Star Wars Rogue Knight - Chapter 88

Part 1: Knightfall

Jedi Temple

Coruscant

“I’m sorry.” Serra Keto sighed. “Can we talk about this?” She tried.

They were so close! Most Jedi in the Temple were already out. Why did she volunteer to go back and make sure the archivists gout out with the most important holocrons?!

The two livid Clone fire-teams pointing blasters her way answered that question nicely.

The Jedi Knight knew her words would fall upon deaf ears, yet she was compelled to try. Too many died already because of the Sith. This madness did little else but to feed the Dark Side.

Kriffing Sith!

Keto knew it when the Clones decided to act. She could see them squeezing the triggers of their weapons before their brains even gave the order. They were good. Veterans all. Unfortunately strong minded like most Clones stationed in the Temple which was quite unlike most of their ilk.

It didn’t really matter in the end.

Serra ignited her lightsabers and charged before the closest Clone could open fire. Two shadows moved behind the troopers and soon turned into Temple Guardians whose armors were scorched and dented, yet that didn’t slow them down.

Before the Clones knew what hit them, three Jedi were among them. The following fight, if one could call it anything but a slaughter, was over in seconds.

“Where’s the archivist?” Serra asked.

The closer Guardian pointed down the corridor where four more of their kind appeared escorting a frail looking old human woman. Each of them wore a large sack over their backs – hopefully the holocrons.

“Let’s avoid that dear. The climate here is no longer healthy.” The Archivist smiled sadly. “The Younglings?”

“Master Yaddle got them out.”

“Then we’re done here.” There was the tiniest hint of regret in the old woman’s voice.

“We need to leave now.” One of the Guardians said.

Serra nodded and waved them to follow.

“This way.”

=RK=

When Order 66 came, it wasn’t a complete surprise. The events on Coruscant earlier that day led to hundreds of Jedi dieing, primary at the Jedi Temple. That shock reverberatedthroughout the Force. It put the Jedi across the galaxy on edge.

Yet, that warning was a double-edged sword. A few were wary or paranoid enough to keep close eye even on the people under their command. Others began looking for CIS traps or reinforcements.

For some Jedi the shock was sufficient that they complied. A lot of them even lived long enough to be taken to secure locations, though for a significant number the disruption of command in the middle of battle spelled disasters. They fell either to CIS units which were fast see an opportunity and exploit it or shot up by Clones when they tried to defend themselves and their actions were perceived as an attempt to escape in the chaos. Only three Jedi who were forced to fight against the CIS after their arrest were lucky enough not to be gunned down by both sides.

A handful even managed to escape and got to be at least temporarily free.

=RK=

Sector 11

Onderon

Jedi Master Ayala Secura felt almost at home in the jungles of Onderon. Walking through shadows cast by tall trees, smelling the scents of the vegetation… it was soothing – something she sorely needed.

After Secura began sensing Jedi dying earlier that day, she put her forces on high alert. When no attack came in the first couple of hours, her patience ran out. Ayala still sensed Jedi dying though it wasn’t nothing in comparison with the first hammer blow. Yet, the Force was going mad. The Jedi Master could practically hear the cackling of the Dark Side. It shrouded everything as it grew more and more powerful by the minute.

Secura knew that things were going to get worse. The Force practically screamed that warning in her mind. She was compelled to do something, anything.

That’s why she went on a patrol. It wasn’t like Ayala could simply leave and go to Coruscant to check what in the name of the Force was happening over there! Contact with the capital was lost and that didn’t bode well.

Once that happened, any hopes for widespread rebellion on Onderon died. Even now, thousands of years after the Sith Empire ceased to exist, the locals still remembered and loathed him.

Delkatar Veil. Lord Vael. The Butcher of Onderon. The planet still bore scars that could be seen from orbit from when the man came and conquered the place for the Empire. Looking at those places, Secura could feel the echoes of the death clinging like miasma over the otherwise pristine world.

As a consequence, the people willing to help the Republic when Secura arrived with two army groups and a decent sized fleet were few and far between. The locals fought fanatically to slow down the GAR advance. They knew that the CIS was coming and were among the few populations who would see them as liberators.

Secura understood where they were coming from. She could be sympathetic. Yet, she had to keep Onderon from the Confederacy’s hands. If her forces were thrown out, the enemy would have a friendly base of operation which they could use as staging ground for deep strikes in Republic space. That had to be prevented at any cost.

The Jedi Master stiffened and focused on her surroundings.

There was danger in the air. She could…

“Stand down, general!” The lieutenant behind her snapped in a tone leaving not a shred of doubt what would happen if she disobeyed.

Ayala froze and very slowly turned her head so she could glance back at her men. The closest Clones had formed a semicircle behind her and pointing their blasters at her back. The rest of the platoon was spreading out so they could have clear firing angles.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Secura snapped back, though she made sure that only her lips moved.

The most notable thing, besides the preposterous accusation was that the lieutenant didn’t address Ayala by her rank. There was a long moment when Secura felt fear. The Dark Side all but screamed at her that surrendering meant death. The Jedi felt cold wave passing through her and sending shivers up and down her spine. Her hand twitched and it was a miracle Ayala didn’t summon her lightsaber before she could think straight again.

It was true that the Clones might be lying. She could sense their anger, but that was all. They didn’t feel any different than when they followed a more usual order. They might just want her to disarm herself so they could take her down safely.

Or they were simply trying to arrest her.

Secura knew one thing – if she fought now, there would be no turning back. This had to be some kind of mistake! The Jedi wouldn’t attempt a coup, unless they felt they had no other choice and even then…

“I surrender.” Secura spoke clearly.

“On your knees. Remove your lightsaber slowly and row it our way. Any resistance will be met with lethal force.”

=RK=

Unfortunately, there were a lot of places across the galaxy where things went truly wrong. Many Jedi were on edge after sensing scores of their brethren die. When their soldiers turned on them, a not insignificant number was not inclined to go down quietly. Many of them believed that they could either escape to figure what in the name of the Force was happening or that a surrender might spell their doom.

On more than a hundred worlds Jedi fought and died. Eleven managed to get away, instantly confirming their status as traitors and earning themselves death in the eyes of the GAR.

=RK=

Part 2: Ragnarok Act I

Even as Order 66 made its way across the galaxy and set it on fire, there were a few notable exceptions.

At one of the Republic’s most prestigious military academies, Ahsoka Tano was in her room buried under a small mountain of data-pads. When the Jedi Coup began, she felt restless. When she felt Jedi die in impossible numbers, she was terrified.

Ahsoka tried to call Obi-Wan only to find out that Coruscant was under a communications blackout. When that news made its way across the academy, the Commandant put the whole facility on lockdown just in case, while every military unit in the system went on high alert. As far as anyone but Ahsoka knew, there was no attack coming.

No physical one anyway. What Ahsoka felt through the Force, she would never forget. Jedi were dying by the hundreds. First on Coruscant, later all across the galaxy.

Tano felt the Dark Side drowning her perception and crashing over her. She heard the dying screams on a whole world.

That day something intangible changed in the Force. It was like the sense of a deja vu. All Ahsoka knew for sure was that one future was closed to her. To everyone. It was as if the whole galaxy paused to take a deep breath before exhaling and just continuing on its way as if a world dying didn’t matter. Yet, it was on a subtly different path.

There were no Clones bursting to arrest her. If one wasn’t able to hear the Force, they might not have figured out something was wrong – just like most of the cadets found out about the events of Coruscant hours later.

Her instructors were not amused.

=RK=

On Coruscant, the only effect that Order 66 had on Obi-Wan Kenobi when it came was that it guaranteed him even stronger protection detail to keep the Jedi from attacking him again. The same was true for his wife and the Mandalorian Embassy, which were surrounded by a strong GAR presence – to keep anyone from bothering them.

The Mandalorians were torn between feeling amused that the Republic military for once was willing to protect them and furious at the insinuation that they couldn’t handle the Jedi by themselves.

Oh, they had concerns. No one was looking forward to explaining to Mandalore that his wife was critically wounded and even after hours of surgery no one knew if she would survive her encounter with Mace Windu. On the face of it, she fell in an honorable combat against a worthy opponent.

However, the Mandalorians still remembered the Sith of old. Mandalore wasn’t likely to care that his wife fell in proper battle. When he came back there would be hell to pay and every Mandalorian warrior on Coruscant was looking forward to that.

=RK=

Flag Bridge

Republic cruiser Gallant

Corellia

Plo Koon checked the time. Just one more hour and Yularen would be here, which was good. The Jedi Master was going to need all the help he could get. In less than four hours of all out combat all across the system, almost half of the new construction and a large chunk of industry were gone. Two of the Five Brothers had their own navies overwhelmed, the orbital defenses breached and droid armies on the ground moving in to eliminate as much of the planet-boundindustry as they could.

A third of Koon’s own ȧssets were torn to shreds while he met the enemy again and again. What’s worse, two of the Corellian heavy cruisers were mission killed – they were leaving the system at ballistic ark with their engines cripples. One more had more than half its weapons gutted after suffering multiple suicide runs.

The enemy paid a steep price for their success. The system was chock full with the wreckage left by whole CIS fleets, yet the Confederacy still had enough numbers and firepower left to take the system. After the last clash, Plo Koon began contemplating bulling back to Corellia, where a lot of his damaged ships were gathering along with almost half the surviving Corellian fleet.

“We’re going for one more fast pass then pulling back.” The Jedi Master decided.

That wasn’t the order he wanted to give. He knew something was terribly wrong on Coruscant. He felt many friends as well as people who were a major pain in the backside lately die over the last few hours. What the Jedi wanted was to order a retreat so he could bring his fleet back home to the Jedi Temple and face the enemy who attacked it.

Instead he was stuck here.

The sheer madness he was sensing through the Force didn’t help either. Whatever was really happening, it was of the Dark Side. Plo Koon could sense its insidious power grow in bounds as Jedi after Jedi died.

“General, we’re getting transmission from Coruscant!” The communications officer exclaimed.

“Put it on!” Koon ordered the Clone.

It took precious seconds to get the transmission cleared. Time the Jedi needed to give orders for his sub-formations as they would be entering effective range of the enemy in just a couple of minutes.

“Execute Order 66…” Chancellor Palpatine’s voice came over the comm a moment before the man’s mangled image appeared next to the tactical plot.

Those words froze everyone on the bridge.

“Order 66 is in effect. Security to the bridge!” Gallant’s captain snapped.

The Jedi Master looked around as the transmission from Coruscant finally got cleaned up and was played in full.

“General, you’re under arrest for treason. Please come in quietly.” The captain turned to face him.

“I see.” Plo Koon sighed. “May I ask what exactly is Order 66?” What the kriff did Tiin and Piell did?! Or were the Sith to blame?!

“In case of Jedi treason all Jedi are to be placed under arrest. If you resist your life is forfeit, general.”

“I see.” Plo Koon repeated, then frowned. “What do you mean all Jedi? Not all of us are part of the military. Those on Corellia aren’t currently part of the Republic much less the Jedi Order.”

“All Jedi.” The Captain repeated in monotone as he was reading from a document. “The Corellians are certainly included. We’ll be moving to take them into custody or eliminate them ASAP.”

“What is this madness?!” Plo Koon exclaimed. He didn’t know if it was the strain of combat, the chaos in the Force or feeling the death of so many Jedi.

Perhaps it was the utter calm with which a man he considered friend discussed an act of war against an ally of the Republic. An ally who even now fought beside them.

It was an utter madness, yet the captain felt as if he was discussing the weather. The Clone was utterly calm.

It didn’t really matter in the end. Plo Koon’s composure broke.

“I can’t allow that. The Corellian’s are our allies. No matter what’s happening on Coruscant, the Green Jedi are innocent.” Koon’s hand fell upon the hilt of his lightsaber.

“You chose to resist then.”

The Jedi felt the tiniest pang of regret coming from the captain.

The armed crew-members on the bridge drew their sidearms. Behind the Jedi, the armored doors were opening and he knew there were more soldiers coming for him. He had to warn the Corellians. It was his duty to stop this madness from spreading.

Plo Koon drew his lightsaber and the bridge descended into chaos. The Gallant didn’t alter course just before engaging the enemy as the general intended to do. The cruisers task-force, which used it as a leader continued to follow it in. When contact with the Flagship was lost, the rest of the task-forces reacted sluggishly. What should have been a fast pass meant to concentrate firepower and minimize engagement times was anything but.

When Plo Koon cut down the last Clone attacking him, the Gallant was shacking under the guns of more than thirty separatist ships. The Jedi Master went to the comm station and attempted to warn the Corellians, yet it was for naught. The Gallant was deep within an CIS formation and their ECM made anything but laser com useless.

The Jedi Master lowered his head and closed his eyes. He failed and all the people who he killed on the bridge died for nothing. He didn’t react when more Clones stormed the compartment and opened fire.

It didn’t matter. Before his charred body hit the deck, Gallant shattered under the guns of the Confederate ships.

There were no survivors.

Part 3: Ragnarok Act 2

Jedi Temple

Corellia

“This sucks!” A petite human girl grumbled.

“Yep.” Jaybo grumbled and looked up at his friend.

Eli Cerulian sat a few stairs above him and looked criminally cute in her form fitting forest green robes.

“Are you listening to me?” The Jedi Padawan frowned at him.

Jaybo smiled. Eli looked even more lovely when she was getting angry.

“Of course I am!”

“Uh-huh.” Eli sighed. “Why are we stuck here again?”

“Beats me.” Jaybo shrugged, which made his friend roll her eyes at him.

“No Padawans on the frontlines if we can help it. Duh.” A new voice came from above. “How are you two lovebirds today?”

Jaybo looked up and saw an older copy of Eli walking down the stairs.

“Mum!” The young girl suddenly turned beef red.

“Ma’am!” Jaybo shot up. He was very glad he didn’t sit closer to Eli otherwise her mother wouldn’t stop needling them any time soon if the last few times were anything to go by…

“Seriously. How are you? With the way the Force feels…” The Jedi Knight shrugged helplessly.

There wasn’t a Force Sensitive person on Corellia, probably in the whole galaxy, who couldn’t sense that something was terribly wrong. For hours the Jedi Temple had been on high alert with both CorSec and GAR sending reinforcements on top the two battalions stationed nearby in an anticipation of possible Separatist attack.

“As good as could be expected, I guess.” Jaybo frowned. “Something happened to my Master a few hours ago. He’s been keeping his bonds shut ever since he went after Crimson but I could still feel it.” He shuddered. “I know he’s alive but otherwise…”

A pair of strong yet soft hands pulled him in and Jaybo found himself embraced by Eli. He relaxed and hugged her back. She felt like warmth, spice and home. Made him feel at peace even as the Force went more and more chaotic.

“Mum, do you know whats happening?” Eli muttered in Jaybo’s shoulder.

“Not for sure. There’s no contact with Coruscant and the situation in orbit is less than ideal.” Nejima explained. “You can feel it too, don’t you?”

“There’s something in the air…” Eli mumbled.

The Force flared. Shots and explosions erupted just outside and Jedi began to die right there on Corellia.

“Go back!” Nejima ordered. She was already sprinting towards the main doors of the Temple. There were CorSec troopers stationed across the big antechamber who were either doing the same, taking cover or shouting in their comms.

The teens looked at each other. They didn’t need to speak aloud and just nodded and ran after Eli’s mother.

When they got to the doors, both of them froze in place. Outside was a war-zone. Clones and CorSec troopers were shooting at each other. The Republic soldiers were fighting the few Jedi who were outside the Temple too and the teens arrived just in time to see Nejima enter the fray.

A Republic walker blasted Corellian hover-tank, two platoons of supposed allies tore viciously at each other and another Green Jedi fell when he was shot at from three sides before his killers were either cut to pieces by Eli’s mum or shot by vengeful Corellians.

For a moment it looked that this was it, then laser blasts lanced down from the sky and began killing the defenders. Jaybo’s head snapped up to see a swarm of LAATs coming in fast. Far behind them ominously hovered a familiar triangular form.

“We need to get out of here!” Jaybo exclaimed.

“Not without mother!” Eli exclaimed.

“She’ll be with us soon!”

Nejima looked their way.

“Go!”

“Mum, come with us!”

Instead of answering, the Jedi Knight turned around and raised her hands. A swarm of missiles launched by the approaching gunships froze in midair.

“Come!” Jaybo grabbed his friend’s arm and began dragging her inside.

“No! Mum!” Eli struggled to get free.

Laser cannons roared. A handful of shoulder launched missiles answered and the space in front of the Jedi Temple suddenly became a death ground. Eli and Jaybo were thrown through the Temple’s entrance by the blast-waves and left dazed on the ground.

When they came back to their senses, the teenagers were being dragged up the stairs leading to the Temple’s upper floor. The building’s antechamber was turned into a killing ground by wave after wave of Clones attempting to push back fanatical Corellian resistance.

A platoon of heavy troopers finally did the trick when they blasted through the walls next to the door and stormed in firing heavy weapons at anything that moved.

=RK

Site K

location classified

“What the hells is going on?!” Governor-General Shyla Merricope snarled.

The head of the Corellian government glared at her advisers before her furious eyes fell upon her liaison with the GAR.

“I have no idea, Ma’am.” Captain Jorje Victus answered. “My best guess is that Order 66. This is the first time I heard of such a contingency.” The Coruscanti born and bred officer looked mightily uncomfortable but he didn’t appear to be lying.

Or he just was a better actor than Shyla gave him credit for.

“General, place that man under arrest and get him out of here. Give me an open channel to all forces in system – ours and Republic.” Merricope ordered.

Shyla’s eyes went back to the live feeds from Coronet city. The GAR battalion stationed near the Jedi Temple was busy ȧssaulting the building they were supposed to protect. All Republic formation in the region were making their way there and fighting anyone who was attempting to stop them, which wasn’t going well for anyone. There was a whole army group on Corellia and the bulk of those forces were in the general vicinity of the capital. To make things worse, a number of Republic cruisers had entered the atmosphere before anyone knew something was wrong and were moving towards Coronet too. They had already sent waves of gunships and ȧssault shuttles at the Jedi Temple which was a war-zone.

“Diktat, all we’re getting as an explanation is that Order 66 is in effect and anyone attempting to prevent its execution is to be considered traitor.” An exasperated sounding colonel reported.

“We’ve got open channels to our and the Republic ships in system.”

“This is Governor-General Shyla Merricope to all Republic units in the Corellian system. You’re to cease offensive actions against our people at once or we will respond with deadly force. You will explain yourselves now. All Corellian ships, Contingency Winter. I repeat Contingency Winter.”

“Governor-General Merricope, this is Rear Admiral Felix, acting commander of all Republic forces in system.” A Clone in the green uniform of a flag officer appeared above the holotank in the center of the room. “I cannot do so. Contingency Order 66 is in effect. All Jedi are to surrender into Republic custody at once. Any resistance means their lives are forfeit.” The Clone paused. “If your forces continue to resist the execution of my lawful orders, I will be left with no choice but to consider them enemy combatants. My orders leave no latitude, Ma’am. Order 66 is to be carried at any cost.”

A deadly hush fell around Shyla.

=RK=

Part 4: Ragnarok Act 3

Site K

location classified

The Diktat made a hand-sign and the outgoing transmission was put on hold.

“I need options.” Merricope’s voice held bȧrėly controlled fury.

“Military? We might be able to hold the orbitals if the remaining Republic and Separatist forces in system bleed each other badly enough. We’ve got heavy Republic reinforcements incoming under admiral Yularen. It’s anyone’s guess if he’ll try to stop this madness or continue with it.” The man in charge of CorSec mussed. “On the ground…Corellia is currently secure with the obvious exception of Coronet and the surrounding regions. We’ve got running engagements with GAR units on eight separate locations. An ȧssault ship over the capital with a Venator and two more approaching.”

An aide gave the general a data-pad which he skimmed through before continuing.

“We’ve got multiple battalion level formations converging on the Republic forces with QRFs heading for the Jedi Temple. The Theater shield over Coronet is being raised as we speak, however as you know it won’t cover the Temple. It’s just outside the outer perimeter.” The general sighed. “It’s possible that those ships will bombard the area if the Republic ground forces are unable to secure the Jedi Temple. I require authorization to take them out with either the anti-orbital defenses or if that’s not practical I’ll request the navy to neutralize them.”

“Political options?” Shyla asked in marginally more controlled voice.

“It depends what the hells is happening on Coruscant. Coup or not, for all intents and purposes the Republic just began a shooting war with us. That admiral didn’t seem to care for the political fallout of his actions and I’m finding that highly disturbing.” Merricope’s oldest politically ally and adviser added her two credits. “Besides…”

“Even if all our Jedi part of the GAR suddenly went insane and joined the Separatists or something we’re still independent. The Republic has no right to simply demand that we hand them our people and attack our military personnel when they refused as they should have done.” Shyla finished.

Even if she and her government were willing to just hang the Green Jedi on the Republic’s said so, that simply became impossible when the GAR on Corellia attempted to take things in their own hands and attacked CorSec.

“Get in contact with our people on Coruscant. Find what in the hells those lunatics in the Senate and GAR think they’re doing. Get that admiral back on.” Merricope ordered.

Couple of seconds later, Felix’s image was back on.

“Admiral, all Republic ships are to move at least two light seconds from Corellia ASAP. You will order all GAR personnel on the ground to stand down as well. If you do not, I will consider the presence of your forces as a clear and present danger to my people and act accordingly.”

“I’m afraid I cannot do that, ma’am Governor-general. The contingency orders are absolute. They’re to be executed at all cost and no matter the consequences. I implore you to stand down and let me do my duty.” The Clone looked sincere and unyielding.

“You’re aware you’re committing an act of war against one of the few allies the Republic has in this war?” Merricope asked.

“I am, ma’am. My orders stand. Anyone interfering with their execution is to be considered enemy and eliminated.”

Shyla closed her eyes and sighed. This was utter madness. Yet, she had her duty to her people who were fighting and dying right now.

“Damn you!” Merricope hissed. “Give me channel to all our military forces.” She waited for confirmation. “This is Diktat Shyla Merricope. Execute Contingency Winter Solace. I repeat Winter Solace. All non-Corellian ships in orbit are to be neutralized. Any Republic ship approaching a two light seconds exclusion zone from Corellia is to be considered hostile.” She paused to take a breath. “Republic forces stationed on Corellia attempted the unlawful arrest of all Jedi on the planet. When CorSec personnel took offense, they were engaged by our supposed allies. All attempts to peacefully resolve this crisis have been met with threats and demands to hand our people under the charge of treason. Yet the Republic commanders were unable to give any shred of proof to support such grievous charges. All they tell us is that they have their orders…

=RK=

After the Republic Flagship went down with all hands, pure chaos reigned across the Corellian system. The carefully orchestrated defense fell apart as command and control lines shredded. In places Republic and Corellian ships continued fighting side by side against overwhelming odds. The task forces meant to reinforce them often didn’t show and they died fighting valiantly until destruction.

In other sectors of the system wide battlefield, Corellian ships peeled off and abandoned the Republic navy as they followed Winter Contingency and made best speed for their homewolrd. At the same time, Republic battle groups peeled off and left their local counterparts to fend for themselves as they hurried for Corellia so they could execute Order 66.

While madness grasped their enemies, the Confederacy navy was briefly shocked in inaction. For a time they suspected a trap and merely redressed their lines while dealing with the forces still engaging them. Yet, it didn’t take long for admiral Trench to make up his mind. He saw an opportunity and grasped it by throwing everything he had at the remaining two brothers, thus ignoring Corellia for the time being. His forces used the opportunity to decimate what was left of the enemy construction and infrastructure across the system which suddenly found itself abandoned.

=RK=

Jedi Temple

Corellia

The fight for the Jedi Temple lasted more than an hour. By then the GAR battalion which was stationed nearby was all but gone, yet more and more Clones were funneled into the fight from the four Republic ships above Coronet. All attempt to take them out from the ground failed courtesy to the Guardian systems and hovering just bellow the engagement range of the planetary defense cannons which were supposed to cover the capital. Those ships also intercepted any attempts from forces outside Coronet to reinforce the Jedi fighting to their lives, which meant only CorSec units covered by the capitals Theater shield could offer any respite.

Ultimately, those forces weren’t enough. There weren’t many Jedi left at the Temple in the first place – most of them were spread all over the planet or the other worlds making up the Five Brothers. When the engagement began, the defenders were caught off guard by the Clone units on Corellia turning on them. CorSec troopers and Jedi alike fought like demons who crawled out of the Ninth hell, yet they were slowly but surely overwhelmed. Waves of Clones, gunship raining hell and even limited direct fire support from the ships over Coronet saw to that.

“We need to get out of here!” Jaybo snapped.

“We can’t kid. Any transport trying to leave gets shot down by those ships. The same goes for our reinforcements. Unless the navy deign to show up, we’re kriffed.” A CorSec lieutenant taking cover nearby shouted.

“There’s no shield covering us! Enough firepower to take out those things will kill us too!” Jaybo shot back.

“I know.” The officer snapped.

Jaybo looked around. They were pushed almost into the gardens at the back of the Temple. Once the Clones forced them in the open it was all over. The gunships would make a short work of them.

There was less than a platoon left from the CorSec and a handful of Jedi left. That was all. There were at least few more survivors cut off deeper in the large building. The explosions and distant shots were proof enough, though those people weren’t going to be much help.

At least Eli was still in one piece, though after her mother died she was out of it.

“Here they come!” The lieutenant shouted.

Sure enough. A bunch of smoke grenades rolled in and the moment they obscured everything, Jaybo could hear armored feet running towards them. So much for the short respite they got.

Jaybo ignited his lightsaber and prepared to meet the next onslaught. Blaster fire flew in all directions, then a deafening thunder struck the Jedi Temple like the fist of an angry god. The sound came as a physical wave that tried to rattle the teeth right out of his mouth. Moments later, it got very warm.

Jaybo didn’t hear the next explosion, though he felt it as the whole building shook.

The Corellian navy finally came down to play and they were all kriffed.

=RK=

Flag Bridge

Republic cruiser Hunter

Corellia

“What?” That was all admiral Yularen could say once his fleet exited hyperspace.

He knew that the Jedi had attempted a coup on Coruscant and that the planet was in chaos while GAR elements were attempting to secure the damn place. He knew an Order 66 was given and all Jedi were supposed to be arrested.

What he didn’t know was why there were Corellian and Republic ships shooting at each other all across the system while apparently the Separatists were given a free reign to do what the kriff they wanted as long as they didn’t approach Corellia itself or any large concentration of Republic ships.

As far as the sensors could tell, there were no Republic ships within two light second radius of Corellia and the bulk of those remaining were forming into ȧssault formations aimed at the planet.

“What the kriff?!” Yularen asked in disbelief. “Get me whoever is in charge of this kriff up on the line now!” The admiral let out an uncharacteristic snarl.

It took almost a minute before the holographic image of a Clone wearing a green uniform just like Yularen’s appeared in the center of the Flag Bridge.

“Sir, admiral Felix reporting!”

“Explanation. Good one. Now.” Yularen growled. It wasn’t professional but at that moment he didn’t really care. Just what the kriff?!

“Corellian forces attempted to prevent the execution of Order 66. We engaged them. We’re currently preparing to ȧssault Corellia so we could carry out our orders.” The Clone answered calmly.

“Run that by me again.” Yularen somehow was able to gather his crumbling professionalism and spoke in a light, almost pleasant tone. “It sounded like you attacked our allies so you could carry your orders… which were to protect this system against the Confederacy.”

“That’s negative sir. Contingency Order 66 is in effect. It trumps all per-existing orders.” Felix still looked unperturbed.

“Rear Admiral, you’re relieved of command.” A fell seconds later, Wulff was speaking to all Republic forces in the systems. “This is admiral Yularen. Admiral Felix is relieved of command. I’m ȧssuming direct command of all Republic forces in the system. You’re to stop any and all offensive actions against our Corellian allies. We’re here to fight the Separatist, not each other.”

“Admiral Yularen, I’m compelled to ask you what are you intending to do about Order 66.” Felix asked.

“That’s no longer your concern, admiral.” Wulff glared at the Clone.

“I’m afraid it is, sir. If you intent not to do your best to ensure Order 66 is executed, I’ll be compelled to consider your orders as not lawful and continue doing my duty.”

“Admiral Yularen, I’ve been listening to your conversation.” Captain Ren, the Hunter’s CO interrupted. “I’m afraid, admiral Felix is correct, sir. I believe you’re unaware of the gravity of the situation.” The Clone continued.

Wulff redirected his glare to the image of his Flag Captain.

“What is the meaning of this, Ren?!”

“The Contingency Orders are absolute, sir. They must be obeyed and executed no matter what. If you have no intention of doing your best to follow Order 66, I’ll have no option but to remove you from command. I’m sorry sir. We’re good soldiers and we have our orders.”

Yularen looked incredibly at Ren. He opened his mouth to relieve him too, then paused and looked around. Every single Clone in the Flag Bridge looked at him.

“You all agree, don’t you?” Wulff concluded incredulously.

“That is correct sir.”

“You expect me to order an attack on Corellia to capture the Jedi there instead of engaging the Separatists rampaging throughout the system.” Yularen couldn’t believe it.

“That’s correct sir. Unless you could persuade the Corellians to stand down. That outcome would be preferable. Order 66 takes absolute priority.” Felix answered.

“And if I can’t persuade them?” Wulff asked.

“Then you either lead us in battle against them or we’ll have to remove you from command, sir.” Ren spoke with conviction that was scary.

“Are all Clones convinced of that course of action?” Yularen asked.

The looks on the faces of the people around him was an answer enough.

“Who could countermand Order 66 so we could deal with the real enemy?”

“Only the supreme commander of the GAR, sir.”

“Get me line to Coruscant now and open a channel to Corellia. Let’s not kill any more people than we have to.”

“Thank you, sir.” Felix sounded relieved. “I stand relieved.”

Yularen nodded glumly. The utter conviction and readiness the clones showed to turn on an ally because of a contingency order made his blood chill. What other such orders were there?

=RK=

Part 5: Ragnarok, Final act

“Execute Order Sixty Six. Four woulds that irrevocably changed the galaxy.

Until that order was given, there were very few people thought about the implications of the Republic having a clone army. Oh, the benefits were obvious and immense. The Clones were at the peak of human performance, perhaps a bit beyond it. Every single one of them. With the exception of a few defective units, they always followed orders. Only the various commando subtypes had any latitude in that regard thanks to their increased independence.

The existence of the Clones meant that the Republic citizens didn’t have to bury millions of their children. Billions even. It meant that when the Republic most needed it, it got an army to protect it.

Their existence was too good to be true and when Order 66 was given, that became a fact.

There were few people who truly knew the details around the creation of the Clone army. By the time of the Jedi Coup was over, they were either dead on the run. We might never know the truth, though with the benefit of hindsight there are some conclusions that become obvious.

The most popular theory, which is the one accepted by most post war governments is that the Sith were to blame for the creation of the Clone army. Count Dooku and his shadow master to be precise.

The events at Corellia and later interrogation of thousands of Clones who survived the battles across that system revealed some troubling facts. It wouldn’t be stretch to conclude that Order 66 was the primary reason why they were created in the first place. Unfortunately no one knew that during the first stage of the war… and even if they did, it wasn’t like the Republic had any choice. As we all know, all the army and navy crew expansion programs implemented shortly after the start of the conflict gave fruit shortly after Order 66 was given.

The sad truth is that the only people who likely had any inkling of what the Clones might be capable of were the Sith who engineered their creation, the Clone Masters themselves and the Jedi who had Count Dooku in their custody shortly before the Coup. Unfortunately they’re all dead and the little records that survived are contradictory. Those who wish to give the Jedi the benefit of the doubt claim that any information they got came from Dooku – a traitor and thus not something the Senate would believe. Further, they believed that the Republic was already under a Sith control which made any legal recourse a moot point anyway.

We all know the consequences. The Jedi Coup. Attacks upon GAR High Command, the Senate, the ȧssassination of Chancellor Palpatine and strikes aimed at various critical facilities on Coruscant.

Finally, the traitors just reward – Chancellor Palpatine giving Order 66 with his dying breath.

It is a sad to think that the last actions of a man who spent his whole life in service of the Republic did more to end it than Dooku and his Separatists.

No one really knew what the Clones would to to execute a contingency order. Much less 66. It is widely believed that it was the reason they existed. It is know that their indoctrination and mental conditioning was especially heavy when Order 66 was concerned.

In hindsight the only surprising thing that happened at Corellia was the restrain shown by admiral Felix and the rest of the Clones. They could have bombarded the Green Jedi Temple the moment Clones on the ground met resistance. Instead they chose to take the place conventionally, which allowed a handful of Jedi and most of the youngest among the trainees to escape while the rest along all CorSec personnel in the area fought to cover their retreat…

However, the Corellian Diktat of that time didn’t see it that way. All Shyla Merricope knew for sure was that the Republic betrayed Corellia and started an unprovoked war. Admiral Wulff Yularen was placed in even worse position…”

The Grand Army of the Republic – Saviors or Traitors,

Anaxes War College Publication, Second Edition

=RK=

Flag Bridge

Republic cruiser Hunter

Corellia

“Diktat, please give me something to work with.” Admiral Yularen implored.

His words were met with a mask of cold indifference. He was running out of time too. Wulff had no idea how long the Clones would tolerate his attempts to buy time. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the CIS navy was busy gutting what was left from the infrastructure in the system or ȧssaulting the two words besides Corellia which could still put up a fight. Yularen was furious that his supposed subordinates were the ones preventing him from doing his duty and protecting the Republic.

Instead, Wulff was forced to find excuse after excuse not to attack Corellia immediately.

Merricope’s mask cracked.

“You betray our trust. You attack our people without proof or provocation and you have the gall to demand that we hand our citizens to your mad attack dogs. Admiral Yularen, let me make this crystal clear – any Republic vessel entering the exclusion zone around Corellia will be considered hostile and fired upon.” The Diktat’s worlds came in a tone colder than liquid helium.

Yularen wondered how much of that was her emotions speaking and how much was for the benefit of her own people. He knew from the beginning that talking with Merricope was a long shot at best. Wulff did it primary in order to buy time because everything he knew about the Corellians led him to one irrefutable conclusions – they weren’t going to back down. Doing so wouldn’t just be a political suicide for the Diktat. It would be futile too.

The Green Jedi were intermarried with all important Corellian noble houses and practically every single notable military family on the planet. They had been doing so for thousands of years and by this time it was hard to see the distinction. This wasn’t Coruscant where the Jedi kept themselves separate. Here on Corellia, the Green Jedi were Corellians. They were practically family with both CorSec and the ruling classes. Giving them up would be all but impossible even if elements in the Diktat government were willing to do so. Doing so would create an unacceptable precedent and that was even before one took into account the temperament of the average Corellian.

What the Clones did before Wulff’s arrival was to repeatedly push all the buŧŧons the locals had. The Corellians were fit to be tied, outraged and ready to fight. The CIS commander – Trench of all people – wasted no time in figuring out the gist of the situation and was running wild across the system.

All that left Yularen in untenable position. He turned his attention to the open channel with Coruscant. Palpatine was dead. The Senate and surrounding areas were still in chaos. Kenobi had just been taken out of surgery and put into a bacta tank. He wouldn’t be in position to to anything but float in there for hours and that was the best case scenario. Apparently it’s been touch and go for the general.

That left Wulff’s and Corellia’slast chance in the hands of the politicians.

“What do you mean you can’t find him?!” Yularen glared at the Clone admiral currently in charge of Coruscant.

“Communication lines with the surface are still being disrupted by worms in our systems. Amedda’seither gone to ground, kidnapped or dead. I’ve got people securing all government facilities and finding the most important Republic officials to keep them in one piece in case of further troubles.”

Yularen closed his eyes and cursed. Mas Amedda, the ViceChair was supposed to briefly become the new Chancellor if his predecessor died. However in that case his powers were going to be limited and his only real duty was to gather the Senate ASAP so they could vote in a new Chancellor. The Republic bureaucracy and armed forces were supposed to continue doing their jobs while the politicians figured out who the next Supreme Chancellor was going to be. Under normal circumstance that wouldn’t be particularly big problem. GAR High Command ran the war mostly by itself anyway and the bureaucracy was perfectly capable of operating for some time without a Chancellor at the reins.

The situation was anything but usual.

Yularen needed time. Hours, probably days. The alternative was unthinkable.

“Admiral Grad, what is the status of the Jedi who launched the coup? Of the Jedi Temple and the Jedi Order on Coruscant?” Wulff asked. He knew that his harebrained idea was very long shot. Unlikely to work. However he had nothing else left.

“They went to ground. While the Temple is currently being secured most Jedi went away. I’ve blockaded Coruscant as well as I can but I could use more ȧssets in order to implement Order 66.” The Clone answered immediately.

“I’ll see what I can do. Yularen over and out.” Wulff cut the connection. He had an opening no matter how tiny. Now he needed just to convince the Clones to stop being kriffing maniacs.

Yularen composed himself and opened channel to all Republic forces in the system.

“I’ve been apprised of the situation on Coruscant. The Jedi responsible for the coup went to ground. Admiral Grad needs more ȧssets to hunt them down before they can get away. At this time all Jedi on Corellia are confined to the planet’s surface. With the CIS fleet in system they won’t escape. I’ll be bringing this fleet back to Coruscant so we can execute Order 66 as intended. Any comments?” Yularen asked.

He looked around the bridge dreading the Clones reactions, then looked back at Felix’s image. There were a lot of emotions crossing the man’s face at an alarming rate. Yularen could clearly see that the Clone was fighting to reach a decision.

“I can see the benefit behind your reasoning sir. I can understand it.” Felix ground his teeth and it looked like he struggled to speak. “I… I’m still compelled to execute Order 66. We can’t let the Jedi get away from Corellia.”

“Are you men willing to remain behind and ensure no Jedi leaves Corellia without ȧssaulting the planet?” Wulff asked.

Felix was technically relieved. The two Clones after him in the chain of command were even worse so despite his qualms, Yularen kept talking with the man. He was honestly afraid to know how the rest of the Clones from Plo Koon’s fleet felt about Order 66. Felix at least was willing to listen despite being an obstructionist crazy maniac.

The Clone blinked a few times as if struggling with the thought, then nodded.

“I believe so, sir. As long as the Jedi remain contained at Corellia.” Felix answered.

And why the kriff didn’t you think to do so from the start instead of starting a kriffing war?! Yularen wanted to scream that question aloud. He wanted to choke that idiot to death. Yet, the way Felix struggled with the very idea of not attacking Corellia immediately in order to get to the Jedi. The confused looks the Clones on his bridge were giving him… That made him pause.

There was something terribly wrong with the Clones. Yularen needed to figure out what before he could trust them enough to lead them in combat. If he could ever trust them again.

Wulff ordered his fleet to calculate the first leg of the journey to Coruscant and called Merricope.

“Diktat, I’ve reached… an understanding with my men. Apparently the contingency orders are absolute. At this time no one with the rank to countermand them is in any state to do so.” Yularen paused, praying that Merricope would play along.

“I see.” The Diktat allowed frosty.

“I’m bringing my fleet back to Coruscant to ȧssist the hunt of the traitors there. Admiral Felix and his forces would remain behind to ensure no Jedi leaves Corellia.” Hopefully he would either dissuade Trench from invading the last of the Five Brothers or would go down fighting when the CIS either went for him first or when he was compelled to engage them in order to ensure the Jedi wouldn’t escape in the chaos.

It was likely going to be a disaster anyway, but until someone back on Coruscant could unkriff the unholy mess there wasn’t anything else Wulff could do. He just prayed that Merricope could gleam his reasoning and go along with it because otherwise they were all kriffed.

“That…” The Diktat trailed off. “That would be acceptable for the time being. The exclusion zone stands in place.”

“Understood. Admiral Felix, you’re to ensure no Jedi leave Corellia. Do not enter the two light seconds zone. If a ship leaves Corellia you’re to dispatch force to follow it up and check if there’re Jedi on board.”

Yularen cut off the connection. There was just one more thing that he could do for Corellia – if Kuat decided to play ball and not just leave their biggest rival burn anyway.

“I need a line to admiral Coburn at Kuat.”

Unless Kuat’s government decided to spare a few of their heavy capital ships, there was virtually nothing stopping Trench from taking control of the whole Corellian system.

=RK=

Part 6: The Sithapprentices

Jedi Temple

Corellia

The whole building shook to its foundations. The tremors – mere aftershocks from the battle above Coronet made it hard to remain standing, yet Jaybo had little choice. A squad of Republic heavy troopers was pushing through the smoke and the sheer bulk of their armor combined with the exo-skeleton built in it allowed them to largely ignore the floor trying to shake itself apart. The few remaining CorSec people weren’t so lucky – they were on the ground, which while made them smaller targets cut their mobility to next to nothing.

When the Clones strode in down the corridor, that handicap proved fatal. Heavy blasters and ȧssault canons ripped to shreds everyone pinned in place. The flying plasma made the scorching heat turn into furnace and the air itself began to shimmer.

Jaybo soon found himself in untenable position. He was pinned in place trying to keep Eli safe, while the Force went completely insane and clawed at his mind. He could hear the tortured screams of a whole world through the bond he shared with his master.

It proved too much. His muscles were screaming in agony, the air in his lungs was hot enough to choke on and to top it all, Jaybo’s concentration shattered like a plane of glass with a speeder flying through it. The Force giving him strength slipped through his fingers and the young apprentice faltered. A blaster bolt struck his sword arm and charred it into a useless pile of charred meat. Before Jaybo could register the pain, more shots slammed into his ċhėst and he tried to scream as his body burned.

He heard a chocked scream of rage. The air above him shimmered,tortured metal screamed and men howled in pain.

Jaybo blinked and he was looking up at Eli’s tear streaked eyes, which were two blazing embers.

Another blink. Eli was hugging him and babbling. He felt tired. Hot. Oh, so hot.

Eli was looking at him and gave him a wan smile.

He blinked and a wave of heat washed over them. For a heartbeat Eli was framed by dancing flames which didn’t touch her skin, making her look like an angel.

An instant of agony. Eli screaming through the Force before her voice was lost among the chorus of a burning world. Only then blessed darkness fell and Jaybo knew no more.

=RK=

Sundari

Mandalore

“Aria, get yourself together!” Niner shouted.

“She’s out of it!” Dev snapped and hauled her over his shoulder.

“Where’s our kriffing backup?!” Cor asked after throwing his favorite vibro-knife at a Commando droid. It caught the clanker in the forehead before it could open fire.

“Busy counter-attacking.” Niner grumbled. We’re on our own until the second echelon gets here it five.”

“We won’t last five minutes without her!” Atin jabbed a finger at the closest thing they had to a sister.

“You better do it.” Fi grumbled from his perch a hundred stores above them. “Clankers two o’clock. Platoon strength. SBs.”

Dev stashed his burden into the burned out trunk of a cargo van, then checked the magazine of his grenade launcher. Huh. There was one Ion grenade left, the rest were HE. Nice.

The demo expert waited for the machines to come a bit closer and opened fire. Behind him Aria stirred. Her eyes snapped open and she mȯȧnėd. Two blood tears streaked down her cheeks, painting her dust covered face in red.

“So much power…” Aria wheezed drunkenly. Her connection with her master was wide open and it felt like Veil was connected to the heart of the Dark Side itself.

Aria could taste just an echo of that power and it was enough to make her feel invincible. She staggered to her feet and smiled. With a thought her new found power was made manifest and thick arcs of lighting danced over her body.

She finally looked around. Niner and the rest were trying to protect her. It was so heartening, yet so insulting. Aria didn’t need help. With the power she now had, there wasn’t a thing upon that world which could challenge her.

Aria strode past the Clones paying them no more attention. She could feel droids – hundreds of them – charging at their position. She smiled and raised her hands. The Dark Side obeyed and was made manifest. The sky above them tore into a whirlwind of cracking energy.

Aria brought her hands down and lighting rained upon her enemies tearing them piece by piece. It was too bad that those droids couldn’t feel pain. Otherwise their screams would have made a nice additions to the chorus of damned souls she could hear howling as their world died and took them with it.

“This… This is awesome!” Dev cheered. “Can you teach me this trick?” He asked hopefully.

Aria turned her shining eyes upon the Clone. Oh, him she liked. She smiled and decided to keep him.

The fountain of power in Aria’s mind suddenly dried up. The screams she so enjoyed became distant echoes carried upon the Force. The sheer power drain of the continuing attack drove her to her knees before her concentration could shatter. The lighting storm vanished as suddenly as it began and for the first time in more than a month Sundari was quiet.

Arias eyes rolled and she collapsed in the sleep of the utterly exhausted.

“I guess we’ll last more than five minutes now.” Cor quipped.

“Dev, pick her up. We’re displacing before someone calls artillery on our ȧssess.” Niner ordered. He looked at the devastation and was very glad Aria was on their side. And to think she was just the apprentice…

=RK=

Part 7: Shattered dream

The situation at Kuat couldn’t be more different than the debacle at Corellia if it tried. It had the notable exception of going on more or less according to plan for both sides too.

The Confederacy threw a full Sector Fleet at Kuat under the command of admiral Dua Ningo. A fleet that had been reinforced until its three task forces had two thousand warships each. By anyone’s reckoning, that was an incredible concentration of war-making potential. There were few systems in the galaxy which could stand up to such a firepower. As if to make things worse for the Republic, an hour after the battle began, a smaller CIS fleet arrived and headed straight for the vulnerable industry spread across the system.

That maneuver should have been the deathblow against the defenders – if the battle was happening anywhere else. Even an Coruscant with its potent defense fleet and scores of Gollan stations would have been hard pressed to fend off close to seven thousand ships.

Kuat was different. A Republic sector fleet was stationed there – almost a thousand ships of all classes even if most of them were various escorts. Thus admiral Coburn had a potent force of his own to use, yet it was far from enough to protect the industry of that vital star system.

The real game-changer was Kuat’s own navy. For thousands of years, the kuati had been one of the, if not the premier shipbuilding hubs in the galaxy. For the past few hundred years, Kuat was the primary military contractor for the Republic and many of the Core Worlds. The benefits were massive with the most notable one finally proving its worth.

When admiral Ningo came calling, there were seven Mandator class Star Dreadnoughts in service. While usually only three were part of Kuats defense fleet, they were all recalled home when it became clear that the CIS long anticipated offensive would pierce deep into the Core.

In order to back up those behemoth, Kuat had their older Procurator battle cruisers as well as a formidable number of Venators, not to mention a suitable number of escorts and fixed defenses. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Kamino the best defended system in the galaxy.

That explains why the CIS threw as much tonnage against it in what for all intents and purposes was a feint. In order to dismantle Corellia, admiral Trench needed a free hand to act, which in turn meant that Kuat’s heavy capital ships needed to stay home.

For five hours the whole system was set on fire while Coburn maneuvered task forces formed around either Mandators or Procurators in order to smash any concentration of CIS ships threatening Kuat’s industry. At the same time small battle groups made of half a dozen ships at most dueled all over the system as the Confederacy attempted to wreck as much new construction as they could.

For five hours the heavens themselves were set on fire. Thousands of ships died on both sides and in the end both admirals achieved their primary objectives. Kuat emerged from the offensive mostly unscratched. Merely ten percent of is industry was damaged, with a similar number of new construction lost. Coburn’s fleet was hurt badly, however the Confederacy paid in blood for each ship they managed to bring down.

Admiral Ningo lost most of his fleet before he gave the retreat order. More than five thousand Confederate ships wouldn’t be going home. However, he succeeded too – during the critical phase of the battle for Corellia, there were no kuati capital ships flying to the rescue.

=RK=

Flag bridge

Republic cruiser Without Fear

Kuat

When the war finally reached Kuat, a lot of pretenses fell away and were replaced by one simple reality, admiral Coburn thought.

Kuat Drive Yards, which were ran and owned by the Kuat family were Kuat. While the system was technically democracy, no one in their right minds had any illusions who really called the shots.

That’s why Coburn wasn’t talking with an elected official. Not even one of the admirals who he worked with in order to protect the system. Instead, he was begging Onara Kuat, Kuat Drive Yards principal director for help.

“Admiral, I’ve just heard from sources at Corellia.” Kuat’s whole bearing was severe. Her deep blue robes made her look like an apparation out of legends in the holoprojector.

Not a nice one.

“Your request is denied. Our fleet stays home to protect Kuat against any enemy who means us harm.” Onara declared.

Coburn had to suppress a wince. Even if his fleet had been intact, he didn’t dare bring it to Corellia. Yularen’s report was chilling – there were obviously unknown details surrounding Order 66 as well as any other potential contingency orders which were chilling. It wasn’t hard to reach the conclusion that currently there were no GAR elements which could be used reliably at Corellia. That left the various system defense fleets manned by regular people and Kuat was the one which could act decisively in this situation.

“You’re going to let Corellia fall. Many might accuse you in letting corporate interests take priority over whats best for the Republic.” Coburn tried.

The Corellians would certainly scream so both in the Senate and in front of any reporter they could get their hands on.

“Am I? It was your people who made the Republic position at Corellia untenable, admiral. I only do what I must in order to protect Kuat against either Separatist aggression or your Clones going rogue. Until this situation is resolved to our satisfaction, our fleet remains in system. You’ll be hearing from our Senator at Coruscant too, admiral. As far as Kuat is concerned, today the Republic failed in its principal duty. Please make sure that there won’t be a repeat performance.” Kuat cut off the transmission.

Coburn slumped in his chair. He was furious, yet couldn’t fully blame Onara either. The admiral had no doubt that the primary factors guiding Kuat’s decision were corporate and political. In the best interests of Kuat too. Every moment they delayed helping Corellia, their principal rival in the Core Worlds got weaker. The price Kuat could demand in the Senate in order to release their sorely needed fleets for offensive operations was going to be astronomical and the Republic would have no choice but to pay it.

If there was a Republic when the dust settled.

“All ships with moderate or heavier damage are to remain at Kuat for repairs and to augment the system defense. Rear admiral Zach is in charge. The rest of the GAR fleet is to form on the Flagship. We’re regrouping at Coruscant.” Coburn ordered.

So we could go figure out what in the name of the Maker we’re going to do with the Clones and the Separatists, he didn’t add aloud.