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Phase 5 : The Naboo Affair

=RK=

Part 5

First Naboo Royal Guards Division /NRGD 1/

Theed

Naboo

Hell had come to Naboo for a third time. Gregar Typho had the misfortune to be present and in the middle of it each bloody time. First it was ten years ago when the Trade Federation invaded. Then he fought besides his uncle Panaka to free his people. Gregar believed all the wounds he suffered then, including the loss of his left eye were worth it, because he contributed to the victory no matter how small that contribution was.

The second time was just a few months ago. He really didn't have to sacrifice anything then. Typho got lucky not to be exposed to the Blue Shadow – something millions of his people couldn't claim. All too many of them died. Others got sick enough to be scared for years to come, perhaps to life thanks to complications of the virus. All he could do then was cooperate with the Republic and hope that a Sith of all people could save Naboo.

Said Sith actually delivered. His home was left scared, its society torn asunder, yet Naboo preserved. Everyone knew someone who got sick and died. Too many people lost family and friends. Gregar was no exception – his nieces didn't make it even after being lucky enough to get into stasis pods until the cure could be developed. The Blue Shadow killed them with complications caused to their systems.

Gregar would have gladly died in their places yet the universe didn't work that way.

When people began crying for vengeance, when they began blaming their government for lacking the strength to defend them form the same enemy for a second time, Typho was torn. He could sympathise. Gregar was angry too. He and every one in the Royal Security Forces failed the people they were supposed to protect and there were millions of bodies standing as silent monuments for the magnitude of that failure.

Typho wasn't the only one to reach a certain conclusion then. He simply was the highest placed. Security Forces – they simply weren't enough. The RSF could deal with smugglers, the odd pirate or mercenary, petty crime. They could protect their government officials, but that was it. Keeping Naboo safe from a real army, that was out of their league. They didn't have the manpower, equipment and often the training to face such an enemy. Better security might have been enough to prevent the release of Blue Shadow. More manpower and preparations might have been enough to evacuate a significant portion of the people affected beyond Theed.

The citizens of Naboo agreed. They demanded changes. Cried for vengeance. In few short weeks the horror of Blue Shadow shattered the pacifism that was practically integral to their society and culture. The Queen and her advisers were frozen in indecision – what their people demanded was unthinkable. Many saw Typho's coming forward and backing the creation of a Royal Naboo Army as a betrayal of everything their world stood for. Yet, there were much more people why cheered him.

Gregar didn't really care. All he had left was his duty and a vow he made upon his niece's graves – that he would defend Naboo to his dying breath; that he would do his best no matter the consequences, no matter what people thought about him. What did his reputation matter when his people were dying?!

That's how the Royal Naboo Army was born – among controversy, cries of treason and thundering applause. The Republic's help made possible a task that should have taken years to be completed in mere months. The GAR personnel stationed at Naboo to oversee the quarantine forced by Blue Shadow were glad to help him train a freshly recruited army. The Republic was keen on supplying the NRA with equipment and a lot of it was first tier – the same the soldiers on the frontlines carried in battle.

For a few months, Gregar led himself believe that his efforts would be enough. Naboo could finally protect itself.

A month ago the Separatist came and put that bold claim to the test.

At least this time general Typho had an enemy he could fight...

=RK=

Gregar wasted precious seconds numbly staring at the battleship that just crash-landed at the edge of the plateau where Theed proudly stood. Hatches opened, new exits were blown by massive shaped charges and a whole Separatist army poured into the capital.

"This is general Typho! Code Black! I say again, Code Black! First Royal Guard Division stand firm and let none pass!" Gregar's training kicked in and he began barking orders. A part of him screamed that he should go back to the command centre from where he could better coordinate the defence. That was a sensible advise.

Gregar ignored it.

"Besh Company, with me!" The general ordered the unit he was inspecting. He thanked providence for wearing the same medium armour as his soldiers while awake ever since the invasion began. All he had to do was to slam on his helmet, access the command frequencies and he could command from the front too.

That was what Gregar tried to do anyway. The angry hiss of jamming proved that Theed was in bigger trouble than he feared. He considered trying to reach his command post at the palace, but that would take too long. He had to gather as many soldiers as possible and blunt the enemy attack so his officers could have the time to organize a proper response.

Gregar smiled. He was actually content with the situation he suddenly found himself in. The enemy was right here and finally he could get at them personally.

Besh Company fell in behind the general and its lieutenant got him a security detail who fell into a protective circle around him. He nodded in thanks while trying to cut through the jamming but soon gave that idea as a lost cause. The comms built in his armour simply lacked the juice for such a feat.

"Lieutenant Winfred, send runners to the nearby barracks. I want backup ASAP. We're going to intercept the droids at the river. Get your demo people ready to drop any bridges they could use to easily cross over." Typho ordered.

"Sir, are we abandoning half the city?!" The LT exclaimed.

"Not if I can help it." Typho emphatically shook his head.

They soon linked with a detachment of RSF and couple of patrolling army squads. Couple of minutes later, they came into contact with the enemy. Those weren't all but useless B1s. Gregar wasn't that lucky.

"Scatter and take cover!" Typho snapped with the LT following a split second later.

A full dozen droidekas rolled over the bridge Besh Company was approaching and they were followed by sprinting Commando Droids and a marching phalanx of gleaming silver SBs. Among the legion at the back could be seen hulking figures that were at least three meters tall and carrying enough weapons to make a tank jealous.

The destroyers unfolded but not before three got taken out while they were in travel configuration. The rest managed to get on their stubby feet and their shields came to life protecting them within bubbles of transparent energy.

A decade ago, a company of RSF would be all but helpless against this many droidekas without vehicle support. All they could have done was hide, distract the machines and hope to either escape or receive reinforcements. A few months ago, the RSF would have fared better – if they had time to hit the armoury.

Today was different.

Typho's soldiers took aim with practised ease and opened accurate and devastating fire. Heavy blasters buried the droidekas under a wave of plasma, grenade launchers fried their shields with Ion grenades and it was all over almost as fast as it began.

"First platoon go!" Gregar ordered. "Second, provide cover. Third, watch our backs and flanks. Leapfrog forward!"

Armoured humans and murderous droids soon clashed in the middle of one of Theed's bigger bridges. Plasma flew in all directions, laser cannons and rail-guns tore through air hazed by weapons fire and Typho's people began dying. A Commando droid came over the railing and gutted a soldier before the corporal knew he was in danger but at least the machine was slagged before it could claim another victim.

Missiles launched by the large wardroids in the back turned the middle of the bridge into a slaughterhouse that wiped out two whole squads. A barrage of grenades – mixed HE and Ion reaped the first rows of the marching SBs just as they reached the river. Smoke rounds turned the whole bridge in a surreal silver haze that was lit up by red, blue and green balls of plasma.

"Cover us!" A pair of combat engineers totting up backpacks loaded with exploding goodness sprinted low while a whole platoon pumped shot after shot as fast as they could around them.

One ran afoul of a rail-gun round that replaced his head with a faint spray of red mist, yet the other got to the middle of the bridge and removed her backpack. A lumbering figure came trough the smoke and aimed a pair of large cannons at the woman. Its shields absorbed everything Besh Company could throw at it without killing their comrade.

"That's for my daughter, you bastards!" The engineer shouted and she vanished in the middle of a blinding light. The shock-wave threw the closer soldiers off their feet and only their armour kept them more or less intact. The explosion was enough to clear the smoke before replacing it with concrete dust and water vapour. About a third of the bridge was simply gone along with the bodies of the two engineers and what was left of the soldiers fallen under the missile barrage.

"Leave third platoon here to keep them from crossing the hard way." Gregar ordered once he could hear himself over the ringing in his ears. "The rest of you, follow me." He pointed at the next bridge that was half a kilometre downriver.

"We're with you sir!" A young voice full of determination declared. The rest of Besh Company roared their agreement.

"To whatever end!" Someone else added.

"We'll make the clankers pay!"

"That we will!" Gregar cracked a grim smile.

A shadow hiding the sun got distracted him and he looked up. Typho's smile grew feral. There were Republic Acclamators descending through the clouds and an almost solid wall of fighters and bombers was coming in front of them. Two of them had their front ramps open and whole wings of LAATs were flying out as a submarine chased by a leviathan.

A sense of relief washed over the general. Perhaps he wasn't going to fail his people for a second time. Not today!

=RK=

Part 6

Hangar A-1

Corellian cruiser Freedom

High orbit above Naboo

I took a moment to examine the fully kitted troops standing at attention in the hangar. This was Alpha Regiment, 501st Legion – and they were all trained to take down Jedi. Rex and the few old hands stood at attention in front of the rest and beside them were three fuming figures – my unlucky minions.

"Madorin, you're deploying to a CIS Lukrehulk that made a crash-landing just outside of Theed. Your orders are simple – take control of engineering and scram the main reactor so the clankers can't blow it up, the city and most of the continent. Go!" I glared at the trio of former Jedi.

My minions grumbled but obeyed and got on a nearby waiting assault shuttle. The moment they were on the ramp closed and the small ship shot out of the hangar like a bat out of hell and a squadron of Torrents followed after it to act as escorts.

"Rex, you're going after them. Make sure the mission is successful and if they go on the deep end, terminate them. Give me a fire-team as an honour guard, then go secure that ship."

"We'll get it done, sir!" The commander saluted. "Echo, Boomer, you heard the general. Fall in with him." Rex ordered the only two notable troopers from the 501st to make it from Kamino with him. The rest either died when facing the Old Republic Jedi or simply didn't reach an evacuation flight before the bombardment hit.

"Sir, yes, sir!" The Clones chorused as one and fell in around me along with their squads.

"Good! Go get them and don't get yourselves killed, that's and order I expect you to follow." I cracked a smile. They were my men, through and through.

"Orders, sir?" Echo asked.

"We're going to meet the Queen Neeyutnee and figure out what the kriff is happening around here. Keep an eye out for clankers – Theed's defence perimeter was breached." I explained on the way to our ride down – another assault shuttle.

We got in, strapped in our seats and I called the pilot to get us moving and ensure I got patched into the shuttle's sensors. On the way down I wanted to see the situation with my own eyes while thinking over Tigellinus' short report over the utter mess I was about to walk in. The admiral's words still rang in my head and I was trying to wrap my mind around the situation.

Thanks to my time with the Empire I knew very well that what I knew of this galaxy barely scratched the surface. The current situation was a very good reminder of that fact. I couldn't recall there being many notable worlds in the sectors surrounding Naboo. That was actually correct in reality too – technically.

"Couple of days after I took command of the Republic forces in system, various guests began arriving at Naboo." Tigellinus told me. "I've had to attend some receptions at the palace, which was useful in figuring out what was happening." He explained with a frown. "Some of them brought friends too – that's where about a third of the fleet under my command comes from."

There wasn't a single world closer than Sulust that could rival anything important in the Core. However, there were a lot of populated planets nearby, some of which had been in development for thousands of years. Most of them couldn't compete with the big names in shipbuilding and heavy industry so it was usually cheaper to import a lot of things. Still, there were worlds with respectable levels of industry, including at least one with decent shipbuilding capabilities.

"It quickly became obvious that the Queen has been in negotiation with her local friends. I'll bet anything you want that general Typho had something to do with it – he was one of the primary driving forces behind the establishment of the Naboo Royal Army and he's a realist. He knows that Naboo simply lacks the industry and time to build it to sustain their army alone, much less to build a force that could challenge an invasion alone. They needed allies and not just us." That revelation didn't make him particularly happy, it was obvious and Tigellinus didn't even try to hide how he felt at that slight. To his credit, the admiral simply scowled but continued to report in a professional manner. "There were some running pre-emptively," Tigellinus sneered, "Others who actually tried to stop the Separatists and retreated with whatever they could salvage when it became clear the situation was untenable." It was obvious which group had his respect.

We passed through a layer of thick clouds and the plain where Theed was built became visible below us. I could make many pillars of smoke rising in the air and creating a dark haze all over the region around the capital. Air strikes were hammering the downed Lukrehulk and the battleship was still able to spit defiance from its remaining weapons. The level of danger I could sense through the Force was rather low so unless something really went to hell, my minions should be able to secure the ship. Rex would ensure they wouldn't do something... regrettable.

Explosions were still flashing below all around Theed and even within the city itself. My ten Acclamators were descending and hammering any concentration of enemy forces they could safely hit and their LAATs were swarming to reinforce whatever friendly units were still alive down there. There had been one hell of a fight on Naboo and I regretted I missed the show. Instead of getting stuck in with the enemy on the ground I would have to deal with political minefield. Tigellinus' report guaranteed it.

"We've got leaders and ambassadors from dozens of systems from not only Chomel Sector but those surrounding it. Even defectors or resistance leaders from Separatist aligned worlds, though those are kept under close watch." The admiral told me. "The notable ones? Let's see... Well, there's Ryndellia. They were neutral until the Blue Shadow was released -that stunt pushed a lot of neutrals in our camp. Even a few Separatist aligned worlds or so they claim." Tigellinus shrugged. "There might be a grain of truth there too, but Ryndellia first. That was the first 'neutral' to come crawling back into the fold. Their Prime Minister fled here with his family, most of their defence fleet and two battalions worth of security forces. Officially, he's here to support Naboo." The admiral snorted. "Just like most of the rest he came to garner favour with the Chancellor by protecting his homeworld. He hoped that the Queen could put a good world about his loyalty and the aid he provided."

The same story was true for most of those gathered in Theed. I knew that each of them had multiple reasons to be here, however, protecting Palpatine's homeworld and the boons that could be reaped from such an action were very high in the list.

"Unofficially, the Prime Minister didn't want to turn Ryndellia into battlefield so he came here with as much of his military as possible. Next, well let's go with our notable turncoats – former Senator Bog Divinian from Nuralee. The bastard threw his lot with the Separatists because he was in the Commerce Guild's pockets. He claims that he saw the light thanks to Blue Shadow and actually began a civil war on his homeworld. I dispatched a battle group to check up what the bloody hell was happening there and my people helped kick the Separatist out of there. For the time being Nuralee is in Republic hands and the good Senator is on Naboo with most of his navy so we could keep them in line. He no doubt hopes to prove how loyal he is and that his change of heart is genuine. Typho told me that the ground forces he brought actually distinguished themselves though most of them died in the process. It remains to be seen if that will keep."

Nuralee was notable – that planet had been hit by an economic down-run a few years before the war began that put it firmly in the grip of the Commerce Guild. Their investments revitalized the economy and most of their industry was converted into military production. If we could keep that place in our hand and keep the order, it was going to be a useful asset.

"Master Mandolin reports his team breached into the ship and they're on their way to the reactor." I got the message relayed by laser comm through the Freedom. There was still too much jamming thanks to that battleship to easily use regular comms.

A frigate pack flew above us on a ground support mission and the banks of the river passing through Theed erupted into flashes of light. More frigates descended and began scything through what Vultures were still in the air in this hemisphere.

Joanna and Tigellinus had things well in hand it seemed.

My thoughts went back to the report I got before leaving for Theed. There was Ugul – a small agrarian world whose Chancellor managed to flee a CIS invasion with a few ships and a bit of security forces. The same was true for Karlinus, the source of a supposedly famous Karlini tea. Their Prime Minister, one Jorge Baras, and who named him after my former master, got away too. He managed to extract roughly half of their system defence navy and a battalion of marines. That story repeated itself multiple times – the wealthy trade colony of Trevi IV, where the CEOs were spirited away by their mercenary security and came to Naboo with most of their navy and the contents of their accounts; Triellust – another trade world with an advanced anti-piracy fleet and a third of it survived to reach this world along with their Hegemon Mario Feneti; the same story could be told about at least a dozen more systems.

There were a few notable instances, which Tigellinus made sure to point out.

"Rintone and Seltos." He told me. "The former is important – the biggest single shipbuilder in the area besides Sulust and Eriadu. They're on our side and still holding strong because the Separatists are concentrating their efforts here. That wasn't lost on their leadership and Rintone's ruling families dispatched and ambassador along with a strong task force and three regiments of their National Guard. They were quite useful in holding this place." Tigellinus sounded like he had a high opinion of those forces. They hope to get enough Republic reinforcements thanks to their contribution in protecting Naboo to ensure their world won't fall. Seltos has very close ties to Rintone and usually supports their decisions which is the case now. They're producing food and some very useful minerals that are exclusively sold to Rintone's shipyards. Seltos did send a representative too along with few ships and a battalion of troops."

When you think about it, with the exception of Rintone, every single force, no matter ground or naval that arrived at Naboo was quite small in absolute numbers. However, there were a lot of them and combined they were quite respectable. Or would be if they could be shaped into a cohesive fighting force instead of a multiple separate units.

There were three more notable systems Tigellinus told me about and one, while having nothing useful in military or industrial terms was actually a great boon.

"Alassa Major." The admiral grinned when he told me about it. "One of the biggest and most famous resort worlds in the Republic. The Separatist invaded it to capture people for leverage and intelligence. While that will have some unpleasant consequences because they did get some important people or their relatives, many were spirited away by a group of CEOs running the major resorts there and their security forces. They managed to flee to Naboo and are currently honoured guests of the Queen."

Well, that was a huge complication and a big opportunity. Either way it was going to be a big pain in my butt.

"There are just two more important systems you need to know about, general. First, Heth. It's technically a uninhabited piece of real estate, but it has extensive asteroid rings with many useful minerals. The mining guilds there have extensive fixed defences and a large anti-piracy fleet which still holds the system despite multiple Separatist incursions. They sent representatives offering resources for credits and GAR help in keeping the place out of Confederate hands. Finally, there's Rugosta. I'm not sure if you're aware but that's one of the few worlds in the region with a lot of heavy industry. They produce vehicles, as well as vehicle and starship components and electronics. We've got a large task force there, which still holds the place with the aid of the local navy. Their government dispatched forces to Naboo for obvious reasons."

We were almost at the palace and I had a pack of self serving politicians waiting for me. The primary reason most of them were here was to get on the Chancellor's good side by helping keep Naboo safe. With Palpy dead and the region cut off from the Core, the only thing likely keeping them more or less in line was Tigellinus and now mine fleets. No matter what they claimed, with news of Corellia's fall and after Kamino was lost, at least some of them would have second thoughts about being on the Republic's side. For all any of us knew, the Republic might be flying apart at the Core because no one with political experience in the Senate I had access to could tell me who the next Chancellor was likely to be and if they had a prayer of holding the Republic together.

I had my job cut off for me. Tarkin would be landing shortly and between the two of us we had to somehow convince the local politicians that gathering behind us was the smart thing to do. And we had to make sure that they would support us willingly because currently we lacked the assets to ensure long term compliance with military might. We had a lot of ships, but there was no way we could keep them in the region for long – the friendly systems here simply lacked the infrastructure to support such forces without regular resupply from the Core. Eriadu and the worlds aligned with it could help but for that to happen... Nah, that was crazy idea.

The shuttle landed and I focused my mind on the task awaiting me. I could not afford to make any mistakes today.