First Impressions
The Acclamators that carried the 46th Legion exited Hyperspace near the planet Gyndine, a gateway to a section of Separatist space too close for comfort for GAR high command. Commander Irons stood in the bridge of the lead Acclamator, staring at the planet through the transparisteel viewports, naval personnel and troopers rushed about him, prepping for planetary invasion. It was his first actual combat assignment, and it had him nervous beyond belief, despite the years upon years of training simulations designed for a variety of combat situations, not to mention the additional training to become a commander, earning him the privilege of wearing the kama and pauldron that denoted vode of higher ranks or specialties.
But combat sims and the actual thing were two completely different animals, and from the stories told by the older vode who actually experienced battle, it was a nightmare. Charging straight into enemy fire, heedless of the amount of droids, following their generals across large, open areas, brothers being cut down by the hundreds, all the while trying to keep up with the Jetii who led them, who were leaping and bounding across the distance with little to no effort, practically bulldozing into the enemy lines, regardless of the casualties. A high blood price for victory. All unnecessary.
He dismissed such thoughts from his head. It wouldn't do for him to not trust his General to properly lead them into battle. It would only encourage dissent, and in war, that was unacceptable from soldiers, especially during an ongoing campaign. Order and structure would break down, men wouldn't follow orders, nothing would be done, and the enemy would crush them while they argued and disobeyed orders. He wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't tarnish their first combat deployment with insurrection and mutiny, and sully their record for the rest of the war.
He turned back towards the holo-table as the doors slid open, revealing his General walking towards him.
"Atten-tion!"
Every naval personnel and trooper snapped to attention, stiff and exacting, turned towards their General, who looked startled and bewildered at the display. Then, a look of remembrance graced his features, and he looked around once more.
"As you were…?" he trailed off, unsure when giving the command.
As one, the entirety of the bridge resumed their duties as if nothing had ever happened, which bewildered the Jedi even more. He sighed. It was too much for him at times, and resolved to try and get used to all this new customs and courtesies mess he got himself into when volunteering to lead a Republic unit into battle. He made his way to his Commander's side, and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the planet.
"General, we are ready to begin our briefing for the assault on Gyndine."
The jetii gestured for him to lead the way, and they went towards the holo-table, the admirals of the other Acclamators attending the briefing via hologram. Major Asher stood to the side, his arms behind his back as he stood in parade rest while he waited for the briefing to begin.
Commander Irons stood at the front, facing the doors at the entrance to the bridge, his General to his left, and Major Asher to his right as he gazed at the holo-table. He turned towards Asher, nodding, and the major began the briefing, bringing up a hologram of the planet they were about to assault.
"The planet Gyndine, a gateway planet into the rest of Separatist space in this sector, is a Seppie fortress. All major settlements across the planet are fortified with heavy artillery, anti-air cannons, heavy weapons emplacements, and fortifications that stretch a klick out from the settlements themselves. Their strategy, as blatantly obvious as it can be, is to bleed us dry as we try to take control of the planet, making us pay for every inch of ground we win with thousands of dead."
Commander Irons hums in discontent, already disliking this operation. A Legion, while powerful, couldn't sustain the casualties these fortifications demanded of them to secure. There must be another way.
As if he were reading his thoughts, Asher pressed a few buttons on the holo-table, highlighting a few areas on the planet in bright red. Upon zooming in on one of the highlighted areas, it reveals a structure, humming with electricity, arcs of energy leaping to and fro. His eyes widened in realization. Power Generators.
"However, there is another way to take the fortresses. Each one requires massive energy output to sustain all the hardware the seppies have waiting for us, all connected to a massive power generator. If we take out those generators, we can deprive the enemy of much of their hardware, leaving us with only the droids to mop up as we move in."
A sound of concern came from his General, and he subtly turned towards the jetii.
"This plan only works if we can get our ground forces onto the planet itself, and as you said, these settlements have anti-air cannons that we don't know the capabilities of. We would have to land far away from any Separatist stronghold, and establish a base of operations."
Major Asher nodded in agreement.
"Yes, General, we would. There are two areas on the planet with enough space for our Acclamators to land and allow us to begin our operation," he responded, pressing more buttons on the holo-table.
The focus shifted from the settlements and the power generators to two highlighted areas. One was a vast plain, wide and open, with no natural cover to speak of. Commander Irons, if he was sure and more often than not he was, estimated that all three Acclamators in the fleet would be able to land without issue. He had a problem with this. The lack of cover was disconcerting. It allowed for the entirety of the 46th Legion to be assembled in short order, but it also allowed enemy armor and artillery a clear line of sight on them, and they would be torn apart with ease. The only way he could see this with any potential is if they could somehow build fortifications to house the Legion in its entirety, all of its assets, heavy armor, artillery, all the while protecting it from enemy assault. It would need to be powerful and sturdy. He initially dismissed it, it would waste valuable time, time the enemy could use to their advantage. He would only take this place if there was no other option.
The second location was a bit better. It was an open stretch of ground, with large, rolling hills to their north and south, and to the west was a sheer mountain face, with the only way in being a flat, open stretch of grassland to the east. The problem with this location was that there was only enough space for one Acclamator to land at a time, which would draw unwanted attention and leave them vulnerable to a full frontal assault by the enemy. A single Acclamator could hold up to 16,000 troopers, but there was also the walkers, the laats, the tons upon tons of equipment, an entire pre-fabricated base, the artillery, and so much more than needed to be unloaded for them to truly begin reclaiming this world for the Republic. His eyebrows scrunched as he frowned behind his helmet.
He glanced at his General, noticing the slight frown on his face as he thought.
"Our mission is to reunite the galaxy as efficiently as possible. We must not be rash when approaching such a task. As such, we must use what resources we are provided only when needed. We cannot risk massive casualties in full frontal assaults and risky maneuvers. We will take the second area of interest. Prep the Acclamators for landing, and scramble all aerial assets to cover our landing."
He's very cautious, unwilling to take risks. Thorough and knows his stuff, despite being deficient in customs and courtesies. With some experience, and training, his General could be the best of them all. He knows it.