Jedi Insurgency 338

The first Imperial warship died eleven minutes after entering the Umbara system.

It was a Carrack-class light cruiser, the Indomitable, carrying a complement of 1,092 officers and crewmen. Its destruction came not from enemy turbolasers, nor from the squadrons of starfighters now swarming through the outer reaches of the system, but from a gravitic mine concealed within the wreckage of an ancient Umbaran communications satellite.

The mine detonated as the cruiser passed within three kilometers of its position.

Its artificial gravity field expanded violently, wrenching the Indomitable sideways and throwing the vessel directly into the path of an approaching Imperial frigate. The resulting explosion was spectacular. 

Two vessels, nearly two thousand personnel, and several million credits' worth of Imperial military equipment disappeared within a rapidly expanding cloud of molten debris.

From the command bridge of his flagship, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Supreme Commander of the Empire watched their destruction without the slightest alteration in his expression.

"An inventive opening." He remarked.

Captain Gilad Pellaeon stood beside him, his young features illuminated by the enormous tactical holoprojection dominating the command pit.

"Admiral, we've lost contact with three escort vessels. The Indomitable and Resolute are confirmed destroyed, while the Perseverance is reporting catastrophic engine damage. Our forward reconnaissance elements are detecting additional gravitational anomalies throughout the system."

"How many?" Thrawn questioned in a calm, composed manner. 

"Twenty-seven confirmed. Possibly twice that number."

"I surmise that number to be fourty-three.” Thrawn corrected.

Pellaeon turned toward him in confusion. How could anyone guess so precisely? 

"Sir?"

"Observe the arrangement of the gravitational disturbances, Captain. Their positions are not random. Our opponent has arranged them along the most probable approach vectors, with deliberate gaps to encourage us toward particular avenues."

Thrawn extended one slender blue finger toward the hologram.

"Seventeen of those gaps are themselves traps. The mines were never intended to destroy our fleet. Their purpose was to direct it."

Pellaeon studied the enormous three-dimensional projection. The Umbara system had become a vast battlefield. Hundreds of vessels were scattered throughout its gravitational reaches, their formations represented by clusters of crimson and blue symbols. Behind them stretched the planet itself, an enormous sphere of darkness crowned with luminous atmospheric storms.

Interdictor vessels, concealed beneath the sensor signatures of civilian freighters, had activated their gravity wells the moment the Imperial advance crossed the outer system. Minefields stretched between ancient satellites and hollowed asteroids. Defense platforms, previously mistaken for orbital wedding decorations or civilian infrastructure, had revealed hidden turbolaser batteries.

Even the supposedly harmless pleasure barges that had arrived from Zeltros were undergoing a remarkable transformation. Their decorative outer hulls had opened, exposing military-grade deflector shields and missile batteries.

The wedding had been an elaborate deception. Every shipment of ornamental flowers, transport containing ceremonial supplies or passenger liner carrying ‘distinguished guests’ had provided an opportunity to reinforce the system.

And Revan had exploited every opportunity.

"Observe the arrangement of his mines. They are concentrated along our most direct routes toward the planet, while the regions offering the safest passage lead into overlapping defensive envelopes. He wishes us to believe that we have discovered weaknesses in his defenses." Thrawn confidently remarked. 

“That clever Nerf herder.” Pellaeon whispered. 

The Chiss Admiral clasped his hands behind his back, neither confirming nor denying the allegations. "Order Battle Group Aurek to advance through the fourth corridor. Reduce engine output to twenty percent and deploy our probe droids ahead of the formation."

Pellaeon frowned.

"That will make them extremely vulnerable to an attack…you're trying to bait him into revealing something?” Pellaeon asked. 

"I'm offering him a decision." Thrawn coldly smirked, crimson eyes remained fixed upon the hologram. "Let us see what our opponent values more. The opportunity to destroy an isolated Imperial squadron, or the concealment of his defenses."

Revan answered six minutes later. From behind the outermost Umbaran moon, seventeen warships emerged in perfect formation. Their arrival was accompanied by a torrent of proton torpedoes, launched not toward the slow-moving Imperial vessels, but toward the asteroid field situated behind them.

The torpedoes struck with extraordinary accuracy. Dozens of asteroids shattered, filling the surrounding space with cloudy debris and fragments of superheated rock.

Initially, Pellaeon could discern little purpose to the maneuver. Then the surviving fragments began moving.

"Magnetic mines can be used in such a way!?" He gasped. 

"Very good, Captain." Thrawn murmured appreciatively. He had raised this Corellian boy in rank due to his willingness to learn. Truly, he was a teachable talent. 

The asteroids had concealed a second minefield. As the debris spread, thousands of small magnetic charges attached themselves to the surrounding fragments, creating an expanding cloud of explosives.

Battle Group Aurek found itself trapped between the approaching Umbaran squadron and an enormous wall of lethal debris.

"Order them to reverse course!" Pellaeon demanded.

Right as the pit crew were about to follow his commands, the blue-skinned alien sharply raised his voice. 

"Belay that order.” 

Thrawn studied the hologram with considerable interest, then spoke a beat later. 

"Have them maintain their present heading. Instruct their point-defense crews to concentrate fire exclusively upon the larger fragments."

"Admiral, the smaller mines will penetrate their shields!" Pellaeon warned. 

"Only if their velocity remains sufficiently high. The larger fragments possess the momentum to carry the smaller charges through the formation. Destroy those fragments, and the remaining mines will disperse before reaching our vessels." Thrawn shook his head, not wanting to explain any further. 

Within moments, the Imperial squadron opened fire. Thousands of brilliant laser bolts illuminated the darkness. The largest asteroids exploded into clouds of dust and debris, making the smaller mines-deprived of their ballistic carriers-to drift harmlessly past the slower Imperial vessels or detonate against their forward shields.

For a moment, it appeared that Thrawn had defeated the trap entirely. Then the Umbaran warships accelerated.

"Enemy vessels closing!" An officer announced. "They're targeting the Judicator!"

A trio of Zeltron frigates surged ahead of the main formation in support of their Umbaran allies, their engines blazing brilliant violet. Their attack was extraordinarily aggressive.

Rather than maintaining their distance and exchanging turbolaser fire, whilst maintaining the defensive advantage alongside the minefield & weapons platforms, they drove directly into the Imperial squadron, approaching so closely that their shields nearly touched those of the Judicator.

Both sides unleashed simultaneous broadsides, but due to previous glancing damage from some mines, the Imperial destroyer's shields collapsed.

"They're going to destroy her!" Pellaeon grimly exclaimed. 

"Quite possibly." Thrawn academically remarked, as if he were a scientist waiting to prove his hypothesis whilst an experiment was taking place. 

"Admiral-!"

"Observe the Zeltron frigate's acceleration, Captain. Their engines are operating beyond their nominal specifications. Their formation is also considerably tighter than Zeltron naval doctrine would ordinarily permit."

During this fierce exchange, the Judicator vanished beneath a torrent of turbolaser fire. Her portside armor buckled, and a series of secondary explosions raced along her hull, followed by the catastrophic destruction of the forward reactor compartment.

The vessel broke apart, snapping in two like a pencil gripped by an irate student. More than four thousand Imperial personnel died in the ensuing inferno. Thrawn watched the destruction, noting down all that he had learnt. 

"Captain, have the surviving vessels withdraw toward our second defensive line."

Pellaeon looked at him incredulously.

"We're abandoning the corridor? So soon despite all the sacrifices? They're almost into the next zone.” Pellaeon shook his head in disbelief. 

"We have already obtained what we came for."

Thrawn then touched the holoprojector to rearrange some formations, whilst the surviving Zeltron warships were retreating with almost supernatural coordination. Their formations shifted with an elegance that no conventional tactical computer could reproduce.

It was as though every pilot, every gunnery crew, and officer were linked together in a hive mind. 

“This level of teamwork is practically unheard of. I read in the report, this is [Battle Meditation] isn't it? This confirms Revan's presence.” Pellaeon confidently stated. 

Thrawn regarded the enemy formation with undisguised appreciation. "Most impressive."

The phenomenon intensified as the battle progressed. Across the Imperial forward line, officers reported an inexplicable deterioration in their crews' performance. Ordinarily disciplined gunners began hesitating before firing. Experienced pilots found themselves making elementary mistakes. Some commanders reported sudden attacks of anxiety, while others experienced a profound and irrational certainty that their efforts were doomed.

Conversely, the defending fleet appeared almost unstoppable. Its vessels moved with an extraordinary unity of purpose.

Revan's presence was unmistakable.

An Umbaran cruiser, its engines destroyed, continued firing until its reactor failed. Two Zeltron corvettes deliberately interposed themselves between an Imperial torpedo barrage and a damaged hospital transport. A squadron of obsolete starfighters launched a suicidal attack against an Imperial destroyer, destroying its exposed sensor arrays before losing half their number.

Every action contributed to a larger purpose, each sacrifice appeared meaningful. The defenders were fighting with the conviction that their cause was righteous, that their commander understood them, and that victory remained possible regardless of the odds. At this moment, the Jedi & Jediism truly felt like a cult in Pellaeon's eyes. 

Thrawn watched an isolated Umbaran frigate break from formation to protect a damaged allied carrier. The maneuver exposed the frigate to concentrated Imperial fire. Its shields disappeared almost immediately. Nevertheless, the vessel continued forward, absorbing a barrage that would otherwise have destroyed the carrier. Eventually the frigate finally exploded, yet the carrier escaped.

"Observe how he employs his forces. A lesser commander would regard such behavior as an unfortunate consequence of emotional attachment. Revan has transformed it into an operational advantage. His personnel are willing to accept extraordinary risks because they believe their sacrifices will be reciprocated." Thrawn said, his voice full of nothing but praise. “He does not simply command obedience. He commands devotion."

"Then how do we counter it?" Pellaeon asked, for the first time feeling somewhat nervous. 

Thrawn allowed himself a small smile.

"Transmit authorization Aurek-Seven to all fleet commanders. Implement the neural stabilization protocols."

Pellaeon looked up sharply.

"The cortical implants?"

"They were developed to counter Jedi mind influence. We have no guarantee they'll interfere with Battle Meditation."

"Nor do I expect them to prevent Revan from coordinating his allies. Their purpose is considerably narrower."

Throughout the Imperial fleet, thousands of personnel received a simultaneous command.

Deep within the cranial implants installed behind their ears, miniature processors activated. These devices had been developed using research derived from the behavioral inhibitor technology once employed within the Grand Army of the Republic. Unlike their predecessors, however, the new Imperial chips were designed for a different purpose. 

They monitored neurological activity associated with panic, suggestibility, and abrupt emotional disruption. When those patterns exceeded predefined thresholds, the implants delivered carefully regulated electrical stimulation, anchoring their hosts to previously established cognitive baselines.

They could not prevent a Jedi from hurling a soldier across a room, or render their users immune to every form of mental manipulation. But they could make the deliberate disruption of an individual's concentration substantially more difficult. And concentration was precisely what the Imperial fleet required.

Across dozens of warships, officers who had been overwhelmed by irrational dread suddenly rediscovered their composure. And the Imperial war machine once more fully engaged the hated rebels. 

"Forward squadrons reporting restored combat effectiveness." Pellaeon announced. "The psychological disturbances are declining at an astounding rate."

"Revan's [Battle Meditation] performs two distinct functions. It strengthens the coordination and morale of his allies, while simultaneously degrading the effectiveness of his enemies. We have addressed the latter. The former requires a different solution."

He enlarged the positions of the Imperial battle groups.

"Order every formation to implement autonomous command protocols. There will be no fleet-wide targeting network, or central coordination between individual squadrons."

Pellaeon stared at him as if he had just ordered the men to commit suicide. 

"Admiral, that would surrender us to defeat. You must not do this!” Pellaeon cried. 

"Captain, consider what happens when you play dejarik against an opponent who can anticipate every move you intend to make. Typically, a loss like that is inevitable. Revan has an astounding level of clairvoyance, and despite all my skills, can anticipate my next maneuver from thousands of kilometers away. However, what if your individual pieces possess instructions unknown even to the player directing them?" Thrawn whispered with a knowing smirk across his face. 

Pellaeon hesitated, unable to answer to this, still finding the order to be madness. 

"Our tactical formations have been operating according to synchronized command structures. This enables Revan to exploit the hesitation, uncertainty, and emotional reactions of our officers. He does not need to understand our transmissions to recognize our collective intentions." Thrawn explained. 

"So you're separating the individual commanders from the larger fleet? Did you plan this from the very beginning?!” Pellaeon asked, his voice filled with shock and awe. 

"It was but one of my contingencies, yes. Each captain has received a sealed operational sequence. Those sequences have been generated with deliberate variations in timing, trajectory, and engagement criteria. They will execute without waiting for confirmation from the flagship. Even should we perish in this operation, the men under this flag will carry out their orders to the end.” Thrawn confidently stated. 

Pellaeon examined the changing formation.

For the first time since the battle began, the Imperial vessels ceased moving according to any recognizable grand pattern. Individual destroyers altered their headings without warning, frigates abandoned their escorts to pursue seemingly unrelated objectives, and starfighter formations fragmented into independent attack groups.

Their movements appeared disorganized, yet beneath the apparent chaos lay an intricate network of predefined missions, mutually supporting fields of fire, and deliberately staggered operational priorities.

Every formation possessed a purpose, whilst all these tiny pieces added up into a sum greater than their whole! Even Thrawn lacked direct control over certain aspects of their execution, yet the effect was astounding. 

Pellaeon slowly nodded. "I see it now. You're denying him a coherent mind to attack."

"More accurately, I am denying him the opportunity to exploit the weaknesses of a centralized command structure." Thrawn replied, studying the rapidly changing hologram. "Now we shall discover how well our opponent adapts when his intuition ceases to provide him with complete superiority."

Thrawn looked out the window of his Star Destroyer's command tower with an expectant look. 

Their duel had only just begun.