[21 BBY]
[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II, Republic 14th Sector Army, In Orbit Solem, Koradin Sector]
One of the problems of having your own secret sanctum, and need for security on your living space, was the inevitable need to ensure everything was done by yourself. Or in this case using carefully managed droids along with my own efforts to bring everything into place so there was no potential leakage within the Force, or through more mundane means. Thankfully it was now done, and I had my own little sanctum organised with a mediation garden, library-study, training area, and secure storeroom built adjacent to my living quarters with a thick armoured belt behind them.
I'd built the small droids myself, or perhaps more honestly I'd assembled them and designed the memory cores of the little things to my own preferences based on what I'd learned all those years ago. Simple things, I didn't want sentience in them, and they certainly maintained the beautiful little garden I'd setup as I enjoyed the smells and feeling of life all around me. It was very pleasant, and almost felt like I was planet-side in a garden between the effect of the false skyline and the neatly organised abundance of plant life; somewhere, like now, that I could sit cross-legged and meditate quietly to focus the mind without distractions.
It was something that the Jedi Order had taught me that expanded greatly upon what another life had once known. Emptying my mind I extended my senses, feeling every blade of grass, every leaf on the saplings of fruit trees, within the little dome of warding that served as my first line of defence against the Force outside. It was only the Living Force within this two acre sized garden right now; just the flora within and my own Force signature as I gently suffused it into the area and encouraged faint growth. Something to help balance out the violence and passion of the training area, and help cultivate the less direct, but still needed areas of my Force abilities.
My awareness touched every part of the area, feeling the faint breeze and sunlight artificially generated by the city-ship, tasting the water from the pools as the life drank deeply of them. Encouraging growth here, stalling it there, as I slowly worked towards making this area truly mine. In time it would bring forth a small supplementary source for my alchemical work – a useful and important source should matters turn against us and force us to flee, and to continuing hiding my sparse purchases from the Jedi Order. Seeds began to sprout, life pulsing as they awakened, and I breathed in and breathed out with the faintest sense of achievement and satisfaction.
It was a microcosm of the Force in that I could see potential outcomes already; if this seed sprouted before this other one, if these trees grew tall than those. The potential interplay between life in all its positives and negatives, though guided by my hand rather than natural selection or purely by the Will of the Force; the Dark Side was limited here or instance, near nonexistent in truth, and that was unnatural in its way. One part of the sanctum leaning one way as another leaned another, power reinforcing the wards as time passed, strengthening them as this small section of the ship came alive. Alive, and hiding other sections of darker shades should I grant any entry here with a gentle buzzing of the Force. I smiled as I submerged myself into my tiny bubble of the Force and test out tiny futures...
--
[21 BBY]
[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II, Republic 14th Sector Army, In Orbit Solem, Koradin Sector]
I frowned, fingers interlocking together under my chin as I rested elbows on the desk "While I'm not turning down, nor complaining about, a promotion, I have the strongest suspicion that this isn't a positive reflection of our current operational status"
In truth this seemed very much either a power grab by the Tarkins, or the dark hand of Chancellor Sith Lord, in my opinion. Especially since our 'Moff' Wilhuff Tarkin's avatar was sitting in on conversation between myself and Senior General Geen after officially taking charge, of sorts, of the Grand Army of the Republic in the Galactic South. A general Sector Command reorganisation was to be expected, but it seemed we were worse off than I'd expected as Geen nodded.
"Somewhat I must admit, but our recent successes have meant high command has moved us down the priority list for reinforcements, and has recalled several regions to reinforce Thirteenth Sector Army cover the approaches to Kamino, and the Sixteenth and Twentieth Sector Army to deal with Separatist offensive operations towards the Core. A general reorganisation of our Forces then is vital as..."
I sighed, finishing sentence "...we are on our own for quite some time basically, and larger areas to cover and while we're at it"
Senior General Geen nodded, as did 'Moff' Tarkin's avatar in that ever so cold harsh way of his "Essentially yes I'm sorry to say, and we are likely to be on the defensive for the immediate term so our objective is to put down any Separatist supporters inside our zones of control while repealing any CIS counter-offensives. To achieve this the 14th, 15th, and 18th Sector Armies are being reorganised while folding in the 17th and 19th which exist largely in some planners minds on Coruscant till now"
"Okay, well, I'm assuming then that I am to make Ninetieth Sector Army exist in actuality rather than just theory?"
My query was answered by harsh faced Tarkin as he took control of the conversation "Yes General, that will be your task, as well as ensuring troop and material reinforcements are supplied by your Sector Army's area of operations. Your other primary role will be ensuring your forces protect what areas of the Corelian Trade Spire hyperlane that remains in Republic control"
I nodded "Understood Moff Tarkin, I will require data-packets detailing my forces areas of operations and my operational responsibilities. And, would I be correct in assuming my collegues are also being promoted to similar roles?"
Both nodded, though again it was Tarkin who spoke "Yes, you would be General. Two further Sector Armies are to be created under the aegis of the Grand Army of the Republic Southern Galactic Army Group, or GAR-South, that I will head with Army Group General Geen serving as my subordinate. Command Staff of the Fourteenth and Eighteenth Sector Armies are being used to fill out these command roles, while two further Mobile Armies, First and Second, are to be organised under the command of Generals supplied by the Jedi Order. Sector personnel appointments will be included as part of the documentation detailing your assignment, and I expect a rapid response on your filing of any roles demanded of your Sector Army"
'Power grab it is then' I thought nodding, noting they were assigning my to home region of space and on the exact opposite end of the Republic pocket from Ryloth "Of course Moff, and my role as Fourteenth Sector Army's Quartermaster?"
"Will continue...though not as part of that Sector Army of course, but as a part of a combined role with the two generals commanding Twenty-first, and Fifteenth, Sector Armies. Ensuring adequate supplies are available to maintain our current level of forces is vital till supply routes are reopened to Republic Core, beyond large heavily armed convoys which we cannot expect for some time..."
'So...General in Command of the Outer Rim and border of the Unknown Regions, with a few bits of the Mid-Rim thrown in for fun' I mused as I listened to the specifications laid out by my two commanding officers. As best I could tell this was a stacking exercise with ORSF and allied mercenary groups over the various areas under our control. Good and Bad for me of course. Bad in that I was being give command over the very fringe of the Republic, the border with the wilds and generally poor developed all around.
On the Good side it included Solem, my home-world, and had Hoth, or The Graveyard, within its operations so was easier to hide. We were still, technically, losing control of Bolt-hole and its hidden repair capacity in Lameradd...but most of that was mobile salvage and repair groups under contract to Executive Security Solutions and the Republic Aegis Guard.
They could be persuaded to move operations to a new system within our now operational area, once I figured out where, and there was areas like Bespin and Javin within the area to work with; even the barebones shipbuilding in Lipsec and Virgillia were a help. Or the small, old, mobile shipyards we'd move her to Solem that had the two Lucrehulks being welded to it right now as it started production on escorts...
--
[21 BBY]
[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II, Republic 19th Sector Army, In Orbit Solem, Koradin Sector]
It wasn't a full meeting of the Board, but the four of us present would do for now, and both Hanna and Jacques had supplied quick summaries of their own opinions on the matter, with clarifications to be provided once we left Solem. Nor were the two Planetary Leaders, of Solem and Karksis, present yet either, though that was largely due to the nature of our meeting in laying the groundwork for meeting them first, and then other planets leadership afterwards.
In all honesty what the Republic appeared to be doing, both here and in the Galactic North, wasn't the best idea; in theory highly centralising power into individuals directly reporting to the GAR, but structurally were somewhat independent. It was an early version of the Moff system, with one actual Moff in existence already, and that was a system that only worked by direct loyalty to the Emperor. Sure it made things easier on the Core and Colonies regions, and forced the burden of the Clone Wars unto others, but it was a recipe for building mini-fiefdoms...just like we were going to do really.
"Quite the Contract we've gotten..." Shesagora noted reading through the operational parameters supplied by our High Command "...so, we're all Generals now I guess?"
I sighed, rubbing my eyes after hours and hours awake and going through the various details of the reorganization prior to this meeting "Unless you're saying no that is? Because it's supply your own army, navy, and command staff apparently. Yanthis and his Ailon Nova Guard got a similar one for Fifteenth Sector Army, and will do the same I imagine"
"Yes, and Jedi Master Rahm, and Admiral Zsinj too..." Jurdan noted "...though it's fairly clear we're looking at an Eriadu based taken over of our regions?"
"Looks like, though it's also a way get everyone to play nice now there's Jedi reinforcements supposedly on the way and we're ensuring they don't take charge too I suspect, possibly by the desires of the Supreme Chancellor and elements of the Senate..." I partially agreed "...but our main thing now has to be getting a support base in place to do what they're demanding of us. Such as meetings with our two Board members who are also two planetary leaders in the region we're to defend for a start, and the need for all of us to reach to any contacts we've got in Lipsec, or Javin...or anywhere we can eke out credits and/or production"
"It's a repeat of what we had to do after Ryloth" Jurdan muttered and I nodded. It was after all, and a bloody nuisance, though we had experience from then and this was home-field advantage, so it shouldn't be as difficult this time.
"Uh-huh, but we at least have access to those supply-lines still, and some of our under the table deals will remain in place. Our...other operations, like Graveyard...should help us as well, and we can get our salvagers to move to other systems once we find one adequate to our needs to ensure security and secrecy..." I replied gesturing at the star map indicating the area that now denoted 19th Army. A sure sign of the Republic's flaws by allowing a barely twenty year old and his mercenary allies take control of such an area; and of similar situations occurring across the Outer Rim "...anyway, the funny thing, ironic maybe, is that we're back facing the Confederate Fleets basing out of Kinyen, Thyferra, and Yag'Dhul again. So they ain't going to like us much, and they've had far too many successes of late"
Thankfully their attention was towards the Core for now, but there was shifting attacks coming at us now that Sullust had fallen into Republic. Our sectors, and around Mon Cala and Ord Mantell, were some of the few actual victories since the disaster at Kuat, and financial it seemed the Republic was going to have to finance the war in the Core based on borrowings as many worlds resisted war-time measures. Oh, the holo-news argued different, but the general orders out here was to raise our own credits and borrowings, and outside the Jedi Order the Republic was struggling in my view. It was a good move on Palpatine's part really; the Jedi were bankrupting themselves, spending centuries worth of accumulated wealth to fight the Sith's war...
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