The Orbit of Muunilinst**
*Dagon Marek POV*
The stars stretched into lines—
Then snapped back into place.
Muunilinst filled the viewport.
Cold.
Orderly.
Untouched.
For a moment, it looked like a world untouched by war. Vast cities of polished stone and towering financial spires gleamed beneath a calm sky, their symmetry almost artificial in its perfection. Orbital lanes shimmered with traffic routes and defensive grids, a network built not just for protection—but for control.
Dagon Marek stood at the forward command platform of the *Terminus*, hands clasped behind his back.
The fleet had arrived exactly as planned.
One hour ahead of the expected reinforcement window.
Perfect.
"They weren't ready," he said quietly.
Behind him, Captain Ragnos gave a sharp nod. "No, Commander. Their formations are incomplete."
On the tactical display, the Muunilinst defense grid was still organizing. The massive **Banking Clan gun platforms** were active, but not yet fully synchronized. Their overlapping firing arcs were incomplete, leaving exploitable gaps.
The Recusant-class destroyers were still shifting into position.
The Nantex fighters had not yet launched in full numbers.
They had been expecting a different battle.
A slower one.
Dagon had no intention of giving it to them.
"Ground forces?" he asked.
"Prepared and awaiting deployment," Ragnos replied.
Dagon turned.
"Restless?"
A faint smirk crossed Ragnos' face. "Very."
Dagon nodded once.
Through the Force, he could feel them.
Thousands of clone troopers aboard the Acclamators.
Alert.
Focused.
Ready.
Battle meditation flowed outward from him like a silent current, threading through every ship in the fleet. It sharpened reflexes, steadied nerves, aligned intent. Pilots moved with greater precision. Gunners reacted faster. Officers anticipated commands before they were spoken.
The entire fleet moved as one organism.
His will made manifest.
Dagon turned away from the viewport.
"Aboard the *Scimitar*."
---
The stealth vessel detached silently from the *Terminus* and drifted into the shadow of the fleet.
Inside, Dagon stood before the assembled commandos.
Puck.
Lucky.
Devil.
And **Fordo**, clad in ARC trooper armor, flanked by his elite squad.
Their presence alone was enough to shift the tone of any battlefield.
Dagon spoke without hesitation.
"Your target is planetary defense."
Fordo tilted his helmet slightly. "The surface cannons?"
"Yes."
Massive planetary artillery emplacements dotted the surface of Muunilinst. Weapons designed to target incoming gunships and low-orbit vessels—powerful enough to tear apart Republic landers before they ever reached the ground.
"They used these guns before," Dagon continued. "Effective against Jedi-led assaults."
Fordo gave a short nod.
"Not this time."
Dagon stepped closer.
"Disable them. Destroy if necessary. No prolonged engagement."
Puck smirked slightly beneath his helmet.
"Same plan as Mygeeto?"
Dagon's eyes flickered briefly.
"Faster."
Devil chuckled.
Lucky simply checked his weapon.
Fordo turned toward his men.
"Mount up."
The ramp opened.
Cold air rushed in.
The Scimitar accelerated toward the planet.
---
Dagon returned to the bridge of the *Terminus*.
"Battle time."
The words were quiet.
But every officer heard them.
"Ready the SPAR cannon."
Deep within the warship, the massive weapon began to charge.
Energy surged through the kyber reactor.
Blue light pulsed along the internal conduits.
"Fleet positions?" Dagon asked.
Ragnos responded instantly. "Dreadnoughts forming forward engagement line. Acclamators holding carrier formation. Cruisers screening flanks."
"Good."
Dagon stepped forward slightly.
"*Terminus* and Dreadnoughts will engage the platforms."
He pointed toward the tactical display.
"Those stations are the backbone of their defense."
Ragnos nodded.
"They'll fall."
Dagon shifted his gaze.
"Dittmar. Kinaun."
Two holographic figures appeared.
"Yes, Commander," they responded in unison.
"You target the destroyers."
The Recusant-class ships were fast, dangerous, and numerous.
If left unchecked, they could disrupt the formation.
"Break their lines before they stabilize."
"Understood."
Dagon turned again.
"Fighter command?"
A mechanical voice answered.
"I am ready."
Dagon glanced toward the secondary holoprojector.
**Ethan**.
The droid's optics glowed faintly as it processed the incoming battle data.
"You have control of all fighter squadrons."
"Yes, sir."
"Take the Silencer."
A brief pause.
Then—
"Acknowledged."
The hangar bays of the *Terminus* opened.
A sleek, modified **TIE Silencer** lifted into space, its engines glowing with a faint, unnatural blue—an echo of the kyber reactor that powered it.
Squadrons followed behind it.
Hundreds of fighters launched in coordinated waves.
Dagon turned back toward the viewport.
The enemy had finally reacted.
Nantex starfighters began pouring from the defensive platforms.
Recusant destroyers accelerated into formation.
The gun platforms rotated slowly, their massive turbolaser arrays locking onto the Republic fleet.
Too late.
Dagon raised his hand.
"All forces…"
His voice carried across every channel.
Across every ship.
Into every cockpit.
"DEVOTE YOUR HEARTS!"
The response was immediate.
A roar of voices.
Clone troopers.
Pilots.
Officers.
"All forces, DEVOTE YOUR HEARTS!"
The phrase had become more than a command.
It was identity.
The 13th Legion did not fight because they were ordered.
They fought because they chose to.
And now—
They would prove it.
---
"Fire."
The SPAR cannon discharged.
A beam of concentrated blue energy tore across space.
One of the massive Banking Clan platforms vanished instantly.
No prolonged explosion.
No resistance.
Just annihilation.
The remaining platforms reacted, unleashing a storm of turbolaser fire toward the Republic fleet.
Green beams filled the void.
"Shields holding," Ragnos reported.
"Return fire."
The *Terminus* answered with overwhelming force.
Heavy turbolasers erupted in synchronized volleys.
Dreadnoughts joined in, their combined firepower slamming into the defensive grid.
Another platform cracked under the barrage.
Then exploded.
Across the battlefield, the rest of the fleet engaged.
Acclamators deployed their starfighters in full waves.
Arquitens cruisers swept along the flanks, their guns targeting incoming Nantex formations.
"Enemy fighters incoming!" a tactical officer called.
Dagon didn't even turn.
"Cruisers handle them."
"Yes, Commander!"
Laser fire intensified as thousands of starfighters clashed.
Nantex fighters darted forward with aggressive speed, their weapons powerful enough to shred unshielded targets in seconds.
But their armor was weak.
Exactly as expected.
"Focus fire," Ethan's voice echoed across the fighter channels. "Do not dogfight. Eliminate in volleys."
Republic fighters adjusted instantly.
Torrents and Interceptors moved in coordinated groups, firing in synchronized bursts.
Nantex fighters began exploding in clusters.
Precision over chaos.
Control over instinct.
Dagon watched it all unfold.
Then spoke again.
"Advance."
The *Terminus* moved forward.
Dreadnoughts followed.
The formation pushed directly into the heart of the defensive grid.
Relentless.
Unstoppable.
Another SPAR cannon shot fired.
Another platform died.
The battle for Muunilinst had begun.
And already—
The outcome was being decided.