Obroa-Skai Orbit
The 6th Sector Group Command lay in orbit above the library planet. Twenty Star Destroyers and numerous fleet tenders had gathered, the remaining four performing regional patrols along the borders to ensure the assembly was not disturbed.
The Chimera sat nestled in the center of the group, accepting shuttles from each of the destroyers' representative captains. Admiral Thrawn had called a gathering. Officials and beneficiaries followed their captains like litters of pups, herded through the cavernous hangar towards Thrawn's conference room. Captain Pellaeon was greeted with several sneers from captains, jealous of his supposed "favoratism" at being chosen for Thrawn's new flagship Captain. He thought nothing of them and remained quiet, watching the proceedings.
Thrawn sat at the head of the table, waiting for the Captains to be seated. When they were he spoke. "I have gathered you here to discuss current events, events that have changed the conditions under which we fight."
"You are referring to the disaster at Mon Calamari, are you not?" said Captain Carradine. "Commodore Karcot's failure to take the planet has left the eastern rim badly undermanned!"
"Indeed," cut in Captain Horatio. "Six Star Destroyers left out of a hundred, nearly a six hundred smaller vessels destroyed or captured, and the Commodore taken prisoner by the Ascendants. It was an utter massacre."
"I would point out that, while the Commodore's actions resulted in a defeat, it was by no stretch a victory for either opposing party." said Thrawn. "The attack by the Ascendants was unanticipated, but not unexpected. By adding a third element, the conditions of the battle changed. However, the reports indicate that the Sith fleet was destroyed with merely a handful of ships, including their flagship, escaping. The New Republic took seventy five percent losses, and over half the shipyards are inoperable from damage sustained during the fighting."
"Grand Admiral, statistics matter little when we have still lost far more in comparison. One fleet of Ascendant ships decimated is still only a fraction of the damage we took, Star Dreadnought or no." said Carradine. "We still took the brunt of the punishment on the frontal assault; the Ascendants just picked us off while we were wounded, like scavengers."
Thrawn smiled. "On the contrary, Captain, it was the Mon Calamari that suffered the most. Several hundred thousand dead, an entire city sunk by a crashing Sith Dreadnought, and extensive damage to their primary means of commerce. Without their intervention, we could have taken the planet with minimal damage. But now, we have a planet that is poorly protected by a force that failed to prevent such a level of destruction. When war fails, we turn to diplomacy. The Empire sends a fleet to Mon Calamari waving a peace flag, and we buy them out. The New Republic cannot spare the ships, and the Ascendants are too busy raiding planets rather than holding them."
Carradine nodded slowly, taking in the suggestion. "So, we offer protection to the Mon Calamari, in exchange for the shipyards? I highly doubt the planet will forget the slave occupation we had in place."
Pellaeon finally spoke. "Which is why we are only asking for the shipyards, as well as offering relief forces to repair damage to the surface and the construction rings. We will provide only our own people to work the yards, and we will not antagonize them further."
Carradine lay back in his chair, satisfied. The other captains nodded in agreement.
"I also have more information." said Thrawn. "The Emperor has granted me the title of Supreme Commander, giving me total authority over the Navy and the Army. There will be changes in the coming weeks, but I expect every officer of the fleet to know these words: Performance over popularity. I expect competence from my officers, not personal favors granted through competition. You do your job well, you will be acknowledged. If you fail, I expect honesty and a drive to improve. Loyalty over fear. From now on, the Tarkin Doctrine is null. Let's see if we can restore some honor to this fleet."
The 6th Sector Group Command lay in orbit above the library planet. Twenty Star Destroyers and numerous fleet tenders had gathered, the remaining four performing regional patrols along the borders to ensure the assembly was not disturbed.
The Chimera sat nestled in the center of the group, accepting shuttles from each of the destroyers' representative captains. Admiral Thrawn had called a gathering. Officials and beneficiaries followed their captains like litters of pups, herded through the cavernous hangar towards Thrawn's conference room. Captain Pellaeon was greeted with several sneers from captains, jealous of his supposed "favoratism" at being chosen for Thrawn's new flagship Captain. He thought nothing of them and remained quiet, watching the proceedings.
Thrawn sat at the head of the table, waiting for the Captains to be seated. When they were he spoke. "I have gathered you here to discuss current events, events that have changed the conditions under which we fight."
"You are referring to the disaster at Mon Calamari, are you not?" said Captain Carradine. "Commodore Karcot's failure to take the planet has left the eastern rim badly undermanned!"
"Indeed," cut in Captain Horatio. "Six Star Destroyers left out of a hundred, nearly a six hundred smaller vessels destroyed or captured, and the Commodore taken prisoner by the Ascendants. It was an utter massacre."
"I would point out that, while the Commodore's actions resulted in a defeat, it was by no stretch a victory for either opposing party." said Thrawn. "The attack by the Ascendants was unanticipated, but not unexpected. By adding a third element, the conditions of the battle changed. However, the reports indicate that the Sith fleet was destroyed with merely a handful of ships, including their flagship, escaping. The New Republic took seventy five percent losses, and over half the shipyards are inoperable from damage sustained during the fighting."
"Grand Admiral, statistics matter little when we have still lost far more in comparison. One fleet of Ascendant ships decimated is still only a fraction of the damage we took, Star Dreadnought or no." said Carradine. "We still took the brunt of the punishment on the frontal assault; the Ascendants just picked us off while we were wounded, like scavengers."
Thrawn smiled. "On the contrary, Captain, it was the Mon Calamari that suffered the most. Several hundred thousand dead, an entire city sunk by a crashing Sith Dreadnought, and extensive damage to their primary means of commerce. Without their intervention, we could have taken the planet with minimal damage. But now, we have a planet that is poorly protected by a force that failed to prevent such a level of destruction. When war fails, we turn to diplomacy. The Empire sends a fleet to Mon Calamari waving a peace flag, and we buy them out. The New Republic cannot spare the ships, and the Ascendants are too busy raiding planets rather than holding them."
Carradine nodded slowly, taking in the suggestion. "So, we offer protection to the Mon Calamari, in exchange for the shipyards? I highly doubt the planet will forget the slave occupation we had in place."
Pellaeon finally spoke. "Which is why we are only asking for the shipyards, as well as offering relief forces to repair damage to the surface and the construction rings. We will provide only our own people to work the yards, and we will not antagonize them further."
Carradine lay back in his chair, satisfied. The other captains nodded in agreement.
"I also have more information." said Thrawn. "The Emperor has granted me the title of Supreme Commander, giving me total authority over the Navy and the Army. There will be changes in the coming weeks, but I expect every officer of the fleet to know these words: Performance over popularity. I expect competence from my officers, not personal favors granted through competition. You do your job well, you will be acknowledged. If you fail, I expect honesty and a drive to improve. Loyalty over fear. From now on, the Tarkin Doctrine is null. Let's see if we can restore some honor to this fleet."
