An Abridged History of the Great Galactic War

by Kaiser Chris

After centuries in exile, the Sith Empire returned to the galaxy. Upon their entrance a great and terrible war was raged for 28 years, ending in the Sith's victory and changing the course of galactic history. This is the story of the Great Galactic War, of the victors, of the losers, and how the war transformed the galaxy forever. GGW Expanded narrative, mostly canon compliant.

5. Return of the Sith

"When I was assigned to Korriban under Master Darach I initially viewed it as a boring backwater assignment that was only a stepping stone to use in my upcoming trials. All I expected was simply to learn from Master Darach until I could become a proper Knight. After all, the Sith were dead and there was supposed to be nothing on Korriban but sand and graverobbers. How naive I was."- The memoirs of Satele Shan, published posthumously 21,454 AGC
"From this day forward we swear that Korriban shall never again see the rule of the Sith."- Grand Master Mical 21,113 AGC
"By our Immortal Sith Emperor I swear that Korriban shall never leave Sith rule until the end of time."- Darth Hroth 62 BNO

Chapter 2 Return of the Sith

While the Third Sith Empire was officially a secular atheistic state, through the Sith there existed an unofficial Imperial Cult that worshiped Vitiate as a god-like being, a living deity who had brought them salvation in exile and under his guidance the Sith would return and rightfully rule the galaxy. No matter one's opinion of their feudal lords, the Imperial bureaucracy, Imperial Military and Intelligence, or the Lords of the Sith, the Emperor was a figure who was above flaws or criticism, their Dark Lord and savior. Even among the Sith Order who generally held no religious beliefs or superstition and taught the force as a tool for power; the Emperor was a figure to be venerated, the Sith'ari who was the ultimate being of darkness and as the heir to the long line of Ajunta Pall shall exterminate the Jedi and redeem the tragedy of the Great Hyperspace War.

With the Emperor's immortality continuing for over a millennia and all who would dare challenge him be stricken down, the Imperial Cult began to infect all facets of Imperial society. Within this unofficial religion a variety of beliefs began to emerge that were the combination of True Sith culture, Imperial Culture, the teachings of Ajunta Pall and the dark exiles, Vitiate's decrees, the musings of the Sphere of Sith Philosophy, and the activities of the Imperial Intelligentsia. Due to the Imperial Cult lacking any form of organization since it was an unofficial movement that was publicly condemned by the Dark Council as superstition, every citizen of the Empire who either self-identified as a Cult follower in its thousands of organized religions, or practiced the general beliefs without public acknowledgement, one common thread was shared among members of the Cult, the hollowness of Korriban.

Korriban was the homeworld of the Sith species and from its properties as a force nexus, where the Sith learned how to use the force and tap into the powers of the Dark Side. Korriban was where the species was unified under the rule of Adas and where they were one of the few species to successfully repulse the Rakata. Korriban was the cultural center of Sith space where the species would spread to over a hundred worlds and bring their knowledge and mastery of the dark side to shape these worlds in their image. Korriban was where the Dark Jedi Exiles landed and with their arrival came the Golden Age of the Sith and their supposed Enlightenment of the force. Korriban was the center of the Sith's Golden Age, where Markos Ragnos oversaw the Golden Age of the Sith. Korriban was where the Sith Holocaust begun with the death of the True Sith and exile of their remnants into the unknown galaxy under Vitiate.

Korriban to the Sith Empire was a holy world, a lost ancestral homeworld where the Sith rised and from where they should have ruled a great galactic empire. Korriban was a sacred ground where all true Dark Lords of the Sith should be interred so that they may join their ancestors and watch over the living. To have been exiled from Korriban for so long, to have it fall into the hands of the Jedi and the heretics of Exar Kun and Revan was a disgrace that shamed countless generations of Sith. No matter the greatness of the Empire and its creations, it was all for naught if their homeworld was forever lost to them. In 21,372 this 1300 year exile would end with the Sith returning at the battle of Korriban.

Welcome Home

While the conquest of the Apporo sector and the One Week Raid had left Korriban and the greater Sith space less defended, the region was not completely abandoned due to the strong insistence of the Jedi to maintain their watch over the birthplace of the Sith. Within the Korriban system there were 104 ships belonging to the 66th fleet that maintained a vigilant defense of the system. Korriban had five Czerka Mark VI Defense Platforms in orbit over the planet as a holdover from the Jedi Civil War. 600,000 troops resided on the surface as part of the Korriban Army Group. Lastly and most importantly, 1,000 Jedi protected the system from any would be force users who sought to use the mysteries of the ancient Sith for themselves. The majority of these Jedi were Shadows who dedicated their lives to hunting down and destroying or containing artifacts of the Sith. Jedi sent to the Korriban system were among the Order's greatest fighters, a necessity to prevent the rise of any orders who wished to take the name of their ancestral enemies. Thanks to the overwatch of the Jedi shadows Korriban had become a quiet backwater with any Dark Jedi seeking to explore the planet quickly being hunted down and killed. While the Sith Space Fleet and the men of the sector garrisons had become lax in their duties, the Jedi were always prepared.

In any other situation the Korriban fleet would be well equipped to defend the system and wipe out any invaders or hold out long enough for reinforcements. Unfortunately, the chaos of the first month of the Great Galactic War, the lack of shifting resources from the Core Fleets, and the deployment of most reinforcements to the galactic north made the odds of victory in any potential battle lowered. Against the unknown Sith juggernaut, defeat was guaranteed from the start.

On 9.3, 1300 ships jumped of the Imperial Navy jumped in-system with Darth Hroth, Dark Councilor of the Sphere of Military Offense, at its head. While the presence of such a fleet may be overkill, the Sith had Korriban in its grasp and weren't going to let any possibility of defeat exist. According to Satele Shan's accounts from the battle, the moment the Imperial fleet had jumped into the system a great and overwhelming darkness had spread throughout it like a grand tsunami pushing at powerful speeds. The feeling of such powerful darkness in the force alerted then apprentice Shan, and presumably the other Jedi of the system, that the Sith had truly returned. Unfortunately for the Jedi, the thousands of Sith aboard the fleet were being empowered by their close proximity to Korriban. With the planet acting as a titanic empowerment, the Sith's connection to the Dark Side and the powers of their abilities surged, most importantly was their usage of Battle Meditation with 36 Sith, including Hroth, using it to great usage.

Empowered by the usage of Sith battle meditation, the fleet was able to quickly divide itself to send multiple squadron's to the system's main jump points, preventing an easy escape. Thousands of starfighters would roar from the fleet, and with hundreds of Sith within their ranks, were quickly able to encircle the Republic ships and keep them contained while the fleet catched up to unload their firepower. The largest individual section under Hroth of 400 ships traveled to the orbit of Korriban where they would capture the Czerka platforms and begin the implementation of a blockade so that no forces could escape from the tomb world.

While the Republic fleet was destined to lose due to overwhelming inferiority in numbers, skill, and firepower, they were able to create a sizable amount of casualties to the Empire thanks to the active presence of the Jedi shadows. In the Battle of Korriban there were 200 Jedi Knights spread throughout the fleet in either positions of command or as starfighter pilots. Up to the battle the Jedi Order frequently stationed Knights inside of the fleet as a method of training for long-term missions on the Outer Rim as well as gaining military experience to act in both leadership and support for Republic units should the need arise. Without the Jedi the Battle of Korriban would have been a one-sided massacre, but with the Jedi the Sith had to bleed to reclaim their homeworld. The key Jedi assets in the battle would be the presence of four users in battle meditation and 117 starfighter pilots. With the Masters within the fleet acting as leaders and anchors of calmness in the battle, the Republic fleet was able to organize and meet the Imperials.

The element of surprise and superior numbers ensured that the Republic fleet would be trapped, though they were able to meet the Sith ships shot for shot with the Jedi starfighters producing major damage with an estimated 53 Imperial ships dying by their hand. Had there been no or less Sith than the Jedi for the fleet, then perhaps a breakaway could have been attempted and tens of thousand of lives could have been saved. Unfortunately for the Republic, the increasing length of the battle only added fuel to the Sith battle meditation and the individual performance of each Warrior and Inquisitor. Another important factor to note is the lack of combat that the Shadows had against true Sith with their knowledge of Sith tactics being based on the True Sith who were far less advanced. Lesson's from the Brotherhood, Revan's Empire, and the Triumvirate were also mixed as these Sith were mostly sorcerers, assassins, and thugs in their combat while the Sith of the Third Empire were soldiers at their core. In the end, the Imperial fleet would triumph and destroy each and every Republic vessel, though it came at a price of 93 ships destroyed and 47 damaged, a price too high for what should have been an easy triumph.

Inside of the Czerka platforms, elite Imperial Marines and scores of Sith systematically killed all signs of life aboard. In a risky maneuver, right after the beginning of his fleet's confrontation with the platforms, Hroth ordered all combat shuttles to be released from the ships and board the platforms. While this tactic resulted in the loss of thousands of Marines and dozens of Sith, it did result in the quick insertion of forces inside of the Platforms and prevented them from inflicting as much damage as possible on the Imperial Fleet. In minutes nearly all of the platforms hangars were either occupied by Imperial forces or destroyed, preventing any individual escape. By great luck, or the Force as many Jedi claimed, there would be one hanger that would be intact long enough for a few to escape. This hangar housed the ship of legendary smuggler Nico Okarr, who having been recently arrested, was able to escape to his ship with the cooperation of Republic forces, bringing with him Jedi Master Kao Cen Darach, Apprentice Satele Shan, and Corporal Jace Malcolm. The latter two of which would become some of the Republic's greatest legends, heroes of the Great Galactic War and central figures in the Cold War and Second Great Galactic War.

While the group was able to reach the hangar, they were quickly met with a Sith Ship which held Lord Vindican and (as of yet not a Darth) Malgus, the latter of whom was still an apprentice but would later rise to become one of the greatest Imperial heroes of the war and central figures within the Sith Schism. The two Jedi and two Sith immediately rushed into battle with footage from Okarr's ship showing an intense duel between all combatants that was at a stalemate with neither force nor lightsaber prowess able to make a difference. The duel was decided when Okarr had freed his ship from the rubble in the hangar. In order to let Shan escape (with many Jedi historians theorizing that in that span of time Darach was able to see Shan's impact on the future and stayed behind as Shan's life would bring far more good than his), Darach sacrificed himself to keep the Sith at bay. Having left the station, the trio were able to narrowly fly past the Imperial Fleet thanks to Okarr's skills as a pilot and escape to hyperspace, being the only survivors from the Republic. Back at the station, Darach was able to kill Vindican, though Malgus in vengeance for his master slew the Jedi. In this moment, three of the war's most critical legends were born. While their contribution to the battle was negligible, their experience and survival would greatly shape the future of the Republic and Empire.

Purification

With total space supremacy, the Imperial Fleet was now able to do as they pleased with Korriban. Once the last resistance in space was put out, a blockade over the planet was set up with Hroth delivering an ultimatum to the Jedi and Republic garrison, surrender and live as slaves or die. The dark fates that had been given for the defenders with not even a choice for the humans or Jedi on the planet to surrender, even before the Treaty of Mandalore created the rules of warfare and prisoner treatment, is often handwaved away as simply Sith brutality, especially with Hroth being the one to give the charge. However, there is a deeper meaning in Hroth's mandate besides simply Sith pleasure in suffering. To the Sith, Korriban and the Greater Sith space as it was now was tainted by the pretense of the Jedi and so many non-Sith. In order to cleanse the planet into its "proper state" before the Great Hyperspace War, all non-Sith needed to either die or enter into slavery so that their crimes of living on the Sith holy world could be redeemed.

Presented with such a hellish fate, and witnessing the complete destruction of their fleet, the surviving Republic forces under the joint leadership of General Put Nagiri and Jedi Master Shinn Derk, the head of the Jedi Shadow branch within the Order, staunchly refused and vowed to fight until reinforcements came or to the death where they would take as many Sith with them. Answering their challenge with viscous glee, Hroth began the ground portion of the battle first by sending bombers to weaken anti-air defenses (orbital bombardment was withheld for fear of disseminating the homeworld too much) and after a day of continuous bombardment 10 divisions to the city of Dreshdae which held the planet's only spaceport.

Unlike most major battles in the Great Galactic War which saw Imperial ground forces be composed of either a majority or strong minority of droids, the Battle of Korriban saw few droid units take to the surface. It is speculated by Sith historians that this was a deliberate choice by Hroth since the raw emotions along with the pain and suffering of those under his command along with that of the Republic forces would feed into the Sith's strength with the planet acting as an amplifier. The lack of combat droids in either rush tactics or as vanguards allowed the Republic forces to fight as equals for a time. The Battle of Dreshdae took place for four days with the near entirety of the city being destroyed by the intensity of the fighting. In addition to the brutal urban warfare between Republic and Imperial Troopers, the engagement of hundreds of Sith and Jedi against one another, a sight that was rarely seen even in the Exar Kun War and Jedi Civil War, shook the entire environment as the both sides intense usage of the force wrecked the environment. Despite the hopes of the Sith that some Jedi would fall to the Dark Side due to the battle, with any Dark Jedi to be captured for latter corruption, all of the Jedi stood true in their defense against the Sith. Unfortunately for the Jedi, there was only so much they could do when for every Sith that was struck down, two more would take their place. One must imagine the desperation in the defenders for any reinforcements in the coming days, but sadly for them none were coming thanks to the Imperial Fleet lighting the Northern quadrant in flames to distract them from Korriban, not that it would have been much good as within days the Imperial fleet in Korriban swelled to 2500, requiring a truly grand fleet to be able to break the Sith blockade and rescue the defenders.

The tide of the battle changed on the third day when the Spaceport was taken by Imperial troopers, allowing steady supply and reinforcements to come in. Among the first wave of shuttles to arrive in the spaceport was Hroth. Surrounded by his elite inner circle of Warriors, Hroth unleashed his full power and left a bloody wound on the defenders where they would never recover. According to the after action report, by Hroth's hand an estimated 20,000 Troopers died along with 39 Jedi, such is the power of a Dark Councilor. Malgus would also participate within the fighting where in redemption for allowing Satele Shan to escape, he slew an estimated 3,000 Troopers and 7 Jedi. These kills would reward Malgus and begin his path of ascent to becoming a Dark Lord of the Sith.

After 88 hours of fighting the battle was declared over with a ruined Dreshdae in Sith hands. All survivors were put into slavery and over the next few days fresh divisions would arrive on the Planet to begin the greater reclamation. On 9.10 Hroth led 500 Sith to the Valley of the Dark Lords where they reclaimed it from over 100 Jedi Shadows who tried to prevent as many Sith artifacts from falling into enemy hands. Republic Troopers and Jedi who did not participate at the Battle of Dreshdae either attempted to make a stand at their bases scattered across the planet, or flee into the deserts to launch a guerrilla war until such a time that the Republic could rescue them. Over the following two weeks with the help of aerospace supremacy, Hroth destroyed the bases one by one and cut down as many of the Republic and Jedi guerrillas as he could find. On 9.17 Hroth declared Korriban to have been purified and any major resistance to have been crushed, but resistance would continue for five months until a final skirmish where a platoon of Troopers and 3 Jedi would fall in battle, marking the end of the desperate last stand on Korriban.

The Battle of Korriban would be the first major battle of the war with a tremendous victory for the Sith. Not only had their homeworld been liberated, but with all but two of the Republic soldiers and Jedi falling in battle, with only a little more than 30,000 still living to endure lives of slavery and of those only a third would live to be emancipated with the Treaty of Mandalore. However, such a victory came with a heavy price, far better than what should have occurred with Sith domination from the beginning. In addition to the casualties of the fleet, the Imperial Army would suffer 460,000 casualties with 203,000 being killed while 257,000 were wounded. In total the number of Sith who would die throughout the battle would be 3,046. When reporting of the battle to the Dark Council, Hroth was met with major criticism from his fellow councilors, most especially Darth Marr who stated that if he had led the battle then only a tenth of the casualties would have occurred. Hroth was nonpulsed by the anger, stating that in the end they had purified Korriban of the Jedi taint and that all Sith and Imperials who died on Korriban were given the greatest death, to have fallen in the act of liberating the homeworld. Due to Hroth rarely repeating such liberal usage of lives for the rest of the war, one can assume that his flawed leadership was influenced by the overwhelming sensation of reaching Korriban for the first time.

For the next month the Liberation of Sith space would see a repeat of similar tactics and strategy, though with less proportional damage on the Sith than what they had suffered on Korriban. Out of the 19.4 million of Republic troopers, only 700,000 would live the battle as slaves with 320,000 living to be returned after the Treaty of Mandalore. The remaining of the 1500 Jedi spread throughout Sith space would die, though in return they would claim 2,169 Sith. 1,153,000 casualties were taken by the Imperial Army while 27 ships of the Imperial Navy were destroyed. When word spread of Sith Space once more being under the rule of the Sith, celebrations were widespread among the Empire with a level of festivities and joy that were never seen in its history. While they were a long way from conquering the Republic and wiping out the Jedi, the Great Hyperspace War had been avenged and their ancestors could rest easy. For the rest of the year Darth Marr would oversee the creation of the Sith Space Defense Network, with each planet in the region turning into a fortress planet, beginning the development that would later see it become the political and cultural hearth of the Fourth Sith Empire to this day. While the war was far from over, at this point in time the Sith had properly returned and would never leave the galaxy again.

A/N: In this chapter I decided to greatly expand upon the narrative of the Battle of Korriban where instead of being a quick strike by the Sith that saw Republic opposition decimated and the planet firmly under their control, saw a brutal and bloody last stand of the Republic and Jedi defenders with them claiming many Sith and Imperial lives in return, therefore the battle was a Sith victory though a costly one. I wanted to do this to show that while the Sith at this time are seemingly unstoppable, that even in their Conquest of the Outer Rim where the Republic did nothing but retreat, that they didn't let the Empire walk all over them and that in many instances the Sith had to pay for their victories with a significant price in blood.

Some people may question why there seems to be so many users of battle meditation when KOTOR presented it as an extremely rare ability, and my explanation is that in their exile the Sith practiced this skill immensely so that they could use the same strength that Naga Sadow used to win so many victories, and spread it throughout the Order so that their strategy does not rest on a single Sith practicing it. Likewise for the Jedi they saw Bastila's usage of it as instrumental in preventing Revan and Malak from winning the war and so under her tutelage it was spread throughout the order with thousands of Jedi being able to use it at the start of the war. Just to be clear, few Jedi or Sith can reach Bastila's level and either one using battle meditation isn't an instant win like with Palpatine or C'Boath, but it will be a major strategic asset that helps in many Republic or Empire victories. Since it was shown in the New Jedi Order and Legacy books showed the ability become spread throughout Luke's Jedi, we can assume that such increasing usage is more than possible during a period where Jedi and Sith were in the millions.

Next chapter shall discuss the Battle of Sluis Van, or as it is in my story, an actually effective Doolittle Raid. After that expect a veer into heavy original territory. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more!