Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

96-Brothers (Extra)
(P.S.: This chapter was originally supposed to continue the main story, but it has been changed to a free chapter. It mainly focuses on the Greshad brothers and the nature of the community, supplementing the reasons for the betrayal mentioned earlier. Of course, this betrayal is not something that can be forgiven, but rather it is written to complete the plot. There will be another chapter later.)
Diedrich Greshad solemnly swore to serve Kolmogorov and the entire community organization with all his ability and loyalty.

And Simon Greshad?
He was loyal only to his own inflated ambitions and never made any vows to anything.

Diedrich never felt that the two men's goals conflicted.

But he also clearly understood.

The only reason Simon did not betray the community organization for personal gain was that his power and influence were entirely rooted in the organization.

As long as the community organization has any value, Simon will cling to it like a vine clinging to a tree.

This is why Diedrich helped him cover up the truth about his cousin's death.

If that incident were to be exposed, it would be an indelible stain on their political careers.

Simon's predecessor in the Galactic Republic Senate was their cousin, Geralmahad.

That old man was far too arrogant and domineering. In order to advance his own career in Coruscant, he secretly undermined the Community's trade interests in the Peremian star system.

This is not unusual for politicians, but within community organizations, there are certain red lines that must not be crossed.

Simon believes that when Jeramahd took that step, he should have been stripped of everything the Community Organization had given him.

Thus, a meticulously planned "accident" occurred.

Following this, Simon, as a "grieving relative," naturally filled the newly vacant and highly sought-after senator seat.

The methods were clean and efficient.

Diedrich only learned the truth afterward, but he used his deep connections in the Kolmmex security forces to help suppress the investigation and prevent a scandal that could have shaken the foundations of the community.

Although some rumors and gossip surfaced, they ultimately did not cause any major upheaval.

Why didn't Simon tell him beforehand?
Diedrich knew his cousin all too well.

Simon has a habit of pushing targets, whether or not they are potential allies, into a situation where they have "no other choice."

If Diedrich had known beforehand, he would have definitely stopped it, so Simon simply kept it from him.

As a result, after Geramahd's death, Diedrich only had two paths before him.

One was to expose Simon, causing the Community Organization to lose a strong seat in the Republican Senate.

Secondly, he helped Simon cover up the situation, preserving the organization's interests and reputation.

It wasn't really a choice at all.

Moreover, Geramahd betrayed them first.

Diedrich saw things very clearly.

He was merely a pawn in Simon's grand scheme, but as long as the goals of the game were broadly aligned with the interests of the community, he was willing to play that role.

The Allied fleet's encounter at Centares was essentially a replay of the same scenario.

Yes, reinforcements will never come, but the Alliance will only fully realize this after the battle is over and the losses are heavy.

If the Alliance had known beforehand that the Joint Defense Fleet was deliberately holding back, this act of betrayal would have been publicly exposed, causing a huge uproar, instead of being suppressed as it is now, packaged as a "decision-making deadlock" and "avoiding a mutiny."

This put the league's top management in the "no choice" dilemma that Simon had designed.

They could either angrily break with the community organization completely, thus cutting off one of their own arms.

They either have to swallow their pride and continue to maintain this fragile alliance.

This also doesn't qualify as a real choice.

Moreover, Simon would certainly argue that 'you cannot do without the warships and political support of the Community's organization.'

But this left Diedrich with a core question that he had to answer.

Why didn't the Joint Defense Fleet take action at that time?

This is by no means a simple strategic disagreement.

The Oriel and Beldrone sectors opposed intervention in the doomed battle of Centares for very good reasons.

Due to the Alliance's fierce resistance, the Loyalists' supply lines were already overwhelmed.

The most sensible course of action for the alliance is a strategic retreat, using its strategic depth to wear down the enemy.

Unfortunately, this is a political deadlock.

The alliance's top brass are now in a precarious position because of their own lofty slogan of "protecting member states at all costs."

To retreat without a fight and abandon Centares would be tantamount to tearing apart the very foundation upon which they stood.

The joint defense fleet operates based on democratic principles.

Each member sector's military forces have equal voting rights, and any major action involving the entire fleet must be supported by a simple majority vote.

The Wozid sector should have voted in favor of the Meridian sector and its associated sectors.

This should have been a natural progression.

As the highest-ranking frontline commander of the Kolmex planetary fleet, Diedrich's opinion should have been decisive.

However, in reality, the vote in the Wozid sector was severely divided between the Kolumex and Wozid systems, with one side voting in favor and the other in opposition.

The officers trapped on the Wozid V voted against Kolumex's proposal, arguing that "the safety of the community organization takes precedence over supporting Centares," especially considering that the Wozid V itself was heavily besieged by the Republic's "Flaming Claw Fleet."

But Diedrich knew perfectly well what was going on.

Although this sector is named after Wozed, according to convention and the balance of power, the Wozed system should follow the lead of Kolumex.

He clearly saw the dark hand stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

Diedrich picked up a steaming cup of Klumex specialty tea, brought it to his lips, and took a small sip. The warm liquid slightly calmed his turbulent thoughts. "Simon, this time you've pushed us, the entire Combined Defense Fleet, into an extremely embarrassing, almost shameful situation," Diedrich's voice was as cold as the frozen ground of Klumex. He moistened his lips, which were dry from anger. "You've completely ruined the fleet's reputation. I really want to throw you straight into this cesspool you dug yourself, so you can taste the bitterness."

"Don't be so impatient, cousin!" Simon's holographic image exaggeratedly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, a smug fake smile on his face. "Look at the results! Didn't we achieve a key objective? The Alliance suffered heavy losses in Centares, and now we have almost twice the number of their warships! With this shift in power, they need us more than ever, they can't live without us!"

"You power-blinded fool!" Diedrich slammed his teacup on the table, splashing scalding tea that burned his hand, but he didn't care. "Are you blind? Can't you see what happened to Eucerón?! The greatest threat the Combined Defense Fleet has dealt with in the past hundred years was nothing more than a self-proclaimed pirate captain! You just stare at the cold, hard numbers of warships on paper and naively believe that the more the better? War isn't like children building sandcastles, Simon! You're playing with fire!"

“Yes, yes, you’re right,” Simon waved his hand dismissively. “The situation is indeed changing. We will fully cooperate with the alliance without reservation. Command is in your hands, Diederich. I trust you to handle things.”

Diedrich's anger could no longer be contained!

He suddenly raised his hand, which was gripping the teacup, and slammed it hard onto the table!
"boom!"

The exquisite porcelain cup shattered into pieces in an instant!
Scalding hot tea and sharp shards flew everywhere!
A few shards of porcelain even passed through Simon's holographic image, causing him to instinctively shrink his neck.

Seeing Simon's disheveled appearance, Diederich felt a twisted and brief sense of pleasure.

"That's far from enough!" Diedrich's voice was like the low growl of a wounded beast as he flicked the hot tea and porcelain shards from his hands. "If you think I'll still be the same as before, silently cleaning up your dirty messes, you're sorely mistaken!"

His face was ashen, and he continued, "Simon Greshad, let me be frank with you, you are no longer 'necessary' to the Community! The Republic is now our mortal enemy, and the Community has enough independent seats in the Separatist Parliament to give its voice! If you 'mysteriously disappear' in Coruscant in three days, everyone will assume it's the Republic's intelligence agency's doing! Don't test my patience, and don't challenge my bottom line!"

In Diedrich's memory, Simon's ever-present smug smile of certainty changed for the first time.

Simon finally realized that in his obsession with weaving one conspiracy after another, he had forgotten that he was nothing more than a cog in the vast machine of the community organization, a piece that could be discarded in a political game called "Degaric Chess".

Simon Greshad possesses influence, an influence granted to him by the Community Organization, which allows him to use his position in the Republican Senate to pursue the organization's interests.

But from the moment the Community Organization handed over the Declaration of Independence to the Separatist Confederation, most of its influence within the republican system vanished.

Diedrich Greshad was the one who truly held power.

He was the de facto commander of the largest sector defense fleet in the Peremian star system. He was the one who propelled the prosperity of trade routes and transformed Kolumex into a shining jewel in the outer ring star system.

Influence is ethereal and intangible, while power is tangible and real, consisting of guns, warships, and the hearts of the people.

Simon pursued his ambitions too hastily, straying far from the foundation that gave him his importance. Only now, in this critical moment, has he realized that influence is like quicksand, while power is the bedrock.

“…It’s no use saying all this now…” Simon seemed to have lost his spine, the holographic image slumping down, his face showing genuine exhaustion and a hint of panic for the first time. “Doku…Doku’s side…”

"So, it really was Count Dooku who was behind this?" Diederich pressed sharply, leaning forward and fixing his gaze on Simon's image like a hawk's. "What does he want from you?"

Is Dooku a spy for the Republic?
This idea is utterly absurd!

Had he not witnessed firsthand the deadly intelligence being sent from Dooku's lair to Coruscant, Diedrich would never have believed it.

If this were merely the work of an individual officer who had been recruited by a republic, it could be explained.

After all, the intelligence was not yet definitively confirmed, and the source... was a bounty hunter.

The problem is that this intelligence operation was secretly approved and funded by General Severn Tann's intelligence department!

This is completely different!
Diedrich's mind raced, exhausting every possibility.

General Tann was by no means the only one who laid a listening net on the holographic network.

Loyalists and separatists must have planted countless spies in this ocean of information, so why was Dooku able to hide for so long?

The Republic's intelligence service may have been aware of this, but the fact that Dooku did not use the Confederate-controlled communications network of the "Generosity-class light destroyers" strongly suggests that the Confederate intelligence service was completely unaware of it.

Did Tann and Bontri have long suspected Dooku, and thus meticulously plan this operation specifically targeting him?

Or was it really just a lucky break, as Bontri casually suggested?
Perhaps we should propose establishing an intelligence-sharing mechanism, which would certainly uncover more information.

Regardless, all clues point to a massive, suffocating conspiracy, a dark game of chess that spans the entire galaxy and whose full scope remains unknown.

Among all those who might betray the Confederation, it was Count Dooku himself who was sending intelligence to the Republic in exchange for some kind of "victory"?
Although he publicly left the Jedi Order, is he still a secret ally of the Jedi?

Why did he create the separatist alliance in the first place?
Too many contradictions, inexplicable.

“He…he wants to completely ruin the Alliance’s reputation,” Simon finally admitted, his voice hoarse. “In order for his appointment as General Grievous to be approved by Parliament, he needs an overwhelming victory that will demonstrate his authority. He needs the Alliance to fail.”

"And Centares, the slaughterhouse you carefully selected for him?" Diedrich raised his chin, his eyes sharp as knives. "So, what benefits did he promise you?"

“He promised… he would help me… secure a more prominent and powerful seat in the Separatist Council,” Simon sighed, with a hint of frustration at things spiraling out of control, “and grant Kolumex privileges far exceeding those of other sectors in trade and resource allocation. Things… shouldn’t have come to this.”

“What’s done is done, there’s no going back.” Diederich stood up coldly, took off his sticky leather gloves soaked with hot tea, and slammed them on the messy table with disgust. “You, Simon, get back to Kolumex right now! Don’t force me to send the Marines to ‘invite’ you back.”

Simon's holographic image jumped to his feet in alarm. "Wait! Diedrich! Listen to me! We can't beat Dooku in the war of public opinion! His control over the Independent Galaxy media is deeply entrenched! As long as he controls the propaganda machine, even if you throw out those pieces of evidence, it won't hurt him in the slightest. The public won't believe it!"
On the contrary, he might turn around and bite us! At this stage... we have no choice but to continue cooperating with him, at least on the surface, and that's exactly what I've been trying to do! To secure the best possible outcome for Kolmogory while caught in the middle!

A shadow of despair loomed over Simon's voice, but Diederich caught a twisted sense of pleasure in it.

It's time to stop those dirty deals made in the shadows and those hypocritical handshakes.

Kolumex, it is time to rightfully reclaim the glory that belongs to him.

Rear Admiral Diedrich Greshad's gaze passed over the huge viewing window of the cabin and landed on the massive and majestic silhouette of his proud battlecruiser, the "Cramprinz".

After thousands of years of modernization and countless renovations, it's likely that not a single original armor plate can be found on the ship's hull.

It may not be the oldest warship in the galaxy; the title of oldest belongs to another legendary heavy cruiser, the Grosstatt.

But in the long years since the Fourth Jedi Scramble, its majestic presence has been seen conquering the stars in every major war that has broken out since.

“Listen up, Simon,” Diedrich’s voice was as cold and hard as a ship’s armor, leaving no room for negotiation, “When someone expects you to play a role but doesn’t give you a script, they should be prepared… Accepting your improvisation may completely exceed their expectations, even catch them off guard… Playing politics is the risk you inevitably have to take. Now we are in the vortex of war, Simon, a real, life-or-death war! We had better treat it like a real war, not your underhanded tricks.”

On the other end of the communication, Simon's holographic image seemed to have been drained of energy, slowly and slumped back into the depths of the chair.

Diedrich's thoughts drifted away, and a legend that had long lingered in his mind resurfaced.

In the distant past, the gunfire of the USS Crunprinz tore apart a Jedi General's flagship.

He couldn't help but ponder.

Can this old ship, which carries countless glories and an iron will, recreate that glory?

(End of this chapter)