Chapter 321
**Dagon POV**
The private conference room aboard the *Finalizer* was quiet, the only sound the low hum of the ship's systems and the occasional soft click of a datapad. I sat across from Rath Sienar, head of Sienar Fleet Systems, the man whose family had been building starships for generations.
Rath leaned forward, studying the holographic schematics floating between us with a mixture of professional curiosity and cautious excitement.
"We can't build the warships from scratch," I said plainly. "It would take too long. But fifteen ships could be completed within two weeks if we use existing hulls and refit them aggressively."
Rath raised an eyebrow, tapping a stylus against the table. "Even still, you're not explaining much about this… Valiant class. Or the new what you call Imperial or Annihilator class. And what exactly is a 'Super Star Destroyer'? Dreadnoughts are the largest ships we currently build."
I gestured, and the hologram shifted to a sleek, aggressive design.
"This is the Valiant."
The image rotated slowly, showing a 1,690-meter-long capital ship with a much heavier direct-combat focus than anything currently in Republic service. It retained a respectable fighter complement — though significantly fewer than a Venator — and featured a far more balanced, brutal loadout of weapons, including rare heavy turbolaser cannons.
"The 1,690-meter-long Valiant is heavily armed compared to most Republic vessels, surpassing the Venator-class Star Destroyer in both weaponry and raw size. The ship is loosely based on the Venator and Acclamator classes. Uniquely, it has a hangar bay right at the front of the ship — something that's never been done before."
I zoomed in on the forward section. "The wedge is split down the middle for a quarter to a third of the ship's length, forming two prongs. Between those two prongs is one of the Valiant-class's main hangar bays, with two hangar openings stacked on top of each other and protected by force fields."
Rath studied the design intently. "And the frame and crew?"
"Thirteen Venators and thirteen Acclamators will be combined and refitted into one hull each, giving us thirteen Valiants," I explained. "We strip out redundant systems, reinforce the structure, upgrade the reactors, and install the new weapon layout. It's faster than building from nothing, and we get a ship that can actually stand toe-to-toe with anything the Separatists are throwing at us."
Rath nodded slowly, clearly impressed but still cautious. "Impressive specs. Let's see them."
**Valiant-class Battleship**
- **Length**: 1,690 meters
- **Width**: 600 meters
- **Height**: 312 meters
- **Maximum Acceleration**: 5,600 G
- **Maximum Atmospheric Speed**: 1,275 km/h
- **Engine Units**: 4 Primary Drive Engines, 2 Secondary, 4 Tertiary
- **Hyperdrive Rating**: Class 2.0
- **Hyperdrive Range**: 120,000 light-years
- **Power Plant**: I-a2b Solar Ionization Reactor (upgraded)
- **Shielding**: 3,600 SBD (significantly reinforced)
**Armament**
- DBY-827 heavy dual turbolaser turrets (22)
- XX-10 Ultra Heavy Turbolaser Batteries (18)
- 20 deck guns
- Medium dual turbolaser cannons (8)
- Point-defense laser cannons (50)
- Tractor beam projectors (8)
- Heavy proton torpedo tubes (8, 32 torpedoes each)
**Docking Bays**: 3
**Craft Capacity**:
- 225 TIE Whisper starfighters
- 225 TIE Advanced starfighters
- 50 TIE Defenders
- 65 LAAT/I gunships
- 40 AT-TE Walkers
- 45 TIE Punishers (optional — replaces 24 Whispers)
- Various shuttles, landing barges, and ground assault vehicles (optional — replaces AT-TE Walkers)
Rath let out a low whistle. "This thing is a monster. Heavier firepower than a Venator, better shields, and still carries a serious fighter wing. The forward hangar is… bold. Risky, but bold."
"It's meant to hit hard and fast," I said. "We're not building carriers anymore. We're building ships that can win fleet engagements and then drop troops directly into the fight."
Rath leaned back, tapping his stylus thoughtfully. "You're asking us to refit thirteen Venators and thirteen Acclamators into these beasts in two weeks. That's aggressive."
"I know. That's why I'm offering Sienar the lead on the project — and a long-term contract for future production. Kuat will still get their share, but I want Sienar's innovation on the weapons and reactors. We can't afford to wait for the Senate to debate every credit."
Rath's eyes gleamed with clear ambition. "You're serious about this."
"Dead serious," I replied. "The war is about to get much worse. We need ships that can actually win, not just survive. The Valiant is the first step. After that… we'll talk about the Imperial-class and the Annihilator. And yes — the Super Star Destroyer. But one monster at a time."
Rath stared at the rotating hologram for a long moment, then extended his hand across the table.
"You've got yourself a deal, General Marek. Sienar will deliver. Just make sure the credits and the clearances keep flowing."
I shook his hand firmly. "They will. And when this war is over, the galaxy is going to remember who built the ships that ended it."
Rath smiled — a sharp, predatory grin.
"I like the sound of that."
As he left the room to begin coordinating with his engineers, I remained seated, staring at the slowly rotating Valiant-class battleship.
Thirteen of them in two weeks.
It was ambitious. Maybe even reckless.
But with the Separatists already planning their strike on Coruscant, reckless was exactly what we needed.
I leaned back, allowing myself a small, tired smile.
The war was coming.
And this time, we would meet it with teeth.