaxy floated before him, with Yag'Dhul highlighted in ominous red. He smirked to himself, tracing the planet's erratic orbital path with a gauntleted finger.
Yag'Dhul was a small but dense planet. A gray cloud cover made the world appear dull and colorless. The planet possessed three large moons that orbited one another around a common center of gravity. At the same time, the moons and Yag'Dhul itself orbited a second shared center of gravity, as their combined mass amounted to roughly 70 percent of the planet's mass. This complex gravitational arrangement caused each moon and the planet to influence the motion of the others, creating a system that appeared highly erratic.
The presence of these three moons, together with a low-frequency retrograde rotation, resulted in some of the most severe tidal effects known in the galaxy. Yag'Dhul had a retrograde rotation with a period of 175 standard hours, meaning it spun opposite to the direction of the moons' orbit. Yag'Dhul and its moons completed their mutual orbital cycle in only 53 standard hours, resulting in a difference of 122 hours between the planet's rotational period and orbital cycle.
As a result, Yag'Dhul's oceans and even its atmosphere flowed from one side of the planet to the other in patterns predictable only through the application of advanced mathematics. As the atmosphere shifted, it boiled and swirled violently, generating powerful storms that filled the gray skies with lightning and illuminated flashes of red stone visible even from orbit.
At certain times of the year, the same three moons that wreaked havoc on Yag'Dhul's surface created especially perilous tidal conditions that extended the time required for ships to revert from hyperspace and navigate to new coordinates before returning to lightspeed.
Senator Daggibus Scoritoles transmitted Articles of Secession via the HoloNet to the Senate in the morning, making the separation official. In the process, he expressed regret that the decision had been made but emphasized that "the threats of remaining were greater than or equal to the threats of secession." The statement was also simulcast across the broadcast towers of Yag'Dhul's largest civic shelters. The transmission was accompanied by numerous charts and graphs explaining the action. According to the broadcast, the Body Calculus's most revered mathematicians had developed functional models of the Republic's political situation. By advancing the model along its time axis, the resulting projections indicated a bleak future for both the Republic and Yag'Dhul specifically.
The planet seceded, and the native Givin later served as mathematicians for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, discovering new hyperlanes for the war effort and contributing Wavecrest-class frigates from their well-regarded shipyards. The planet served as the base for the First Fleet of the Confederate Navy.
'How foolish,' Dagon thought, a dark smile tugging at his scarred lips. 'An army without killers is no army at all. I will remind them. After all, their shipyards are similar to Kuat and Fondor combined with the ring planet main shipyard and 120 individual orbiting platforms.'
The Givin were brilliant mathematicians, but their world was a fortress of gravity and storms. Striking Yag'Dhul would cripple one of the CIS's most vital production hubs. Dagon's eyes narrowed as he reviewed the latest intelligence. The shipyards were heavily defended, but nothing the Republic's new doctrine couldn't overcome.
He turned away from the map, the beast inside stirring with anticipation. The war was accelerating, and every blow he struck brought him closer to ending it on his terms.
**Scene 2: The Gray Armada**
The fleet prepared was lethal.
8 Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnoughts loomed like gray giants, their massive hulls bristling with kyber-powered orbital autocannons capable of fleet-killing strikes.
1 Annihilator-class Super Star Destroyer served as the command nexus, its 18-kilometer length a symbol of absolute dominance.
50 Resurgent-class Battlecruisers formed the core striking force, their heavy turbolaser batteries ready to shred anything in their path.
3 Titan-class Battlecruisers added raw firepower, their upgraded shields and engines making them nearly unstoppable in close engagements.
100 Triumph-class Star Destroyers provided versatile missile support, their torpedo salvos proven devastating in previous battles.
80 Vector-class Star Destroyers offered speed and agility, perfect for flanking maneuvers.
20 Xyston-class Star Destroyers brought hybrid brute force, fusing Allegiance and Devastation designs into lethal wedges of destruction.
This armada was fast enough and powerful enough to strike fear into the Givins and their precious fleet.
The enemy awaited with their own formidable defenses:
400 Munificent-class Frigates formed the outer ring, their skeletal hulls bristling with turbolasers.
10 Subjugator-class Heavy Cruisers (Malice variants) anchored the heavy line, their massive ion cannons ready to disable entire squadrons.
3 Subjugator-class Heavy Cruisers (Malevolence variants) served as command ships, their superweapons capable of devastating broadsides.
90 Allocator-class Star Destroyers provided mid-range firepower and carrier support.
100 Hutt Clan Karabos Destroyers—1.6 km vessels with 4,350 crew, 7,200 shield points, 9,215 hull points, and armament including 13 assault concussion missiles, 33 dual heavy turbolasers, 90 single medium turbolasers, and 22 single light ion cannons—added brutal close-range punch.
4 new Bou'Hallec Star Dreadnoughts (6 km) were the crown jewels of the defense, with 58,000 shield points, 97,595 hull points, speed of 1.75, and armament including 140 heavy turbolasers, 140 medium turbolasers, 240 light turbolasers, 125 light concussion missile launchers, and 1 axial superlaser—a crude but deadly copy of Death Star technology, powered by Hapan and Mon Cala kyber experiments funneled through Sidious. Their complement included M12-L Kimogila Heavy Fighter Squadrons (2/6), Dunelizard Interceptor Squadrons (2/6), M22-T Krayt Gunship Squadrons (2/6), and Dunelizard Fighter Squadrons.
Dagon stood on the *Annihilator*'s bridge, watching the fleet assemble in perfect formation. The gray cloud cover of Yag'Dhul loomed ahead, its three moons creating chaotic gravitational tides that made hyperspace jumps perilous. But the Republic fleet was ready.
"Begin the assault," Dagon ordered. "No mercy. Break their shipyards, and the CIS loses its mathematical edge."
The armada surged forward, a gray storm ready to swallow the Givin defenses whole. The war for the final CIS strongholds had truly begun.