Campaign of the Grand Marshal
From Jalassociatecomics
The Campaign of the Grand Marshal of the Galactic Empire is the primary focus of the Grand Marshal Trilogy. Though it was a brief campaign, lasting only from 6.25 ABY to 7.75 ABY, it left a deep impact on the fledgling New Republic, and unsettled them for the benefit, of the Marshal's military successor, Grand Admiral Thrawn.
All the battles of the campaign(s) are listed at Grand Marshal fanonical conflicts.
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The map
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(click for a better view)
will be helpful in understanding the campaign. It is advisable to have it open in another window or tab for easy reference.
- The beige line demarcates the Grand Marshal's territory prior to his campaign.
- The thick blue line demarcates the New Republic as it stood during the Grand Marshal Trilogy. The straight lines demonstrate hyperspace routes.
- The brown line shows the first campaign of the Grand Marshal. [Note: this only shows the attack, not the eventual retreat,]
- The green lines show the second campaign of the Grand Marshal. The straight lines are the hyperspace paths used by the Marshal's forces.
Spoiler warning: Plot AND ending details follow. If you're the type who LOVES revealing the ending ten seconds into a movie, and ruin the experience for all, read on. Read on, you selfish <insert insult directed at your mother here>.
Early preparation
As said on his character page, the Marshal had amassed a massive empire just north of Hutt Space, even penetrating into it at the planet Kintan (see map.) Though its northwestern limit bordered New Republic ground (Yavin), the Rebels did not suspect his presence until it was far too late. He made the capital Iego.
When he raided Palpatine's offices in 4 ABY, he also stumbled upon CIS plans for the "Ultimate Weapon", and thus built the Third Death Star, a battlestation roughly 120 km in diameter. Even though that was the main focus of the campaign, the Death Star was not a superweapon. The superlaser had been sabotaged to implode, thus forming a massive bait and trap if the superlaser was ever employed.
First campaign
He then moved the Death Star to Yavin, while simultaneously invading the systems close to it, as a backup of sorts. The Marshal knew that the Republic would find it, and eventually capture it, especially when he had captured their leader, Luke Skywalker. The original plan was to let the Rebels steal the Death Star, then invade Yavin, forcing the New Republic to fire the Death Star, killing important Rebel generals and other officers, among many hundreds of troops.
However, he had reckoned without the New Jedi Order - or at least the band of Force-sensitives Luke has assembled. Imperial troops were massacred in the ensuing battle, forcing a mass retreat of the remaining Imperial forces. His double engaged with a battle between Luke, Leia and Han, ultimately losing.
Even though this could be considered a defeat, the Marshal realized that he had still rattled the Republic, fooled them into thinking he was dead, and captured key worlds near Yavin. It was only these consolations that prevented him from flying into an insane rage.
Second campaign
The Grand Marshal's second campaign would be far more sucessful. It was primarily a blitzkreig, after some shadowy preliminary maneuvers. This attack would be far more ambitious than his first such campaign. In order to strike at lower New Republic worlds, he first took Aduba, Rinn and Barab, clearing a path to the Abrion and Arkanis sectors.
He also decided to attack Yavin, a known strong Republic Base, from the front and rear. This required him to capture the Lahara sector a shoert time before the main attack, primarily consisting of average New Republic bases.
All was set. He encountered Luke Skywalker on Tatooine (the second centerpiece of the lower invasion), and grievously wounded him before ordering his forces to leap out of hyperspace and attack. Incredibly quick "sector-hopping" ensued, with giant squadrons leaping out of hyperspace near the Hydian way and Abjajeck/Spar sectors, capturing key bases such as Dagobah, Hoth, Bespin and Endor, requiring mass Rebel evacuations.
In the upper area of the Galaxy, the pincer attack worked perfectly, and Yavin fell. The two Dark Acolytes he had trained who were acting as second-in-commands destroyed the New Jedi Order at the Massassi Temple, the de facto Jedi Praxeum. Chewbacca was also captured during the chaos of the battle.
Not only that, when the Rebels made a last-ditch effort and tried to use the battlestaion to shoot Imperial Star Destroyers, the superlaser mechnism detonated, and a wing of TIE fighters had made it to the trench. After one lucky shot, the Death Star exploded, killing tens of thousands of troops that may have turned the tide of the battle, perhaps even the campaign. This part of the battle can be considered to be an extension of the original plan of the Grand Marshal.
Now the Grand Marshal had gained a truly massive Empire, and at this point he crowned himself Galactic Emperor, in defiance of Ysanne Isard. If one looks at the map, it becomes evident that his empire is an Outer Rim bracket, ready to close in on the Expansion Region and Inner Rim. One can also see that the Marshal was well within striking range of the capital of the New Republic. He was at the peak of power at this point.
