Epilogue - Galactic Defense Initiative
=location: SSV Milda, system B6000SI07LL-1; June 16, 2188; 19 ABY=
Aboard the SSV Milda, there had been a huge room for the assembly of commanders since Imperial times, at the behest of the Emperor himself. Functionally, SSV Milda would command and coordinate hundreds, if not thousands, of ships in the event of war, so this room was retained but altered to more practically perform its intended function. But today it was supposed to be a secret meeting of delegates from many different nations, countries, races, etc. Officially, the SSV Milda was conducting secret tests of the new weapons systems, which was also true, as the new atomic warheads, developed with the support of the Lombax, had been tested on a small moon in this system only two days ago.
But now the delegations have started assembling. There were representatives of the New Republic, Imperial Remnant, Empire of The Hand, System Alliance, Citadel Alliance, United Krogan Klans, Minbari Federation, and many others who were deemed appropriate by System Alliance leaders for this.
"Welcome to all of you and thank you for meeting today." - said Ambassador Sheridan, summoning everyone to silence, and taking their seats - "I know our invitation was a bit sparse, but it was needed for security reasons."
"Because our governments may have been infiltrated like the Citadel Alliance a few years ago." - said Matriarch Benezia T'Soni, who acted as the representative of the Citadel Alliance.
"Unfortunately, it's very likely." - Sheridan said.
"So you specifically gave a different reason for the meeting than you did." - said Leia Organa Solo.
"Unfortunately, we know of at least 10 people who are infiltrators in the New Republic, and that number is sure to grow." - Sheridan said - "While it's not as bad as the Narns or the Centauri, the sheer size of New Republic will result in a huge number of such personalities."
"Two questions." - Nurtak Krarr said - "First of all, who are these infiltrators? Secondly, I still see no reason why you would need to get all of us together to deal with them."
"Both are very relevant questions." - said the new voice as it boarded - "Their name is the Yuuzhan Vong, and their strength is comparable to the Galactic Empire at its peak."
"Impossible." - Leia said.
"You're dead." - Akbar added.
"Grand Admiral Thrawn." - concluded Gilad Pellaeon.
"Actually, he's a clone of him, but just calling me Thrawn is enough." - said Thrawn - "By the way, why are you so surprised, I said that I would return 10 years after my death."
"Apparently, many believed that even such a legendary figure as Mitth'raw'nuruodo, creator of Empire of the Hand, couldn't escape death." - said Anla'shok Na Lenonn.
"Mimbari, despite their isolation, always well informed and prepared. Truly a mysterious and powerful species you are." - Thrawn said politely.
"More importantly." - Ackbar interrupted them - "Who are these Yuuzhan Vong, and how can they possess power comparable to the Galactic Empire? We're talking over [1]100 dreadnoughts and battlecruisers, 50,000 Star Destroyer-sized vessels, and over a million other smaller ships, not to mention twice as many PDF and Monthball ships from Clone Wars. That would require some 50 billion support staff, logistics, fighter pilots and crews. In addition, twice as much for ground forces, and who knows many, how many times more for civilians who would produce all this, collect raw materials and generally give the economic opportunities for development. In addition, it takes at least a few Kuat-sized yards to build it up in a reasonable amount of time, or dozens, maybe hundreds, of smaller yards. Several thousand times more systems for collecting the resources needed for this. Doonium and other similar resources aren't found in every system that we encounter, so unless these ships are made of some antiquated alloy, they would actually need a territory spanning 80,000 systems at a minimum."
"Actually, there's a simple answer to that." - Thrawn said - "They use organic technology, more advanced than anything we have. Plus, they come from another galaxy, so they're not just desperate, they have a culture totally set up to conquer our galaxy. The most dangerous, however, is their religious fanaticism, which orders them to annihilate all races that use machine-based technology. Which, if I'm not mistaken, is all the races and their representatives gathered here. And I understand that some of you may use organic technology, but not 100% which would still qualify you as heretics for Yuuzhan Vong. If you have any more questions, you can use the datapads on the desk. They contain all the information you need."
For a while, the various representatives decided to talk among themselves. Only the System Alliance and Empire of the Hand were prepared for this bomb for now, and the rest of the leaders didn't know what to do. On the one hand, they had no reason not to trust them, even Thrawn was respected by the New Republic, and his fame as a military genius was legendary. But to believe in such a threat from another galaxy was extremely hard.
"I don't know." - Leia said to Gilad - "It seems like old Imperial propaganda to force an increase in military forces."
"I admit it may feel a bit like that." - Gilad said - "But this is the Thrawn we're talking about, and he has confirmation from another government. Besides, what does it give them? At best, the New Republic will add to its already sizeable military advantage."
"I know we actually had such a spy in our ranks." - Adrien Victus said - "She has led to at least one war with the Krogan that almost ended in the extermination of at least one species and significantly depleted our economic and military capabilities. Reconstruction is going well, but if this was a prelude to an invasion, it would be very effective."
Elsewhere, Ackabr began a conversation with Delenn of Mimbar and Benezia.
"I'm telling you, it's very possible." - Delenn replied - "Dukhat has already ordered war preparations and reconnaissance for this potential threat. Now that we have evidence of this threat and other governments willing to help, we should get together and help them."
"But war preparations on this scale will not only be extremely costly but also difficult to implement." - Benezia said.
"Our people have suffered a great deal over the last dozen years and are looking forward to at least a moment of peace." - Ackbar said - "To really garner public support, funding, and political will, it would take irrefutable proof and a call for war worthy of the destruction of Alderan."
"Even so, the evidence shows that we cannot underestimate such a threat." - Delenn said - "We'll at least need some hidden warship upgrades."
"Hmm, we could continue to produce civilian ships that can be quickly converted to warships." - said Ackbar.
"An interesting proposition, but a re-propuised civilian ship will never be as good as a purpose-built warship." - Benezia said.
Meanwhile, the conversation between Thrawn and Sheridan.
"Do you really believe this will work?" - asked Sheridan - "We just gave them the most unbelievable information possible. Even with the evidence provided, our odds of success do not look encouraging."
"Don't worry, ambassador." - Thrawn replied - "The personalities here have been selected by your informants and myself based on available data. Without your AI, it would have taken me several times longer. The personalities selected here are extremely focused on protecting their homes and values, have combat experience, and are able to believe in the information provided. If they were, for example, Bosk Felia of the New Republic or Council Tevos of the Citadel Alliance, they would probably reject the proposal, even with the evidence provided. But Ackbar, Leia Organa or Matriarch Benezia. They will see the truth, no matter how implausible, and make the only logical choice in the situation."
After a few more minutes, the debates ended.
"So what's your proposition?" - Delen asked.
"Galactic Defense Initiative." - Thrawn replied - "A military alliance that will have but one purpose. Repel the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. While System Alliance and Empire of the Hand have already begun preparations, on a galactic scale, we will need much more resources. Additionally, my projections show that at the current best, the galaxy's losses will be 10 trillion, potentially more."
Everyone fell silent for a moment as Thrawn gave a number. So many did not even die in the entire Galactic Civil War and the minor conflicts that occurred during that war. And he just said that this is the least amount of damage the galaxy will suffer right now. Many species would be completely wiped out, and the number of planets where Base Delta Zero was made would have to be enormous.
"Are you sure you didn't overdo the loss?" - Leia asked - "That's the equivalent of at least 5,000 planets if you count the average population[2]."
"These are the smallest losses so far." - Thrawn said - "If the military is rebuilt and prepared, these losses could be less. But the potential enemy strike force could also be much greater."
"I think joining this GDI[3] is beneficial for the Citadel Alliance." - Benezia said.
Soon after, all the delegates signed their will to join the GDI. Although the alliance was secret for now, and there had been no occasional meetings between representatives of the armed forces, they had already established one thing. Grand Admiral Thrawn will be the commander-in-chief of all GDI forces when war breaks out. At this point, he is to be offered a special rank in GDI.
Galactic Admiral.
Codex
System Alliance designations:
Before a system is given a name, all previous systems are given designations based on many factors.
Type(O,B,A,F,G,K,M)(From Wikipedia)
of planets
of asteroid belts
Relay present (S1-one primary, S2-several primary, M1-one primary, M2-multiple primary, 00-no Mass Realy),
of strategic resources (N-non-existent, S-small, M-medium, B-large, E-huge)
and moons with atmospheres for humans (G-planet garden, T-planet for terraformation[no life], R-planet for terraformation[lethal type of atmosphere], I-impossible to terraform)
number of known Hyperspace lanes (two digits).
Life(P-pre space age, S-space age, I-interstellar age, L-none)
of cosmic phenomena (L-none, M-nebula, B-black hole, W-white hole, D-double suns, T-triple suns, Q-quadruple suns. If more phenomena are present, then add)
number of such a system (in case of repetition of a system with the same parameters)
[1]Anaxes War College System
[2] If I remember correctly, the Galactic Empire/Republic had about a million planets with an average population of around 2 billion, such as Alderan. Of course, these are just populated planets, and probably some smaller colonies with a thousand or two won't count, and there are also Hutt territories and Unknown Regions that have much smaller average populations. For example, SA is now around 25 million per planet, mostly due to Earth and other Homeworlds, with the potential to increase as more species join.
BTW. If these calculations are correct, in the original war, the New Republic, which suffered the vast majority of 365 trillion dead, lost over 17% of its population. This is slightly less than Poland in World War II (up to 20%). The USSR lost some 13%, Yugoslavia 10%, Germany 8% and the world about 3%.
Stats for perspective.
[3]I like this shortcut, so I will use it.