**Chapter 423**
**Orbital Battle of Ryloth – Part 1**
**Dagon POV**
Space rippled and distorted as my fleet emerged from the hidden nebula route. The *Gray Wolf* led the formation, its massive Resurgent-class frame cutting through the void like a predator. Behind it followed the full might of my armada — the *Valiant*, the other Resurgents, the towering Allegiance-class battlescruisers, Starkillers, Venators, and the swarm of escorts. We exited at a significant distance from Ryloth, far beyond standard engagement range.
"All ships, full stop," I ordered, my voice calm over the fleet-wide channel. "Hold position and begin full sensor sweeps."
The engines throttled down. The fleet coasted silently in perfect formation, a wall of durasteel and firepower hanging in the blackness. Ryloth hung in the distance — a dusty orange marble wrapped in the faint haze of its thin atmosphere. But my attention wasn't on the planet yet. It was on the Separatist fleet positioned in high orbit.
The scans zoomed in, feeding detailed telemetry directly to the tactical holotable. I studied the enemy disposition carefully.
Twenty-five Munificent-class frigates had formed a deliberate defensive wall, their long, slender hulls oriented with their undersides facing outward like a reinforced barrier. At each end of this wall sat two Recusant-class heavy destroyers — the two-kilometer variants — fifty of them in total. Their forward-facing heavy cannons created lethal kill zones. It was a clever setup. They knew the limited range of standard Republic Venator turbolasers. The plan was obvious: lure the Republic fleet into close engagement with the Munificent wall while the Recusants hammered them from the flanks with their powerful forward batteries.
*Marg Sabl,* I thought. A variant of the classic "Fake" maneuver, named after a Togrutan flower that opened in a dramatic sunburst. Normally used offensively, this was a defensive adaptation — closing fast, angling hulls to protect fighter groups, then unleashing flanking attacks. Here, they had turned it into a static trap. The formation was simple, even obvious if you knew what to look for, but when executed properly it created a highly unstructured and dangerous attack profile.
And it confirmed one important detail: there was an organic commander directing this fleet. No tactical droid would have arranged the ships with this level of tactical nuance.
"Still, let's see what else we've got," I muttered, expanding the scan data.
Fifty Techno Union frigates — medium-sized, fish-like vessels roughly 600 meters long. Fast, agile, and capable of heavy fire followed by quick retreats. Each carried 17 turbolaser batteries, 14 laser cannons, 13 twin turbolaser batteries, and 2 ion cannon batteries. Equipped with five engines and a hyperdrive, they were dangerous hit-and-run predators, though they lacked hangars.
Thirty Sabaoth Destroyers, also known as Wave Cutters, with their distinctive, aggressive profiles. Each mounted 18 twin turbolaser batteries, 16 laser cannon batteries, 4 ion cannon batteries, and fore concussion missile launchers. They could deploy two squadrons of Sabaoth fighters and a flight of Hex Bombers from their hangars — mobile strike platforms that could cause real trouble in a melee.
Five Lucrehulk-class battleships and twenty Providence-class Dreadnoughts in their two-kilometer variants completed the heavy contingent.
"Interesting loadout," I said aloud. "But limited in effective range. They're built for a knife fight. We're not going to give them one."
The bridge crew waited in disciplined silence. Grand Captain Wilhuff Tarkin on the *Sovereign*, Pellaeon on the *Hood*, Kobayashi on the *Vanguard* — all of them watching for my command.
I activated the fleet command channel. "All Resurgent-class, Valiant-class, and Allegiance-class vessels: use only the heavy XX-10 and ultra-heavy turbolaser cannons. Focus fire on the Munificent wall. Prioritize targets from left to right. I will start. Fire on my mark."
I stepped closer to the viewport, the red-and-black markings in my eyes reflecting faintly in the transparisteel. The *Gray Wolf's* massive batteries hummed to life, power diverted from the Kyber-modified solar ion reactor straight into the weapons.
"Mark."
Several brilliant green bolts lanced out from the *Gray Wolf's* main ultra-heavy turbolaser cannons. The concentrated salvo crossed the vast distance in seconds and slammed into the lead Munificent-class frigate. The frigate's shields flared brilliantly for half a second before collapsing. The heavy bolts tore straight through its spine, shredding armor, reactors, and structural supports. The ship broke apart in a silent, expanding cloud of debris and venting atmosphere.
"Confirmed kill," the tactical officer reported.
The rest of my heavy hitters opened fire. The *Valiant*, the eight other Resurgents, and the six Allegiance-class battlescruisers unleashed coordinated salvos. At this range, the CIS cannons could barely reach us. Their shots either dissipated harmlessly against our reinforced shields or fell far short. Meanwhile, our XX-10 ultra-heavy batteries operated well within their optimal envelope.
Another Munificent disintegrated under concentrated fire from the *Vanguard* and *Hood*. Two more exploded as the *Steadfast* and *Fulminatrix* poured fire into them. The Separatist formation, so carefully arranged for a close-range ambush, was now being dismantled from beyond their effective reach.
"Eight Munificent-class frigates destroyed," the sensor officer announced. "Enemy fleet is attempting to maneuver, but they're sluggish. Recusants are trying to bring their forward guns to bear, but we're still outside their optimal firing arcs."
I allowed myself a thin smile. "Maintain distance. Continue focus fire. Let them feel the weight of superior range and firepower."
The bridge vibrated faintly with each massive salvo. Green lances of concentrated destruction continued to streak across the void. Another Munificent broke in half. A Sabaoth Destroyer that had tried to dart forward to support the line was caught by a broadside from one of the Allegiances and turned into scrap.
On the tactical display, the CIS formation was already fracturing. The organic commander was no doubt panicking, realizing too late that the Republic fleet they had prepared to ambush had brought weapons that outranged their entire defensive line.
"Signal the rest of the Jedi forces," I ordered. "Give them the updated jump coordinates. By the time they arrive, we should have the blockade broken and the orbital space cleared for landing operations."
I thought briefly of Skywalker and Kenobi, of Master Shin Wen and the others. They would arrive to a battlefield already heavily tilted in our favor. Let them claim their glory in the ground campaign. This part — breaking the spine of the enemy fleet — belonged to my ships and my crews.
"General," Captain Piett reported from the *Knull*, "the enemy is launching fighters. Sabaoth squadrons deploying."
"Let them come," I replied. "Starkillers and Lancer frigates are to handle fighter screen. Main batteries continue focus on the capital ships."
The orbital battle had only just begun, but the opening move was already decisively ours. Ryloth's liberation would not be gentle. And I had no intention of making it so.
The *Gray Wolf* fired again. Another Munificent died.