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Phase 5 : The Naboo Affair

=RK=

Interlude

"For decades now, we've all heard and read speculations about the Separatist's Grand Offensive that ended one phase of the Clone Wars. The most talked about event is the Jedi Coup launched on Coruscant. Many speculate how a different outcome of the Coup or even its absence would have changed the war. The appeal is clear – in a conflict spanning the width and breadth of the galaxy there are seldom single events that could significantly influence the outcome of such a war.

The Jedi Coup is one such occasion. The primary speculations about it centre around three main premises:

1. The Jedi remaining loyal, which has the potential for the greatest impact.

2. The Coup is discovered before it launches and Chancellor Palpatine orders Order 66 executed pre-emptively.

3. The Coup goes on as OTL, yet the Chancellor survives the assassination attempt that claimed his life.

We'll begin with a summary of the most likely outcomes of the first scenario – best and worst scenarios alike.

Without the Jedi Coup, the first big change in the timeline is obvious. The Clones aren't confused by conflicting orders that they were bred to obey. Admiral Yularen is able to bring the Republic Strategic Reserve in play at Corellia.

Then what?

Some would tell you that the fleets' admiral Trench of the Confederacy brought to bear against the Republic are crushed in short order. Next comes Kamino – without a coup, there's no assassination attempt on general Veil by Jedi Masters Rancisis and Shaak Ti. He wasn't left exhausted, there was no confusion and traitorous Jedi storming Tipoca city. It's very much possible that general Veil wasn't forced to utilise Battle Meditation at that battle and even if he did, the countermeasure unleashed upon him by the Jedi wouldn't be in play.

Kamino might hold for weeks, may be even months. Perhaps long enough for the Republic to finish her new construction at Corellia and Kuat, get those ships properly integrated in the navy, their crews trained and only then sent into the fray unlikely what had to happen in OTL. Then it's not a stretch of the imagination that an unstoppable tide of Republic ships could fight its way to Naboo, which according to Republic loyalists would have held no matter what, Eriadu and even Kamino. After that the war was supposedly as good as won.

We just outlined the best case scenario – unlikely but certainly possible.

However, many watching the records tend to see the blunders the Separatist did before their Grand Offensive, before the Confederacy Council took power and straightened up their command structure and declare that if only there was no Jedi Coup, victory would be not only inevitable but relatively easy.

Others believe otherwise and paint a different picture. No Jedi Coup. Admiral Yularen arrives to the rescue leading the Republic Strategic Reserve as the cavalry of ancient legend. Then he and Jedi Master Plo Koon crush the dastardly enemy, right?

Those who dedicated any serious time and effort in studying military history would not necessary agree. Ever since the Clone Wars, it's been held as an indisputable fact that Admiral Trench was one of the best the Separatists had. Perhaps the best. He was certainly as good as any Republic commander you wish to name of the era. One thing that people usually forget or dismiss is a very important fact – the Confederacy knew that the Republic had reserves. Roughly their size too and that they would be dispatched the moment it was known where the primary blow was falling – either Corellia or Kuat.

Trench and his colleague planned to reduce Corellia's industry, defeat the forces commanded by Jedi Master Koon and either bloody the Republic reserves before retreating once their job was done or defeat them if the opportunity presented itself. We don't know how such fight would have been resolved for sure, however there were certain wagames played by the Republic, Mandalorians and Empire in the aftermath of the Clone Wars that indicate that either side could have emerged victorious from Corellia. Declassified results show that while the odds of a comprehensive Republic defeat, meaning loss of space-borne industry, Plo Koon's and Yularen's fleets were slim, such an outcome was still possible.

There's one thing that all wargames agree upon – admiral Trench had enough forces in the Corellian system to see the virtual annihilation of the industry, which was his primary strategic goal. How many ships he would have left at the end and what damage he could cause on the opposing fleets would depend on his and his counterparts tactical decisions during the battle.

Right now we're assuming the worst case scenario for the Republic – a bad strategic loss at Corellia. Next, we go to Kamino. General Veil arrives there with a battle group centred upon the Corellian cruiser Freedom and needs to assist the friendly forces there in holding out for as long as possible. Bolstered by their strategic victory at Corellia, the Separatist might very well go all out to capitalise on that success. In order to do that they need to secure their grasp of the Core by eliminating any major threat to their rear areas. Ironically, even a bad loss at Corellia might have a similar effect...

We know what happened after the Burning of Kamino. General Veil retreated with a significant number of surviving ships, laid low until he and his crews could mentally recover and then went to reinforce first Eriadu then Naboo after raiding Darknell. During their flight from Kamino, the survivors were being chased by at least twice their number of Separatist ships which were unavailable for other operations. Here lays the rub – how many of those ships would have died in order to win at Kamino if general Veil, master Rancisis and their GAR counterpart had to stand and fight to the end at Kamino? Would salvage a major part of the Republic forces there be possible without the chaos caused by the Jedi countermeasure for Battle Meditation upon the organic Separatist commanders in system? That's a question with no good answer. Those few who know for sure keep silent to this day. So we have to assume and as in this scenario the Republic isn't particularly lucky, while general Veil might be able to flee with his Flagship the Freedom its unlikely he would be able to salvage enough of a force to matter.

The consequences are obvious – despite Gideon Tarkin's best efforts Eriadu falls in a short order and then admiral Tigellinus is left at Naboo in untenable situation. The Separatists manage to secure most of the galaxy despite suffering significant losses in the process and its questionable if even someone as revered as Chancellor Sheev Palpatine could hold a so crippled Republic together, much less win the war. At the very least we're looking at a divided galaxy between a rump Republic based in the Core and a Confederacy holding most of the galaxy. At best that's a recipe for another war once both sides recover from the conflict.

Most likely, the truth is somewhere between those two extremes. Without the coup, the war would have hinged on the outcome of Corellia, Kamino and what happened to Eriadu and the Mid Rim. There were too many variables to say for certain who would have emerged victorious. What we know is that both sides had a chance to win – depending on how you define victory, no matter if the Jedi launched their coup or not. One thing is certain – without the coup, the political situation would have been different and we might be living in a very different galaxy...

Next we'll examine the best and worst case scenarios if the Jedi Coup was discovered before it could be launched..."

"Speculative history of the Clone Wars"

Noreen K'var, Czerka Publishing House

=RK=

Part 9

Audience Chamber

Royal Palace

Theed

Naboo

I had no idea where Tarkin was going with his train of though. I had no plan about this meeting, only a pair of vague goals. The first was to garner enough reasonable doubt in peoples minds and hearts about what happened at Kamino so I could continue to operate within Republic space without suddenly turning in Public Enemy Number 1. Or perhaps 2 just after the Separatists. That was a marginal success. After all, the politicians gathered here had only my word to go by and Tarkin's support for my version of events. Every member of the fleet I got from Kamino was going to back it up too, but that mattered bot more and less than it might first appear.

For many people in this room it didn't matter if I gave the order to torch Kuat and laughed at the pretty fireworks. There were some who wouldn't care if they knew for sure I felt everyone on the surface die and loved every moment of it. Enough of the people in the audience chamber were either opportunists, self serving bastards or simply desperate enough to deal even with the devil. Some were all of the above or even genuinely good people who were against the wall looking for any way out for their worlds and people.

My second goal here was to see if something could be done so at least some of the worlds in the region would continue to be a bleeding sore in the Separatists side diverting resources from more important fronts. It wasn't nice, it wasn't how I would be presenting it to the locals, but it wasn't like I could do much for them. The logistics simply didn't work. If most of the present leaders decided that discretion was the better part of valour and either attempted to go neutral or threw their lot behind the enemy to avoid Confederate repressions, fighting our way through this region when, not if, we returned to kick the Separatists out would be a bloody affair that would waste too many resources and cause too much damage that had to be fixed later. Suppressing hostile population on former Republic worlds who now hated the Republic that abandoned them wasn't going to be fun. It could certainly be done but if I ended up in charge of the pacification what was left of my reputation would be shot to hell. Someone else might not be able to do what has to be done to secure the region turning large chunks of the Mid Rim into a quagmire.

That would be less than ideal, though depending on what happened on Coruscant since the coup, such a mess might have its benefits. It certainly aided my long term goals of replacing the Republic with something useful. However, I was getting the nagging suspicion that Tarkin was ready to jump the gun and this wasn't the time nor the place to show any division between us. Openly displaying such a weakness would kriff up our position even worse than it was and all but guarantee we wouldn't be able to do anything useful in the time we could afford to spent on Naboo.

Tarkin, what the kriff were you up to?!

Said bastard stood proudly and watched the people surrounding us with an inscrutable expression on his face. He had the unmistakable bearing of Core Nobility despite his family coming from Eriadu. I guess it's been so long that there were places on the Mid Rim that were culturally hardly distinguishable from the old worlds in the Core.

In other aspects, they couldn't be more different. What Tarkin was talking about today, what we discussed back on Eriadu would be anathema for most people in the Core... unless they were part of our little conspiracy with credible promises for money and power.

"Everything general Veil told us today is true to the best of my knowledge. I was at Kamino when the Jedi betrayed us. During his Battle Meditation I could experience his emotions, hear his thoughts. The general shared our agony, he hated experiencing every single death upon that world and there were billions of them. If it wasn't for him we would have died at Kamino. The Separatist fleet that confronted us there would have proceeded to sack and capture Eriadu and then the enemy would have struck Naboo with overwhelming force. Once admiral Tigellinus fleet was either destroyed or forced to retreat, this whole region of space would have been at the enemy's non-existent mercy." The sheer intensity and conviction in Tarkin's voice took me aback. The way he spoke was compelling you to believe him. If I didn't know better I would have thought he used the Force to enhance his voice.

"So? That's what's going to happen when you abandon us again!" A CEO from Heth snapped. "What do you expect us to do? Fight and die for people who don't give a damn about us? Why should we protect the interests of the Core worlds while they scramble to secure Corellia while we're being abandoned?"

Almost everyone agreed. I could hear it in the way they shouted their support. The corona of conflicting emotions surrounding me made their feelings crystal clear. Only a few of them had any use for the Republic right now. They were on the verge of jumping ship and the moment I gave the order to pull back from Naboo we might lose the whole Mid Rim, not just this region of space.

I ran basic strategies through my mind, half backed plans... It didn't matter. Logistics was a harsh mistress. I could hurt the Separatists, perhaps bad enough to give them pause but doing so would strand most of the fleet above us in the nearby sectors without sufficient ammunition. I would be forced to cannibalize and scuttle a lot of ships for supplies. In the grand scheme of things it would be a waste for dubious gain at best. I would lose time as well and if Mandalore hadn't fallen yet it might before we could get to the eastern part of the galaxy.

Ultimately I didn't have a reason to stand here and fight even doing so would mean my actions would help the Republic fragment. That could actually turn out to be a plus in the long run, though in the short to medium it was going to be a colossal pain in the ass.

"From a pure military perspective, abandoning you all is the correct course of action. It's going to be a political disaster, however doing so would help the Republic win the war and when that's done none of you will have much of a choice. Those who decide to spare their worlds the horrors of war and those forced into accepting Separatist terms will be declared traitors and collaborators." I told them. I had the feeling that Tarkin was using me as the proverbial bad cop and vessel to deliver the nasty truth while he was about to offer them salvation on one form or another. All I had to do was tell the truth while trying to figure some course of action that wouldn't result in a disaster, however I was drawing blank. The only thing that had a prayer of working... Nah. That might very well see us branded as traitors. Tarkin couldn't possibly mean to... If we did this it might very well be more than the Republic cold bear. At the very least whoever ended up in charge of GAR at Coruscant if it wasn't Obi-Wan would see all aid and forces recalled from Mandalore. Even Kenobi might be unable to stop it if he wants to retain his position.

We weren't ready for such blatant open actions! Even if we were, this wasn't the time nor the place! The logistics would suck and attempting what I began suspecting he had in mind might see us all dead for nothing. Besides, how many of the locals would agree anyway? Neutrality would be a very good alternative for some of them – if anyone decided to honour it anyway.

I turned to stare at Tarkin, who gave me a tiny nod and began speaking.

"We know the situation our worlds are in. The Republic might as well be gone. For all we know it is gone or locked into inaction as it was during the Naboo Crisis before Chancellor Palpatine was elected." Tarkin began outlining a proposal I was sure would end in the history books.

It might very well damn us along with the Republic or be an unexpected blessing in disguise. It was going to be a huge complication for sure.

He kept the crowd reasonably quiet by a sheer force of personality. Who knew he had it in him?

"At Eriadu, my family facilitated certain deals between the GAR, Corellia and Mandalore represented by general Veil and the various worlds and industrial interests supplying my homeworld with its defences and the material needed to build them. While your worlds are in a worse position – the enemy has many more forces stationed in striking distance making your position even more perilous, I believe I have a workable solution. It isn't a perfect one, nor one some of you would enjoy. However, it might just be enough to either keep the Separatists off your worlds or allow us to liberate them." Tarkin's confidence was infectious. He had everyone's undivided attention. "Right now Eriadu and the surrounding sectors are temporarily secure. I won't lie to you – my proposal is born of selfish reasons because if it bears fruit it's the best chance to keep my home safe and protect yours too."

"We would hear your proposal, admiral Tarkin. We would give it all due consideration and give you a decision here, today, if that's the recommendation of general Veil. He saved Naboo twice and we believe you two might save our home yet again." Queen Neeyutnee spoke regally.

It was good to know that I had at least one person in my corner in here besides Tarkin.

"Thank you, your majesty. I hope I won't disappoint." Tarkin bowed with a flourish once again demonstrating his impeccable manners.

"Let us be the judge about that, admiral. Please, speak."

"My proposition is deceptively simple – an alliance, both military and economic aimed at protecting the Mid Rim from any aggression." Tarkin dropped the bomb and the world literally stood still.

It wasn't often I've heard such deafening silence within a room chock full with politicians, yet Tarkin managed to stun everyone. My mind spun exploring the implications. I would need to hear more details but it suddenly became clear that Tarkin had been a very busy boy back on Eriadu. I should have kept a closer watch over him or at least asked him some pointed questions. I knew he couldn't really move against me, however the way he was working to achieve my or should I say our, long term goals was interesting to say the least.

I needed to hear more details. My first reaction was to dismiss his idea as a madness born by me messing with his mind on Kamino. However... There was a very slight possibility that it might work at least in the short term if we acted fast and were very lucky. That stunt he pulled at Darknell – was it just an opportunity he seized or did he plan something like this since before we left Eriadu? I needed to have a heart to heart talk with him.

If the locals didn't attempt to lynch us first, because what Tarkin just proposed was for all intents and purposes a secession not unlike what the Separatists did before the war began. Oh, there were possibilities that might work in our favour but the danger... A smile slowly crept up my face. I was a Sith. Since when did I run away from danger?

The stunned silence broke and everyone began shouting questions and accusations at the same time. Tarkin bore the storm with aplomb and didn't let it visibly effect it. He stood beside me like a pillar radiating utter confidence in his chosen course of action.

I wish I could say I shared it. Things just became so much complicated it wasn't even funny.

=RK=

AN: I'll need a feedback about the implications of Tarkin's proposal at the end. How I handle it is going to either make or break this story ark and potentially the whole story. His suggestion does have military merit - if everyone involved commits everything they have available it could work, though if it fails its going to leave most of the Mid Rim and western galaxy in Separatist hands with no naval forces to speak of available to contest their presence. It's a very high risk proposal but the rewards are potentially substantial. Then there's the political aspect - once the Senate hears about it, they're going to go ballistic. This is tantamount to another secession not unlike what he Separatists did before the Clone Wars began. Some of those issues along with desperation might be the reasons why certain people embrace the proposal...