Marshal Niel Declan knew very well that Darth Vader never fought an unprepared battle, much less rushed to support the Empire at its moment of survival or destruction on sheer courage alone—the appearance of this fleet was far too precise, far too strange.
Two thousand five hundred Star Destroyers would have been one thing, but the Hegemony was among them too!
What did that mean?
The Hegemony had always been stationed at Anax Planet! Anax Planet had originally been very close to Coruscant, less than three seconds apart by hyperspace!
Yet the Hegemony had chosen to appear at this very moment from a planet that could be reached in less than ten minutes by hyperspace jump—as though it had calculated exactly when the Imperial fleet would run out of ammunition and supplies.
What did that mean?
It meant Darth Vader had actually arrived long ago! Yet not only had he not entered Coruscant to reinforce them, he had remained hidden on Anax Planet. Not merely hiding—he had continuously intercepted Imperial reinforcement fleets, swelling his own forces to a massive two thousand five hundred ships!
Moreover, for two thousand five hundred Star Destroyers to arrive at once, no ordinary hyperspace route could make that possible. It could only have been a core route.
But the problem was that Anax Planet was not located along any core route!
What did that mean?
It meant Darth Vader and the Death Fleet had conducted an enormous yet meticulously organized large-scale redeployment! They had transferred such a vast fleet to some planet near Coruscant that lay along a core route.
Belnar Planet? Castell Planet? Or Carida Planet?
Only then could they all arrive at once!
But what did that mean?
A fleet movement of such scale, yet those planets had sent no word at all!