Chapter 155: Consequences
Warning: Chapters 153-155 were posted back-to-back. Returning Readers make sure you pick up where you left off.
Chapter 155: Consequences
- Orbit of Unnamed Moon – 87 Days into the Clone Wars-
Count Dooku looked down at the previously life-rich, unnamed forest moon with a mix of satisfaction and distaste. With Sidious putting his own efforts into a proper conquest, it wasn’t too surprising that his ‘Master’ had begun turning up ancient Sith weapons of mass destruction for use against the Republic. The only reason Sidious had refrained from such in the past was his intentions to take the reins of a largely intact Republic for conversion into his Empire, after a carefully managed war ended. With that path closed to him forever, and his Master properly enraged by that fact, it was no true surprise that the man was reverting to the old Sith standby the get his way.
Smash everything and rule over the ruins.
To that end, Dooku had to admit that the Force Harvester was a devastating weapon all on its own, capable of reducing a previously life-rich moon to a dead world with just a handful of activations. That it was, in fact, nothing more than a power source for the Dark Reaper, a weapon that Sidious’s other minions were tracking down the separated pieces of and putting back together? Well, it boded ill for the Republic when it was released. The capture of Rhen Var by Admiral Tann before her unfortunate demise at Kashyyyk had been a critical step toward tracking the Dark Reaper pieces, and the Republic being fully stuck distracted and parrying thrusts toward the Core meant they were non-the-wiser to their approaching doom.
Still, the Harvester in particular was rather distasteful. If it was one thing Dooku understood that Sidious did not, it was that mindlessly weakening the Force itself via massive loss of life was a losing proposition for all Force sensitives. Even the Sith. Sure, stripping a handful of worlds of life wouldn’t even begin to impact the greater Force. But overuse of a weapon like the Harvester would eventually weaken all large-scale workings of the Force. In fact, the Force wound on the planet below was already weakening Sidious’s attempt to reestablish the Veil in CIS space.
The Veil hadn’t fully fallen when Palpatine had been ousted and forced to flee from the capital. It had become very obvious in the time afterward, however, that the Jedi had turned efforts inward and found the Sith temple on Coruscant. That temple, and the Dark Side Nexus within it, had been one of the foundational anchors for the Veil, and the Jedi had managed to cleanse it somehow or other. Most likely with copious use of Force Light by anyone and everyone they could teach the technique to.
With that anchor destroyed, and the Jedi’s Army of Light burning other holes in the overall Veil, the strength of the working was a fraction of what it had been. At least for now. Until the Dark Reaper was fully recovered and reassembled, Sidious intended to use the ‘test fires’ of the Force Harvester to shore up the Veil in the region of ‘CIS North’ as the Republic was calling it. The fact that his Master had also sent expeditions into ancient Sith worlds such as Korriban to recover numerous Dark Side artifacts and create new anchors would likely make a cruder version of the Veil work. Though it would never reach the heights it had before, as Sidious had not been its original creator and did not fully understand the Veil and how it worked at the base level.
A foolish oversight by a man who would be Emperor and thought only of how to use tools rather than create them. Doubly foolish when Dooku himself understood that using the Harvester within their own space would weaken the Veil in places within it, even if it heightened its power elsewhere. Not, of course, that it mattered to him. In fact, watching Sidious cut out an eye just to spite his face, flailing to strike his enemies however he could, was highly amusing.
Either the Republic and Jedi would manage to deal with the Reaper or they wouldn’t. Either way, Dooku would win, making his own moves more subtly in the shadows while his Master foolishly reenacted every losing strategy the Sith had ever considered…
… … …
- Kuat Orbital Ring – 90 Days into the Clone Wars-
Sasha Belphont, codename Vixen, sighed as she sent off a message that would eventually end up with her LIS handler. Considering the degree of scrutiny everyone at the top levels of Kuat was under these days, it would take a while for the message to get through, being only a routine report. She stretched as she stood, the motion nearly causing her tits to pop right out of the sheer negligee that was all she wore. Gliding over to her mark/lover’s liquor cabinet, she mixed herself a drink as she considered what she’d just sent.
She honestly felt sorry for Walex Blissex.
Her target was legitimately a nice guy, but his daughter had been a right raving cunt that was getting exactly what she deserved. In no small part, admittedly, due to Sasha nudging things and leaking a few details she or other LIS agents had discovered. While Walex was honestly fairly upright and kind, never having gotten sucked into the machinations of the Kuati Nobles that worked with Palaptine…Lira had been eyeballs deep in Palpatine’s ball sack and choking on his dick. Not literally, of course, but certainly figuratively. Her father didn’t know it, even now, but the craven bitch had been actively plotting to replace her father as Kuat’s key designer.
Well, it certainly wasn’t going to happen now. What with Sasha and LIS arranging for Lira to take the fall for some of the ‘corruption’ within KDY that had allowed Palpatine so much sway. Admittedly, the fact that KDY had a fleet ready for the Republic meant they weren’t facing as much backlash as others found to have been in bed with the chief Sith muckity-muck. That didn’t mean that the Republic could just let them off scot-free, though. Which had been where a certain number of fall people were required to absorb the damage.
The fact that Lira had legitimately been plotting with Palpatine had made it easy to make sure the bitch had been one of those to take a fall, though arranging things so that none of it splashed on Walex had been a bit harder. Still, she and LIS had managed it, and now Walex was the one that Kuat had assigned to integrate the new weapons from the League. The new Victory-class that Walex had finished work on just before the war, which was due to start leaving docks within the next month, wasn’t large enough to support the Particle Beams that KDY had been sold at cost. But the Praetor-class Battlecruisers that Kuat was updating in a hurry and building as fast as possible were another matter entirely.
Walex had been assigned to shoehorn the new weapons into the already-in-production class, to provide the Republic with a new edge. A task he had thrown himself into in an effort to forget his daughter’s betrayal and sentence to life imprisonment for high treason. His own pity love for his daughter, despite her betrayal, was the only thing that had kept it to imprisonment rather than execution. KDY didn’t want to truly piss off the man who was their current golden goose, after all. Though he’d still fallen into depression over the whole mess.
Well, given that the League wanted those weapons properly out on the battlefield, Sasha would just have to use her own wiles to keep Walex from burning himself out in the process. Not that she really minded, to be honest. The Doctor’s hands were surprisingly skilled in ways she appreciated, after all. Besides, he really was a nice guy, who always finished last…
… … …
- Gizer System – 92 Days into the Clone Wars-
General Grievous snarled and spit orders as he continued to outmaneuver the fools attempt to hold Gizer against him. The Republic dog commanding the defenses was no slouch, likely another Jedi. But whoever it was, they were no match for the one that had trapped him over Onderon and destroyed his initial fleet. That one, Windu, was a foe he could respect, even if he loathed the Jedi Master for having forced him to retreat in humiliation. A humiliation only made worst by that idiot Tann getting the rest of what should have been his fleet slaughtered over Kashyyyk by the League.
The loss would not avail the corrupt Republic for long. His new fleet was less properly balanced than the last, pulled together from several actions farther into the CIS rear that had been working to conquer still resisting worlds, along with some of the strategic reserves and a certain amount of new construction. Yet it was large and powerful enough to get the job done, with Trench still pressing Lantillies too hard for it to turn and help hold Gizer.
Due to Tann’s failure, taking this world would not cut off the fortress that Lantillies had become for the Republic and Jedi, as it could still be resupplied through Kashyyyk for now. That wouldn’t have been the case if Windu hadn’t moved to retake Uyter, but he had, and was now using it as a launch pad to take Togoria as well. A world which had gone willingly over to the CIS from the start, but which didn’t have any serious fleet to speak of.
Still, the Jedi’s ability to resupply Lantillies would only matter for the value of whatever hidden shipyard they were using for those Dreadnaughts and Hammerheads of theirs. Trench had, by now, at least managed to somewhat cripple the Lantillies shipyards themselves, the remaining yards only enough to service the fleet anchored to the world, instead of building new ships. The world was an annoyance, yes, but one that would lose most of its value as a firebreak against the CIS once he finished taking Gizer. This world and System allowed the CIS onto the Perlimian Trade Route behind Lantillies, removing it as a serious obstruction on their march to the Core.
Which explained why the Republic was throwing everything it could at him to slow his assault down. Yet they fundamentally lacked the ships to stop him. They had committed too many forces elsewhere, including the reinforcements they’d redirected to Ord Mantell to attempt regaining control of that world. No, their loss here was certain now, even if the end result would take days yet. Once he had this world, he would cut a path right to their heart, so that he could slaughter the Jedi and destroy all their foul works…
… … …
- Coruscant – 95 Days into the Clone Wars-
Supreme Chancellor Organa leaned back in his uncomfortable chair, the better one having been kicked out of the office as it failed to help him stave off sleep, and scrubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. If his wife were here, she’d be chewing him out for failing to take care of himself, but the arrangements required to make the Summit of Kashyyyk go so comparatively smoothly had drained him badly.
It had, at least, worked.
He’d gotten a positive enough impression of Sovereign Midoriya’s intelligence to suspect that the man and his staff would spot the opportunities he’d set up. What he’d been admittedly less certain about was whether the Sovereign both would and could force through a deal that didn’t squeeze the Republic for all its worth using those weaknesses. Something which would have soured the relationship between the Republic and League, and possibly even seen Bail himself removed from the Chancellor’s office for giving the League the opening to squeeze them so.
Thankfully, his assessment of the other man had proven correct, and the deal they had actually gotten had been acceptable. Not pleasant, and he was facing plenty of backlash from the Senate on key points of the deal he’d agreed too, but enough of his fellows recognized the critical importance of speed at this juncture that it was mostly saber rattling. The fact that the League had been prompt in following through on their promises, driving a sizable spike into CIS South at Sanrafsix within just ten days of signing the Kashyyyk Accords, helped his position a great deal. It was a striking speed that showed the League High Command must have ordered preparations to start almost as soon as the talks began too, which was a good sign for their future cooperation.
That speed of action had silenced many of the voices of opposition to the deal with the League, as even those who disliked the idea of ‘letting the League steal worlds’ recognized just how valuable it was to have their military on side. Of course, many of the senators who were holding their tongues now doubtlessly thought they’d be able to renege or renegotiate from a position of strength once the war with the CIS was over. Some of the more ambitious likely even thought it would be the perfect way to remove Bail himself, post-war, as they knew he would never agree to go back on the Accords.
Frankly, he was pretty kriffing certain that they would find it not to be so easy, even if they managed to remove him. Unlike them, he hadn’t missed the outreach the League had been doing from Day 1 of the war. Thousands of worlds were being given relief aid the Republic couldn’t pull together with all their resources going to the war effort, and even more worlds were being given investment funding from the League’s Central Bank. Funding that was allowing them to either survive despite the ongoing damage to trade, or even thrive and contribute to the war effort.
The pattern was clear enough, if you zoomed out to see the big picture and had been familiar with the Hutts. The League had learned from the people they’d taken over from and were putting the same sort of economic levers in place that the Hutts had used. Though they admittedly were putting a far more positive spin on those levers, using them to help build systems up rather than bring them under draconian control. Which didn’t change the debts, the gratitude, the interconnection and reliance on League trade, or any of the other factors that were building in the background.
No, by the time the war was over, assuming the war even ended in the Republic’s favor, those Senators who thought they could ‘renegotiate’ were likely to discover the League had gotten its roots in too deep to let that happen. Too many senators from worlds whose influence had grown due to the League’s investments would have too much to lose to allow their fellows to screw it all up. Which didn’t even cover the gratitude the general populace would have and the largely positive view of the League that currently existed. Something Bail himself was encouraging because, frankly, the League’s successes and the new alliance were two of the only things propping up public faith and morale.
Yawning and reaching for his third cup of caf for the morning, Bail forced his mind away from that mental loop to consider more immediate matters. While he’d been hands off with the actual running of military operations, he was still involved by necessity. It was still his office through which all the money and much of the interconnected hell of logistics flowed. Over the last three months he’d managed, somehow, to weld many of the disparate defense forces different groups had built into the GAR, allowing them to all pull more or less in the same direction. All while also kicking anyone and everyone he could to get the Republic’s industrial might moving on a war footing.
It was, thankfully, starting to have an effect. Kuat and Corellia had been joined by Rendili, Fondor, and Tallaani in laying down mass numbers of new hulls for GAR capital ships. Though there were some questions about just which side Fondor would really prefer to be on that were requiring a careful eye to be kept on that system and its shipyard in particular. Rendili, meanwhile, was particularly important as, like Kuat, they had a series of satellite yards in other systems. Which meant they were able to service GAR fleets even as they frantically built new hulls to rush into service. The fact that the Jedi had allowed the Republic to copy their work on their new Katana-IIs, in exchange for not fighting over the ownership of the former Katana Fleet, had also made an impact. Rendili was the original builder of the Katanas, after all, which meant they’d been able to retool and ramp up production of Katana-IIs with impressive speed.
Even after just three months, the War Office was nearly certain that the Republic was matching the building tempo of the CIS in pure hull numbers. Though crewing those hulls was a different matter. One that he was still struggling to solve despite Padmé’s efforts to get several worlds training an officer corps before Naboo had left the Republic. Frankly, without that effort, they’d have been completely screwed, even with the Clones. Even with it, though, they were struggling to train enough people, fast enough. Even if droids weren’t the greatest commanders, it took much longer to get a sentient up to the same standard you could just install in a droid.
The truth was, while they might be slowly overcoming the difference in hull numbers, they were falling short on quality of crews. Which is where the latest set of files he was studying on an odd possible solution came from. Much as he hated to admit it, Bail was aware that there was something of a human-centric bias in the Core Worlds. It wasn’t bad, thankfully, but it was sufficient that virtually every ‘standard model’ for things like training were built around human and near-human normatives. If it took too long to train humans? Well…the Republic as a whole was not without outlier species. Ones who lived shorter lives but learned far faster than humans did.
It was just a matter of figuring out how to recruit the right species and train them quickly, without it causing utter chaos when they were integrated with the rest of the GAR. Tests with Chadra-Fan officers were promising so far, for example. But there were some serious issues getting the Clones, in particular, to take the 1-meter-tall hyperactive rodent-like humanoids seriously. Not to mention some translation issues and the knock-on effects it caused on the chain of command.
Well, nothing would be solved by lamenting it wasn’t Wookiees that learned hyper-fast. He and his people were just going to have to figure out how to smooth out the wrinkles. As they had been with dozens of other problems since the war began. At least they were having a bit more luck with Verpine and other insectoid semi-hive species. Such species were proving a major boon to both industrial building and filling engineering rolls aboard ships. If the Republic was going to survive this war, it would need to lean into such advantages.
The diversity of talents its many species offered over the uniformity of droids was one particular advantage Bail fully intended to leverage as hard as he could…
… … …
- Thule – 97 Days into the Clone Wars-
To say that Celeste Morne was unhappy was a bit of an understatement. After spending the first two months of this latest galactic war on Kamino, attempting to wrangle the situation there into some manner of order, she’d finally been able to set out again in her task of tracking down the Sith. The fact that Palpatine had been outed as one of them ought to have made her job easier, and in some ways it had. She, at least, had a direction and smaller chunk of the galaxy to deal with. Both Sith currently known to be active were within CIS North, after all, and weren’t really trying to hide any longer.
Which was the problem, in the end.
While identification of the Sith she was hunting was no longer an issue, being able to actually reach them was another matter entirely. With Count Dooku as a military leader and Separatist Congress Leader Palpatine both public figures, it wasn’t hard to locate them, but it was immensely difficult to reach them. So much so that, after a few weeks of initial attempts, she’d had to give up on the idea of assassination, which would have been the easiest way to deal with them now that they had been identified. Instead, she’d visited Ossus and called upon the Force in an attempt to determine where it would have her strike to make a difference.
Which is how she’d been led to Thule and discovered that a Force powered Sith Superweapon was in the process of being rebuilt. It was not, so far as she could tell, ready yet…but it was close, too close. Worse, shudders and tremors in the Force said that some part of their plan was already underway, with great loss of life having already occurred in some fashion. She was going to need help to destroy this monstrosity, or at least re-bury it. Unfortunately, it was already surrounded by a Dark Side miasma that she dared not approach. Only droids could approach it, as it apparently killed any living thing that did so.
If a strike team to destroy this ‘Dark Reaper’ was going to be formed, she was going to need more information on how it had been defeated before. Thankfully, she actually recognized it from the history books of her own original time period. It was older than that period by far, but Exar Kun had attempted to use the Dark Reaper to his advantage after digging it up on Yavin IV. Meaning that, if anyone alive might know something about it, Master Bnar was that person.
Now, she just needed to get back to Ossus and consult him. Hopefully, a means could be found before the weapon was ready and could be turned upon the people of the Republic…
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A/N 1: Hey...I'm not the type of writer that lets the Good Guys just Curb Stomp all the baddies :-p. So of course the CIS has been up to something while it LOOKED like the Republic was managing to hold them off...
A/N 2: The return of Secret Agent Tits! Errr...Sasha/Vixen! I embedded (*snicker*) her in Kuat via Blissex some time ago. I have no idea how many of you even remember me doing that, but it DID serve a purpose. As it gives us a view, now, inside the higher-levels of Kuat and how some things are shaking out. What they are doing with the new weapons from the League. What new designs are ready to roll out (the Victory-class being in full production), ect.
A/N 3: Yep, Greivous is back and pissed of. But it's Mace who's earned himself a rival this time, instead of Obi-wan...
A/N 4: Proving once again that Bail is no one's fool and knows exactly what the League is up to. He's counting on it, in fact.
A/N 5: Oh hey, there's Celeste! She got bogged down on Kamino for a while, but her real self-appointed task is the destruction of the Sith and all their works. So if anyone was going to figure out what they've been up to, it's her...
A/N 6: Once per set of chapters released, I mention that I have a P-atreon! My fanfiction content is never permanently paywalled, but I do maintain Early Access chapters for each fic. In the case of Displaced Hero, chapters 156-160, amounting to roughly 20,000 additional words, are currently in Early Access. That said, while support is deeply appreciated, the previous chapters are always put up here as new chapters are released into early access. So you can always just be patient ;-). For those that do wish to support me, you can find a link to my P-atreon in my profile, or simply search the web for 'Novus's Fanfiction Works.' I update four stories a month, 20k words each, plus at least one extra 10k monthly, so you're getting 90,000 words in Early Access content across my works if you join up!