Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 270, Section 272 - Turmoil
Coruscant.

Adi Gallia strode quickly toward the turbine elevator in the center of the Jedi Temple.

“Master, with the cooperation of the Republic’s intelligence services,” Iscart strode to catch up with the hurried Trossian, “we have narrowed down the Sith Lord’s hiding place to one sector. All action teams are in position and awaiting your orders.”

“Stay on standby until I arrive,” Gallia responded quickly. “I will personally command this assault.”

"Understood, Master."

"Paris, what's wrong?"

“I have identified seventeen more Siths inside the temple,” Barris reported, “11 of whom belong to the Republic’s intelligence services.”

Have you fought each other?

"Without direct conflict, they are highly vigilant... Ironically, this makes them easier to expose."

"Get rid of them." Adi Gallia gave a concise order, her cold face causing the crowded corridors of the temple to part as if dust were being blown by the wind. "Leave only one or two for interrogation, and continue searching to see if there are any remnants. All potential threats must be eliminated before the operation begins."

Paris didn't say anything more.

"What about the investigation into the Delta Source?"

“I suspect there are several points within the temple that could be Delta Source,” Barris said, “but there’s no concrete evidence yet, and I’m working to find the connection between all these locations.”

“It’s right under our noses,” Bode said through gritted teeth. “That’s what’s most infuriating.”

“Understood,” the Jedi Master murmured expressionlessly. “And the ‘Priestess’?”

Paris glanced at Bode. "Ready to move at any time."

“That’s right.” Bode straightened his sleeves. “We have obtained conclusive evidence of communication between Palpatine and Dooku, along with the corrupt materials we have on the administrative office. The declaration has been drafted, and the ‘Priestess’ will broadcast it to the entire galaxy.”

“It needs to be sent to our allies in the Inner Ring Galaxy for review first,” Master Gallia cautioned, “so they can verify the evidence and be prepared.”

"Understood, Master."

“You don’t sound very excited, Bode,” Iscart nudged him with her elbow.

“I find it hard to accept that the entire operation has to rely on a separatist spy network,” Bode complained.

“But this network is deeply embedded in the Grand Legion’s communications infrastructure, and even the intelligence services are completely unaware of it,” Barris reassured. “Right now, the expeditionary fleet is being prepared, and all eyes are on the Temple. We must assume that the Speaker and the intelligence services will monitor all communications… not just the Temple, but the entire Coruscant. The only thing they won’t check is their own military satellites.”

The fact that the "priestess" remained undetected despite the intelligence agencies' rigorous investigation proves her efficiency.

Adi Gallia had to admit that the Confederate's digital engineers were indeed first-rate, far surpassing those of the Republic.

Moreover, figures like Severn Tann, Trench, Ryan Bontley, and Carly Trilm have emerged in the outer ring, and the Republic's once-proud advantage in officers is no longer present.

Even its military traditions were offset by the Confederation's swift adoption of Tann's military reforms.

Today, the balance of the war is maintained entirely by the Republic's massive industrial system.

The crisis in the core star system triggered by the Confederate armed forces' "Operation Starburst" allowed Trench to reclaim the Confederate's most critical production sector, and General Fasta also protected the important commercial center of the Corellia route.

While not enough to directly challenge the Republic's industrial dominance, this has made people recognize a harsh reality:
Victory will not come as quickly as we imagine.

“Master Gallia,” Bode suddenly asked as they approached the turbine elevator lobby, “excuse me, but I must ask… is this operation truly necessary?”

“If you want to stop it, Bode,” Master Gallia said in a low voice, “it’s too late. Too many plans and schemes have already been launched, and even if I wanted to cancel them, I couldn’t stop their momentum.”

After a moment of oppressive silence, Bode sighed, "It just feels like we're focusing on the wrong things. The Sith must be eradicated, that's true, but is it worth destroying the Republic for that?"

Adi Gallia paused, his arm hovering in mid-air as he summoned the elevator. "The Republic is on its last legs, Bode. If we allow the Sith to continue the war, no Republic will remain for us to destroy."

"But we could have..."

The human man was speechless for a moment.

"We could have destroyed the Sith and revived the Republic?" The Jedi Master turned, raising an eyebrow, and asked, "And without risking a civil war? Is that what you mean?"

Bode clenched his fist, and Barris stepped forward. "I think he meant that we could have resolved this without dragging the Republic into another civil war, without causing millions more deaths in the galaxy."

The two young warriors had worry in their eyes, as if they were still struggling with the terrible power that was about to be unleashed.

Unlike them, Iskat had no such concerns.

Adi Gallia forced a frustrated sigh.

This situation prevented her from informing the Jedi Council of the details of the plan.

Because desperate situations are always inevitable...

“What you love is the ideals of the Republic,” Master Gallia said gently. “You love this civilization, the only one known in the galaxy. You love it because without it, there would be no order to maintain peace, only chaos and war.”

“But the Republic is not civilization itself,” she continued. “This…misunderstanding…is the very lie that the Sith so earnestly propagated, that the Republic was order and civilization, while the Confederation was chaos, barbarity, primitiveness, and brutality simply because it was not a Republic. This propaganda should be familiar to you.”

The three Jedi Knights fell silent and listened intently.

“Even the Jedi are not immune to this temptation,” the Jedi Master sighed, looking up at the turbine elevator shaft as if he could see the Supreme Council at the top. “It is so persuasive, so alluring, so seductive that even the highest-ranking masters are captivated by it.”

“This is Palpatine’s final trap for the galaxy,” Adi Gallia concluded. “He made the idea of ​​civilization so tempting that everyone was eager to accept his definition of civilization, which is why he manipulated the war.”

“So…and then what?” Bode pressed. “Are we going to destroy civilization? Is that what we’re doing?”

Adi Gallia sighed as if addressing an unenlightened student, "No, Bald. We only want to destroy this civilization; we want to tear it apart completely, so that the Sith won't even be able to piece it back together."

Stop loving the Republic... It is different from people or things. Love civilization instead, the kind that can coexist harmoniously with other things, the kind that can prosper in order and peace and burn in chaos and war.

That kind of civilization that can pick up the pieces and put them back together no matter how many times it breaks.

If this civilization exists, it means that people still have hope, and the Milky Way is still moving forward, rather than stagnating like the decaying shell of our so-called republic.

She summoned the elevator and stepped into the car. "Everyone to your positions. Bode, return to the intelligence department to monitor the situation. Barris, you stay at the Temple just in case. Ishkater, your skills will be most effective fighting alongside me on the battlefield. If all goes well, we can eliminate the Sith without triggering a civil war."

Everything was ready, and they would launch a final attack on the Sith Fortress from all sides.

"May the Force be with you, wherever you may be," Gallia said in farewell, offering this ancient blessing.

……

"Procon will lead the expeditionary fleet to Sereno," Mays Windu Jedi announced to the seated committee members, "and I will personally command the ground forces to land on the planet. Have you all reached a consensus on this arrangement?"

A low murmur of approval rippled through the neatly arranged seats. The most intelligent and respected Jedi Masters in the galaxy were plotting their final blow against their archenemy.

The plan was meticulously crafted.

Master Windu is one of the few members of the Order of Knights who has the ability to defeat Count Dooku in a lightsaber duel.

Meanwhile, Master Pro, as the Temple's most outstanding fleet commander, will confront and contain Sereno's starfleet in orbit.

The Jedi Master looked at Gallia with a serious expression. “Master Adi Gallia, you will stay behind on Coruscant with Master Stace Ari and Master Shakti. Master Yoda will also stay behind. Once the Sith Lords show their tracks, we will immediately launch a counterattack. The Sith are now under our surveillance.”

“We must prepare for the worst,” Obi-Wan stroked his beard. “The Sith must have a backup plan; they won’t give up easily.”

"Whatever Dooku has prepared in Sereno, we will meet it," said the usually taciturn Master Sasse Tin firmly. "The expeditionary fleet will be the most concentrated assembly of Jedi Masters and warriors since the Battle of Geonosis."

“I agree,” Master Kit Fistor said solemnly, his usual ease gone. “We are no strangers to war. The masters and warriors in the expeditionary fleet are all veterans of war, the elite of the elite.”

The elite of the elite.

If we're talking about truly top-tier combat power... is there a Jedi player who's noticeably absent?
Or rather, a Jedi fleet?
Anakin Skywalker's "Open-Ring Fleet".

That is the true elite force.

“Then… what about the young Skywalker?” Mace Windu said the name as if to imply that any Jedi expedition would be incomplete without him. “His participation would be a great help to Sereno’s operations.”

“He is at war,” Master Shakti replied succinctly.

An ominous silence descended upon the council chamber, an atmosphere usually reserved for mentions of the Dark Lord of the Sith.

The mere phrase "in action" is enough to send chills down your spine and make your throat tighten.

They all understood why the "open-loop fleet" was being held up.

“Anakin and Ahsoka…” Obi-Wan explained, “are still fighting a bitter battle on the southern front, resisting Horn Ambighine’s invasion.”

Thousands upon thousands of warships.

Hundreds of millions of soldiers.

Like an avalanche crashing down on the core world, the Republic has committed four entire sector armies to resist it and is struggling to contain its relentless advance.

Operation Starburst was a poisonous nail piercing the body of the Republic, and Horn Ambigine was the hammer that smashed that nail down.

The Grand Legion always says that Horn Ambigine was defeated eight times in Vorona, but this is just a way to make the public more accepting of the reality.

An invasion cannot be repelled eight times.

An intrusion can only occur once, either successfully or unsuccessfully.

This is basic military common sense.

Horn Ambigine's invasion continues.

The war spanned hundreds of galaxies and thousands of planets.

This is a brutal tug-of-war, with both sides doing their utmost to prevent the "grave killers" from advancing any further.

Both of them were exhausted.

But how could someone who has earned such a terrifying title as the "grave killer" be deterred by steadfast defenses?

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "Anakin's latest report..."

"I guess it's another request for reinforcements?" Master Wendu leaned forward.

Obi-Wan frowned. "More soldiers, more ships, more equipment, more Baktas, more Jedi Knights."

“Alas, we have no more Jedi to send,” Master Shakti mused. “All the Jedi available on Coruscant have been committed to the final assault on Serenno.”

“Master Ayala Sekula is dead,” Obi-Wan said through gritted teeth, “along with the other fifteen Jedi we sent to the south. Since the start of the campaign, Horn Ambigine has not only attacked Eriardo but also razed six Loyalist strongholds. It’s fair to say that Anakin is no longer able to fight alongside us.”

Adi Gallia felt numb.

The death of her friend, the destruction of six planets.

The Force was like a stagnant pool, without waves or ripples.

Only numbness.

“Master Sekura has become one with the Force,” Master Yoda finally spoke, gripping his cane tightly and scanning each council member with his gaze. “We must bring justice to the Sith, we must end this war, end the suffering.”

Master Adi Gallia rose to his feet. “The eyes of the entire galaxy are on this. Every move we make on Serenno will affect the reputation of the entire Jedi Order. We cannot afford to fail.”

The masters of the Jedi High Council stood up one by one.

"May the Force be with us."

This is the end of the fifteenth year of Dazhong Synchronous.

In Coruscant, millions of eyes looked up from spires, balconies, terraces, and towers to watch the grand departure of the Jedi Expeditionary fleet.

One after another, massive capital ships rose from the crowded naval docks amidst the skyscrapers, their armored hulls and propellers filling the sky.

Thousands of warships surged from the horizons of this city-planet, spiraling in an orderly fashion as they ascended into orbit.

Around it, groups of escort ships and troop transports of all classes and sizes shuttled and gathered like schools of fish, converging from shipyards all over this vast capital star system.

One hundred Jedi Masters, four hundred warriors and apprentices.

Tens of thousands of interstellar spaceships of various types.

One hundred and fifty million soldiers, including experienced veterans and newcomers to the battlefield.

This includes tens of millions of elite clone soldiers deployed on each Jedi flagship, all veterans of countless interstellar battles, now reunited to raise the Republic's flag.

The expeditionary fleet will rendezvous with reinforcements from various star sectors en route, continue to expand its size, and then launch a large-scale offensive into the heart of the separatist movement.

They sailed along the Haidia route, traversing the numerous defenses of the separatist-controlled star system, and finally headed straight for Sereno.

This will be a massive offensive comparable in scale to Operation Trident and Operation Stormgate.

(End of this chapter)