Chapter 3

Albert Pierre stared at the two officers, analyzing their stoic faces. The Secretary-General of the United Nations was still undecided on this idea of an invasion of Imperial space. It didn't take a commission to realize it would be a risky endeavor and would put attention on the small planet. But the fleet's two highest-ranking officers wanted it, so he was inclined to at least listen.

The long table he sat in the front of held about two dozen other people, all watching the two officers intently. Some were high-ranking UN officials or leaders of important nation-states. Others were members of the UN's combined forces or officers of influential militaries.

"Gentlemen, I know you are in favor of a protracted campaign into Imperial space. Why should that be done?" He would let them justify their plan to him and everyone else. In the hastily arranged charter that dictated his powers, his powers as the commander in chief of the UN forces had been clearly stated. He had the final say on whatever offensive would take place if any.

He glanced back down the table, looking at the faces that would help him make the decision. While it was technically his alone to make, all these officials had valuable insight into the matter that he wasn't going to easily pass by. And it would serve his interests to let them know that their voices mattered, especially those of the militaries of nation-states. He knew that many were unhappy with the current state of affairs, as the UN forces had the authority to requisition whatever supplies or manpower they wanted from them. One outlier was Major Dren Janson of Alliance Intelligence and the rebel's primary liaison to Earth.

"Well Mr. Secretary, the Imperial Forces in the sector are at half strength due to their two attacks on us and a local rebel movement. The sector has not had significant reinforcements come in due to Alliance attacks across the galaxy ensuring that sectors under rebel attack take priority. In fact, many of their worlds are close to open rebellion. We only need to kick in the door and the whole rotten building will come crashing down."

"Why is this the case? Why are these worlds so unstable?"

Johnson flipped a few switches on a large central monitor and began showing an expertly crafted presentation that many in the corporate world would envy. He made a mental note to buy all his team of aides drinks. The screen displayed footage of Imperial subjection and brutality in the sector captured by Alliance recon missions.

"To put it simply, the Empire is being the Empire. The worlds in this sector, and others near them used to be members of the Separatists during the Clone Wars. Many of these planets are rich in natural resources; a variety of minerals, gasses, and alloys critical to the production of starships and heavy weapons can be found there. When the CIS was defeated, Imperial-backed corporations set up shop and created a large industrial base to process these resources and make them into products that would fuel the Imperial war machine. Kuat Drive Yards, Sienar Fleet Systems, Tagge Co, and others all hold a vital stake in these regions. All this development should have made the area wealthy, but all that wealth was hoarded by the sector's elite or shipped back to the core."

Johnson paused and then continued.

"For a while, the arrangement worked alright. The people in this sector had jobs that put food on the table, and while not completely gone, the Separatist sentiment was more a minor nuisance than a threat. But unbeknownst to the Imperials, several Separatist ships had escaped and began to attack Imperial shipping. The group calls itself the Free Confederacy and has various cells scattered among former Separatist space, and they also have helped expose the corruption in the sector. And while not fully known, their strength is significant, at least in this sector. Quite frankly, Mr. Secretary, I think that this is the best shot we have at taking the sector. If we wait, the situation may change in their favor. And that isn't even bringing into consideration that the Alliance is counting on us to attack. "

Pierre looked around the table. Everyone was listening intently, with various expressions of thoughtfulness across their faces.

"Well, what would an attack look like?" A seaborne American Admiral in his 60's asked. He seemed annoyed that someone less than half his age would potentially be leading an intergalactic campaign.

"First, we would make contact with the Free Confederacy as well as land special forces teams on several worlds to help coordinate uprisings there. These will be launched when we attack, in combination with raids by the Free Confederacy. To do this I intend to send one of our newer cruisers."

Johnson turned to the net page on the presentation. "There is only one hyperspace from the area we control into the Zoloch Sector. However, the first few systems are not well defended, and so will be easily taken. If we can be fast, the Empire will be left confused, hopefully weakening their response.

After that, he displayed a map of the sector, with planets and hyperspace lanes clearly marked.

"Our fleet then splits up, going in different directions to reach several different systems. Garnison, Dydra, Nmjok, Zoloch, and several others." With the depleted strength of the sector forces, it should not be difficult to take many of these. He pointed to planets on the map.

"As some of you might already know, we also are in the process of training a large contingent of marines for landing on these various worlds. Most have been selected from the best of the world's militaries and extensively trained to fight in this new type of battlefield."

"What about supplying these soldiers? And how do we deal with occupying territory?" One of the younger UN officers asked.

"Transports and supply ships are much easier to build than warships. We have sufficient numbers of them for such a campaign." Harrington spoke up. "As for occupation, we will have forces prepared for such a task. But I hope that we can turn over governance to the local populous as soon as possible, and have our units merely support them. We don't want to make the people feel like we are just another Empire."

"What if some of these people dislike us?" One of the UN's civilian officials showed nothing to indicate his position.

"Most will want to fight the Empire, I'd assume. But if they don't want us in their world, we will leave after we have finished with the Empire." Harrington said.

"What about after we are done with this sector? Do we move on to others?" The secretary-general asked.

"That will probably take a while. But eventually, yes. However, while most of the surroundings have not perfectly dealt with the rebels, they are more effective and have most of their forces intact. The exception is the Tibannas sector, which has had almost no rebel activity and is widely considered to be one of the best places to live in the Empire. We might need to bypass it completely." Harrington said, worriedly.

The questions continued, with the secretary-general and the other officials asking several more. He still did not give away his position on the matter, and Johnson wondered if.

"When would you be ready for such an operation hypothetically, of course." The secretary-general asked them.

"About three months, give or take," Harrington replied. "We already have done a lot of groundwork.

"What are your thoughts?" He turned back to the table. Almost all of the UN officials, both civilian and military, approved of the attack. While many were acting based on what they thought was morally and factually correct, the decision was not totally selfless. Such an offensive would increase the power of the organization significantly, especially if it was successful. The representatives of the various nations were less unanimous, but a majority still agreed.

"Then do it. This is the time to act. Use whatever resources necessary to make it happen." Pierre looked around, watching the faces of everyone in the room.

"I will not have Earth wallow away waiting for the Empire to come back with overwhelming force to crush us. The more distance we put between them and us, the more depth we have to fall back on. I will not be remembered as the leader who did not take the low-hanging fruit in front of him."

The Alliance is helping us for a reason. We need to honor our commitments to them."

"I agree. They have helped us a lot, and we need to repay them." Johnson said.

"When will this be announced to the public, and how will they deal with it?" One of the UN aids asked.

"There is going to be opposition." Pierre looked a bit worried. "But the majority will likely still want it. People want blood after the pictures they saw."

To ensure public support for the coming offensive and increase its opinion of them, Alliance Intelligence had supplied earth with footage of Imperial war crimes. From the rare footage of the Ghorman massacre to the enslavement of the wookies, the footage was selectively chosen for its brutality. The media took the information and ran with it, claiming that if the Empire came to earth the same would happen. And while the media of course tended to exaggerate stories to make them more watchable and therefore generate more profit, this was one time their manipulative tactics would be useful.

"And even then, it is still my decision as per the powers granted to me. "

"Well, we have a lot of work to do. Thank you for your time, Mr. Secretary." The two said, shaking hands with him and the rest of the group then left his office.

"Well good luck up there Admiral," Will said to his superior.

"Enjoy your time off Will. You deserve it." He said as he shook his hand.