High Command

[Caius Flavian]

Chancellery Office​

Office Description found here​

For too long the Republic had been fighting defensively.
Giving ground or strategic maneuvering to survive.

In my time as an Imperial Commander I was allowed to freely operate as though the government and military were one entity. Freedom in a sense to pursue strategic and tactical decisions while exercising government authority.

Under the Republic the necessity for the separation of powers was a corner stone of its democratic nature. Hell it was part of my political parties platform was to ensure democracy. Why they thought I would be the one to best exercise that I was still beyond me.

Civilian control of the military. I laughed inwardly.

Whether it was by holo or in person I had sent a message to the military's present leadership.
It was time for us to align political directives with military strategy and vice versa. Campaigns and strategic designs. The status of the Armed Forces.

Seats would be available and my holo conference was up.

I sat back in my chair.
Along with my tea I was also enjoying a Rashallo cigarra.
Now it was time to wait.

[member="Suravi Teigra"] - Acting Supreme Commander
[member="Thoja Arlos"] - Acting Commander of the Army
[member="Marcus Solstice"] - Commander of the Navy

 

[Thoja Arlos]

Thoja arrived quickly after receiving the Supreme Chancellor's message. One did not ignore the Supreme Chancellor lightly after all. Entering the room, he saluted Flavian.

"Supreme Chancellor. I see that I'm early to this meeting." He said as he took a seat.

[member="Caius Flavian"]

 

[Caius Flavian]

I rose as the acting commander of the army arrived and instinctively returned the salute.
Old habits died hard.
I puffed on the cigarra and set it down to rest on the ash tray's slot.
"Grand Marshal Arlos, nonsense, being early simply means we can take a few moments to get to know each other as we await the others."

Zabraks, I had a strong respect for them.
They were considered to be the most fiercely self deterministic of the near human species matched only by their desire for independence.

As [member="Thoja Arlos"] took a seat I gestured over to a protocol droid I had standing on the other side of the office space.
"Would you like a refreshment?"

 

[Thoja Arlos]

((Post from phone, I'll tidy it up tomorrow))

"Scotch if possible, thank you. So, how has the office of chancellor been treating you so far?" Thoja asked, nodding to the droid as if silently asking the same question.

[member="Caius Flavian"]

 

[Caius Flavian]

"Perfect, I think I only have Corellian Whiskey though at the moment but I'm sure it will do"
I motioned to the protocol droid who began in earnest to prepare the drink. Taking my seat I scooted it forward so that I could place my arms comfortably on the table with my hands clasped together.
"The job is quite a lot to take in. Hell aside from military affairs the domestic and economic front is going to be a huge challenge to tackle."

[member="Thoja Arlos"] was in a similar position to myself. Rose to the position at the behest of changing circumstances at the top. In the few times it took to smuggle myself across OS space from Carida and Free System space things have changed far too frequently for the republics leadership. Now though I wanted to make sure we had solid and stable leadership that the troops on the front line.

"What are you thoughts on the Readiness of the Republic's Army's?"
I asked knowing the headache that someone taking over a job with a high turnover rate must be dealing with.

 

[Eugen Aker]

The acting Supreme Commander arrived a little after the General Arlos, but still well before the official beginning of the meeting. She was flanked on either side by two armored Dragoons. As a Senator, she hadn't been one to travel with bodyguards, but she held the position of SCO, and there was now a price on her head. The Force User could easily take on any would-be assassin or bounty hunter that came her way, but certain appearances had to be maintained. She left her Dragoons posted at the door as she entered the room with the two men.

Both had come a long way, Caius as a Senator, and General Arlos as a special forces commander. Maybe a year ago, she couldn't see herself in her current position, commanding the entire military of the Republic. She had no old military duds to dust off (aside from her armor), though, just a nice classy black dress for the occasion.

She quietly joined the pair without a verbal greeting, having no desire to interrupt their conversation. It was no small talk from what she could gather. She appreciated the effort by Caius to finally hammer out a comprehensive strategy for the military and government. The Republic had excellent soldiers and officers but had little direction. Their various enemies had been able to exploit their disorganization in the past, which she hoped to change under the new administration. She had some suggestions of her own for improving the capabilities of the military and becoming more proactive against the Sith, and now the Mandalorians.

[member="Caius Flavian"]
[member="Thoja Arlos"]

 

[Thoja Arlos]

Thoja thought about his answer before giving it, having looked over the army many times since his induction into it all those years ago.

"Our forces are well trained, and anxious to start taking the fight to the enemy. Without good people commanding them however, well, an army is only as good as the person leading it. Luckily for you, that person is me for the meantime."

As he finished his sentence, the Supreme Commander arrived. He'd had dealings with her before, when she helped develop the armour of the 228th, it was somewhat nice to see her in a position as high as this. He stood from his seat, saluting quickly.

"Supreme Commander." He said in a stern voice, reverting straight back to his military self.

[member="Caius Flavian"]
[member="Suravi Teigra"]

 

[Caius Flavian]

I nodded at the concerns that [member="Thoja Arlos"] raised. Leadership was a difficult thing to retain. The best and brightest often turned to PMC work or have left for other pastures. Those that remained on were loyal but few in number. The army had a fairly easy and straight forward organization to itself. Units often being raised thanks to still present and living legislation of the Military Expansion Act's simple language allowing a strong pool of manpower. Species of all varieties were present throughout the military as a whole. The issue though we faced was quality of the units.

The Grand Marshal's immediate predecessor had sought to generate a standard training regime producing a fairly basic template from which units could be formed around if needed. Again the matter of quality was an issue but sometimes quantity could be a quality all on its own. The battle of Togoria and the attempt to fast track training of troops by a template similar to the current standard was successful however we simply were unable to supply.
Industry was a matter I would have to address at some point to sustain the war machine.

I had to appreciate his enthusiasm and out look though.

Before I could respond our esteemed Supreme Commander had arrived. [member="Suravi Teigra"] was always a pleasant air of calm collective, although combine that with her candid attitude, and she certainly was a challenging debater. After all the collapse in leadership at the top we've suffered it was either fortunate or unfortunate that our careers had propelled us to these positions in such a short time. Knowing her she had likely left her bodyguard detail with my own Senate Guards outside the office.
I could only imagine if Mike and Ike were socializing well or if it was just four individuals silently gazing about dutifully...

As [member="Thoja Arlos"] greeted her with true to form military bearing I on the other hand simple smiled "Ah perfect! Supreme Commander Teigra. Now we are just waiting on our Admiral [member="Marcus Solstice"] to join and we may seek to jointly determine a course of progress. Take a seat please! We were just discussing the current state of affairs for the army in particular its leadership. Now I had some thoughts lying around since my initial foray as Senator. Often our Army's have far more been on the defensive in posture which is well and good. The formation of the marines and their conditioning has somewhat bridged the gap in terms of expeditionary warfare and being able to respond to attacks but the army itself needs to adopt that posture as well but for more sustained campaigns that the marines are not really meant for. Being able to deploy in mass. Now based on the current state of affairs I doubt we'll be able to really get much traction on instituting a Republic wide standardization of system defense forces due to the very deep rooted sovereignty first," I paused for a second.

"As for Special Forces these are of course Irregular by nature. However I would like it if we were able to deploy far more in cooperation with GRIM in disrupting our oppositions ability to conduct power projection. Speaking of which once Mr Solstice arrives I think we can finally determine a course of action against our foes with the sith to the north and the united clans volatile instability at present and their unruly upstarts to the north."

[member="Marcus Solstice"]

 

[Marcus Solstice]

Marcus entered the Supreme Chancellor's office garbed in a black tunic trimmed with gold. Shoulder ribbons marked his position as the Republic's highest ranking Naval Commander. His black, straight-legged trousers were lined with a purple blood-stripe marking him as an alum of the Anaxes War College. Other than a small pendant on his breast boasting the sigil of the Galactic Republic government and military, the uniform was unadorned.
With him was Alena Reckar, Lord Commander of the Republic's sister-organization, the Civilian Security Assistance Force. The Chiss woman had chosen her organization's dress uniform to wear to the gathering. It was a steel-gray tunic trimmed in maroon, with black trousers and boots. On her breast was pinned a pair of pendants; CSAF's sigil, an inverted triangle adorned with a crown, and CSAF's 1st Brigade, an open serpent's mouth with bared fangs and a number "1" in the shape of a writhing tongue.
"Please accept an apology for my tardiness," Marcus called, his voice echoing ahead of himself in the large open chamber. His dress boots clicked softly against the marble floor as he approached the Chancellor and his fellow military leaders, Suravi Teigra, acting Supreme Commander and Thoja Arlos, Commander of the Army. He nodded with a gentle smile as the Chancellor concluded a statement on his desires for the reconditioning of the Republic military.
"Chancellor and fellow colleagues, I'm sure you remember Commander Reckar." Marcus introduced the woman at his side. Alena nodded politely, her hands clasped at the small of her back. "I am familiar with Supreme Commander Teigra, though it is no small pleasure to meet you, Chancellor, and yourself, Commander Arlos," the Chiss woman replied politely.
Marcus approached the drink tray and poured himself a glass of brandy, looking to Alena in offering. The woman shook her head and held a hand out at her waist. "No thank you, Commander, I'm enjoying my sobriety." Marcus nodded, having forgotten. "Of course, my apologies." CSAF's premier authority shook her head. "None needed, Admiral."
The Admiral swirled his glass and took a sip, then addressed the Chancellor's remarks. "We are indeed beset on two front by adversaries who wish to see us fall," he began. The content of the conversation was dark, though his tone remained positive. "Yet we are fortunate that these two enemies do not see allies in one another, and this we can use to our advantage."
Glancing at Commander Teigra, Marcus gestured with a finger of the hand holding his glass. "The Free Systems Coalition established by the Supreme Commander provides us with a prime opportunity to take action against these enemies, and action is long passed due. We have ample intelligence assets in those systems that can be applied in support of planning for future movements against the Sith and the Clans, and I believe our CSAF allies would prove a great help in this endeavor. Their intelligence-gathering personnel are unparalleled even by our own, I must admit." Alena nodded her gratitude for the Admiral's admission. Marcus took another sip and continued. "Of course, intelligence means nothing without the ability to take action on it, so I would of course suggest we do just that. After the successful invasion of Coruscant by the Galactic Alliance, we are opportunely placed alongside our allies. I would suggest enacting intelligence-gathering operations on a handful of potential targets while simultaneously attempting to draft the Alliance as allies in combat operations to take back some of these systems. We have been separated from our member worlds for far too long. The economic impact of this has crippled the stability of many systems as they struggle to reposition themselves within the galactic economy. It's about time these worlds were reunited with the Republic."

[member=Caius Flavian] | [member=Suravi Teigra] | [member=Thoja Arlos] | [member=Alena Reckar]​

 

[Thoja Arlos]

"Deploying in mass is all good, if the enemy isn't counting on it. Besides you need the numbers to do that, something we're slowly losing." Thoja pauses as the Grand Admiral enters. "As for GRIM, I'd much prefer if they were adopted into the 228th. They'd have much better equipment and be far more controllable than they are at the moment."

Allowing the Grand Admiral to speak, he takes in the information.

"It is good to meet you as well Admiral." He starts with, wanting to start positive. "However, though we have the ability to attack one foe, that leaves the other free to advance. The mandolorians are pushing like never before, and though the One Sith are vulnerable, it would be better to allow the Galactic Alliance to continue their campaign and holding their attention. We need to send a message to the Clans, warn them what happens when they attack the Republic."

[member="Caius Flavian"] [member="Suravi Teigra"] [member="Alena Reckar"] [member="Marcus Solstice"]

 

[Marcus Solstice]

Marcus nodded along as Thoja spoke, entertaining the thoughtful points the Zabrak made. His response was polite, but competitive, as were all beneficial talks of this nature. "GRIM stands apart as an intelligence agency that answers directly to the Senate. Their autonomy from us gives them a great deal more freedom than they would otherwise have. It would take an act of Congress to absorb GRIM into the fold of the military, and would pass on their bureaucratic responsibilities to the Senate onto our shoulders. I would recommend we leave the agency alone for the time being, and instead converse with those politicians close to the military about making a push in the Senate to expand the jurisdiction and powers of the intel community."
Expanding government authority was always a touchy topic, but considering the quandary the Republic was facing, a fearful Senate might not object. Marcus took a moment to address the Commander's other points.

"As for the Clans...you're right, Commander, a two-front war is not ideal, but it's the position we find ourselves in already. The Clans are advancing regardless, and we must be prepared to yield more territory to them before the day is won." The dark-skinned Admiral allowed a slight smile. "Yet, cooperating with the Alliance on a campaign in the Northern sectors yields two benefits. First, it allows us to embolden our ties with an ally, building a strong foundation of trust with them. Secondly, and this is most important, reconnecting the worlds of the Free Systems Coalition will prove to be an invaluable long-term strategy in our fight against the Mandalorians. If we can reforge those ties, we can provide the FSC with enough resources to strike at Clan territory from another angle, turning their single-front war, into a two-front war as well."
To be honest, Marcus was excited by the notion of turning the tables on the Clans. They had grown far too arrogant, and like any fruit tree, needed pruning. "Even so, you are most right Commander in that we must send a message to the Clans. Their Crusade is the most damaging campaign we've endured since the rise of the One Sith. I would recommend we use assets of the intelligence community to strike a true chord within the Clans: We must strip them of their economic assets in our space and turn them to production for the Republic, and destroy their beskar production capabilities at home. Cripple their war effort, take away their edge." Marcus drank from his glass once more and set it down on the Chancellor's desk. "Focused attacks on their means of production would render a long-term disadvantage and force them to turn resources back home, hopefully stalling their advance. And we can do this without exerting en masse military power."

[member=Caius Flavian] | [member=Suravi Teigra] | [member=Thoja Arlos] | [member=Alena Reckar]

 

[Thoja Arlos]

"With that we are agreed, taking away their advantage would allow us to truly beat them back and retake our lost planets. The question is who we send on these missions. I'd personally suggest the use of either the 228th or the Jedi. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and even a joint operation between the two doesn't cover all issues, but it may be the best we have." Thoja responded, taking a sip from his glass before continuing. "To build upon that, once their beskar is disrupt, they'll want to lick their wounds. This would allow us to mount a few quick strikes at both the Clans and the One Sith, helping to secure our alliance the the Galactic Alliance and restore faith in our citizens."

"As for GRIM, perhaps you are right, though it remains to be seen in the coming weeks."

[member="Caius Flavian"] [member="Marcus Solstice"] [member="Alena Reckar"] [member="Suravi Teigra"]