Princess Ta Chume's escape was not smooth. Queen Nickrish had long ordered the sealing of all secret passages leading to the exterior of the Royal Palace and the Spaceport. As long as she was Queen, there was nothing on this planet she didn't know. Therefore, the First Princess's previous preparations had all been made with the Queen's tacit approval. But now... just as Taa Chume and her few trusted maids passed through the dark escape tunnel, the exit was already targeted by the cold muzzles of the Royal Guard's blasters.
"Princess Ta Chume, by order of Her Majesty the Queen, you are arrested for treason." The Guard Captain's voice was cold.
Taa Chume's face was pale. She looked at the guards who had once pledged loyalty to her, her heart filled with despair and resentment. She suddenly pulled out the exquisite small blaster pistol hidden beneath her robe, but faster than her movement was the Guard Captain's shot.
A precise blaster bolt struck her wrist. The blaster pistol flew out of her hand, skidding across the ground with a grating sound.
"Take her away!" The Guard Captain waved his hand. Two strong guards stepped forward and roughly seized her.
"You can't do this to me! I am the future Queen! Mother! Mother, listen to me explain!" Taa Chume struggled and screamed, but her voice echoed between the cold stone walls, leaving only an empty reverberation.
But she also knew that in the court rules of Hapes, the defeated had no right to explain themselves.
Meanwhile, the battle in space was completely one-sided.
The remnants of the Hapes Consortium fleet steadily retreated under the powerful firepower of the Trade Federation, eventually being completely destroyed or scattered. Lucrehulk-class Battleships, like mobile fortresses, began deploying landing crafts and more Vulture Droid onto the surface of Hapes.
General Dourde watched the battle from his flagship with satisfaction. Although Hapes's ground anti-air defenses caused some trouble, they were like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot when faced with absolute superiority in numbers and technology.
"General, we received a distress signal from Princess Ta Chume's secret channel, but the signal quickly cut off." A B1 Commander reported.
"It seems our First Princess failed. However, we need a legitimate reason to take over this city. Send a Task Force to rescue her. Furthermore, focus the attack on the Royal Palace area, but capture Queen Nickrish alive. Getting her signature on an Instrument of Abdication will save us a lot of trouble."
He was not worried about the Mandalorians appearing at this moment. According to his calculations, even if Kurt Vizsla received the distress signal, it would take a considerable amount of time to mobilize the fleet from the Mandalorian System and arrive here. By then, Hapes would have already changed hands. Would the Mandalorians dare to openly attack a legitimate government?
Taa Chume's arrest marked the complete failure of the internal coup within the Royal Palace. However, the Trade Federation already had other reasons to claim the throne of the Hapes Consortium: rescuing the First Princess and supporting the Royal Authority.
The news quickly reached Queen Nickrish. She stood on the palace observation deck, watching the Trade Federation warships constantly approaching in space and the areas where fighting had begun on the ground. Her heart felt cold. Her eldest daughter's stupidity and betrayal pained her, but what angered her more was the Trade Federation's blatant disregard.
The capital city of Hapes, Taa Chume Dan City, was burning.
The Trade Federation's landing crafts rained down, slamming densely into various parts of the city. The hatches opened, and rows of B1
Battle Droids marched out with stiff steps, accompanied by the more agile Destroyer Droids. Their disc-shaped bodies rotated, and their blaster cannons mercilessly swept any moving target. Vulture Droid screamed overhead at low altitude, blasting craters into the ground with laser beams.
The city's splendor instantly collapsed amidst the flames of war.
Beautiful buildings turned into ruins in the explosions, and meticulously maintained gardens were crushed by treads. The Hapan women, whether nobles or commoners, picked up weapons they were unfamiliar with—unique blaster pistols, and even decorative swords—and mounted a desperate resistance.
Meanwhile, the Hapan men, the long-oppressed slaves, were thrown into greater chaos. Some fled in panic, others stood numbly in place, awaiting judgment, and a very small number, their eyes flashing with vengeance, picked up stones or tools from the ground and rushed toward the women.
The Royal Palace had become the most fiercely contested area. The Royal Guard, relying on their familiarity with the terrain and their readiness to die, used the palace corridors, pillars, and balconies to construct temporary defense lines. Blaster bolts crisscrossed the magnificent halls, shattering priceless murals and sculptures.
"Your Majesty, the Trade Federation's landing crafts have broken through the low-orbit defenses and are descending globally! The largest cluster is heading toward Taa Chume Dan City!" The General's voice carried unconcealed panic.
"How are the Royal Guard and the City Defense Force holding up?" Queen Nickrish forced herself to remain calm.
"We have deployed defenses at key points in the city according to the plan, but—but our weapons find it difficult to effectively penetrate the droids' armor. There are too many of them!"
Just as the General said, the Trade Federation's B1 Battle Droids and Destroyer Droids poured into the city streets like a tide.
Hapan soldiers, wearing traditional armor that prioritized ceremonial splendor over actual combat effectiveness, and using low-powered blasters, bravely resisted from behind barricades and buildings.
Blaster bolts hitting the B1 Battle Droids sometimes required several shots to disable them, and against the shield-protected Destroyer Droids, the effect was minimal.
"For Hapes! For the Queen!" A young Hapan female officer led her soldiers in defending a square entrance. They took down several B1s with accurate bursts, but were immediately suppressed by the blaster cannon fire of a Destroyer Droid, unable to raise their heads. Shrapnel and smoke from the explosions filled the air, accompanied by the screams of wounded soldiers.
However, the Trade Federation's numerical superiority was overwhelming. For every B1 that fell, two new ones immediately took its place.
Queen Nickrish had shed her elaborate robes and changed into attire suitable for movement. She held a gem-encrusted but clearly extremely sharp Energy Spear, one of the traditional weapons of Hapan rulers, and personally went to the front lines to command. Her gaze was sharp, and every order was clear and decisive.
"Hold the East Corridor! Do not let them approach the Throne Room!"
"Block the Third Entrance with explosives!"
"Snipers, prioritize taking out the Destroyer Droids' Energy Cores!"
"Have the Royal Fleet and everyone who can provide support immediately head to Hapes!"
Her presence greatly boosted the morale of the defenders. Seeing the Queen fighting alongside them, the guards fought even more desperately. For a time, the droid advance was stalled outside the Royal Palace, leaving behind a large number of sparking wrecks.
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