Chapter 2

Fateful Deliberations

Galactic Senate

The silence that lingered in the Office of the Supreme Chancellor reflected the shocked stupor that had overtaken the galaxy as a whole. For years, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine had been a constant in the lives of the whole galaxy, and now he was gone, and for once, people didn't know what to do. Gathered within the opulent office was a mixture of politicians, Jedi, and military personnel who were all trying to hash out a way forward, and grieving for the heroes missing and fallen.

Behind the desk of the Supreme Chancellor, where previously Sheev Palpatine had seemed as constant as time, a new figure now sat. Supreme Chancellor Mas Amedda had just recently been sworn into the office, and was already feeling the weight of the job.

"So what now?" Senator Orn Free Taa expressed sentiment shared by the entire chamber.

"Well we have our new Supreme Chancellor," Senator Bail Organa gestured to the overwhelmed alien behind the desk, "Our previous Chancellor will be sorely missed, but perhaps this is for the best. He had accumulated a worrying and unprecedented degree of power.

"Indeed," Jedi Master Mace Windu nodded, "When the late Chancellor's term expires in six months, we'll have our first open elections in too long."

"Regardless, the war goes on," Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin snapped, his displeasure with Jedi evident in his tone, "Those traitors in the Outer Rim will not rest, so neither can we."

"And what do you suggest, Admiral?" Master Windu growled in a tone that matched the Admiral's.

"While the loss we have taken in orbit is… regrettable, the situation is not unsalvageable," Tarkin said, "Our spies have tracked the Separatist's fleet to Kijimi, where they've made port for rapid repairs. If we ambush them there, we could still eliminate General Grievous and Count Dooku."

"And that could win us the war!" Admiral Yularen agreed readily.

"Exactly," Tarkin nodded eagerly, "Dooku knows he's losing. By all accounts, his war is lost, and it still could be. They mean to take the head off the Republic to buy themselves time, and to regain momentum that they've lost in the last year. We cannot give them that," he gestured to the burning skyline outside the wide window, "We all mourn the dead, but we cannot allow our period or mourning to allow the scum responsible to escape justice. The people may be shocked into silence now, but they will soon call for revenge, and it would do you a great service to answer them, Supreme Chancellor."

"You have my attention," Mas Amedda nodded attentively, stress temporarily forgotten with the idea of more popularity.

"How do you mean to launch this attack?" Master Windu countered, "Do you mean to ram through the garrisons at Nimban or Vjun. I appreciate the idea, but breaking those quickly would be costly and attritional, and would only achieve opening the door to siege another well defended droid garrison. By the time we reach Kijimi, Dooku and Grievous will be long gone."

"We don't need to break those garrisons, we only need to break one. If I may, Chancellor?" Tarkin slipped a data chip from his pocket and approached Amedda's desk. He inserted it and a map of the region appeared, "I am sure you are all familiar with the United Nations of Sol, or UNS?"

"You intend to invade the Solians?" Senator Organa demanded incredulously, "We have had to make many immoral choices in this war, but I will not stoop down to invading a neutral nation."

"They're neutral in name only," Tarkin said dismissively, waving his hand, "They deal freely with the Separatists, and their shipments are borderline contraband. They've been antagonistic to the Republic since we found their primitive little society. This is not Mandalore, Chancellor."

"We cannot invade a neutral power!" Organa shouted angrily, "To do so would sacrifice all the moral authority we claim to have over the Confederacy!"

"Call them what they are, Senator," Tarkin growled, "Don't legitimize their insurrection by using the title they gave themselves. They are traitors, nothing more."

"We should not invade the UNS," Senator Padme Amidala spoke for the first time since the tragedy had unfolded. She was dressed all in black, and her face was pale and distraught, despite the efforts her handmaidens had made to the contrary. Evidently, the loss of her fellow Naboo resident and well known Jedi friends had hit her hard, and even political opponents were sympathetic.

"You are a well known pacifist, Senator," Tarkin sighed, then went on diplomatically, "As are you, Senator Organa. I respect your commitment to your ideals. I know you're hesitant to abandon the ideals you hold dear, but try to see the bigger picture: this could end the war. Isn't that the end goal, a return to peace, and a secure Republic? This could give us that," he turned to the Chancellor, "Let this mission go forward, Chancellor, and be remembered as the Supreme Chancellor that won the war."

"You can guarantee it, Admiral?" Chancellor Amedda asked cautiously.

"The UNS is a backwards collection of planets masquerading as a power," Tarkin snorted, "We will annex them within days, then arrive on the Sepies' doorstep."

"Very well," Chancellor Amedda nodded, "you have my support. End this war."

United Military Headquarters, Fort Bastion, Mars

The developments in the space over Coruscant had created chaos and drawn attention from across the galaxy, including from the most powerful neutral nation left in the galaxy. With the unification of the nations of Earth, the many national militaries needed a single headquarters. The solution was to construct an absolutely gargantuan complex built into the side of Olympus Mons. With Mars being the center of war industries in the UNS and the largest industrial hub in the UNS, just ahead of Proxima, it was the logical location to place the brain of the Solian war machine.

With the shocking revelations that came with the crippling Republic defeat over their capital and the death of their Supreme Chancellor, Fort Bastion was seeing even more excitement than usual, especially with the arrival of Unity. Unity brought with it the UNS head of state, as well as the parliamentary leaders, to discuss the direction the UNS would be heading. Deep in the fort, at the heart of the mountain, the political and military leadership convened to discuss the path forward.

The room was bare, utilitarian, and well lit, with UNS President Andre Jameson at the head of the table, along which sat other politicians, as well as the top brass of the UN military.

At the other side of the table, next to a screen displaying footage from the battle, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Agency was finishing a description of the events that had occurred over Coruscant the previous day, with the most accurate information the FIA had been able to acquire.

"This dramatically changes our evaluation of the war," the FIA chief concluded, "Our analysts' projections placed the end of the war within the year. It had seemed that the Confederacy of Independent Systems was on their last legs, with their Outer Rim heartland under siege. This is evidently not the case. General Grievous has showcased his strategic brilliance once again, and in one single act has prolonged the war at least another year, and potentially as many as five years. Victory is once again in the realm of possibility for the CIS."

"This is our opportunity, we should join the war immediately," the Supreme Allied Commander Lantiillian, an American, stated immediately, "We should have joined three years ago. We know the Republic aspires to crush us, and we've known that for decades. The Separatist movement gave us the opportunity and we squandered it. God has given us another chance, and we'd best not waste it."

"The people are agitating for war," the Proximan representative added, "They've felt the squeeze of Republic sanctions, and they've been consuming anti-Republic propaganda from both the government and private sector for years. The pro-war protests have already begun springing up in my district. With the possibility that the Confederacy might win the war, the call for war from our constituents may reach a fever pitch."

"No," the Khorbysk representative countered in a heavily accented voice, "SACLANT is a hawk, and you Sir are only interested in the economic growth a war would bring to your district. Khorbysk is a frontier world, and we would feel the bite of battle when the Republic moves to crush us, should we aggravate them further."

"I must agree with my colleague here," the Supreme Allied Commander Perlimian, a Kenyan, agreed, "Mr. President, we are not ready for a galactic scale war. Understand that this conflict is on a scale of which we are totally unfamiliar. Furthermore, we are still relying on purchased warships from our allies in the CIS. While they have been retrofitted to better suit our needs, we have no means of replacing them, should we begin to feel the attrition of the Galactic Civil War. My advice is to wait another six months for Project STARHAMMER to reach its completion."

"The Confederacy might not have six months!" SACLANT shot back, then calmed himself quickly, "My apologies for the outburst, as I'm sure the rest of us do, I feel strongly on this topic. We have already seen the CIS in this position before. During the Separatist high tide in winter and spring 2022, it seemed the war was won, only for the Republic to begin pushing back hard, and the CIS to find themselves in the position they were in prior to this raid. General Grievous is a brilliant commander, this has been demonstrated time and time again, but he has been repeatedly handicapped by the corporations, and by Count Dooku."

"If I may," the FIA chief butted in, "The FIA analysis of the CIS is in line with what SACLANT is saying. Their elected body is coherent and is true to the wills of their people, but they are too often overruled by Count Dooku and the corporate bosses to be an effective governing body. The corporations hold Grievous's leash, and prevent him from executing an effective war plan, because they in turn are beholden to their own shareholders and profit margins. If the CIS is to win the war, especially with UNS assistance, then this arrangement will have to change."

"Count Dooku is a bastard," President Jameson spoke for the first time in the meeting, in a deep, gravely and commanding voice, "I've met the son of bitch several times. He's a slippery one, the Count, and is not to be trusted. I will not place our people under his thumb, like so many Separatist systems. Unless he is disposed of or superseded in power by the elected body on Raxus, then there will be no motion to join. A conditional alliance perhaps, like the West and the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany, but certainly not any sort of submission to the Count's will."

"Well actually, there are some interesting rumors on that account," the FIA chief said with a sly smile, "Understand that all of this is rumor, most of it unsubstantiated, from some little birdies embedded in the CIS. There is a rumor going around that Count Dooku died in the Battle of Coruscant. This is substantiated by the fact that he was absent from Grievous's address, and has been silent since then. All CIS communiques are coming from either General Grievous or the admiralty."

That revelation silenced the chamber for several long moments. SACPERL nodded and stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Well that changes things. If the Confederacy is in turmoil, then it might be a good time to join their coalition. This is of course only if Count Dooku is indeed dead. We could use our temporary power as a new arrival to reshape the coalition into something a little more to our comfort, and of course, our own Proxima Heavy Industries can throw weight around with the other corporations if necessary."

"But who will succeed Dooku as head of state?" the Ursa representative demanded, "Grievous? He may be an effective commander, but he is also a wild card. Or the corporations take over completely? At that point they're as bad as the Republic."

"I advise caution, but I do believe action is needed," SACPERL said slowly, "Let's start with the facts: the shadow of the Republic is doing a great deal of damage to the UNS, but if we were to face the Republic alone, they would destroy us. Ladies and gentlemen, we're faced with the same dilemma we have been since the first Battle of Geonosis, and one we have found no resolution to. We either suffer the weight of the Republic and run the risk they invade us after the war is over, or we throw in our lot with the Separatists, and take a chance with them."

"We can all agree that the Republic is our enemy, correct?" SACLANT interjected. There was no dissension, and several nods from around the chamber, though the President remained pensive, "So there, we have that as common ground. The argument is how we go about dealing with them."

"The New Cold War has been going on long enough," the Proxima representative growled, "I cannot express how strongly I agree with SACLANT. The Confederate resurgence is a blessing from God that we cannot let go to waste."

"Inshallah," SACPERL agreed, "If the intelligence regarding the death of Count Dooku is indeed accurate, then it is in our interests to become involved right now. We will not find a better opportunity. If we streamline the process, we can potentially halve the time needed to complete Project STARHAMMER."

"That will be expensive," the Secretary of the Treasury cautioned, "We've been in an economic surplus for decades, but war is not cheap, and we could easily slide into debt if we're not careful."

"We shouldn't buy from the CIS or outside powers where we can avoid it," the Secretary of Commerce advised, "If we invest in our businesses and economy, then we see the returns of that investment when we collect taxes."

"We could shift into a wartime economy," SACLANT suggested, "The United States during the Second World War is a good example of how to do this well."

"Indeed," the Secretary of Commerce agreed, "All nonessential manufacturing should shift to wartime production, and all exports should be converted into war manufacturing, though I advise leaving an exception for the materials that we sell to the CIS, since that has been an excellent source of income. We can dig into the treasury a little bit, but I advise avoiding that as much as possible. Taxes will need to be raised, as unpopular as that will be, but perhaps we can wait until the outbreak of war to implement that, as then it can be passed off as a wartime necessity."

"Speaking of wartime necessities," the Secretary of State added, "We should look to begin rationing essential materials, and set up drives for people to donate core materials to the war effort. Again, World War 2 America is a good example of this. Selling war bonds is a good idea as well."

"I agree," President Jameson spoke again, silencing a discourse and discussion, "It's time to mobilize. I had come to regret not joining the war when it could still be won. That moment has come again, and the word of the people is clear. I will send word to the Confederacy, and confirmation on Dooku's status will determine our path forward. How soon can we expect to be war ready?"

"Days," SACLANT said immediately, appearing glad to be finally kicking things off, "A week at most, if we send out the DEFCON 2 notice right."

"The economy will take longer," the Secretary of Commerce added, "Factory conversion will take a month or so, and any government policies will take time to push through. Of course, that will all become much more streamlined once the shooting starts."

There was a silence for a moment, as the room processed what had been said. Suddenly, the door opened, and an aide wearing the patch of the FIA entered and whispered something in the FIA director's ear.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," the FIA chief apologized respectfully, as he hurried out of the room, "there's been new developments, this cannot wait."

"We'll await whatever the FIA has uncovered," President Jameson stated firmly, "In any case, I will begin mobilization of both the military and economy. We will be at DEFCON 2, effective immediately. Mr. Yang, Ms. Luetz, Ms. Gomez, I want a plan for full economic mobilization ready and on my desk as soon as possible. That is your number one priority, you two are dismissed."

Nodding respectfully, the Secretaries of Commerce, Energy, and Treasury hurried out of the room. The UNS already had contingency plans for an economic mobilization, so all it would take was an adaptation of one of those.

"Apologies for the interruption, once again," the FIA director returned to the room and quickly found his seat, "There's been some major developments."

"Go ahead," President Jameson gestured, expression stony and unreadable.

"General Grievous and the rest of the Coruscant raiding fleet have reached port in CIS held Kijimi System," the FIA chief reported, "They appear to be doing general repairs before dispersing, with Grievous likely going to see the Confederate high command on Utapau."

"They're using us as a shield," SACPERL commented, "A wise play. They know they're in a moment of weakness, following the raid, and need to repair before redistributing the fleet assets used in the raid. The Republic would have to smash through a number of tough droid garrisons to strike at Grievous there. That or go through us."

"And that there is just it," the FIA director growled, "We've detected a major uptick in Republic naval activity around Kashyyyk. Two more clone divisions have arrived in what appears to be a staging area for a major raid."

"That could be anything," the Khordysk representative countered, though he sounded unsure.

"Indeed, it would be entirely possible that the events are unconnected," the FIA chief responded, "However there is some further cause for concern. First of all, Kashyyyk is a bad staging ground. It's too far away from the CIS garrison at Nimban, they would be organizing at Randon or Chalacta. Both have better support for an invasion fleet than Kashyyyk, and are closer to the target. If they were going to hit Vjun, they would be out north somewhere, closer to Mandalore. Kashyyyk as a staging area only makes strategic sense for one target."

"Ursa," SACLANT hissed.

"Exactly," the FIA director nodded, "We think that they'll head down the Lesser Lantiillian Route and try to ram through the UNS."

"But why?" Ursa's representative demanded, her face contorted in fear and alarm.

"There's the kicker," the FIA director sighed, "The what is always easier than the why in intelligence. The working hypotheses we have right now are numerous. The leading theories are that either the Republic is trying to make up ground and save face after the disaster over Coruscant, or that they're looking to eliminate Grievous, and regain the initiative and momentum they seem to have lost. Really, it could be any reason. For the majority of the war, the UNS has been the barred gate to a whole swathe of the Outer Rim, and Grievous has done an excellent job using us as a buffer to protect some of the core CIS worlds."

"The why is less important than the what now anyway," President Jameson growled, "This intelligence is substantiated?"

"The FIA predicts with ninety percent certainty that the Republic will launch a direct attack against the United Nations of Sol, with a further ninety five percent certainty that the hammer will fall on Ursa."

"Very well," President Jameson said slowly, "Mobilization is now the UNS's number one priority. Redeploy what ships we can to Ursa without overcommitting in case the intelligence is wrong. I may not be able to receive word and issue a declaration of war, so our line in the sand will be the T-C-B line. If the DRIFTNET array catches that fleet crossing T-C-B, then we will treat it as a declaration of war. SACLANT, have a message ready to go, so that the whole brass receives it the second, and I mean the second that the clones pass T-C-B."

"We'll be ready, Mr. President," SACLANT nodded, "RoE?"

"No WMDs," President Jameson said immediately, then raised his hand for silence as SACLANT opened his mouth to argue, "No WMDs. In a way, we are being given a great gift with this attack, since they're giving us an excuse to start a war we intended to join anyway, and without striking first which gives us excellent justification. Morale and unity will skyrocket as outrage reaches a fever pitch. The people will swallow the sacrifices needed to prosecute this war much more easily this way. We lose that if we irradiate our own planet. We may have to make some sacrifices to preserve unity, morale, and war support at home."

"I understand," SACLANT backed down respectfully.

"Time is of the essence," President Jameson stood, signaling the rest of the room to do so as well, "I will be busy attending to domestic matters, so I am leaving the mobilization to the professionals. Make haste, gentlemen. We cannot win this war if we are overrun. Meeting adjourned."