Star Wars: Rogue Knight II Return Of The Sith

Part 1

=RK=

Audience Chamber

Royal Palace

Theed

Naboo

Half an hour. That's how long it took for Veil's broadcast to set the whole planet on fire. The capital was no exception. Queen Neeyutnee's throne room was no different. Spontaneous demonstrations rocked Theed. In places the RSF and army had to step in where people cheering Veil's actions at Sull.u.s.t clashed with the ever decreasing pacifist faction of the population. In front of her, the esteemed leaders of the Mid-Rim Alliance were little different. Neeyutnee's security watched them like wary Krath hounds in case they got particularly unruly.

"He's doomed us all!" Zurch exclaimed. "Don't you see?! The Separatists will burn this world in retaliation!"

"Really?" The Hegemon sneered. "They did their best to turn Naboo into a poisoned wasteland. What makes you think they wouldn't bomb this world to rubble regardless of what the General did? What ever gave you the idea that we aren't fighting a clique of ruthless power-hungry maniacs? What happened at Sull.u.s.t might finally give them pause! Along with Geonosis this is the second time the Separatists actually felt the price of this war they're waging!"

"It might not matter. Are we in position to hurt them to such an extent again after the losses Veil and Tigellinus suffered at Sull.u.s.t and Sanrafsix?" Ryndellia's Prime Minister asked.

"While Sanrafsix was a painful blow, Admiral Tarkin won his battle and is back with his force." The Queen explained. She was glad she got a complete security briefing on the campaigns in progress just before this crisis hit. "Malastare is secured and preliminary reports suggest our forces there managed to recover some critical supplies. We can expect at least a part of the fleet we sent there to come back to reinforce us." Neeyutnee smiled radiating as much confidence as she could muster. "Admirals Tigellinus and Tarkin agree that the most likely enemy response would be to go after Veil, who should be falling back to Eriadu after he's done at Sull.u.s.t. After his victory the Separatists lost another Sector fleet at his hands. They're unlikely to have any meaningful reinforcements left to commit to the battle for Naboo."

"That's wishful thinking. Despite their recent setbacks the Separatists still have the largest navy in the galaxy!" Zurch pressed on. "They..."

"They still have to secure a very big part of the galaxy." A new and unfamiliar voice added. "I'm sorry for this interruption, Queen Neeyutnee. I was compelled by circ.u.mstances to seek an unscheduled audience with you. I beg your forgiveness for this disruption." A tall robed figure no one paid attention until now walked from the middle of the gathered ambassadors and heads of state.

He removed his hood revealing a weathered old face under a very tall head.

"I'm surrendering into your custody Queen Neeyutnee until such a time my lack of involvement in the Jedi Coup on Coruscant could be determined. I come in peace." Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi smiled benevolently when RSF personnel rushed to surround him. The people around him just stared for a few long moments while their minds caught up with the fact that a famous, perhaps treasonous Jedi had sneaked among them. Their own security acted promptly and bodily pushed them away from the danger interposing themselves between their charges and Mundi.

"Really? Is all of this excitement necessary? I'm merely an old and tired man." The Jedi looked like he was enjoying himself, the smug bastard.

The Queen swallowed a curse. She could already feel another headache beginning to form at her temples. They were getting more and more frequent as the stress of her job increasing beyond any reason.

"Jedi Master Mundi, please explain yourself!" Neeyutnee's voice carried across her throne room.

"I was actually hoping to get an explanation, you know." The tall Jedi shrugged. "One day my Clones turned on me and shot me in the back. There was no warning. No attempt to capture me. If it wasn't for my armour and its built in shields I would have been cut down. Only the Separatists taking advantage of the ensuring chaos allowed me to get away. I spent most of the past month in hiding evading both my own and the enemy forces until I could get away from Malastare. Naboo looked like a good bet for a place where I could find some answers. I've been planet side for about a day and learned enough. The Jedi Coup..." Mundi shook his head and briefly a grief stricken expression passed over his face. "I don't know what those fools on Coruscant were thinking. While here in Theed I learned what has been happening while I was out of touch. I know my duty, Queen Neeyutnee. When I learned that there are at least three Jedi not complicit in the coup working with General Veil I decided that I should not hide any longer. I know my duty. I'm placing myself at your mercy and service if you would have me."

"No matter what happened on Coruscant, the Jedi had been good friends of Naboo. Nevertheless, as a Queen we can't afford our personal feelings on the matter to cloud our judgement in this matter. Jedi Master Mundi, we do hope your worlds are genuine. However, we cannot allow ourselves to be swayed. You will remain under guard until such a time General Veil or the loyalist Jedi working with him return to Naboo and could determine if you are telling the truth." Neeyutnee declared in her royal voice.

"That is acceptable, your majesty." The Jedi Master bowed respectfully.

"Before you get carted away to what I hope are comfortable accommodations, I would want to hear your thoughts on the current situation." The Hegemon interrupted. "You're still a Republic general. One of the better ones my people tell me."

"Am I still a general?" Mundi asked mildly.

"Until we hear from Coruscant you might as well be." Feneti smiled good naturedly.

"If the Queen gives me leave to do so."

"We would hear your words, Jedi Master Mundi."

"While I do lack up to date intelligence, I kept my ears open." Mundi sent a mild jab at all the people in the room who never noticed his presence until he revealed himself. "It's a question of if the Separatists could afford to deploy more forces to crush you. They would inevitably take casualties doing so. Your best bet in the short term is to make defeating you too expensive. The Separatists need to further reduce the industry in the core, especially now that they lost Sull.u.s.t." Mundi grimaced when he mentioned that name. "By now, new construction at Kuat and all lesser shipyards the Republic has left should be online and finishing their shaking up cruises. Barring political complications, the GAR should be counter-attacking the Separatists positions in the Core soon if they haven't done so already. If your forces can cause enough damage to the Separatist fleet attacking Naboo; if Veil succeeds foiling their next attempt to take him out, because after Sull.u.s.t they will have to try, for domestic political reasons if nothing else, then your odds will be decent to good."

"We thank you for your insight, General Mundi. Take the Jedi Master to his new accommodations." The Queen ordered.

"Are you really going to listen to a traitor?" Zurch sneered.

"His guilt is unproven." Feneti sneered back. "His advice is sound and that is more than could be said about you. Where do your loyalties lie, Zurch? What are you still doing here? You made your views of the Alliance painfully clear."

Neeyutnee's headache grew in magnitude. Those two were at it again. Lately she felt like she has been acting more akin to a school teacher for a particularly problematic group of children with very powerful parents.

"Just one question if I may be so bold?" Adi-Mundi asked when the security people began to escort him out.

"You may ask." The Queen was quick to accommodate him. Anything to stop that worm Zurch and the Hegemon from bickering.

"Was general Veil authorized to do what he did at Sull.u.s.t or did he do it by his own volition? I don't mean the way he wrecked their industry, because I doubt he would have sacrificed the Freedom that way if she was salvageable. He could have reached the same death toll and devastated those moons conventionally too if he so d.e.s.i.r.ed. The same goes for announcing the alliance in such a way."

The ever constant bickering between Neeyutnee's guests and sometimes allies paused and they actually began paying attention to what the Jedi was saying.

"Not by us!" A CEO exclaimed.

"Didn't we? Oh. We didn't order the General to announce the formation of our Alliance." The Queen pointed out. "We knew Veil went to reduce as much of Sull.u.s.t's industry as possible. The same was true for Admirals Tigellinus at Sanrafsix and Tarkin at Enarc. Did we stop to think what that would mean for everyone working at the places they would target? About the people living in range of orbital bombardment?" She should have. She really didn't. Neeyutnee saw a way to relieve the pressure on Naboo, perhaps secure it for good and she jumped at the chance. How many of the people in the room did the same? How many of them would ever admit it in public?

"Is he yours to command?" Mundi asked over his shoulder while walking away surrounded by SRF people.

That gave everyone pause. Veil was a head of state in his own right. A Republic general too. While he did pledge his support to the Alliance, the fleet under his command too, legally speaking he wasn't bound to obey any directives coming from them. Oh, politically they might have leverage to... guide his actions. If the Alliance survived. She shouldn't forget where the proposition for this whole mess came from. Eriadu was aligned with Veil. They had some kind of deal and she wasn't naïve enough to believe that anyone currently in the system bar Tarkin knew all the details and he wouldn't be telling them everything.

What did they get themselves into? Could they disavow Veil's actions at Sull.u.s.t? Neeyutnee knew that she could. Technically. With the mood of her people being overly militaristic and vengeful... Her headache spread making her whole head throb in a very unpleasant manner. If she didn't openly support Veil she might find her political support vanishing. It was unlikely she would survive as a Queen if she did so. He viable potential replacements... if she was charitable Neeyutnee would describe them as not the best for Naboo. Most of them were warmongering populists full with vitrol and hatred for the Confederacy. She was afraid where they would lead her people.

To be honest, she was terrified where those same people demanded she led them even when she was able to somewhat temper their emotions with reason. She was their servant. She had to listen to them, even if she personally didn't wholeheartedly agree. There was still a pacifistic streak left in her despite everything that happened. Neeyutnee hated what she had to do. Yet she hated the Separatists for what they did to her people and world. At least she was able to hold onto her morals and that was more than could be said for some unsavoury elements who managed to get themselves elected to replace people dead or broken by the consequent crises hitting Naboo.

Neeyutnee didn't have an acceptable alternative. She had to support Veil. Her people wouldn't accept anything less. He saved them twice already. She only hoped that doing so wouldn't doom Naboo.

"We can hide behind useless platitudes. Or we can admit the truth. When we formed the Mid-Rim Alliance, we cut a deal with a Sith. For all intents and purposes we handed him our armed forces and agreed that he should prosecute the war against the Separatists as he sees fit as long as his actions serve one overreaching purpose – force them enemy to back off from our worlds. Some of you were reluctant to do so yet you agreed. After Geonosis and Crimson we all knew that General Veil is a ruthless man. We know for a fact that some of you saw that as a feature. He's the kind of man who would do whatever it takes to make the monsters running the Confederacy pause and think twice about attacking us. Sull.u.s.t proved a point – there are consequences for their actions." Queen Neeyutnee steeled herself. What she was doing, it fled in the face of tradition. It might very well be the final death knell of the old Naboo that has been dying ever since Blue Shadow poisoned her world. The real harm of that weapon wasn't physical. It was what it did to the heats and minds of her people. "We wholeheartedly support General Veil's actions at Sull.u.s.t. They were a measured response to the Separatist atrocities committed on Naboo. They are a declaration, that when the Separatists attempt to burn our worlds, poison them and our people, we will respond in kind. Can any of you do anything less for the people you are responsible for?"

"Not really." Feneti clapped. "Nice little speech, your majesty. You're right. We have to support Veil. I certainly do if for no other reason that if we condemn him, we would be declaring an open season for our own worlds. If we don't back him up to the hilt, the Separatists will know beyond shadow of a doubt that they are free to do whatever they feel like it to our worlds and people and there will be no consequences they care about. We aren't facing people of high ideals and morals. We're fighting against a pack of power-hungry opportunists who hasn't suffered an iota in this war before Veil arrived. There is only one language people like that understand or respect."

The arguing continued for hours. By the end of it, Neeyutnee felt like she wanted to curl into a dark corner and die from the headaches. At least enough of them agreed to officially endorse Veil's actions. The Mid-Rim Alliance wasn't going to die in the cradle. Not yet at least.

She only hoped it was going to be worth it in the end.

=RK=

AN: Reading about the Neimoidians on the wiki makes for some fascinating horror stories. How the hell didn't the Jedi and Republic step up to do something about it I would never know. The same goes for the people running the Trade Federation. By the time of the Naboo Crisis they did have their own droid army and navy. Perhaps fear of a Republic intervention when they weren't strong enough to handle it alone?

Part 2

=RK=

Trade Federation Enclave

Raxus

An opulent stand towered over a large plaza built near the ocean. In the shade, Trest Ilroth stood proudly before his guests as they reviewed a military parade. Colourful banners fluttered in the cool breeze and crowds of Confederate citizens cheered on.

Tens of thousands of Neimoidian soldiers marched in precise formations. There were whole battalions clad in the finest armour money could buy and armed with powerful if often illegal weaponry. Next came the armour. First APCs and AFVs followed by tank regiments. All were upgraded to be state of the art. This parade was merely a symbol, a small part of an army Ilroth was still busy building. It had a dual purpose – the first was practical one. The Confederacy needed all the soldiers it could get.

The second, was much more important to Trest. After the Naboo crisis when his predecessor was defeated, the reputation of the Neimoidian people across the galaxy hit a historical low. His people has always been seen in a negative light, for admittedly real reasons. Their homeworld was a hell-hole. The way they were raised if it could be called that was a skewered natural selection. Even those who were chosen for a higher position and thus got enough food during their first seven hellish years as grub lavas were left scared by the experience. The partial hive-mind of their species only made that much, much worse. It was no surprise that anyone who could fled as soon as they could. Their so called culture explained why his people in general had little regard for others. The greed they were accused of, well it was real, but that was simply an expression of the need to acc.u.mulate enough resources to feel that they now had enough, that they were finally safe from starvation and privation. A need that could never be fully satisfied. Trest knew that very well – he achieved the highest position one of his kind could hope for, had close to divine status within the Neimoidians in the Trade Federation as far as obedience to his order went, yet it simply wasn't enough. He knew his d.e.s.i.r.es were unreasonable. Ilroth was aware what drove them – it was the influence of his people through their hive-mind that created a vicious circle that fed upon itself.

In theory that was a good thing. That's why the madmen and women back on the homeworld persisted in their insane culture. It was supposed to ensure the survival of the fittest. Those that had them in them to fight for survival. Even if his personal situation was better, the hive-mind ensured he remembered his clutch-mates fates. For the first seven formative years of their lives they were kept together, given not enough food so they had to fight and hoard to survive. The weakest were weeded out. The "best" ran as soon as they could and the rest were consigned to a wretched existence toiling in the spawning hives of the homeworld. He knew of real horror stories from overseers setting to work on the same job with the incentive being the successful one being allowed to eat the losers. Such madness was common enough on the homeworld. It warped even the lucky ones who managed to get away.

The majority of his people were too rigid, often incapable of making most important decisions without direction from above. That combined with the odd hive-mind they had going on could incapacitate them wholesale if their leader was removed. That's how Ilroth got the job in the first place. He was the most suitable candidate at the right place and the Trade Federation couldn't be left dysfunctional in the middle of the war.

A procession of missile launchers was passing by now. Their armament was an upgrade of that used back on Geonosis during the first battle of the war, however the platforms carrying it were sensible, not those odd contraptions used by Poggle's people.

What Trest saw below, gave him hope. Not only for victory, because despite some unpleasant setbacks the war was going better than anticipated. That would be discussed after the parade.

The army, this army, was his. With it, Ilroth hoped to shape the galaxy's perception of his people for the better. When they finally defeated the Republic, he was going to unleash it upon his homeworld and change it for the better, with fire and blood if that was what it took. To do that, he had to break the Republic.

The Republic. Ilroth sneered at the thought about that corrupt dysfunctional organization. Where was the Republic when his clutch-mates had to eat each other or stave? Where were the Jedi and their high ideals when that was a matter of course on a Republic world, not some forgotten hell-hole in the Outer Rim?!

All the Republic had ever done was its best to break the Trade Federation and the Neimoidian people who saw it as their best chance to escape hell. It was the Senate's unreasonable taxation laws that drove his predecessor in the hands of the Sith out of desperation. That was the real reason for the invasion of Naboo.

Ilroth loathed the Republic with a passion he rivalled his hatred of the people who shaped his species culture into the madness it was in the first place. He was going to change it. One way or another. Even if it killed him or the Confederacy lost the war. He had plans in place if something happened to him.

Trest let those unpleasant thoughts fade and enjoyed the parade. Soon enough he'll have to deal with the disaster that was Sull.u.s.t and that damnable Sith, Veil. Why couldn't that man finally just die?! What would it take?!

At least the bastard gave Shadowfeed enough ammo to run wild for weeks and Resa rose up to the occasion. That Twi'lek was a woman on a mission and she didn't even had to demonise Veil, he did that himself in his own in-imitable fashion. Who turns a gas giant into a kriffing star to destroy its moons and their industry?!

That man had to die. At the worst he had to be contained somehow. That was one of the reason Trest's colleagues were here. The parade was merely an excuse to meet away from Raxulon City and the eyes and ears of the Senate so they could get some actual work done before figuring the best way of presenting the new course of action to the people who supposedly ran the Confederacy. As if the Council was insane enough to let the Senate has real power. They all knew how that ended up for the Republic. The events on Coruscant were a literal divine intervention and worth a lot of laughs at the Republic's expense.

Finally, the parade was coming to a close. Last came the most controversial formation within Trest's army. Those were people hand-picked by individuals of the same mind as himself, those he could locate through the hive-mind before some enterprising rivals could dispose of them as a way to advance themselves. Only Trest's position and relative control that gave him allowed him to survive as long as he could given his true sentiments. In a sense it was almost easy – all he had to do was push the hatred he had for the Republic and the need to excel to achieve his goals to succeed, especially since the Naboo fiasco.

The group of soldiers marching below were all volunteers. They were augmented in such a manner to rival Grievous as cyborgs. Many didn't survive the process or went insane after losing so much of themselves. The cybernetic technology available to the Trade Federation was relatively crude, very crude when compared to what the Techno Union could make, however Ilroth simply couldn't trust his colleagues with that particular project. Those soldiers were one of his contingency plans. They would be taking over his personal protection as much more reliable than the droids that currently made it. Coincidentally, that would mean much less surveillance that he might be subjected to. Who knew who the supposedly loyal droids might be made to report to even if his personal guard was exclusively built and maintained by his own people?

=RK=

Part 3

=RK=

Secure conference room

Trade Federation Enclave

Raxus

After the parade was done with, Ilroth retired along with his guests – remaining members of the Triumvirate. They settled themselves in sinfully comfortable chairs around a table with in built holo-tank and got their favourite drinks while security sealed the room and activated the jammers.

"Sull.u.s.t's going to be expensive." San Hill complained.

He should know. As the Chairman of the Intergalactic Banking Clans supporting the Confederation among other things he was the de-facto Financial Minister.

"Further industrial disruption." Kleo Vombra sullenly admitted. He looked at the holo-tank and it activated.

Huh. Upgrades, Trest thought. Outwardly the cyborg didn't look any different but this wireless capability wasn't something he displayed before. The Techno Union people got the nicest toys! The envy burned a lot.

Graphs scrolled down a transparent window. Beside it hovered a galactic map with various sectors blinking orange and amber displaying where a lot of Sull.u.s.t's industrial output went.

"We'll have to expedite the industrial expansion across various secondary hubs, pour more money to further stimulate the economy and further cut on certain consumer goods to make up for the loss. I estimate we could have it covered in three to six months without unacceptable delay in starship construction." The cyborg outlined his plan.

It might work. Trest carefully examined the graphs. It was going to be damn expensive but it was feasible. There might be a hit with the public, however Veil's actions might be the panacea there – any hardship could be explained as a necessary one if they were to be protected from more atrocities like Sull.u.s.t. Perhaps a call to Resa was in order once they were done here. Shadowfeed would know how to spin it best.

"We're going to do it. I can find the money and we have more raw resources than we know what to do with." San Hill scowled at the images.

That much was true. With the capture of so much territory and the GAR often refusing to stand and fight, a lot of mining facilities were taken intact. Now the CIS had access to all the rare elements that were traditionally one of the big bottlenecks in warship construction. In fact they had access or potential access to more resources than their industrial base could utilize. Even with a constant expansion going on it was often a trade off – would they build more industry or use the existing one to build the weapons they needed to win the war? The biggest boon of the offensive, besides the control of the Corellian system was denying the Republic the resources of most of the galaxy. Insider estimates told an unpleasant story – the enemy still had a larger industrial base. Fortunately they no longer had the unrestricted access to resources that would allow them to use it to its full potential. The Republic had the opposite problem compared to the Confederacy, they did have the industry in place but lacked the resources to use it at a hundred percent.

That's why the destruction at Sull.u.s.t hurt – that system used to produce a lot of heavy industrial and most of it went into further expanding the CIS industrial base. The loss, while painful wasn't going to change the equations in the short to medium term. In the long term it would give the Republic a slight strategic advantage. However, by that time the war was likely to be decided one way or another.

"That still leaves this Mid-Rim Alliance. What are we going to do about them?" Trest started the ball rolling.

"The military gave me two viable plans if we don't want to escalate." Vombra looked at the holo-tank again and it blinked to display a zoomed in section of the galaxy covering Eriadu, Naboo and the perceived borders of the alliance. "We still have significant forces in the area. While Malastare fell to the Republic at the same time Sull.u.s.t happened, our forces repulsed an enemy incursion at Sanrafsix while only losing a moderate amount of sh.i.p.s and a low amount of the industry there. Then our navy proceeded to counter-attack at Naboo. That battle is still ongoing. The other large naval formations we have in those sectors are converging on Eriadu. They will attack in six hours unless we countermand them."

"Any reason to do so?" Hill sipped his wine and asked.

"Veil is expected to arrive there before our forces could properly concentrate. Intelligence isn't sure what assets Eriadu has called on from its allied systems. They did suffer a lot of casualties during the offensive, however they've been completing their construction cycles after forces were repulsed. That accounts for some of the sh.i.p.s Veil used on Naboo. We might not have the assets in place to score a decisive victory at Eriadu. The same might be true for Naboo. It's going to be a close call."

"What else can we do? We can't have Veil running around with a large fleet. He tends to kriff us over when he does." Trest grimaced.

"That's one of the options. Pull back, reinforce our choke-points on the trade lanes and contain that Alliance of theirs until the war is decided in the core. That problem has some glaring problems – the enemy isn't just going to sit and wait. Besides, Veil shouldn't have been able to get to Eriadu from Naboo the way he did. Our best estimates is that he used his abilities to figure out a hyperspace route outside traditional lanes. My people estimates that doing so isn't guaranteed to work. However, everything in the galaxy is constantly in motion. Veil finding out a temporal route that would allow him to get a fleet out of the pocket if we go for containment is feasible." The cyborg sounded disgusted by the implications.

"That's certainly useful. Can we reproduce it using technology?" Trest perked up. If they had a way to strike deeper in the Core without having to directly clash with the Republic fleet covering the hyper-lanes... The possibilities were staggering.

"Feasible. In theory. Advances in miniaturizing hyperdrives and making them somewhat economical would be the key. However, we're looking at hundreds of thousands of dedicated hyperspace capable sensor platforms for every single sector of space. Each would need relatively expensive active sensors that would make them obvious to anyone who is looking and we'll need them permanently in place to gather data so we could attempt to predict when feasible routes for hyperspace insertion would form. Space is big." Vombra deadpanned.

"Not practical at all. Perhaps..." Hill thought. "Can we make just a few batches to use in the Core without compromising the naval build-up? A single successful deep strike might pay for itself."

"It's a risk at best. There is no guarantee that a route would open in the first place. Nor that we would be able to go over the vast amounts of data in time to mount a successful operation if it does. I'll have to calculate the odds before giving a definitive answer if we should seriously consider something like that." Vombra answered.

"Please do so. So that's are our options? Try to contain the Alliance or go for the kill?" Hill inquired.

"Yes." The cyborg flatly responded. "The military is favouring the second approach. Even if the Alliance and the Sith survive, our offensive should cause enough damage to de-fang them for the time being. We can go on with containment anyway. The SDFs on our worlds along the hyper-lanes. should be able to handle incursions from a depleted enemy forces. We might win anyway. What the military is afraid of is letting Veil dictate the initiative and terms of engagement. Then he might be able to break out of Alliance space and cause even more damage. What we can't afford to do is send any meaningful reinforcements in that region. We've got Republic naval units that went to ground all over the place and need forces in place to protect against them. The Hutts are supposed to be friendly business partners but we need more units to keep them honest. There's the Core, where we're busy sending every spare ship and the campaign in the eastern part of the galaxy bogged down. If we continue our offensives there we're liable to take unacceptable damage against fixed defences bolstered by SDFs and Republic naval elements."

"That's my understanding as well." Trest sighed in frustration. The simple truth was that the grand offensive ran out of steam after achieving successes beyond any expectations. The logistics train of the Confederacy was strained, there was a very long list of damaged sh.i.p.s needing repairs and a big part of the Navy was concentrating in the Core and digging in for an inevitable Republic counter attack.

If the Confederacy could weather it while suffering acceptable casualties, that would buy them time for the next major construction cycle to get completed. Everyone estimated that it was going to decide the outcome of the war – there were a lot of new and upgraded powerful sh.i.p.s just being laid down across every Confederate shipyard. Once complete, they might be enough to break deeper in the Core. Either finish crippling Kuat's industry or isolating that world while striking lesser industrial centres, perhaps even Coruscant. For a month or two the CIS was going to have another window of opportunity before the enemy got their own major construction cycle completed. Causing enough damage in that period of time would either finally shatter the Republic or give the Confederacy the strategic advantage it needed to win the war. And this time they weren't going to squander it as the previous leadership did at the beginning of the conflict because of the Sith.

"I hope we'll be finally able to get rid ourselves of that Sith." Trest grumbled.

"We do have Jedi allies. Why don't we send them against him?" Hill asked.

"Oh, their leader is willing. Before the Freedom was destroyed it wasn't really feasible and now... As I understand it its more strategically viable to have them build up their numbers in preparation for our next offensive. Unless Veil could be compelled to go to fight on the ground, their skills are less useful in countering him." Trest explained.

Veil did kill Perrion's wife after all. However, they shouldn't let the Sith blind them of the real prise. Once the Republic was dealt a death blow they could hunt him down as the mad dog he was.

"What's next on the agenda?" Trest inquired.

"Domestic issues." Vombra was clearly displeased with that part. "We need to increase recruitment to bolster our numbers. Setting up production lines for more capable droids is proceeding on schedule, however we could build a lesser absolute number in any given period of time. While they will be a significant jump in capabilities, easily to go toe to toe with the new equipment fielded by the enemy, having more troops would be very useful. We in the Techno Union have... qualms in further updating the droids' software or proceeding with large scale implementation of the current upgrades among the rank and file. Two words: Droid Rebellion."

Both Ilroth and Hill winced.

"We're proceeding with those upgrades anyway, I understand? Despite the danger?" San asked warily.

"Sull.u.s.t. It was a fully upgraded and updated droid led fleet that almost took out Veil. They're our best counter-measure to his abilities. We don't have the capacity to upgrade the bulk of our fleets and ground forces anyway. However, we're going to need a solid force to throw at the Sith and the Republic in the Core. We'll use them and attrition would ensure there won't be a large enough force left to be an issue. We're taking precautions with the programming of the new droids as well as their networking capabilities. They should stay loyal no matter what. I'm more concerned about those we're upgrading in the first place. The older models needs those advantages to remain a viable threat to the enemy and we aren't a position to let them be as they are."

"I hope you are right." Trest muttered. He was going to increase his organic guards numbers more than he already intended. Perhaps he should offer some to Hill? Vombra... if anyone was prepared to deal with any droids with delusions of grandeur that was the Techno Union. Ilroth hoped so at least.

"What are we going to do if you are wrong, Kleo?" Hill asked.

"Then we will have a problem."

"We need a plan if our upgrade efforts backfire." Trest looked thoughtfully at the map of the Alliance. He used the map controls to zoom it out and call a close in image of the Core.

Before the grand offensive, the strategic situation was painfully clear – the Confederacy needed to reduce as much of the Republic industry as possible or they would face a defeat in a few years no matter what they did. Nowadays, it wasn't as clear cut. The enemy had more industry still, the Confederacy more resources. In theory time actually worked in their favour now, though in practice that wasn't necessary the case. The Confederacy didn't have the time or industry to properly utilize all those resources. If they got a breather while keeping the Republic contained in the Core...

"I have the beginning of an idea..." Trest smiled. The danger pointed out by Vombra was unsettling. However, there might be a way to make it less of a disaster and something resembling an opportunity...

=RK=

Part 4

=RK=

Senator Amidala's office

Senate building

Coruscant

"Admiral Coburn, prepare your ground forces for deployment if the situation down here goes out of hand." Obi-Wan told the holo image of the ageing Flag Officer.

"My people are ready. However, I would very much prefer not to use them."

"We can all agree on that at least." Mon Mothma muttered the only sentiment they all shared.

The Senate was under siege. Coruscant's security forces augmented by two regiments of military police clashed with vast crowds of protesters who as often as not fought among themselves. So far the security cordon held. The Senate itself did nothing but throw fuel into the flames. The rhetoric grew more and more vicious during hours long session they just managed to escape for a short recess. A loto f people blamed everything that happened to the Republic on Veil along with the Jedi. They wanted someone to take the blame and redirect the public's attention from the still continuing broadcasts from Palpatine's dead man's switch. Security managed to locate and shut down various servers where the broadcasts originated from, however security measures, including combat droids were able to slag all data cores.

The daily revelations continued along with accusations that the authorities, what was left of them anyway, were attempting to suppress the truth. That was bad enough. Veil's acts at Sull.u.s.t – they made Coruscant erupt. Obi-Wan had to order the Clones on the street in force. The ground component on board Coruscant's own defence fleet was already on the ground along with a significant portion of Yularen's people. Kenobi kept Coburn's own Clones in reserve and they might be needed sooner rather than later. He had to order a rush deployment of the green armies raised on Anaxes, because they were the only ones ready right now. A few more weeks and there would be at least thirty million more soldiers ready for deployment.

Coruscant didn't have weeks. The Republic was falling apart around them and the Senators were busy slinging accusations at each other. Obi-Wan had to break the law to be sure what really was happening. He ordered what Military Intelligence people he had on the planet to tap the communications coming to and from the Senators. Those intercepts were enlightening – Minister Praji was right. The great majority of Senators had beskar clad instructions from home. They were not to vote in a Chancellor who wouldn't be aligned with their interests. With the Senate as divided as it was that meant the chance of successful vote was virtually nil. There was no candidate that people might agree on.

"We need a solution. I've been in talks with my colleagues. The Republic bureaucracy is at the breaking point." Praji informed them. "That was before this madness. At this point I'm loath it to admit it but the Republic simply isn't working."

"We need a legally elected Chancellor if the Clones are to follow orders as before. We'll need years to fully replace them with volunteers and that's not getting into the political cost when casualties by the hundreds of thousands if not millions begin coming home." Obi-Wan couldn't hold his frustration at bay. The Clones were people too! Brainwashed, indoctrinated, left without any real choice. None of that changed the fact that they still fought and died for a Republic that largely didn't care about them. If the Separatists actions weren't so loathsome, Obi-Wan might have begun to think they had the right idea about the Republic.

He was already beginning to reluctantly agree with them that the Republic was a dysfunctional corrupt mess. By design no less!

"We need Kuat and the Clones. Everything else..." Yularen struggled with what he was attempting to say. For him, Obi-Wan and Coburn was especially hard. They all had served the Republic for decades at this point.

"If I didn't know better... No. I don't know better." Obi-Wan whispered. He walked around Padme's desk where she was leaning on it, and looked out of the window. Gunsh.i.p.s flew above the Senate in formation and an Acclamator hovered ominously above. The crowds below didn't care. At least they lacked easy access on foot and the airspace was locked tight.

"What do you mean?" Organa asked absent-mindedly. He was busy checking something on a data-pad.

"The Sith, perhaps Veil included, couldn't have done this better if they planned it in an excruciating detail. They've won!" Obi-Wan spat in frustration. He turned to face the gathered Senators, military officers and Republic bureaucrats. "They've won. The Republic is dying around us and the only options any of you can give me is likely to get it destroyed for good!"

"You have doubts about your brother-in-law?" Yularen asked.

"Always. He is a Sith. If somewhat sane one."

"At least he's on our side." Satine pointed out.

"Sometimes I wonder." Obi-Wan admitted. "If that's what means to have him as an ally I certainly don't wan him as an enemy." Kenobi remembered that time on Mandalore. If he had acted as a Jedi should, he would have died fighting the Sith. He knew that for a fact. Obi-Wan would have lost. Instead, he chose to continue living along Satine and align himself with Veil so he could attempt to mitigate any damage that infuriating man could cause.

The doubt was back. Did Veil know Palpatine was a Sith? Did they work together since the beginning? Did they play everyone for fools? That was certainly a possibility. It was also possible that the Jedi had been too arrogant and blind to see what was under their noses. Palpatine might have simply hidden his true nature to avoid persecution, while he went for power the legal way. Or as legal as things got on that level of politics on Coruscant. Either option was possible.

There was no proof! Was Palpatine so good as to play everyone for fools? Obi-Wan might never know. He could see a frustrated man tired of bashing his head against the Senate making alliances to circ.u.mvent them and gain more power. The past month of constantly directly dealing with them certainly made such an option bloody tempting and Obi-Wan was a Jedi!

"We have about twenty minutes or so." Bail put down his data-pad. "I would be very much surprised if there's any change when we go back."

"That bad?" Yularen sounded incredulous.

"That's what my contacts just told me." Organa shrugged glumly.

"Obi-Wan, it's your call." Padme looked at him imploringly. "You are our best and last hope."

"Do you really think I would get enough votes even with all of you backing me?" Kenobi looked at everyone in turn.

"Potentially. If you make a deal with Kuat." Coburn said. "It's plain to see that her Senator can't get enough support. It will be even more imperative to make a deal if this scheme fails. Then we'll have to do something regrettable."

"Admiral Coburn, please establish a secure connection to Kuat. We all will talk with Sonar Kuat right now." Obi-Wan said.

Kenobi closed his eyes for a few seconds and began a few quick meditative exercises to centre and calm himself. He needed to be at his best now. If somehow everything worked as intended, he would be a dictator in all but name shortly. After that he would have to... There were no easy or simple answers. Another such crisis couldn't be allowed to happen if he was killed. He might have to break the Republic in order to save it. And if the plan didn't pan out... The few viable alternatives they came with would be worse.

It took five minutes to get Kuat on the comm. Time was running out. For Obi-Wan and for the Republic.

=RK=

Interlude: Historical Notes

=RK=

"Today marks one thousand years since the Ruusan Reformation that reshaped the galaxy. For almost a full millennium that reform ensured peace and prosperity across the galaxy. It also planted the seeds of the storm that would tear the Republic apart.

The two most important reforms made by Chancellor Tarsus Valorum are often cited as both his greatest achievement and gravest mistake. First was the dissolution of the Army of Light that left the Republic without a standing military of its own. The second was an attempt for a decentralization of power from the hands of the Chancellor, something Valorum could achieve in the first place because of the power he could legally wield. He attempted to diminish the power concentrated in the hands of the Chacnellor and the stranglehold the Core Worlds held over the Senate.

He succeeded in the first and was moderately successful in the second, at best. Valorum's political goals were aimed at reducing corruption and the power wielded by the most powerful Core Sectors. For a time his reformation did succeed in the former. The latter however...

The Ruusan Reformation saw a titanic shift in the way representation in the Senate worked. From the millions of small sectors that existed previously, Valorum's reforms saw them consolidate into 1024 much larger conglomerations and each of them got a single Senator to represent them. That's where his failure becomes obvious – the most powerful Core systems got a Senator representative of their own giving them unique political power. That was not all – many sectors surrounding those systems were often under the political, economic, cultural and often military orbit of those powerful systems. The consequence was immediate and logical – the new Senate was divided into various power blocks, which practically lightly diminished the power the Core Worlds enjoyed before the Reform. Other Senatorial slots were granted for species types, cultural entities and centuries later – economic powers like the Trade Federation thus ultimately subverting the Reform and giving the Core Worlds a practical majority in the Senate.

To this day, the Ruusan Reformation is praised as the dawn of a Golder Age for the Republic, the likes of which this galaxy hasn't seen in the past. A thousand years of peace and prosperity. Even with the consequences plain to see, its hard to argue that the Reformation was a bad thing... at least for those who lived during the last years of that era. Certainly its not fair to blame Chancellor Tarsus Valorum and Ruusan for the unforeseen consequences of their actions.

Many of the people born after the end of the Golden Age tend to disagree. They never experienced the benefits and had to live in the aftermath. The Clone Wars and the conflicts that followed shaped generations very different from their ancestors..."

"The Dusk of a Golden Age:

A thousand years after the Ruusan Reformation"

A GNN doc.u.mentary

=RK=

Part 5

Senator Amidala's office

Senate building

Coruscant

Obi-Wan carefully examined Onara Kuat as they got the pleasantries out-of-the-way. She hid her very good, but below her severe and aloof façade she was tired. To his Force enhanced senses that much was obvious despite carefully put on make-up that made her appear radiant.

"General Kenobi, I can't say I expected a call from you of all people. How can Kuat help you?" Onara smiled pleasantly.

"The Senate is still in a deadlock. Even with our support," Obi-Wan gestured to the gathered people, most of whom were out of the camera's range, "your representative lacks the votes. Too many governments are afraid of further empowering Kuat."

"It can't be helped. After your soldiers turned on Corellia we are the one unshakable pillar the Republic has left." Onara narrowed her eyes at Kenobi. "You still hadn't retaken complete control over your Clones, haven't you?"

This dancing around the issue was a pain, even if Obi-Wan was accustomed to it. He did earn his moniker after all. At least he didn't have to like it. Kenobi declined to play the blaming game. Kuat could have saved Corellia and thus perhaps the Republic. Instead, it was Onara's cold blooded calculus that held back the Kuati navy and left their biggest rival fall.

"We need a capable Chancellor in place. Now." Obi-Wan forged through.

"That we do." Onara simply noted letting out nothing else.

"I will put my name forward in the next session and I ask for Kuat's support. I do have a reasonable odds as a compromise candidate." Obi-Wan put his cards on the table.

"A former Jedi." Onara pointed out. "Not good odds."

"Better than most." Kenobi countered. "We all have certain problems in common, Director Kuat. I offer solutions."

"What problems do I have, general?" Onara showed a hint of amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Senator Danu and his patron, Kuat of Kuat, agendas. They want to reform the Kuati government and they do have an increasing support base. You attempted to recall Danu when he began to covertly support the Jedi in the Senate after Mandalore."

"You've done your homework, I see. Danu does want an independent Kuat. He wants to diminish the power held by the Chancellor too and that is a blade that cuts both ways." Onara allowed.

Obi-Wan knew that very well. It was one of the primary reasons why his own allies supported the man in the first place. Danu might be the only one who could be trusted with the power Palpatine concentrated in the position of Chancellor.

Most Senators didn't see it that way. Danu's stance alienated some of Palpatine's supporters, who wanted a powerful, friendly Chancellor so they could have an easier way of following their agendas. Most others saw his official stance as an illusion meant for the public. The same was true for those who suspected of the domestic troubles on Kuat. For most of the Senators, the thought of walking away of so much power was simply unthinkable and even if they could conceive of someone being willing to let it go... The next Chancellor was going to need the power invested in the office if they were to prosecute the war and have the Republic work. The current deadlock ill.u.s.trated what would happen if everything went back as it was during Valorum's time. A single Senator using procedures could trivially deadlock the place for weeks or even months.

Obi-Wan swallowed bile at the thought of what he was going to imply, perhaps go on with in the future. The Jedi in him screamed. His conscience too. The general who was responsible for the well-being of billions of soldiers and the trillions of Republic citizens had to consider the bigger picture. Was it so easy to damn oneself, he wondered?

"If you support me, I can assure you, Senator Danu won't be a problem." Kenobi said it and thus made a choice that he could never do as a Jedi. He felt a part of him shrivel. Was that how Veil fell? A small, necessary no matter how distasteful or illegal step at a time?

Now, that took Onara aback. The visual clues were almost non-existent – a mere brief widening of her eyes.

"Ah. Interesting. However, Kuat would require more than just such an assurance."

"I know. What do you want, Director Kuat? A guarantee that Kuat Drive Yards will continue to be the GAR's primary source of sh.i.p.s, the main centre of maintenance for the Republic navy after the war? Contracts to help rebuild the military to a higher standard so something like this conflict could never happen again? A preferential tax exemptions?" Obi-Wan asked. What he suggested would be the b.a.r.e minimum Kuat would demand and he would pay any reasonable price. The alternative would be worse.

"A good opening position, general. I do have a few additions. I would require guarantees as well. Suitable positions of people I trust in the government for example..."

So the bargain began.

The whole exercise left Obi-Wan feeling dirty. They did get to an agreement in the end. For all intents and purposes Kenobi had to sell out the democracy he was sworn to protect. The one cause he had left to believe in after the Council's betrayal and he had to strangle it himself.

"Is this how democracy dies?" Padme asked in a dejected voice. "At least there is no one applauding."

"There will be, if this works." Organ's voice was resigned.

"It better work." Yularen muttered. "Otherwise..." He ominously trailed off.

Satine went to Obi-Wan and drew him into a hug.

"I'm sorry." She whispered quietly. "This was my idea after all."

"Yet I agreed to see it to the end, didn't I?" Obi-Wan muttered.

"We need to go." Organa said after checking the time. "The Senate should be gathering already."