**Chapter 841: Gray Annihilation**
**Scene 1: Annihilator Bridge – Dagon POV**
Dagon Marek stood motionless on the command bridge of the *Annihilator*, his scarred hands clasped behind his back as the massive super-dreadnought led the gray armada into the chaotic gravitational dance of the Yag'Dhul system. The three moons created erratic tides, storms raged across the planet's gray surface, but none of it mattered. The Dragon had come to end the Givin contribution to the CIS war machine.
Then the Mandators opened fire. Four shots from one ship easily destroyed a Subjugator-class heavy cruiser, turning it into exploding debris while the *Annihilator*'s ultra-heavy siege cannons overwhelmed the Hutt fleets.
The eight Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnoughts unleashed their kyber-powered orbital autocannons in coordinated salvos. Each shot was a lance of pure destruction, tearing through shields and armor like paper. One Subjugator-class heavy cruiser—its massive frame bristling with ion cannons—took two direct hits to its central reactor. The ship bloomed into a brilliant fireball, debris scattering across the void as secondary explosions ripped it apart.
The *Annihilator* itself dominated the center of the formation, its 18-kilometer length a monument to overwhelming power. Its ultra-heavy siege cannons roared, sending devastating broadsides into the Hutt Clan Karabos Destroyers. The 1.6-kilometer vessels tried to maneuver, but the gravitational chaos of Yag'Dhul worked against them. One Karabos took a direct hit to its bridge, its hull crumpling before the reactor went critical in a spectacular explosion.
While the Xystons advanced, launching Skelters and Fury-class bombers that ripped the Hutt pilots to pieces.
The 20 Xyston-class Star Destroyers surged forward like predatory wedges, their hybrid designs proving devastating in the close-quarters chaos. Hangar bays opened, disgorging swarms of Skelters and Fury-class bombers. The fast, heavily armed craft tore through Hutt fighter screens with ease, their laser cannons and proton torpedoes shredding Dunelizard Interceptors and Krayt Gunships. Hutt pilots—often mercenaries more interested in profit than sacrifice—broke formation under the relentless assault, their squadrons decimated in minutes.
Dagon's eyes narrowed with satisfaction. "Continue the push. No mercy for their shipyards."
**Scene 2: Battle Meld – Lunacy**
I activated a new form of the battle meld that I recently learned—Lunacy.
A Sith technique that not only enhances my troops but triggers fear in the enemy if they are organic.
"All ships, wide spread, push the offensive."
The Titans and Resurgents' engines soared forward, Olympus Mons leading as the F-Spar cannon tore through Munificent-class frigate screens.
The Force surged through Dagon like a dark tide. He extended it across the entire fleet, weaving the new Lunacy meld into the minds of every Republic pilot, trooper, and officer. Strength flooded their limbs. Reactions sharpened. Fear evaporated, replaced by cold, unbreakable resolve.
For the enemy—especially the organic Hutt crews and Neimoidian commanders—Lunacy struck like a nightmare made real. Panic rippled through their ranks. Communications became frantic. Fighters broke formation without orders. Even battle droids, though unaffected directly, suffered from disrupted command links as their organic overseers lost composure.
The three Titan-class Battlecruisers led the charge alongside the Resurgents, their heavy turbolasers blazing. The *Olympus Mons*, Dagon's personal flagship within the formation, unleashed its F-Spar cannon—a devastating spinal weapon that carved through entire lines of Munificent-class frigates. The skeletal CIS vessels exploded in brilliant flashes, their crews vaporized before they could react.
"Maintain formation!" Dagon commanded, his voice echoing through the meld. "Break their center. Target the Bou'Hallec Dreadnoughts."
The fleet responded as one living weapon. Resurgents unleashed broadsides that shredded Allocator-class Star Destroyers. Xystons continued launching waves of Skelters and Fury bombers, the craft weaving through the chaos to deliver precise torpedo strikes against the heavier Hutt vessels. The gravitational tides of Yag'Dhul made maneuvering difficult for the defenders, but the Republic fleet—coordinated through Lunacy—moved with unnatural precision.
A Bou'Hallec Star Dreadnought tried to bring its axial superlaser to bear, the crude Hapan-Mon Cala kyber weapon charging with an ominous glow. But the *Annihilator*'s siege cannons fired first. The massive dreadnought's shields collapsed under the barrage, and its 6-kilometer hull began to fracture.
The CIS fleet was breaking.
**Scene 3: The Last Stand – Lashros Dofine**
Lashros Dofine, belonging to one of the most influential Neimoidian families—the Dofine—he wasn't a typical representative of his people. Calm, level-headed, and—cold. No panic—just pure calculation.
But even now he could see Neimoidians and Givins panicking, while he was able to stay combat, as he watched from the orbital ring as 2 Subjugators were destroyed while 3 enemy Triumphs were destroyed but only a few of the enemy smaller ships were destroyed while their larger ships were not and his fleet was getting torn apart. No matter, his objective was done. The prototype Hapes tech in miniature Death Star devices worked but still needed upgrade. Only their Triumphs and Vector-class couldn't withstand that superlaser due to conventional solar reactor power, but kyber-powered Resurgents—oh those were shielded.
As Lashros' ship jumped, the last of the emergency CIS communications were gone.
That means the shipyard is no more.
Lashros stood on the bridge of his personal Munificent, hands clasped behind his back as the gray storm of the Republic fleet consumed the Yag'Dhul defense line. Alarms blared across the bridge, but he remained motionless, his pale green face impassive.
"Status," he said coldly.
"Two Subjugators lost," an aide stammered. "The Bou'Hallec *Dominance* is breaking apart. Enemy Resurgents and Mandators are cutting through our center. The superlaser on *Dominance* scored hits, but their kyber-shielded capital ships shrugged them off!"
Lashros nodded once. The prototype Hapes technology—miniature axial superlasers reverse-engineered with kyber crystals from Sidious's hidden caches—had performed adequately. But it was not enough. The Republic fleet was too numerous, too well-coordinated, and led by something far more dangerous than mere numbers.
The Dragon.
"Transmit final data packet to Count dooku and viceroy nute ," Lashros ordered. "Then jump to the rendezvous point. The shipyards are lost. We salvage what we can."
His crew scrambled to obey. The bridge shook as Republic torpedoes impacted nearby escorts. Through the viewport, Lashros watched a Bou'Hallec Star Dreadnought break in half, its massive frame spiraling into the planet's stormy atmosphere.
The Givin mathematicians had served the CIS well—discovering hyperlanes, designing Wavecrest frigates, and anchoring the First Fleet. But mathematics could not overcome the Dragon's wrath.
As his ship leapt into hyperspace, Lashros allowed himself one final, cold thought.
*The war continues. But Yag'Dhul has fallen.*
On the *Annihilator* bridge, Dagon watched the last CIS vessels either explode or flee into hyperspace. The Yag'Dhul shipyards burned in orbit, their massive rings fracturing under sustained bombardment. The gray planet below churned with storms, its three moons continuing their chaotic dance, oblivious to the changing tide of war.
"Objective achieved," Dagon said quietly. "Move to Fondor. The noose tightens."
The Dragon's shadow lengthened across the galaxy once more.