Chapter 305
Shaak Ti, accompanied by Obi-Wan Kenobi, stepped out of the turbolift that had taken them directly to the top of the Supreme Council Tower. The remaining Masters were already waiting for them in the grand circular hall. Saesee Tiin, Plo Koon, Adi Gallia, Mace Windu, and Yoda had arrived in person, while the other five Masters appeared as crisp blue holograms.
"You've been delayed in the Halls of Healing," the Grand Master stated, ears twitching slightly.
"How is Master Kothari doing?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked, his tall cone-shaped head tilting with concern.
Obi-Wan sank into his chair and bowed his head sadly. "I'm afraid he doesn't have much time left — maybe a couple of hours, no more. The wounds are too extensive, even Master Vokara Che can't help. His Padawan, Alisha, is currently under the care of the healers. Watching a Master die… isn't the best thing for a young one to experience."
Shaak Ti nodded in confirmation. "That's true. We've… lost another Jedi Master, and another Padawan is left without guidance. I'm afraid we have a problem brewing."
Adi Gallia looked at the Togruta with interest. "Hmm… I haven't been to the Temple in a while, so I'm a bit out of touch. Could you explain, Master Ti?"
Waiting for Yoda's subtle nod of approval, Shaak Ti began to speak.
"The problem didn't arise all that long ago. More precisely, we only noticed it a couple of weeks ago. We don't have enough teachers for the Padawans."
"In what terms?" Ki-Adi Mundi pressed.
"From the beginning of the war until today, we have lost one hundred and eight Masters, three hundred and fourteen Knights, and thirty-seven Padawans. Two hundred and eighty-seven Padawans were left without their Masters. Fifty lost their Masters twice, and ten Padawans lost their Masters three times. One Padawan lost four Masters — one after another — after which he committed suicide. He believed he was to blame and decided to take a radical approach to avoid losing anyone else."
A heavy silence settled over the chamber.
"No one expected this turn of events," Shaak Ti continued quietly. "No one even thought about it. And now we simply don't know what to do. The training of the younger generation must continue no matter what. These Padawans are the future of the Jedi Order. We have no problem with the younglings — their mentors never leave the Temple and don't participate in combat — but we do have a serious problem with Padawan training. There's simply no one left to teach them. Many Jedi lack the talent or desire to teach, and those who can already have apprentices. Others don't want to take on Padawans who have already been trained by someone else, preferring to start with younglings fresh from the creche. As for forcing Jedi to take Padawans… we can't. I tried speaking with several Knights and Masters, but they cited the following arguments: first, few are eager to send their charges into war. Second, some point out that none of the Council currently has a Padawan."
"But… we're busy right now," Adi Gallia muttered. "It's too much responsibility…"
"Knights and Masters answer exactly the same way," Shaak Ti replied.
After a short pause, she added, "After analyzing the data, I came to the conclusion that if all the troops involved in operations had been under a single, clear command structure, and had been deployed simultaneously with sufficient naval support, many of these operations would have been more successful and completed with far fewer losses for the Republic — and in much shorter time."
Master Oppo Rancisis, the long-bodied Thisspiasian, leaned forward. "What do you propose to do, Master Shaak Ti?"
"Currently, the largest unit in the army is the corps, followed by the Sector Army. The navy, however, operates mostly in squadrons, which results in a lack of concentrated firepower. The Separatists still outnumber us in ships. Therefore, I have prepared a document according to which new combat units — System Armies — will be formed within the Grand Army of the Republic."
"System Armies?" Shaak Ti repeated, intrigued. Though she was considered a capable commander, she knew her reputation came more from caution than raw tactical brilliance. She always listened carefully to those who truly understood large-scale warfare. Master Rancisis was at the top of that list. His rare gift of Battle Meditation made him the natural center of all strategic planning for the Grand Army. He was supported by a large cadre of talented Jedi and ordinary officers, but that did not diminish his accomplishments.
"Yes," Rancisis continued. "The total strength of each System Army will consist of no less than four corps and a naval battle group of two to four squadrons — totaling seventy-two ships of various types, of which no less than forty-eight will be capital ships. This is the minimum number required to hold or capture a planet."
"That's no less than two hundred thousand soldiers!" Kit Fisto exclaimed, eyes widening. "Isn't that an excessive amount?"
"Quite the opposite. Sixty-five thousand was barely enough for Jabiim — and that was only thanks to the 12th Sector's independent action. The 13th Sector will remain somewhat autonomous with its Sector Army but will be merged under the new structure for Coruscant and the Outer Rim. We will have to take fortified Separatist planets. Rushing operations of this scale could be catastrophic."
Rancisis activated the central holoprojector. A detailed organizational chart appeared, glowing blue in the center of the chamber.
"The formation will take place in two stages. In the first stage, eleven System Armies will be created. To avoid confusion, we have assigned them alphanumeric designations. Five System Armies will be formed in the Second Sector Army: Aurek-1, Besh-2, Kresh-3, Dorn-4, and Esk-5. Two will be formed in the Third Sector Army — Forn-6 and Grek-7. Herf-8 and Isk-9 will be in the Fourth Sector Army. Zhent-10 will be in the Seventeenth, and Krill-11 will be in the Twentieth Sector Army. In the second stage, we will form nine more System Armies…"
"Master Rancisis," Ki-Adi Mundi stroked his beard thoughtfully, "I'm afraid we don't have enough clones to form these armies. After the treaty with the Hutts, we'll need four million clones and two thousand ships for the Thirteenth Sector Army alone, and there are other urgent needs. Besides, the supply of new batches of clones is not unlimited."
"I've foreseen this factor," Rancisis replied calmly. "Only the first seven System Armies will be formed primarily from clones. The next four will be half-auxiliary. Three more will have one clone corps each, and the remaining six will be entirely auxiliary. The Seventh Sector Army will form the System Army Leth-12. The First, on Coruscant, will form Mern-13. The Tenth Sector Army will form Nern-14. Another army, Osk-15, will appear in the Seventeenth. The Eighteenth will have two: Peth-16 and Kek-17. The Eleventh will have Resh-18 and Sent-19. The Fourteenth will have Trill-20."
"Who will take command of these groups?" Agen Kolar inquired.
"The most talented of the Jedi. However, for the most part, they will be either high-ranking generals on the Council or experienced Jedi Masters. Master Windu will assume command of Aurek-1. Master Kenobi will lead Kresh-3, which will include your Seventh Corps and the 501st Legion of Knight Skywalker. Masters Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, and Adi Gallia will take command of Besh-2, Dorn-4, Forn-6, and Herf-8 respectively. Master Ki-Adi Mundi, you will command Isk-9, the core of which will be your Twenty-First Corps."
"I believe the number of armies exceeds the number of Council members," Agen Kolar noted, "especially since not everyone can afford to command troops — we have other matters to attend to."
"Exactly. That's why I've selected the most suitable Jedi for the remaining positions. The next four armies will be led by Masters Luminara Unduli, Max Leem, Coleman Kcaj, and Vulvif Monn."
"Suitable candidates," Obi-Wan nodded approvingly. "Master Luminara's valor goes without saying. And Monn and I took essels together."
"Who shall we entrust with the command and formation of the remaining nine System Armies?" Plo Koon asked, making notes on his datapad.
"The Leth-12 System Army will be formed by Master Nejaa Halcyon. The Mern-13 will be entrusted to General Dagon Marek. And I wanted to hand over the Nern-14 to Master Tam…"
The chamber fell into a brief, contemplative silence as the implications of the massive reorganization settled over the Council. The war had grown too large, too chaotic, for the old structures. New, heavier hammers were needed.
And one of those hammers now carried the name of a scarred, one-armed Jedi who had already died once — and somehow come back.