-Chapter 124: Consider Yourself Devastated-

Location: Taris System

"Even the smallest of creatures can perform the greatest of feats."

On the planet Serenno, Count Dooku sat in his office, in counsel with General Grievous. The cybernetic Kaleesh was in command of the Separatist's powerful super ship the Devastation, and had been dispatched to one world after another in order to break Republic blockades and dismantle their fleets with the terrifying superlaser attachment that made the Devastation so fearsome. Having successfully destroyed one of the few Republic fleets still defending Outer Rim territories, the General was now looking for his next assignment.

"The Republic fleet over Antar has been destroyed, my lord. There were no survivors." Grievous promised in his grating voice.

"The Devastation continues to prove its usefulness with each strike. You have done well, General." Dooku applauded.

"I look forward to whatever needs to be destroyed next." Grievous said with a rasping cackle.

"That time has come sooner than you realize," Dooku told him, "the Republic's recent movements suggest they are attempting to blockade the Perlemian Route and the Hydian Way, not that they understand we control the Outer Rim territories." Having memorized the available star charts and being fully in the know as to the Confederacy's grand scheme, Grievous understood the situation in full.

"They anticipate we might use either of those paths to invade the Mid Rim." The cyborg surmised.

"Correct. What they do not know is that we also have the coordinates of the Nexus Route, thanks to the work of The Wraith." Dooku continued.

"Meaning we have a third way that they do not know about." Grievous mused, coughing shortly after.

"And seeing as the Republic believes they are the only ones to know about it, will likely leave it unguarded and therefore perfectly viable for us to use." The notion seemed too good to be true and Dooku knew that the Separatists were almost in a prime position to make the greatest play of the Clone Wars. "But that is for another time. For now I want you to oblige their false suspicions and make them seem true. Attack the fleet over Antemeridias blockading the Perlemian Route first, leaving just enough to make a report. Then attack the fleet within the Hydian Way. We will keep them guessing and stretch their navy thin." He ordered.

"Such delicious deception." Grievous rasped in agreement. "By your command, Count, consider those fleets devastated." He chuckled. His pruposeful quip was enough to make Dooku grin a little.

"You have done well with this ship, General. See to it you do not fail it like you did the last specialty cruiser under your command." The Sith warned him. Grievous released a growling huff as the communication ended, as he hated to be reminded of his failure with the Malevolence.


Days later...

In the office of the Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine and Armand Isard met with Commander Thrawn, discussing recent Separatist movements. The heads of the Republic Army had come to appreciate Thrawn's tactical insights and vast strategic knowhow, his work on the super-soldier situation proving very effective by hiring the Titan Conglomerate. Now they had a new problem for him to solve: the problem posed by the Separatist warship Devastation.

"Reports are coming in that the fleet over Antemeridias has been destroyed. Survivors have given accurate eyewitness accounts identifying that new Confederate super ship being present, the one that wiped out General Koon and his army." Armand stated, using a holoprojector to display an image of the Devastation vaporizing a Republic cruiser with its powerful bow laser. Thrawn studied the image with a keen and careful eye as Palpatine continued.

"They successfully breached our blockade but sent no ships further into our territory. We're all quite confounded as to why they would do this." He explained to the Chiss. "Their opportunity was clear but they did not take advantage of it."

"A show of strength." Thrawn calmly stated. "They wanted to inform the Republic that their route blockade was meaningless to them and that their warship could penetrate any defence whenever it wanted to."

"We've scrambled more fleets to renew the blockade, but do you think that ship might return Commander?" Palpatine inquired. Thrawn paused for a moment, considering the hit and run nature of the vessel in all of its recorded sightings. It appeared, destroyed every Republic target within range, and then promptly left. It certainly seemed like a 'confounding' situation as the Chancellor put it...

"We have catalogued all the recent sightings of this ship, correct?" Thrawn politely asked. Both nodded.

"The last time it was spotted was over Antar, destroying our final holdout fleet in the Outer Rim. This attack on the Antemeridias blockade is the most recent sighting since then." Palpatine described. Thrawn nodded in understanding. Now he could see the pattern and it confirmed his suspicions, as well as the validity of the plan he'd been developing.

"If I may, Chancellor, Director, I have studied what renders of this ship that are available and I believe I have calculated the means to eliminate it altogether." He quietly said in his usual reserved tone, as though it were no big surprise despite Armand and Palpatine thinking it so. "While it may seem somewhat unusual, I have prepared a list of the necessary craft that would be needed to destroy this vessel." He turned over a datapad to Palpatine, who was quick with an answer.

"Regardless of what it is, you shall have it." He confirmed before he even saw the list. "If you have a plan to rid us of this threat, Commander, you have my full permission to do so immediately." Thrawn offered a nod of respectful thanks.

"Thank you, Chancellor. With your leave, I should like to take this fleet to the Republic's Hydian Blockade over Taris. For it is there that the Separatist's warship will strike next." He told them.

"You know this for a fact?" Armand questioned.

"I do, Director Isard." Thrawn confirmed. "For it is the next logical target in the Separatist's 'grand tour' if you will. What they do not realize is that it will be their final stop." With that, the Chiss offered a final bow to Palpatine before he turned on heel and departed without another word.

"Bit of a bold one, he is." Armand couldn't help but muse. Chancellor Palpatine, who had skimmed through Thrawn's request portfolio, had to agree to an extent.

"Perhaps, but I'm confident this is more bold, Director." He remarked, passing the datapad over. Armand gave it a quick glance like Palpatine had. It wasn't so much the number of ships that caught his attention, but what make and model they were.

"Carrack-class cruisers?" He exclaimed, looking incredulously to Palpatine. "Those are far too small to stop a ship that's basically a modified Subjugator!" The Chancellor nodded in agreement.

"Maybe so. But if Commander Thrawn sees some use for them, I am very much inclined to let him make use of as many as he needs." He replied. After glancing through the datapad, Armand couldn't help but agree.

"The sooner Republic space is properly secured, the better." He stated, returning the device.

"Indeed." Palpatine agreed, checking over the list himself one more time as he adjusted the materials on his desk to prepare an acquisition order. "How is your family during these troubling times, Armand?" He wondered.

"Just fine, sir. All are healthy and happy." The Director duitfully responded.

"And your daughter, Ysanne?"

"Even now she aspires to take after me and become a member of Republic Intelligence." Armand replied. Palpatine had only met Ysanne Isard a few times, and found her heterochromatic eyes most fascinating, but could tell there was something special about the girl.

"I have no doubt she'll become its greatest asset one day." He replied.


Later...

Taris was a world dating back to the Old Republic. Once upon a time it had been an ecumenopolis that rivaled Coruscant. But after Darth Malak's ancient Sith Empire destroyed it, there was nothing but overgrown ruins left on the world below.

The Republic navy officers were glad they weren't going down there.

Backed by reinforcements stationed over the nearby Pallaxides, the Taris blockade was one of two massive Republic fleets designed with the sole purpose of ensuring the Separatists could not access the Mid Rim and Core worlds via the Hydian Way. And now that the Separatists had complete control over the Outer Rim territories, the nervous crews manning these ships were certain that they would try something... and soon. Word of the destruction of the Antemeridias blockade made them all fearful that the Confederacy would unleash their war machines upon them next and one visiting officer was certain of it.

But Commander Thrawn did not let fear grip him. Standing tall and proud and striking in his all-black Chiss Ascendency uniform, he was actually hoping for the Separatists to invade the system, if only to ensure the demise of their Devastation warship. He stood on the bridge of the Venator-class Vindicator, serving once again alongside Captain Mors Vorgand, the same captain who had been with him during the defence of Kamino. Thrawn had personally asked for him, knowing Vorgand's personal experience and understanding of his ways. Said captain approached him now, clad in his captain's uniform.

"Commander, your 'fleet' is ready for deployment." He told him.

"Thank you, Captain." Thrawn politely replied. Mors stood beside him a moment longer and Thrawn cast a glance in his direction. "I sense some measure of disbelief in your words."

"Just can't say as I've ever seen anything like it before." Mors responded with a shrug.

"Indeed." Thrawn quietly agreed. "Yet they are to be the ship's weakness. The one craft it will have trouble against."

"If you say so, Commander." Mors responded, still not too certain of Thrawn's plan. "Your orders for the fleet?"

"Have them move to the front, acting as a forward guard. I want the Separatists to encounter them first." The Chiss calmly replied. Captain Mors nodded and moved to obey, exhaling to release some of the anxiety building within him.

Thrawn stayed where he was, his arms crossed behind him. The ship had yet to arrive, but in his mind the battle was already unfolding. He could see where the Devastation would be and where the cruisers would go and how they would proceed. The cruiser captains had already been briefed as to their directive, and they would act only on his signal. Thrawn knew each phase of the battle and how he wanted it to unfold, having analyzed the possible outcomes well in advance of this moment. While everyone else believed that this plan was a real stretch and borderline impossible, Thrawn was confident that the Separatists had given them an exploitable weakness no one else had considered. And he was determined to make use of it.

He watched with a steady gaze as the Carrack cruisers flew in formation past the Venators, line upon line moving into position a good distance in front of the blockade. The small ships seemed very out of place, consistently used for patrols and as anti-starfighter convoy guards instead of members of battlefleets. The light cruiser was just three-hundred and fifty meters long, packing less firepower than a traditional mainline cruiser. These seemed like a swarm of insects off to bother a nerf who could care less. There just thirty of them and, while maybe insignificant to a massive Subjugator, Thrawn had learned from studying insects that the smallest fauna can have the biggest impact.

By the time the Carracks had positioned themselves like a wall in front of the blockade, alarms began to sound across the bridge. Crews scrambled to analyze the incoming threat, Thrawn standing still and unmoved as he watched the infinite vastness of space before him. Moments later, the massive column that was a modified Subjugator appeared, bursting out of hyperspace.

"Devastation has arrived, bearing zero-zero-one. Dead ahead, Commander." Vorgand stoically reported, though Thrawn could hear the worry in his tone.

"Thank you, Commander." He calmly affirmed with a nod. "Let us begin."


Aboard the bridge of the Devastation, General Grievous was pleased to see the blockade had a large number of ships, just like the last one. He was looking forward to further carnage and bloodshed, he himself feeling mighty as he commanded the Devastation's destructive actions.

"Another Republic ensemble just waiting to feel the sting of death." He cackled. "Divert power to the cannon and target the nearest cruiser!" His order was carried out immediately, but that didn't stop one droid from reporting an observation.

"Sir, scans show a series of smaller vessels, much closer than the blockade." It told Grievous. The cyborg pondered that for a moment before ordering a visual. Revealed to him was the slowly advancing wave of Carrack cruisers.

"They are so desperate to send such menial things after us?" Grievous rasped. "Very well. Order the gun crews to their stations, have them put those pests out of their misery!" He tasked.

The order quickly spread through the ship and soon there were droids manning the hundreds of turbolaser turrets and point-defence weapons scattered across the ship. The Devastation began to adjust course, turning so that its port side hull and all the weapons bristling from it could get a clear shot at the advancing Carracks. But then, on orders from Thrawn, the Carracks broke formation and surged towards the Devastation however they saw fit.


From his cruiser, Thrawn watched as bright red laser lights flew from the Devastation and into the surrounding space, firing wildly at opponent's unviewable with the naked eye. The Carracks were closing in the Devastation, but he had yet to learn how successful they were. His calculations were founded with variables taken into account, the number of requested Carracks working on the basis of having several be destroyed by the Devastation's cannons. He could not afford to lose too many, though, and questioned the nagging possibility that his calculations might be off just enough to make his battle a loss. But as he had learned, doubts hampered action. And so Thrawn pushed them to the side and focused on the battle unfolding before him, clinging to the belief that the right amount of Carrack cruisers would surpass the Devastation's defences.

"Status report, Captain." He politely asked of Vorgand.

"The Carracks are continuing to press in towards the super ship, Commander." Mors responded from his position behind the tactical screen. "The enemy fire is thick, it's doubtful very many of them will survive this encounter." He added rather woefully.

"Hope, Captain." Thrawn simply responded. "See to it you fill yourself with the hope that enough Carracks will reach the Devastation's hull. For that has been the foundation of many victories." Seeing the wisdom in Thrawn's calm words, Mors nodded.

"Aye, Commander." He agreed.

"Uh, General? Shouldn't we raise the shields?" A battle droid on the bridge wondered.

"There is no need. We need not concern ourselves with these fleas. " Grievous haughtily responded. "Move us closer to the Republic blockade, show them that we do not fear what they send our way." He ordered. Sharing a few relenting shrugs, the battle droids made to obey.

Little did Grievous realize that he was actually helping the Republic's Carrack cruisers by having the Devastation advance towards the rest of the fleet. He closed part of the distance for them, making their journey even more expedient as they swarmed close to the Devastation's hull. For their target was not the ship itself, but the large claw-like protrusions surrounding the cannon.

The fleet split up, dividing into squadrons less than ten each. They knew their targets, forming up and changing direction according to the plan they had been briefed about. One by one each squadron latched on to each piece of the superstructure, their tractor beams quickly locking on to durasteel beneath them. For a moment they remained still, waiting for word from their fellow squadrons while the Devastation's cannons died down.

"Sir! The gunnery crews have lost sight of the Republic's light cruisers!" A droid exclaimed to Grievous.

"What?!" The cyborg thundered.

"It seems they got close to hull and... just disappeared." The droid continued. Grievous' gaze remained steady, but if he could furrow his brow he would've. Instead, the droids saw only questions in his eyes behind his full-metal mask.

"How is this possible?" He muttered to himself. "Dispatch our fighter accompaniment to scour the hull and destroy every last one of those wretched ships!" He commanded. The droids began to issue the order, only for the loud shuddering of shearing metal to fill the bridge. Grievous could feel it, though was unshaken. "Status report!" He bellowed. A holorender of the ship was brought up before him and he could not help but cough as he choked on his surprise.


Using their tractor beams, the Carracks worked as one to tear and lift the claw-like superstructure away from the hull and peel it backwards like the skin of a fruit. Their engines strained and they were left vulnerable as all possible power was divided between their engines and their tractor beams. Should the Separatists mount an attack, they would be picked off with ease. Yet they continued to work, working with skilled coordination and careful synchronicity to pull off the task Thrawn had set before them. Inch by inch they peeled back layers of durasteel, slowly revealing the interior of the Devastation.

From the bridge of the cruiser, Thrawn watched with growing confidence in the Republic's success as the Devastation began to change shape. Even from this distant view, he could tell the Carracks were excelling in their endeavour as the hull of the Separatist warship began to pull apart. The Carracks were working just as he had planned, having proven small enough to avoid the Devastation's defences while their tractor beams had just the right amount of power to expose the Devastation's one weakness: the power core responsible for charging their beam cannon.

As soon as their work was done, the real work would begin.

"Commander, the Carracks report gradual success so far." Mors said as he stood walked over to Thrawn.

"Very good." Thrawn acknowledged with a nod. "With their hull plating out of alignment, the Separatists will be unable to raise their shields. The Carracks will expose their weakness and then you, Captain, will signal the fleet to attack with a forward barrage." He calmly explained.


Suddenly recognizing what the Republic's Carracks were attempting to accomplish, Grievous abandoned the bridge and made for his personal starfighter: the Belbullab-22 Soulless One. As a squadron of Vulture droid fighters took flight, Grievous led them out of the hangar and finally got a good look at the damage. The pieces of hull plating had been peeled back so badly that it would take days to fix the damage done. Further more, the protective plating that had guarded the cannon was stripped away, held apart by the Carrack's tractor beams. He quickly signalled to his squadron,

"Break off and attack each unit, we must destroy as many as possible." He ordered, priming his weapon systems. The Vultures moved to obey, dividing into equal sets of three as they split up to engage the various Carrack squadrons. Grievous personally led two as he attacked the nearest group, busy ripping away one of the larger pieces of hull plating. They were all lined up so very neatly for him to strafe, and Grievous cackled as he unleashed his rapid-fire laser cannons. The Vultures with him did likewise and they raked the Carracks with an unrelenting barrage that ripped open their superstructure. Without their shields, many began to burn profusely from serious damage.

Those who had available turrets quickly made use of them, opening fire on the attacking Separatists. Some were lucky and others managed to score a few hits, one cruiser able to down a Vulture in a fiery explosion. But this seemed to only inflame the Separatist's desire for destruction, and the starfighters unleashed their payloads of missiles in retort. The situation was quickly turning grim, the outlook not a good one. Grievous was determined to not loose another super ship under his command and he was giving the Republic hell as a result. Word of this new development quickly reached the blockade.

"Commander! The Carracks have come under fire from enemy defenders, they're taking losses!" Captain Vorgand cried out. Thrawn did not respond, nor did he even move from his position. He remained silent, standing tall as he watched the battle continuing to unfold. "Commander? Orders?" Vorgand pressed, wanting to save whatever lives he could. Thrawn still stayed quiet, calculating the outcomes of follow-up maneuvers as he studied the Devastation. Its shape had changed for good, the body distorted severely thanks to the efforts of the Carracks. More of the Devastation's cannon could be seen now, and Thrawn believed it was indeed the least armored portion of the ship.

It was time for the final phase of his plan.

"Captain, their armor plating has been removed. Order the Carracks to fall back, then attack the exposed portion of the bow cannon so that we might put an end to this ship and avenge the crews of the fallen criusers." He calmly told Vorgand. The order filled the Captain with fresh hope and he readily concurred.

"Right away, Commander!"

Grievous performed another pass over the Carrack squadron, many of them now burning profusely while several had crashed and wrecked, their remains floating away into space. His cannons pounded into the unshielded cruisers, explosions rippling across every hull he struck. The cackling cyborg was confident in a swift victory, but as he banked around to make another pass, he realized the Carracks had suddenly decided to break off.

"Flee! Flee you miserable wretches!" Grievous rasped, making to pursue them and cut down a few more before they were out of range. He was about to order the Devastation to target the blockade once more when the light cruisers suddenly dove down and out of his targeting range. Rather befuddled by the move, Grievous prepared to give chase only to be stopped when turbolaser rounds streaked from the Republic cruisers and began to riddle the Devastation's bow. A frantic Grievous triggered his comms. "Raise the shields!" He gruffly commanded.

"Sir, we can't!" A battle droid responded in a high-pitched tone.

"And why not?!" Grievous thundered.

"The hull's too damaged, the shields can't properly form around the superstructure!" The droid answered. Cursing the Republic with a furious growl, Grievous dove low and began to chase after the fleeing Carracks, determined to make them pay.

Meanwhile, the Republic's cruisers continued to barrage the Devastation with a full attack as Thrawn had directed. Without shields, the Subjugator-class cruiser was vulnerable and it showed. Bits and pieces of plating splintered off with each successful hit, the bow cannon swiftly crippled as multiple turbolaser rounds began punching through its weaker exterior. While some of the Venators focused their fire across the spread of the ship, others concentrated on the new weakness revealed by the Carracks and began to blow apart the structure beneath the torn-back armor. The structural struts were quickly blown away and the pieces sent careening into space, joining the steadily enlarging debris field.

And then, one of the cruisers started to score some very deadly strikes.

With the rearmost portions of the cannon exposed, several of the turbolaser batteries began to target the power cells and their connected conduits. Already thrumming with charged power, the volatile components were like explosives primed and ready to detonate under the right conditions. The Venators provided those circumstances by destroying the conduits and power cells, creating a feedback loop that caused excess power to overload the firing systems. To make matters worse of the Separatists, each consecutive strike to the cannon began to charge the kyber crystals with destructive energy that was threatening to detonate at a moment's notice.

That moment came not long after.

Rippling destructive waves began to tear through the ship as the kyber crystals discharged their power, one explosion after another blowing out the hull as the cannon was torn to pieces. Emanating from the middle of the ship, the next few explosions bore red clouds as the kyber crystals began to destroy themselves. Each explosion was bigger than the last and the Republic anticipated a truly massive fireball as a result.

"Divert all power to forward shields!" Captain Vorgand quickly ordered. "Brace yourselves!" His crew did as ordered, knowing an explosion the kind of which that would come from the self-destructing Devastation would likely pack a serious shockwave along with it. That came soon enough as a few more explosions broke the Devastation's spine before a final, blinding explosion blew both halves of the ship to pieces. Thrawn and all the other crew members raised their hands to shield their eyes from the blinding white light that erupted from the midst of the Devastation, the entire Subjugator reduced to fragments and floating wreckage as a fireball filled the void where the ship had once been.

When the light faded and the Republic crews were able to behold the destroyed ship, their joyous outcries were heard throughout every ship. Celebrating the successful annihilation of a super ship, even Mors Vorgand was feeling lighthearted. He strode over to Thrawn, who had not moved nor even showed an emotion beyond focused and concentrated. "Well, I suppose you've done it once again, Commander." He complimented. "I must confess, I doubted your strategy at first."

"You and many others." Thrawn quietly mused, not presumptuous in the slightest. "However, I commend you on your smooth coordination, Captain."

"All thanks should really go to you." Vorgand responded. "You've helped us win quite the victory today. With that ship gone, Republic fleets and territories are going to be a lot safer now." Thrawn slowly nodded.

"Yes, I suppose they will be." The Chiss calmly agreed. After a moment longer, he finally turned towards Vorgand. "It seems my work here is done, Captain. I shall trust the eradication of the remaining Separatist fighter accompaniment to you." He politely stated. Vorgand nodded.

"Can do, Commander."

A growling Grievous floored his thrusters as he accelerated away from the ruins of the Devastation. With his starfighter having been knocked silly by the shockwave following the explosion, he forcibly righted it before powering away from the wreckage. Now another super ship had fallen under his command, and Dooku would not be pleased. There were bound to be consequences, but Grievous was in no mood to face his superior just yet. So instead of retreating deep into Separatist space, he punched in the coordinates for a nearby Separatist installation...


Author's Note: RANDOM FOLLOWER SHOUTOUT: this one goes to The cubic king. Thanks for dropping by and we're happy to have you on board!