### **Chapter 209 – Firestorm Over Devaron**
### **Dagon's POV**
The strike began before the enemy even realized they were under attack.
From orbit, the Terminus had already done its part—obliterating the defensive screen, isolating the surface, cutting off escape routes. What remained below was not a battle.
It was a purge.
"Begin atmospheric strike," I ordered calmly.
Acknowledgement came instantly.
And then—
Fire rained from the sky.
---
### **Aerial Assault Phase**
Squadrons of TIE Whisper fighters descended first, their angular silhouettes slicing through Devaron's cloud layers like knives. Behind them came the SCUURG bombers—heavier, slower, but far more destructive. Their payloads were already primed.
The pirate base came into view.
Large.
Fortified.
And filled with ships.
Multiple Diamond-class cruiser were parked across landing platforms, their bulky frames unmistakable. Worse—gravity well projectors were active on several of them, anchoring the area, preventing any hyperspace escape.
Smart.
Too late.
"Havoc Squadron," came the voice of the lead bomber pilot, steady and sharp, "target acquisition confirmed. Beginning strike run."
"Execute."
The first bombs fell.
---
The sky lit up.
Explosions tore through the landing fields as precision payloads struck the parked cruisers. One Diamond-class vessel vanished in a bloom of fire, its reactor detonating in a chain reaction that engulfed two more nearby ships.
Gravity well projectors collapsed mid-field, distorting space briefly before failing entirely.
Secondary detonations followed.
Fuel reserves.
Ammunition depots.
Hidden hangars.
All ignited in sequence.
The entire base began to burn.
---
### **Ground Assault Phase**
"Deploy walkers," Blam ordered.
The LAAT gunships roared in low over the shattered perimeter, doors opening mid-flight as AT-XT walkers dropped hard onto the ground below, stabilizers slamming into the soil.
Then they advanced.
Relentless.
Mechanical.
Unstoppable.
Their forward cannons opened fire first, mowing down fleeing pirates and mercenaries. Heavy machine gunners followed, sweeping corridors of resistance with controlled bursts that shredded anything in their path.
"Grenade systems online," one pilot reported.
"Fire."
From the AT-XT launchers, proton grenades arced outward—
—and detonated.
Not like standard explosives.
These tore through flesh with devastating efficiency, vaporizing clusters of enemy combatants in bursts of concussive force and heat. Barricades shattered. Defensive positions collapsed.
The enemy broke.
They always did.
---
### **Dagon's POV – Elevated Position**
I stood atop the ruined remains of the mansion, overlooking the battlefield below.
Beside me—Luck and Devil.
Both silent.
Both focused.
Sniper rifles steady.
"Targets moving west," Luck muttered.
"I see them."
Through my scope, I tracked a fleeing group—pilots attempting to reach a hidden hangar.
I fired.
One shot.
One kill.
Another.
Another.
Precision.
Control.
No wasted movement.
---
Then—
Something shifted.
The Force twisted.
Dark.
Sharp.
A warning.
A blaster bolt screamed toward me—
And stopped.
Mid-air.
---
### **Devil's POV**
He froze.
"Sir… how did you—"
The bolt hovered inches from Dagon's face, suspended by invisible force.
Not deflected.
Not blocked.
Stopped.
Devil had seen Jedi before.
He had *never* seen that.
---
### **Dagon's POV**
"No time," I said quietly.
My eyes shifted.
Toward the treeline.
Dense canopy.
Concealment.
Movement.
"High-level cover. Call in the bombers."
Luck reacted instantly, relaying coordinates.
I turned my hand slightly.
And sent the bolt back.
Not at the shooter.
At the trees.
---
The explosion tore through the canopy.
But it wasn't enough.
Blaster fire erupted from within the forest—return fire, heavy and coordinated.
So.
They were organized.
Good.
"Havoc," I said into the comm, "clear the grid. Full saturation."
"Copy that."
---
### **Aerial Strike – Final Sweep**
The bombers came in low.
Too low for comfort.
Perfect for destruction.
Payloads dropped in sequence—
—and the forest ceased to exist.
Flames erupted skyward as the entire canopy was annihilated in a wave of fire and concussive force. Hidden emplacements vanished. Reinforcements never even had time to deploy.
Silence followed.
Then—
Nothing.
---
### **Aftermath**
By the time the last fires began to die down—
The base was gone.
Not damaged.
Not captured.
Erased.
---
Ethan's voice broke the quiet.
"Estimated enemy casualties: over three thousand."
A pause.
"Friendly casualties: zero. Twelve wounded."
I nodded once.
"Good."
---
### **Prisoner Processing**
They were gathered in the central courtyard.
About thirty survivors.
Bound.
Disarmed.
Broken.
Among them—
I saw her.
Aurra Sing
---
### **Dagon's POV – Cold Judgment**
She looked at me.
No fear.
Just recognition.
That was enough.
I didn't speak.
Didn't hesitate.
The blade ignited.
One motion.
Clean.
Her head fell.
Her body followed.
I fired twice more into the corpse.
Final.
Certain.
---
### **Clone Reaction**
Even the clones paused.
Not out of fear.
Out of understanding.
There would be no risks.
Not here.
Not now.
---
### **Bossk**
Next—
Bossk
He snarled, trying to rise—
Ethan moved faster.
A sharp mechanical strike—
Bone cracked.
Bossk dropped with a roar of pain, his arm twisted unnaturally.
"Puck," I said.
The ARC trooper stepped forward.
"Take him. Load him onto a transport."
A pause.
"Deliver him to Kashyyyk."
Another pause.
"He's wanted there."
Puck nodded.
"Understood, General."
---
### **Final Executions**
The remaining bounty hunters—
Three Klatooinian
No hesitation.
Blaster fire ended them.
The rest of the pirates followed.
Quick.
Efficient.
No prisoners left.
---
### **Salvage Operations**
"Begin extraction," I ordered.
What remained of the base was stripped clean.
Credits.
Resources.
Weapons.
Everything.
---
**Report:**
* 250 million credits (liquid)
* 1 billion credits (rare stones)
* Multiple tons of equipment
* Food supplies
* Military-grade disruptors
I examined the disruptors briefly.
Illegal against organic targets.
Effective against starfighters.
"Modify and mount them," I said.
"They'll serve a better purpose."
---
### **Demolition**
Charges were planted across the ruins.
Strategic.
Complete.
When they detonated—
Nothing would remain.
---
### **Departure**
The fleet regrouped.
Transports loaded.
Wounded stabilized.
All objectives complete.
---
I stood once more on the bridge of the Terminus.
"Set course," I said.
Ragnos looked back.
"Destination?"
I didn't hesitate.
"Coruscant."
---
The stars stretched.
Hyperspace consumed us.
---
### **Dagon's POV (End)**
Another base destroyed.
Another enemy erased.
Another step forward.