Looking back at the history of the war, Solo couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief.
The Battle of Ruusan, and everything that followed, was nothing short of an epic farce.
In his view, the Sith's greatest strategic blunder during the entire war was allowing their forces to become bogged down on Ruusan.
Before that, the Sith had been able to manipulate the Jedi almost at will. But from the moment the first volleys were fired on Ruusan, the initiative shifted entirely to the brilliant Republic general—Jedi Master Hoth.
The Republic suffered horrific losses, but in that desperate situation, the ends justified the means.
Without a doubt, it was Hoth and his generals' actions that saved Coruscant, and ultimately the entire Republic.
Though Ruusan itself held no strategic value—nothing more than a desolate rock—both sides fought over it with a ferocity bordering on madness, tearing each other apart for every inch of the planet's surface.
The planet's surface descended into a prolonged and brutal trench warfare.
Though the Republic Army was better organized, it was clearly no match for the Sith Army.
Meanwhile, military warships engaged in repeated linear fleet battles in Ruusan's orbit and throughout the star system.
The sky burned as starships exploded, instantly claiming the lives of tens of thousands of humans and non-humans. Burning debris rained down upon the combatants on the planet's surface.
Landing craft and supply ships from both sides often failed to reach their destinations, plunging the entire battlefield into chaos.
Hundreds of Jedi, Sith, and their soldiers were sometimes buried in low orbit or the dense atmosphere before they even had a chance to disembark.
In the end, Sith Lord Qahn, consumed by his obsession with eradicating the Jedi, descended into madness and launched a full-scale "final gambit."
He created a Force Bomb, intending to annihilate all his followers and enemies alike?
What kind of madness was this...?
In the end, only two Sith survived.
The Republic and the Jedi emerged victorious, then, in their euphoria, disbanded their armies and navies, declaring the Sith vanquished once and for all.
How utterly foolish.
Although all power had once been concentrated in the hands of the Jedi, with even the position of Supreme Chancellor held by a Jedi, everything changed after Ruusan...
The Jedi abandoned their warrior-knight principles, transforming into guardians of peace.
The Republic's power shifted to the Senate and the elected Supreme Chancellor.
The army and navy were disbanded, leaving only a pitiful remnant called the "Judicial Forces."
This state of affairs persisted for nearly a millennium.
All other conflicts paled in comparison.
Perhaps the Stark Hyperspace War was an exception, but only due to its unique naval maneuvers and the origins of the conflict.
Since then, technology had advanced steadily, but military tactics had stagnated.
If the Republic Army hadn't been disbanded, perhaps some military academy would have studied and analyzed all these battles, at least formulating some regulations and rules.
Alas, there were no "ifs."
And now, Solo couldn't even find the old regulations from before Ruusan's reforms.
When Solo searched for "Republic Edicts," the results were strikingly similar to a microwave oven user manual for the general public. Nearly half the content consisted of warnings like "Do not dry cats in the microwave."
The only difference was that this manual replaced "microwave oven" with the names of various outdated technological equipment.
Despite this, Solo relentlessly browsed through document after document, report after report, description after description, and excerpt after excerpt.
They were often written in languages he didn't understand, but the built-in translator managed to convey the core meaning.
Thousands of years ago, even the Hutts—those massive, ton-heavy creatures—had their own armored armies!
Unlike now, when they could only rely on mercenaries... though there was currently a living Hutt Jedi.
The robot uprisings were somewhat interesting, but the outcome was almost always the same: Jedi intervention. They would arrive, precisely strike down the main instigators, and the rebellion would crumble.
There were no complex tactics or brilliant strategies involved.
Solo had initially believed that by studying the Archives, he would unlock secret knowledge and emerge as a brilliant military strategist.
Such a notion was utterly fanciful.
In the end, he would have to devise his own strategies.
Still, his efforts weren't entirely fruitless. Within these records, fragments of truth could be unearthed, though this required prolonged contemplation.
Solo had brought the holodisk precisely for this purpose—to read and analyze during his spare moments.
He felt his mind was already bursting with the chaotic dates, names, and locations. Extracting any clear tactical descriptions from these dry, factual accounts proved exceedingly difficult.
Shaking his head, Solo shifted his focus to researching Force techniques and the evolution of lightsaber forms.
After reviewing extensive instructional materials, he concluded that the ideal choice was to learn Form III—Soresu.
This form was perfect for deflecting blaster bolts and handling large numbers of weaker opponents.
The fact that it was a purely defensive swordsmanship style didn't bother Solo.
He never wanted to try that reckless, lightsaber-wielding charge again. Once was enough.
Lost in the lengthy treatise of an ancient Jedi Master, Solo felt as if he had slipped out of reality...
***
Exhausted, Solo moved away from the projector, stretching his stiff limbs before glancing at the time indicator on the wall.
He had been here for a full seventeen hours.
Leaving the Archives, Solo staggered toward the Jedi's meditation and rest chambers.
He needed to quiet his mind, which was buzzing from information overload.
Afterward, he still had several matters to discuss with the Temple's administrative staff.
*Sigh...*
Summoning his last reserves of strength, Solo dragged himself to his bunk. He collapsed onto the mattress without even removing his armor, not to sleep, but to meditate.
If he hadn't maintained his meditation practice, his body would have been completely numb and stiff.
He opened his eyes, quickly washed up, and cobbled together a meal from compressed rations.
An inexplicable intuition urged him to hurry, a subtle prompting from the Force.
Without delay, Solo set out for the tower housing the Assignment Committee.
This committee was responsible for assigning Masters to Younglings, requiring only a Jedi's application.
In most cases, the Jedi's decisions were unquestioned. The committee deferred to the Master's judgment, trusting that the Force would guide the pairing of Master and apprentice.
Younglings not selected by a Master were typically assigned to agricultural corps.
In exceptional cases, such as Anakin Skywalker and Rahm Kota, the High Council made the final decision.Chapter 7: File
Routine assignments were largely procedural, more for record-keeping than substantive review—likely for administrative convenience.