**Chapter 852: The Storm Approaches**
**Scene 1: Centax 2 Shipyards – Jan Dodonna POV**
2 hours. That was how long he estimated.
A fleet of 500 Bulwark-class 2 battleships, 2km long.
200 Bulwark-class 1 battleships, 1.5km long.
And 90 Oplot 2 battleships, 2.5km long each with 2,000 heavy turbolasers and 150 ion cannons.
Led by famed CIS admiral Dua Ningo.
It was troublesome since the fleet broke the Foerost blockade and jumped. It disappeared, it tried to attack several fleet groups but Dagon's advanced warning system alerted. Now the fleet was coming to Coruscant but first it must pass through Centax, the last of 10 moons in the Coruscant system.
200 Bothan Assault Cruisers.
200 Victory-class Star Destroyers.
100 Vector-class Star Destroyers.
Plus Coruscant local defense fleet of
100 Venators, 200 Assault Frigates Mark 1, 90 Accumulators, 20 Resurgents, 50 Allegiance, 100 Nebulas.
Jan Dodonna stood on the bridge of the MC80 Home One-type heavy star cruiser *Republic*, gazing out at the bustling shipyards of Centax 2. The moon was a fortress of industry, its orbital platforms swarming with activity as Republic engineers and clone crews worked frantically to prepare for the coming storm. Two hours. That was all the time they had before Dua Ningo's massive fleet arrived.
The numbers were daunting. Five hundred Bulwark Mark 2 battleships—two-kilometer behemoths with thick armor and heavy firepower. Two hundred smaller Bulwark Mark 1s. And ninety Oplot 2 dreadnoughts, each a 2.5-kilometer nightmare carrying two thousand heavy turbolasers and one hundred fifty ion cannons. Led by the infamous CIS admiral Dua Ningo, this force was a sledgehammer aimed directly at Coruscant's heart.
Dodonna's hands tightened on the railing. The enemy had broken through at Foerost, vanishing into hyperspace only to reappear on multiple vectors. Dagon's advanced warning systems had given them precious time, but the Republic was still outnumbered in raw tonnage. The defense fleet around Centax was formidable—two hundred Bothan Assault Cruisers, two hundred Victory-class Star Destroyers, one hundred Vectors, and the local Coruscant defense contingent of one hundred Venators, two hundred Assault Frigates Mark 1, ninety Accumulators, twenty Resurgents, fifty Allegiance-class, and one hundred Nebulas. It was a strong force, but against Ningo's armada, it would be a brutal test.
"Admiral," a clone officer reported, "all defensive platforms are online. The shipyards are on full lockdown. We're ready."
Dodonna nodded grimly. "Hold the line. Coruscant itself depends on us. If they break through here, the heart of the Republic falls."
The bridge crew moved with disciplined urgency. Fighters launched from the *Republic* and other carriers, forming defensive screens. Turbolaser batteries powered up across the moon's orbital ring. This was the last bastion before the planet itself. They would not yield easily.
**Scene 2: Dua Ningo POV – The Coming Vengeance**
The newest information came as quite a shock for him, both good news and bad news.
The bad news, Cato Neimoidia and the Neimoidian purse worlds have all fallen, so has Yag'Dhul and Fondor and several Outer Rim worlds.
The Harch supreme commander Lolouch homeworld has also fallen. Also one of the newest CIS admirals lost at Utapau, losing another Subjugator-class heavy cruiser with ion cannon. The Unity was destroyed as well as one hundred capital ships lost to Kenobi. The CIS council moves again to Mon Cala and now apart from Mon Cala, Hapes and Hutt space the Republic has total control of the galaxy. Well, soon enough.
"The Corporate Sector has decided to be able to devote its full forces to waging war. Companies started participating. However, the Frontline forces will be substantial, joining in 1 month. In addition to the available forces—one hundred thousand Espo sector police officers and some police equipment—the Republic could face up to three hundred thousand company mercenaries, up to a hundred Dreadnought-class cruisers, thousands of Marauder-class corvettes, and tens of thousands of various starfighters. Furthermore, negotiations are underway to purchase fifty Lucrehulk-class ships fully loaded with battle droids and three hundred Recusant-class destroyers from the Trade Federation."
That brought a smile to Ningo as soon the full weight of the Corporate Sector in an additional 2 billion fighters will join against the Republic.
But first my vengeance or my hope for relief after I attacked my own home Sullust and now to eliminate Dagon's home, the Jedi Temple, for his repeated humiliation of me.
Admiral Dua Ningo stood on the bridge of his flagship, the massive Bulwark Mark 2 *Dominion*, watching the stars streak by as his fleet hurtled toward Coruscant. The news from the Outer Rim was grim. Cato Neimoidia and its purse worlds had fallen. Yag'Dhul and Fondor were lost. Lolouch's homeworld had been taken, and another admiral had been defeated at Utapau. The Separatist Council was fleeing once more, this time to Mon Cala. The Republic now controlled nearly the entire galaxy outside of the final strongholds.
Yet there was hope. The Corporate Sector was committing fully—hundreds of thousands of mercenaries, Dreadnoughts, Marauders, and starfighters. Negotiations for Lucrehulks and Recusants from the Trade Federation were progressing. In one month, a fresh wave of two billion droid fighters would join the fight.
Ningo's smile was cold and predatory. "The Republic thinks they've won. They have no idea what's coming."
His vengeance burned hottest for Dagon Marek. The Dragon had humiliated him time and again—destroying his fleets, shattering his plans, forcing him into retreat after retreat. Attacking Sullust had been personal. Now, striking at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant would be the ultimate retribution.
"Maintain formation," Ningo ordered. "We break through Centax, then strike the heart. The Dragon's temple will burn."
The fleet surged forward, a tidal wave of steel and firepower ready to crash upon the Republic's core.
**Scene 3: The Final Approach**
The Republic defenders on Centax 2 watched the sensors with grim determination. Jan Dodonna coordinated from the *Republic*, his voice steady as he issued orders. "All batteries, prepare for long-range engagement. Fighters, form defensive screens. We hold them here."
Dua Ningo's fleet dropped out of hyperspace like a hammer blow. Hundreds of Bulwark-class battleships and Oplot 2 dreadnoughts filled the void, their turbolasers already charging. The Corporate Sector reinforcements were still weeks away, but Ningo's current force was more than enough to test the Republic's defenses.
The battle for Coruscant's moon had begun.