Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 89 - Firepower Coverage
It charged forward with high-intensity acceleration, showing no intention of retreating.

"'Clem' fleet issues an emergency signal: the entire fleet turns to starboard!"

At that moment, Godell suddenly issued an instruction.

"Connect to the bridge view of the 'Beautiful Queen'! Signal the entire 'White Hand Fleet'!" Rein stood up abruptly, his legs a little weak, afraid he would lose his footing. "Execute the standard starboard turn maneuver! Maintain close formation and turn in sequence! Port, torpedo tubes one through fifty, prepare to load!"

The lights on the bridge of the HMS Repulse flickered, and the viewing window was replaced by a light screen that displayed a live image of the command deck of the HMS Queen Belle.

Just then, Renn felt a strong wave of nausea.

He could clearly feel that the hull of the "Repulsion" was tilting to the right at a steeper angle than in the images of the "Belle Queen".

The violent shift his body felt was completely disconnected from the smooth visuals he saw; this intense sensory conflict made him dizzy, as if he were drunk.

Rein slumped back into the captain's chair, closed his eyes tightly, and forced down his churning stomach acid, relying solely on the intuition honed through years of naval service to judge the progress of the turn.

The so-called "sequential maneuvering" is very simple.

When the lead flagship of a battle line performs a certain maneuver, every other warship behind it will only follow suit and perform the same maneuver once it has sailed to the precise cosmic coordinates at which the lead ship had just turned.

Simply put, it means that the following ship turns by following in the footsteps of the ship in front.

Now, their entire formation is following... following whom?
With his eyes closed, Raine's mind raced as he recalled the battle sequence he had devised a few days earlier.

The "Repel" was in the second column, so when they turned right together, they would temporarily hide behind the first column of the main battle line.

This means that the leading flagship at this moment is... "Eclipse"!
In any case, given the sheer size of the fleet, turning in a column formation is far more sensible than turning simultaneously in a line formation.

This turning method is particularly reasonable when the fleet includes Providence-class command/destroyer, Lucrehulk-class battleship/aircraft carrier, Recusant-class light destroyer, Munificent-class star frigate, Himilsim carrier, Trident-class assault ship, and more than a dozen different types of warships with vastly different turning capabilities from various trade alliances, corporate alliances, and other confederations.

Just as Ryan emphasized before, take things one step at a time and don't try to be a hero.

However, their current frantic charge is completely unrelated to the calm and methodical approach of "following the established rules".

After the "Repel" stopped turning, Ryan slowly opened his eyes and glanced at it briefly, only to find that the "Beautiful Queen" in the holographic image was still turning!
"Enemy ships are releasing fighter jets!"

The robot on the sensor control panel suddenly emitted a shrill alarm, and the electronic tone changed.

The scene on the scanning screen was terrifying.

A dense barrage of engine signals, like bursts of white smoke from explosions, erupted from the hangars of the "Jerusalem-class" Star Destroyers, radiating outwards in an instant and almost completely obscuring the signals of the capital ships behind them.

The standard "Jäger class" can carry 420 fighter jets.

Rein's fingers tapped rapidly on the tactical repeater, roughly estimating that there were about 400 "Jackal-class" warships on the other side.

That's 16.8 fighter jets!
Moreover, the "Jackey-class" warship is not the only main warship of the Republic capable of carrying carrier-based aircraft.

Rein estimated the total number of carrier-based aircraft in the entire Republic's battle line to a terrifying 20.

This means that the "white-handed fleet" will have to face approximately 6 Republic fighter jets alone...

"Release all our Vulture robot fighters immediately!" Ryan practically roared. "Are the torpedo tubes fully loaded?!"

"Reloading complete, sir!" Godell's voice rose as well. "The Vulture formation is releasing... Enemy aircraft are approaching at high speed!"

The design of the dreadnought gives it a near 100% frontal firepower projection efficiency.

However, their main weapon, the turbo laser cannon, fires a beam of Tibana gas plasma encased in a magnetic field.

Once launched, this plasma beam spreads rapidly in a vacuum, and its binding magnetic field decays exponentially with increasing distance.

Strangely enough, this means that, theoretically, the effective range of a laser beam is actually farther inside the atmosphere than in a vacuum.

However, there is one thing that does not decay in a vacuum.

That is steel.

A steel warhead encased in high explosives.

"The last warship in our battle line has completed its turn!" Godell reported.

"Very good." Renn leaned forward, his gaze fixed on the surging red dots on the tactical screen. "Fire!"

……

As the first bright spots representing torpedoes flashed on the massive battle situation map, Carly Trilm took a deep breath, the cool air filling her lungs.

The "White Hand Fleet" launched the first truly large-scale salvo in this battle.

Real-time video fragments transmitted through narrow beams show warships spewing continuous flames and thick smoke from their sides, with countless deadly warheads being propelled into the void.

"Fire." Carly's command was succinct and forceful.

A deep rumble and vibration came from the hull of the "Sereno Star" beneath my feet. The side armor plates slid open, and a stream of scorching energy shot out along with a series of dazzling warheads, drawing deadly trajectories in the dark universe.

As the three task forces completed their maneuvers, their lead and rearguard ships rejoined each other, forming a massive steel battle line in an arc-shaped area 800 kilometers wide.

Two hundred destroyers and thirty dreadnought-class capital ships were equipped with fifty and one hundred torpedo launchers on their sides, respectively.

Each transmitter contains three launch tubes ready to fire at any time.

Forty thousand proton torpedoes, like an enraged swarm of metal bees, hurtled toward the Republic's "Longgun Fleet" in the distance with deathly screams!
The Republic has more warships, better artillery, optimized firing angles, more precise fire control systems, and ships with superior overall performance.

Their main guns are usually eight twin-mounted DBY-827 heavy turbo laser cannons, which are extremely powerful.

A single, precise salvo can tear through a capital ship's energy shield, and the next salvo can completely shred the ship.

However, they are inferior to the Allied fleet in one aspect.

That's the range of the torpedoes.

Jedi generals commanded Jaeger-class cruisers that relied on carrier-based aircraft to deliver missiles and torpedoes because their own capital ships were not equipped with heavy torpedo launching systems.

"We must keep a firm grip on the rhythm of the battle."

Carly, with her usual calm demeanor, unconsciously gripped the armrest of the seat.

"This is our only chance to win." Just then, a powerful centrifugal force suddenly flung her to the side!

Two hundred and thirty warships, like well-trained soldiers, performed a highly difficult "rolling" maneuver around their long axis at the same time.

The entire battle line was instantly "upside down".

Just as the ship completed its roll, another volley of torpedoes was launched, spreading out from the sides of the fleet like ripples!
As the massive fleet of warships flipped back to its normal position, the port side launch tubes were reloaded, and the third devastating salvo roared as it plunged into the dark abyss.

Relying on a pulse engine with a thrust of up to 10000 units, the first salvo would take a full ten minutes to cross 20 million kilometers and reach the Republic's battle line.

In those ten minutes, Carly's fleet completed three salvos.

She glanced at the timer and nodded.

The efficiency is acceptable.

The Republic's battle lines are sprinting at full speed, trying to close this deadly gap as quickly as possible.

They withstood the majority of the impact from the first two salvos of torpedoes with their sturdy bow shields.

The actual hit rate is very low, probably less than one percent.

At such a great distance, the targeting computer could only rely on the faint engine signals of the enemy warships to make predictive shots.

Not to mention that a torpedo's trajectory changes to inertial flight halfway through its flight, naturally resulting in insufficient accuracy.

Finally, the Republic also deployed several layers of escort ships in front of the fleet, specifically responsible for point defense.

Although the accuracy was low, the Allied fleet had no shortage of ammunition.

Each "Divine Will" class ship carries enough torpedoes for eighteen salvos.

Moreover, the ammunition supply ships shuttling between the auxiliary and battle columns were continuously bringing in more "gifts" from the Grim Reaper.

In the distant void, the light from the explosions rose and fell like faint sparks, almost indistinguishable against the backdrop of the stars.

"How long do you expect it to take to get within range of the enemy's main guns?" Carly's voice remained calm.

"The enemy's acceleration has decreased significantly." Tex's electronic eye flashed. "The calculation result is... 34.5 minutes."

“Eleven more volleys are possible.” Carly’s lips curled into an almost vicious smile, revealing her gleaming white teeth. “Keep firing!”

Another wave of torpedoes, like a torrent of steel, surged from the sides of the Allied fleet, speeding away along the still-bright trails left by the previous salvos.

Carly's sharp gaze swept across the constantly updated battle situation map, focusing on the dense engine signals advancing in front of the main battle line of the spear fleet.

She patiently waited for each sensor scan update, recording their positions and calculating acceleration.

After six scans, Carly was almost certain that those were Republic fighter squadrons!
The acceleration reached an astonishing 2000 grids.

It is expected that a direct confrontation with the enemy will take place in 23 minutes.

Where are our fighter jets?

Carly's voice carried a hint of urgency.

"Our carrier strike group is currently unable to keep up with the speed of the main battle line," Tex reported truthfully.

"Damn it!" Carly couldn't help but mutter a curse under her breath. "Order our escort ships to move forward and deploy at a position ten degrees below the horizontal plane of the main battle line to establish an air defense perimeter."

"These aircraft carriers are really something else today!"

Carly grumbled irritably, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest.

……

Vinok stared intently at the tactical display screen, trying to immerse himself in the Force and use its mysterious flow to enhance his perception and judgment.

This was the first time he had commanded such a large fleet.

Although it was only one wing of the entire battle group.

But he had to admit that deep down he was still a little nervous.

This tension stems from the tens of thousands of lives at our disposal.

It stems from the fact that one can decide the life and death of so many people with a single thought.

It also stems from the terrifying power these warships represent, a power capable of destroying stars.

This must be what General Tann meant by "true power," right?

Vinok thought to himself.

Faced with 600,000 devastating missiles hurtling towards them, what is the power of a single Jedi Knight?
How can we counter the steely will of three million space crew members, forged by their deep-seated hatred for the Republic?

The icon representing the "Crying Sun" flashed violently again.

It completed another salvo of torpedoes from its sides, sending 150 death messengers into the void.

This is not an isolated case.

At the forefront of the battle line at this moment was Carly's "Clem" fleet, along with her Salvara and Purkel combat squadrons.

This fleet once boasted 250 warships, but in this interstellar war, only a paltry 180 remain.

They lost the most, and now they have almost nothing left to lose.

Therefore, they fought with extraordinary ferocity, almost to the point of madness.

While the rest of the fleet had completed four salvos, they were often able to squeeze out a fifth!

Facing the sharpest spearhead of the Republic's "Long Spear Fleet," those massive "Knight-class Star Destroyers" disregarded their own safety, pushing their old warship engines to their limits just to maintain this storm-like attack rhythm.

(End of this chapter)