**Chapter 260: Pacification**
The space above Saleucami fell silent in pieces.
The last Providence-class carrier broke apart under a final coordinated strike from Dittmar's bomber waves and the Resurgent broadsides. Debris clouds expanded slowly, glowing with residual plasma. The enemy reinforcement fleet from Methalorn was gone—thirty Munificent frigates, ten Recusant destroyers, and five Providence variants reduced to scrap and drifting hulks.
The cost to the Twelfth Sector had been light but real.
Three Accumulator-class Assault Ships had been lost when a desperate Separatist ramming attempt breached their screens. Four Lancer-class frigates were crippled or destroyed while holding the anti-fighter line. Two Pelta-class combat frigates took heavy hits covering the retreat of damaged Venators. One hundred TIE Whisper interceptors did not return—brave pilots who had flown straight into the teeth of the final Vulture swarms to protect the bombers.
It was a victory, but Dagon felt every loss through the meld. The bond carried the quiet grief and resolve of the five women fighting alongside him.
Now the real work began.
"Fleet Admiral Kinaun," Dagon transmitted across the command channel, "begin planetary invasion and pacification operations. All elements, deploy."
The Heavy Landing Operation Group moved with practiced efficiency. The Venator *Victory* and the ten Accumulator-class Assault Ships descended into low orbit, their hangars opening like hungry mouths. MAAT gunships and LAAT/i carriers poured out in coordinated streams, their cannons already firing green lances of plasma toward the remaining Separatist positions on the surface.
Dagon was already on the ground.
He moved through the shattered ruins of the main citadel, the unstable crossguard lightsaber humming in his grip. The blade's serrated quillons cast flickering red-yellow light across broken walls and fallen droids. Behind him, clone troopers from the 327th and 91st secured corridors and cleared rooms.
A squad of battle droids rounded a corner. Dagon flowed into Moon Breathing—First Form: Crescent Moon Slash. The crossguard blade extended laterally as he spun, the unstable plasma carving through three droids in a single fluid arc. The quillons caught the fourth, shearing its torso cleanly. The droids collapsed in sparking heaps.
"Chamber secure," a clone sergeant reported. "Cloning vats still intact, sir."
Dagon nodded. "Guard them. Thrawn is en route."
Above the planet, the Heavy Landing fleet continued its work. MAAT gunships showered green cannon fire over the last pockets of resistance—Separatist mercenary holdouts and surviving super battle droids. Raven gunships provided close air support, their heavier ordnance flattening fortified positions. TIE Reapers dropped from the Accumulators, delivering fresh waves of clones directly into the hot zones.
On the bridge of the *Terminus*, Visenya monitored the ground feeds while maintaining the meld. *"Surface resistance is collapsing. Kinaun's forces have secured three of the four major cities. Ahsoka reports minimal civilian casualties so far."*
Dagon sent back a pulse of acknowledgment. *"Keep the pressure. I'm almost at the last cloning complex."*
He pressed forward through the smoke-filled corridors. A group of mercenary warriors—mixed species, heavily armed—tried to ambush him from a side passage. Dagon shifted into Moon Breathing—Third Form: Waxing Moon, Waning Shadow. He became a blur of motion, the crossguard lightsaber weaving a defensive pattern that deflected blaster bolts while the quillons lashed out to sever limbs and weapons. One mercenary managed a lucky shot that grazed his shoulder plate. Dagon answered with a surge of Sith lightning that left the man convulsing on the floor.
The final cloning chamber lay ahead—rows of active vats still producing battle droids and experimental organic clones for the Separatists. Dagon moved methodically, destroying control consoles and sealing exits. The last of the enemy mercenary defenders fell to precise strikes—Moon Breathing Fourth Form: Lunar Eclipse, a powerful overhead slash that brought the crossguard down like a guillotine, cutting through armor and flesh alike.
"Chamber secured," Dagon reported. "All cloning operations terminated."
Thrawn's voice came over the comm a moment later. "Excellent timing, General. My ships are entering orbit now."
Three Night Dragon Battlecruisers dropped out of hyperspace—sleek, dark-hulled vessels from Thrawn's personal collection. They moved into position above the citadel, tractor beams locking onto the surviving cloning chambers and valuable Separatist technology. Boarding parties descended to secure the assets.
Dagon stepped out onto a ruined balcony overlooking the battlefield. Below, the last pockets of resistance were being mopped up. MAAT gunships continued their green cannon barrages, suppressing any final mercenary holdouts. Clone troopers from the 327th Star Corps advanced in tight formations, jet troopers providing aerial overwatch.
He felt the meld shift as Kinaun's forces linked up with the ground teams.
*"Ground pacification at seventy percent,"* Ahsoka sent, her presence calm but focused. *"We're securing the last industrial zones now."*
*"No major counterattacks,"* Visenya added. *"The Separatists are broken."*
Kayla's voice carried fierce satisfaction. *"Space is clear. The last Recusant just went dark. We own the orbit."*
Flare's thoughts were protective, as always. *"Surface teams are linking up. Stay safe down there."*
Stella's gentle presence brushed against them all. *"The clones are holding strong. We did it."*
Dagon allowed the warmth of the meld to steady him as he watched Thrawn's Night Dragons complete their collection. The surviving cloning chambers—pristine and valuable—were carefully lifted into the Battlecruisers' holds.
"Thrawn," Dagon said over the private channel, "the chambers are yours. Study them. Reverse-engineer what you can. We may need the technology sooner than we think."
"Understood," Thrawn replied, his voice carrying quiet approval. "A most efficient operation, General. The Twelfth Sector continues to impress."
Dagon deactivated his crossguard lightsaber. The unstable blade retracted with a sputtering hiss, leaving the hilt blackened and warm in his hand.
The battle for Saleucami was over.
The planet was theirs.
Now the real work of consolidation and the next phase of the campaign could begin.