01.10 : The Light Begins to Dim

[22 BBY]

[Republic Aegis Guard Combat Freighter Stormcrow, 20th Sector Army, Tallaan System]

I was a General in the Grand Army of the Republic now, which was just a sign of how ridiculously small and overstretched the [work-in-progress] Grand Army actually was. It was always a bad sign when a military force created from scratch about a week ago was thrown into a front-line sector on the assumption that the area wasn't as bad as others...yet. Or that the cobbled together 'Navy' that was Executive Security Solution plus every freelancer we could hire represented a credible fighting for in this day and age; or that the lone Acclamator currently available with its singular Clone Legion represented a massive investment by the Republic.

That ship, and ten thousand clones, was under the command of my immediate General, the human male Locus Geen, who was an actual experience military commander. So now we had the might host of four whole Legions when you included my own organisation's forces, the good general's, the Ailon Nova Guard, and our Jedi Master Rahm Kota. Who, to my surprise, was suspicious of the Clone Army and was busily recruiting his own merry little militia to fight for him instead; it was moderately impressed by his healthy paranoia of the mysterious hidden slave army that a dead man had created. Still, he wasn't in overall command and that was just fine by me.

"....with Kinyen having declared for the Separatists, the hyperlanes to the Mid and Outer Rim have been effectively cut and we can expect an offensive out of that system towards the Core once they have assembled in strength"

I nodded at the holographic avatar of General Geen, and those of the other Generals, before speaking with a glance at the star-map display "I agree, an offensive up the Corellian Trade Spire towards Bestine and Thyferra for instance would threaten to sever our own ability to defend the entire sector. Dealing with the Separatists fleet elements at Thyferra will be problem enough after all. How exactly to stop them linking up, and continue supply to Eriadu for instance, is of course the big question we have to answer...considering Yag'Dhul looks like joining them as well"

General Geen's avatar gave a slow of his head "I don't believe we can prevent such a link up with the current forces available to us in the sector"

I nodded "I'm inclined that way myself, but I think we need to delay their build up of forces to allow more time for own forces to work up"

The Jedi General's avatar frowned "We do not have the forces to risk any sort of offensive, only a fraction of our crews and personal are trained....by the Force we have barely raised armies as it is"

"Bah, we can't cower before them. My troops are hard and battle ready, and will ten of these toy soldiers of theirs for everyone of ours that falls..." General Yanthis from the Ailon Nova Guard, wearing a slightly modified Republic military uniform like the rest of us and gesturing at the star-charts "...we need to send these traitors a message, and soon"

"I happen to agree..." I voiced as General Geen motioned for opinions and options as I motioned first at the Mechis system, then unto Yag'Dhul "...we don't have anywhere near enough ships and manpower to hold systems, but the situation for them is as confused as it is for us. Their forces are spread out, and there's politicking going on....I'd propose we strike here at Yag'Dhul, force them to pick a side, and then take out the ship and repair yards when they do what we know their planning. Then, assuming losses are low enough, we raid towards Kinyen and target the Tibana and yard stores being assembled...how exactly I don't know yet, but between our forces we can deploy a small strike fleet"

General Yanthis nodded after a moment's consideration, important as the Ailon Nova Guard had a heavy cruiser deployed and that along with the Acclamator were our 'heavier' combat vessels for the next few weeks "Not a bad plan, it strike fear into the hearts of the traitors if we could pull it off. Thyferra could be another potential target?"

The Jedi, Rahm Kota shook his head in the negative "The forces there are a fleet formation, by all reports not ready to go on the offensive yet, but plenty of firepower to keep us out with our current forces....I do believe this to be a viable plan, but it does hinge on attacking an officially neutral world"

"Neutral my ass, we know what they're doing" Yanthis's avatar gave a contemptuous motion with his right arm "...why wait for the blaster in the back"

"There is also the matter of the system defences, those shipyards are defended of course" General Geen pointed out and I nodded in acceptable, then brought up a display of two captured, and damaged, Munificents that the Republic Navy had captured just after the battle of Geonosis, and we quasi-sorta part of the Sector Fleet here.

"Yes, but I think we can kill two birds with one stone with a little trickery..." I answered motioning at the two vessels "...we know the current code phrases for the Separatists in this area, and that they're only organising their forces together as well, so we send in these two under a false flag of the Trade Federation. Which would be illegal for them to accept under current standing orders from the Supreme Chancellor and the Senate....we ask for help with repair battle damage and ideally get these two close to the main enemy yards....then boom"

"Hmmm....system defence fleet numbers"

"Currently five Wavecrest-class frigates in system, and there's two Luchrehulks under construction in those yards along with a dozen more frigates....which is why we want to hit them now before they finish their production cycle"

Ideally I'd want us to capture anything that was intact enough to move, but hitting the enemy shipyards before their fleets could get established was very important. Once the Confederate Navy started moving we'd be facing large fleets within a few months as shipyard construction finished; true, the Republics would be too, but that didn't help us alot. It'd be weeks before the recruitment could sort veterans from big mouths, and then months before the recruits would be ship trained let alone combat ready. So the moment I'd been made aware of where we were being deployed we'd begun asking questions of the last merchantmen through those systems, and scouting with our new Jedi supplied Aethersprite star-fighters.

General Rahm Kota studied the details a moment before nodding "It might be one of our better available options might it not? I....while I unhappy with striking them, an opportunity to significantly delay enemy offensives while we mobilise our strength in the sector"

"Attack" was the simple response of the Ailon Nova Guard, with General Geen nodding after a few minutes of silence and studying the star-charts and known plus estimated ship numbers.

"It is an option; I require operational plans and status of forces within the next twenty-four hours from each of you. The more time passes the less reliable our information becomes..."

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[22 BBY]

[Republic Navy Acclamator-class Assault ship Majestic, 20th Sector Army, Yag'Dhul System]

General Locus Geen stood watching his rag-tag fleet emerge from hyperspace into the enemy system with a hidden sense of trepidation. Nerves were always like that before battle, and this was certainly a large battle compared to any he'd fought previously as he commanded all fighters and bombers launched and directed towards the Separatist forces. They'd been too slow in the end, part of the plan already failed before it had begun as the system government had only hours before announced its new allegiances to the Confederacy of Independent Systems...while also being reinforced.

'Thank the Force not by much' flashed through his mind as he ordered fire concentrated on the three Wavecrest-class frigates tearing apart the two captured and reformatted droid-ships they'd sent into the system to cause chaos and send back data. Rag-tag his fleet might be, mercenaries, clones, and planetary militia, but right here he had more ships, and more firepower despite the less than ideal nature of many of those ships. Armed freighters, frigates, and a few former small consular-cruisers turned into frigates, alongside his heavier Majestic, and the Ailon mercenaries Dominator.

In a perfect galaxy he wouldn't have to go on the offensive, but reality was less than ideal he'd found. He was only in command of these miscreants turned patriots by the nature of many within the Judicial forces and newly hired ones being against Jedi command. Even with filling as many positions as possible within the fleet with veteran and retired officers he'd still ended up a Jedi General, a Clone Legion, and a mercenary warleader who was probably a failed Jedi who hired Mandalorians to train his troops. Oh, and the Ailon Nova Guard who just wanted glorious and blood battle of course; all of which were recruiting like mad it seemed...

"Concentrate fire, we need to take out those guard ships quickly" he ordered again, the inexperience of the crews and the fleet in general showing through as he had to struggle to prevent it degenerating into a chaotic brawl. Lack of training together....or even training at all in certain cases....was costing them time and effort, but they were winning through he saw. One enemy frigate....then another, were knocked out of action as the hodgepodge of fighters that made up his fleet tore into the enemy droids; seemed the ECM was messing with the enemy control links to come degree.

In truth the war that had just started was not going well, Sarapin had shockingly fallen despite its strong defences, and forces were being pulled back from Geonosis mere weeks after launching the assault. In the end it was desperation that had driven him to press this 'lightning war' as the Outer Rim mercenary had called it; they needed to buy time, anytime, to allow any strength to be mobilised. Right here, right now, his small fleet had the numbers and advantage, but if the Separatists could gather their fleets in the sector they'd be drive towards the Core with little effort. So, right here, right now he'd smash their supply depots whatever the cost and buy that time in spilled blood and broken ships...

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[22 BBY]

[Groundside Yag'Dhul, Republic Landing Forces]

I ignited my jetpack as our gunships descended alongside the Clone LAAT's and Ailon heavy landers on the outskirts of the alien city. Our droidekas unrolled into support fire positions, and out reworked B-1/SD's began to deploy along with our full force of ground troops. None of that Napoleonic or Phalanx style warfare with my troops, or those of the Guard, like the Clones and Droids seemed to be doing. Though the Clones were getting away it unlike the droids; largely as we directed turbolaser fire into their formations as they emerged from the city from under the shimmering city-shield from the skies above.

"Scout units, ensure accurate targeting data is transmitted to the Bright Eagle" I ordered landing into my helmet comm as I landed above, and on the flank, of a squad of enemy B-1 droids along with the rest of my squad. The droids didn't last long as we poured fire into them along with the squad on the far flank, and neither did the enemy platoon coming up from behind them. It was a mistake on their part to come out from under their shields as the larger clusters of their forces were torn apart from the sky as I motioned for the advance to truly begin now that four effective legions were on the ground.

A madness to assault a planetary capital with a mere forty thousand troops plus support, but it would bloody our training cadre, and orbital support meant very bad things for the enemy on the other side of it. Being outnumber ten to one turned into us outnumbering them as the unshielded bases around the city turned into fiery pits. Long periods of peace seemed to have everyone forget that little detail outside of the merry and murderous fellow from the Ailon Guard. I'd like to claim it as my idea, but he'd gotten it out first and if we pulled it off it'd certainly be a setback for the Separatists in the Sector.

Adjusting the distance viewer on my helmet I saw the target in the distance, sheltered underneath the city shelter shields, then after reverting the vision settings, I brought up a tactical holo-display of the battlefield from wrist to elbow on my right arm. Our forces had deployed roughly as we wanted them, Clones in the centre, us on the right flank, Ailon forces the left, and Rahm Kota's forces as the rearguard as we pressed forward. Time was not our friend, and this was a quick smash and run operation for that simple reason. Motioning forward my two squads moved forward to help break the next layer of enemy defences...