Besieged

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Besieged
Author: WayneMann
Source: AO3, FF.net
Publication Date: July 16–29, 2024
Timeline Placement: 14:8:19 – 14:9:23 (14–16 ABG)
Canon Tier: U

Besieged is a novel by WayneMann, which chronicles the Siege of Selbar in 14–15 months ABG. The initial two chapters Besieged was released on July 16, 2024, and subsequently released two chapters every day, until July 29, 2024.

Synopsis

Author's Summary

In the 10 months since his debut, the Knight Slayer, General Grievous, has personally butchered dozens of Jedi and led his vast droid armies on a nearly unstoppable rampage. But Republic High General Sadiya Keldon is an adversary unlike any whom he has faced before, and she is able to accomplish what the Jedi cannot. After she routs Grievous’s fleet over Bandomeer, the besieged town of Selbar is all that stands between his miniscule forces and the Republic Grand Army. A single misstep by the cyborg general could result in the annihilation of his lone holdout, but even as both generals try to secure victory, the appearance of a vengeful Altisian Jedi will alter both of their plans….

Obroa-Skai

See also: Raid on Obroa-skai

Visiting the Obroan Galactic Observatory, Kuallue searches for a hospitable planet for R’tunb; displaced by civil war. Warned by the force, only moments before alarms sound, several starships enter the planet's orbit. Kuallue warns his family, through telepathic communion, to get to safety, Kuallue grabs his Speeder and races through the streets of Qorik, to get to his family, knowing it is already too late. A Vulture Droid crashed into their home, killing his wife and son. Telepathically feeling Grievous's pleasure at the destruction, Kuallue swears to avenge his family, and kill none other than General Grievous.

Siege of Selbar

With defeat looming on Bandomeer following a disasterous beginning to the Battle of Bandomeer, Grievous and his forces had retreated to Selbar, where their shield and walled city protected them. Some droid and Babteer Pil forces, particularly those from Bandor, where unable to reach it in time before a Republic blockade cut them off, but Grievous was able to consolidate his forces from Liznob Bot and Rinbam. They also landed the damaged Munificent-class Demask inside the town along with many of their Vulture Droid starfighters. After 10 days of fighting, the Republic had secured the entire planet except for Selbar. By that point, the Separatists were effectively trapped, and Sadiya Keldon used the Vanguard to stay in orbit above and prevent them from escaping.

However, the Separatists instead had had plans to bring reinforcements and supplies into their holdout of Selbar, From Thomquizzar, Teun Mu took the Lucrehulk-class Venture and brought in into Selbar in a stunning move, before the Republic fleet was able to effectively react. It took significant damage but crash-landed beside the Demask. In response, Keldon and Dorain decided to put the larger and more powerful Praetor-class Kalpana above Selbar, while using her Acclamator-classes to defend in higher orbit.

The Separatists were walled up comfortably to the point were Grievous eagerly awaited a chance to fight again. For nearly two weeks, neither side engaged one another in any significant engagements, as the Republic built up forces in camps outside the town. Grievous got his first chance at combat in Selbar on the night of 14 months, 29 days ABG, at which point a light freighter carrying Feeorin mercenaries smuggled its way into Selbar. Grievous went to fight them with IG-121, IG-122, and IG-124. The former two MagnaGuards were destroyed in an ambush, but Grievous and IG-124 survived to kill one mercenary and take the other prisoner. However, one of Grievous's arms was destroyed during the engagement.

Attack at Hotel 4

In day 15 of month 15, Grievous came to find out the Sadiya Keldon and Kuallue were meeting up just outside Selbar, and he launched an attack to strike at both of them. STAPs and HMP Droid Gunships launched a diversionary attack strafing the Republic's camp besh to the south of Selbar, while Grievous took off with a group of STAPs and 2 modified Arrow-21 Landspeeders, outracing the Republic's forces to Keldon. He got past a line of defenders with relative ease and avoided aerial attacks by travelling through the dense forest, beneath the treeptops. Meanwhile, the Predators were destroyed in their attack, but the Republic incurred an estimated 24 personnel casualties.

Grievous's speeders attacked Hotel 4, where the Keldon and Kuallue were at, but Kuallue used powerful telekinetic attacks to take out several STAPs and crash Grievous's Arrow-21 Landspeeder. Kuallue then commandeered a STAP, so Grievous took over one as well to pursue, all while General Keldon was able to hide from his forces and stay alive. Grievous chased Kuallue, ultimately succeeding in bringing down his quarry, but taking extensive damage in the process and exposing his STAP to the sight-line of a V-19 Torrent. The V-19 quickly shot down Grievous, who lost all of his limbs and was at Kuallue's mercy. Ultimately, Kuallue abandoned Grievous to be captured by the arriving Republic forces, but Grievous was able to hide in Lake Nilseen before they arrived, and send out a call for help. Grievous went unconscious shortly thereafter, but he was pulled out of the lake in a rescue mission launched by TeenPat. A Vulture Droid then carried him to safety.

Supply Concerns

Babteer Pil and the Separatists were worn down by the Republic blockade, and the Pablir Regional Medical Center became quickly overcrowded, dealing with shortages in both staffing and medical supplies. The shield over Selbar had the effect of trapping and concentrating airborne pollutants, giving some illnesses caused by the atmosphere. Many were also starving or suffering ill effects from poor water quality after the Republic took over their water treatment plant. The Meerians were also plagued by an Egoravirus outbreak.

The Galactic Republic shut down the facilities pipes to Selbar in order to deprive the Babteer Pil and Separatists of their water. However, they left only a meager group of Clone Troopers to guard it, and LilVas took advantage by sending a group of soldiers led by WaltinNab to crawl through the pipes and rendezvous with Pilhak Niraski on the outside of Selbar in the middle of the night at the Lake Nilseen Water Treatment Facility. From there, they sent dehydrated foods and medical supplies back to Selbar through the pipes, continuing until the Republic caught wind of their scheme and sent reinforcements. Over the the course of just over thirty minutes, they were able to get 24 crates sent back into Selbar.

Republic Counterattack at Valmin

However, the Republic had their own strategy for breaking into Selbar: They dug a tunnel that ultimately connected with an ancient well, allowing them to climb up and enter the Valmin Water Treatment Facility within Selbar. Keldon also ordered that they use the opportunity to poison the water table below, forcing the Meerians to rely entirely on water supplies that had been brought in. Kuallue led three squads of jet troopers into the well before finding themselves in a cistern that the blew open. When Kuallue trying to come back up into the treatment facility, he was attacked by soldiers from above, who threw down frag grenades and attacked. However, Kuallue was able to defeat them with a few feats of telekinesis, allowing the jet troopers to make their way up. They quickly captured the facility, detaining a dozen workers and destroying several B1 Battle Droids.

However, it was not a quiet takeover, and the Separatist reinforcements were already summoned. Before Kuallue or the clones could escape, they were surrounded by droids and an AAT. After a brief battle, the Separatists withdrew to avoid clone snipers, establishing a no-man's-land on the streets surrounding the facility. Kuallue knew that he and the clones would be slaughtered if they left, but Grievous couldn't afford to waste his droids in storming the facility. The Republic took advantage of the time to dump toxic Isonine-4 into the water supply and sabotage the Valmin facility. Grievous eventually decided that a bombardment of Valmin was the only option, forcing the Republic to retreat underground. The bombardment killed 17 clones as well as the captured Meerian workers, but it forced the Republic out of Selbar.

Because of this, the Babteer Pil became very low on drinkable water. The running water was toxic and undrinkable, useful only for flushing their refreshers, although they kept a supply of bottled water and collected snowmelt. With their water supply quickly dwindling, Grievous advised rationing out food more liberally, not expectign to last long enough to need their full supply. They gave out extra rations to volunteers for Babteer Pil, driving up recruitment. However, they were also protested, as many Selbar residents demanded a surrender. Grievous attempted to kick them out of the city and into Republic territory, but Sayida Keldon established that the Republic would shoot on sight anyone who left Selbar, thus forcing Grievous to take care of its entire civilian populace.

Sabotage of the Shield

On the 2nd day of month 16, Sadiya Keldon invoked her plan, attacking Selbar with her largest offensive yet in hopes to destroy the shield generator in the city center and end the battle via a bombardment from the Kalpana. The primary attack came from east of Selbar in camp aurek, sending AT-TEs up the cliffside, but Sadiya and Kuallue were the true key to the attack, hoping to sneak behind enemy lines. They repurposed an ambulance from elsewhere on Bandomeer, removing its medical supplies to haul a large quantity of explosives. Sadiya also dressed up as a Babteer Pil medic, although Kuallue and the two Republic Commandos with them, Forr and Lio, made no effort to disguise themselves, instead waiting in the back part of the vehicle where they were obscured.

The Separatists were slow to respond to the Republic's diversionary attack on their east, which was led by Commander Epsilon. They attempted to breach the 10-meter high wall with AT-TE Walkers but were repelled initially, but Sadiya's real plan used LAAT Gunships, which crashed into the wall. Two were laden with explosives, but one actually carrier her and Kuallue's fake ambulance in the passenger compartment. They ejected the airspeeder from the gunship shortly before it crashed, thus allowing them to land safely in the middle of chaos without anyone noticing. Then, they sped off behind the Separatist lines, blending in with the larger fleet of emergency vehicles that were supporting the Babteer PIl.

This strategy also had the secondary benefit of blowing a massive hole in the wall, which Epsilon's forces quickly exploited. AT-TEs marched through the shield and toward the city streets, where they met heavy resistance both from trying to climb over the rubble and from the Separatist/Babteer Pil forces. AATs and soldiers worked to flank the walkers, and General Grievous's Decoy participated in the fight as well.

Sadiya first dropped off Kuallue at the Jedlor Spaceport, where he went about infiltrating the Venture and trying to destroy its shield generator, which was being used as a backup to defend Selbar. Meanwhile, Keldon and the commandos took their speeder toward the city center, waiting for the chance to destroy the primary shield generator. Kuallue quickly raised an alarm on his way into the Venture, and when the droids failed to finish him off, Grievous responded by sending his decoy to aid them. However, the decoy arrived too late, and Kuallue was able to trigger his detpacks to destroy the generator. Not long after, Keldon, Lio, and Forr attacked the main generator, outwitting Grievous in the process. Their success left the city vulnerable to orbital bombardment, and the Kalpana unleashed a rain of fire directed toward their spaceport.

Fleeing Selbar

The Separatists mobilized, activating shields on the Demask, launching Vulture Droids and a variety of ships owned by Babteer Pil, and attacking the Grand Army below them on the east side of the city. The clones tried to escape down the cliffside, but Grievous and WanThir had devised "Protocol Met," which involved blasting the top part of the cliff to cause a rockslide, decimating the Clone Troopers and their walkers. Grievous also had has decoy try to escape aboard a Sheathipede-class Shuttle. It was pursued by Kuallue, who telepathically ordered the Kalpana to capture it in a tractor beam.

Thanks to the intervention of several Colicoid Infiltrator-series Droids, Kuallue was unable to capture Grievous's decoy at first, and more than a dozen Babteer Pil captives including TeenPat and SalDin were also freed. These two groups were able to sabotage the comms and sensors of the Kalpana. Meanwhile on the ground, Grievous and WanThir sent their troops down the hill, attempting to take the Republic's camp aurek, where many starships were sitting that they hoped to commandeer. As the Republic moved to stop them, it exposed vulnerabilities in camp besh, allowing Grievous to send STAPs to destroy the SPHA-Ts that were bombarding Selbar.

Suspicious of Sadiya's lack of progress, the Jedi High Council discreetly requested Djinn Altis to aid them in investigating Bandomeer, as they were formally forbidden from involvement due to their inability to coordinate with Keldon. They did, however, send Nan Latourain with Altis, as she was thought dead and could plausibly claim to have left the Order.

Kuallue teamed up with recent arrivals Djinn Altis and Nan Latourain to eventually corner the decoy, but not before it destroyed the Kalpana's sensor array, effectively blinding the ship. After a prolonged battle, they defeated it, realizing afterwards that they had not killed the real Grievous. At that, Admiral Dorain reached out to Kuallue, asking him to come to the bridge in order to help relay commands from Sadiya, who was still MIA. Meanwhile, Altis was sent off to handle the other group of saboteurs, and Nan was sent down to the planet surface to stop Grievous from seizing camp aurek.

The clones on the ground were undone by Kuallue, who spotted what looked to be the Demask flying between the Kalpana and the clones. In reality, it was just a hologram, so when Kuallue ordered the Kalpana to fire on it, the blasts went right through it and decimated the clone army. With that, Grievous was able to march directly into the Galactic Republic's camp aurek and begin siezing the starships. Grievous led from the front, personally boarding the Consular-class Cruiser Micah Giiett alongside IG-124 and a half-dozen Babteer Pil. There, they encountered Nan Latourain, who nearly killed Grievous before she was killed by IG-124. In addition to the Micah Giiett, the Separatists took 9 CR25 Troop Carriers and roughly 40 V-19 Torrents.

The Kalpana, already chaotic with the lack of working communications, turned even more chaotic after that, with Kuallue, Captain Karne, and Admiral Dorain struggling to relay orders to other parts of the ship. When they were attacked by Grievous's new hijacked fleet, Kuallue went back and forth on his orders, causing further confusion until it was too late. Their engines were targeted, and multiple were destroyed in the confusion, causing the battlecruiser to crash.

With the destruction of the Kalpana, it freed the way for the Separatists to flee the planet. However, Grievous was feeling confident and instead decided to stand and fight against the two remaining Acclamator-class Assault Ships. He hoped that his bold attack could scare them off, tricking them into thinking that Separatist reinforcements were inbound.

Grievous ordered WanThir to take command of the Micah Giiett, their second-largest starship, while he sent LilVas to get more supplies from camp aurek. Grievous, Teun Mu, and TeenPat stayed on the bridge of the Demask. The Micah Giiett and Demask fought back-to-back for the final battle with remaining Republic naval forces. However, the former was quickly damaged, and an ion bomb knocked their shields offline for a minute. They would've been destroyed were it not for a sacrifice by LilVas, which bought WanThir's crew time to get their shields back up.

Later, both ships were forced to disengage and go further into the planet's gravity well, which Sadiya Keldon interpreted as a trap, trying to lure her ships downward so that that could be surrounded by incoming Separatist reinforcements. As Grievous had hoped, Keldon retreated, and the Separatists took control of Bandomeer.

Cleanup in Liznob Bot

Babteer Pil began to retake the rest of the planet, and once their Separatist reinforcements arrived, very late that night, they were able to mount an attack against the remaining Republic outposts. WanThir, Grievous, and TeenPat went for Liznob Bot, a town close to Selbar which was acted as one of the bigger Republic strongholds. They seized it in a day. Around the same time, Governor LanBeeb emerged from hiding in Bandor, resuming her governance over the planet.

Aftermath

TeenPat made sure that the battle in Liznob Bot left enough time for the Babteer Pil to attend the conclusion of the Selbar Babteer's victory over the Liznob Bot Padneen. Grievous, TeenPat, and WanThir spoke briefly at the event and received an ovation from the crowd.

WanThir told Grievous that he was thankful for what the Separatists did, but he did not want to fight for them offworld. Instead, he decided to focus on helping his people rebuild. TeenPat did decide to join Grievous.

Grievous then spoke with Count Dooku, who was surprised by how successful Grievous had been. As a result, Grievous was awarded command of the upcoming Operation Durge's Lance. Grievous also advised the Separatists make more use of the Colicoid Infiltrator-series Droids and also attempt to recruit more Meerian soldiers.

Djinn Altis returned to Coruscant, where he was questioned by the leaders of the Galactic Republic military, who wanted to see if the Jedi High Council had disobeyed orders not to get involved with Sadiya Keldon's affairs. Altis lied to them, insisting that he acted on his own, but he reported back his findings to the Council, that Keldon seemed loyal but deeply misguided by the Dark side. However, most of the Jedi, considering how strange the battle's conclusion had been, surmised that Keldon was likely to be a traitor.

Appearances

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Miscellanea

Continuity

When Djinn Altis speaks to the Jedi Council, Sora Bulq is mistakenly referred to as the apprentice of Mace Windu.

Sources

Notes


References

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