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[Altair Din]

News about Imperial victory over Bastion spread like wildfire. The resistance had been lackluster, but news suggested that many of them were preoccupied with the abominations unleashed on several Core Worlds. This presented an opportunity - The Empire could shift away from meaningless Jedi planets and focus on expanding their territory once more. He knew the Emperor’s vision and Altair had his own agenda for leaving on a high note.

The tiefling made it out of Bastion without being harmed, so he was in his formal dress uniform waiting in an office. He had asked a newly promoted ISB Overseer to meet with him today to review plans of attack on pivoting the campaign. This Overseer could deploy other Ciphers to get done what he needed.

The tiefling cut an imposing figure, his massive horns always something to behold. His vibrant amethyst eyes betrayed his exhaustion. While he waited, he scanned through pictures of his toddler sent by Clove. The tiefling smiled as he looked through the photos, killing time until the Overseer arrived.

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

It wasn't every day that one was invited to speak with the Grand Marshal, especially with how preoccupied he had been leading the new campaign. Bastion had fallen despite its namesake, proving to be all but a speed bump for the Imperial war machine that had only recently picked up steam.

Despite the initial success against the Jedi, there existed a vast distance between its core and western territories. Something that was a mild annoyance in peace and a reckless distraction in war. But closing the gap required a vast expenditure of resources, time and manpower that could be better utilised elsewhere. But why send a thousand where two could be sent instead?

Overseer Delevigne, adorned in her freshly crisp uniform, marched towards the Grand Marshal's office in a well drilled step. Gone were the days when she might have been left alone for weeks, laying dormant in some basement working on a piece of code for some tech nobody had ever heard of. Now, she stood at the precipice of a new grand campaign, the capstone in the career of a great man who had risen up from nothing and forged an empire.

Talk about tough shoes to fill for the next one.

"Grand Marshal." she spoke with a respectful tone after being permitted entry and arriving before him. Awaiting his acknowledgement, the officer stood still holding a holopad at the waist.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Though he cut an imposing figure, his features softened when she arrived. Years of hardship and surviving in a cruel Empire still didn’t erase some of his old farmer boy charms. He gave her a smile and motioned for her to take a seat after shaking her hand, setting aside his comlink. She would notice his desk had trophies from his Huttball wins, trophies from music competitions, and all his war medals or honors were more discreetly lined. There was no sign of his personal life anywhere regarding any family or his daughter. He kept all of that close to chest.

“Congrats on your promotion, Overseer Delevigne,” He said as he beamed with pride, “I’ve heard many good things, so I wanted to hear your thoughts on an ISB angle to the Blue Storm campaign,” He explained, cutting right to the chase. He didn’t want to waste her time.

Altair pressed a button to bring up a Holomap of the galactic atlas, the territories of different factions color coded, “The Emperor wishes to continue the push into Jedi territory. I think this effort can be made more efficient if the ISB moves ahead of the IAF to spread influence between multiple planets to shift away from the Jedi. Perhaps planting doubt or sowing discord to where our arrival is a much needed reprieve.”

He gave his thoughts, but it wasn’t a fully formed plan. That’s where the ISB logic came in, “What do you suggest for an ISB operation to maximize our rate of success?”

@Xorism

 

[Guinevere Delevigne]

Even standing still under the glowing presence before her, she took in the environment for a second before moving forward to take a seat. Guin had but one victory to her name, if you could call it that, but none-the-less one she was proud of. "Thank you, Grand Marshal." She responded in kind.

Listening intently as he spoke about the operation, the Emperor's wishes and where the ISB may fit into the grand scheme, she waited to take it all in. The curious thought that he had called her into the meeting and not the Director himself, was not lost upon her. But that also didn't necessarily mean anything, after all, perhaps they had spoken already and thus how Altair held her name now.

"The Jedi don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to supporting those who place their trust within them." It was true that there was a stronger military backing than before, with the aid of several parties. But the Order had also taken heavy losses, on the account of the disappearance of a large quantity of skilled Jedi. "Their connection to these territories is flimsy at best, latching on to fervent supporters of theirs and leeching resources and manpower."

Now the Grand Marshal was on the Imperial Council and thus knew far more than Guin could ever imagine, but likewise the ISB was famously vague and deceptive of its capabilities. She didn't know what he didn't and wouldn't speak of things he couldn't, just to be on the safe side for now.

That didn't mean she wouldn't be direct with him, either. With any luck, he'd appreciate it and not reprimand her forwardness. "These worlds are spread and far apart, with little in common among them all aside from their connection to the Jedi." Laying the foundation was important. "Perhaps a lone governor, or a handful of senators, or an entire royal clan would answer their call, supply and fight for the Jedi." As it built up towards the simplest of answers.

"A call that we can make, with Bastion's help." An afterthought in the climax of defeat, perhaps the ISB could acquire some Jedi codes or a way to route a hidden communiqué to the main supporters left in the vast Jedi territories. "They likely won't all gather in one place, of course. But perhaps we can gather their most ardent supporters in a number of locations and solve the problem." A vast array of assets could manage this, from Cyphers to the Black fleet. Glancing back towards the Grand Marshal, who by now would recognise the play well as the stairs he climbed himself.

They could still discredit both the Jedi and their remaining supports, either by the media or with coin. But the ace in their enemies sleeve was something else entirely. "Ideally, Ailon would be taken out of the picture, but that is more your department than mine. In lieu of this, even just the thought that their strongest ally had left them would likely have an effect that you're looking for."

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair listened to the plan and couldn’t help but notice she was purposely cryptic with her meaning. She wanted him to fill in the blanks without revealing her hand entirely. He could appreciate the ISB methods, though it wasn’t as straightforward as he liked. The tiefling pondered the idea, his tail tapping against the side of his seat in a rhythm.

“Use Jedi codes to call for reinforcements and then ambush them?” He reiterated the plan as he rubbed his chin, “Could show that the codes were 'compromised' and only invite war to their worlds. Perhaps if you release a Holonet to repeat the rhetoric about Jedi only inviting problems, it will make the other worlds start to withdraw.”

Altair nodded in agreement, “It is a sound plan. Let me know how many IAF you need, if any. Otherwise I will wait for you to indicate when the situation is prepared for our troopers to go in.”

If this worked, a single strike could net them multiple planets. At the very least it would turn several of those planets to neutral territory.

@Xorism