[Early 2 BBY]
[Command Bridge, Command Deck, New Republic Navy Liberator-class Super Star Destroyer, The Song of Freedom, New Republic Third Fleet, Combined Fleet, emerging from hyperspace, Ord Mantell, Bright Jewel System, Bright Jewel Sector, Mid-Rim, Republic Northern Territories]

The vast armoured bulk of the New Republic Navy's Third Fleet's Super Star Destroyer, The Song of Freedom, emerged like a vengeful behemoth from hyperspace into real space. Fed data up till its emergence from those lesser vessels that charged ahead, taking out the minefields and damaging the interdiction systems deployed in-system, The Song of Freedom emerged, flanked by the Second Fleet's equally massive sister warship, The Glory of the Workers, vast arrays of turbolasers and missiles battles screaming into life as flight bays surged out wave after wave of obsolescent Z-95 starfighters. Massed with them was the vast might of the combined Second and Third Fleets of the New Republic Navy as they began their assault upon the Fortress World of Ord Mantell.

On the bridge of the emerging titan Admiral Blitzer Harsk stood, hands clasped behind his back, clad in the bright and glorious uniform emblazoned proudly with the symbols of the New Republic. Yet, despite his presented confidence, the human admiral was on edge as he waged the largest battle since the Battle of Coruscant unfold before him. Two Super Star Destroyers, surrounded by seventy-seven modern Liberty-class Star Destroyers, nearly the same number of cuisers, and five times that number Corellian gunships and a dozen carrier-conversion Acclamators against the system defences and assembled mercenary fleets before them. All while his Third Fleet, and Second Fleet, assaulted nearby system simultaneously. Operation Righteous Fury was underway, dozens of New Jedi with the fleets, helping to coordinate the strikes, doing trances or meditations in the Force that helped…in ways he didn't understand.

Save that it work…somehow. So he left such things to them, and instead focused on the vast force before him, outnumbering his fleet by…

'About a tenth' he estimated with a calm, silent, read of the holo-displays and looking out through the windows of the command bridge 'Of inferior quality capital starship wise'

"Quite the collection Sir" his Senior Captain, Barrow Oicunn, stated coming to stand beside as the first forward blasts of their titanic war-machine was unleashed upon a rebel-mercenary Lucrehulk "Everything from Grand Army vessels to CIS, to whatever junk salvaged and rearmed most likely"

"Indeed Captain, but let's not get ahead of ourselves" Blitzer replied, as he surveyed the vessels, identifying various mercenary groups, and glad to see there wasn't the full muster here. Though that would annoy many of his superiors, the simple truth was taking Ord Mantell would be decided by campaign rather than one battle as best he and the other Admiral could estimate. This, here and now, was their best chance to do so in such a battle…but the enemy 'wall of battle' was formed up, starfighters launching in their own waves "We have a hard target ahead. Signal Fleet: Fire Plan Alpha Active"

Ord Mantell was not only a Fortress World but had been a major depot Grand Army of Republic, one that had developed into a major trade hub for the various criminal scum of the Mid and Outer Rims. It had been protected by a number of modern interdiction fields, purchased from the Hutts and Confederacy according to New Republic Naval Intelligence, along with multiple layers of realspace and hyperspace cloaked mines. The shattered hulls of hundreds of small tramp freighters the New Republic Navy had seized, crewed with slave bolted droid crews, and then sent through to smash open a path attested to those defences. It was a price worth paying after all, saving the main fleet from excessive damage as it emerged like the wrath of the Core itself upon its foes.

Yet…he and the rest of Fleet Command had rejected efforts to go all out. He watched as dozens of Z-95s were blotted from existence mere seconds into the engagement, proving his point of weeks ago. They could not afford significant losses amongst their combat cadres of X-wing pilots and more modern warships. Instead he'd made sure to crew those Z-95s with veritable legions of confiscated and re-programmed droids, and the escorts for the fleet, and older Star Destroyers, with crews that were….less reliable in his opinion. They served as the vanguard screening force, as if he absolutely had to lose starships, then better it be amongst the useless, the incompetent, and the disloyal.

"Heavy resistance Grid-04-54-32" Captain Oicunn reported as he returned, highlighting the grid-square "Orbital batteries and a number of Venators"

"Two Providences as well" Blitzer hummed, watched thousands of Z-95s clashing with enemy Z-95s and masses of droid-fighters, from ancient Scarabs, to more serviceable Fall-era Vultures, and even semi-modern Tri-fighters. All mixed with a large number of customised droid and star fighters he judged, analysing the data being displayed on the scope. It confirmed what NRNI had been saying since the reconquest had started; rebel and mercenary Z-95s were, in general, superior to the ones the Navy was using en masse currently, even if the customisations made standards all over the scale. Such was made more obvious when comparing pilots, and proper droid-fighters, going up against repurposed industrial and domestic droids…

"But we're trading three-to-one with enemy fighters" he noted, as that was a good trade, even if it was likely to worsen soon enough. They were older Z-95s and droids after all. They were made to be lost "Send in….bomber squadrons B through to H, max escort from assigned squadrons. Have these escort corvettes press in for support. Press the attack. We need that orbital battery taken out"

He stabbed a finger at the holo-display, showing the motion of the attack he wished to occur. Star Destroyers engaged at range, and if he could eliminate those batteries, as well as run the missile batteries out of ammunition by sacrificing starfighters…

There was no subtly here, just brute force; for there was no capacity to do so with the training of many crews, and due to impressive efforts of the former Grand Army remnants, now mercenaries and criminals, in maintain the vast defences. Maintaining and improving them even as Blitzer resisted a wince as the Liberty-class, Hammer of the Forge, was smashed into inactivity by hammer blows from enemy orbital batteries with bomber support. One, then another, reduced to heavily damaged, if mobile, wrecks as seconds turned to minutes, and then half an hour of relentless, brutal, combat as his lines advanced in coordination with Second Fleet, using starfighters as ablative armour as enemy heavy warships were smashed or heavily damaged.

'This might….actually work' he thought as losses, on both sides, began to mount, but the Combined Fleet was forcing the entire left and upper flank to crumble, falling back towards the world and the planetary batteries. It was a surprise, and one he exploited, Third Fleet applying constant pressure while maintaining formation as hundreds of starfighters were lost. The ration creeping up from three-to-one, to five-to-one, but still being acceptable as massed bomber and supporting heavy turbolaser battery fire knocking out one, then two, of the orbital batteries and shield systems "Continue attack on this access! Reserve squadrons to be deployed and form up as escorts!"

"Some X-wings would have helped here Sir"

"True, but they serve a more valuable purpose serving as raiders while the rebel fleets are forced to focus on defending this system" the admiral pointed out, for that was the greater need. They needed to cripple the traitor forces, their supply lines, and their routes of external support. The New Republic Navy could afford heavy losses, especially with droid-heavy forces such as the waves of old starfighters he'd sent in; turning what had been a disadvantage of old equipment into an advantage. But the enemy, despite reinforcements from the traitors in the traitor states of the galaxy, did not have that deep well of support and material "This is a battle of attrition, and…"

"New Contacts!" his sensor officer called out, ending that conversation "Bearing, Grid-56-02-75"

Blitzer Harsk turned his attention towards those icons flickering into existence on the flank of his fleet, studying it, and recognising them, or at least some of them "Nouane"

"Sir?"

"That's a modified Procurator, a…P-series as the traitors call it, along with lesser Imperial models" he answered watching as a dozen Star Destroyers, modern ones, the so-called V-series, came in around the refitted pre-Fall Battleship, along with a force of ARC-130s and hyper-capable Z-95s it seemed to his experienced eye. It was a major problem, especially as he watched what could only be TIE starfighters launching. Those faster, heavily armed, and powerfully shielded starfighters would be devastating to his current escort forces the way he was deployed. Then frowned, sighed.

'It was good while it lasted'

"…and those are Mandalorian Talon and Claw starfighers, and those escorting cruisers here and here, and those there are the remnants of the Shilli Defence Fleet" he sighed, shaking his head "Orders to Fleet: Right Flank wheel to these grids, reform into Defensive Pattern Delta"

"Withdrawal Admiral?"

"If my colleague on Second Fleet agrees Captain Oicunn, get me comms with her, now" the admiral answered, wanting to shift his forces back onto a missile and turbolaser heavy anti-starfighter defensive pattern rather than a starfighter based one. Taking the system, even with risking two Super Star Destroyers as spearheads, had been rated in the low estimates, and this arrival had sealed that possibility. While not a major force this would be a dangerously powerful one quality-wise, and likely fanatical too, he could….feel it. Somehow. But shoved it away, his fleet's sub-elements beginning to manoeuvre, falling back in staggered lines before the 'Little Empire' forces could arrive and bring themselves to bear.

Millions lay dead, mostly in the destruction of initial civilian traffic taken by surprise and in the less shielded mining complexes in orbit, but amongst his forces that number was a mere few thousands, less than thirty he estimated, as the wrecks were abandoned. Such numbers and five wrecked Star Destroyers, (he discounted the corellian corvettes as they had veritable planets worth of yards filled with those), was a small price to pay for crippling Ord Mantell into the near future...