The Endless Referendum Campaign

[Jessica Med-Beq]

The referendum was called by the Ringo Vinda government, seeking adhesion to the Tion Cooperative Organization, and its campaign was being dragged on for months now. The start of the referendum campaign took place right about where the then-Resurgent Empire was on the move against Dromund Kaas. For weeks she has remained on Ord Radama, in and around Livien Magnus, to clean up the mess the Resurgent Empire left behind in this sector. But with Major-General Catherine Soja relieving her on Ord Radama, at least for the time being, the planet played host to the largest SJ army base outside of SJ territory. Leaving Ord Radama behind to go on another campaign event, a few months after the last, amid those refugees who began fleeing Serenno in the chaos the Sith Empire is causing in this sector, she crossed her fingers and hoped MG Soja would not have to mobilize so soon after this ill-fated campaign. What would [member="Arisa Yune"] have to say, while she fought in the Krayiss campaign and Jessica just stayed behind to cover the Silver Jedi's backs, in a strategic sense? She had to go down to the orbital ring station, in one of the areas of the station where the Yes camp was in a dead heat, statistically speaking. This was where one of the campaign events with the refugees from Serenno were held:

"It has been months since you last were on the planet. Look at all these refugees from the Serenno sector: the deal has certainly changed since you left. A few Kushiban have set up on this planet. What do you have to say, in your defense?" one of the refugees asked Jessica.

"I went to fight against the Resurgent Empire. They could only win on Dromund Kaas because the local civic authorities sold us out, while the Serenno campaign showed that defeating an enemy's conventional forces is not enough to produce a strategic victory. Several Houses, including the Dooku and Borgin houses, sold out Serenno to the Resurgent Empire in a panic, but the RE was unable to capitalize because it was overstretched and hence unable to establish any foothold. I understand that voters are watching my every move so long as the referendum campaign is underway, we won on Ord Radama, and TCO membership will grant us access to the Silver Jedi's military for defensive needs"

 

[Eugen Aker]

Shortly after returning from Dominion space, Arisa had joined Jessica and some representatives from the TCO in support of the Yes camp for the referendum. Much of the system was divided on the issue almost right down the middle. She hoped her appearance at some events would sway some of those in the No camp to switch their position.

The first leg of the campaign would lead them to a townhall event being hosted on a space station housing fresh refugees from Serenno. One the refugees questioned Jessica about the setbacks the Silver Jedi had faced against the Resurgent Empire. After Jessica provided an answer, she would follow up with a response of her own.

"Dromund Kaas and Serenno were phyric victories for Resurgent Empire, and then they only succeeded when both the Silver Order and the Dominion were at their weakest points in the midst of a transition of power. In both campaigns, the RE expended an inordinate amount of resources for some rather small momentary gains, and then immediately suffered for it. The Resurgent Empire has now almost completely dissolved into near anarchy. Wars are not won or lost through individual battles. Our enemies lack our cohesion and tenacity, so they will always fall before us. The Primeval, Sith Triumvirate, United Clans, Sith Order, and now the Resurgent Order. We have withstood these foes, and will continue to do so against future threats so long as we maintain a unified front. You have first-hand experience from the Dominion about what happens when we don't and turn upon each other in short sightedness."

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"In what capacity did you fight on Dromund Kaas and on Ord Radama?" a Kushiban refugee asked.

"On the one hand, [member="Arisa Yune"] claims that coordination is an issue for Sith factions that would likely attack us, on the other, there's a risk we have to face an attack from the Sith Empire, similar to Serenno. How would you go around exploiting that weakness if they attacked?" another refugee asked.

The lack of cohesion, both at the strategic level, and at the tactical level, of those Sith factions was a well-known fact of anyone that have a first-hand experience of them on the battlefield, so she could reasonably expect the Sith Empire to fall apart: it was only a question of time until it will occur in her mind. Oh, were it not of that incompetent commander in the Rift called Harris, my victory over the Primeval's main army on Irn would have been much faster to capitalize upon: the [Second] Primeval has suffered a very similar fate to the RE, she thought, while her memories of the Rift campaign ran in her head. That very campaign that proved her ability to conduct a system campaign, her ability to conduct joint operations. The Sith Empire's cohesion will probably erode once they are in control of the Caldera; yet, in today's environment, factions' logistical apparatus are not what they used to be, and recapturing the Caldera will be a much lengthier operation than initially estimated, given the [Ninth] Sith Empire's capabilities. She had first-hand experience of how the Resurgent Empire's lack of cohesion cost them in space, and on the ground. MG Soja, who fought the Sith Order on Midvinter and the RE on Dromund Kaas, would be the first to tell somebody about how Sith factions' armies operate. How quickly the refugees seem to focus on the defense part of the platform... but Jessica can't blame them: refugees that fled a particular war-torn area would be likely to ask about their new homeland's defense plans.

"First, on Dromund Kaas I was there as simply one of the commanders, provisionally named Outsider Command at the time. On Ord Radama I also was one of the main SJ commanders on that theater. So I have a pretty good vantage point: the Sith Empire, according to all known intelligence we have, has a very limited supply of combat vehicles, and their strategy is based mostly on one thing: special operations, spearheaded by the Sith proper. If, for some reason, they have a Sith or two in command of conventional forces, their usual tactic involves charging with line infantry, and once the Sith makes contact with our commanders, or other high-value targets, their coordination shatters as they duel us. As for space: they seem to change commanders with almost every engagement, which makes coordination and planning difficult for them"