Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 64 - The Price of Rejection

Metalon, Metalon Galaxy.

Tarsenai Sector.

As Raine watched the holographic image of Ruler Nine flicker in the center of the command room, the slender Eucerón body swaying slightly due to signal interference, appearing somewhat distorted.

Yucelón's regime was a parliamentary government of ten members, each identified by a number.

After Raine persuaded Metalon to join the Alliance, the Clem fleet engaged in direct conflict with the Republic in Salvara.

However, the Clem fleet could only slow down the Republic's advance, and during this delay, the Clem fleet encountered a problem with an evacuation route.

This led to negotiations with the Yucelón regime.

"The ruling regime will not join your so-called alliance, officer," the Ninth Ruler's voice rebuked without room for argument. "We will not harbor the Clysm fleet in our shipyards either; Yucelon is fully capable of protecting itself."

Carly stood in front of the holographic projector, her hands behind her back, her posture upright.

Renn frowned, his sharp gaze fixed on the flickering image.

"Are you aware that, under these circumstances, Yucelon will be left to withstand the full force of the Republic's invading forces alone?" Rein's tone was calm but urgency-laden. "Even Salvara, with our support, failed..."

"Stop your contempt, officer!" The tall Eucerón man suddenly leaned forward, stretching his long neck as if trying to see through the projection to Renn.

He raised an unusually long and delicate finger, interrupting Raine: "We are a wealthy and powerful planet. The size of our security forces far exceeds the combined fleets of Salvara and Clysm. Moreover, Commander Trilm, even in the face of overwhelming odds and inferior equipment, didn't you successfully defend Salvara for three whole days?"

"That battle was because..."

Before Carly could explain, the Ninth Ruler raised his finger again, stopping her: "We admire your abilities, Officer Carly. Your valiant defense has indeed secured a decent reconciliation for the people of Salvara. We intend to emulate your success, but... joining your alliance? That would only expose us prematurely and make us the Republic's primary target!"

Ryan's gaze shifted from the flickering hologram to Carly, his face a mixture of annoyance, helplessness, and sternness.

Carly met his gaze, raising one eyebrow as if silently urging him to make a statement.

Ryan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. He knew he couldn't act impulsively now that he needed their help.

"Do your words represent the will of the entire ruling council?" Renn probed again, his voice remaining restrained.

“As a senator of Yucelon,” the Ninth Ruler said with an arrogant tone, “I speak on behalf of the entire Yucelon Sector. The so-called ‘protection’ you offer comes at the cost of our precious freedom and our submission to your… military control. Since we can defend ourselves independently, we do not need your fuss… Officers, this conversation is over.”

He had barely finished speaking when he reached out and cut off the communication.

The image of Ruler Number Nine vanished instantly, leaving only Carly and Ryan in a brief silence.

Ryan quickly pressed a button on the armrest of the control chair.

Vinok's holographic image immediately solidified at the location where the Euceron had just disappeared.

“We’re in trouble,” Vinok said gravely, getting straight to the point. “The Ninth Ruler represents the will of the entire Euseron Sector, including Ringo Venda.”

Carly's body stiffened visibly for a moment, then she slowly nodded: "I thought of that too."

“Ringo Venda signed the treaty,” Ryan rubbed his temples. “They betrayed us?”

“We cannot stand idly by,” Carly said, her brow furrowed and her voice low. “We’ve all seen the results of the strategic simulations. Ringo Venda is the key to the success or failure of this entire operation. If necessary, I will personally go there again to renegotiate the treaty terms with their government. Hopefully, Ruler Nine is just bluffing and exaggerating, but if what he says is true…”

“Then we may have to consider taking that star system by force,” Raine sighed heavily. “...But what that guy said makes some sense. What if Euceron can really withstand the Republic’s attack on his own? If that happens, the other members of the Alliance may waver or even withdraw.”

“They can’t hold out.” Carly’s tone was resolute, her arms crossed over her chest. “Aside from the ‘Godsend’ class dreadnoughts, none of our existing ships can withstand the Republic’s ‘Knight’ class Star Destroyers in a head-on confrontation. Salvara’s ability to hold out for three days is an exception, and there’s only one reason…”

She pointed to herself with her thumb and said, “That was my personal intervention. The planetary defense cannon is a powerful force multiplier, but without resources and channels like mine, it is extremely difficult to acquire and deploy effectively. Even Ringo Vinda couldn’t do it.”

“But their performance in Salvara…” Vinok questioned, “at least based on the battle reports you shared, it wasn’t ideal.”

“That was an operator’s mistake, not a flaw in the weapon design itself,” Carly sneered, her eyes sharp. “I have completely mastered their tactical application, and Yucelon will be utterly crushed… Precisely because of the mistakes the Republic made in Salvara, they will never make the same mistake again this time.”

Rein's eyes flashed, and he instantly understood her meaning: "'Knight'-class ships are experimental products of the Republic's new military doctrine, with huge political interests involved. The Republic's Supreme Command will not allow them to fail again. Therefore, in order to wash away the defeat in Salvara, they will inevitably deploy heavy troops in Yucelon, change commanders, and adopt more cautious and effective tactics to ensure absolute success." What worried Rein even more was that the appearance of these "Knight"-class Star Destroyers was extremely similar to the legendary Imperial Star Destroyers.

The similarity is disturbing.

He wasn't entirely sure because decades had passed since he last watched the original Star Wars trilogy, and his memory was hazy; he didn't have a strong recollection of the specific details of those arrow-shaped warships.

To be honest, in his memory, those "Victory" class, Imperial class, and later the new guys from the First Order all looked pretty much the same...

Of course, the "Executor" and the snooker flagship "Supreme" are exceptions; their features are distinctive enough that he could recognize them at a glance.

Now?

Even with his eyes closed, Ryan could point out the location of the "Victory" class on the star map.

Even in his sleep, he was counting their numbers.

Regardless, he worried that this foreshadowed a change the Republic was rapidly heading towards, and that the "Knights" might be an early sign of their transformation into an Empire... though he couldn't say exactly how it would evolve.

This further strengthened his resolve to help the Confederacy survive the war.

He had already chosen his side.

“That’s right,” Carly nodded approvingly. “I’m in the Euseron system right now, and from what I’ve observed, while Ruler Nine isn’t entirely lying, he has certainly exaggerated the strength of the Euseron security forces. Their fleet is large on paper, but the ships are generally old and outdated, with the main force consisting of obsolete ‘Generosity-class’ star cruisers and ‘Disobedience-class’ light destroyers.”

Even if the entire sector united, I estimate they would have at most around a hundred old 'Luke Hook-class' battleships, and perhaps a dozen or twenty 'Divine Will-class' warships with questionable capabilities. Such a force would be utterly incapable of stopping a Republic fleet filled with resentment and determined to avenge its defeat.”

"Shouldn't we share some of the intelligence we have on the Republic's fleet with them?" Vinok asked, "At least to prepare them for battle?"

"Why should we strengthen Yucelon's resistance?" Renn's tone was scrutinizing. "Intelligence sharing is one of the core terms of the alliance treaty. Vinok, they refused to sign the treaty. In order to achieve our goals, I'm sorry, they must become strategic sacrifices. Their destruction is their own choice, and we can only respect that choice."

When the lives of millions are hanging in the balance, making the decision to sacrifice seems much easier.

Raine still occasionally thinks about the clone soldiers he saved during Operation Lysis, wondering what would have happened if he hadn't personally led the operation.

As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind.

That's the truth.

“That’s right,” Carly nodded in agreement. “The more badly Yucelon is defeated, the more likely the other members of the Foundry Alliance will see reality and join our alliance for protection.”

“Then get out of there as soon as possible,” Rein said, bringing up the star map in his mind. “Head straight to… Ringo Venda. If the ship needs repairs, do it there, then contact Jom immediately.”

“I understand,” Carly’s brow remained furrowed. “But what about Trench?”

What is his attitude towards our alliance?

Carly let out a short, snickering laugh: "He won't take any concrete action until the corporate alliance makes its stance clear."

After a moment's thought, Ryan said, "Even without formal cooperation, we still have a common enemy with Trench. His flagship, the Invincible, is still in the Lax Sector. Sending him there will eventually lead to his return here."

If Trench knew that his fate had been played by his former subordinates, I wonder what he would think.

“Even if it’s just a nominal ally, having Trench on our side will greatly benefit our external image,” Carly agreed. “I approve of this arrangement. See you then.”

A notification sound indicating the communication was cut off rang, and Carly's image disappeared.

Ryan turned to Vinok's hologram: "Where are you now?"

“Bonta,” Vinok adjusted his stance, “generally speaking, they welcomed our arrival.”

"Do you think it's necessary to put in the effort to bring them to our side?"

Are you referring to the separatist alliance, or our alliance?

(End of this chapter)