Episode 4 Part 1 – Beachhead
To describe the war launched by Mandalore in detail would exist beyond the complexity possible for my understanding of war and strategy. However, it should be noted a few basic details.
The Mandalorians immediately took control of space stations and outposts along the border of the Sith Empire and the momentum did not look like it would end anytime soon. The Empire offered little to no resistance.
In fact, the Empire offered so little resistance Mandalore purposely ordered all admirals to slow their progress. They looked for ambushes or evidence the Sith were responding by a counter invasion, but there was found no evidence of it. This perplexed everyone involved.
Son and Daughter stayed hidden while Varus and his Ravager was ordered to infiltrate and attack from behind enemy lines. So for the next few months the Ravager would go silent and only be seen on occasion deep in Sith territory. Cahjinawl was admitted to the Ravager and continued her training with Varus.
Koj, Ahsoka, Anakin, and Nihilus were kept on the front lines supervising the progress of the war at different places, along with other Jedi and generals. Nihilus' insight proved valuable, Anakin kept him cooperative and proved a million times more charismatic than the silent, nihilistic, depressing void-Sith, Ahsoka returned to her long forgotten role as a commander, and Koj proved to be a capable leader and skilled tactician of guerrilla warfare.
HK-47 disappeared and was later found being a one-droid army space station as it destroyed every bit of resistance it could find. HK seemingly took no strategic path, but hunted any and all prey it could find. Where the Sith placed ships in that quadrant, HK Forge was inevitably there. HK took nor accepted any orders. It operated freely of its will with the singular goal to make war against any form of resistance.
But in all of this it was oddly quiet. The resistance were local forces. Few, if any, true Sith. No true commanders or generals or Sith Lords. It was eerily quiet so far as wars went and the spies who infiltrated the Sith network found nothing to reveal this perplexing question. No one had fled. No one was fighting back. It was as if the "Sith" of the Sith Empire had disappeared.
And so for the first several months of war, the Mandalorian momentum kept steady.
The first major event came in the form of the Battle of Praxidike, and it would shape the direction of the war.
Ahsoka sat in a chair outside of the conference room. A number of generals and admirals had already entered, but she was waiting to be allowed in. She greeted Kenobi warmly and shook the hand of every Jedi who had come, and took a moment to catch up with the clone commanders. However she still had to wait. She was not given as high a rank in the Mandalorian navy, as an ally, as she did in the Republic navy.
But whatever was going on was big. She had not seen this many officers since the start of the war.
She smiled as she felt the presence of Skywalker approach. She jumped up and gave a hug to her former master. "Fly-guy! It is good to see you!"
"Same to you, Snips. You look like your staying out of trouble." He patted her head, mockingly. She nudged his hand away.
"And you." She looked to Nihilus hiding in his armor. "Enjoying being on a leash?"
Nihilus merely nodded. "A chain to keep me away from others is a prison. A chain to keep others from me is peaceful."
Anakin rolled his eyes. "Dont get him started. He'll spout poetic and philosophy and science for hours... literally without breathing."
Nihilus glanced at him. Even with the helmet Ashoka knew he was disgruntled.
"Sooooo." Ahsoka hummed. She looked around him excitedly. "Where's he?"
Her excitement quickly dimmed at equal pace to Anakin's frown and guilt.
"You never found him?"
"Sorry, Snips. Varus never made it to the rendevous. He is still MIA."
Ahsoka sighed sadly. She struggled to not assume the worst, but it was difficult. They had halted the Force Bond to keep Sith from sensing him. She could only tell at brief moments of deep meditation that he was alive at all. It was a faint whisper on the wind.
Nihilus looked on her sadness and huffed in annoyance. "Well, I, for one, have faith. My apprentice spent his years under me behind enemy lines. He is far more likely to forget a rendevous entirely, than to fail in arriving."
"Awww, that's sweet! You're actually being nice and encouraging!" Anakin teased.
"No, I-" Nihilus looked between their smiling faces. "You are screwing with me, arent you?"
"Yea."
"I am going to kill you one day..."
"Hate you, too, buddy."
They talked a bit more before Skywalker and Nihilus entered the conference room.
More commanders arrived then, who were told to wait as Ashoka did. A short while later, they were allowed entry. Ahsoka politely allowed most of the others to enter first before walking in. She saw Anakin and Koj and made her way to them to sit by them. She briefly saw Nihilus keeping to the far edge.
Anakin and Koj looked deeply concerned. "Something bad?" She asked.
"No. Good. Very good." Anakin replied.
"Too good." Koj added. Anakin nodded in agreement.
"The Sith Emporer disappeared at the start of the war." Anakin explained. "With their government centered around him, they were left with no leadership or organization."
"Explains why there has been no resistance yet." Ahsoka mused.
"The Sith have fallen back to a council, and the Infinite Empire have elected their own stand-in. They are marshalling their defenses, but a week ago a rebellion sparked under Revan, and he had reached out to us yesterday."
Ahsoka gasped. "Revan?" He was still alive?!
"And he has information." Anakin continued.
Ahsoka sat down and furrowed her brows in thought. Revan was reaching out to them. That was certainly good news. Revan was a legend. He would undoubtedly be an older man now. "It is good he managed to stay hidden all this time. He should be a wealth of knowledge." Ahsoka concluded.
"Hmm." Anakin hummed.
"You think otherwise?" Ahsoka wondered.
"Something doesn't feel right. This whole war has felt odd. First the Sith don't put up a fight, now Revan has come out of hiding to reach out to us. The timing cannot be a coincidence."
"Revan is leading a rebellion right?" Ahsoka mused outloud.
Koj nodded. "I agree with you both. This war feels odd. Revan's rebellion could be a reason for that. Yet I would also add caution: The Emperor is not so ambivalent to not be aware of everything. The Sith have a plan. They have been preparing for this war much longer than the Mandalorians have. I think Mandalore recognizes this, hence his slowed pace these days in the campaign."
Mandalore stood and all whispering ceased. "Attention everyone: He is ready and the line is secure. Please keep your peace and speak only if you must."
After a moment he ordered someone to open the line, and the image of Revan appeared on a terminal in the middle of the room. Ahsoka recognized him. His mask was known to everyone of the present age, for that mask had been the face of many wars for generations.
"Greetings to you all," Revan said. "Brave soldiers of the Republic, Systems Alliance, Rebel Alliance, Revanchist, and the Mandalorian Clans. I am Revan, founder and lord of the Revanchist, and I have information that is key to you winning this war."
Revan said, "The Sith Emperor is powerful, immortal, and brilliant, but he is also this way because he is a parasite. His longevity and power has a source... a physical location you can strike. You see..." the image of Revan shrunk to make room for a planet on the same hologram. The planet was volcanic. "He has a factory here that produces immortality through the most vile dark side technique imaginable refined through cold indifference to be automated. It is his greatest secret. And his greatest weakness."
Revan continued, "This planet is also key to his war effort for other reasons. Cloning of Force users and other research..."
Ahsoka felt her heart skip a beat. Was he implying this was where Varus was cloned? The thought only put fire in her heart. The factory had to go.
"As well as a space-time gateway mimicing Infine Empire technology leading directly to the Sith Empire's capital." Revan finished.
The news left the room in stunned silence. The moment did not pass long before there was a flood of whispering and questions being asked one after another.
Anakin personally struggled to breath. This was the key to the whole war. Take away the Emperors immortality and he will be forced to expose himself, to take risks. Also the cloning of Force users was a major problem therorised going into the war, and if they could remove it with a single blow... not to mention a direct line straight to the capital.
It was as if all of the cards to winning the war were being given to him on a silver platter.
"It cannot be this easy." Koj said. "The Emperor is too cunning to make such a mistake."
"Then you will understand why he is there guarding it," Revan replied.
"What?!" Mandalore snapped his head to the hologram. Amakin raised an eyebrow. Didnt Revan tell him everything before revealing it to them? Why was this the first Mandalore had heard of it?
"The Sith Emperor has stationed himself, and his most elite army of Sith Lords, there to guard the planet. To him, this planet is more valuable than all the Empire."
Anakin felt his blood run cold. The Emperor was there? As well as his personal army? He would meet the Emperor already?
Revan turned his attention to Anakin. "If you will engage him, if you will seek a swift decisive end to this war, then I am prepared to back you up. Me, and all the rebels I have under my command."
Mandalore looked from one face to another. He saw their determination. They were soldiers who finally had a clear enemy to fight. Mandalore knew that even were he to go against an invasion of this planet, they would go without his permission.
"All who are willing to strike... who are prepared to face this ancient evil head on, raise your hand."
Ahsoka and Anakin raised their hands. Everyone else did too. Only three in the room did not, among them Koj.
"Then it is decided." Mandalore declared. "Gather your forces. A rendevous point will be decided and a central command will be decided for this campaign. You have two hours to depart. Dismissed."
Everyone stood and left the room. Mandalore stopped Anakin and Nihilis.
"I want you two leading the frontal assault." Mandalore said. "Mostly him."
Nihilis turned his head crooked. "You trust me that much?"
"No. But your tactics from the Mandalorian Wars rival that of Revans. And this battle will be where we lay all of the cards on the table. Minimize loss, but we need results now more than ever."
"I agree on one condition."
Mandalore clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Let me guess. Your apprentice?" Nihilis nodded. "Then I will go through the channels we have left to contact him. But I make no promises. The Ravager missed the last several windows of contact, and is considered MIA."
"Have no fear, Mandalore. My apprentice thrives there." Nihilis said flatly. "If you send the message he will be there. And I will get you the results you want... with minimal losses, as you demand."
"Good. Dismissed."
Amakin and Nihilis left. Nihilis looked to Anakin. "I am surprised you had nothing to say there. Aren't you against the idea?"
Anakin replied, "Yes, but this is why you are here to begin with. Do not forget the truce is the only thing keeping me from sending you where you belong. No point in not allowing the truce to accomplish its intended purpose."
The various branches of the invasion, its admirals and ship captains, coordinated on the time to arrive at Praxidike. Nihilis sent a message to HK and the droid confirmed it would arrive promptly to participate in the "slaughter". There was no word from the Ravager.
The faster and closer ships were ordered to enter Warp at a specified yime, to compensate for slower ships further away. Mandalore wanted everyone to arrive at approximately the same time in waves. The first wave would include scouts, a few major dreadnaughts, and the vessel he was on from where he could survey the area.
They exited warp. Other ships arrived all around them. A quick chechup confirmed everyone had arrived.
"Send out the scouts. Plant mines and satellites. And scan the system. I need to know what we are in for." He ordered. His commanders and advisors stood around him and set to work coordinating efforts with the fleet. He looked to Anakin.
"Sense anything from the planet?"
Anakin scrunched his brow as he focused. "Oddly. No. I dont sense anything nearby."
Nihilis said, "That is because you are drowning in him. Expand your senses. Can you even sense me?"
"I... no." Anakin's eyes widened. "I don't sense you. I don't sense anyone!"
Nihilis looked to Mandalore. "The Emperor is here. Do not expect your Jedi to be of any use for a while. His presence is so vast and overpowering, they are blinded by it." He said to Anakin. "Your senses will adjust."
Anakin felt his knees quake fearfully, but forced it all away. He had never felt so blinded in the Force before. It was like looking directly into the sun after being in the dark. And they had only just entered the system! They were not near the planet yet! Just how powerful was this man?
"Are you scared?" Nihilis asked.
"Yes, but I will overcome this."
"Good. Can't have you getting in my way."
"Sir!" An officer exclaimed. "Live feed coming in!"
"On screen." Mandalore prompted.
A series of planets around a sun appeared via hologram. The sun was a dying star and all of the planets were considered lifeless for one reason or another. Amidst the planets was a fleet of ships. The counter said there was one hundred major vessels and three hundred smaller ones.
"We seem to have found the nest boys." Mandalore declare loudly. "Prepare for battle. Positions have been assigned, go to them. Sync up live feeds."
"That would be your queue." Anakin whispered to Darth Nihilus.
"Yes…" Nihilus gazed at the live feed, searching for something, but unfortunately the Ravager was not in range. HK was arriving far to the eastern flank. Varus was absent and was silent.
Nihilus and Anakin left the ship via transport to another ship from where Nihilus would be taking command. Per his request, an HK-47 droid was present. Anakin was displeased by it, as the droid's actions of late was highly questionable, but kept his tongue. The droid was helping in the war and was a power to be reckoned with.
"HK." Nihilus said. "Have you received the plans?"
"Affirmative."
"How long before you can have it completed?"
"Three days."
Nihilus paused, unsatisfied by this news. "Why so long? You are a ship factory now."
"The Forge was not designed for a ship of the make and model you requested. I have compensated, but the best I can give you is three days."
"What are you two talking about?" Anakin pressed. He glared at Nihilus. Silently he conveyed that Nihilis should not be keeping secrets from him.
Nihilus replied, "Ship designs I requested of HK. Mandalore wants me to prove myself, and so I shall. Few casualties? Maximum results? It is true, Revan was of the few who could rival me in military tactics, but my options are no longer so restrained as before. I consider Mandalore's request to be an amusing challenge to test myself upon. If HK says it will take three days to finish the ships I requested, then three days it is. I will destroy the entire Sith fleet in this system on the fourth day, give us free access to the planet, control of the system… and you will not lose a single ship that day."
"That's a big bluff you are making. Do you truly expect anyone to think you can deliver?"
"Not at all. But I find it is a worthy goal befitting my talents. Allow me the nostalgia of using tactics in war once more. It has been many years since I have tested myself." Nihilus popped his neck. "Now then. What are the numerical odds?"
"Approximately five to one. Shortly when the rest of the fleet arrives it should be three to one." Anakin replied. "If Revan's fleet arrives, then two to one. Against a fleet that is possibly more advanced and has more Force users than we have ever seen in one place."
"Ah, yes…" Nihilus tapped the railing from where he stood. "Reach out with your senses. Are you able to sense them now?"
Anakin focused. "Yes. It is difficult to feel through the thick Dark Side, but there are many of the Sith there ahead of us." He narrowed his eyes. "Among them are… many elites. Some of the elites are one in six bodies? What is this?"
"The Dread Lords. Six in total." Nihilus answered. "Those are the sixt you will have to fear the most. The Dread Lords are a group of Sith Lords who have united in soul and mind. They share a single consciousness, and their power is multiplied six fold."
"That's sick."
"Correction: That's efficient. A unified squad is more efficient than unfocused anarchy." HK countered. "Is there a weakness?"
"Naturally killing one off will devastate them all." Nihilus answered.
"Has it ever happened?"
"Not to my knowledge. And I doubt it. The six I sense are the same as the last time I met them."
"Then we only have to focus our attention on one of them."
"A viable option, but the point I originally wanted to make is that they are so powerful because they all six specialize in force auras. Namely that of fear, madness, insantity, and hallucionation. The moment we enter range our pilots and crew will enter a living nightmare and mass hallucination. They have the power to mind control anyone who fails to resist."
"That is bad." Anakin frowned. He pointed to an officer. "Relay all of this to Mandalore… Is there a way to counter this?"
Nihilus nodded. He had already explained this to Mandalore, but to remind him was no bad thing. "It is a force aura like any other. Powerful, intense, wide, and of the Dark Side."
"Then spreading out our own Force users to push back will keep them at bay." Anakin finished the thought.
"I hate to say this, but we do not have enough… I will have to do it."
"What?"
"I will have to devote my focus to shielding the fleet from them when the battle starts." Nihilus explained.
"And what kind of affect will your Force aura have on them?! It would be worse! Your own presence will have just as much devestation on our fleet as theirs! No, I will do it with Ahsoka and all the Jedi."
"That won't work. Skywalker, if we are to have any hope of winning, we need me on the fourth day. And I can't both keep the Dread Lords at bay and win this battle at the same time. I need you to kill the Dread Lords within the first three days, or at least enough to break them. "
"But that still leaves the problem that your Void presence will bring as much damage to our own fleet through fear as they would." Anakin countered.
HK raised its hand. "If I may offer a solution. Rather than shield the fleet with your energies, in a defensive manner, why not go on the offensive?"
Nihilus tilted his head in thought. "What are you suggesting?"
"Attack the minds of the Dread Lords directly. Force the six of them on the defensive, if they are as you say. You will either overpower them or force them into a stalemate while an infiltration team kills them." HK said. It straightened its stance and seemed to puff out its chest. "I happily volunteer to do it."
"It… it may work." Anakin found himself agreeing with the droid. "You are powerful, but how do you compare to them?" ("No, I really do volunteer, gleefully, even.")
"We are equally matched. I am powerful. Coruscant was proof of that." Anakin grit his teeth at the reminder. "But the Dread Lords are among the Emperor's champions. I believe they are just as capable of destruction on a planetary scale as I am." ("Seriously, I am in. Just give me the word and I will bring you their heads.")
"That does not bode well." Anakin gulped. "But if it you believe you can, then do it from the safety of the deck. I can hide your presence enough that they will have difficulty finding you while you are vulnerable." ("Just say 'go'! I am your droid for the job!")
"I am hardly vulnerable. Need I remind you, I do not need a body?"
Anakin glared at Nihilus. He truly detested the former man. It was true Nihilus did not require a physical shell, but it did make things easier for him. And the fact that they went so far as to give him a body just to convenience him did not sit well with the Jedi. The last thing he wanted to do was defend it and admit he had to have been turning a blind eye to things lately.
Such as having the Sith Lord, Darth Nihilus, destroyer of Coruscant, the Void-Smith, leading an assault fleet of Mandalorian/Republic/Systems Alliance vessels.
Feeling a very human emotion of being left out, HK started to slink away in disappointment. He was not ignored, however. Nihilus said, "HK."
"Yes!" The droid brightened just as quickly.
"I wanted Varus here for this, but it seems I am down one assassin. How would you like to fill his shoes for a day?"
"I thought you would never ask! I only have one question."
"Yes?"
"How many pieces would you like the meatbag in?"
Nihilus chuckled. "I like this droid."
The Sith stayed in formation securing the planet as the invasion fleet entered the system and took up various formations from one direction. The Sith adapted, moving vessels and shifting their own formation, but they never left a single corner of the barricade unguarded. Nihilus ordered his own vessel to slowly move closer and to retreat the moment he felt one of the Dread Lords reach out to them.
"Measure the distance between us and that ship and add another thousand kilometers. I want no vessel to go any closer than this." He ordered. He said to Anakin and Mandalore via live feed. "This is the reach of the Dread Lords."
The invasion fleet ran through a series of formations and positions without ever getting closer. Each time the Dread Lords sent vessels to adapt, but the majority of the defense fleet never changed formation.
The officers and soldiers of the invasion fleet were tense and ready, while Nihilus was patient. He sensed Skywalker's impatience that nothing was happening.
"What are you doing?" Anakin questioned.
"Testing them." Nihilus answered.
Once more he ordered a formation change. Everone complied and the fleet moved back and forth. The entire invasion fleet moved to one group and the Dread Lord moved the majority of their fleet to that side of the planet.
"This isnt chess. This is real life."
"Yes and no. This is merely extremely advanced chess."
"And we dont have days to get the ball rolling. Your eternal patience will have to wait. Rush it."
Nihilus eyed him in annoyance. He sighed. "As you wish. There is one last test I wish for. HK. Send one of your weaker droids at them. Monitor it to see if it is affected by the Dread Lords."
HK did as ordered. A fighter from the Forge flew at the fleet before being blown up. HK said, "Confirmation: the meatbags reached for me, and touched my energies, but their mind tricks had no affect."
Nihilus nodded. "Good. Good." He bent over the holographic table and started moving pieces around on the board. After a time he stood and broadcasted the plan to the fleet.
Anakin looked over the plan in surprise. "This is it?"
"Yes."
"All this does is keep us in a stalemate!"
"Yes, it does. Now everyone follow it and begin!"
The fleet took up a wide formation one row deep and inched its way towards the Sith Fleet. The invaders stopped just outside the Dread Lords range. The Dread Lords sent ships out, but the invaders pulled back. Then they returned, the Dread Lords reached out, and again the fleet pulled back.
"Wait for it..." Nihilus reminded them.
Once more they did it and this time the Sith Lords sent out ships without any Dread Lords on it. The invaders moved from a wide and thin formation to a ball formation while keeping HK/Forge seperate. The Sith sent out many ships and the two sides engaged. The shots taken were long range only allowing both sides to change ships from the front lines when they took too much damage. As per Nihilus orders, all ships aimed at the Sith weaponry. When a Sith vessel lost its guns, and the cannons were ejected into space, they focused their attention on the next one. Only a few fighters and bombers were sent out, and as the others, they were tasked with focusing only on the weapon systems.
In the end Nihilus ordered all vessels to retreat once losses started to become inevitable. No major Siths ships were destroyed the first day, though many had theor weapons disabled, destroyed, or ejected. The battlefield became a graveyard of cannons and gun parts.
Following the first day's battle Nihilus and Anakin retired to the captains room and Mandalore called. Mandalore said, "I can understand your long term planning. Not wasting time on total annialation of the vessels means more are disabled... and a large crippled fleet with no guns can only do so much good. Very by the book. Intergalactic warfare 101. But we are running on limited time with limited ships. If we continue to fight as we are, we will start to wear down and take heavy losses. The Sith will take advantage of their numbers next time."
"I know. Today was only a test. You see, no matter how we moved, the Dread Lords did not change their formation. The six of them have the planet surrounded. They are not taking the bait, and are ensuring there is no place we can enter; but it also shows they are resolved in confidence and pride to be spread thin."
"And are you prepared for tomorrow? My advisors tell me the Sith will not be so lenient next time."
"I fully expect they will not. In fact, I'm hoping for it."
"How long until Revan comes?" Anakin asked.
"Tomorrow." Mandalore said. "My fleet is holding position, watching for Sith reinforcements. We will come the day you break through and establish a beachhead. Just what is your plan tomorrow?"
Nihilus looked between Anakin and Mandalore. He hesitated. He did not hesitate for thinking it to be the wrong plan. If anything it would assure victory. He did not hesitate for the morality of it. He simply knew they would hate it.
"I will have the heaviest ships lead the front and penetrate deeply into the Sith lines while the rest of the fleet provides cover fire. During the chaos HK will infiltrate and assassinate a Dread Lord. After the Dread Lord is dead, the penetration ships will eject everything: their guns, cargo bays, fighters, their escape pods, etc etc and use the clutter as a screen to flee."
"Are you insane?! How many ships do you have planned to infiltrate the enemy lines?"
"By my count... only twenty have the number of cannons and durability to suit my purposes."
"Mandalore you cannot seriously allow this!" Anakin turned to the hologram. "Im all for risks, but this?! We should not be throwing ships and lives away unnecessarily!"
"Mandalore." Nihilus said. "I propose these ships be manned by skeleton crews. Just enough to maximize the use of their cannons and escape. No landing party. No crew beyond the most immediate needs. There will be losses, but the losses will be minimal. What is important is that they do as much as they can, eject everything, and crawl away. The Sith will follow but only for a distance. They are more protective of the planet than they are willing to kill us."
Mandalore stayed silent.
"Sir..." Anakin pleaded.
"Skywalker." Mandalore replied. "Tell me this, Sith... what is the end game? First you want the Forge to produce two special dreadnaught class ships, then you order the fleet to exclusively shoot out the guns in a skirmish, now you want to put at risk the biggest ships we have to kill one of six Dread Lords..."
"Its a surprise."
Anakin slammed his palm on the table. "You are the most dramatic person I've ever met! And you dont even feel drama!"
"I cannot risk them catching wind of this. Do you have even the slightest idea how many mind-readers are in this system? You and I are the only ones the Dread Lords cannot read, and you are welcome for that, by the way. Even HK's mind is touched by them now that it has bonded with the Forge. It may not be influenced by hallucinations, but reading the mind is still well within their capabilities. They know we are going for them. We cannot hold back tomorrow."
"You!... have a point." Anakin sighed. "I hate the thought of relying on you in blind faith."
"Neither do I." Mandalore agreed. "But its what we have. Nihilus knows the mind of these Sith better than any of us. I agreed to trust him this once... I will face the consequences of that openly." He looked to Nihilus, "But be warned: we are keeping a close eye on you."
Nihilus turned to glance at Skywalker, who glared at him. "As if you have ever allowed me to forget."