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Phase 4: A taste of war

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Part 5

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GAR's deployment of available naval reserves to Bothawui and Kamino right before the first stage of the CIS Rim Campaign demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of how the nature of the war changed. Republic strategists and politicians were focused on fighting a long war to subdue the Separatists and bring their systems back into the fold through military strength and diplomacy.

For the Confederacy, fighting a long war meant losing the war. After the first chaotic months of the conflict, commanders like Admirals Trench and Vael, alongside General Grievous, reforged the various Separatist militaries into a united force. They also offered a coherent strategy, something both sides needed to gain.

Kamino was a vital source of highly trained personnel, serving as the backbone of the GAR early in the war and as a stopgap measure, allowing the Republic to consolidate tens of thousands of SDF and PDF units into a proper military. In the long term, the Clones would have offered the Republic a foundation to build what might have been the finest military the galaxy had ever seen. However, there was a hard limit on how many Clones Kamino could provide and how much they could feasibly expedite training before scrapping the barrel. It took a decade for a Clone to fully mature and complete their training cycle. At worst, GAR could get the last two Clone batches deployed earlier, with nine and eight years of training, giving the army Clones biologically between sixteen and eighteen years old.

In the short term, the very existence of the Clone Army and the time it bought were the most vital purposes it served. From then on, the utility of new Clones Kamino could offer for the kind of war the Confederacy wanted and managed to fight was strictly limited.

Preserving and defending Kamino was important. Holding Eriadu and preventing the potential fall of the western galactic quadrants into Separatist hands was strategically infinitely more vital. Ultimately, losing Kamino six months into the war would have been painful. It could never compare with the loss of resources, men, materials, and shipbuilding capability that the fall of Eriadu would herald.

War on the Rim, Mhi G'urve

Much had been written about the Republic's strategic mistake of reinforcing Bothan space and Kamino on the eve of the Rim Campaign. Many of my colleagues fixate too much on a counterfactual that really isn't. At the time, the GAR could deploy limited reserves without compromising the security of the vital industrial centers in the Core. That meant they had to pick and choose what to reinforce to a reasonable degree and where to send token help and supplies that might have allowed the local and GAR forces to survive a siege.

The choice between Eriadu and Kamino sounds evident in hindsight. It wasn't then, and it really isn't in hindsight. The reason for that is simple. On paper, the Republic and Confederacy were relatively evenly matched in total number of available warships at the time. However, looking closely at the numbers, we must consider two major points. First, most of those ships in the Republic were parts of SDF fleets that weren't nationalized or released for service with the GAR. Some of them would not be released even during the cataclysmic battles that ultimately decided the outcome of the war.

Second, a large percentage of Republic warships were small vessels, many of which were short-ranged patrol ships. Practically speaking, early in the war, the Confederacy had an overwhelming advantage in warships and firepower it could deploy for offensive operations. It was only during the Rim Campaign that they did so in a devastatingly effective fashion. It didn't matter if the GAR reinforced Eriadu or Kamino. The CIS navy would have struck the easier target while pinning the Republic reinforcements in place with strong naval elements anyway. Once Kamino and Bothan space were secured, the Confederacy would have turned upon Eriadu, striking it with all its might.

At that time, there was no good option for the Republic, only a list of bad and worse choices to pick from.

Analysis of the Rim Campaign, Professor Jaina Kirin, Anaxes Military Academy

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Procurer, Lucrehulk class Droid-control ship
Christophsis system, Savareen sector

Commander Mar Tuuk's flagship decelerated, reverting to real space five light seconds from his target. Under most circumstances, leaving hyperspace that far out of a planet meant the defenders had enough time to rally and decide to fight or flee. Today, it shouldn't matter, the Neimoidian Commander thought with satisfaction.

After the official briefing above Geonosis, Admiral Vael took Tuuk aside to 'suggest' a few ideas he and Count Dooku wanted to be tested. Under different circumstances, the Commander would have been irked at following someone else's plan, especially if he wasn't sure it might work. However, he had more than enough assets to finish the job the hard way if the overly fancy test didn't work.

Besides, if the plan didn't end in disaster, it would open exciting possibilities during future operations.

Another boon was the enemy wasn't likely to run until it was too late. Tuuk deliberately arrived with only a portion of his forces, which went against conventional wisdom. After all, doing so invited a defeat in detail, and it was to be avoided like a plague.

Admiral Veil disagreed, and he had a good reason. A large fleet could get in its own way when facing a peer force or even a numerically inferior enemy. Command and control of task forces that might be as far as light seconds or minutes away, fighting across a whole star system, was as much military science as an art. It was something no one had had to learn the hard way or use in a very long time.

The first thing Tuuk would be testing today was the ability of Tactical Droids to coordinate separate task forces, if on a limited scale. Second, they would use something that no one thought would be worth bringing to the war unless it was to further secure an established blockade – interdictors. For nearly a century, the Trade Federation was the military and often served the role of the federal government within the Outer Rim. That meant constant skirmishes and small-scale wars with pirates and warlords. Smugglers were a continuous issue, and the answer was interdictors. These specialized ships, or in some cases, equipment carried in the cavernous cargo holds of Lucrehulks, could create artificial gravity shadows, bringing ships out of hyperspace or limiting their ability to flee into it.

The plan called for not a single enemy ship to flee this system. Further, no news should reach the GAR at large over the Holonet. That was why Tuuk's operation began after supporting attacks on nearby systems were already underway. Frigate packs would jamm critical holonet transceivers, or outright destroy links of the holonet. Doing so would briefly cut off this part of space from the galaxy at large. In conjunction with hunting down shipping that could receive distress calls from the locals and the jamming Tuuk would use as soon as he engaged in combat, should keep the enemy none the wiser.

Otherwise, using the same tricks again would be somewhat more complicated if they were effective.

Information streamed down Tuuk's data gloves. They also offered the illusion that he was within a massive holotank, fed by the fleet's sensor systems. Tuuk could see Christophsis in great detail, along with its single moon. The Republic ships formed a defensive formation based on two Venator squadrons and their escorts. Those were proper GAR ships, likely with highly trained Clone Crews. The rest of the fleet was a mix of small gunships, older frigates, and various cruiser analogs built by smaller shipyards across the Core. Their origin was clear – SDF forces. The lack of familiar and famous designs among the heavier SDF ships meant they were from smaller systems that couldn't afford or luck out to get more mainstream designs. While their crews might be well-trained professionals, their capacity to operate as a cohesive fleet was likely not great. Tuuk's droid crews would have a significant advantage by that account alone.

"Holonet signal strength is collapsing, Commander!" A droid reported.

"Calculating insertion coordinates…" The navigator, another machine, informed him.

"Give the world as soon as the enemy finishes forming up. Let them get where we want them first," Tuuk ordered.

The enemy had him outnumbered by a factor of three with their sixty-eight ships. However, he had an advantage in firepower due to the sheer size disparity between most of his vessels and the bulk of the Republic fleet. If this was his whole force, and if he intended to fight a conventional engagement, Tuuk would have been in for a tough fight. Ship losses would have been inevitable and would have been rather heavy.

The plan was risky and would also see more ships lost than a conventional engagement. However, what they could gain in exchange might be worth it.

"Holonet strength is below the projected threshold," a droid informed him. That, combined with jamming, should ensure secrecy.

"Call in the rest of the fleet," Tuuk told his droids, waiting for the plan to unfold or fail spectacularly.

The timing could have been better; the Commander decided after the tactical plot was fully updated. Twenty Munificent packs came out of hyperspace around the planet and its moon, drowning it in jamming and establishing a loose blockade. The bulk of the fleet followed, jumping at coordinates transmitted from the Procurer. Some even used Christophsis gravity shadow to leave hyperspace, emerging around the Republic fleet and boxing it in. The rest of the fleet came out in front of the enemy, and as soon as their systems stabilized, interdictors came online, locking down the area.

Swarms of Vultures launched from the hulls of the Confederate ships, screening boarding pods and assault shuttles chock-full of war droids.

In the engagement zone alone, Tuuk outnumbered the enemy three to one and outgunned them to a hilarious degree. The Republic escorts couldn't flee and didn't have the space to maneuver. They were the primary targets of all weapons aimed in their general direction, save for the ion cannons, which hammered Venators and smaller cruisers. Gunships, corvettes, and frigates died one after another, struck by enough firepower to give a Star Destroyer pause.

Light cruisers survived long enough to lash out. In a few cases, capital concussion missiles slipped through point defense due to the point-blank range, followed by torpedoes and smaller missiles. Explosions blossomed across Tuuk's fleet, tearing gaping holes into Munificents. The onslaught was too much for two frigates. Internal explosions tore apart one. Heavy missiles broke the back of a second, sending its burning wreckage tumbling towards Christophsis.

The rest of the defensive fire was desperate and uncoordinated. It splashed against shields, failing to cause meaningful damage. Scores of Vulutres and boarding craft burned, taking tens of thousands of droids with them.

It didn't matter. Tuuk had hundreds of thousands of war droids on board his ships; only a fraction of them would be needed to take control of critical locations on Christophsis. There was no military need to hold every square meter of the planet. And in the end, for every destroyed boarding craft, at least two or three made it to their targets.

It remained to be seen if the droids could take a few Republic ships relatively intact.

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Part 6

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In the opening days of the Rim Campaign, GAR High Command and the Senate were caught off-guard. For months, Republic and Confederate forces have been fighting on a broad front encompassing battlefields across most of the galaxy, which led to the dispersal of forces. While there were dozens, if not hundreds, of naval engagements daily, the locations where more than a few dozen ships clashed on both sides were rare and noteworthy. This created a deceptive understanding of the reality of the war and what the Confederacy was capable of. All members of GAR High Command were intellectually aware the CIS Navy had tens of thousands of ships active or in reserve. However, they underestimated the Confederacy's ability to concentrate and muster major fleets without critically weakening its position across multiple fronts.

In the weeks leading to the Rim Campaign, the CIS did fall back, abandoning theaters of no strategic importance or leaving a token presence in such areas to pin down Republic forces. The opening moves of the campaign were a series of light attacks, raids, and scouting missions all over the front. They served the dual mission of pinning down Republic naval elements and determining the number of ships the GAR had in position or ready to reinforce various locations in short order.

The full scope of the Confederacy's military capabilities became apparent days after the Rim Campaign began, shortly before Admirals Vael and Trench were in position to launch its second phase…

War on the Rim, Mhi G'urve

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Malevolence, Subjugator class heavy cruiser
Tythe system

Only one thing made Tythe worthy of defending for the Republic. It was the last convenient place to hold hostile forces going for Llanic from the east part of the Triellus Trade run. Beyond laid Regency space, which was currently 'neutral.' I was ready to bet that said neutrality wouldn't last for much longer after the Empress and her government watched more than a Sector Fleet equivalent pass through the heart of their space while the Archduke headed for their capital to negotiate, backed by enough ships and droids to crush their defenses if needed.

The Tythe system didn't have stellar features that made defense easy. The few planets and minor asteroids were in such positions that they didn't provide good obstacles for fleets desiring to transit to the jump point leading toward Llanic. Tythe itself was a dead world after some corporation or another exploited it until the biosphere collapsed, leaving deadly deserts in its wake. A single Republic base was on the surface, built around an abandoned and refurbished corporate HQ. That wasn't something I had to worry about – we had a tactical droid with a small army ready to deploy and capture the place for our own use.

Frankly speaking, the defense fleet here wasn't nothing to worry about. A Venator squadron with escorts, well, a lot of escorts of many types I have never seen or heard of before.

Our vanguard alone was five hundred ships strong, with a core of a hundred Lucrehulks of all types. The Republic commander looked at what had entered the system before fleeing, not even bothering to try and evacuate anyone on the Tythe.

"Inform our colleagues at Llanic that they have uninvited visitors. We continue as planned. Push scouts before us and check for mines," I ordered one of the tactical droids, which were my aides and minders.

Considering Tythe's 'geography,' it was feasible to mine the direct route through the system. Any friendly ships aware of the obstacle would easily avoid it without losing much time. At the same time, a rushing invading force might run into trouble if they weren't careful.

We were not in a hurry. While we were on time to win the war, it would be a few months before we could even think of assaulting the Core in a meaningful way. Sparing a few hours or days to do things properly and avoid stupid mistakes wouldn't improve things.

"Sir, Admiral Trench just exited hyperspace with the core of the fleet. We also have the latest intelligence update on ongoing operations. The Admiral would like to speak with you to discuss them."

"Patch him through and bring up the latest intelligence."

The holographic fields projected on the bridge shifted. To the left, the in-system tactical plot remained unchanged save for the flood of friendly signatures appearing behind us. A galactic map formed to the right, zooming on our region of space. Holographic screens formed, displaying new intelligence and headers of the raw data it was based on.

Finally, shimmering light recreated Admiral Trench's bust.

"Admiral Vael," the Harch greeted me. "It appears that our intelligence was right without strings attached for once."

From where I stood, that remained to be seen. I was willing to trust the reports from signal intercepts and reconnaissance forces more than those from intelligence operatives who might be loyal to Sidious.

"Our analysts are certain that the Bothans have pulled all stops, called all favors they are owed, and used all the blackmail they could to protect themselves," Trench sounded particularly pleased. "You appear to be right. The enemy had to choose where to reinforce, and they went heavy for Kamino and Bothan's space. We should enjoy crushing superiority when going for Eriadu."

The data updating on the galaxy map told me all I needed to know in that regard.

"Cularin will be our only real obstacle for this phase of the operation," Trench continued. "The Republic forces at Llanic and Farstine are attempting to disengage and retreat that way."

That made sense – due to its nature, the Cularin system was a natural choke point, and it could shield either Farstine or Llanic from an attack from the other side. Of course, that was a moot point due to the forces we were deploying from both directions. However, unless we annihilated the Republic's presence there, the enemy could interdict, if not stop, our movement through this trade route. That would be unacceptable.

"Do we have a comprehensive analysis of the enemy forces in this part of the galaxy? I don't trust the intelligence data from operatives behind enemy lines," I told Trench.

"We have rough figures, which should be enough. Between local forces, reinforcements, and SDF units that fled to avoid destruction, we have roughly two Sector Fleet equivalents spread between Bothan space and Kamino." At the same time, Trench spoke, the strategic map updated, adding ghostly amber signatures on top of the confirmed red symbols designated confirmed enemy naval assets.

That was a lot. A Sector Fleet and our equivalent formations had about a thousand ships, with a core of no less than three hundred capital ships of various stripes. That meant a mix of Lucrehulks and Providence dreadnoughts, backed by Munificents and Recusant destroyers. At least, that was true for the mainline fleets supplied by the three big factions. Our smaller members had a mix of ancient and homebrew designs with a backbone of modern Confederate ships.

After digging up a little and talking with Grievous, it quickly became apparent why so many systems were eager to join the Confederacy while fully knowing it was dominated by the Trade Federation and company. For decades, the TF, and to a smaller extent, the Techno Union, have kept the peace around the rim, often working with local friendly or neutral governments. The latter was vital because it meant sponsoring local shipyards and SDFs by providing technology, know-how, material, training, and even joint crews in the form of droids with organic officers. This dispersed industry and its entanglement with the big factions were both politically vital and militarily important.

"We would have to be content with two more Sector Fleets at most, though that's a very pessimistic estimate of what the enemy has left defending not just Eriadu but the whole western part of the galaxy. While the rough numbers might make up two such fleets, most of those ships will be smaller SDF vessels spread out over an enormous volume of space. Realistically, we can expect no more than a proper Sector Fleet between Eriadu and the key Republci strongholds we will go after during the next part of the campaign," Trench sounded incredibly pleased.

We brought about two thousand ships to throw at Eriadu and the worlds shielding it. There was more than a sector fleet in raw numbers spread around our strongholds near Eriadu, keeping the place besieged and protecting key industrial centers like Sullust…. And if we needed it, we could call on another Sector Fleet equivalent, which was the force securing everything between the Regency space and Mon Gazza. The worst-case scenario was we would outnumber the enemy by a few hundred ships and have a firepower advantage anyway.

This was what the Confederacy should have been doing months ago, crushing the GAR before it could adequately incorporate tens of thousands of SDF forces. Now that Trench was allowed to see the big picture and was aware that many of the CIS efforts until recently were of no utility for winning the war, he was both giddy that he had a free hand to do what he could for victory and angry at the betrayal that might have proven fatal in the long run.

After I proved myself beyond a shadow of a doubt, I would be in a great position to exploit those emotions and turn Trench into a staunch ally.