After this period of continuous battles, constant reinforcements, and ongoing losses, the Fleet of the Fourth Civilization now has 84 Warships Orbiting Terminus.
Among them are 7 Sova-class Carriers, 15 Kol-class Battlecruisers, 8 Hiigaran-class Battlecruisers, 4 Munificent-class Frigates, 8 Marza-class Heavy Missile Cruisers, and 3 Lucrehulk-class Battleships, totaling 45 Capital Warships.
In addition, there are 25 Garda-class Flak Destroyers, 12 Kodiak-class Heavy Destroyers, and 2 Hoshiko-class Robotics Cruisers.
On the Republic side, there are 110 Large and Small Warships. Among them, the Capital Warships include 5 Acclamator-class Assault Ships, 3 Invincible-class Heavy Dreadnoughts, 1 Procurator-class Star Battlecruiser, 10 Venator-class Star Destroyers, and 15 Dreadnought-class Heavy Cruisers, a total of 34 Capital Warships.
The others are all Small and Medium-Sized Warships such as CR-70 Frigates, Corellian DP-20 Gunships, Carrack-class Light Cruisers, and Arquitens-class Light Cruisers.
Overall, both Fleets are evenly matched, and neither can outmaneuver the other.
In fact, the Fleet of the Fourth Civilization, under the command of Matt Horner, had already inflicted heavy damage on the Republic Fleet and was in a position of superiority. However, under the command of Governor Wilhelm Tarkin of the 18th Army, the Republic, leveraging its strong Industrial Capabilities, managed to pull back its seemingly defeated Fleet using a Resupply Tactic.
Then, a Large Number of Warships and Officers were sent in directly, using lives and steel to buy time, allowing the Republic Fleet to assemble more Warships.
After suffering even more significant losses, the Republic Fleet gained a foothold in the Outer Space of Terminus. But in Wilhuff Tarkin's words, he can completely accept the battle loss of 5 Venator-class Star Destroyers for 1 Kol-class Battlecruiser, but the question is, can Dawn?
Don't even mention Dawn. Considering the outcome of this Clone War, which will last for 3 years, even the Confederacy of Independent Systems cannot bear it!
Under such circumstances, the battle between both sides has become a meat grinder. Almost everyone is pessimistic about Dawn's chances of winning this battle—because they are facing the Galactic Republic.
And now, Matt Horner is going to break this situation.
He wants to win!
As the 40-Meter Hypermatter Railguns of the Kol-class Battlecruisers fired, producing a Brilliant Light akin to that of the sun, the Full-Scale Attack began!
The two Fleets continuously approached, using their most substantial firepower to keep firing!
Both sides' Starfighters took off, swirling around the battlefield like Locusts, unleashing Gemini Missiles and Proton Torpedoes.
The Fleet of the Galactic Republic occupied the Low Orbit of Terminus as usual. On the one hand, it was to block any Orbital Bombardment that the Fourth Civilization's Fleet might carry out; on the other hand, it was also to utilize the firepower of the Planet's Orbital Defense System.
If it were in the past, the Fourth Civilization Fleet's Offensive would have been much more cautious, but now, their approach can be described as frantic! They disregard the Republic Fleet's Defensive Measures; it's all about one word: Attack!
While the Battle in Space unfolds in the core area of the Ground Battlefield, in the Western Suburbs of the Capital City of Fermos on Terminus, the Fourth Civilization's Army has finally launched its offensive!
In the previous battle, they almost deployed about two-thirds of the Battle Droids to coordinate with that Battle Plan. Therefore, the ones launching the attack are mostly Soldiers of the Fourth Civilization.
The Galactic Republic's Clone Army immediately entered Defense Mode; during these few days, they increased the number of Clone Troopers defending the Fermos Battlefield to 8,000. Almost three-fifths of the Clone Army on the Planet have been deployed here. In addition to 10,000 Mercenaries, their strength can now be considered reasonably sufficient.
The Siege Tanks' 180mm Siege Guns roared, Cluster Rockets fired by AH/G-24 Banshee Ground Fighters rained down, Wraith Starfighters fought in the sky, and M-650 Mastodon Armored Personnel Carriers roared into the battlefield loaded with Army Soldiers.
This is a brutally cruel battle!
However, this battle took a sudden turn right from the start.
When the Army of the Fourth Civilization launched its attack, those Mercenaries, who had previously been brave and unafraid in resisting the Droid Legion's offensive, directly scattered in panic and ran away!
Those running are actually of no consequence for the Elite Clone Troopers, as they are already accustomed to fighting under the watch of formidable enemies. However, the most deadly factor is that significant gaps open up on the battlefield when these Mercenaries flee!
It's not just the gaps on the ground; the Air Defense Zones handled by the Mercenaries' Ships also face empty spots!
The Army of the Fourth Civilization seemed to have known the outcome in advance, as almost all their Armored and Mechanized Forces were focused on the Mercenaries' direction!
These Mechanized Troops advanced rapidly, moving smoothly across those Mercenary positions, directly executing a Pincer Movement to strike at the back of the Clone Army and launching an attack on the City of Fermos!
The Fourth Civilization's Air Force, which experienced a sudden decrease in pressure, immediately seized the opportunity to launch a Fierce Aerial Attack on the Republic Army's Artillery Positions.
The Hutt Crime Lord, Oruba Gorensla, naturally arranged everything.
His influence in the Underworld makes it impossible for those Mercenaries to betray the Republic by violating contracts on the battlefield. However, offering them additional payment to flee at the last moment is absolutely feasible.
To escape from the battlefield, avoid punishment, and collect a bounty? Where could you find such a good deal?! Moreover, this order comes from a Crime Lord of the Hutts, which is far more effective than any Administrative Command or Military Order.
Those Mercenaries can ignore the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems but cannot disregard the Hutt Cartel.
The Clone Army found the situation unfavorable, and they immediately began a strategic retreat to break through the encirclement before it closed, returning to the City of Fermos to engage in Urban Combat.
These exceptionally skilled Clones truly accomplished it.
The Clone Troopers first assembled their Armored Forces to block the assault of the Fourth Civilization's Mechanized Troops after a tough battle. Relying on physical capabilities that are near the limits of the abominable human spirit and an intuitive awareness of combat, they steadfastly withstood the attacks of the Fourth Civilization's Mechanized Troops, buying precious time for the subsequent Infantry Forces.
They began to withdraw from Fermos City in succession; now, most of the Civilians inside the Capital City have already been evacuated, and almost every building has been temporarily reinforced, turning it into a Fortress.
According to the plan, here will become another meat grinder that will bleed the blood of the Fourth Civilization Army!
However, the Commander of the Republic did not notice what the Mercenaries brought with them and what they left behind when they fled the battlefield...
At this time, the Commander of the Republic also did not notice that the Mass Driver built by Matt Horner on the Moon, now following the Moon's rotation, aimed at the battlefield where both Warships were engaged in combat.
That's right, the timing and location of the offensive have been carefully calculated.
Of course, the Commander of the Republic won't care about this Low-Power Mass Driver, which can only be used to throw some Metal Debris at the Planet. This thing poses no threat to a Warship.
But they were wrong again; what was inside the Mass Driver was not Metal Debris as they thought...