**Chapter 351: The Arrowhead of Annihilation**
**Dagon's POV**
I stood on the bridge of the *Sovereign*, the *Valiant*-class heavy cruiser that had become my temporary flagship while the true heavy hitters underwent repairs. The *Resurgents*—including the battered *Terminus*—had already jumped to Lantilles for a full month or two of intensive work in the more capable yards there. The rest of my fleet, the fifteen *Valiant*-class cruisers, were en route to Coruscant—specifically Centax-2 shipyard—for finishing repairs that should take about a week. That left me here, in the relatively quiet orbit above Dentaal, with time to push the next phase of the war forward.
The bridge hummed with subdued activity. Clone officers moved with quiet efficiency, and my remaining command staff kept a respectful distance. I had chosen the *Sovereign* deliberately; its hammerhead profile and forward hangar layout made it a perfect mobile command node while the bigger ships healed.
A secure conference room off the main bridge had been prepared. Two holographic figures shimmered into sharp resolution as the connection stabilized: Lyra Blissex (often still called by her maiden name in professional circles) and Jasmill, one of Kuat Drive Yards' senior project liaisons. Both women looked every bit the elite shipwrights they were—sharp-eyed, precise, and accustomed to handling designs that could reshape sectors.
They were both quite shocked when the full schematics of my proposed vessel materialized between us.
"Model: *Annihilator*-class Star Dreadnought," I began without preamble. "Length: 13,500 meters."
The hologram rotated slowly, revealing the massive arrowhead-shaped hull. A prominent ridge ran along the dorsal spine from stern to near the bow, studded with gun emplacements and housing the command bridge—reminiscent of the Mandator-class ridge but sleeker, more aggressive. Twenty-eight massive aft thrusters promised brutal acceleration, while the hyperdrive would give it true interstellar reach. The main reactor jutted ventrally, heavily armored like the old SFS I-a2b solar ionization reactors. A hidden secondary kyber matrix reactor would be installed post-completion, hidden deep in the core for power levels that would make even a Subjugator look modest.
"Armaments," I continued, highlighting each section:
- 50 Ultra Heavy Cannons, fire-linked in groups of two.
- 675 XX-10 Super Heavy Turbolasers.
- 345 XX-9 Turbolaser Batteries.
- 1,100 Heavy Turbolaser Cannons, fire-linked in groups of eight.
- 800 standard Turbolaser Cannons, similarly linked.
- 150 Ion Cannons.
- 550 Assault Concussion Missile Tubes with forty missiles each.
- 1,500 Point-defense laser cannons.
- 90 Heavy Tractor Beam Projectors.
The design allowed for fully rounded firing arcs across most arcs, turning the entire vessel into a mobile fortress capable of annihilating and subjugating any enemy formation that dared face it head-on.
Silence stretched for several seconds.
Lyra Blissex finally spoke, her voice tight with disbelief. "The largest ships Kuat currently builds are the Mandators at eight kilometers—or the Praetors at four kilometers. This… *Annihilator*… I don't think we would be allowed to construct it. Not to mention the cost. The resources alone—"
"I am willing to pay in rare kyber crystals as power sources for the reactors," I interrupted calmly, "and a few undiscovered asteroid fields filled with high-grade materials—durasteel precursors, quadanium, and exotics that even Kuat rarely sees in bulk. My people have already surveyed and secured them."
Jasmill leaned forward, her hologram flickering slightly. "Even still, we need to discuss this with the full Lyra team and the Kuat board. A ship this size breaks every precedent. The Senate—"
"Remember," I cut in smoothly, "this is Chancellor Palpatine's special request. He requires it not be made public, lest CIS spies discover the project before it can be deployed. Secrecy is paramount."
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "You mentioned something about four kilometers."
"Yes," I nodded. "The Praetor-class—your most common but efficient large warship, limited by the old Ruusan Reformation postulates on armament and hyperdrive class. I understand the restrictions. But the shipyard used to build them—is it for sale? Or movable? Relocatable to a more… discreet location, perhaps under direct Republic military oversight?"
The two women exchanged glances through the hologram. Lyra's expression was a mix of professional caution and unmistakable excitement—the same fire that had driven her father Walex Blissex and would one day push her toward even greater Imperial designs in other timelines. Jasmill looked more calculating, already running mental cost-benefit analyses.
"A project of this scale would require entire new production lines," Lyra said carefully. "Even with kyber infusion and your material contributions, the engineering challenges are immense. The ridge superstructure alone, the power distribution for those XX-10s, the kyber matrix integration without destabilizing the main reactor…"
"I know," I replied. "That's why I'm bringing it to Kuat first. Your expertise built the Venator. This is the logical next evolution—something that can end the war before it consumes the galaxy."
Jasmill straightened. "We will take the proposal to the board immediately, under the strictest confidentiality. The Chancellor's name carries weight, but even he cannot wave away every regulatory concern overnight. The Praetor yards… that is a discussion for another layer of management. But if the materials and kyber crystals are as pure as you claim…"
"They are," I assured her. "Better than anything in current Republic inventories."
The meeting ended with cautious agreement to proceed to the next stage. As their holograms faded, I remained standing, staring at the slowly rotating *Annihilator* schematic.
Thirteen and a half kilometers of pure, arrowheaded wrath. A ship designed not just to fight the Confederacy, but to dominate any future threat—whether from droids, Sith, or whatever else the galaxy might throw at us. The *Terminus* and its sisters had proven the value of Resurgent- and Valiant-class vessels. Now it was time for something that would make even the *Malevolence* look like a footnote.
I allowed myself a small, tired smile. The girls were recovering. The fleet was mending. And somewhere in the shadows, Palpatine would smile too when he learned how eagerly his "special request" was moving forward.
The war was about to get a lot bigger.