Attrition

Attrition is a novel from The Vesal Chronicles (TVC), documenting the life of Jedi Master Jeden Vesal. Set during the Clone Wars, the story focuses on the final campaign of the 44th Special Forces Division during the Clone Wars, before the onset of Order 66 and the Rise of the Empire.

Synopsis
The story begins with Jeden meeting with Admiral Anhal aboard the bridge of the Phantom, where the pair discuss whether Koses is ready for combat, before Jeden reveals that there is another campaign for the Division. Jeden summons Nightingale Squad, Commander Lion and Koses to the bridge, where Jeden reveals the next phase of the War: the Outer Rim Sieges. To begin the sieges, the 44th will work alongside the 501st Airborne (commanded temporarily by Captain Rex while Anakin Skywalker is away on a separate mission) to take two Separatist-controlled worlds in Hutt Space: the forest world of Ylesia and the acquatic planet of Nyrvona. The 44th's mission is Ylesia, where Jeden outlines his own plan to cripple Separatist forces in the countryside, before taking on the capital city of Ylesia, Uslor.

After a violent landing on Ylesia, Jeden, Koses and Nightingale Squad help to clear the initial droid defenses and the 44th set up camp in the Ylesian wilderness. While scouting the route to Uslor, Jeden gets into an argument with Lion, which soon becomes heated after Lion accuses the Jedi of being indecisive, seeing their peacekeeping as a failure, while Jeden argues that without the Jedi doctrine, the Republic would constantly be at war, before the argument was broken up by Nightingale Squad, with Twenty noting that the war is finally taking a psychological toll on everyone involved. Not long after, Nightingale Squad reveal the plan for infiltrating Uslor and shutting down a city-wide ray shield that protects it from any external interference, as the Squad are tasked by Fen with sneaking through tunnels underground that the droids use to shuttle supplies in and out of the city. Phoenix is also introduced to Commander 'Mech', a tank commander from the 501st and a temporary commander of an armoured company on Ylesia. While Phoenix is welcoming to Mech, Lion quickly dislikes him.

In the tunnels, Wraith is separated from the rest of the Squad after part of the tunnel complex collapses, though manages to reunite with the Squad after accidentally disabling power to Uslor. The Squad then enter the city itself and shut down the backup power generators, disablng the ray shield and causing the 44th to attack the city in force, causing carnage as skyscrapers begin to collapse, both sides taking heavy losses within a single day. To Jeden's dismay, he learns from Anhal that the 44th's fleet has been forced to pull away from Ylesia after the Separatists called for naval reinforcements. Once the 44th moves into the city, Ylesia's winter hits hard, blocking passage out of the city and leading to a stalemate inside Uslor, with both sides becoming inactive as they struggle to work through the thick snow and wind. Mech attempts to break through the weather and droid defenses in the centre of the city with his company, only for the tanks to be decimated after the fog clears momentarily and the droid defenses open fire, with no survivors making it back to the Clones - including Mech. Dealing with mounting losses and no escape route, Jeden begins to feel the pressure, causing Koses to take a more direct leading role. Tensions also mount among Nightingale Squad, with Twenty and Phoenix constantly arguing.

Eventually, the weather eases and the 44th attack the centre of Uslor, just as the 501st arrive to support them after capturing Nyrvona, joined by Master Yoda. Jeden and Yoda face off against Dooku and Grievous, who they discover had been on Ylesia the whole time, being trapped by the snow from escaping the planet. Jeden is able to fend off Dooku, before he and Grievous escape just before the fleet can intercept. Nonetheless, the operation is a success. Jeden tells Koses how he needs some rest before the next mission, while Phoenix reunites with Rex for the first time in two years.

A week after Ylesia, Jeden's meditation on the Phantom is interrupted by Fen, who informs Jeden and Koses that Coruscant has come under a large-scale attack, with Palpatine missing and the Republic Fleet in a tense battle with the Separatists. Upon learning that San-Ha-Vin, Jeden's former Master, has been captured by a Separatist Colonel, Jeden departs ahead of the fleet with Koses and Nightingale Squad to rescue Vin.

Main Characters

 * Jeden Vesal - Jedi Master, General of the 44th Special Forces Division and the supreme commander of Operation Colossus
 * Koses Lik-Har - Jeden's Padawan and third-in-command, as well as one of the leading commanders of Republic forces on Ylesia
 * Commander 'Phoenix' - Nightingale Squad's commander and Jeden's best friend. Jeden's third-in-command on the ground on Ylesia
 * Commander 'Lion' - The commander of the Clone troopers in the 44th Special Forces Division and Jeden's second-in-command on Ylesia

Side Characters

 * Admiral Olan Anhal - Jeden's strategic adviser and the commander of the 44th's naval forces, Jeden's joint SIC alongside Phoenix
 * Captain 'Rex' - Clone captain and temporary leader of the 501st Airborne during Operation Colossus
 * Nightingale Squad - Clone troopers 'Wraith' (CC-1451), 'Twenty' (CC-1452) and 'Sting' (CC-1453), personal squad of Jeden and leading commanders in the 44th
 * Commander 'Mech' - Tank commander of the 501st and temporary Company leader in the 44th during Operation Colossus