The Force… those quartermasters again. I didn't have Ethan to dump the work on this time. How they annoy me. Still, with the arrival of reinforcements, I managed to squeeze another regiment of clones out of them, along with six DS-150/AT units—self-propelled artillery platforms, analogues of the Separatist J-1. I also secured a dozen Syliure-31 hyperrings and some miscellaneous supplies. And for all that, I paid with a good portion of my nerve cells.
Finally receiving the patrol plan—delivered by a courier from headquarters—we headed back to the *Terminus*, which was finishing the loading of the remaining containers from the previous batch.
Second Lieutenant Cerri met us at the gangway.
"General Dagon, Captain Ragnos! According to orders, the crew is still loading. Estimated completion time: three hours."
"Excellent. Captain Ragnos, you know what to do. I need some rest. Wake me when we're approaching."
"Yes, General!"
Once our preparations were complete, we entered orbit and made a hyperspace jump to Va Aart. Finally, I got some proper sleep.
Upon arrival at Va Aart, the planet was… if not entirely peaceful, at least orderly. The Akagi, the Shinano, and the rest of the fleet hovered near the fuel plant in orbit as we landed on the pad.
Unloading began immediately, and in the meantime, we made our way to the command post.
"General!" Commander Blam began his report. "During your absence, the enemy attacked Donovia twice—both times with single Munificent-class frigates. The first attack targeted cargo vessels. It was successfully repelled, and the F-Spar cannon you designed is fully operational and ready for transfer to the *Terminus*. The second attack aimed at a fuel production plant. Pilots from the Artkainen Squadron distinguished themselves, torpedoing and destroying the enemy ship. No casualties among personnel."
"Excellent, Commander. Prepare the *Terminus* for takeoff. We'll patrol a sector along the Perlemian Trade Route. I'll take the *Terminus*, the *Starburn*, and that second corvette—change its designation to *Tashkent*. I'll also take the Fourth and Fifth Regiments, all the Space Marines, and two battalions of droids. Twenty-four Ravens and forty-eight TIE Interceptors. You'll need to accommodate the new arrivals. Oh, and give the Brave Boys Regiment some heavy weapons. And Commander…" I narrowed my eyes, "…keep an eye on their training so they don't slack off."
"Yes, sir," the clone replied with a grin. "With great pleasure."
The F-Spar cannons—also known as Focused Spectral Array—were my own design, based on ancient Sith superweapon blueprints combined with a Skynet prototype railgun. They're generally similar to the SPHAT, but with longer range, rapid reload, and the ability to switch to an anti-capital ship ion cannon. One well-placed shot could disable even a Star Destroyer, though to the outside world it looks like just another SPHAT laser cannon. Another F-Spar remains on base for security.
Patrol was organized as follows: the *Terminus* followed the main route, providing support to two Consular-class corvettes—the *Shirakumo* and the *Akatsuki*. Using scissor tactics, we simultaneously targeted larger prey, supported by *Terminus* and TIE Interceptor starfighters.
Oh, how we terrorized the merchants! Picture this: a cargo ship cruising along, crew relaxed and carefree, and suddenly a massive warship bristling with cannons appears in their path, surrounded by fighters, with a stern-faced Zabrak demanding their ship's log and cargo manifest! We had to make sure everyone knew the Republic was vigilant. Well, we had a bit of fun while we were at it. Patrolling gets boring, after all.
The first pirates we met greeted us… quite literally with open arms. Their wreck was drifting in orbit around an uninhabited planet with broken hyperdrives. When we brought their ship into the hold, quite a crowd gathered to see it. Even by my standards, it was unforgettable. Ahsoka summed it up perfectly: the ship "Rakata had seen"—she remembered something from her lessons, after all. My astromech chimed in in binary, roughly translating to: *"To the Hutt with this scrap metal."*
The captain of the vessel—a ship carrying repeatedly stolen agricultural equipment—claimed he had simply inherited it and wasn't interested in its past. These pirates, more smugglers than anything, were fairly harmless; they didn't steal themselves, only transported stolen goods. Still, the law was clear: detain and deliver to the authorities.
The next suspicious ship, however, had to be taken the traditional way. If the *Terminus* had been a normal accumulator, it would have been destroyed—but this was obvious: a Weequay pirate ship, with 12-point defense turbolasers, 3 missile launchers, and over 100 meters long. Two ion cannon shots later, it was disabled and brought into the hangar.
Two platoons of clone marines and I took part in the operation. The rest was routine: we breached the airlocks, stormed in, and subdued the resisting pirates—about half a dozen stunned, the rest wisely surrendered.
A search revealed the reason for their hostility: nearly ten kilograms of drugs and two dozen slaves, mostly female, far from the full list of contraband. The crew was sent to the brig, the slaves calmed and fed. The ship—a versatile freighter designed for atmospheric and orbital docking—was loaded with droids and sent to the main base for defense.
Such encounters were rare, though. By the end of the second day, rumors had spread and the pirates vanished into whatever holes they could find.
Once, we intercepted a Techno Union transport. It was a Hardcell-class, similar to those at Togoria. I took a fighter and stealthily boarded, capturing the ship. What I found was incredible.
The Hardcell-class was cylindrical, titanium-hulled, just over 220 meters tall, powered by six primary thrusters. It didn't rely on conventional repulsorlifts, instead using rocket propulsion capable of vertical landings up to 800 kilometers per hour. Three landing legs—sometimes converted into landing claws—stabilized the ship on low-gravity worlds. Sublight speed maxed out at 40 MGLT.
Its stacked interior maximized vertical storage, with banks of turbolifts connecting each deck. Standard Hardcell-class transports carried 700 Hailfire tanks and missile ammunition, but this one contained several hundred tons of defense turrets, wall fortifications, and twenty Scorpenek annihilator droids—army killers with dual heavy blaster cannons, capable of decimating Republic walkers or being reserved for… less public purposes.