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Sustained bombardment from <span class="mu-i">Glit Cauldron</span> and her escorts renders the northern SpaceGun dark, forcing the station’s own escort to turn and flee beyond the curve of Anx Minor. Even before the opening salvos have fizzled out, sensors show the Republic’s southerly forces burning northward at close to full sublight speed.
At nearly the same time, you order <span class="mu-i">Longest Haul</span>’s wing about, bringing the ships to face the equatorial Golans and the approaching Republic ships; while <span class="mu-i">Bountiful</span> and her escorts turn in the same direction, and a token few of your ships turn towards the most likely hyperspace vector from Gravlex Med.
The Republic fleet quickly repositions in line with Anx Minor’s equator, burning as fast as they can with their shields up. <span class="mu-i">Longest Haul</span> and her escorts open fire on the nearest Golan long before the enemy is in position. Though all of the ships surrounding the defense satellite, save an unlucky Carrack, are able to position themselves in opposition to your own arm of the fleet, and are quickly reinforced from a safer distance by an Acclamator, a Dreadnaught, and a pair of Carracks from the other equatorial Golan.
<span class="mu-i">Glit Cauldron</span> wheels on Anx Minor, slowly descending until its docking claws nearly brush the planet’s atmosphere. With forces opposing it neutralized or fled, the battlecarrier begins deploying its payload of nearly half a million battle droids, more than enough to take control of almost any planet in the Outer Rim. Several Munificents and their picketing Hardcells turn with <span class="mu-i">Glit Cauldron</span>, providing bursts of fire against the sparse swarms of starfighters which decided to stay and retard the deployment. A single Munificent and Recusant, along with several Hardcells, send parting shots at the northernmost Golan’s fleeing escorts, remaining in that orientation in case Republic reinforcements drop into the system from one of the Kesmeres.
Several tense minutes pass with only token exchanges of fire between <span class="mu-i">Longest Haul</span>’s section and the pair of Acclamators and their escorts which have placed themselves just within the envelop of Anx Minor’s atmosphere in an attempt to scatter incoming fire. It does work, the lead Acclamator only takes several glancing blows. However, the ships’ own counterfire is similarly rendered largely ineffective.
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