A synchronized countdown flickered across the command consoles of all three fleets simultaneously:
3... 2... 1...
BOOM! BOOM! PEW! PEW! PEW!
The instant the timer hit zero, every ship across the three fleets unleashed their primary and secondary weapon batteries—excluding only the three Super Star Destroyers.
Focused plasma lances, heavy particle cannons, and super-conducting railgun slugs surged out from the weapon mounts at near-light speed. They roared through the dark void toward the Republic's defense outposts embedded within the asteroid belt beyond the Oort cloud.
The energy projectiles were the first to strike. The Republic personnel inside the outposts were completely unprepared—their long-range detection systems failed to register the incoming attack vector until it was already upon them.
