Legacy of the Void Fleet

A synchronized countdown flickered across the command consoles of all three fleets simultaneously:

3... 2... 1...

BOOM! BOOM! PEW! PEW! PEW!

The instant the timer hit zero, every ship across the three fleets unleashed their primary and secondary weapon batteries—excluding only the three Super Star Destroyers.

Focused plasma lances, heavy particle cannons, and super-conducting railgun slugs surged out from the weapon mounts at near-light speed. They roared through the dark void toward the Republic’s defense outposts embedded within the asteroid belt beyond the Oort cloud.

The energy projectiles were the first to strike. The Republic personnel inside the outposts were completely unprepared—their long-range detection systems failed to register the incoming attack vector until it was already upon them.

Before the operators could react, the high-density charged plasma and particle beams slammed into the heavy shield grids of the outer installations. The energy beams punched through the defensive barriers almost instantly, shattering shield generators deep within the outposts with crackling surges of feedback.

Kinetic slugs followed a fraction of a second later, driving into the superstructures of the outposts. Spheres of intense fire erupted instantly upon impact. The thermal energy was so extreme that it began vaporizing hull plating and surrounding structural frames, while the massive kinetic force crumpled the dense asteroid-built stations inward. Kilometers-long outpost structures fractured into floating debris.

Across the outer system, the devastation was absolute. Thousands of automated defense platforms and manned outposts were either vaporized instantly or rendered completely unoperational before a single distress call could be transmitted. Nearly ninety percent of the Republic’s outer defense grid was wiped out in a single salvo.

Inside the command bridge of the main Moon Fortress, red tactical lights flashed as alarm chimes rang out:

[ALERT: Outer Grid Defense Outposts & Installations — OFFLINE]

[ALERT: Sectors 01 through 09 — Near-Total Defense Grid Collapse]

[WARNING: Incoming Attack Vector Detected — Originating from Star Void]

Kalen and every officer on the bridge stood rooted to the spot, completely frozen. Their hands hovered motionless over their control consoles as their minds struggled to process the sheer scale of the sudden destruction.

Tens of thousands of reinforced defense outposts—each equipped with heavy weapons capable of giving even a battlecruiser or battleship pause—had ceased to exist in a fraction of a second, before anyone had even realized they were under attack.

Even Grand Marshal Kalen was not spared from the shock. He stood frozen at his command post, staring in utter disbelief at the floating tactical prompts flashing red across his screen.

"What happened?!"

Regaining his composure, Kalen turned toward his direct subordinate, his brow furrowed in anger and confusion. "How could we lose almost all of our outposts just like that, without any prior warning?!"

Snapping out of his stunned state, the officer quickly typed a series of commands into his console. "The detection and warning systems did react, Marshal—it’s just that the enemy’s attack traveled far faster than our sensors could register and process!"

Kalen’s frown deepened as he analyzed the tactical data. "The system reported that the attack originated from the star void. Since our defense posts throughout the outer region were destroyed simultaneously, it means the enemy has either multiplied their numbers or split their forces."

Thinking quickly, Kalen barked out a series of sharp commands across the fleet link: "Have the armada assume the Laager Formation immediately! Position all fortresses along the outer edge!"

"Yes, sir!" the subordinate responded, frantically forwarding the orders to the fleet. "Fortresses 4 through 10, move to the outer perimeter! All armada ships pull inward! Execute the Laager Formation immediately!"

As Kalen reorganized his armada, a cold realization settled over him: if the enemy could obliterate their reinforced outposts from far beyond standard engagement range, they could easily target his capital ships the moment they closed the distance.

Meanwhile, inside the grand palace of the sprawling city contained within the Lunar Fortress—where all the high-ranking officials had relocated—the exact same casualty report reached the ears of the nobility.

Fear coursed through the ministers, high lords, and aristocrats. Some collapsed to the floor, the color completely drained from their faces. A high lord let go of his wine glass, sending it crashing onto the central holo-table with a loud clang.

"I told you all!" one minister cursed, trembling with rage and fear. "Kalen speaks with such arrogance, but he won’t be able to do a damn thing! He’s going to fall right along with his grand promises! Just look at this—he probably didn’t even see it coming, and such massive losses have already occurred!"

"Yes! Exactly!" another aristocratic leader agreed, pulling himself up from his chair. "I told you we should pack all our wealth and flee! We can still survive somewhere in deep space! As for the Republic... it’s already a foregone conclusion!"

While one man on the bridge was straining every fiber of his being to alter the Republic’s grim fate, those sitting in the palace behind him were already plotting to flee with their fortunes—a bitter, stark contrast amidst the impending doom.

What was happening inside the Republic armada was not something Mav or anyone within the Lance of the Void cared about. Instead, they kept mounting their relentless offensive.

Having taken care of the outer layer of Republican defenses and installations in one fell swoop, Mav felt good. He issued the command for all three fleets to continue advancing while maintaining a heavy bombardment on the middle layer of the Republic’s defense perimeter.

Obeying his orders, the three split fleets advanced from their separate vectors. Whenever a target entered the range of their weapon systems and long-range sensors, individual ship commanders locked on and opened fire at their own discretion, eliminating targets without needing orders to trickle down from high command. The fleet pressed forward systematically, and within another half hour, the second layer of the Republic’s defense network collapsed completely.

Along with that collapse fell the expressions of the Republic’s Grand Marshal and several high-ranking officers of the armada.

Grand Marshal Kalen clenched his fists tightly, barking out an order: "Order all defense outposts ahead to fall back immediately and strengthen our primary formation!"

Just as the words left his mouth, one of his High Admirals frowned. It wasn’t that the order was wrong, but rather that it failed to address the core issue threatening their survival.

According to the High Admiral’s tactical assessment, their primary vulnerability was an inability to lock onto an enemy possessing weapons with an engagement range far exceeding their own. The Void fleet was clearly exploiting this advantage to whittle them down from deep space.

Furthermore, he felt the Laager Formation was ill-suited against such a foe. The strategy relied heavily on the durability of their outer defensive line to absorb fire until the enemy was forced to close the distance. If the enemy could strike their outer ring of fortresses from beyond effective retaliatory range, those key defensive nodes would eventually be dismantled. Once the fortresses fell, the armada behind them would be exposed.

Unable to keep his concerns to himself, the High Admiral stepped forward. "But Grand Marshal—"

Before he could finish, a suffocating, superior aura slammed down onto his body, freezing the words in his throat. He looked up to see Kalen glaring at him with a complex, terrifying expression laced with intense frustration.

"I know what you have in mind and what you are worried about, High Admiral," Kalen said in an infinitely cold, detached tone. "But we have no other choice at this point. We must hold this formation and force the enemy to close in. But do not worry—we are not entirely without options. Once the armada is secured within the formation, we will begin advancing toward whichever flank the heaviest attacks are coming from."

Retracting the aura that had involuntarily leaked from his body, Kalen narrowed his eyes, staring out into the dark void of space.

"I am confident we can maintain our defense until we pinpoint the enemy," Kalen grunted, his gaze shifting back to the High Admiral. "Until then, keep everything in order. Prepare all primary weapon batteries, including the dual super-weapons on all three Moon Fortresses. The second the enemy enters our targeting range, I want to throw everything we have at them to repay the damage they’ve dealt us!"

The High Admiral’s eyes lit up for a moment. The plan definitely had merit, not that he had truly doubted the Grand Marshal—after all, he had served under Kalen for more than ten thousand years.

What had shaken him was the uncharacteristic emotional state Kalen had just displayed. It was a cause for deep concern, as the High Admiral had never seen the Grand Marshal lose his composure like that in all their millennia together.

Pushing the thought aside, he observed the tactical display. The rate at which their defense outposts were being destroyed was finally beginning to slow down. This was partly because the surviving stations had begun pulling back toward the main fleet, and partly because they were finally drifting out of the enemy’s direct firing lines.