For the Jedi High Council, these were exceptionally difficult times.
It had been years since they last commanded such a massive military operation. The Council members tasked with leadership duties worked tirelessly, barely managing brief rest periods in shifts.
Out of the twelve Council members, four were unable to attend in person, participating only through holographic projections. While engaged in Council discussions, they also directly commanded troops on the front lines.
On the front lines, everything was in short supply: soldiers, ships, equipment, medical supplies, hospitals, and the supply lines themselves were plagued with constant problems.
The Republic Military's logistics department was still in its infancy, forcing these Masters to manually manage most supply operations themselves.
Reinforcements from Kamino didn't even have time to be integrated into the reserves before being urgently deployed to plug gaps in the defensive lines.
The Confederacy of Independent Systems, leveraging a nearly hundredfold advantage in fleet and troop numbers, launched fierce assaults across all fronts. Preventing their breakthroughs was not only extremely difficult but also resulted in catastrophic losses.
Even worse were the Senate's armchair strategists, who used "debating the importance" as an excuse to argue for days about whether to allocate funds for new clone troopers, equipment, and ships.
Senator Padmé Amidala led the pacifist movement, gaining the support of Senator Bail Organa and many others, which only prolonged the crisis.
Just then, another communication from a Jedi General came through, again requesting ships and troop support.
Yoda ended the transmission, his face etched with exhaustion as he severed the connection.
The losses were catastrophic. Worse still, no Jedi had experience commanding large armies. A few managed passably, but most proved to be abysmal commanders. In fact, the number of experts in the entire galaxy capable of handling the current scale of command could be counted on one hand.
It was only thanks to this handful of capable leaders that the situation hadn't devolved into utter disaster.
The projector flickered, and the hologram of another frontline Jedi appeared before the Council.
Several Masters looked surprised, but Shaak Ti remained calm, recognizing the newcomer.
"General Solo Victor reporting," Solo said in the hologram. "The Council's mission has been completed. Donovia and the fuel production stations along the Perlemian Trade Route are now fully under our control. Construction of the fortified base on the planet is nearly complete. A peace agreement has been reached with the local inhabitants, and fuel delivery to the Lantilles fleet and Army Headquarters has begun."
"Excellent," Windu nodded approvingly, interlacing his fingers in a tower-like gesture.
"What are your casualties?" Evan Pierre asked, his gaze sweeping over Solo's hologram with a hint of curiosity.
"During the three-day battle for the system, we lost several N-1 starfighters, a Consular-class frigate, a clone trooper unit, and some equipment. A detailed report is attached. Additionally, I'd like to include some personal thoughts on how to improve our military's combat effectiveness."
The Council members exchanged glances. Windu spoke first. "We're listening, General."
"Firstly, we are severely lacking in battleships and vessels suitable for fleet combat. The Consular-class frigates are ideal for transport and defending against enemy fighters, but they are completely incapable of countering the Separatists' large vessels. While it's unrealistic to increase our battleship fleet in the short term, I have a solution for auxiliary vessels: purchasing the Raider-class frigates produced by Sienar Fleet Systems."
The holographic image shifted, revealing a sleek, aerodynamic ship model with wing-like structures at the stern, from which two heavy cannons protruded.
"The Raider-class frigate's firepower is exceptionally strong for its class. It's equipped with eight twin-barrel turbolaser cannons, three tractor beam projectors, and most importantly, a hangar that can accommodate one to three squadrons of escort fighters and two to four cargo shuttles, depending on the modified variant. It was originally developed for the Judicial Forces, but the procurement contract was canceled due to funding issues. I recommend we initiate discussions on acquiring these vessels as soon as possible."
"Thank you, Warrior Victor," Windu nodded approvingly. "We were unaware of this. Your suggestion is very timely. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, we're almost completely lacking in bombers and attack aircraft, but suitable models already exist, and their performance is quite good... I recommend focusing on the N-6 'Malice' heavy combat bomber produced by Naboo." The video switched again, and a flat, oval-shaped interstellar spacecraft appeared. "The N-6 is equipped with deflector shields, a secondary hyperspace drive, and a backup tenth-generation hyperspace drive. It can reach speeds of up to 1,000 kilometers per hour in the atmosphere. In addition to its bomb launchers, it's armed with six laser cannons and a laser turret. It has a two-week endurance and a ten-ton payload capacity. It can serve as both a bomber and a heavy long-range fighter, excelling in both roles."
"If this model is so excellent, why wasn't it adopted?" Adi Gallia asked, puzzled.
"As far as I know, Queen Amidala of Naboo considered it 'overarmed.'" Solo's tone carried a hint of mockery, and his facial muscles twitched slightly as he uttered the last few words. "So in the end, they procured the N-1 starfighter from Nubia instead."
"Your suggestion is reasonable, but resolving this issue may be delayed," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "Although Chancellor Palpatine has emergency powers, budget allocations still require Senate approval."
"Oh, the Senate." Solo pursed his lips, his contempt palpable.
Yoda suddenly waved his hand, interrupting the conversation. "A new mission is yours. Support General Skute's assault on Diado. You must go. Two Hailfire-class assault ships will be assigned to you, under your command. Help the General seize the system. You must."
Solo saluted and severed the connection. "Yes, Master Yoda. I will carry out the order."
"What was that about?" Oppo Rancisis voiced the group's confusion.
"Just a Jedi Knight," Shaak Ti replied calmly.
"He seemed... odd," Adi Gallia remarked, turning to Windu.
"Regardless, he appears capable of handling his duties," Windu concluded.
After ending the transmission, Solo let out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, all that effort hadn't been wasted. After forcing himself to scour the database with the Engineering Corps' astro-mechanic droids, he had finally found information on the Raider-class and N-6 "Malice" models.
Fortunately, both models were fully developed and publicly listed for purchase. Had they been classified technology, things would have been much more complicated.
He vaguely recalled an pirate or rebel group using the N-6, but where would rebels come from now?
He couldn't figure it out and didn't bother trying.
As for Yoda's new mission, Solo couldn't help but grumble, "Help seize a planet... Easy for them to say. How many enemy troops are there? What units did the ships we sent bring? How many men and ships does Scout have under his command? Have the Council members all lost their minds?"
Just then, a document arrived.
Solo opened it and quickly found the information about Diado:
Diado was located on a branch of the Perlemian Trade Route and was controlled by the Trade Federation. The star system it was in was also called Diado.
It was a frozen planet with a harsh environment. The poles were close to -90 degrees Celsius, while the equatorial regions were slightly warmer, but still only -15 degrees Celsius.
There were no native intelligent species, but twelve alien races lived there, including humans, Twi'leks, Devaronians, Rodians, Ithorians, Verpines, and even Sand People.
The residents disliked the Trade Federation but lacked the courage to revolt. The planet had sparse flora and fauna, and only a few metals and rare minerals were mined. It had two small moons.
There was too little information, but at least they knew the destination and the general environment.
Solo couldn't help but think that the Council always assigned missions to the Jedi according to the principle of "go to a place you don't know, and get something you don't know what it is."
He'd had this thought even when watching cartoons. Wasn't Obi-Wan's search for Kamino just like that?
But at least the Council had provided a ship, and one that was under his command.
Were they finally starting to take him seriously?
If it was a Hailfire-class assault ship, then with the current Dingyuan, three Hailfire-class ships would be a considerable force. At least they would have orbital support and wouldn't need to avoid Separatist vessels like the plague.
Solo turned to a B-1 battle droid beside him and gave the order: "Notify the commanders of each regiment, and the Captain of the Dingyuan, to meet in two hours."
"Roger! Roger!!"
The droid replied crisply.
Speaking of these droids, there was a little side note.
Solo hadn't been able to obtain any R-series astro-mechanic droids. They were considered special "merchandise" on Separatist ships, and were extremely valuable—a single one could replace an entire company of B-1s.
So he settled for second best and used two OOM-series droids as servants.
Don't be deceived by their OOM-series designation. Their intelligence was far more advanced than that of ordinary B-1s.
Ordinary combat droids used level-four AI, while OOM-series droids could achieve level-three. Though their combat capabilities were weak, they had powerful built-in communication systems with a range of up to a hundred kilometers, even allowing them to contact units in orbit. They were very convenient to use.
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