C3P12

Everything was coming along nicely, I decided, after a moment's pondering. A quick glance through the eyes of a Munificent frigate with it's portside batteries on fire showed me that Republic fighter coverage was practically beyond repair. Only a few squadrons were flitting about, frantically fighting for their lives against the overwhelming droid snubcraft numbering in swarms of thousands.

One in particular, a yellow Eta-type interceptor, was leading his few remaining forces through a cloud of deadly flak between several anti starfighter frigates to try and destroy a missile cruiser. Dozens of explosions signaled the end of several more fightercrafts.

I blinked and I was a B2 Super Battle Droid, firing my wrist blaster into defending clone troopers aboard a light cruiser. Three died under my precise fire, before dozens of blue blaster bolts destroyed my host. Fortunately, dozens more were behind it, ready to take the bridge.

As more droid soldiers marched forwards to take the fallen's place, I mentally nudged them. Their postures slouched forwards and strangely enough, their vocorecorders began to emit growls. The droids' strange behavior was enough to cause the defending clones to ceasefire.

One B2 stomped forward and raised it's arms into the air, letting out an immense roar as it charged forwards without abandon. Behind it, it's comrades rushed forwards with roars of their own.

With panicked cries, the clones returned to firing, but the speed of the charging droid was too much and too fast. Metal bodies ran into armored squishy ones. The modified B2s didn't bother with using their wrist-blasters. They just pummeled the clones with their fists. One picked up a screaming clone and began using him as a makeshift club.

I withdrew my consciousness from the sight, slightly disturbed at how readily the droid had taken to bloodiling their fists so enthusiastically and switched to a new perspective.

It was dark, but the red tint and the sound of a plasma torch sputtering and saws whirring told me I was watching from a Buzz Droid. I spotted a lone human naval officer, backed up against a damaged blast door, pistol clicking away noisily.

A blink and I was a Hyena Bomber droid, cruising along the hull of a Venator star destroyer, casually firing away with laser cannons and dropping proton bombs on unfortunate people manning a battery of turrets.

I could feel the exhilaration as explosions lit up behind the droid, it's internal chattering as it shot a Headhunter nearby. The little fighter exploded, shrapnel flying everywhere as a ship emerged from hyperspace.

I blinked as the Hyena squawked in alarm as turbolaser fire came out like a sea of blue fire.

Moments later, my connection to it disappeared.

-

Venator-Class Star Destroyer Resolute

Admiral Yularen snarled as he fired a blaster bolt into the last of the battledroids assaulting the bridge. Throwing the limp body aside, he tapped into the ship's comms. "Engineering! I need those engines now!"

"Firing up now, sir!" Came the haggard reply.

"Sir, new contacts!" Shouted Book from his left. Yularen started and turned to the main view screen before remembering that it had been destroyed. Turning towards the panoramic windows, however, told him all he needed to know.

"It's the Pride of the Core!" Cheers cried out as the bridge quickly organized themselves into working order. "She's brought a whole sector fleet with her!"

And indeed she did, as Yularen could make out no less than twenty-four Tector-Class Star Destroyers escorting the massive dreadnought.

Pride of the Core, one of the largest battleships in existence. To see it with his own eyes, the Admiral almost wept in joy.

"Bring us about," he ordered, wiping his face. "Have the fleet regroup! We'll smash their flank while our reinforcements hammer them!"

-

A Mandator II-Class Star Dreadnought. A humpbacked warship measuring eight-kilometer in length, bristling with weapons, heavy armor the thickness of whole capital ships, and carrying enough fighters and soldiers to utterly dominate this battle and crush my forces.

Such a ship was a gamechanger in a siege-like this. Morale would rise, reinforcements would come in in droves, and my ships would simply melt away under the weight of fire the ship could bring to bare.

Fortunately for me, I had a surprise for them all.

'Initiate micro-jump!' I ordered through the network.

The ship responded instantly as I brought the Nox out of a micro-second transition into and hyperspace and out of it...a few kilometers away from the entire sector fleet and it's flagship. Hundreds of thousands of contacts popped up all over my mind as over a hundred wings of fighters, bombers, gunships, and transports emerged from the gargantuan hangars of the super star destroyer.

It wasn't long before their weapon reorientated all their guns to point at me.

Turbolaser fire was so thick that it seemed like a thick solid mass was being poured into my ship. The heavy armor groaned in protest as the ablative armor was eaten away by the unrelenting rain of weapons fire.

The main cannon was charged, the energy was spiking…

I watched, even as explosions covered the surface of my ship, as the bow of my heavy cruiser exploded spectacularly.

An immense burst of crackling ionic energy widened like a circling net, crossing the distance between myself and the reinforcing warships in seconds.

It was fascinating to watch, as the ships found themselves paralyzed by the ion blast's touch. Engines died, weapons lost power, even their life support and backups weren't spared.

'Board those ships,' I ordered gleefully. 'Board them and take them for me.'

'By your command,' agreed on the network, even as drop pods and transports began their attack.

Leaning back into my command chair, I sighed in satisfaction as I began peering through the eyes of my army once more.

-

"No!" Screamed Anakin as he watched the ion cannon blast knocked out all the systems aboard the Pride of the Core and her escorts. The ships listed and their lights flickered and died.

He slammed the afterburners, fully intent on hitting the ion cannon again. The real one this time. "All fighters, form up on me!" He shouted into the comms, giving no heed to the confusion. Artoo shrieked as laser fire filled their vision.

The Jedi Interceptor flew through the fusillade of laser blasts as Anakin let the rage fuel him.

He never saw the shot coming.

A stray laser bolt struck the rear of his fighter, shorting out his controls and sending him into a spin down towards the planet.

Anakin slammed his fists down on the blank controls. "No...No! No! No. No. NO!"

Even as he descended through the atmosphere, he cursed the commander of that ship with all his heart.