Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 32 - Ignorance (Initial recommendation, please continue reading)

“It’s really strange to do this at this time,” Mina raised one of her neatly trimmed eyebrows, her grey-blue eyes scrutinizing Renn. “The method is also strange. There’s been no movement on the Peremian route, and the Republic doesn’t dare to make any rash moves, especially after our victory in the south.”

Her words carried the calculated calm characteristic of parliamentary debates.

Ryan let out a short, mocking laugh from deep in his throat. "I'm not in the mood to stir up trouble, okay? Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant; what matters is that I have a clear conscience."

He stood up, deftly draped his heavy officer's coat back over his shoulders, and fastened the top hard button. "Oh, and also, I'm taking Hal with me."

Mina's gaze quickly swept over Hal's smooth white body before returning to Rein's face. "Why did you come here?"

There was a hint of barely perceptible wariness in her voice.

“Command the defense of Lax,” Raine’s voice was low and direct. “Mina, we are going to lose this war. Our navy has three times the number of ships as the Grand Republic Army, but this numerical advantage is being eroded day by day by their organizational efficiency and resource conversion capabilities.”

"Aren't we on the offensive?"

Mina's fingers tapped unconsciously on the cold edge of the tablet.

“It’s on defense,” Ryan corrected, leaning forward slightly and shifting his weight to the balls of his feet. “What we call ‘offense’… well, its strategic effect is insignificant and cannot change the overall situation.”

The Republic is launching a fierce offensive in its newly occupied territories, having already captured Munilinst, and now its forces are heading straight for Dantouin.

The Confederate Third Fleet was no match for the combined pressure from the Republic’s Eighth, Ninth and Tenth District Fleets in terms of both the number of ships and the power projection capability.

In the southern region, the Republic's 20th Military District Fleet is encircling the Fondo and Basardro system, while the 18th Military District Fleet in the direction of Eliadu continues to launch probing attacks and harassments against the Salust and Bis system.

The problem is that, although the Confederate Navy has three times the total tonnage of the Republic's, they only have three main fleet groups that can coordinate their actions and be commanded in a unified manner, while the Republic has twenty highly organized regional fleets.

Despite some tactical victories, General Tann's Second Fleet was unable to cover all strategic directions simultaneously, not to mention the immense pressure on her own territory.

Soon, the First and Second Fleets will be tied up in a long strategic maneuver codenamed "Operation Outflanking," and the Confederate reserve fleet strategy on which it relies to maintain its defenses will be completely dismantled.

This is precisely the strategic objective meticulously designed by the General Staff of the Republic.

"What do you mean?"

The light reflected from the tablet screen flickered in Mina's eyes.

“Our military structure is like a bucket of crabs forced together,” Ryan said wearily. “Everyone wants to act independently, and no one is willing to genuinely cooperate with others unless someone holds supreme command.”

This is why we have a large navy in name only, yet we can barely muster three complete fleets, while the Great Republic Army has twenty... Allowing one person to command such a large combined force would disrupt the fragile power balance between the various factions.

The result was that our independent squadrons and detachments fought independently, and the entire Confederation lacked a unified and efficient command and control system.

Rein let out another soft snort, laced with obvious sarcasm. "In the end, we lost not because the enemy was too strong, but because the energy we expended in internal conflicts and mutual drain far exceeded our efforts to fight the Republic. When was the last time Count Dooku formally nominated a candidate for Supreme Commander to the Confederation Parliament?"

"Three weeks ago."

Mina answered cautiously, sitting up straighter in the armchair.

"Who was it?" Renn's gaze was fixed on her. "How many votes did they ultimately receive?"

“A Chiss named Severn Tann received less than a quarter of the votes in favor; the majority came from representatives of star systems controlled by the pro-war faction.”

It's far from enough.

“Don’t make me abandon my principles, Ryan,” Mina warned in a firm voice typical of a senator, “I will not vote in Parliament for any proposals or military authorizations that aim to further escalate this war.”

That's the crux of the problem.

“This war has inevitably escalated, Mina,” Ryan retorted softly, but each word was clear and forceful. “It’s only because you live in the comfort of the relatively safe rear planet of Lacus that you can continue to uphold your so-called pacifist principles from your high perch. What about my principles? And the principles of every Separatist soldier who, in the cold space and muddy trenches, has had to temporarily set aside their personal principles to defend the citizens and ideals of the Confederation?” “Don’t talk to me like that, child,” Mina’s voice became hoarse, her fingers pressing hard on the smooth surface of the tablet. “It was because I have principles that I brought you back to my home after your parents’ accident.”

Ryan forced a cold smile. "Don't be ridiculous, ma'am. The moment you gained custody, you immediately sold the estate and all the assets that belonged to my parents. You took me in largely to avoid media scrutiny of your 'cold abandonment of an orphan' and to maintain your public image. You want to talk to me about principles? You used the money from selling my parents' estate to pave the way for your political career in Coruscant, while I, like a dutiful butler, took care of those family businesses in Izz that you didn't care about at all."

Mina Bontri stood up abruptly, walked around the low coffee table made of dark hardwood and metal between them, and stood in front of Ryan, looking him straight in the eye.

They were both tall and stood above Hal.

Hal turned his head back and forth between them, both confused and with a silent "Why again?" feeling.

“You have no right to talk to me like that,” Mina said, her gaze sharp as needles and her voice icy, “especially after my family used their connections to secure you such a promising career as a general in the Confederate army.”

"Then who do you think persuaded General Akanason Tandin at the crucial moment not to purge the noble class of Izz when your Bontri family announced its support for and joining the separatism?" Raine retorted without backing down, the muscles on the side of his neck slightly tense. "Do you know that the hasty coup you planned almost ignited a civil war on the entire planet Ondron?"

Raine never regretted participating in stopping the purge, even though he knew full well the future of the Clone Wars.

King Dandup's initial declaration of neutrality was extremely unpopular among the lords of the royal court.

The Bontley family was the leader among them.

They immediately began plotting against the king.

The action was too fast and too reckless.

General Akanathan Tandin, loyal to the royal family, sensed signs of a conspiracy and mobilized his loyal troops to wipe them out.

But he ultimately did not take action.

A group of moderate officers and nobles, led by Raine, argued that a bloody purge of the Iz nobles would be counterproductive, prompting other major cities in Ondron to revolt in the name of their respective lords, plunging the entire planet into a devastating civil war.

Ultimately, a relatively bloodless palace coup was seen as the lesser of two evils.

The Royal Army chose to stand by, and the Royal Court, through legal procedures, deposed Ramses Dandup and installed Sanjay Rush as emperor.

A few days later, Mina Bontri, as a newly appointed senator, formally submitted Ondron's declaration of secession to the Galactic Council, and King Rush immediately signed the Treaty of Iz, which joined the Confederation.

“And now, I’m risking violating military discipline and secrecy regulations to remind you, trying to save his life,” Ryan continued, his voice low and powerful. “We’re all playing politics on this vast galactic chessboard, Mina. None of us are morally perfect saints. Your insistence on the ‘principles’ you’re now loudly proclaiming is largely because it’s your chance to reshape your public image and re-demonstrate your moral stance to the voters. But to be honest, even if our Confederation unilaterally ceases all military operations now, the Republican Parliament and their Supreme Speaker Palpatine will never stop their expansion and aggression.”

“We can still negotiate with the Republic,” Mina insisted, but her tone was less firm than before. “Not everyone in Parliament is as eager for an endless war as the hawks.”

“But now, those who have enough influence and military strength to decide the course of the war want to fight,” Ryan sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly, revealing a hint of weariness. “If this galactic conflict could be resolved through diplomatic negotiations and rational dialogue alone, none of us would have ended up where we are today.”

Ryan took the metal tray from Hal's outstretched mechanical claw and placed it steadily on the hardwood coffee table. The ceramic cup made a slight crisp sound as it touched the metal tray.

The air in the living room seemed to freeze, and a heavy silence replaced the previous verbal exchange.

The atmosphere changed, and the conversation ended there.

“Remember to erase its memory core.” Mina’s gaze fell on Hal, her tone returning to the senator’s aloofness. “Anyway, I should have upgraded a long time ago and bought a more advanced model.”

This is both an arrangement for Hal and a severing of past warmth.

“Don’t leak any of the information I told you today,” Ryan said, adjusting his cuffs. “But I don’t think you will either, because making it public would only provide the hawks in Parliament with more ammunition for military expansion and consolidation of their position, which goes against your political stance.”

“I’ll remember,” Mina said, sitting back in her armchair and looking away from him. “Be careful on your way back.”

“You too!” Renn nodded. “Let’s go, Hal.”

(End of this chapter)