The news of the attack on Ossus and a missing Republic fleet had spread throughout the core worlds of the Republic. The biggest one was the attack on Ossus as the main temple which housed the Jedi High Council was destroyed and hundreds of Jedi were killed from the storm that ravaged the planet.
For now, news was withheld regarding the status of the Jedi High Council, but those within the higher ranks of the Jedi order already knew. The situation was critical, with the Jedi High Council dead by the hands of Daimon, some Temples started to break away.
Within days of the news spreading, the Jedi Order started to be split into three different factions, all with different beliefs and goals for the future of the Order.
The first faction were the "Preservationists" which consisted of senior Masters who wanted to preserve Jedi traditions and avoid war with Daimon at all costs. They were thinking of the future and believed that the order must outlast Daimon, not defeat him.
The second faction were the "Absolutists" which consisted of younger Knights and war-hardened Masters who demanded total war against the Imperium. They believed that if Daimon continued to live then eventually, the Order would not.
The third faction was the Penitents which believed that the Order caused this catastrophe to happen. They believed that the Force punished them through Daimon causing some of them to abandon the Order entirely or become wandering hermits.
Most of the Jedi fell into the first two factions while the third faction only consisted of less than 5,000 members.
For the other two factions, they had begun to make certain changes. Jedi families started to band together and create alliances with one another and also against one another.
It had only been a few days since the war started yet Daimon had already crippled the Jedi Order, stirring doubt amongst their members.
4 Weeks later
It has been about a month since the declaration of war. The Imperium was purely on the defensive while the Republic and its allies attempted to go on the offensive.
During this time, the Republic had also revealed that they had made contact with two new species called the Mandalorians and the Sith. Though they said this, in reality they had been watching the two for a few decades now and only now decided to make contact to use them against the Imperium.
The Republic's diplomatic envoys had been dispatched to both the Sith Empire and Mandalorian territories with promises of technology and resources. Chancellor Thrace wanted to get these empires involved in galactic politics and then use them for war against the Imperium.
On Korriban, Darth Asid received the Republic ambassadors in the throne room that had once belonged to Darth Vithrax. The former Emperor's body had been disposed of weeks ago, his reign ended by Asid's carefully orchestrated coup that had finally come to fruition during the chaos of the Mandalorian war.
The Republic ambassadors offered many things in exchange for cooperation. Darth Asid could sense that this Republic wanted to use them for something, but he could also see that the Republic could be used for his benefit as well.
As a result, a treaty of cooperation which consisted of exchanging resources and technology began between the two amidst the current ongoing wars that the two empires had. The Sith Empire was currently winning their war against the Mandalorians and were on the path to conquering them which would cement their power in the region.
On the Mandalore, the Mandalorians were desperate for technology and resources as they were losing the war against the Sith.
The Crusaders had underestimated the Sith Lords' powers, and that mistake cost them dearly. World after world fell to the Sith advance, their warrior traditions proving insufficient against enemies who could choke them from across a battlefield or foresee their tactics through the Force.
The Mand'alor sat in his war room, studying tactical displays that showed nothing, but red. Clan Ordo's fate had been repeated across a dozen worlds. His warriors were brave, but bravery meant nothing when facing an enemy they didn't understand.
When the Republic envoys arrived offering aid, the Mand'alor's pride was hurt. Mandalorians did not beg for help. They conquered or died trying. But watching his people get slaughtered by sorcerers had taught him a harsh lesson about the galaxy beyond their borders.
However, the biggest problem was the fact they he didn't know the Republic, and he didn't want a repeat of their encounter with the Sith Empire. So, for now, they would start with limited cooperation between the two to learn more about the Republic, then eventually if they prove trustworthy, he could establish full cooperation.
———
On the Imperial world of Glee Anselm, Warmaster Raelos had been preparing for the Republic's invasion of the planet for a few weeks now.
Unlike Tython which had no defenses, Glee Anselm was one of the core worlds of the Northern territories and had a significant number of defenses from Orbital defense platforms, planetary Force shield, ground-to-space artillery batteries, and a garrison of 50 million Imperial soldiers supported by the Sixth Fleet.
The Imperial soldiers that were on Glee Anselm were mainly made up of the local species which included both the Anselmi and Nautolan. Centuries ago, these two species were fighting against each other, but after being subjugated by the Imperium, they were taught to rely on each other for the betterment of the Imperium.
The Republic knew attacking such a fortified position would be costly, but they needed a victory after the disasters at Tython and Ossus. The propaganda machine required something to show the Republic citizens that their military could stand against the Imperium.
Admiral Jesara Theln commanded the Republic assault fleet, nearly 200,000 vessels strong. Her orders were simple: take Glee Anselm regardless of cost. The Senate needed this world as a foothold into Imperial territory, a staging ground for deeper attacks incursions.
"All ships, battle formation Delta-Seven," Admiral Theln ordered as her fleet emerged from hyperspace. "Capital ships forward, fighters provide screening. Bombardment groups, target the orbital platforms first."
The Republic fleet moved forward, their formations tight despite the size of the armada. Fighters launched in waves, creating a screen between the capital ships and potentials threats.
On the surface, Raelos watched the tactical displays as enemy signatures filled the system. "Here they come. All batteries, prepare to fire on my command. Fleet, maintain position behind the planetary shield until I give the word."
The Orbital platforms above the planet responded by launching their own droid fighters. This was one of the things that the Imperium had when it came to defense. Instead of wasting lives, they could have droid fighters engage the enemy while the shield is activated.
However, when matched against such a large number of fighters, even the Imperial fighters were no match. They were quickly overwhelmed allowing the Republic ships to make it closer to the planet.
That's when the Republic began their bombardment, turbolaser fire flying toward the orbital platforms. The platforms' shields flickered as they absorbed the initial salvos, their own weapons returning fire.
Republic frigates exploded as concentrated fire from multiple platforms focused on individual targets. The exchange continued for several minutes, both sides taking losses. Admiral Theln watched as three more orbital platforms were destroyed, their debris adding to the growing ring of wreckage that was forming around Glee Anselm.
"Bombardment groups, focus fire on grid sections seven through twelve," she ordered. "We need to create a gap in their defensive coverage for the planetary shield."
But Raelos had anticipated this strategy. As the Republic ships concentrated their fire on specific sections, he activated the ground-to-space artillery batteries. Massive energy beams shot upward through the planetary shield's designated firing ports, striking Republic capital ships with devastating accuracy.
"Secondary batteries, commence firing," Raelos commanded. "Target their command vessels first. I want their coordination disrupted."
Admiral Theln's flagship shook as one of the beams ricochet off its shields. "Evasive maneuvers! All ships, scatter formation and continue the assault!"
The Republic fleet began to break apart, individual battlegroups maneuvering independently to avoid the ground-based fire. It was exactly what Raelos wanted. Once their formation dissolved, they became vulnerable to his next move.
"Lower the planetary shield in sections three, seven, and eleven," Raelos ordered. "Launch the Sixth Fleet."
The shield opened up in three locations, and through those gaps poured Imperial warships that had been waiting in low orbit. The Sixth Fleet, composed of 100,000 ships, emerged from behind the shield, their commanders having rehearsed this maneuver dozens of times over the past weeks.
The Imperial ships hit the scattered Republic formations from multiple angles, exploiting the gaps in their defensive posture. Raelos had divided his fleet into three strike groups, each one emerging from a different shield opening to maximize tactical surprise.
"All batteries, concentrated fire on their carrier groups," Raelos transmitted across the fleet command channel. "Destroy their fighter support and their entire formation collapses."
The Imperial warships focused their assault on the Republic's carrier vessels, massive ships that housed hundreds of fighters and bombers. When the first carrier exploded, its destruction created a chain reaction that consumed two nearby frigates. Fighters that had been preparing to launch were vaporized instantly.
The battle was going well so far, but another Republic fleet had emerged from hyperspace jump. This fleet Numbered 100,000 ships and was commanded by Admiral Korris Vand, a veteran of the Liberation War who had earned his reputation fighting against Hutt slavers.
"Admiral Theln, this is Admiral Vand," came the transmission. "We're deploying to support your assault. Transmit targeting data and we'll hit them from the flank."
Raelos observed the new arrivals on his tactical display, quickly thinking about what to do. The situation had shifted from advantageous to precarious. His fleet was already engaged with Theln's forces, and now a fresh enemy battlegroup was entering the fight.
Luckily, they had prepared for a situation like this. "All Imperial ships, retreat back behind the shield." Raelos ordered. It was going to be a long game of cat and mouse between the two as he needed to preserve their numbers until Imperial reinforcements finished arriving.
The Republic forces saw this and decided to blockade the planet and prepare for a bombardment. Raelos was pretty confident in his plan, but there was one thing he didn't know about what type of experimental weapons the Republic had. They had been researching weapons to counter Imperial weapons and defenses for over a century now.
During this time, they had developed a weapon to crack planetary shields and Raelos was about to find out about in the worst way possible.