At the same time as a desperate struggle against time was taking place, in the vacuum of space a Legacy-class Star Destroyer was traveling through hyperspace toward the planet. This Star Destroyer was part of the latest batch of ships deployed from Ord Munn, the factory world of the Gaian League, where work continued day and night to produce new warships. Unfortunately, productivity could not compare to that of the Republic at its peak, the Empire, or the CIS. Fortunately, the quality of their ships at this moment had proven superior to those used by judicial forces and corporations.
On the bridge of this destroyer traveled the now-trained Assajj Ventress alongside the newly appointed admiral of the Free Combat Group, Rilo Cui, a Zabrak who had proven more capable than any of his peers, scoring 87/100 in theoretical evaluation and 93/100 in practical simulation, making him the seventh highest score in the naval academy since its founding.
"How long until arrival, Admiral?"
"30 minutes, my lady."
"Very well. Prepare my ship and the shuttles. I'll leave the space battle to you."
"As you command. If you'll excuse me, I'll begin preparations immediately." With a salute, he excused himself, leaving Assajj alone with her thoughts.
For Assajj, this was the third most important moment of her life, after the death of her first master and her acceptance by Maximus. At last, she would prove she was ready—that all her training had been worth it, that she was useful to her new master, and, of course, that she would not fail him. Fortunately, she would not have to handle the naval aspect—her weakness—where she had never beaten any of the admirals in simulations.
At least they all follow Maximus' orders, more or less.
Indeed, not everyone was happy that a woman who appeared out of nowhere had the authority to command military forces at will, but the direct order of their supreme leader and her demonstrated capabilities in multiple disciplines kept them in line. Moreover, they did not know the full extent of her abilities as a Force user.
Making her way toward the hangar bay, she spotted her fighter—one commonly used by Force users in the galaxy, but slightly modified. Having the creator of the V-Wing and the Delta-7 allowed them to develop the Delta-7B fighters ahead of time, the same models later seen in the Clone Wars. Inside the cockpit was her astromech droid R-3, who would, for the first time, share a fighter with her.
"Admiral, order the fleet to go to red alert."
Sirens began to blare throughout the ship with announcements like "All personnel to battle stations!" as, with a sudden jolt, the fleet exited hyperspace. Operators quickly adjusted the main battery targeting systems and inter-ship communications.
Awaiting them were eight Munificent-class ships blockading the planet, along with several C-9979 landing craft. Without hesitation, all ships in the fleet opened fire on what would become the most widely used vessel of the Separatists. In return, those ships fired back at the League's fleet, illuminating the vacuum of space in red.
On the bridge of the flagship, the Warbringer, Admiral Rilo Cui observed the enemy deployment with his characteristic unnatural calm. His yellow Zabrak eyes scanned the tactical displays as he analyzed the battle.
"Hold formation. All destroyers maintain the line and concentrate fire on the right flank of the Munificents," he ordered firmly. "If we break their blockade there, we can open a breach and encircle their forces completely."
"Yes, Admiral."
The first volleys struck enemy shields, creating waves of energy that distorted the silhouettes of the frigates. But they were not easy opponents. The Munificent-class ships, designed to overwhelm enemies numerically and equipped with enough firepower to destroy a Venator-class cruiser, were more than capable of matching their fleet. As expected, they responded efficiently under droid command.
"Deploy fighters. Prepare Red and Green squadrons. All squadrons deploy in beta formation along vectors 0-3-7-1-8."
In the hangar, massive doors opened like jaws, releasing swarms of fighters into the void.
Assajj was already gone—leading Red Squadron from the front.
Her Delta-7B shot forward like an arrow, overtaking even the first squadrons. Inside the cockpit, the soft beeping of R-3 contrasted with her calm demeanor.
To counter the fighters deployed from those ships, the C-9979 landing craft—acting as carriers—released Scarab-class starfighters. Originally designed for organic pilots and later converted to droid brains, they were predecessors to the Vulture-class starfighters. Against V-Wings, however, they were no match—especially when outnumbered 3:1 by organic pilots.
Assajj veered sharply, dodging a blast that would have obliterated any conventional pilot, and charged straight toward one of the C-9979 ships, which had already deployed its fighters and was now acting as a screen.
"R-3, mark target."
The droid beeped in confirmation.
Without slowing, Assajj cut through crossfire and, at the last second, fired a precise burst that struck the shuttle's engines. They exploded in the vacuum, sending fire and debris outward as the vessel drifted helplessly.
But there was no time to celebrate—three enemy fighters moved in behind her.
Assajj smiled.
"Perfect."
She cut her engines instantly. The fighter stopped dead, causing her pursuers to overshoot. In an impossible maneuver, she spun around and fired at point-blank range, destroying two before they could react. The third tried to flee, but a final shot took it down.
Meanwhile, on the command bridge—
"Admiral! One of the landing craft has been destroyed," reported an officer.
Rilo nodded, not taking his eyes off the battlefield.
"Intensify fire. I want that breach open in less than five minutes."
An explosion shook the ship.
"Impact on sector four. Shields at 78%."
"Hold formation," he replied coldly.
"Sir, enemy ships are concentrating fire on the Valiant. The captain reports shields at 23%—they won't last five minutes at this rate—"
"Order the Stormbreaker and Voidkeeper to advance ten parsecs ahead of the Valiant and draw enemy fire. Have the Defender and Phantom concentrate all firepower on ships three and six."
"Sir, ship exiting hyperspace—transponder identifies it as the Eclipse."
"As soon as it exits, deploy Green and Orange squadrons."
Following the order, a Lucrehulk-class battleship emerged from hyperspace behind the League fleet. From its hangars, squadrons of B-17 Flying Fortress bombers—heavily modified prototypes by Blissex—launched. Piloted by droids to avoid casualties, they were equipped with proton bombs and defensive systems, replacing their original .50 caliber guns with laser cannons. Slow but devastating, they pushed through the battlefield, shooting down fighters and taking damage until, positioned above enemy ships, they opened their bomb bays and released their payload.
"Sir, ships 2, 5, 7, and 8 have suffered critical damage and are no longer a threat."
"Casualty report?"
"We've lost one fighter squadron and eight of the prototypes."
"Finish the battle. Concentrate fire on remaining ships and fighters. Prepare shuttles and troops for deployment."