Chapter 276
**Dagon POV**
The void above Christophsis had become a swirling storm of turbolaser fire and exploding debris. The initial cat-and-mouse phase was over. Trench's fleet, though still numerically formidable, had been forced into a reactive stance by the sudden arrival and aggressive maneuvering of my task force. Anakin's twelve Venators had pulled back into a more cohesive line under the cover provided by the *Finalizer*, *Steadfast*, and *Ranger*. Now it was time to end this.
"Super cannon at full charge," Sumeragi reported, her holographic form steady amid the bridge's controlled frenzy. "Target locked on the *Invincible* primary reactor cluster. Thermal shielding is fluctuating from sustained broadsides by the Resurgents."
I gripped the command rail, eyes fixed on the massive 2,000-meter Providence-class Dreadnought dominating the center of the Separatist formation. The *Invincible* was a brute—thick armor, heavy deflector and thermal shields, and enough firepower to trade blows with multiple Venators. But it had never faced anything like the *Terminus*.
"Fire," I ordered.
The *Terminus* shuddered violently as the forward spinal super cannon unleashed its fury. A blinding violet-white beam lanced across the darkness, far more focused and energetic than any standard turbolaser. It struck the *Invincible*'s forward shields like a spear of pure plasma. The advanced thermal shielding—designed to dissipate energy weapons—glowed cherry-red, then white, struggling to bleed off the immense power. For three agonizing seconds it held.
Then it failed.
The beam pierced straight through the outer hull, carving a molten trench along the dreadnought's command spine. Secondary systems overloaded in cascading explosions. The violet energy continued deeper, punching into the primary reactor housing. A catastrophic chain reaction began.
The *Invincible* erupted from within.
A brilliant violet explosion blossomed outward, silent in the vacuum but no less devastating. The massive ship's midsection ballooned outward as reactor plasma breached containment, tearing the hull apart in a series of rippling detonations. Armor plates the thickness of starship keels spun away like leaves in a hurricane. Entire sections of the Providence-class behemoth—hangars, weapon batteries, crew quarters—were vaporized in the violet inferno. What remained of the flagship broke into three massive tumbling fragments, each trailing fire and venting droids into the void. A final secondary blast consumed the largest piece, leaving only expanding clouds of superheated gas and debris.
Trench's command ship was gone. With it went the central coordination of the blockade.
"Confirmed kill on the *Invincible*," Sumeragi announced, a note of satisfaction in her synthesized voice. "Enemy command network fragmenting. Separatist fleet cohesion dropping thirty-eight percent."
The bridge crew cheered briefly before returning to their stations. I allowed myself a grim nod. One down. Many more to go.
"All ships—press the advantage," I transmitted across the fleet. "Resurgents, continue broadsides on the right flank. Venators, maintain spear pressure on the left. Starkillers—launch full bomber wings. Lancers, keep that fighter screen tight."
The three Resurgent-class Battlecruisers answered with overwhelming force. *Finalizer* led the charge, its dagger-shaped hull gleaming as over 1,500 turbolasers and ion cannons opened up in coordinated salvos. The upgraded batteries—far more powerful and with faster recharge rates than anything in the current era—shredded the remaining Separatist line. Munificent-class frigates, elegant but fragile compared to the Resurgents, simply disintegrated under the weight of fire. One after another, their long skeletal frames buckled as green and blue energy bolts overloaded shields and punched through armor. A Lucrehulk-class battleship tried to lumber into position to shield its smaller comrades; *Ranger* and *Steadfast* raked it from port and starboard, their heavy turbolaser turrets methodically chewing through its converted freighter hull until it broke apart in a series of internal detonations.
On the left, my five Venators in spear formation drove deep, supported by the four Arquitens command cruisers. V-19 Torrents swarmed forward, clearing paths through droid fighters while the capital ships traded volleys with the remaining Providence-class carriers and Lucrehulks. The enemy's 1,000-meter carriers were already launching desperate waves of vultures and tri-fighters, but the momentum had shifted decisively.
Now the bombers entered the fray.
From the four Starkiller-class light carriers, squadrons of TIE Punishers and TIE Advanced roared into the chaos. The TIE Advanced—sleek, shielded, and fast—provided escort and precision strikes, their lasers and missiles picking off stray droid fighters and crippled frigates. But the real hammer fell from the Punishers.
These heavy bombers were built for exactly this kind of slaughter. Each carried four times the ordnance payload of a standard TIE bomber. Waves of proton torpedoes and concussion missiles lanced toward the remaining blockade ships. A cluster of Munificents attempting to reform their long-range firing line vanished under a coordinated barrage—torpedoes slipping through depleted shields to detonate inside reactor cores and magazine bays. One Providence-class carrier took a full volley from a Punisher wing; its hangar bays erupted in sympathetic explosions as stored droid fighters cooked off, turning the ship into a tumbling fireball.
Ahsoka's bright orange-and-blue starfighter darted through the maelstrom like a living flame, her voice crackling over the squadron comms. "This is Blue Leader—scratch another Munificent! Zule, watch your six!"
Zule's V-19 responded instantly, her restored arm steady on the controls. "Got it. Covering you. These droids don't know when to quit."
Their pair wove between exploding debris, picking off hyena bombers that tried to slip toward our Pelta escorts. The ten combat-variant Peltas held formation, their own defensive batteries adding to the anti-fighter screen while the fifteen supply variants remained farther back, protected for their upcoming 13th sector mission.
The Resurgents continued their relentless shredding. *Steadfast* alone accounted for four more Munificents in under two minutes, its broadsides so powerful that entire sections of the enemy ships were reduced to molten slag before they could even return effective fire. Lucrehulk battleships—once imposing with their massive bulk—proved too slow and cumbersome. One after another they fell, their hulls riddled with overlapping turbolaser impacts until critical systems failed and they drifted lifelessly, trailing atmosphere and droid components.
TIE Punishers made repeated bombing runs, their ventral proton bomb chutes releasing tandem payloads that cracked open the remaining Providence carriers. One carrier tried to ram toward the *Terminus* in a final act of defiance; a flight of TIE Advanced intercepted it, missiles slamming into its bridge tower while Punishers finished the job from below. The ship broke apart in a violet-tinged explosion that mirrored the *Invincible*'s demise.
"Enemy fighter strength collapsing," Sumeragi reported. "Remaining capital ships attempting disorganized withdrawal toward the asteroid rings."
"Not today," I muttered. "All bombers and Advanced squadrons—pursuit vectors. Resurgents, maintain formation and continue fire. No ship escapes to reinforce Loathsom on the surface."
The final phase was merciless but efficient. What remained of Trench's once-proud blockade—perhaps a dozen battered Munificents and two damaged Lucrehulks—tried to scatter into the seven asteroid rings surrounding Christophsis. My fleet refused them the chance.
TIE Punishers and Advanced hunted them down with clinical precision. Proton torpedoes streaked through the void, detonating against engine housings and shield generators. Resurgent turbolasers provided long-range support, their upgraded batteries reaching out across hundreds of kilometers to finish off any ship that lingered too long in open space. One Lucrehulk managed a partial hyperspace jump calculation before a concentrated salvo from *Ranger* and *Finalizer* tore its hyperdrive array to pieces. The ship exploded in a brilliant cascade of secondary blasts.
Ahsoka and Zule led a mixed squadron of V-19s and TIEs in mopping up the last droid fighter waves. Their laughter and focused banter filtered through the bond—exhilaration mixed with the satisfaction of a battle turning decisively in our favor.
By the time the last Munificent-class frigate broke apart under a final Punisher torpedo volley, the battlefield was quiet except for the drifting wreckage. No Separatist capital ships remained intact. The blockade of Christophsis had been utterly annihilated.
"Fleet status," I called.
"All ships report minimal damage," Sumeragi replied. "Shields holding on the Resurgents at eighty-seven percent average. Venators slightly lower but stable. Fighter losses light—mostly droids. The supply Peltas are untouched and ready for their 13th sector run once we secure orbit."
I exhaled slowly, the adrenaline of command still coursing through me. Through the Force I reached out to Ahsoka and Zule. *Good flying. Both of you. Come back to the Terminus when you're clear. We've got a planet to liberate next.*
Ahsoka's reply came back warm and cocky. *Told you my ship was fast. That super cannon of yours though… kriff, that was beautiful.*
Zule's presence carried deeper gratitude. *The arm held perfectly. I felt… whole out there. Thank you again.*
The crystalline world turned slowly below us, its surface still contested by General Whorm Loathsom's millions of droids and Bail Organa's relief efforts. Anakin's voice soon crackled over the main comm channel, equal parts impressed and eager for the next fight.
"Dagon, that was one hell of a entrance. The *Invincible* went up like a supernova. My Venators are standing by for orbital support or ground drops. What's the next move?"
I studied the tactical holotable. The space battle was won. Now the real work began on the surface—coordinating with Skywalker, Obi-Wan (wherever he was), and the local militia while preventing Loathsom from digging in behind his shield generators.
"Secure high orbit first," I ordered. "Then we drop. Clones, Jedi, and my ground assets. We hit the droid lines hard and fast—shock and awe before they can reinforce. Christophsis falls today."
The *Terminus* and its escorts held position amid the expanding field of wreckage. Violet afterimages from the super cannon and the final explosions still lingered in my vision. The Resurgent-class Battlecruisers loomed like silent guardians, their turbolaser batteries cooling but ready. TIE Punishers and Advanced returned to their carriers in disciplined formation.
One battle ended. Another waited below on the glittering crystal world.
And this time, the Republic—bolstered by forces that didn't belong to this era—held every advantage.