Having over five hundred warships at my command, I had little to fear from an enemy counterattack. However, it would have been incredibly inconvenient if we were to be caught unprepared. Instead of pushing towards Corellia and risk overextending my lines, I had my fleet hold position over the planet Duro. We set up an interdiction around the planet, but had not proceeded to cleanse it, at least not yet. As long as the planet and its people were intact, the heretics would move cautiously in the vain hope that they could somehow save their doomed comrades. However, I had no intention of that happening.
The prelude to the counterattack was obvious due to the numerous probing attacks the Galactic Alliance sent to test our defenses. Sometimes they would send patrols of several small warships. Other times they would send scout fighters. Some of the more insidious infiltrators involved stealth fighters, apparently piloted by the heretic Jedi. With the high degree of stealth and skill they possess, it is unknown how many times they have penetrated their lines. The few times were able to detect them often resulted in large amounts of casualties for our side.
Meanwhile, the other two fleets operating on my flanks slowed their advances as well. Fleetmasters Yamanee and Sassamee were aware of the possibility of our enemies regrouping, and had secretly sent reinforcements to Duro as a surprise force.
During this time, I had also sent numerous infiltrators to various planets to gather intelligence. Though not a commonly practiced tactic, I have found it useful in fighting enemies with comparable military force and size. These infiltrators consisted of both special operatives and collaborators willing to work with us. The general reactions from the most heavily populated worlds was that of mass chaos and panic, as should be expected. It appeared the Galactic Alliance was desperately trying to maintain control over the panicked populace in preparation for war.
Another interesting fact was information given to me by agents from Corellia. Apparently, the planet's current ruler, a Thrackan Sal-Solo, was willing to break away from the Galactic Alliance and side with the Covenant under the condition that he be protected from any Galactic Alliance reprisals. I personally didn't trust this Sal-Solo, as he was among the heretics, and seemed the type to side with the more powerful entity. However, he controlled a strategically important world, and there were many rumors of some kind of "superweapon" hidden there.
Political matters aside, we still had to deal with the threat of oncoming attack. My own patrols indicated a massive buildup of Galactic Alliance military forces at several planets within easy reach of Duro. I knew I had to be wary, as I had not yet faced the Alliance's full military capabilities yet.
However, no matter mow much you prepare for an attack, it is always a surprise when it finally happens. Two weeks after taking Duro, over a hundred fifty enemy warships emerged at the edge of the system. I immediately sent a battle group of thirty ships led by the Ominous to counter them. The fighting was fierce, with ships being lost on both sides. It was during this battle were I learned of shadow bombs, explosives whose only source of propulsion was the demon magic of the Jedi. Three warships took severe damage and one was destroyed by these insidious weapons.
Thirty minutes into the battle, seventy more enemy ships appeared in the space between the Ominous' battle group and the main fleet, cutting them off. The outcome was hopeless for the Ominous, and rather than face defeat, her ship master ordered an emergency Slipspace jump. Out of the thirty ships in the battle group, only twenty were able to jump, the rest being too damaged or already destroyed. However, this defeat was not without its merits. The Ominous and her battle group were able to destroy roughly forty ships before being forced to withdraw.
Unfortunately, this meant that the enemy could now focus their attacks on the main fleet. The enemies received more reinforcements and began to push into our outer defenses. Meanwhile, Jedi fighters were wreaking havoc within our inner lines. Their stealth characteristics made them almost impossible to track, and they succeeded in destroying many support ships and orbital stations we had appropriated from Duro. I decided to end this battle, and had the Unstoppable Force move from its position from the far side of the planet. I doubt that the enemy forces expected to see such a massive enemy. Though not designed for space combat, the Unstoppable Force had a large complement of heavy weaponry and began wreaking havoc, tearing through the enemy formations.
Fighting continued for another hour before I realized my mistake. By shifting my forces from the far side of Duro, I had left a weakness in my defenses. Before I knew it, more Jedi fighter craft ambushed the patrols I had stationed there and cleared a path for a fleet of transport ships. On the ground, more Jedi and insurgents were attacking the ground troops stationed there and rounding up the civilians.
From the journals of Kolo Mezalee, stationed on the planet Duro
We weren't sure how or when it started. One moment, me and my squad of Unggoy were punishing several heretics for failure to adhere to our mandates, when suddenly half of my squad was dead on the ground. I twisted around to see a trio of cloaked figures, each bearing energy blades similar to my plasma sword. My remaining Unggoy attempted to fire, but these individuals used their energy blades to deflect the plasma bolts with relative ease.
At this point, I had summoned reinforcements and a massive fight progressed. The three Jedi were supported by several dozen troops, but they were no match for the Lekgolo pair we had brought with us. Their pathetic weapons proved to be of little effect against our heavy assault troops.
The Jedi, however, were a completely different story. They held their own against our troops, preventing them from being able to cut off the flow of refugees attempting to flee the planet. One of the Jedi, a witch with fiery red hair, singlehandedly killed one of the Lekgolo. This of course put his bond brother in a bloodrage. He plowed through the Jedi, forcing them to break their formation. He continued on until he reached the crowd of Duros refugees, where he began venting his rage by slaughtering as many as he could find.
It was at this time I received the order to fall back to our dropships and abandon the planet. I briefly considered trying to recover the rogue Lekgolo, but decided not to. Better he pass on avenging his fallen bond brother rather than live the rest of his life in grief.
However, I will never forget the ferocity of Jedi while in combat. While I am unsure whether they escaped Duro's destruction, I believe that they still live. The fate of such terrifying creatures cannot simply be left to chance.
The fools' true objective was not to destroy my fleet, but to save the doomed inhabitants of Duro. This proved to be a huge mistake on their part. Due to the strict interdictions I had set up on the cleansed worlds, nobody was aware of the amount of destruction we were able to achieve. Orders were sent to the fleet to burn what was left. The planet flared with cleansing fire, just like the countless ones before it.
The enemy fleet was predictably shocked. Once cleansing of Duro commenced, the remnants of the Alliance armada quickly retreated, ensuring our victory. However, the cost was high. Twelve ships were lost and sixteen more were severely damaged while the Galactic Alliance lost fifty five ships destroyed and ten damaged, though the vast majority of the losses consisted of small ships easily destroyed by even our Seraphs. However, it did not change the fact that we had achieved victory. With spirits high, and no reason to stay, I prepared my fleet to press its advantage and pursue the Galactic Alliance to our next objective, Corellia.