Entry 09: Commander CC-4242 (161 Days ABG)
I can't help but reread my earlier entry on my fear of allowing a Jedi command of a military force, given the events of this day.
I'm getting ahead of myself, I should start by explaining what happened.
Now that the majority of our troops have been recovered (I am still ordering the Recon units to search for additional escape pod signals) we're shifting our focus towards retaking the planet. But, how we go about it is the tricky part.
The Separatist Regent has directed much of the populace towards the neuranium project, and they will finish refining the first shipment of neuranium in a manner of days. Tactically, it makes the most sense if the refinery is our first target, and I hope to strike it quickly, before time runs out and they finish their shipment.
However, both General Kali'sto and Major Vaargaalou are worried about the dangers of assaulting a civilian refinery, and the casualties that would result. There are thousands of civilians present, conscripted to finish the neuranium project. The Separatists have clustered a strong force of droids around the encampment, they've placed as much effort into guarding the workers as the command center or power generators.
Gala's goal is to win over the support of the planet's population, and her suggestion was to focus our efforts on rescuing the refinery's indentured civilians. Splinter recommends we focus our efforts on destroying the refinery, which I think is more tactically sound. This lead us into an argument as we tried to decide on an objective, which led to Kali'sto calling off the meeting and telling us to reconvene when he came to a decision.
I myself never truly knew which plan to support: Splinter's or Gala's. And despite mulling it over in the half-hour I had, I wasn't able to come to a decision.
After we reconvened I didn't have a choice, though, as Kali'sto has ordered us to rescue the civilians. Splinter is furious, but has said that he will follow my lead.
In the last two hours, I've created, reviewed, and rewritten seven different battle plans with both objectives in mind, and all of them ended the same way: failure. Even with the Burrowrats' help, we don't have the troops or resources to save the civilians and destroy the refinery at the same time.
I feel torn here. Tactically, it makes more sense to destroy the refinery: it is guaranteed to rob the Separatists of a rare and valuable material, while helping the workers escape will provide a tactical disadvantage for our forces, potentially expose our position, and only slow the enemy down, as they can still conscript other civilians from the surrounding villages.
However, I can't help but think back to everything Kali'sto's told me. I can't help but reflect back on the day I showed him my face, when he said that, "Sometimes the smallest detail can radically change an observer's perception." I remember my visit to the town of Crevice, of the people wandering around.
I'm fighting to keep this planet from being used by the Separatists. Gala and her fellow Burrowrats are fighting to retake the planet and win the support of the people. And killing thousands of them will erode any chance of that happening.
And on a strange, personal level, I know how hard this must be for Kali'sto. This is his first time truly being in command, having to make these tough decisions. And, for whatever reason, I really don't want to go against him.
Yet, I still think of Balac and his platoon, and the dangers of ill-advised tactical decisions. Though I intend to follow through with his plan, I will be on standby when the actual battle starts. I hope – and believe – that he considers my advice as much as I considered his.
