AN: The composition of the CIS navy is taken from the article about it in Wookipedia and should be considered a conservative estimate of what the CIS had as a minimum on the day the battle of Geonosis we saw in Episode II happened. In this story, they've been building up more than in OTL as far back as couple or years before the war began due to ORR interference.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Star Wars. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with commercial aim. I make no money from it.

Phase 19: Storm front

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Part 10

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GAR High Command

Coruscant

Our unexpected strategy session soon shifted to a more appropriate location – one of the briefing rooms in GAR's headquarters and we soon had notable people relevant to the topic pitching in and throwing irritated glares at their political leadership that gleefully went behind their back to consult with me. That little stunt didn't win Satine and company any points with the military and it was something I was going to use to cement my standing among the friendly elements among the officer corps. First however, I was interested in the briefing Kenobi had one of Valentra's aides give us all.

"I must stress again, sirs, the information we're basing these conclusions is incomplete and there is some amount of guesswork. However, as of this moment, this represents our best understanding on the enemy strategic situation and goals." Captain Colson explained. If he found any pressure in facing what amounted the top brass in the Republic complete with the civilian leadership for a good measure, he didn't show even a hint of it. Good man. "With the collapse of our Intelligence services and everything they gave us before hand looked at with suspicion, it became much harder to gauge what exactly the enemy possessed number wise, both at the start of the war and at the conclusion of their offensive in the Core. However, we do have some fact to base our estimates – like number of hulls organisations like the Trade Federation and Techno Union had as far back as the Naboo crisis, observed and confirmed build-up in the decade that followed, know industrial capacity, though there is a margin of error here concerning any expansion we aren't aware of..." He continued to list notable factors upon which the report was based until Obi-Wan cleared his throat.

"If anyone's interested in the details, I believe they can ask after the briefing."

"Understood, sir. The nature of this data and the tactics and strategy used by the enemy at the star of the war don't mesh too well and in fact was a reason why element among the intelligence community apparently dismissed some of the data I'm going to present as enemy propaganda. Simply put, if our estimates are right, if the Separatist displayed any trace of competent strategy before their own coup, we would have lost the war within the first six months of the conflict, best case scenario."

The politicians who were the reason for this meeting in the first place, looked incredulous. I was a lot more accepting for the simple fact that I knew the Separatist originally didn't intent to win the war, yet even then, they began the conflict with enough hardware available to give the Republic a run for its money even after the Clone army got revealed.

"At the highest level, the Separatist navy is composed of Sector Fleets. Each of those has three operational task forces with roughly seventy two to up to one thousand two hundred and eighty vessels. Each sector fleet had between two hundred to four thousand vessels for the largest of them… and our conservative estimate is that at the start of the war, the enemy possessed no less than a hundred such fleets."

"Twenty thousand warships as a minimum estimate?" It was telling that this shocked exclamation came from Senator Storm, who as a Kuati knew something about large and powerful fleets.

"The intensity of combat over the past year, confirmed numbers of lost enemy ships as well as observed operational ones as of the last week leads us to believe that if anything, the upper estimate might not be too high after all." Colson continued.

"How did the Separatist got so many ships?" Padme asked quietly.

"The Trade Federation had the largest merchant marine in the galaxy and with advent of hostilities, most of its trading opportunities were either rendered moot. They needed significantly fewer ships to meet Separatist demands and at least some of the slack would have been picked up by smaller consortiums under their aegis. For the longest time it was known that the Trade Federation ran armed merchantmen and our best guess is that despite calls for disarming after the Naboo Crisis they hadn't really gotten rid of the weaponry but instead sent it to their friends in the Techno Union along with any ships they wanted to upgrade to a full military standard. One of the reason why they usually need a large number of Munificent frigates to match one of our capital ships, despite the size of those things, is that they weren't built up to military standard and are inherently more fragile. There is only so much upgrades their frames could take before it would be more cost effective, not to mention faster, to simply build a new ship."

"A great deal of the enemy numbers was tied up in lighter fleet elements, am I correct?" I asked. The numbers were quite large, more than even I assumed they had… though not entirely out of line when you consider who was among the Confederacy numbers.

"That's correct, general. Again, it is a rough estimate, but at least sixty to seventy percent of the enemy forces were made of Munificents. We've heard rumours that the Separatist radically shifted their building priorities after their coup but with lead times for capital ships being what they are, it would be a few more months before we see any effect of such a decision."

"That stresses why we are running out of time. With events on Coruscant and in the Core distracting us after the fall of Corellia, we wasted most of our window of opportunity. Sooner than later, the next Separatist major construction cycle will be complete and for the following months we will be on the back-foot again. We need to push them away from Kuat before that happens and stabilize our lines in preparation for another Separatist offensive." Obi-Wan explained. "Captain, continue."

"Now, while number wise, the situation doesn't look terribly well for us, the news isn't all bad. We did inflict significant losses to the enemy during their push into the Core, we managed to stop them in the East and with news of general Veil's return and his successful campaign in the Rim, we believe that the enemy is no longer in position to be strong everywhere. As far as we know, the Mid-Rim Alliance is still standing, which means the Separatist declined to spend the ships necessary to neutralize it. That combined with the losses they suffered on the Rim and know active friendly forces in there, leads us to believe that between the territory the Separatist have to police, the huge active front in the East and the need to fortify their holdings in the Core, leads to conclude that they would have to concentrate upon one of those theatres. Logically, that should be the Core – if we push them back in here, they would have to fight through the systems we retake before reaching a good jump-off point to Kuat, which is their primary strategic target."

"To put it simply – any and all strategic reserve the Separatist have would be concentrated in a single theatre of operations, intent to blunt and bleed any offensive we launch and once their new construction is operational, they would throw it at us in the Core in hopes of taking our Kuat's industry. Strategically speaking, it doesn't make any sense for them to station any more ships in the East than they absolutely need to." Obi-Wan concluded. "General Veil's return and reputation however change that equation."

"If we manage to inflict enough losses to the enemy in the East and follow up that with at least a limited assault in their territory we can either draw forces that would otherwise be sent to the Core or leave the Separatist face both the political and economic consequences for failing to keep their systems safe. As a bonus, a successfully campaign in the East, while not offering as significant strategic benefit as retaking places like Corellia and Duro, would mean pushing the enemy back to and hopefully beyond the systems that present natural choke-points and thus consolidating our forces in that quadrant and relieving thousands of worlds under enemy control or within contested space. If that happens we'll see a pick up in morale as well as a positive economic boon through uncontested access to the resources of those systems." Admiral Jerjerrod explained.

"The benefit of securing the Core would be at least as big and it will put is in a better strategic position for the next enemy offensive." Iblis reasonably pointed out. The fact that concentrating on the Core meant liberating Corellia that much sooner and possibly keeping the CIS away from a second occupation surely was a part of the reason why he said so, though it didn't make him any less right.

"If we have to grind our way through the whole front in the East, you're correct, Senator, then we would need more ships than we can spare for such a campaign." Telar agreed. "The sad truth is that we're stretched thin and a lot of our officers, both on the ground and in space lack the necessary experience for the roles they fill. With the new crews we're training and armies we're raising, the situation is no better even if we did our best to give them a core of experienced soldiers."

"That's why I want to draw as many of the enemy forces in the quadrant as possible in one large cauldron and crush them at a time and place of our choosing." I explained the method behind my madness.

"Your Battle Meditation." Obi-Wan nodded. "It might prove to be the power multiplier that makes such a strategy work, if the enemy takes the bait."

"And if the Separatist deploy the same counter-measure they did at Kamino?" Satine asked warily.

"I have no intention of offering orbital support to our forces on Mandalore until we've dealt with the enemy fleet elements. As long as the planetary shields are still operational, Mandalore should be safe. That wasn't the case at Kamino. A number of our ships were under the shields and once the generators were struck..." I shrugged apologetically.

"Can we launch such an operation without compromising the liberation of Corellia?" Satine asked.

"It might be possible, if we draw more heavily upon various system defence forces, like Kuat's." Obi-Wan shrugged. "That would be as much of a political call, madam Chancellor as a military one. More so in fact."

"I'll be discussing that very fact with Kuat's government when I go there to facilitate the Silencer building and deployment program." I promised. With Onara Kuat being our creature, at least as long as Zash babysat her, that shouldn't be too hard to arrange.

"So you've deigned to give us those weapons at last." Obi-Wan scowled at me.

"Personally speaking, it beats being afraid that you would use them against me." I shrugged unapologetically.

A number of uncomfortable looks passed between the military officers and their political masters. How could I exploit this tension for my benefit I wondered?

"Am I to understand that such an operation is in fact feasible?" Satine eventually asked.

"In theory. It would take a lot of planning and the enemy must cooperate by drawing their forces towards Mandalore." Valentra said.

"We'll have to give the Separatists a public spectacle then and make sure their agents get the right idea as well." The Chancellor stated. "Give me a workable plan that won't compromise securing the Core and I will approve it. You'll have anything you need, within a reason of course."

"Will, do, ma'am." The officers chorused. It was good to see that despite any friction, Satine did have their respect.

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Part 11

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GAR High Command

Coruscant

Soon the politicians left us and I found myself face to face with Kenobi and company.

"I see our political masters trusts us to get the job done as much as we trust them." Admiral Coburn spoke from the comfort of his flag bridge in orbit.

"I am yet to receive a comprehensive picture on what the kriff happened around here while I was away." I raised a questionable eyebrow.

"All the issues that have been bubbling under the surface in the Republic came to a head at the worst possible time." Coburn explained. "Corruption, which everyone knew it was there, just not how widespread it actually was, the simple fact that all but a handful of systems always put their interests first and those of the Republic distant second or even third, the constant jockeying for power in the Senate..." The old admiral shrugged. "After Palpatine's murder and with the war going badly, too many people saw the Republic as no longer serving their best interests or the chaos as an opportunity to reshape the political balance in their favour. What's happening on the Rim? No matter what they saw in public, many local governments don't really care and it isn't really better for the regular citizens. The fall of Duro and Corellia? While concerning, it was still seen as a great opportunity in certain circles." He looked at Yularen.

The Anaxian admiral nodded in agreement. "Just after the Chancellor's assassination and Order 66 coming into effect, Kuat basically threw Corellia to the kath hounds and profited mightily from it. That fact directly contributed to the mistrust and fear they faced in the Senate and the government grinding to a halt as a consequence. It only went downhill from there."

"Until one bright sunny day you collectively decided that enough was enough and something had to be done before the Separatist parked a fleet above Coruscant and demanded an unconditional surrender." I didn't really jest.

"More or less." Obi-Wan winced. "WE didn't really intent to end up supporting a dictatorship, much less creating one."

"If I knew you've actually planned something like this, as a Sith I would be applauding you. Instead, eh, you did what you had to. Now lets make sure it wasn't all for naught."

"After Ryloth and Geonosis, am I right to assume that the plan you offered the Chancellor and her colleagues has only a vague relationship with the truth?" Yularen asked.

"That depends on what we have available and how much risk are you willing to take." That was the reason why I didn't bother crafting any detailed plans – in order to do so, I first needed to have at least a some idea of what I would have to work with.

"Veil, what underhanded insanity have you planned this time?" Obi-Wan groaned.

"Well, while wondering how to get back home safely, it struck me that we do have the benefit of internal lines of communication and much shorter travel time in order to reinforce the various fronts we're fighting on." I began.

"We've been fighting in our own backyard for months now and have our backs to the wall you mean." Coburn agreed.

"More or less. Can someone call a map of the galaxy?" I asked.

A few moments later, the light dimmed and holo-projectors came to life building a high definition image of the galaxy that interposed around us. I jabbed a finger at Randon.

"Look at the hyper-lanes. If we take Randon and manage to hold it, the Separatists would need to spent days, perhaps weeks shuttling troops through Hutt space in order to move them between the East Quadrant and their lines in the Core."

"Lantillies, Kashyyyk and Randon." Yularen nodded. "Holding those would force the enemy to use much longer routes to reinforce and supply their troops and that's just in the East."

"That's certainly ambitious." Coburn nodded. "Dangerous too. However, if the enemy manages to finally win the siege of Zeltros that would allow them a significantly cut the transit times."

"That's just step one, isn't it?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Correct. We will need to either reinforce Zeltros or use Kashyyyk as a staging ground to strike at Balamak and finally take Charros cutting off access to that hyper-lane."

"Just for that you'll need more ships than we can afford to send to the East."

"That supposes that I suggest we concentrate on multiple fronts at the same time… which I do, but to a limited extent. I suggest we delay the liberation of Corellia, force the enemy to gather as much force as they could in order to take me out and not only crush them but lock down the whole Eastern theatre by regaining control of vital choke-points before using our faster internal lines of communication to shift forces and deliver a second hammer blow at Corellia."

"With what forces?" Yularen asked. "If it works, it will put us in a much better position for the next stage of the war. I just don't see how we can find a sufficient number of hulls for both campaigns – we will be taking losses no matter what."

"I understand that there is an incredible number of ships and tonnage concentrated at Kuat that is simply sitting there collecting space dust." I gave them a shark-like smile.

The officers looked at each other until Obi-Wan groaned. "Zash."

"You did unleash her on our unsuspecting Kuati friends. From what I heard of her, she now has a firm control over Onara Kuat."

"Do I dare ask how that happened?" Yularen muttered.

"She is one of the two people who taught me everything I know and made me into what I am today." I explained.

Obi-Wan let out a very un-Jedi like litany of curses.

"And you my friend, unleashed her upon our Kuati troublemakers. I couldn't have done it better myself." I praised Kenobi.

"You know, all those accusations the Separatist are levelling against us, it just struck me that most of them are actually true nowadays..." Yularen groaned.

"Can we actually make this work?" Jerjerrod brought us back on topic.

"Doing so would require precise timing among vast fleets and resources. I'm not sure we'll be able to put all pieces together in the time available." Valentra admitted.

"I know someone who might be able to help with that. What do you know about Victoria?"

"Do I dare ask who or what is Victoria? I assume you don't mean that GNN anchor?" Coburn inquired.

"I've read about a Victoria in one of my briefings lately…" Obi-Wan frowned.

"One of Dr Solumn's pet projects." I hinted.

Kenobi's eyes widened. "It's operational?"

"Fully, and she just needs to have her hull fully outfitted now." I nodded happily.

"I'll never know how you two bastards though that something like that could be a good idea!" Obi-Wan snapped at me.

"HK-117." I proudly pointed out. "Anakin's little buddy R2-D2."

"He built C-3PO too – that should tell you something!"

"Details, details."

"What are you two talking about?" Telar's patience was at its end.

"Before his arrest, Dr Solumn, our head of R&D, commissioned and built a super-droid brain to be plugged into and run many of the functions of our capital ships. Apparently, its prototype is already installed in a mostly complete warship." Obi-Wan shot me an accusing glare.

"Done right, we would end up with a very loyal warship!" I declared.

"I'll second Kenobi. Are you out of your mind, Veil?" Coburn glared at me too.

"If you're going to be like that I'll take her out of your hands."

"Her?" That was Yularen.

"Husband, do I need to know something about your relationship with a certain warship?" Bo, who had been silent so far and enjoying the show, added.

"We'll be meeting her when we get to Kuat. I think you'll like her." My wife huffed at that. "Victoria and her planned sisters are going to be an answer to a problem we have – the enemy can build themselves crews faster than we can train them and at least initially, theirs will be more effective in combat at least until those of ours who survive can gain enough experience. Artificial Intelligences like Victoria are intended to help coordinate and control the Guardian system of their ship, manage E-war assets, coordinate targeting between their battle group and in conjunction with increased automation, significantly diminish the need for crews. Roughly one third when installed in current generation of capital ships with the minimal alternations needed to best utilize their capabilities. In a purposely built hulls with AI's like Victoria in mind, the crew could be cut down to fifty percent or so." I did in fact do my homework on the way to Coruscant."

"That actually sounds very enticing..." Jerjerrod was the first to react. "If it works not only we'll be able to crew more ships once our industry is back up to snuff but it will decrease our personnel losses significantly."

"What if those things turn on us?" Coburn demanded.

"If they're build and treated right, that won't be an issue."

"What do you mean treated right?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Like people." I said in a matter of course tone.

That won me a lot of weirded out looks.