Four Months later
The war reached its fifth month, and the Imperial defenses were holding against the overwhelming enemy forces that attacked its territory.
In the Imperial controlled Hutt territory, Princess Luna, Princess Vaelora, and 300 million clone soldiers had managed to defeat every Republic attack. Together they had formed a strong force that overwhelmed any Republic forces they went against.
The local population were rooting for them and several million even enlisted to fight against the Republic under the Imperium.
In the Northern Territories, the Republic forces attempted to attack another planet while keeping Warmaster Raelos on Glee Anselm. But Warmaster Raelos simply led the Imperial fleet against the blockading forces, forcing them to retreat.
With this done, he led the fleet to defend the other planet that was being attacked. He has repeated this tactic for three months now, resulting in the Senate removing Admiral Theln from command due to his repeated failures. Another officer was given the rank of Admiral and replaced the now former Admiral Theln.
Though these conflicts weren't comparable to what was going on in the Imperial core. Several Republic fleets totaling about four million ships were sent to start attacking the core worlds of the Imperium. Every Progenitor, High Lord, and any other prominent military leader were deployed to the frontlines.
This included 60k members of the Balance Keepers and all the Legions under the Progenitors. The scale of the Republic offensive was as big as the Imperium had predicted. Four million ships were just a quarter of their total military strength, a commitment that spoke to how desperate they were to break the Imperium's defensive lines.
Chancellor Thrace had personally overseen the planning, convinced that overwhelming force concentrated on the Imperial core territories would finally shatter Daimon's empire. What the Republic didn't account for was the strength of the Progenitors and the Ascendants.
The Progenitors were essentially demi-gods, capable of being one-man armies at times. Then supporting them were the Ascendants, who were themselves extremely powerful warriors who had been bred for war. Each Ascendant Legion numbered one million members, and all nine were now deployed across multiple fronts within the Imperial core.
Already, the casualties on the Republic side had already entered the millions while the Imperium only just reached one hundred thousand. But even with this, the Republic continued to send more. They had ramped up their shipyard production to build more warships.
Their entire method for winning the war was just to overwhelm the Imperium with numbers, which would work in the long run if Daimon wasn't the one leading the Imperium. Just being present on the battlefield guarantees that the battle is going to be won.
———
On Veldari, Cortana showed Daimon some of the weapons she had created for the purpose of dominating in the war.
The first weapon Cortana displayed was a massive orbital platform unlike anything currently in the Imperial arsenal. "This is the Eclipse Array," she explained as the holographic projection rotated to show its design. "It functions as a mobile weapons platform capable of channeling stellar energy directly from the nearest star. Once deployed, it can fire a concentrated beam that can vaporize a section of a fleet in a single shot."
Looking at the design, Daimon could see that such a weapon was only possible because of the Force-enhanced crystals that the Imperium had a monopoly on. "What are the power requirements?"
"Substantial, but sustainable. Each array draws power directly from the star it orbits, converting solar radiation into weaponized energy through a combination of conventional technology and Force-amplification. We can deploy five of these within the next two months if we dedicate the necessary resources."
Cortana shifted the hologram, revealing what appeared to be a relatively small drone. "This is the Wraith-class infiltration unit. Designed specifically to counter Republic numerical advantages. Each unit is equipped with advanced stealth technology, molecular manipulation capabilities, and a compact fusion core that can be remotely detonated."
"Sabotage units," Daimon said, their capabilities match that of sabotage.
"Precisely. A single Wraith can infiltrate enemy ships, disable critical systems, or eliminate command staff before self-destructing. We can use the Star Forge to produce hundreds of thousands in conjunction with our other necessities. Then we can deploy them across Republic supply lines, and their logistics will be severely threatened within months."
For Daimon, these Wraith-class infiltration units would be a good addition to the war effort. It would add to his goal of maximizing damage against the Republic.
The next few weapons mainly consisted of orbital defense weapons which would be used to counter Republic fleets and some offensive orbital bombardment weapons to render the surface of planet unlivable.
Daimon approved the production of every weapon that Cortana suggested and then the two of them departed to the spaceport.
Since the destruction of the Jedi temple on Ossus, Daimon has not been much involved in the war and had left it up to his Progenitors while he returned to Veldari to assemble his own fleet.
While the Progenitors held the Imperial core, Daimon was going to take his own fleet to conquer the empires in the Unknown regions. Already, they had begun attacking Imperial border worlds and even the Rakata Dominion who requested help from the Imperium.
In response, Daimon would lead the campaign against these empires that he should have dealt with a century ago.
The spaceport on Veldari was busy with activity as military personnel loaded supplies onto transport vessels. As Daimon walked through the spaceport, he saw Sera and Elara talking to one another as they waited for him.
Daimon wanted to sneak up on them, but somebody as important and big as him couldn't be sneaky unless he used the Force. They turned their heads and smiled, seeing him approach as they were eager for this campaign.
"Is Cortana coming with us Daimon." asked Sera seeing Cortana with him.
"Yeah, she complained about not being able to participate in the previous wars and demanded that I bring her." explained Daimon
"There is no use having a body if I don't put it to use. Plus, the Republic has angered my Master, so it's only natural for me to want to fight on his behalf." said Cortana smirking as she looked at Daimon.
(Cortana's new form)
Daimon agreed, having grown accustomed to Cortana's unique personality over the centuries. She had evolved beyond her original programming, developing genuine emotions and attachments that made her more than just an AI construct. In many ways, she was like a sister to Daimon.
"How large is the fleet we're taking?" Elara asked, shifting the conversation
"Five hundred thousand ships," Daimon replied. "Along with 1 billion soldiers, the immortals, and 20,000 Balance Keepers. The Unknown Region empires have tried my patience for the final time. It's time we put an end to each of these empires and either annex them entirely or create a new empire under our control."
"Which empire are we hitting first?" Sera asked.
"The Theocratic Dominion of Kalyndra. They've been the most aggressive, conducting raids on our religious sites and attempting to convert Imperial citizens to their faith. Their zealotry makes them predictable, but it also makes them dangerous. They won't surrender easily, so we will conquer them first."
Sera nodded, agreeing with this plan as they were a big threat.
After talking for a few minutes, the group boarded a shuttle and departed for Daimon's flagship, the Luminary. Waiting for him onboard was Grand Admiral Caedus and his son Prince Malrik.
"All ships report ready for departure, My Lord," Grand Admiral Caedus announced.
"Excellent Admiral," said Daimon looking outside of the viewports which showed the assembled fleet. This was the biggest fleet that he was about to lead to war. Each ship represented centuries of technological advancement and military doctrine refined through the Imperium's growth.
"We won't be taking the hyperspace gate and since there is no dimensional gate that leads directly to the Rakatan homeworld, we will instead travel using my power." announced Daimon as he reached out and focused his mind. The ability that he was about to use was a variant of Force storm that created hyperspace wormholes capable of sending fleets to another location almost instantly.
With Cortana's breakthrough in Celestial technology, Daimon was able to create a new Force ability that would enhance his fleet fighting ability. In addition to being able to move fleets across vast distances, he could also use the hyperspace wormhole to destroy fleets and the surfaces of planets.
As a few moments passed, the entire fleet watched as a wormhole was created in front of them.
"All ships, follow the Luminary through the wormhole," Grand Admiral Caedus ordered across the fleet channels. The flagship moved forward, followed by the rest of the fleet.
Inside the wormhole, the journey that would normally take 1-2 weeks lasted mere minutes. The crew experienced a strange sensation, as if reality itself was bending around them. Through the viewports, they could see distorted images of stars and nebulae, compressed and stretched as traveled through the wormhole.
When they emerged on the other side, the fleet found itself within the Lehon system. The concept of the dimensional gates was already revolutionary, but now they just saw the emperor create a wormhole right in front of their face.
This was the reason why morale was always high amongst Daimon's fleet. Getting to see such feats in person only fueled their resolve and commitment to the war and their belief in their God-emperor.