SW System 11: Meet the Legion (Patreon)

Master Yoda watched as the young, freshly knighted group fluttered out of the room. He knew this decision needed to be made; the Republic needed the Jedi more than ever since the Great Galactic War. Yet, he felt a nagging concern in his mind—perhaps a warning from the Force itself.

Recently, his usual clairvoyance had become clouded. With a heavy heart, he had knighted young Iggios, and soon after, a larger group of promising Padawans. The only Padawan still not knighted was young Skywalker, but that was only because he and his Master had already been dispatched to fight.

Yoda let out a dissatisfied hum, echoing through the now-empty room. He had done what was best for the Republic, but had he done what was best for the Jedi Order? The answer eluded him, yet the subtle tug on his mind persisted.

The most challenging decision he faced was whether to promote Iggios. From a purely utilitarian standpoint, he understood he had no choice but to do so.

That was why he decided to push so hard during their mock duel; he needed to determine if the young man could truly command the Dark Side, as Master Trebor had described. Yoda had his doubts, of course. But seeing Iggios let go and unleash the power he had kept buried did nothing to ease his concerns. Such a degree of power should not be something anyone his age could command.

However, after the emotions flared, the young human managed to rein himself back from the darkness. Yoda had never witnessed anything like that in his long life, even though he had heard tales of ancient Jedi. Very few managed to cast off the shackles of the Dark Side, and even fewer could remain connected to it while still utilizing its power.

To master this unique connection to the Force, one had to go through a significant amount of suffering, or at least, that seemed to be the case. And nothing tests one’s inner darkness more than a war.

This was the spiritual reason Yoda decided to promote Iggios. He could only hope the young knight would master his emotions sooner than his predecessors did all those millennia ago.

However, the primary reason for promoting Iggios was that many clone commanders were less than impressed by the casual disregard many Jedi had shown towards the lives of their brothers. It was thanks to that young Padawan that the backlash had not been worse.

Failing to promote Iggios would likely upset many, especially since one of the clone marshal-commanders seemed to take a liking to the young man—Zack, yes, that was the name given to the clone. Quite a clever idea on Iggios’ part, according to Yoda himself, to give names to the clones.

As far as Yoda was concerned, he could feel in the Force that each clone was a living, breathing being; each one was slightly different, even if their faces were the same. Unfortunately, some of his colleagues did not share this perspective.

Several Jedi were displeased that the army was comprised of clones; some refused to fight altogether, some viewed the mere existence of a clone army as an affront to the living Force. And yet, only very few had a solid reason to distrust the clones.

Master Rahm Kota, for example, simply did not trust an army that appeared out of nowhere. He found the almost robotic nature of some regular clones to be inhumane, or at the very least, highly suspicious.

How could one trust a soldier who could not think for themselves? How could one trust a soldier whose conditioning was done by an unknown party?

Yoda could understand this apprehension. However, treating these clearly living beings as disposable was something he needed to address among his fellow Jedi.

Then there were the mass promotions. Even Padawans who technically did not qualify—those unprepared for the hardships of war—were pushed into knighthood. Yoda felt confident that young Iggios and Skywalker would handle it, but he was much more doubtful about those who had not experienced the Battle of Geonosis.

It was a lose-lose situation, and he did not like it one bit.

In over eight centuries, Yoda had lived and worked for what he believed was best for the Jedi Order, only to find himself stuck between impossible choices. He could either not fulfill his commitment to the Republic or send inexperienced, often overconfident knights to lead entire battalions.

Neither option was good, but by the time Yoda even got wind of the Senate’s decision to place Jedi in commanding positions, the motion had already been voted upon.

"Master Yoda, am I interrupting your meditation?" a voice broke through the ancient Jedi's thoughts. He turned to see one of the very Jedi who had occupied his thoughts over the past few moments.

"Master Kota, come to a decision, have you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly at the fellow Jedi Master.

"I will lead volunteers, Master Yoda. Many wish to fight for the Republic; people I can trust," the human replied. "The clones are good soldiers, but they lack creativity, Master. Most of the regular forces obey orders without question. An army needs people who can be flexible, not brutally conditioned soldiers who act like droids." There was no hidden malice in his voice—only disappointment, perhaps, but it was overshadowed by resolve.

If Master Kota wished to provide the citizens of the Republic with a way to fight for their beliefs, Yoda would not stand in his way.

“Allow it, I will,” Yoda conceded, disappointment seeping through him. Kota was likely the best leader the Order had at that moment, and he had decided not to lead the clones at all.

“But the new vessels, you will not fly. Created for the Clone Army, they were,” he explained.

The high command would not permit it, even if Yoda put in a good word for Kota.

———

It was unusual for Iggios to feel nervous, but walking through the corridors of one of his soon-to-be Venators felt almost surreal. He had been a casual fan of Star Wars in his past life—nothing too intense, but he enjoyed the stories. Still, being able to walk through the halls of one of the most iconic ships felt just as exciting as exploring the Jedi Temple when he had regained his memories.

On top of that, he was looking forward to meeting his own Clone Legion. Although Iggios was slightly disappointed not to have been assigned a full Sector Army, having his own little fleet was still a thrill. After all, Anakin only had a Legion too, and his 501st was well-known even among casual fans.

As he stepped into the lift heading for the main bridge, his mind was still racing. He had already walked past numerous clones, droids, and naval officers, struggling to keep up with all the activity around him.

He really hoped that the Commander Upgrades would show up soon so he could get a good look at them. The vessel moved seamlessly through space, and when he exited the lift onto the bridge, the stars were clearly visible. If Iggios didn't know that the ship had lifted off moments after he boarded, he would have never guessed it had ascended beyond the planet's atmosphere.

Looking out through the massive window for a moment, he spotted his other two Venators and four Acclamators already waiting for this ship to join them.

He noticed a clone wearing highly stylized armor, clearly a Commander. His armor was distinct, featuring red accents along his arms and helmet. He wore an additional gray pauldron on his upper torso, one shoulder painted red, and around his waist and thighs hung a dark gray kama with red accents—an item commonly worn by ARC Troopers, to Iggios' knowledge.

As Iggios approached, the clone scrutinized him before addressing the young Jedi.

"ARC-77, Commander Fordo, at your service, General," he said in a serious but expectant tone, offering his hand.

"Iggios Stritt, Knight of the Jedi Order. It's good to meet you, Commander," Iggios replied, suppressing his inner fanboy as he shook Fordo's hand. What incredible luck to have possibly the most badass clone as his second-in-command!

"I've heard you did a great job at Geonosis," Fordo remarked, clearly reassessing the assignment. Understandable. He had likely only been informed that he would be assigned to a Jedi, and given the generally lukewarm performance of most Jedi, Iggios could understand any apprehension among the clones, especially the elite ones.

"I did what any commander is supposed to do," Iggios said casually. "A battle can't be won if all your men die in a frontal charge."

"I can agree with that, and I hope more Generals realize it too," Fordo responded, sounding unconvinced by Jedi leaders overall.

"We'll find out soon enough. I received my first orders just before boarding," Iggios said, gazing into space at his little fleet. "We are to support General Kenobi at Muunilinst. The fleet assembled under him was put together hastily, and there are issues with penetrating the planetary defenses in space."

Unfortunately, he could provide little more detail; the information at hand was disturbingly vague. Was this due to a lack of sufficient reports from Obi-Wan, or was he intentionally given incomplete information?

Iggios would bet his skin it was the latter. Obi-Wan was far from stupid and likely knew how to report the enemy's strength.

"That is an... odd lack of information, General," Fordo remarked, perfectly mirroring Iggios' thoughts.

"Well, it's what we've got. Let's set a course. If I recall correctly, Muunilinst is about a day out," Iggios said, already deep in thought about the upcoming mission. He would need to devise a few basic plans, but he understood that he would need to assess the battlefield first before anything concrete could be formulated.

After ensuring he and Fordo were on the same page about the basic plans he had developed, Iggios retreated to what would become his room. The dim light from the System screen illuminated his face as he reviewed the newly available Commander Upgrade tree.

The upgrades were largely what he expected. He could provide clone commanders, captains, sergeants, and others with various buffs, including some aura-like effects.

One upgrade, called (Un)lucky Hit, increased the chances of clones under his command being knocked unconscious rather than dying when hit by a blaster. It looked tempting even though the chance was not that great. It would add up, though. Unfortunately, it was also very costly.

Another upgrade followed a similar concept, making it more likely to reduce the severity of injuries if one of his clones was hit. There was also an upgrade that granted ARC troopers assigned to Fordo significant bonuses across the board, including accuracy, speed, and a better chance of identifying enemy weaknesses.

This upgrade was extensive and built upon something Fordo already possessed. It turned out that even clones had Traits. While this was not entirely surprising, Fordo's Trait was already impressive, especially when paired with his leadership of a squad of ARC troopers. His specialization clearly lay in elite operations, and it showed.

Ultimately, Iggios decided to invest all thirty points in the upgrade that would reduce his casualties.

While this choice delayed his acquisition of Battle Meditation, he recognized that there was nothing more valuable he could afford than this upgrade. And all those clones who would not die would eventually add up. Attrition was a bitch, no matter the universe, so preventing even a tiny bit of it was always nice.

Iggios sighed and looked at the screen again. The System allowed him to view the status of his fleet, including the ships, their supplies, fuel, troops, heavy armaments and vehicles, starfighters, and all other cargo onboard.

"System... why am I playing Starsector?" he asked, unsure if he really wanted to know the answer.

User had played that game in his past life and was already familiar with the interface.

"Fair enough, but then why not Stellaris, Empire at War, or any other strategy game?" Iggios asked, surprised that there was a method to the System's madness.

Because none of them concern the logistics of a fleet. User can unlock Stellaris mode if he creates an independent faction.

"Yeah, probably not gonna happen... just please, for the love of the Force, keep the mods to a minimum." He chuckled to himself.

Vanilla Starsector was already quite a mess, and Iggios was not keen on getting a Semibreve torpedo to the face.

Do not fret, User. No enemy has the power to summon anything from different universes. That power is unique to User.

"Funny you say that. I was just about to ask if anything was stopping me from summoning something stupid," Iggios chuckled as he glanced at the summoning tab.

There were various weapons from nearly every sci-fi universe he could remember, ranging from Protoss Warp Blades to the Gravity Gun from Half-Life.

He shuddered when he noticed he had the option to summon an entire fucking Hive Fleet.

Thankfully, that option was prohibitively expensive and, even if he had the ridiculous amount of points required, it would be incredibly stupid to actually summon one.

Then there was a long list of individuals he could also summon, something he would have to look into once he had enough points to consider it as a viable option.

It is up to the User to summon what he can handle. The System will not stop the User from being stupid. Technology more removed from the one native to this universe will be naturally more expensive.

"I guess that explains why items from this universe are cheaper, even if some of them haven't even been created yet," Iggios mused, focusing his eyes on the items from the Star Wars universe.

There were numerous items available, from rare blasters to capital ships, and even a Death Star. Doing some quick math, he realized that even if he were to purchase a fleet full of Death Stars, they would still cost less than that Hive Fleet.

"It feels like I could use this to strengthen my forces, but it’s not something I should do too often, especially considering the prices," Iggios mused.

"Also, System, what's up with the blueprints? Why can I buy them for only some of the summons here?" he asked, though he already expected the answer—likely due to technological compatibility.

Some vessels are far too advanced to be manufactured or require materials that do not exist in this universe.

Blueprints are significantly cheaper because User would have to find someone who would actually build the vessel.

That was more than understandable. There already were a few blueprints he liked. Especially some of those for personal ships.

Something in the size range of the Millennium Falcon that could be his moving base in case he needed to work alone or in a small team.

Finding someone who would actually build the ships would not be that hard, mostly due to the contacts Master Trebor had. What was a few dozen points for a blueprint as opposed to the hundreds he would have to pay to get the ship outright?

Even in death, his Master still found a way to help Iggios.

———

Obi-Wan stood on the bridge of the Acclamator-class vessel, surveying the space battle over Muunilinst. Initially, he had planned to rush past the CIS defenses using Gunships. However, the enemy's strong fighter presence complicated that strategy, and he opted not to waste his troops on such a reckless approach.

The issue wasn’t that they were losing ground; in fact, the Acclamators were quite capable of withstanding enemy fire. The real problem was in destroying the enemy ships. The naval officers assisting him with the invasion expertly cycled the Acclamators in and out of active combat, a tactic that Obi-Wan had not considered until it was demonstrated right before him, even though it was painfully obvious now that he had seen it work.

Despite his new rank as General, he realized he still had much to learn. For now, he decided to heed the advice of those with more experience and called for reinforcements, specifically requesting vessels with greater firepower than the Acclamators. He believed it would be unwise to completely leave the space battle to Anakin before they had the means to penetrate the enemy shields.

As much as Anakin had improved with the Force and his lightsaber skills, he was still far from patient. However, he had demonstrated remarkable talent as a starfighter squad leader—unless he was attempting some physics-defying stunt that no other pilot could follow, Jedi or not.

It was only here that Obi-Wan made an observation. The Jedi had no clue about the capability of their clone forces. And that included Obi-Wan himself. He had worked with other Jedi on perilous missions and knew what to expect from them. The clones, however, were regular humans. He couldn't assume they would charge through enemy fire while dodging or deflecting blaster fire.

Kenobi was well aware of the reports from the clones at Geonosis, which indicated that many had been unimpressed with the leadership style of the Jedi, especially after being ordered to charge into a sandstorm and participate in line warfare.

He felt lucky to have pursued Dooku instead of assuming command. While the clones followed orders, Obi-Wan sensed a level of distrust from nearly all of them, something that would undoubtedly be worse with the Jedi who had already shown poor command.

The Republic as a whole had made a poor first impression, and trust was difficult to build.

He knew he had to prove that following him wasn’t a guaranteed death sentence and, more importantly, that he genuinely cared about the well-being of his troops. Unfortunately, the words and actions of some of his colleagues made that task much harder than it had to be. He hoped that the clones would see that not all Jedi regarded them as abominations.

“Anakin, do you read?” he called, trying to reach his Padawan.

“Loud and clear, Master,” Anakin responded, sounding unusually cheerful, likely due to the opportunity to fly so much.

“Please fall back and escort the bomber wings heading for the enemy ship in your sector,” Obi-Wan ordered.

If there was one thing he had learned, it was that protecting their assets was crucial, and right now, the Y-Wings were their best chance to overwhelm the enemy vessel.

Sometimes, he felt it was unfortunate how talented Anakin was. If he weren’t quite so gifted, perhaps he would follow orders before nearly a quarter of the fleet's bombers were destroyed.

Fortunately, this time Anakin actually listened, in contrast to the first time Obi-Wan had given the order at the very start of the battle, which had ultimately led to the CIS vessel being overwhelmed.

Obi-Wan's satisfied hum was interrupted by his new clone commander, Cody.

“General, our reinforcements have arrived,” Cody reported. Obi-Wan glanced at the holomap and noticed three large wedge-shaped vessels escorted by four Acclamators. Just from their size, he could tell that the battle in orbit should become much less problematic.

“It’s the 77th Legion, first response and planetary liberation,” Cody said as the transponder was identified.

Obi-Wan then opened the comm with the lead vessel of the reinforcements.

“Hello there. Glad to see someone show up.”

“General Kenobi. Looking forward to working with you,” a young voice replied, sounding too youthful to be a Jedi Knight—certainly younger than Anakin.

“Open the hangars. Torrents on escort duty and concentrate fire. I want the left flank of their formation crippled before we send out the invasion force,” The young Jedi commanded, like it was a second nature to him.

The orders were received, and the large dorsal hangars on the large ships opened, releasing a mix of fighters and bombers.

Meanwhile, the vessels concentrated their fire, their massive Turbolaser batteries shredding through the shields and armor of the first CIS vessel. Whoever the young Jedi was, he certainly seemed to know what he was doing.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Okay, that's the prelude to the first proper Clone Wars battle. Any suggestions for the personal ship Iggy could get his hands on early? So far, I kinda like the Fury Class Interceptor (ship from The Old Republic MMO), but I could be convinced.

And of course, the color-scheme for the Legion is also a big question. There is still some time before I will have to finally decide that, but so far, it'S a tossup between purple and just plain black... but once again, I can definitely be convinced otherwise.