A Cruel Choice

Matt Hona stood with his hands behind his back, feet planted like a compass, and looked at Qi Jian, the Fourth Civilization's Chief of Staff, on the screen before him. He spoke with utmost seriousness. "The 19th Army has deployed 80 Hunter Class Battlecruisers to attack Bespin Planet... Understood."

Qi Jian nodded. "Then I'll leave Planet Kaal to you."

Matt Hona said nothing, merely giving a firm military salute.

At 8:00 p.m. Galactic Standard Time on August 10, barely half an hour after the Galactic Republic fleet under Magellan entered the Bespin System, the 60 warships of Dawn Star Planet Fleet A—believed by the Galactic Republic to have gone to Christophsis—dropped out of hyperspace and appeared before the painstakingly constructed defenses of the Galactic Republic's 19th Army on Planet Kaal!

Matt Hona's expression turned grave as he looked at the sensor display: four massive armed space stations bristling with weapons, surrounded by a tight defensive line of 30 Hunter Class Battlecruisers, 20 Aquitenes-class light cruisers, and more than 200 smaller vessels of various types.

The Galactic Republic defenders had clearly been prepared. All fighter squadrons had already launched. The Z-95 Headhunter fighters and V-19 Torrent light fighters circling the four armed space stations and warships registered on the sensors at...

10,500 aircraft!

Standing aboard the Sova-class Carrier that served as his flagship, Matt Hona's expression did not change in the slightest. With a sweep of his hand, he issued his first combat order. "Maintain distance across the fleet! Launch all fighters! Kohl-class Battlecruisers, begin charging! Thirty-second countdown! Hypermatter Railguns, prepare to fire!"

Fighters began launching continuously from the ten Sova-class Carriers—all Wraith fighters, 2,400 in total! The carriers also began deploying unmanned missile platforms around the fleet.

At the same time, ten Hiigaran-class battlecruisers and ten Martha-class heavy cruisers