**Chapter 425**
**Orbital Battle of Ryloth – Part 3**
**Dagon POV**
**Skelter R-16 Cockpit**
The void around Ryloth burned with the fires of dying warships. I rolled the Skelter through another dense pack of Vulture droids, miniguns screaming as they spat green death in every direction. The electromagnetic pulse railguns fired again, dropping another cluster of droids into powerless spirals.
On the tactical feed, a new wave of reinforcements had arrived — twenty Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers. The sight almost made me laugh.
On Earth, centuries ago, the term "dreadnought" referred to a revolutionary type of battleship. The HMS Dreadnought, launched in 1906, introduced an all-big-gun armament and steam turbine propulsion. It was so dominant that every similar ship afterward was simply called a dreadnought, while older vessels became known as pre-dreadnoughts.
In this galaxy far, far away, the word meant something far less impressive.
The Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser — sometimes called the Rendili Dreadnought — was a 600-meter midsize capital ship built by Rendili StarDrive. Its keel ran nearly the full length with a distinctive clamshell bow. The hull was heavily armored but carried minimal shielding. Clusters of weapons blisters dotted its surface: twenty quad laser cannons, ten turbolaser cannons, and ten laser cannons. It could carry a full starfighter squadron and was designed for heavy space combat and planetary occupation. Commanders loved to bring them in close and unleash broadsides.
But I had seen their weaknesses up close.
When I first arrived in this galaxy, I commandeered one from Lantilles' local defense fleet within my first month. Slow, ponderous, and crew-intensive. A droid-crewed version needed nearly 5,000 personnel, yet three Munificent-class frigates could outgun and outmaneuver it easily. I had modified the ones under my command into something more useful — turning them into makeshift battleships with upgraded reactors and heavier broadside batteries.
These CIS Dreadnaughts, however, were stock. And they were dying.
"Valiant heavy cannons are tearing through them like butter," I observed aloud as the *Valiant* and two Allegiance-class battlescruisers focused fire. The AV-7 modified flak mounts and XX-10 ultra-heavy turbolasers ripped massive holes through their armored hulls. One Dreadnaught broke in half after a sustained barrage from the *Gray Wolf*. Another lost its entire port side in a brilliant explosion.
Odd, though. The Techno Union didn't usually favor Rendili designs. These must have been pressed into service from older Commerce Guild or planetary stocks.
I keyed my comm. "Ethan."
"Yes, General?"
"Run a search on Admiral Dua Ningo. Find out how he won his old battles — Foerost, any Commerce Guild actions. I want to know his patterns."
"Already on it, sir. Also… we are ten minutes into this engagement. The other Jedi forces are likely growing impatient. Master Kenobi and Skywalker will want to jump in soon."
"Don't worry," I replied as another Providence-class Dreadnought exploded under coordinated fire from three Resurgents. "We're almost halfway through breaking their spine."
I allowed my mind to drift for a brief moment across the imaginary list of enemy commanders I had already removed from the board.
*Admiral Trench — dead. I made sure of it when his flagship was ripped apart at Christophsis no coming back to life from that.*
*Dozens of Trade Federation admirals and bankers who thought they could play at war.*
*Several warlords and pirate leaders foolish enough to side with the CIS.*
And now… Dua Ningo. I had thought he was still tied down at the Foerost shipyards under Republic blockade. Apparently not. That meant he likely had contingency plans ready. Good. I preferred enemies who still had teeth.
**Scene 2**
**Providence-class Dreadnought – Bridge**
Admiral Dua Ningo's hands trembled as he gripped the command console. The bridge lighting flickered with each impact against the shields.
"Admiral, that single fighter is tearing through our droid screens," a B1 command droid reported, almost sounding concerned in its monotone voice.
"We have lost eight Dreadnaughts so far," the tactical droid added. "Enemy forces remain at long range. Our weapons cannot effectively reply."
Pressure. Ningo had not felt this kind of crushing pressure since his very first major battle at Foerost — the one that eventually led to the long Republic blockade of those vital shipyards. Ten months into the Clone Wars, and here he was again, watching another carefully prepared defensive line crumble.
The Sullustan admiral bared his teeth. "Status of the reserves?"
"First wave already committed. Second and third waves are preparing to jump."
A priority transmission alert flashed. The tactical droid patched it through.
Wat Tambor's masked face appeared on the main holoscreen, his mechanical vocoder crackling with fury.
"Ningo! Why are you failing?" the Techno Union foreman demanded. "I am watching the scanners in real time as more of my fleet is destroyed! Need I remind you of what is at stake? The treasury of Ryloth is still being loaded onto our transports. Those resources are critical!"
"Money," Ningo muttered under his breath. "That is all you care about while I risk my life and the lives of my crews."
Tambor either didn't hear or didn't care. "I am sending you the other two reserve fleets immediately. I am also dispatching my personal aide to assist you. Do your best not to anger him."
Ningo's ears twitched. "Aide?"
The transmission ended abruptly.
**Scene 3**
Deep within one of the hidden CIS staging points near the Gaulus sector, Kul Teska stood on the bridge of his new flagship.
The Skakoan male was an imposing figure even among his kind. Once a respected scientist in the Techno Union, an industrial accident had left him badly disfigured. Forced out of the Union, he rebuilt his pressure suit with extensive cybernetics and turned to the life of a mercenary and gun-for-hire. While continuing illegal experiments with gravity manipulation, he had begun construction of the gravitic polarization beam — a superweapon terrifying enough to collapse a star.
But after the Battle of Dentaal — after reviewing recordings of the Republic ship *Terminus* and the overwhelming power displayed by the Jedi General Dagon Marek — Kul Teska had shifted his focus. Naval warfare. Fleet command. The application of overwhelming technological superiority on a grand scale. His brilliant mind had found a new calling.
"Sir," a droid officer reported, "we are being contacted to reinforce the blockade over Ryloth. Admiral Dua Ningo's forces are under heavy attack."
Teska's pressure suit hissed as he turned, red photoreceptors glowing. "Yes… let it be done. My brain will win all battles."
He stepped forward to the central command throne of his new flagship — the *Starhawk*. A heavily modified and upgraded Providence-class Dreadnought, it bristled with experimental weaponry and enhanced shield systems. Gravity-manipulation technology had been integrated into its weapons and propulsion. Where others saw a war, Teska saw an opportunity to test his latest theories in live combat.
"Set course for Ryloth," he ordered, his voice distorted through the suit's vocoder. "Full speed. Inform Admiral Ningo that reinforcements are en route. And tell Wat Tambor… I expect full access to the Ryloth treasury once the Republic fleet is broken."
The *Starhawk*'s engines flared to life. Behind it, the second and third reserve fleets began jumping into hyperspace — dozens more warships answering the desperate call.
Kul Teska allowed himself a mechanical chuckle. Dagon Marek may have surprised everyone at Dentaal. But he had never faced a mind like Teska's in open fleet combat.
This battle was about to become far more interesting.