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Old Republic eraWiki Award winner


Operation Liberator was a major Galactic Republic offensive during the New Sith Wars, intended to revitalize the Republic's campaign against Valin Aresh's Supreme Modality and shake loose the Modality's control over several key sectors within striking distance of Republic territory. Mali Darakhan so-named the operation after the nickname he had received on Milagro the previous year.

Strategic positioning[]

The Modality had dropped prefabricated garrisons on over a dozen worlds, stretching in a vague arc from Garqi to Borgo Prime. Each world of the so-called Vanguard Line had thousands of soldiers and members of the Dark Vanguard to present a barrier to Republic incursions. Though the most critical world defended by the Line was Agamar, which controlled the Mirgoshir hyperspace crossroads, the heart of the Modality's defense was the industrial world of Cademimu V.

The Republic had successfully expelled the Modality from the Mid Rim in previous campaigns, but had stalled after the Battle of Garqi. Mali Darakhan and his Eighth Republic Expeditionary Fleet were encamped at Ithor, while Elata Cazars had her main fleet at Borosk. Darakhan had deemed the defense of Ithor and its peace-loving natives a moral imperative, and he hesitated to commit to an attack which might fail and imperil Ithor.

Valin Aresh himself was absent from the front lines. First Dorn, based on Cademimu, had strategic command of the theater from the Mirgoshir crossroads west.

Test and response[]

Mali began strategizing for a campaign in mid-1,385 BBY; his planning picked up when his friend Tirien Kal-Di joined the Eighth Fleet. On 8:6:1385, Mali sent a Republic battle group under the command of Rear Admiral Kenlennee Renleaux to capture Phaeda. Renleaux tore through the Modality fleet, and the Republic's ground forces captured Phaeda within a day.

First Dorn, apprised of the attack, recognized the diversionary, testing maneuver for what it was and did not respond. He was confident Darakhan wanted to take Cademimu, the major obstacle on the way to Agamar, and he determined to wait the Jedi out, forcing him to come to Cademimu, where the Modality had the advantage of familiarity.

Strategy[]

Encouraged by Renleaux's success at Phaeda, Darakhan devised a bolder campaign. He planned a multi-pronged, multi-stage series of attacks at Smarck, Polus, Noonar, Garqi, and Ord Canfre, all of which were diversions from the primary battle at Cademimu. The bulk of the Eighth Fleet would attack Cademimu in two waves—the first to draw its naval forces into battle, and the second, led by the Coronet's Jewel, to truly engage and destroy the Modality's defenses. Unbeknownst to all but a select group of Republic senior commanders, Darakhan had an even bolder goal in mind: when the Modality concentrated at Cademimu, Darakhan would lead an attack to capture Agamar.

Republic Intelligence conducted black psyops at Noonar, ostensibly aiming to encourage resistance against the Modality and keeping innocents out of harm's way. First Dorn saw through the ploy and realized the Republic had dropped enough psyops material to suggest Noonar was the primary target. He subtly concentrated defenses at Cademimu, confident that the battle was coming.

The Republic, however, threw a wrench into the strategy. Recognizing that the Vanguardians presented both the greatest single physical threat and a primary command and control structure, Mali dispatched the 5th and 6th Republic Marine Force Reconnaissance Platoons to Cademimu; while the 5th sabotaged anti-repulsor batteries, the 6th, aided by Tirien Kal-Di, would conduct a targeted strike on the Vanguardians.

Liberation[]

The diversionary battles at Smarck, Polus, Ord Canfre, and Noonar went as scheduled. Mere hours before the first wave was predicted to arrive at Cademimu, the 6th Force Recon Platoon and Kal-Di infiltrated the Cademiman Cultural Tower. Sensing Kal-Di's presence, First Dorn awaited him with Fourth Besh and Fourth Leth, though he sent Second Aurek to deal with any saboteurs. The infiltrators killed First Dorn and the Fourths, but Second Aurek escaped.

Despite Second Aurek and Third Cresh's survival, First Dorn's death was catastrophic for the Modality, as he was unable to command Cademimu's defense or deal with invasions elsewhere. First Grek did not understand he should assume theater command until the Republic arrived at Agamar and he knew First Dorn must have died. While First Grek dealt with Darakhan's invasion of Agamar, Second Aurek endeavored to command Cademimu's defense. He succeeded in inciting panic among the citizens and confusion planetwide, but was unable to develop his strategy, as he was drawn into a duel, injured, and ultimately assassinated.

The Republic took Smarck, Polus, Noonar, and Ord Canfre the first day of battle, and Agamar early the second. Republic skirmishers were forced to retreat from Garqi, but the debacle in the east prevented Garqi's commander from retaliating. Various Modality units held out at Cademimu until the sixth day of battle, when the last division surrendered.

Aftermath[]

Second Aurek's pandemonium on Cademimu, which had only slowed the Republic capture of the planet, was much more effective at delaying the Republic's efforts to fully mobilize Cademimu's industrial capabilities. First Grek ordered the deployment of Wasting Green, a chemical herbicide, and though Darakhan succeeded in limiting its deployment, an entire continent's worth of crops was lost, leaving Agamar able to feed its neighbors and Mali's fleet, but not relieve the Republic's growing food shortages.

Despite these setbacks, Operation Liberator was widely heralded as a strategic triumph. Though many Vanguard Line worlds remained, the Modality forces west of Agamar had been cut off from the rest of the empire, leaving them vulnerable to invasion by Cazars's forces.

Behind the scenes[]

Operation Liberator won Best Event in the Sixteenth Wiki Awards.

Appearances[]

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