Trivas
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The Sudden AssaultOkay, this is the second time I have tried to post this, hopefully it will not be messed up like the last one was. I went back and re-edited it.
As some of you know, TSC suffered a severe data loss that cost us a few thousand posts and several days worth of PM's, financial transactions, and members. The Council decided to explain this "in character" as an attack by the Jedi and their Galactic Alliance pawns. Our Sith empire and allies (since we are not all one collective empire) was attacked and suffered many losses, some of which will be told here.
A few weeks later, a traitor known as Nexus (we gave him a fair trial after which he all but admitted to the charges and later evidence further convicted him: apparently he was trying to destroy our site so more people would join his new one) destroyed over 7000 posts (a third of our site then) and wreaked havoc on our site messing with usergroups, moving topics around (those that he did not delete) and whatever else he could do. The Council decided to include his betrayal as his working with the GA and the Jedi to expose our weaknesses allowing for the attacks against our forces.
This is the "official" story of the attacks and the betrayals.
I will be honest, I got the idea for this soon to be over 100,000 word trilogy from this site and The Life of Empress Saber. I was greatly impressed with the size and depth it spanned. I decided that our site needed something similar for it (jealousy over a good aspect of this site made me do that). The Sudden Assault is just the first of at least three longer stories. It will span the first month or so of the assault until the official declaration of war.
I will post it here as well as another topic for discussion. If nobody seems interested, then I will just not post any more. It really does not bother me. I only put it here out of appreciation of the place that inspired me to write such a long story. If it is well responded to, then I will post more in larger chunks every week or so.
Just for reference, Ni'novia is the capital of our empire. I am in command of the new Empire of the Hand, but several other people here will not be from that structure. Our forces are made up of a collection of semi-private empires all linked by trade and common interests. The Empire of the Hand (EoH) is one of the larger ones, but not the only. There is an official Sith Navy commanded by Lord Kracor as well as several smaller armies and fleets.
Since most of you don't know all the members on TSC, this may help you. If anyone is refered to as "Lord" or "Lady", then they are either on our Council or have been rewarded with the title for oustanding dedication to TSC. Of course, non-Sith may refer to any Sith as "Lord" or "Lady", but that does not mean they are truly of that rank. Any questions can go in the discussion topic.
The Sudden Assault
Nymenos, on Ni'novia: First minutes of the attack.
Things were going well for the Sith forces. With the destruction of Jorell and Lord Kracor expanding his dominion, private empires were prospering. Ni'novia was being well colonized and the shipyards there were producing their first ships. Industry in various planets was developing and allowing the Sith citizens to prosper. New recruits were signing up every day, both Force capable and normal.
Among the newest recruits were Disastermind, Matas, Tress, Isa Raal, Revan, Sirius, and many others. These were already developing their powers and contributing to the Sith. The new economy was expanding as more money came into the system. Fleets of merchant vessels fanned throughout Sith allied and sympathetic planets bringing wealth and supplies to the fledgling empire.
The Empire of the Hand had been formed and was expanding into Jorell's old empire as well as former Empire of the Hand planets. The Sith Naval Academy had been established by Lord Kracor on Ni'novia and the officers were being trained to better the naval forces of the Sith. Lord Scyrone was experimenting with alchemy and developed the new Alchemy School. Lady Lilith was training new assassins in the shadowy lairs in a secret location. Lord Nexus continued to coordinate missions and organize officers to be their most effective on the field.
On a most joyous occasion, Lord Nyne got married in a massive ceremony in the Capitol on Ni'novia. The newlyweds went off on their tour of the Sith empire for an entire month as a honeymoon. As the Sith Council entered its eighth year of existence, things were looking very good for all.
Then, it happened.
Trivas was calmly enjoying a quiet evening with several of his Sith friends after a long few months of organizing campaigns to conquer Jorell's empire. Finally, they were able to relax and enjoy some time of rest without worrying about battles being lost or emergencies needing their attention. They had chosen to meet in the spacious palace newly constructed in the city of Nymenos on Ni'novia.
"It has been a long war, but we have prevailed," Trivas said over a semi-frozen cup of Hiwatham juice.
"Yes, it has. What will we do now that that war is over?" Sarai asked. She was sitting on a self warming chair. Though she was strong in the Force and well trained, she was not quite at ease with using the Force to keep her body warm in the frigid 45 degrees the room was kept in.
"There are many things to do. I want to exploit the recent gap in the Chiss leadership. I feel that we can easily install a pro-Sith leader into the Ascendancy. I also want to focus on allying with the new Ssi Ruuk empire."
"That will work, but we are not here to talk about business, this is a time to relax," Lady Bastilla said. She was uncomfortable, but her heavy coat kept her warm.
Trivas smiled and took another sip of his near frozen slush. "No, we don't, but it can be enlightening. How are your planets doing?"
Lady Bastilla sighed but answered, "We are increasing the defenses on Platarious. They are nearly complete. We are planning on starting the underwater mining operations in a month. The rest are doing well and are progressing according to schedule."
"Good," Trivas said.
"Well, I am organizing my armies rapidly," Darth Vexen said. "Most of them belong to the Sith Navy, but I am bringing up several brigades to assist the Empire of the Hand." He was stoic in his tolerance of the cold, but his skin was turning slightly blue. Still, he refused any coats and was tolerating it better than most.
Trivas nodded, "That is even better. Those troops will help us occupy and protect our new holdings and prevent Jorell loyalists from causing problems."
"How many are you going to be able to bring over," Bastilla asked.
"I should be able to transfer at least 100,000 in a month. More will come, but as I said, most are going to the Navy," Vexen replied.
"Yes, Lord Kracor is looking forward to as many men as he can get. He is very concerned about keeping order in the Sith empire," Bastilla said.
The four of them talked for a few more minutes when Trivas said, "They say there is a nice view of the glacial falls from the upper tower. What do you say we head up there and relax?"
The others nodded quickly and got up. After donning thermal coats, they opened the door and nearly ran into a rushing Gand lieutenant.
"Gand is sorry, my lord," he said speaking of himself in the usual third person. "Priority message from central command." With that, the lieutenant handed a datacard to Trivas, saluted, and scampered off.
Trivas activated it with his thumbprint and paused. The others sensed the shock coming from his usually well guarded emotions. Sarai asked, "What is it, Trivas?"
After a moment, Trivas replied in a soft, shaken voice, "The Galactic Alliance. They just attacked several of our outposts and planets. Jedi were seen among them."
The four of them stood in the hallway in silence for several seconds as the weight of this news sank in. "That means war, doesn't it?" Bastilla said with some disbelief in her voice.
"Yes, it does indeed."
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Sith command base outside Balestop, Novostor: beginning of attacks.
It had been a quiet day on Novostor. The Sith outpost overlooking the prosperous city of Balstop was peaceful. Several of the guards were inside enjoying some of the local food. Balestop was the capital city of Novostor and had a meager population of 600,000 beings, mostly a mix of Outer Rim species.
Ensign Fullerton was at duty in the spotting room when he noticed something funny. There was a transport due in about this time, but nothing was said about it being a convoy. That was not unusual to get things mixed up so he paid no attention to it.
Only when the proximity alarms sounded did he look again. The "convoy" had suddenly launched fighters and landing craft. "ACTIVATE SHIELDS!!!!" he yelled, but it was too late.
Two frigates had already located the Sith outpost and opened fire from space. Turbolaser bolts began to rain down upon the unsuspecting facility. Within three minutes, the entire complex and the area around it were in flames and ruin.
By some miracle, Ensign Fullerton managed to survive the collapse of the command building after two direct hits. Three bodies lay beside him, those of his coworkers. He grabbed an assault rifle from the weapons locker and ran outside to find out what was going on.
It was chaos. There were some survivors, but most of the eight hundred troops garrisoned there were dead or buried under the rubble. A wounded Duros major was trying to coordinate things. Some managed to get some medium canons repositioned after they were knocked down by blasts. Others were able to pass weapons around and prepare for an assault. There were few that were able to help the wounded or trapped.
"Incoming!" someone yelled and the fighters were upon them. The remaining outpost defenses managed to destroy two of the fighters, but the rest continued to strafe the base. Bombers soon followed and their proton bombs left massive craters with what was left. Ground troops waited until the area had cooled before moving in and securing the outpost.
There were no survivors.
Novostor was placed under Galactic Alliance jurisdiction two hours later and martial law was declared to prevent any resistance.
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Deep space: beginning of attacks.
Captain Stol was thrown out of his bed with a sudden jerk. He was captain of a Sith freighter hauling building supplies for Ni'novia. The ship was part of a convoy heading back to the capital will a full hold.
Grunting in displeasure he reached for the comm and contacted the bridge. "What is going on up there? Can't a man get some sleep?"
A strained voice replied, "Captain, get up here quick, we have been pulled out of hyperspace!"
In three minutes, an underdressed Captain Stol was on the bridge staring out at two Imperial Star Destroyers painted in Galactic Alliance colors. "Captain, they pulled us out of the system using an interdictor a few thousand kilometers behind the Star Destroyers."
"Any explanation?"
"No sir, but they have hailed our escort."
"Has anyone tried to send a distress signal?"
The lieutenant nodded. "They are jamming us."
"Wonderful."
They sat there for another ten minutes as Galactic Alliance fighters flew by several times daring them to react. In all, there were two Star Destroyers, the Interdictor, at least four frigates, and several dozen squadrons of fighters. Their small armed escort was no match for such a force which is why no resistance had been offered.
After a time, the convoy leader came over the comm, "Attention all ships, we are being rerouted to the Bilbringi System and will unload our cargo there. After which, we will be able to leave upon swearing an oath never to serve the Sith again. Any resistance will be met with strong force."
Two ships did not want to comply and tried to make an escape after the interdictor field was down. Both were destroyed by their fighter escort.
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Sith command base, Barios II: beginning of attacks.
Even on a planet as civilized as Barios II, there was still a rugged beauty to the landscape. Major Halett stood at the highest observation tower in the Sith base and admired the mountains and the tall trees that covered them. Being stationed on this temperate planet with a population of just under half a billion was a cushiony job. The populace was strictly regimented by nature and there was little crime or disruption. He had been here for a year now and only seen the garrison called out twice: once for a drunken brawl by unruly Sith soldiers and another when a fire had broken out and extra hands were needed to combat it.
The Sith base here had well over eight thousand members, including four squadrons of mixed fighters. A light frigate and two corvettes made up the space portion of the Sith forces. Trade here was profitable for all. The Sith would buy the raw materials mined from the mountains and harvested from the forests and the locals were more than happy with the added cash flow. Barios II had been overlooked by the much larger governments who had better places to get supplies, but the small Sith Empire was more than willing to pay for the supplies gathered here. The iron, duranium, and titanium deposits here were rich, but the planet's location far away from the Core and the big shipyards made it less than attractive.
As Halett scanned the sky, he noticed just a small layer of white clouds marring the blueness above. A light breeze cooled his face from the bright pale sun shining on it. This was going to be another good day, a pleasant change from the spring storms that swept across the valley last week.
Suddenly, a wailing siren shattered the peaceful quiet. The base alerts were going off. "What a fine time to have a drill," Halett muttered to himself. Drills were common among Sith forces due to Lord Nexus' never ceasing desire to maintain order and preparedness.
Halett remained calm even as armed soldiers scrambled into the defensive turrets that protected the base and city. This was normal and nothing was out of place. He had done this same thing at least two dozen times in his time here. It was not until he reached his control post that his heart quickened.
This was no drill.
Even now, the small Sith fleet was in shambles. The frigate had been blown in two and one of the corvettes were in flames. The second corvette was lining up for a hyperspace jump in a rapid retreat. The fighter squadrons were cut in half and those with hyperdrives were preparing to jump with the corvette. The remaining fighters were vainly trying to cover their comrade's retreat by giving their own lives.
A Bothan Assault Cruiser and a Mon Calamiri Star Cruiser were hovering near the remains of the Sith frigate. Six frigates of different types surrounded the two and swarms of fighters buzzed around the fleet.
The lights briefly flickered as the base shield generator powered up. Already, the exhaust trails of dropships were shooting away from the Galactic Alliance fleet.
The battle raged on Barious II for eight hours. The Sith forces would have been overwhelmed quicker except over thirty thousand Bariosians joined in on their side. These locals were poorly armed but still fought with the passion of beings protecting their own property. Nonetheless, the Alliance forces quickly took up occupying positions in several of the larger cities and demanded a surrender.
The Sith commander, realizing that his forces were outnumbered and outgunned and not wanting to cause more bloodshed of the loyal Bariosians, agreed to a surrender. Three thousand Sith soldiers and 17,000 Bariosian loyalists surrendered and the planet was claimed by the Galactic Alliance.
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Nymenos, on Ni'novia: 30 minutes after initial attacks.
Bastilla immediately sprang into action. "Lieutenant Vexen, you are going to come with me." Then, to Trivas, "I am going to go to the Council Chambers and see if I can help there."
Trivas nodded, "Yes, I will head to the Nymenos command center and see if there is anything that can be done. Colonel Xiann is there and she will probably know more.
Trivas and Sarai ran to the command center deep within the heart of Nymenos while Bastilla and Vexen took a shuttle to the Council Chambers.
When Trivas and Sarai got there, Xiann was already waiting with an update.
"Galactic Alliance forces have hit far and wide. We have lost contact with three planets and know of fighting on at least six more. Several fleets and ships have been ambushed and have suffered severe casualties," she reported.
"What news of the Council?" Trivas asked.
Xiann shrugged, "We don't know. We have gotten contact with Lords Kracor, Nexus, and Vandar and a handful of the Masters and Acolytes, but nobody else."
"We need to take stock of what has been lost and try to minimize further losses." Trivas went to the main viewscreen that was projecting a hologram of Sith territories. Red planets were known to be under attack. Green ones were known not to be. Yellow planets were those that were unknown but along the farthest reaches, three white planets were where all contact was lost. After taking stock and reading some reports, he sighed and stood up.
"Xiann, you will accompany me to Gora with two brigades of our troops. That planet is under attack and looks as though it can survive, but with reinforcements. Sarai, you will stay here and remain in command of the forces here. Try to make contact with as many of the Sith as possible. I want to know if we lost anyone or if anyone needs help."
Both nodded and went to work. Sarai got more reports and started checking the last known locations of all the Sith and military leaders. Xiann and Trivas prepared for launch along with two thousand of their home guard troops.
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Norstap: 2 hours after attacks.
On one of the many planets that was under attack, one of the most powerful Sith was fighting. Lord Scyrone deflected another shot into the throat of a Galactic Alliance trooper and scanned the battlefield. His soldiers were not doing very well. Even with a leader as powerful as he, the Sith forces in that area of the planet were being routed and pushed back into the city.
The day before, the small Sith fleet protecting the planet of Norstap was chased off by a much larger Galactic Alliance fleet. Less than thirty minutes later, the first wave of troops landed. As far as they could tell, 75,000 Alliance troops had landed. The Sith army on Norstap numbered less than 50,000.
Fortunately for the Sith defenders, they had managed to send a single, weak distress signal before being jammed. Scyrone was in an asteroid belt trying to retrieve some rare and unique minerals for his alchemy tests when he received the signal and went to help. He had managed to slip through the Galactic Alliance blockade and connect with 18,000 Sith troops that had been cut off from the rest of the army.
In three hours of fierce combat, that army had been cut in half. Scyrone had led a successful flanking maneuver that put the army with their back to other Sith positions, but the fighting had been fierce and many had fallen. Now, he was leading them in a controlled retreat to hopefully come in contact with the remaining Sith forces.
A scout jogged up next to Scyrone, "Sir, we have crested a ridge and can see fighting about three and a half kilometers ahead."
Scyrone nodded, "Good, then they are still fighting. If we can arrive there before the army that is chasing us, we can possibly pound the force there and regroup with our comrades."
For another hour, Scyrone's army conduced a forced march at double speed. The wounded and those that straggled behind were killed or captured by the following army. Occasionally, artillery shells would land among the fleeing Sith troops killing and maiming more. At the end of the hour, at least a thousand had been killed or captured, but the remaining 7,000 connected to the rest of the army.
As soon as the other troops found out that Scyrone was now on the battlefield, they gave a cheer and their morale was boosted. Scyrone was taken to the general in command who updated him on the situation. "If you have 7,000 men with you, that puts our fighting force at just about 26,000. We have taken heavy casualties here. When we were cut off from the Second Division, we figured they were as good as dead, but you arrived and got them out."
"It was not without casualties. Tell me what is going on so I can go out there and make them pay."
"Well, we have about 30,000 Alliance troops ahead of us, and what is worse, we think there is a Jedi or two with them."
Scyrone nodded with pleasure, "Good, I can add some more of their kind to my list of kills."
The general looked unsure, but nodded, "Very well, they are all yours. We also have at least 10,000, possibly more, on our western flank. The Second Division was sent out after the eastern flank before we found out that there were more of them. That is how they got cut off. If the Alliance generals are balancing out their forces then there are probably 25,000 out there on the western flank."
"I will lead a charge through the center. I have some things in my pack that will give them some surprises," Scyrone said confidently.
"Are you sure? We are outnumbered, if we wait and use defenses, we will have a better chance," the general questioned.
Cold fury flashed in Scyrone's eyes for a moment before he calmed himself, "I know what I am doing, there is a reason I am on the Council."
Scyrone spent ten minutes preparing some special surprises by mixing some of the chemicals and using the Force to coax them into the right form. The took five concussion grenades from the field armory and took out their explosive core. He then carefully put a special vial of the chemicals into the grenades and hooked them up to the firing pin. Once that was done, he used the Force to float them to the refurbished AT-ST that was waiting for him. The tech crews scrambled to load them into the launcher on the side.
Within five minutes, he was in the cockpit of the AT-ST leading the charge into the battlefield. About ten thousand troops followed him in what seemed like a suicide charge against two and a half times their number. Scyrone smirked to himself. The Alliance commander must think he was a fool. Well, it was nearing time to show them.
"This is Lord Scyrone to all Sith forces, you are NOT to charge into their lines. When I fire my grenades, you are to stay AWAY from contact of any Jedi loving scum. If you do come in contact with them, you will die in minutes."
The Alliance forces had massed around the southern ridges that surrounded the Sith base. Their army was using the ridge's high ground to attack their Sith opponents from a vantage point. They would soon regret that decision.
Scyrone took control of the grenade launcher for a moment. When he found the right target, he fired the first of his special concussion grenades. When he had removed the explosive core, he had actually replaced it with a Force enhanced chemical that was FAR more powerful and deadly than the original grenade. This weapon was designed to explode, permeate the metal shrapnel with a highly toxic material, then spread through the battlefield. What was an even better bonus was the fact that the poison turned into gas upon contact with the air. . . gas that rises. The Alliance commanders would soon find that their choice of a ridge would now only kill more of their men.
The first grenade exploded in a sickly yellow-green ball of fire and those around the explosion fell instantly. Farther from them, some of the soldiers were merely wounded. Soon, it was obvious that the "smoke" form the explosion was no longer smoke and that it was not going away. Those who had been wounded started showing signs first, then those that were breathing in the smoke.
This chemical was one of Scyrone's favorites. It was easy to make-if you knew the right way to alter the chemicals with the Force. It was very deadly, one part in a million in air was enough to kill a normal humanoid. It even made the infected struggle in extreme pain as the poison infected them. For those that were cut by an infected piece of metal, their blood cells started to explode and they died in seconds as the blood in their brain ruptured and killed them. For those that breathed the chemical, they died slower. The chemical caused their lungs to rupture and they suffocated to death on their own lungs.
The results of the first attack showed several hundred soldiers dying. The next four worked with the first one to kill not hundreds, but thousands. The gas continued to crawl up the ridge and those that breathed it died wretched deaths. The Alliance forces along the ridge were fleeing from the deadly clouds.
The battle was far from over, but with their front line pushed back and thousands dead from the chemicals, the Alliance forces were delayed long enough for Sith reinforcements to come and drive off the remaining Alliance forces both in space and on the ground. Even then, only 11,000 of the original 48,000 were left when relief came. Scyrone jumped out of his AT-ST and engaged the Alliance forces with his lightsaber. Scores fell by his yellow blade that day. The fighting was fierce, but in the end, the Sith remained in control of Norstap and managed to collect 6,000 prisoners.
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Secret chamber, on Ni'novia: during the attacks.
Nexus stood in the viewing platform in his newly constructed fortress on Ni'novia. In a slightly sunken, holoprojector filled pit in front of him, several hovering images showed battles in several areas. The plan was working. It had been six months since he contacted the Galactic Alliance with an offer that they could not refuse. Since then, he had been working quietly setting things up for this day.
Nexus offered the Alliance command the locations and sizes of all Sith forces within their empire. For three of those six months, he had been setting things up within his own loyal forces to take advantage of the current chaos. He had to be careful in the next few days, but there was little to worry about. He was well prepared and had planned meticulously his next moves.
For some time now, Nexus had grown dissatisfied with the Council and those that ruled it. He was more talented and powerful than any of the rest of them, but they kept repressing his skill and overlooking his contributions. He should have been recognized as the best of the Sith, but others took his glory from him. Scyrone was the person that annoyed him the most. He would enjoy killing that man when the time came. The others would soon either serve him or die.
Eight months ago, he had formulated a plan that would allow him to finally get revenge on the lesser Sith. He spent the next two months perfecting his plan and finding a way to secretly contact the Galactic Alliance. When he did, he presented his plan to them and they approved it.
He was to provide the location of all the Sith military and information about the bases and fleets. The Galactic Alliance would use that information to attack and destroy the Sith forces. They would continue their war until the Sith were forced to surrender. Then, they would arrest or kill the Council and install him as the leader of the new Galactic Alliance state. Then, he would slowly gain more and more power with the discontent planets in the Alliance and overthrow the Alliance. In two years, the Galaxy would serve Emperor Nexus.
He momentarily focused his attention on an image that showed what looked like a lightsaber. He frowned at this. There were not supposed to be Jedi on the task force sent there to capture the planet. He pressed a few buttons and the holoprojectors cleared the other pictures and magnified that one. What he saw did not please him. There was indeed a black cloaked figure assisting the Sith forces on the planet Gora. After freezing a few frames that showed a face, he was more displeased. He recognized this man from long ago and his presence did not make him happy.
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Gora, three days after attacks.
Gora was situated on the border of Sith space near Vortex. The planet was "liberated" from Imperial control in the great surge of New Republic control after the death of Thrawn. During the cloned Emperor's rampages and after, nobody cared what happened to the planet. The population of 140 million beings, many Vortex and human, was content to remain in its "freedom" from dominance by a larger power. Even though it was a sizable planet and moderately advanced, it still suffered internal strife and dilapidation without a strong central government to support it. The roads and infrastructure was slowly diving into poverty levels and the planet itself was on the verge of becoming almost primitive. Without money from a larger entity, the planet was doomed.
During the Clone Wars and the rule of the Empire, Gora had grown greatly. The problem was that this growth was fueled by a wartime economy and then by members fleeing more populated planets filled with strife and rebellion. The Empire maintained a minimal presence here and was viewed as a friendly help instead of a hostile influence. They had no choice when the New Republic invaded and overthrew the Imperial government.
For twenty-five years, the planet suffered under obscurity while in the New Republic. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, even more people fled to this planet in hopes of escaping the invaders. The planet survived the War by laying low. When the Galactic Alliance was proclaimed victorious, they were once again ignored. The attention of the Alliance went to repairing the war, not to encouraging trade and up keeping the cities there.
After nearly suffering a complete economic collapse, representatives from the planet contacted a newly formed Sith Empire. After surveying the planet, the Sith Council agreed to accept Gora into the Sith Empire. Since then, trade with the other Sith planets has brought in the money to rebuild the economy of that planet. Military contracts has put people to work and recruitment centers netted more than their fair share of willing soldiers.
Then the Galactic Alliance struck again. For the second time, Republic forces invaded their planet in the name of "freedom". Fleets and armies were at their doorstep. Tired of the invaders, many of the Gorans grabbed weapons and joined the ranks of the Sith army stationed on planet.
A new Sith Class Star Destroyer matched wits with an older Imperial Class Star Destroyer while smaller frigates and cruisers exchanged blows. After three hours of fighting in space, the Alliance forces managed to push the Sith fleet back enough to land troops over several population centers. An estimated 80,000 Republic troops landed on Gora and were met with a very determined force of over 240,000 Sith loyalists, many local militias with weapons.
After encountering stiff resistance, the Galactic Alliance forces requested reinforcements. Over 300,000 ground troops responded and they began to overwhelm the Sith forces. For two days, fierce fighting waged and hundreds of thousands on both sides were killed. The Sith, led by a mysterious black warrior, managed to hold until a handful of new ships dropped out of hyperspace.
"Commander, we have arrived in the Gora system."
Trivas rotated his command chair and checked the monitors. The command room was behind the bridge on the Incalculable, Trivas' personal command frigate. Xiann was standing behind him overseeing the preparation of the ground troops in the transports that came with them when Captain Repness came in to report. "Very well, what is the status?"
Repness winced, "The enemy have a larger fleet that seems to control the sunward hemisphere. Our fleet is damaged but holding its own here."
"What of the Ironshield?" Trivas asked. The Ironshield was the new Sith Class Star Destroyer that had been sent to Gora as the central part of its defense garrison.
"It seems to have been heavily damaged, but is functioning. We are still getting reports in now, but it is difficult due to the Alliance's jamming. We have gotten communication with the planetary forces. Apparently the command base and several garrisons have been overrun so there are several scattered forces all over the planet."
"Find me the area where there is the most fighting and we will drop there. Have the Incalculable and the Venerant join the fleet and bolster their defenses. Have repair crews sent to the Ironshield. I want that ship ready for action when we drive the enemy fleet out of here."
Xiann looked at the reports from the ground and winced, "Our forces are severely outnumbered. Several Jedi have been seen in the second wave. It is not wise for you go endanger yourself down there. Let me go while you direct from the Incalculable."
"Thank you for your concern, but I am needed on the surface in direct combat. Don't worry, with you there to watch my back, nothing will happen. Captain," he said to Repness, "what support is the local population giving?"
"From what we can tell, thousands have grabbed arms and are fighting along side our troops. Also, even more are sending food, supplies, and medical aid to our forces."
"That is good, we will need all the help we can get."
A voice came over the comm saying, "Commander, we are ready to land the troops. Are you going to join us or will you stay on board?"
Trivas pressed a button on his chair and replied, "Colonel Xiann and I will join the landing force. We will be there momentarily."
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Gora, three days after attacks.
On Gora, the Sith garrison had been fighting for some time. Gora was one of the first targets hit by the Galactic Alliance. The first thing the invading forces did was to jam all transmissions so that no distress signal could get out. It was only while the reinforcing Galactic Alliance ships were coordinating their landing and were forced to lower parts of their jamming field had a message gotten through. Three entire divisions of fresh troops entered the stage and threw the battle to the Galactic Alliance's favor.
When the spotters on the ground detected two more ships, their first reaction was despair. Then, when they noticed the markings and design, their despair turned into hope. Reinforcements had arrived.
By the time that Trivas and Xiann had landed with their 2,000 troops, the highest ranking field officer left, Colonel Burth, was ready to meet them. When he saw the small number of reinforcements, he was mildly displeased.
"Our message said to send fifty thousand men! We are being overwhelmed here and will fall in a few days without those men!" he exclaimed. In his rush, he only saw the Bothan major in charge of one of the brigades. He did not see the two Sith that were approaching him from behind.
"Our men will suffice," Trivas said calmly.
Colonel Burth turned around with a retort that he barely managed to hold back when he saw who he was addressing, "Buuutttt, ah.... Commander, I did not know you were here."
"Of course you didn't, we did not want the entire Galactic Alliance army knowing either," Xiann said curtly.
"But why didn't you send more men?" Burth asked.
"Because you are not the only person in need of more men, the Jedi have attacked dozens of planets. We are stretched thin right now," Xiann replied.
Realization dawned on the colonel's eyes. "So, this isn't the only place they attacked?"
"That's right, they have attacked and taken planets all along our borders. We are still assessing damage now. The only reason we came here to this place is because it is close enough to Alliance territory to allow us to retaliate against them."
"So, you see, that is why we cannot spare more troops," Trivas said. "Now, what is the status here?"
Burth fumbled a little before collecting himself. "We are outnumbered and outgunned. I don't think we can hold for much longer."
Trivas nodded soberly, "Your problem is that you are trying to protect all the major population centers. This is foolish since the Galactic Alliance can attack you from any angle at any time. You should have immediately pulled back your troops from all but a handful of cities and dug in for their attacks. That would have narrowed their options of attack down to no more than about ten places, a number easily more feasible than the hundred or so that you are currently protecting against."
"But we didn't want to let them gain a stronghold!"
"That is understandable, but it is better to lose some places and keep the rest than to stretch yourself too thin and lose it all."
"What about the loyal citizens in those cities? We have to protect them."
"Again, it depends on whether or not you are willing to lose everything by protecting everyone. As the New Republic and later the Yuuzhan Vong learned in the Yuuzhan Vong War, if you spread yourself thin and take too many planets, you must then protect them. The enemy can attack from anywhere and leave before you can send reinforcements. It is better to defend key places rather than all places, especially when facing a numerically superior foe.
"Now, colonel, I want you to come with us to your command center and we will figure a way out of this mess."
*********************************
Gora, three days after attacks.
Six hours later, new orders had moved troops all around the continent. Using land lines which were immune to jamming, men were suddenly ordered to withdraw from skirmishes even when they were winning. Garrison troops were moved to the front lines, those on the front lines were moved to other areas, and still more were moved to the rear. The field officers struggled to make sense of the orders but were at a loss. There was a lot of grumbling amongst the ranks as soldiers were forced to load onto transports to be shuttled off hundreds of kilometers away. Several cities were abandoned and left to the invading armies. Entire defensive positions were scattered and broken up. Some sites were abandoned and later reoccupied by troops from hundreds of kilometers away.
Eight hours after the reinforcements had landed, only about a tenth of all the troops were in their original positions. Some losses were suffered as Galactic Alliance forces met up with moving groups of Sith loyalists. As night fell on the most heavily fought after hemisphere, many officers were considering ignoring the strange orders coming from the command center. Many brigades and even entire divisions were threatening to break communication and fight on their own. Nobody saw any wisdom in the new orders.
That was because they did not see the whole picture.
Since landing, Trivas and Xiann had restructured the entire defense position of the Sith. What confused the Sith officers and troops absolutely confounded the Alliance commanders. While the Sith knew where they were going, the Alliance intelligence could only guess. So many troops had moved and so many positions were abandoned and reoccupied, they did not know where any of their enemy was.
They had made some advancements and taken several cities and key defensive points, but they were worried. The commanders did not know what their enemy was doing because it did not make sense. Catching several moving Sith units by surprise pleased them, but their victories were relatively minor. Eventually, they concluded that the enemy command center had either been destroyed or the commanding officers had been killed.
The Alliance commanders were pleased when they took eight cities with little resistance. All had been abandoned recently and one force had even caught the fleeing Sith troops and inflicted heavy casualties. They were rapidly taking ground and would soon run the Sith into the ocean.
What they did not realize was that they were falling right into a trap. While in their zeal to conquer more territory, they neglected to realize that they were getting farther and farther from their supply centers. With all the movement of enemy troops, they did not realize that several of them went to seemingly random locations that just to happen to be behind their newly forming lines. In some of the places their intelligence flagged as "heavily occupied", there were only a skeleton unit of men posing as entire brigades and divisions. Even worse, they did not realize that around one of their newly "won" positions, over 40,000 Sith had amassed secretly from all over the planet.
All of these moves had been carefully orchestrated by the two Sith commanders during the two day journey to Gora. All of the factors together would give their outnumbered force the chance to defeat their enemy. Instead of being spread out over thousands of kilometers of front, the Sith were now concentrated over a mere 700 kilometers- less than a quarter of their previous territory. Now, the Galactic alliance had the long lines of relatively unsecured territory.
Twelve hours after landing, Trivas issued a new set of orders.
Upon receiving the orders, many of the field units realized immediately what had happened. For those that did not, it became clear when they were ordered to pounce on disorganized and thinly spread Alliance positions. Within twenty minutes, all the feelings of mistrust, separation, or desertion left the Sith troops.
For the Alliance commanders, that time was a nightmare. They suddenly realized what had happened but were powerless to stop it. Within the cities they captured, hundreds of snipers opened up on Alliance positions. Civilians pulled out guns and grenades and attacked their occupiers. Outside the cities, Sith armies struck from nowhere catching their forces unprepared. Troops that were supposed to be one place showed up in another. Their supply lines and communication for many of their key divisions was cut off. When they tried to release the jamming to communicate to their forces, they found that the Sith were now jamming them.
Within an hour, 70,000 Galactic Alliance troops were killed or captured. The Sith lost only 25,000 troops. Of the eight cities the Alliance conquered, four were retaken by force and two were deemed to dangerous to remain in occupation.
During the next six hours, Trivas and Xiann slept and prepared for the next day's battle. During that time, the Galactic Alliance regrouped and counted their losses. The Sith armies were left to press their advantage wherever possible and many won minor victories. During this time, the casualty rates slowly evened out as the Alliance forces rallied.
By dawn, the lines had totally changed. The numbers were almost even and the Alliance commanders were wary of any Sith movements. They were cautious and tended to stay more in previously explored areas instead of venturing into the unknown.
This tactic was immediately tested by Sith skirmishers, hit-and-run, and bait-and-switch attacks. The Sith would attack and withdraw. The Alliance troops were too wary to follow them for fear of a repeat of that night. This emboldened the Sith troops and the attacks became more daring.
Slowly but surely, the Sith forces were gaining the upper hand in many locations. The Alliance forces pulled up what few reserves they had and massed an army of 70,000 men and prepared to attack the capital city, Gornius. They knew they outnumbered the Sith defenders, but they did not know by how much.
Throughout the next day, they slowly advanced their troops. Small Sith forces resisted them but most would fight for a short time and withdraw. The Alliance commanders brought enough supplies with them that they did not have to worry about supply lines being cut so they became confident in victory. Their forward skirmishers managed to surprise and capture several squads of Sith troops and the supplies they had stolen from the Alliance forces. Some of the smaller battles were victories for the Alliance forces, but none were conclusive.
Several battles were costly, even if they were victorious. By the time they reached Gornius, their numbers had shrunk to 60,000 men. The defending Sith forces had received scattered reinforcements and had increased from 40,000 to 55,000 men.
By dawn on the second day after Trivas and Xiann landed, the Alliance commander ordered a bombardment of Gornius. Sith artillery answered and for four hours, the two armies probed each other. By noon, the Alliance commanders ordered their men to eat lunch and prepare for the attack.
The Sith forces awaited them.
*********************************
In the void of space near the Sith/Galactic Alliance border: three days after the initial attacks.
Space was cold. Many over the centuries had ventured into the void between planets for many reasons. Many had died in that void.
The man known as Darth Synyster stared into the viewport of his Star Destroyer. He had seen many battles and had fought many wars. Many had died at his hand or by his orders.
Many more would die in the next few minutes.
"Report!" he snapped.
"We are dropping out of hyperspace in three minutes, my lord," the navigation ensign said.
"All battlestations report ready," the gunnery lieutenant said.
"Your ship is ready for your command," the captain reported.
Synyster smiled slightly, "Good, there is to be no mercy to these Jedi dogs. They hit us and now it is time to strike back."
After hearing reports of several Galactic Alliance and Jedi attacks, he ordered his ship into combat mode. His scouts picked up a rally point for Alliance ships in the void of space between planets and he set out to ambush it. He was not sure what he was up against, but the Force was with him and he would prevail. If not, he would kill as many of them as he could and jump back into hyperspace.
For the next three minutes, Synyster stared out at the bright lights of hyperspace. Only when he felt the slight lurch of a ship exiting hyperspace and saw the stars suddenly snap into focus did he move. "I want to know every piece of junk they have out there and I want to have firing solutions for each one of them. We are going to strike hard and without mercy. Deploy all fighters and bombers!"
With his naked eye, he could see at least one Bothan Assault Cruiser. That would be a problem, but he could take it. The other ships were several freighters, a few corvettes, and a frigate or two. He could not win here, but he could cause a lot of damage before being forced to withdraw. It was better than nothing, especially after the losses the Sith had suffered recently. Cold fury built up in him and he only wanted to be on board that Assault Cruiser so he could personally kill the scum.
Within two minutes, the first shots were fired. Strobing greens, blues, and reds flashed into the void. Sometimes, they just kept going, other times, they caused explosions. Fighters had already deployed and were spreading out to engage targets of opportunity. Bombers would follow and make what runs they could on enemy ships. It was a bold plan, but he was a Sith Master and would do what he saw fit as long as it killed enemies.
"Lord Synyster, we have an incoming comm message."
He smiled, So, they were giving up so soon, what cowards. "Ignore it. I am not in the mood for prisoners, especially cowards."
"But, my lord, they it is not an Alliance signal, it is a Sith signal, one of our own," the communications officer explained.
Synyster arched an eyebrow, "Put it through."
The main viewscreen showed a tired looking man with a large cut steaming blood down the side of his face. "This is Captain Stol of the recently liberated Sith freighter Singlehanded Way. I am assuming that you are a Sith Star Destroyer since you are killing my captors."
"I am indeed Sith," Synyster said cautiously.
There was a moment's relief on Stol's face. "I am glad to see you."
"What happened and why are you out here?" Synyster demanded.
"We were part of a convoy that was ambushed three days ago. We were moved here to be processed and unload our cargo. When you arrived, we killed our boarding party and assumed control of the ship."
This was very interesting. "Do you have any weapons you can use?"
"Sadly, no. We don't have any, but we still have most of our cargo. If you can cover us, we will be more than happy to follow you out of here."
"How many Sith ships are there?" Synyster asked.
"We have fifteen freighters escorted by two frigates. The frigates were taken elsewhere, but the fifteen of us are still here."
"Good, make your way toward my ship and activate your Sith IFF so we don't kill you along with the scum."
Before he could terminate the link, Stol said one more thing, "Please try to do what you can for the rest, they might not have been able to kill their intruders."
Synyster looked sternly at the freighter captain, "I will do what is in the best interests of the Sith. If I can save your fellow freighters without significant loss, I will do so, but I will not risk this ship for them." with that, he terminated the link and went back to the battle.
His first targets were two corvettes that had no business engaging a Star Destroyer. They managed to get a few shots off and lower the shields a little, but within a minute, both were nothing more than space junk. His fighters were keeping the Alliance fighters from attacking him, but a few broke through every now and then and strafed his ship. The damage from those attacks was minimal.
The Assault Cruiser and the two frigates were now in range of his Star Destroyer and shots were being fired. Synyster refused to be moved even as his ship shook from hits. His keen eye viewed the damage reports and took in the ruptured decks, destroyed guns, and boiled hull armor. His eyes also took in the flames jutting out of one of the Alliance frigates and the minor damage to the other two ships.
"Concentrate all fire on that damaged frigate. I want it destroyed in one minute."
His starboard batteries refocused their fire on the damaged frigate. More flames erupted and burned out as the oxygen in the ship depleted. Debris and bodies spewed out of the ruptured hulls. Within thirty seconds, escape pods were shooting away from the ship. Ten seconds after that, the main drive was hit and the entire ship exploded. Synyster smiled a little more openly this time, Forty seconds: twenty seconds earlier than I wanted.
"Now, target that blasted Bothan ship. You have two minutes."
The batteries stopped firing at the remaining frigate and focused on the Bothan Assault Cruiser. Unlike the destroyed frigate, this ship could take a beating. Volley after volley slammed into their shields. Some made it through, but not enough to disable or destroy it. After a minute and twenty seconds, a massive jolt knocked even the Sith Master off his feet.
"We have just lost the artificial gravity on decks 21 through 34! Several hull breaches detected in those areas," a voice shouted.
"Batteries two and six are not responding!" another said.
"We are down to 25% power on main deflector shields!"
More blasts and more screens showed red over parts of his ship. This was no longer fun, but now a slugging match. "Focus all firepower on the Cruiser's engines! I want her dead in space NOW!" Synyster shouted. He used the Force to project his words and his determination into everyone on the bridge.
The bridge crew went back to work trying to repair and coordinate what they could. Fire blossomed on the enemy target and several of its guns stopped firing. The remaining frigate had maneuvered to same side the Cruiser was on and was adding its firepower to the weakened flank.
More and more explosions rocked the Imperial Star Destroyer. All over its hull, black and disfigured armor plates, some still glowing from the heat, showed Synyster that his beloved ship was taking a good beating. He was not going to be able to take much more of this.
The Cruiser suddenly stopped firing and visibly shook in space. Two seconds later, a massive gout of flame erupted from its center line and the ship blew itself apart. In the brilliance of the explosion, Synyster was forced to close his eyes. The Star Destroyer shook as the shock wave and debris hit it and more holes opened in the hull armor.
"What happened! Scanners?" Synyster shouted.
"It looks like something hit it from the other side," the nervous but excited scanning ensign reported.
"A fighter could not make that size of an explosion," Synyster said cynically.
"No, but a freighter could, we just lost contact with one of our liberated freighters. It apparently rammed the Cruiser," the lieutenant in charge of scanning said in a slightly more controlled voice.
Synyster nodded, a good sacrifice deserved some respect. They would receive their honor after the fight. The remaining frigate was already withdrawing and regrouping with some of the other corvettes that had wisely chosen not to join the fight. "What is our status?"
"We are down to less than half our guns and launchers."
"Engines are working, but not if you want something fancy."
"Shields are nearly gone, much longer of that bombardment, we would have been in trouble."
"We have hundreds of casualty reports coming in, several decks have been opened to vacuum."
The Captain came up behind Synyster and said quietly, "My lord, we are in no shape to continue this fight. If we go after the rest of the fleet, we would endanger this ship. We have given them more than a bloody nose, lets get the freighters out of here and get to some repairs."
After thinking over it for a moment, Synyster nodded. They had done enough for now. "Prepare to jump to hyperspace. Recall all fighters. Get whatever freighters that are free and link them to our navicomputer."
Three and a half minutes later, one Star Destroyer and eight freighters jumped to the safety of hyperspace.
|
Trivas
|
Gora, outside Gornium: four days after attacks.
It was time. The armies at Gora had clashed outside the capital city of Gornium. Tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of vehicles were pounding each other with laserfire, grenades, rockets, and, when necessary, fists and the stocks of their guns. For three hours, Trivas and Xiann watched the battle unfold. They occasionally directed reserves into different areas and monitored the situation.
After three hours, they saw them: Jedi. There were at least five of them fighting along side their minions in the Alliance. They had led a charge against the eastern flank of the Sith lines and were trying to gain entrance to the city.
"It is time we have our say, Colonel," Trivas said calmly.
The two of them took speeder bikes to the eastern flank and rallied the fleeing Sith troops. Some did not want to face the Jedi, but with the sight of the two Sith Masters standing firmly, most rallied.
"This isn't going to be easy, Master," Xiann said uneasily. "There are five of them and two of us."
"I know, but there is more to fighting than lightsaber duels."
"At least I know you have dealt with Jedi before, these are my first."
Trivas slowly turned and gave an eerie smile, "These are also my first Jedi to face in combat."
Xiann's jaw dropped a little and her lekku twitched, "You have never killed a Jedi before?"
"No, the only Force users I have faced were my old master and Jorell. With my old master, it was two on one and we overcame him. With Jorell, well... I never beat him in true combat."
Instead of worrying, Xiann just nodded soberly and turned back to face the advancing Alliance line and the Jedi leading them. They could now see the glowing of the blue and green lightsabers as the Jedi came nearer.
Trivas opened himself to the Force and touched the minds of the Jedi. They immediately changed course and ran to confront the two Sith. It was better that they come to them rather than continue to cut down the normal Sith soldiers.
When the seven met, the two groups were about fifty yards apart. Those that were around them slowly stopped fighting to regroup and watch the confrontation. None of them had ever seen their leaders fight. For the Sith troops, it was an honor to see the Sith in action. For the Galactic Alliance, it was a momentous event they would tell their children for generations to come.
The oldest looking of the Jedi stepped forward and spoke first, "Sith, turn from your dark ways and see the Light. Your struggle is pointless and you need to join the free people."
Xiann was about to retort when Trivas laid a warning hand on her shoulder. "It is not the self deluded Jedi ways that make people free, it is the knowledge that both paths are equal that makes one free," he said.
"You slaughter without mercy, you torture for fun, you pillage worlds and nations," one of the Jedi spat.
Trivas spread his hands to indicate the city behind him, "Does this look like slaughter? Does this look like we tortured the people of this planet? Does this look like a pillaged city? No, Jedi, we brought life back into this world and every other that have joined us. We bring order, peace, and purpose to these worlds. The Galactic Alliance and the Jedi only bring strife, chaos, and destruction to the worlds they conquer."
"You Sith are fools to think we do that, look in your history, how many planets did your kind destroy, how many wars?"
"Those were Sith, but they were not US. They were bloodthirsty fools who killed for no reason. We do not, our Council has forbidden such actions forever. Nobody can kill like that and nobody within our ranks is allowed to behave like the Sith of old. Just because we embrace the Sith doctrines and are willing to strike first to defeat enemies instead of waiting until they are too powerful does not make us evil. We have honor and we keep our word, unlike many Jedi I have heard of," Trivas responded.
"I see that you are too set in your delusions, Sith. We wanted to save you, but it looks like we will have to kill you. It is your fault that this war is taking place, you should never have come back."
A cold fire burned in Trivas' red eyes, "No, foolish Jedi, we did not start this war, YOU and your Galactic Alliance did. You struck at us when we were peacefully existing here. Planets JOINED us because we were stable, we were fair, and we were an alternative to the chaos that is the Galactic Alliance and the arrogance that is the Jedi Order."
With a quick nod, all five Jedi charged at once. Trivas ignited both is sabers and Xiann her pink saber. Before the seven could clash, Trivas gestured and lightening struck the ground between them. Smoke and dust was kicked up causing a blanket of smog. Xiann blocked the first telekinetic attack aimed at Trivas but failed to block the one aimed at her. As she flew backward, Trivas hurled orange and green lightening at the Jedi to distract them long enough for Xiann to recover.
The first Jedi, a younger man, clashed his green saber against one of Trivas' sabers. Trivas used his other saber to block an attack coming from a middle aged woman using a blue saber. Xiann hurled herself through the air and landed behind the remaining three Jedi and managed to flip one off his feet using the Force. The other two were quickly on her swinging with powerful yet controlled attacks.
Trivas swung around to put his back to Xiann's back so they would be able to protect each other's blind spots. No sooner had he done that when a storm of laser blasts filled the air. Apparently, the soldiers finally realized that they were still in the middle of a battle.
Xiann deflected two bolts into the sky and swung around to block another blow from a Jedi. Trivas ducked allowing a bolt to glance off the head of one of the Jedi causing a burned streak to sizzle her hair. She kept fighting with no heed to the wound.
There is a common mistake that when fighting with swords, that more is better in duels. The idea is that if you have two people, they can easily overwhelm one. The reality is that is almost never true. Unless the majority is well trained to fighting as one, they will often get in each other's way or not time their attacks at once. That gives the outnumbered side the ability to focus on one at a time or even use their opponents against each other.
This was the case in this fight. The five Jedi were not used to fighting experienced foes as one group. They had spent countless hours focusing on one-on-one combat, but almost no time with two-on-one and certainly no time on five-on-two combat. The difference is, Trivas and Xiann, as Master and Apprentice, had spend many hours fighting drones and dueling other Sith in this exact predicament. Usually it was four-on-two, but adding another opponent was not that much different.
For several minutes, neither faction gained any ground. The soldiers continued to fight but had ducked behind cover. Walls, buildings, even shrubbery beds became bunkers and shelter. For the Force users in the middle of the street on the outskirts of town, it was a duel to the death and plenty of death was being hurled at both. Neither side wanted to use explosives for fear of killing their own, but that did not stop snipers and marksmen from taking their chance.
Fortunately- or as planned- it was harder to hit the Sith than it was the Jedi since the Jedi were surrounding the Sith. Many times, a Jedi had to break off an attack to block a bolt shot at them. Sooner or later, as both Trivas and Xiann knew, one would make a mistake.
Two minutes later, one of them did. A middle aged man with a green saber moved his saber at the wrong time to block a sniper shot. Xiann took advantage of the momentary preoccupation of his lightsaber blade and cut a four centimeter deep gap through the middle of his chest. He gasped once and fell to the ground dead.
The shock of that move caused both sides to pause a moment. After the initial shock of the death of their comrade, the Jedi renewed their attack with vigor. Trivas hissed as a blade found the side of his leg and sliced off a seven centimeter strip of flesh from his leg. Xiann managed to wound one of her opponents but took a cut to her arm that caught her clothes on fire. She quickly used the Force to blow the flames out, but her sword arm was wounded and in trouble.
Trivas used a wave of energy to drive off the Jedi for a few seconds and tried to focus on shunting the pain from his leg wound. He did not have time before two blaster bolts were shot at him. He blocked both, but deflected one into the chest of a Sith soldier crouching behind a small wall.
The oldest of the Jedi, the one who spoke, attacked Trivas while the three remaining Jedi attacked Xiann. It was the oldest trick in the book: attack the weakest. Xiann, with her wounded arm was the weakest at this moment. Trivas tried to engage one of the other Jedi, but the oldest kept him busy with brilliant strokes and slashes.
Trivas heard a short cry behind him and Xiann's presence suddenly winked out. He screamed in hatred and anger and drove his opponent back for a moment. He saw Xiann on the ground with a small hole smoking in her lower abdomen. A quick touch of the Force confirmed that she was unconscious, not dead. Fortunately, the Jedi were not ones to kill a helpless opponent, that at least Trivas and his enemies had in common.
Trivas backed up and away from Xiann so no stray bolts or slashes would harm her. All around them, silence reigned as both sides once again forgot they were in a battle and stared at the five standing figures in the street.
The four Jedi formed a crescent arc in front of him. Once again, the eldest spoke, "There needs to be no more fighting, give up and we will not hurt you."
Trivas smiled humorouslessly. "Do you know who I am? I am Met'riv'aseinous, Vice Chancellor of the Council of the Sith. I will not surrender and be used as a bargaining chip. If you want me, you will have to kill me."
One of the younger Jedi spoke next, "You cannot win, it is four to one. Surrender and spare this needless fight. We can end this pointless battle and no more need die."
"I see the Jedi still teach their young ones ignorance," Trivas said, "no, young Jedi, killing me will not end this battle, my men will fight even without me."
"You are wasting your life, there are none that are too far to be redeemed. There is hope for you still."
Before he responded, Trivas felt a touch in the Force, "No, there is hope for YOU. Surrender and YOUR lives will be spared."
All four Jedi blinked in surprise. "I think you are mistaken, we outnumber you and you have no chance against us. Even you see that, I can sense it."
"Do not throw your lives away," Trivas said in a sudden reversal of position. "This is your last chance."
The eldest Jedi shook his head sorrowfully, "If that is your decision, then we must kill you. We gave you a chance."
The four walked cautiously toward their prey with blades held ready. Before they could reach Trivas, the middle aged woman gasped and fell facefirst into the duracrete street. A intricately carved knife handle was sticking out of the back of her neck.
The three remaining Jedi stopped in shock allowing a blacked cloaked figure with a double smokey lightsaber to stand along side Trivas. With a look of grim regret, Trivas said, "I warned you, but it is too late now."
With that, the two Sith charged the three Jedi. The duel took less than two minutes. After that each of the Sith had killed one of their opponents and only the eldest Jedi remained. His lightsaber was knocked out of his hands and he was forced onto his knees before a glaring human and a fiery eyed Chiss.
"As I told you, it was a waste for you to fight," Trivas said angrily.
The Jedi gulped and stared at the glowing blade centimeters from his throat, "It appears that you have won this round. I suppose that now you will kill me."
"Far from it," Trivas said. "Despite what you think about us, we do not kill those that are helpless. Instead, I want to negotiate with you."
A look of surprise came over the Jedi's face. "What?"
"I want to know who you are."
After a moment, "My name is Uvilan Naith, Jedi Master."
Trivas smiled, "I guessed you were, your skills are exceptional. Now, Master Naith, call your men to stop attacking and I will do the same."
"A cease fire?" Naith said incredulously.
"Yes, this battle is pointless, both sides are equally strong and neither is going to win without losing most of their force. Instead of battling it out to the death, it would be wiser for you to just leave this planet. If you agree to leave peacefully, my troops and ships will not stand in your way."
"I cannot do that."
Trivas shook his head. "Of course you can. The word of a Jedi Master is certainly enough to change the mind of the Alliance general in command of the forces currently fighting my people. I am giving you a chance to leave now before my reinforcements arrive."
Naith gasped, "Reinforcements?"
"Yes, you don't think I would come here with so small a force if I was not just delaying your troops. Two more Sith and over 70,000 men are coming in three days. With them will be a fleet large enough to overwhelm yours and strand you on this planet. With the extra troops, you will be overwhelmed and forced to surrender. But before you surrender, tens of thousands will have died all for the same result. AND, I guarantee you that if I am forced to use those troops, your people will not be allowed to just leave like I am offering you now."
"I don't believe you."
"Search my mind, know that what I say is true."
Naith closed his eyes and probed Trivas' mind. After a few seconds, he shook and sweat beaded on his forehead for the fist time. "What are the terms of surrender?"
Trivas smiled, "Simple, your men withdraw and are picked up by your ships. As soon as all of you are gone, you and your men are to leave and never return to this planet again for the duration of our war. You are to release any Sith or civilian prisoners you have and we will do the same. All captured territory is to be left undamaged, no burning cities behind you or we will destroy your entire force."
"What about me?" Naith asked.
"You, Master Naith, are free to go with your people. As long as you never return to this planet, you may do as you will. I expect to see you again for a second match."
With that, the Jedi Master nodded and said, "You have my word that we will withdraw and abide by your terms."
Trivas turned off his lightsaber and backed up two spaces. The cloaked Sith remained silent but made no move to challenge the situation. Before he turned away, Naith paused and asked, "May I have their lightsabers?"
Trivas paused and looked at the cloaked Sith who nodded slightly. "Yes, take them and go."
After the Jedi and his men left, Trivas turned to the cloaked Sith. "I must say, Lord Raziel, that I am surprised to see you here."
Raziel nodded and bent down to pull his knife out of the Jedi woman's neck. "I have been here for four days now. I got a message, probably the same one you got, and came to help."
"Where have you been all this time?"
"I have been meditating, searching other paths. When the message came through, I knew it was the Force telling me to snap out of it and get back to the rest of the Galaxy," Raziel said as he cleaned the knife.
Trivas bent down to check on Xiann and, seeing her wounds were not especially dangerous, was content to let two medics work on her. He waved off a third medic who wanted to treat his leg and sent her to work on some of the wounded. "Well my friend, it seems that we have a lot of work to do."
"What about these reinforcements, when will they be here?"
Trivas chuckled, "They won't be. It was a bluff."
"How did you fool the Jedi?"
"It is simple to touch a mind when it is distracted, even when they are Jedi. While he was searching me, I reached out for him and planted memories of his successful search of my mind into his mind. He therefore thought he had found the proof he wanted. It was a daring act, but it saved our forces here until we can regroup."
"But why run at all? We could have won here."
"Yes, we could have, but at what cost? We are evenly matched here, losses would be high. Xiann and I managed to play around with things and give us some victories that evened things up, but not now, not with them in this city. It is better to get them to leave now instead of destroying both armies to achieve the end result. No, my friend, this cease fire is a victory for us."
In all, over 115,000 Sith were killed. There were 27,000 Sith soldiers and over 50,000 Goran civilians returned as part of the treaty. The Galactic Alliance suffered 120,000 dead and received 49,000 prisoners back. Gora was left to rebuild the damage done, but at least they were still part of the government they choose.
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