Above the battalion level, between it and the regiment, there was a so-called vanguard, designed to break through fortified defensive lines and, as the name suggests, be first to land on the surface of planets. The vanguard consisted of 1,232 combat droids; in terms of vehicles, eleven MTTs and a company of eighteen AATs, plus 112 STAPs — CIS speeders. A regiment had 4,368 droids, organized into four battalions and one vanguard, and that was the total number of troops and vehicles carried aboard a single C-9979, the Trade Federation's primary landing craft. Usually, such a unit was commanded by one of the OOM droids.
Next came some truly staggering numbers. A division consisted of 21,840 droids in five regiments, while a corps held 109,200 combat droids — five divisions. Landing a corps required twenty-five C-9979 transporters. The largest tactical unit was an army, consisting of 218,400 combat and support droids, divided into two corps. The total number of vehicles was 550 MTTs and 6,250 AATs. This was also the maximum number of troops deployable on a single old-model Lucrehalk.
Armies were typically commanded by the captain of the battleship or one of the OOM droids. Now, however, it was a T-series tactical droid. During the conflict on Naboo, the number of combat droids aboard the LH-3210 had been much smaller, and the ship's central sphere wasn't designed for droid transport. But during the war, with factories running at full capacity and transporters upgraded into battleships, the CIS ignored economy. Considering that the loss ratio between clones and B-1s hovered around fifteen to twenty B-1s per clone, a maximum load of 329,000 B-1–series droids was acceptable. Efficiency, however, was limited by the B-1's shortcomings. Heavier and more specialized combat droids had to be loaded as well, though this was insignificant given the Baryshnik's five-million-ton carrying capacity.
And now, drum roll — the CIS fields roughly three dozen more types of combat droids. This means that two transport ships could carry vastly different numbers of troops, so the average number of combat droids on a single Lucrehulk fluctuated around 180,000. I had loaded one of our battles into the simulator, and now, with a general understanding of the principles, it was much easier to navigate.
What do we have? First, the B-2–series combat droids. On average, a B-1 company contains between eight and forty-eight B-2s. Then there are spider-like combat vehicles such as the DSD-1 and OG-9, which usually operate in groups, complementing each other. One OG-9 is typically accompanied by up to six smaller "spiders." And the droideks — up to twenty can ride in the same MTT, far more formidable than a B-1 company. Terrifying for infantry.
As for droid tactics… Napoleon's campaigns and ancient Greek phalanxes came to mind. Yet, with sheer numbers and intelligent deployment, even those strategies bore fruit. Losses were replenished almost instantly. Damaged equipment and droids were repaired, cannibalized for parts, or melted down. DUM-series repair droids scurried across battlefields during combat, ignoring everything else and focusing solely on repairs. Production was practically waste-free.
That was the picture for ground forces. In space, the situation was more modest, but no less intense. Lucrehulks with their dark "Vultures," hordes of "Munificent," and now "Recusant" cruisers appeared, and the "Providence" were on their way — as far as I remembered, they rolled off production lines alongside the "Venators."
No time to worry — time to test the new lightsaber cannon. Better move to a safe distance.
I arrived near a mountain range on my personal captured combat speeder. I set up the two lightsabers. It resembled a disruptor rifle, except for the white and blue glow of the saber blades towering along the barrel.
"First setting — blaster," I muttered. I fired a massively destructive beam. The energy tore through the rock, creating a cave roughly three meters wide and thirteen meters deep. This would easily obliterate droid ranks.
"Second setting — disruptor," I said, aiming at a boulder. A small, concentrated green bolt instantly disintegrated the rock, sending shockwaves and fracturing nearby stone. Perfect for anti-aircraft use.
"Sir, we detected a massive energy spike at your position. Do you require assistance?" blared a voice through the communicator.
"Disregard, Commander. Just testing some equipment," I replied. Yep, definitely powerful.