After the joint fleet led by Darth Lilim arrived at Ord Mantell, it encountered little resistance.
Fan Ke, governor of the Eighth Army of the Republic, had long since lost contact with Fleet Commander Admiral Longo. Even then, he had been filled with unease, unsure of what exactly had happened.
But he had already sent out all his capital ships. All he had left were medium and small warships such as Aquitenes-class light cruisers, DP-20 gunships, and CR-70 corvettes.
This was because Galactic Republic Navy commanders generally brought pure Hunter Class Battlecruiser formations when launching an offensive. The main reason was that the Hunter Class's hyperdrive rating was relatively high, giving it a clear advantage in long-distance jumps and allowing it to reach the battlefield quickly on a unified timetable. If conditions allowed, they could also bring the expensive Acclamator-class assault ships, which were likewise very fast in hyperspace.
Medium and small warships, meanwhile, often remained in the rear to protect transport ships. Their hyperdrive ratings were lower, and they needed more jumps to reach their destination.
Thus, although mixed fleets like those of the Fourth Civilization had greater combat power, their drawback was inadequate mobility during long-range raids. After all, a mixed fleet's mobility depended on its slowest ship class.
Back to the matter at hand: when Governor Fan Ke saw, through the Republic military's internal intelligence-sharing network, that the battered Republic Hunter Class Battlecruiser had suddenly appeared over Scipio and begun an Orbital Bombardment without the slightest hesitation, his reaction was exactly the same as Rush Clovis's...
He fainted on the spot.
After his adjutant revived him by pinching his philtrum and splashing cold water on him, Fan Ke immediately ordered his people to pack up and prepare to run for it.
You had to be kidding! The