Author's Note: 100,000 views?! How could I not post something to celebrate such a milestone? Thank you all so much for the support and the generous reads, I wouldn't be this far without your words of support and constant reading!
-Chapter 39: Dark Reveal-
Location: Oetchi
"Your worst fears can come true at any given moment."
"Six?!" Anakin exclaimed, incredulous to the sight before him. A meeting of many prominent Republic military figures had been called as soon as Obi-Wan returned from Pammant with the devastating news about the six heavy cruisers under construction. Standing before a holotable, the collective of individuals viewed the files Obi-Wan and his team had retrieved, seeing this original work order for the first time.
"This is troubling news." Palpatine muttered, viewing the data with grim concern. "A single one of these ships costs us two whole fleets and countless souls. Six of them could... I dare not dwell on the thought." He said with a sigh. Commander Thrawn examined the blueprints with mixed interest and curiosity.
"General Kenobi, can you tell me more about this type of ship?" He asked.
"These Subjugator-class cruisers appear identical to a previous one we destroyed, the Malevolence. They are easily seventeen kilometers long and come equipped with two mega-ion cannons that are capable of shutting down an entire fleet." Obi-Wan explained.
"It's also got around five-hundred turbolasers. Enough firepower to rip a ship apart, when its shields are down." Anakin chimed in. Thrawn nodded slowly as he digested the information.
"So it relies on a disabling tactic... interesting."
"Master Kenobi, have you spotted any changes to this design that differs from the original?" Palpatine inquired.
"So far, no. But the terrifying concept of six of these hasn't exactly afford me the time to thoroughly examined them." Obi-Wan said, gesturing to the six images before them. Turning to look himself, he read aloud the name of the first ship in line. "The Dominance. I dare say it's even bigger." He commented. Suddenly curious, Obi-Wan started to read out the proposed names for the other cruisers. "The Overlord... the Behemoth... the Black Menace... the Imperator... and the Eradicator..."
"This is bad. Very bad." Mas Amedda said. "The Malevolence alone could destroy entire fleets. But six of them...?" He trailed off, but Mace finished his thought.
"They would form a literal armada... and could conquer entire worlds within a day." He said grimly. Everyone fell silent as that possibility sank in.
Should these ships be finished, the Republic could very well lose the Clone Wars.
"But how could they possibly build six? How long did it take them to build one? This is practically impossible." Mas added, befuddled by how the Separatists were even capable of producing more of such a massive ship.
"I believe I may have an answer to that, Vice Chair." Thrawn quietly replied. All eyes turned to him as he cleared his throat and gathered his thoughts. "The only possible means for the Separatists to construct such a number of colossal vessels in such a short time would be if they built them in a modular format." He stated. Anakin raised an eyebrow.
"Modular?" He wondered.
"Instead of constructing the entire ship as is, the ship is broken down by various parts or components. These are assembled individually and then brought together for final assembly." Thrawn explained. "Using this strategy, a cruiser of this size could be built in a matter of months, instead of a matter of years."
"Which means they could keep cranking them out until they have a fleet of these cruiser-crushers." Anakin realized, looking back at the blueprints. These six could be the beginning of something far worse.
"That is a very real possibility." Thrawn calmly agreed. "Generals, I don't mean to impose on your leadership, but I should think your next course of action is quite clear: you must destroy this new warship and the shipyards behind it as soon as possible."
"Gladly." Anakin replied. A moment of silence ensued before he spoke again. "So, I've been thinking,"
"That's a first." Obi-Wan joked. Anakin rolled his eyes in response.
"If Oetchi, Telaris and Pammant are all participating in getting these things built, how many other worlds could be behind this?" He wondered.
"I believe I might be of some help there, Master Skywalker." Palpatine said, having been privy to some new information before this meeting. "In addition to those three, long-range reports indicate Seelos, Tarin and Kellis all share similar levels of activity." He relayed.
"Meaning there could be drydocks on all of them." Anakin noted. Obi-Wan eyes suddenly widened at the mention of those other worlds.
"That reminds me, when we deciphered the data one of the files was a list of worlds that seemed to be associated with this project... Iron Tyrant, I believe they called it. Those six worlds are on there, along with a few more." He stated, quickly moving to the holotable to pull up said list. It appeared before them seconds later. "Here: Seelos, Tarin, Kellis, Oetchi, Pammant, Herrik, Telaris and the Solacton System." He listed off.
"Wait wait wait, Herrik? Why? That doesn't make any sense." Anakin said, clearly confused. "The star emits a kind of radiation that shuts down equipment and droids."
"That would make it the perfect hiding place." Windu mused. "We're closest to the Solacton System." He said, looking up from his thoughtful pose. "We'll go check it out after we're finished with Oetchi. And if there is something there, we'll be sure to blow it to pieces."
"You my full permission to do so, Master Windu." Palpatine replied.
Oetchi orbit...
Mace Windu's small battle fleet consisted of his personal cruiser, the Endurance, and two Acclamator-class assault ships. Hovering in Oetchi's orbit, a Clone team had already investigated an empty drydock similar to the ones found on Pammant and Telaris and were in the process of returning. After Obi-Wan's report and discovery, they now understood what these mysterious bases were being used for and the Jedi General was determined to eliminate every last one of them before another Subjugator cruiser could be constructed.
But as the dropship returned with its Clone passengers, little did the Republic realize that their arrival in this sector had tripped a series of activity sensors strategically placed by the Separatists, who now knew of their presence. In fact, every world that was a part of Project Iron Tyrant had these sensors in place, and the Separatists knew of each world the Republic had visited.
And now they were planning a visit of their own.
"The dropship has reported in, all squad members have returned." Admiral Shoan Kilian, the resident naval officer aboard the Endurance, informed the Jedi.
"Very well, Admiral. Turn the fleet about and plot us a course for the Solacton System." Mace replied, arms crossed and staring straight ahea through the bridge viewport. After hearing Obi-Wan's discovery, he was deeply unnerved by the fact a virtual super-fleet was being constructed by the Separatists. He'd heard all the stories about the Malevolence, even seen a rendering of what it looked like and how big it was. But never had he faced it or even seen it in person. To think that another six might soon plague the galaxy was a very troublesome thought indeed.
As the ship began a slow one-hundred and eighty degree turn, the Jedi continued to dwell on the facts before him. Sure, Anakin had been able to find a weakness with the ship and exploit it, but the Separatists would for sure fix that with these newest models, wouldn't they? It might be worth trying to attempt again if all else failed, then again, maybe they should try it first and use a process of elimination to identify-
"General! We're detecting a ship coming out of hyperspace!" One of the bridge Clones suddenly shouted. Realizing they were technically in Separatist space, Mace snapped out of his thoughts as Admiral Kilian acted quickly.
"Raise the shields! Bring the guns online! Tell the Acclamators to do the same!" He ordered. "Plot us a course out of here, we'd best not stick around much longer!" The Clones began to feverishly set about making their ship battle-ready, alarms blaring throughout the ship as crew members everywhere scrambled to their stations. They were not anticipating a surprise attack like this. Steeling himself for an armada bigger than his, Mace stood ready as Kilian did the same.
Suddenly, right in front of them, the mighty form of a Subjugator cruiser appeared, dropping out of hyperspace. The massive ship loomed ominously before the Endurance, appearing just as menacing as the Malevolence had. The bridge crew stared wide-eyed at the titanic ship before them. Even though it was a few kilometers away, the mighty Subjugator easily dwarfed the Venator cruiser that was the Endurance. Mace took a second to memorize every detail of the enemy ship. It appeared to be the same as the Malevolence, right down to the massive mega ion cannon near the bow.
"May the Force help us all..." He quietly whispered.
"General, we're receiving an incoming transmission from the enemy vessel. They're hailing us." Another crew member stated.
"Bring it up." Mace ordered, turning around to face the holotable behind him. A few moments later, the image flickered on and revealed to him a super tactical droid, much like the existing General Kalani.
"Attention Republic cruiser. I am Rear-Admiral Mazari, captain of the Dominance." It stated, introducing itself. "You are trespassing in Separatist territory and are hereby ordered to stand down and surrender or face immediate destruction."
"The Dominance...?" Kilian softly wondered, barely breathing the word.
"One of the names Kenobi mentioned... this must be it." Mace responded in equally quiet tones. He turned back to the droid, who started speaking again.
"This is your only chance to surrender." It repeated in its mechanical voice. "Stand down or be destroyed immediately!"
"I am Jedi High General Mace Windu of the Galactic Republic." Mace replied, now introducing himself. "Your threats do not scare me, Mazari. And your new cruiser does not scare the Republic." While he made an attempt to sound bold, he was really trying to buy his navigation crew time to get the hyperdrive running and a destination into the nav computer, somewhere far away from here.
"Your bravado is pointless, Jedi Windu." Mazari retorted. "I have at my command one of the most powerful warships ever designed." As the droid continued, Shoan received a quick word he whispered to Mace.
"Sir, we've locked in the coordinates, ready to jump to hyperspace." He stated. Mace gave a quick nod.
"The Republic took down the Malevolence. We'll be sure to take this ship down too." He bluntly informed Mazari.
"Such an outcome is not likely. Once our fellow cruisers join us in the field, the Republic will be crushed under our onslaught." Mazari responded. Suddenly, the bridge crew realized the mega ion cannon had begun to charge up, blue sparks of energy jumping from point to point. "Why don't you stick around Jedi Windu... and say 'hello' to the Dominance." Mazari added, before suddenly cutting the communication. Mace realized whats was going on and shouted,
"Get us out of here! Now!" But his order came too late and a burst of electromagnetic energy shot forth from the Dominance, a wave of short-circuiting power that ripped through the Republic fleet without hesitation. Sparks erupted from instrument panels as every electronic system was forcefully shut down and the Endurance began to drift.
Aboard the Dominance...
The super tactical droid designated Mazari stood aboard the bridge of the Dominance, watching the three Republic cruisers drift about as sparks rippled across their de-powered frames. As he did, the access door behind him slid open and heavy footsteps registered with his audio receptors, drawing nearer with each second.
"I was anticipating your arrival." Mazari said aloud.
"Entering hyperspace and suddenly dropping out tends to draw attention." The Wraith stated, stepping up beside him. Crossing his arms and looking at the same sight that captured Mazari's attention, he asked, "What's going on?"
"Orders from Count Dooku." Mazari replied. "This may be your base but it is also a Separatist naval unit." He added. Wraith simply motioned as if to say 'I get it, continue'. "One Venator-class cruiser and two Acclamators. All are under the command of Jedi Mace Windu." The droid reported. "The ion cannon has stopped them cold, I am about to commence a barrage." Such a furious assault from all five-hundred of the Dominance's cannons would easily tear these ships apart. It would kill them for sure, but Wraith's tactical mind quickly developed a different plan.
"Do not destroy them all." He suddenly said. "Cripple the Endurance, but leave it intact enough to limp back to the Republic." Mazari turned to him, seeming confused.
"Query: why should we allow one to escape?" He asked.
"Because it will be a demonstration of our power over them." Wraith informed him. "We could have easily destroyed them, but we chose not to. Whatever inkling of control they thought they had has now been torn from them." Mazari paused and seemed to consider his statement, calculations running through his processor.
"A logical fear tactic." He finally stated. Turning to the other battle droids on the bridge, he commanded them, "Destroy the Acclamators!"
The guns of the Dominance opened fire on the hapless Republic ships, red bolts of laser energy absolutely ripping through the defenseless Acclamators. With their shields down, they had absolutely zero defenses and were cut to pieces under the relentless barrage. Mace and Shoan were forced to watch as their supporting units were utterly destroyed, their escape pods destined to float in hostile space until they could mount a proper rescue.
And then, once the Acclamators had been reduced to floating hunks of space debris, the Dominance turned its guns on the Endurance.
The hail of laser fire slammed into the capital ship with equal, unrelenting force. The bridge shook as the whole ship shuddered under the intense assault, many a crew member being thrown from their feet.
"Get to the escape pods!" Admiral Kilian ordered. "We're done for!" The bridge crew scrambled to leave, fires billowing across the terminals as the assault took its toll on the unprotected ship. But as Mace was ushering them out the door, the barrage came to an end. The violent rocking stopped with such suddenness, everyone was forced to look back out the viewport.
The Dominance had stopped firing.
"But... But why?" Kilian wondered.
"I... I don't know." Windu replied. As they continued to watch, the Dominance suddenly vanished, launching into hyperspace.
"What? They're just leaving?!" Kilian exclaimed. "They could've destroyed us, finished us! Why didn't they?" Mace didn't have an answer, pondering the question himself. It was only after a moment when he suddenly put two and two together that he had an answer.
"They wanted to send a message." He realized.
Later that day...
It took forever before they could get a single communication terminal online and even after they had sent out their distress signal, it took the Republic a while to get another cruiser to their location. However, once those who could be rescued were, Mace Windu stood before the holographic render of Palpatine, Thrawn, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.
"Master Windu, tell us, what happened out there?" Palpatine implored, desperate to learn about what had transpired and why the Endurance was in such horrible shape, virtually destroyed almost beyond repair.
"The bad news is we can confirm that there is at least one fully-functional Malevolence-type cruiser." He said. "The Dominance is operational."
"Aw Sithspawn." Anakin muttered.
"The Dominance also has all the same firepower and capabilities as the Malevolence did, so we can assume the other five will be identical."
"Double Sithspawn!" Anakin sighed in exasperation.
"The only problem is we have no idea where they're being built and, if we don't find out soon, we'll have six to deal with all at once." Mace concluded. "One of those things was enough to destroy my Acclamators and reduce a Venator to scrap metal. Six of them would surely be the end of the Republic's navy."
"Triple S-" Anakin started to exclaim before being silenced by Obi-Wan slapping his hand over his mouth.
"There's only ever two Sith, Anakin. Let's not jinx this any further." He chided. Anakin gave him a look, raising an eyebrow as he did. Palpatine turned back to the display.
"So you can confirm that the 'Dominance' is active?"
"Indeed. We were hailed by it prior to its attack. The ship was being helmed by a super tactical droid calling itself 'Mazari'." Mace explained, informing them off the brief conversation he'd had prior to the disastrous battle.
"A super tactical droid?" Anakin repeated, mouth now free of Obi-Wan's hand. "Like Kalani? Wait... I'm sensing a trend in names here..."
"Regardless, why would they use a simple droid to helm such a ship? Why not a general like Durge or even Grievous again?" Obi-Wan pondered.
"Perhaps, General, the reason is they need a droid who can compute advanced battle strategies and perform necessary calculations by comparison to your average general. Such a choice would mean that the Dominance is set to take a far more active role in the war and it needs a capable captain to do so." Thrawn calmly said, answering him.
"If that is the case then surely they intend for the other fives cruisers to join the fight as well." Obi-Wan noted, confirming their worst fears.
"We need to destroy these ships and as soon as possible." Palpatine determined. They all understood the need to be rid of such ships beforehand. But now, Mace Windu's disaster had opened all of their eyes to the grim reality they faced.
"Great. Now we just have to find it." Anakin said, sounding none too hopeful.
"A ship of that size really shouldn't be hard to find, Skyguy." Ahsoka piped up. "I mean, if it's the same size as the Malevolence, then we should be able to find it no problem."
"And if we can't, we can always follow the inevitable body trail." Anakin glumly replied. "A cruiser-crusher like that always leaves one behind."
"Even if we don't find it, I'm sure it will find us eventually." Obi-Wan chimed in, adding to the already clouded mood. "But... I'm left wondering... if the Separatists managed to keep this a secret from us, who knows what else they might be planning. What horror they will seek to unleash upon us next?"
Author's Note: Kenobi's question will be answered next chapter!
