Jedi Insurgency 311

Whilst Yon & S'vala were busy bonding over murder, Corvus was aboard one of the Venator's in orbit within an office inundated with reports, emails, and video calls. Now that the Rebellion was in full swing, he was in contact with a dozen different fleets, hundreds of cells, and thousands of diplomats. 

Of course Mon Mothma, Padmé, Bail, and Garm Bel Iblis all helped lessen the load, but he was the face of the movement. Acting as the earliest voice of opposition against the Empire, and commanding super powered Space Wizards across the galaxy, each pro-Republic planet was eager to petition him for the incredibly few Jedi roaming the battlefield. 

At the moment, less than five Masters were active, with around 50 Knights out there as well. These forces were then supplemented with 50 of the Sentinel Droids that Master Paratus constructed. It didn't seem like much, but each team acted as a strike force capable of punching through enemy lines, or holding a defensive point for hours. 

Sighing to himself, he noticed a light blinking in the corner of his eye, indicating that the time had come for yet another conference call. Pressing a button, four holographic images came into focus. 

Before them was a large rotating map of the galaxy. The Core remained almost entirely Imperial red. Red light covered Coruscant, Kuat, Anaxes, Carida, and the great arterial routes that bound them together. Yet beyond the Mid Rim, the map became less certain. Mon Cala burned blue, Ryloth flickered between occupation and revolt. Rebel signals shone over Sullust, Kashyyyk, New Plympto, Saleucami, and a thousand lesser worlds. 

Outside the command chamber, clone analysts, Republic officers, and newly recruited tacticians from Alderaan’s war college occupied the surrounding pits, busy at work. 

Corvus reached into the projection and rotated the galaxy. His gloved fingers passed through the Hydian Way, enlarging the region between Ord Mantell, Botajef, and the Tion Cluster.

“Thrawn isn’t advancing on our armies, as expected. Sticking largely to defense, he has begun accumulating resources, hoping to bide his time, and recruit more troopers than us. What are your thoughts on this matter?” He asked the four projections in front of him. 

Admiral Gial Ackbar stood foremost, broad-shouldered and dignified in the uniform of the restored Republic. General Cham Syndulla appeared beside him, lekku draped over the shoulders of a battered flight coat. Across from them waited Supreme Commander Sev’rance Tann, red-eyed and severe, her hands clasped behind her back in a calm poise. The final projection belonged to Jedi General K’Kruhk, the great Whiphid towering over the others despite his hunched back. 

Ackbar studied the map, and stroked his. “Greetings, Generals & Admirals, thank you for including Mon Cala in this meeting. Thrawn's forces have not yet concentrated themselves for a massed attack, however, I believe this ‘effort to buy time’ is a feint.” 

Tann narrowed her eyes, whilst K’Kruhk continued to silently stare at the map. 

“Go on.” Corvus gestured. 

“Before joining the war, I had extensively studied the Empire's foremost tactician. Furthermore, Mon Cala had extensive records on Chiss tactics going back to the Sith Wars. It is my belief that this gentleman plans to slip a ship here, a ship there, slowly accumulating them one at a time. That is, until they all receive the signal, and converge on one location.” Ackbar slowly stated. 

“Preposterous. Chiss tactics have evolved beyond what any record from more than a millennia would detail.” Tann dismissed offhandedly. 

“But it is not impossible. Until we have proof-one way or the other-we cannot discount this measure.” K’Kruhk added on. 

“I will make sure my intelligence focuses on any missing ships, Admiral. Perhaps the Umbarans might know of something once I bring them into the fold.” Corvus said, deep in consideration. 

“You do not truly plan to waste resources chasing ghosts, do you?” Tann asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“With Thrawn, everything is not as it seems. I lost a good man just a few days ago due to his planning. Speaking of which, Thrawn is allowing worlds to rise the flag of the Republic faster than we can defend them. Once they declare for us, he severs their shipping, jams their communications, and waits. Hunger and fear do half of his work. Eventually, each world begs us to commit a fleet. Meanwhile, he is using tarrifs & sanctions to starve them of critical supplies. At this rate, many planets are crying for the ‘safety & security’ promised by the Empire.”

“He wants us to spread out our fleets into smaller units, and then destroy us piecemeal. He expects us to defend every flag.” Tann hissed. 

Cham folded his arms before him and frowned. “Those ‘flags’ represent people. I can see you wish to ignore them for greater strategic purposes, but if you ignore them, you will lose a lot of good will.” 

My good will went unsaid. 

“...Which is why we will defend the people. Already I have Admiral Hondo gathering relief fleets, and a host of smuggling ships packed full of Republic marked goods on the way. It is not enough, but it shows that we are unwilling to sit on our hands doing nothing in the face of starvation.” Corvus explained. 

Then, moving onto the next stage of the meeting, he rearranged the map of the galaxy into four separate theaters of war. 

“Admiral Ackbar, three Imperial sector groups are moving toward Mon Cala through the Tion Cluster. You will assume command of the defense.”

Ackbar’s large eyes narrowed. “My cruisers are already forming above Dac.”

“Disperse them.” Corvus succinctly replied. 

The Mon Calamari admiral stared at him, furrowing his eyes. 

Corvus expanded Mon Cala. Orbital shipyards, floating cities, and defensive stations appeared around the ocean world.

“Thrawn expects you to make your stand in orbit, but he is not aware of Mon Cala's impressive planetary shields. The data available to him suggests the water world is easy to take. However, the CIS invasion was only so smooth due to the Civil War. Now that this is no longer the case, we can surprise him.” Corvus ferally smirked. 

“You wish me to squash this Imperial fleet from both the front and the back. Is your intelligence certain, can we arrive in time with an interdictor?” Ackbar asked, still unwilling to depart from his target, knowing full well how difficult it was to attack Mon Cala. 

Corvus moved several blue formations. The largest descended into the holographic ocean while others withdrew toward Pammant.

“Evacuate your engineers, reactor specialists, and shipwrights into the deep-city shelters. Tow the unfinished hulls toward Pammant with their transponders broadcasting at full power. Thrawn will recognize the evacuation as bait, but the Imperial admirals beneath him will still be compelled to pursue. None of them will wish to explain why they allowed a dozen half-finished cruisers to escape.”

Ackbar leaned closer, examining the plan. 

“It's too dangerous to mount an intercept course, I sense that the Black Monolith may make an appearance on this front. Instead, arrive early, and keep your battle line beneath the southern sea with its reactors cold. Leave two obsolete cruisers and every orbital defense platform operating on automated control. When the Imperial fleet begins landing troops, rise behind its assault carriers. Ignore the Star Destroyers. Cripple the troopships, tank landers, and command shuttles.”

“Then withdraw beneath the planetary shields.” Ackbar concluded. “Without his ground forces, they'll be forced to retreat.” 

“Exactly. If Thrawn leads the attack himself, do not engage him. Make him spend time blockading a planet he cannot occupy.”

Ackbar slowly inclined his head. “Mon Cala will hold.”

Corvus turned toward the Twi’lek general.

“General Syndulla, you will invade Christophsis”

Cham’s brow tightened. “My army is assembled to liberate Ryloth.”

The map shifted. Ryloth faded while the crystalline world of Christophsis brightened.

“The occupation of Ryloth is supplied through depots outside Chaleydonia. Fuel, walker parts, food, medical supplies, everything required to keep an Imperial army functioning on a hostile world is just a sector away. Thrawn reinforced Ryloth’s cities understanding the economic value of Twi'lek's, and left Christophsis guarded by second-line troops.”

“He wants me to strike there. If you know about these weaklings, than doubtlessly this is a trap.” Cham said, shaking his head, determined to return to Ryloth with the newly raised Republic army volunteers. 

“He wants you to discover the weakness, become suspicious of it, and return to the emotionally obvious target. Your revolutionary tendencies are well documented, General Cham. He knows we know, yet has studied you, and studied your culture. Returning to Ryloth now will result only in defeat.” Corvus stated with certainty, the shadows he read beneath Cham's feet only served to reinforce this notion. 

Cham’s expression hardened, and he shook his head in disagreement. Every additional day beneath the Empire cost Twi’lek lives, and saw children, teens, and young adults kidnapped for sale every day. 

“My people have waited long enough.” Cham stated with finality. 

“Then give them a victory that gives them hope. Once they have seen your face plastered across the holonet-from just a sector away-they will rally to your banner.” Corvus spoke, leveraging as much of his 50 points in Persuade as possible when speaking to this hard-headed radical. 

Corvus then magnified the mountains north of Chaleydonia.

“Do not attack the city. Empty the mining settlements and move through the abandoned crystal excavations. Clone artillery teams will fire from within the ravines. The crystal formations will scatter their energy signatures and make counterbattery scans unreliable. Your infantry will enter the depot through the old Separatist freight tunnels.”

“...And the transports?” Cham reluctantly asked, seeming somewhat convinced. 

“Capture them intact. Destroy the fuel reserves, take the food and medicine, and leave one Imperial courier ship unharmed.”

“You want it to escape, how deliciously evil, Revan.” Tann praised from the side like an evil witch advisor. 

“I want its captain frightened, confused, and absolutely convinced that he escaped by his own skill. He will report that your entire army has committed to Christophsis.”

A faint, predatory smile touched Cham’s face as he was caught up in Corvus’s calm charisma, and Tann's evil smirk.

“Then Ryloth’s garrison will send part of its strength to reinforce the depot. My army will do as you suggest, Revan.” Cham bowed. 

“You will liberate Ryloth by making its occupiers leave it. Reinforcing Christophsis cannot be ignored from the Empire's perspective.” Corvus said with finality. 

The third theater opened before Sev’rance Tann. Sluis Van appeared first, its enormous orbital shipyards marked it as an incredibly valuable target within the Outer Rim. Surrounded by Imperial warning markers, it was heavily defended. Nearby in the same sector was another, seemingly unremarkable planet: Praesitlyn 

“Commander Tann, one of your CIS fleets will make a visible approach toward Sluis Van.”

“A feint, how novel” Tann said, seeing through his plan the second she laid eyes upon it, showcasing her intelligence. 

“Indeed, and it must be convincing. Enough for the Sluissi rebel cells to begin lightning several fires and for Imperial intelligence to intercept panicked communications.”

“And my true target?” She asked, buffing her nails on her coat. 

“Praesitlyn.”

Her red eyes shifted to the communications world. Recognizing it as a primary hub for transmitting data across the galaxy. 

Corvus placed the captured transports from Christophsis into the projection. They moved along an Imperial supply lane, carrying Tann’s assault troops directly toward Praesitlyn.

“General Syndulla will provide you with Imperial vessels, code cylinders, and surviving cargo manifests. Your boarding force will reach the surface disguised as reinforcements responding to the attack on Christophsis. Once inside the communications center, your Bothan slicers will seize the hyperwave array.”

“Thrawn will recognize forged orders, the ISB are no longer the paper Raxshir that howled aimlessly at the start of the war when you defanged them.” Tann warned. 

“I am counting on it.” Corvus replied with a smirk. 

That earned a thin smile from the Chiss commander. She then waved the back of her hand impatiently, waiting for him to get on with it. 

Corvus summoned three false transmissions, and played them for his audience. One warned of an impending assault upon Eriadu. Another claimed Ackbar’s reserves were moving toward Sullust. The third ordered patrol fleets near Kashyyyk to redeploy toward the Rimma Trade Route.

“Send all three of these. Make the first two easy to expose. Imperial Intelligence will congratulate itself for breaking the deception.”

“And the third will appear to be the correction.” Tann said, playing along. 

“It isn’t intended to deceive Thrawn for long. It is intended to deceive the officers beneath him. For all his intelligence, the man must sleep, and cannot have eyes everywhere all at once. Thrawn may countermand the order, but orders require time to authenticate, transmit, and obey.”

“I see my troops aren't to be used as cannon fodder. There are many Generals & Admirals under your command, Revan, but only us four are gathered here at this time. To plan this multi-pronged assault across the galaxy…what is your fourth step?” Tann asked, a knowing gleam shown in her crimson eyes. 

Corvus bowed towards her, she knew him too well, then turned to K’Kruhk.

He had studied the manifests, fuel allotments, and deployment schedules that suddenly appeared, replacing the map. He knew that incendiary vehicles had arrived from Mygeeto. 

“General K’Kruhk, when Tann transmits the false redeployment order, the Imperial patrols between Kashyyyk & Balamak will separate. Your transports will enter from Alaris Prime. Scatter your descent rather than forming a convoy, a Wookiee army will assemble to join your assault upon the agri world, securing Kashyyyk's flank & supplying the Wookiees with a food source once they go to war.” 

K’Kruhk rested one great hand upon the hilt of his lightsaber, and simply nodded. The large alien was not a man of many words. 

Corvus smiled to himself as the meeting came to an end, and four theaters burned upon the map.

Mon Cala would absorb an Imperial fleet without giving it battle. Cham would sever the supply lines of Ryloth. Tann would turn the Empire’s communications against its own commanders. K’Kruhk would pass through the resulting gap and reinforce Kashyyyk's flank before Thrawn could close it.

Corvus placed both hands against the edge of the holotable.

“Any plan that requires Thrawn to make a mistake is a bad plan. This requires only that he make a choice.”

The four commanders fell silent.

“There is one further order.” Corvus said. “Thrawn studies civilizations through their art, their history, and their preferred forms of war. From this moment onward, no Republic force will fight according to a single species’ doctrine.”

New unit assignments appeared.

Sullustan navigators joined Ackbar’s fleet. Clone artillery officers transferred to Cham. Bothan slicers and Duros pathfinders reported to Tann. Ongree engineers accompanied K’Kruhk.

“Do not imitate one another.” Corvus told them. “Let Thrawn find Mon Calamari patience in a Twi’lek attack, Chiss deception in a Wookiee defense, and clone discipline where he expects partisan fury. He has learned how each of us fights alone. We will show him what we have become together.”

~~~~~

AN: I know in many ways Star Wars is about super weapons, laser swords, cool Force powers, and rescuing the Princess. But I just really love digging into the grand scale of everything. Poor Corvus, lmao. Bro is going to be burnt out just like Palps was. Vader, meanwhile, can just outsource most of his stuff to Thrawn. Personally, I wonder how good Anakin is at grand theater warfare. Obviously he's brilliant at conquering one world at a time, but how good is his macro? Regardless, with the two of them working together, they are a scary team. 

Remember, the galaxy canonically has quintillions of sentient life forms. As OP as Corvus/Revan is, resources are really important. War here is actually really fucking huge in scope. I also semi-religiously consult the galactic map, and encourage you guys to google it to follow along.