Wars of aggression have become popular with those convinced that only victory and conquest will improve their material well-being.
—Cos Jonathan Dashin
The Great Rim Lines War was a major galactic conflict fought roughly forty years after the Great Territorial War. The war saw the forces of the Third Sith Empire, which had previously been defeated in the Great Territorial War, and the Mandalorian Clans on the offensive against the forces of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. The conflict was fought primarily to acquire trade routes and supplies for the dwindling Sith and Mandalorian militaries.
The conflict traced its origins back to the aftermath of the Great Territorial War when the Third Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic were in shambles. The Republic’s infrastructure had been significantly weakened which called for the beginning of a lengthy reconstruction process. The Sith’s numbers continued to fall due to in-fighting and the Mandalorians, lacking strong allies, also felt the effects of a lack of supplies to continue funding their military. Much like they had during the early stages of the Mandalorian Wars, the Republic initially paid the Outer Rim sieges no mind, but eventually they were forced to enter into the conflict. The Republic lost every major engagement until the end of the war.
The decisive confrontation came when Cos Jonathan Dashin, a young Republic Colonel, was placed in command of the Republic fleet. He formulated a plan that would lure the entire Sith and Mandalorian army into a massive trap where they eventually ended up being destroyed on Dxun. As the Mandalorians barely limped away from the war, the Sith saw their numbers fall into the range of a few dozen, leaving open a wound that would allow for the outbreak of the United Pirate Crusades and the Great Sovereign Crusades.
History[]
Origins[]
When the Great Territorial War ended on Coruscant, Empress Viea was reported to have been killed in action and the Third Sith Empire had been defeated. Many of the Sith loyal to Viea blamed Darth Apocalus, Darth Invidius and their Macabre Alliance for causing the infighting that destroyed the Empire from within and allowed the Republic and the Jedi to destroy it from the outside. A great number of the Sith desperately wanted revenge on the Macabre Alliance leadership, though Apocalus had been killed in action over Coruscant and Invidius had been reportedly killed on Korriban by Ussej Padric Bac.
Though the Republic had been victorious in the final battle of the war, the victory was bittersweet as it came at great cost. Millions of Republic citizens were dead, the Jedi Order was in shambles and many parts of Coruscant were in ruins. The Republic military had also been reduced to a fraction of the size it had once been, reversing the progress made to rebuild it after the Jedi Civil War. Supreme Chancellor Urus Columba immediately ordered crews to begin rebuilding the cities of Coruscant and to begin strengthening the military, though he knew that the process would be slow as the Republic was also lacking in funds to make it a faster operation. Because the Great Jedi Pyramid had been destroyed by a Sith bombardment, the Jedi Order relocated to Dantooine where they expanded their Jedi Enclave to be able to support hundreds of Jedi at one time.
The Mandalorian Clans, who had helped the Republic defeat the Sith at Coruscant, found themselves in a desperate situation. Many of their soldiers and ships had been killed and destroyed at Coruscant, so they knew that it would be harder to survive and to feed their growing colonies on worlds such as Mandalore and Concord Dawn. Their estimates told them that they had enough supplies to last for only a century, during which time they would be forced to find other means of acquiring new resources or else watch as their people suffered and died.
Two weeks after the defeat on Coruscant, the Sith learned that Invidius had survived his duel with Ussej Padric Bac and had traveled to Lehon, though his reasoning was unknown to them. The Sith gathered ships, resources and soldiers to capture him and hunt down the rest of the Macabre Alliance members, but first made their way to Lehon. When they arrived, they captured him in the Temple of the Ancients and brought him to Ziost where they cast away his soul to the Citadel of Sorrow for his treachery. When the process was completed, they began a massive manhunt for the remaining members of the Macabre Alliance, searching all across the known galaxy for them.
During the search for the Sith traitors, many members of the Jedi Order took it upon themselves to launch rogue, guerrilla attacks against Sith forces. For nearly one year, the Jedi continued their assaults until, finally, the Jedi Council placed their support behind the guerrilla tactics. The attacks continued for five more weeks until the Sith forces felt that they had lost too many men, ships and resources in their search for the remaining Macabre Alliance members. Therefore, changing their initial opinions, the Sith put out word that they would accept the traitors back into their ranks in an effort to attempt to regroup and begin their conquests against the Republic and the Jedi once again.
Build Up[]
Despite the alliance between the Sith loyal to Viea and the traitors, the Third Sith Empire did not move into an era of renewed strength and conquest as they had hoped. The feuds between the two sides caused a great deal of infighting within the Empire to the point where the Sith numbers began to dwindle. More serious, however, was the fact that Sith resources were down to their bare minimum and the Sith knew that they would need to find alternate resources or take what they needed from others. For a time, they attempted to find alternate resources in the hopes of avoiding a war in their poor condition, but when Darth Dragus came to power as the Dark Lord of the Sith, he made the decision to take what they needed, mainly from the Republic and outlying words in the Outer Rim Territories.
Before launching a war against Republic, Dragus had a chance encounter with Mandalore the Conqueror, the leader of the Mandalorian Clans, near Concord Dawn. According to Mandalore, the clans also were lacking in resources and their initial estimates of having one century’s worth of resources were incorrect. They only had ten years of resources left and were also planning on taking what they needed by force, which was a testament to how desperate they had become. They also believed that not fighting for their survival would be a dishonorable act. Dragus shared with Mandalore the Sith plans for the war and they were very similar to the Mandalorian plans. After modifying their battle plans to fit each others, Dragus and Mandalore formed an alliance and decided to go to war together.
Two Mandalorians during a battle in the Outer Rim sieges.
Two weeks later, Dragus and Mandalore implemented their plan and led their combined fleets into a campaign of conquest along the Outer Rim Territories and the very edge of Republic space. They raided numerous independent worlds and colonies, including Tatooine, and began to acquire the resources they needed. Though the process was long and took many months, they were able to rest easier when the supply flow gradually became steadier and steadier. However, they were not satisfied with having just enough to get by and decided to implement their plans to invade the Galactic Republic.
Because of the fragile state of the Republic, the Senate initially chose not to intervene in the Outer Rim sieges. The Senate felt that they were in no position to find themselves in another galactic conflict only forty years after the Great Territorial War, but they did agree to become involved if the Mandalorians threatened the Republic itself. However, in an action opposite of the one taken during the Mandalorian Wars of nearly seventy years earlier, the Jedi Order urged the Senate to reconsider their decision, as the Jedi did not feel that there was a more sinister plot at work like they did during the Mandalorian Wars. Despite the Jedi’s perseverance, the Galactic Senate stayed their course and opted not to intervene unless threatened directly.
Mandalore and Dragus watched as the news came in of the Senate’s decision and could not believe that the Republic was not planning to take advantage of the Mandalorians and the Sith in their weakened position. Therefore, much like the Mandalore the Ultimate during the Mandalorian Wars, Mandalore and Dragus ordered their conquered territories to serve as warehouses and foundries for their re-growing fleets and to gather resources to fuel the war effort. The Sith specifically began to capture fleeing refugees to use them as a slave labor forces, while the escaped refugees managed to make their way into Republic territory. When they arrived, they alerted the Republic to what was happening and the Senate began to take a closer look at the situation. When they did, they realized that the Mandalorians and the Sith were, in fact, preparing to invade the Republic and that the Republic forces would need to be ready.
Major Combat Operations[]
Before beginning the invasion of the Republic, the Mandalorians and the Sith turned their attention on the Outer Rim worlds that were on the Corellian Trade Spine. Within those last few weeks of the Outer Rim sieges, Bespin and Javin were captured due to their strategic value. Even with those two victories, the Mandalorians and the Sith were able to gain the Republic’s attention and the Senate ordered all Republic fleets to hold their ground along the Corellian Trade Spine in the Expansion Region, as they knew that if the Mandalorians and Sith intended to capture it then they would simply pass through the Mid Rim without capturing any worlds. Many within the military objected to letting the Mandalorians and Sith pass through the Mid Rim, but the Senate had given their orders and the military was forced to follow them even without supporting them.
As the Mandalorians and Sith made their way through the Mid Rim, the Senate worked tirelessly to ensure that there would be enough Republic forces waiting for them at Kinyen, the first planet in the Expansion Region along the spine. However, the politicians were startled to learn that they did not have enough vessels or experienced men to combat the invasion forces. Despite their blunder, the Senate ordered the Republic forces to stand their ground and not let the invasion fleet pass beyond Kinyen. The military commanders accepted their orders and vowed to carry them out to the best of their abilities, but they did not know if the best of their abilities would be enough to save the Republic from destruction.
Two days later, the Mandalorians and the Sith engaged the Republic forces at Kinyen. The Republic quickly realized that it was a futile effort, as the number of ships they were losing outweighed the number of ships of the combined Mandalorian and Sith fleets, though the Senate had given its order and the military commanders continued to carry them out. However, there came a point roughly four hours into the battle when the Republic commanders realized that if they continued to carry out the Senate’s orders then the fleet would be destroyed and there would be no way to defend the rest of the Republic from the invasion fleet. Therefore, they defied the Senate’s orders and issued a retreat back into the Core Worlds.
With the Republic’s retreat, the Mandalorians took and held Kinyen. When the military commanders returned to Coruscant, the Senate was furious that they had disobeyed orders and retreated from Kinyen. Rather than regrouping and attempting to fight off the Mandalorians and the Sith somewhere else, the Senate launched an inquiry into the matter which, in the opinion of the military commanders, began to waste valuable time. Making matters worse, the Senate essentially put the military on a stand still as it debated for three weeks over the proper course of action to defeat the Mandalorians and the Sith. Colonel Avery Tobin, who had been placed in command of the Republic fleet for the assault, was called in to testify before the Senate and her testimony took approximately one week.
During the three week investigation, the Mandalorians and the Sith became ambitious and felt that the defeat of the Republic was all but imminent. Therefore, Dragus and Mandalore decided to split up their forces and take on different trade routes. Darth Dragus agreed to lead his forces in an assault on the next planets of the Corellian Trade Spine. On the other hand, Mandalore set his sights on the Hydian Way and the worlds in that trade route. They spent a few additional days amending their plans to reflect the two separate fleets, and when the plans were set the Sith and the Mandalorians split up and headed for their targets.
When the Mandalorians arrived at the Hydian Way, they were able to bypass a great number of systems and arrive at Malastare relatively unopposed. While they were forced to face off against the security forces of the world, the limited numbers of security volunteers were no match for the battle-hardened Mandalorian army. With Malastare secure, the Mandalorians made their way further up the main route of the Hydian Way in order to bypass other worlds. When they arrived at Denon, they were met with the same level of resistance as Malastare, though the Mandalorians lost more ships than they would have cared for. Despite that, the Mandalorians conquered the world and stained a garrison there to hold it. Immediately thereafter, they changed their course to travel along the Corellian Run, which also intersected at Denon, and made their way towards the Core Worlds.
While the Mandalorians were conquering the Hydian Way, the Sith had set their sights on the remainder of the Corellian Trade Spine. The first planet that they took was Moorja, and because it was predominantly a world of salt mines there was little resistance to worry about. After two days, the fleet continued on to Yag’Dhul. The barren world showed no resistance and, in fact, supported the Sith takeover as they felt that the Republic no longer served the interests of the galaxy. Therefore, the Sith did not bother to leave a garrison, as they felt doing it on a world willing to surrender was a waste of valuable resources. After leaving the planet, the Sith moved on to Bestine IV. The majority of the vessels on the planet were under repair or under construction, but to be safe the Sith launched a bombardment fleet against the construction and repair yards and damaged the vessels beyond repair. The ships that were there were undermanned and did not fare well against the Sith forces. With the majority of the Corellian Trade Spine before the Core Worlds in their control, the Sith set a course to maneuver around the remainder of the worlds on the route where they agreed to meet with the Mandalorians at Corellia for a combined offensive against the main world on the route.
During that same time, the Republic continued their inquest into the military’s action. Both the Supreme Chancellor and the military commanders were appalled by the fact that the politicians could dismiss the loss of the major trade worlds as acceptable losses while they continued their political grandstanding, but the inquest finally ended. Colonel Avery Tobin was dishonorably discharged from the military after a great deal of pressure from the Senate. While the Senate attempted to push their own candidate to take over the army forces, the military did not cave in and appointed Colonel Cos Jonathan Dashin to command the fleet in an attempt to defeat the Mandalorian and Sith forces. The Senate was not in favor of the appointment, as Dashin was the nephew of former Supreme Chancellor-turned Sith Lord Stavan Jetzt. Regardless, the military appointed him and he immediately began to put a plan into action to defeat the invasion forces.
Three days later, Dashin presented his proposal to the military commanders. His plan was to use the infighting between the members of the Sith and the cockiness of the Mandalorians to the Republic’s advantage. In his mind, the plan was fool proof. He would attempt to trick the Sith and the Mandalorians to Coruscant where he would surround them with the Republic fleet. With the amount of ships the Sith and the Mandalorians had lost conquering the trade lines, the Republic had a slight advantage over them. While the seemingly failed efforts of the Senate had cost the Republic many worlds of value to them, Dashin was confident that it had actually worked to their advantage and that they would be able to use it to surprise the invasion forces and win the war.
Final Battle[]
Two days later, Dashin held a press conference on the HoloNet where he announced to the galaxy that the Republic military had been reduced to an all-time low and that they did not know if they would be able to protect Coruscant, or any of the other outlying worlds for that matter. He urged local security forces and mercenaries loyal to the Republic to protect the outlying star systems, and that the Coruscant Security Forces would attempt to protect Coruscant. Senior Jedi Council member Mathhias Zeratul spoke after him, stating that the Jedi Order’s numbers were lower than they had been during the Great Territorial War. While the speeches were being given, the Republic fleet moved to the next system from Coruscant and hid behind the planets of that system in order to mask their presence.
Dragus and Mandalore were informed of the broadcast and immediately decided to deviate from their plan of capturing Corellia and take over the entire Republic in one swift stroke. Therefore, they gathered their smaller forces, as they had lost a significant number of ships, and made their way for Coruscant. When they arrived, they found a small force surrounding the planet which was obviously aware of the two opposing fleets before they had arrived. However, what the invasion force believed would be an easy battle quickly turned into a massive upset when Dashin led his forces from the other system to Coruscant and surrounded the Sith and Mandalorian fleet. Dragus and Mandalore instantly realized that the press conference held by Dashin and Zeratul was a set up and that they had fallen straight into the Republic’s trap.
It did not take long for the Mandalorian and Sith fleet to begin taking heavy losses, as they had very little room to move after Dashin’s fleet surrounded them. The battle lasted for nearly five hours, but at the end of those five hours the Mandalorians and Sith were able to create a hole in the blockade around them. Dragus and Mandalore quickly ordered a retreat to Dxun in the hopes of regrouping and gaining new resources from the worlds that they conquered along the trade routes. However, that was not the case. The Republic fleet followed one hour behind them, and when they arrived they found that the Mandalorians and the Sith were still analyzing their losses in orbit around the moon.
Dashin immediately ordered his forces to attack the Mandalorians and the Sith. While the fleets fought with one another, the Republic sent transport vessels to the surface to engage the Mandalorians and Sith that had made their way down to the planet. Against the advice of his men, Dashin led the forces to the ground. Along with Master Zeratul, he led their forces as they chased the Mandalorians deep into the jungles. During the battle, Dashin found an ally in a man who was on the planet named Ussej Padric Bac II. Dashin found that Bac could be of value to him, finding out that he had fought in a war in the Unknown Regions on ten years earlier. Therefore, he used Bac’s knowledge for ground strategy, and worked beside him while they were constantly strategizing and fighting.
Within hours, the Mandalorians and the Sith ground forces were forced to surrender as they were severely outnumbered. Over the skies of the moon of Onderon, the Sith fleet had been nearly obliterated, and the destruction of numerous vessels took the life of Darth Dragus with them. The Sith, with their numbers in the few dozens, retreated from the battle and made their way to Ziost. The loss of the Mandalorians and the retreat of the Sith marked the swift and sudden end of the Great Rim Lines War.
Aftermath[]
Following the battle on the ground, Dashin thanked Ussej Padric Bac II for his assistance. Before they could learn anything about one another, they were forced to prepare to return home. Dashin returned to his ship and waited for his men to board the transports, at which point they made their way into orbit to rendezvous with the fleet. Shortly thereafter, Ussej was captured by the Mandalorian survivors and tortured for information, as they believed that he was a member of the Jedi Order. For failing to cooperate with the Mandalorians, he was executed at a prisoner of war camp.
When the Republic fleet returned from the battle, Dashin and Zeratul were hailed as heroes and saviors of the Republic. Dashin’s actions on the battlefield renewed his people’s faith in the Republic military and he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, as well as a promotion to the rank of Brigadier General. However, due to the need for experienced and talented high-ranking officers, Dashin was promoted to the rank of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff within months. His quick rise to one of the highest military positions in the Republic was unprecedented at the time, and if it had not been for the Great Rim Lines War then the rise to power would not have happened the way it did.
Under the leadership of General Dashin and Supreme Chancellor Benedict Valorum, the Galactic Republic began to walk down the path of rebuilding itself. Once the Corellian Trade Spine and the Hydian Way were tightly secured by the Republic, commerce began to greatly pick up once again. The economy was strong and the stock market soared, as the people once again had faith in the Republic. The military also began to rebuild itself and Dashin emerged as a well-known and well-respected leader, one that many noted had the ability to remain calm and collected under increased pressure.
On Ziost, the Sith were in shambles. Only twenty Sith remained alive after the battle, and from those Sith rose Darth Decetus as the new Dark Lord of the Sith. He took Darth Melik, his cousin, as his apprentice and moved the Third Sith Empire away from Ziost and into seclusion. As that happened, the Jedi Order began to cover up the Sith legend to make it seem as if the once-great Empire had been nothing more than a religious conspiracy by a small group of Jedi Knights that had fallen to the Dark Side. The Jedi also managed to convince a great deal of citizens that the Empire was not as large as the history books reflected, and that most of the time the Mandalorians acted as the Sith military. Although what the Jedi told the citizen was a lie, many of them believed it. The Republic came to consider anything regarding the Third Sith Empire to be a lie or a myth. However, the Great Territorial War and the Great Rim Lines War remained in the public memory.
Legacy[]
The Great Rim Lines War had long-lasting effects on the galaxy at large. Because the Mandalorians had been defeated during the war, they found themselves in worse shape than they were before it. However, after five years, the Mandalorians found themselves rebuilding their society under Mandalore the Conqueror’s leadership. Their numbers were still what they believed to be in a moderate stage, but they began to pick up after some time. However, constant attacks by a group calling themselves the Pirates Guild left Concord Dawn subject to constant raids and pillaging. Despite this, they were never able to do any significant damage to the Mandalorian infrastructure. During the raids, the Mandalorians allied themselves with the Chiss Ascendancy, who were also suffering from raids. This alliance led to the outbreak of the United Pirate Crusades, a conflict that the Republic and the Jedi decided to stay out of. The brief war saw a combined Mandalorian and Chiss victory, giving the Mandalorians the much needed supplies and resources that they needed to continue growing.
The near-destruction of the Sith also led to a resurgence of the Third Sith Empire forty years later, which was one of the causes of the Great Sovereign Crusades. The Dark Lord of the Sith of the time, Darth Viscerus, selected Darth Dire as his apprentice and the two began a long process of rebuilding their once great effort. The leadership of the Empire was transferred many times during those tears, as each apprentice wanted to lead the Sith in their own way. However, the threat of the Sith subsided for some time when the Bendu Order launched their holy war against the Jedi Order.
The leader of the Bendu Order was Ussej Padric Bac III, the son of Ussej Padric Bac II. He and Dashin, who had become Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, were able to find common ground in the fact that Dashin had fought alongside Ussej Padric Bac II. Dashin sided with Ussej and the Bendu during the war against the Jedi, as Dashin saw that the Jedi had failed the Republic during the Great Sovereign Crusades, despite their successful performance in the Great Rim Lines War. In the end, the overthrowing of the Jedi Order on Coruscant only led to the Third Sith Empire taking over the planet.
After three years of Sith rule, Ussej and Dashin returned to Coruscant and assaulted the Sith forces. Ussej fought and defeated Emperor Invidius while Dashin and the Supreme Commander of the Republic Military, Joshua Reydel, engaged the Sith fleet in orbit. When Invidius was killed, the Republic gained a great advantage and was able to defeat much of the Sith fleet. Coruscant fell back into the control of the Republic and the Sith fled back to Korriban, thereby ending the existence of the Third Sith Empire.
Despite the fall of the Third Sith Empire, the Republic continued to view the Mandalorians as a threat. The Mandalorians always remembered their defeat during the Great Rim Lines War, which was why they attempted to be a major player during the Great Sovereign Crusades. While they did recapture Onderon and Dxun during the crusades, the territory was taken back by the Republic. After that point, the Mandalorians went into seclusion in the Unknown Regions and were not heard from for thousands of years until cryptic messages in Mando’a were intercepted shortly before the start of the Clone War, leading many within the Republic to suspect that they would return to the known galaxy.
Behind the scenes[]
The Great Rim Lines War was created as a background event for the seventy-five years between the old timeline and the new timeline of TheStarWarsRP.Com. However, it did not start out as a war. It originally began simply as the “Battle of the Rim Lines”, an event that left the Sith in great disarray. The brief history, created by Star Wars RP Administrator Caleb Pile, is as follows:
- The battle of the Rim Lines left the Jedi and Republic in terrible shape, however it left Sith in even worse. Darth Dragus (Dark Lord of the Time) eventually died, as did his apprentice Melik, the Sith were assumed destroyed and the rebuilding of the galaxy began. The Jedi began to cover up the Sith, making it seem like a conspiracy. The Sith are now simply believed to be a myth...nothing but a story. Even the slightest whispers of them are thought by the public to be lies. Yet, the Great War is still regarded as a legend and a great story to tell around the glow-lamp.
After TheStarWarsRP.Com moved to their second home on Invision Power Boards, Brandon Rhea created the larger back story and changed the brief history to where it became the Great Rim Lines War. It was later expanded and altered some once again in January, 2008. It continues to be one of the wars in the history between the two timelines of TheStarWarsRP.Com. It also serves as the finale of Shadows of the Jedi: The Legend of Ussej Padric Bac II, the second novel of the Shadows of the Jedi Trilogy.
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One (First mentioned)