Siege of Kalee

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The Siege of Kalee
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DateYear 16 Day 21Year 16 Day 167
LocationKalee
ResultThe Trade Federation turned over control of the planet to Kolkpravis in return for control of Naboo
Belligerents
The Trade Federation
remnants of the Avance Coalition
The Wraiths
Local Kaleesh insurgents
Commanders and Leaders
Minister of Defense Carmen Sundane
(The Butcher)Con Semper
Jakix Seko
Belloq Tull
Armause, Terras
Casualties and Losses
hundreds of droids, sentient forces, and aircraftexact numbers unconfirmed. Hundreds of millions of credits in damage.

The Siege of Kalee was an attempt in Year 16 by the Trade Federation to eliminate a Kaleesh insurgency and restore order to the planet in the midst of the Great Merge. It ended when the Trade Federation turned over control of Kalee to the Kolkpravis mercenary force.[1]


The Insurgency Rises

The Avance Coalition was once the most prosperous economy in the Mid Rim and one of the largest economies in the Galaxy. The Coalition was hit hard by the Galactic Recession and its leaders debated furiously over how to best keep the sectors under their control from total collapse. Late in Year 15 fear and uncertainty spread throughout the Coalition. Kalee had always been a difficult planet to govern because of the warlike Kaleesh inhabitants. Many Kaleesh nationalists took advantage of the fear and confusion and began to smuggle in propaganda, weapons, and experienced insurgent warriors. After Lord Arklari Clise took Golan Technologies and House Vigihan and founded the Kingdom of Elysia, many more native Kaleesh came to believe Kalee could also become independent. Many more demanded it. The chief figure in the push for independence was a warrior named Aramuse. Armause traveled from city to city, spreading discontent and fearful rumors about what Federation control would mean for Kalee. Many Kaleesh joined his movement until his numbers were sufficient enough to begin seizing portions of Kaleela, the planet's capital. During one attack the insurgents raided a prison and released a Kaleesh named Terras, who was a controversial cult leader and convicted murderer. Terras quickly became a close adviser for Aramuse and joined Aramuse in recruiting and training young Kaleesh warriors.

On Year 16 Day 21 leaders of the Avance Coalition and the Trade Federation ratified the merge of the two governments. Federation officials began arriving in the former Avancian systems to oversee the transition of the different civil and military entities and property. When representatives arrived at Kalee they were denied permission to safely land. These representatives reported the occurrence to Minister of Defense Carmen Sundane who quickly traveled to Kalee from Endor. When his ship was fired upon he ordered the planet be blockaded until sufficient military support could arrive and restore order.


The Blockade and Invasion

Minister Sundane had enough ships to ensure a blockade, but not to begin engaging the insurgency on Kalee itself. Most of the Avancian military equipment and units were being accounted for, inspected, and handed over to Federation control and could not be called into service so soon. The Trade Federation's navy was not large enough to protect both the traditional Federation sectors and the former-Avancian sectors, and so the Federation fleet was spread thin and could not be diverted to Kalee without risking the safety of other systems. His analysts advised Minister Sundane that the insurgency leaders could take advantage of the blockade and the time before more ships arrived to further train, equip, and organize more warriors. A further entrenched insurgency fighting on their own planet would be even more difficult to eradicate, and the blockade had little reliable intelligence to plan the invasion once the forces did arrive in the system. Not wanting to waste valuable time, Minister Sundane put out a call for all citizens with the means to assemble in Kalee with their personal police and defense forces to protect the Federation's interests.

Jakix Seko was the first to report in. As an officer in the Federation's army, Seko was stationed in a nearby system overseeing the transfer of some planetary defense stations when he received the call for assistance. Minister Sundane informed him that preliminary scans hinted at the presence of insurgent cells living in the forests and jungles north of Kaleela who would interfere with any attempt to retake the capital. Seko was ordered to land in the jungles and move south, eliminating any opposition and clearing a landing zone for more forces that would arrive later. Avancian privateer Con Semper and naval officer Tovakpini Toshikhan were then tasked with reclaiming or capturing the major infrastructure of Kaleela itself. They devised a plan where Semper would bring his Veltraa cruiser, the Vindicated, low over the city, providing suppressing fire and deploying soldiers to the rooftops of larger buildings. While the defenders are distracted, Toshikhan would take a small strike force and jump into the city from a high altitude with jetpacks, targeting the city's largest power generator.

The strike did not go as planned. Right as the Vindicated was about to be in position the defenders raised the ion shields. Intelligence did not believe the insurgents had control of enough of the power grid to raise the shields or have the technical knowledge to operate them. In order to save its electrical systems, Semper ordered an emergency course correction. Toshikhan's strike team entered the city before the shields were raised, but were without the critical support from Semper and the Vindicated. Armed mobs chased them inside their target power generator and attempted to blow the doors in. Disgusted at the thought of being outwitted Semper deployed his Sith Starfighter's to control the airspace over the shield and launched his own small strike team in several escape pods. The rest of his force would be deployed north of the city and join Seko's push south. The pods lost their control when they passed through the shields and were scattered across the north-eastern part of the city. Two landed near the starport, three landed in the starport, and two more crashed into a nearby highrise building. While this distracted the mobs from Toshikhan's team, it made it difficult for Semper to unite his forces in the city. To save his team and bring them together, he was forced to inflict a massive amount of civilian causalities. Above the city, Semper's Starfighter squads repelled several assaults by insurgent aircraft, but at a high cost to themselves.

North-east of Kaleela, Wraith officer Belloq Tull decided to search the holy city at (3,2), Valley of the Gods, for any signs of Terras or other insurgent leaders. Tull's landing craft took light fire on its approach but when he arrived he found a city full of fearful people. The chief priest told him that Terras had already recruited most of the warriors and those about to fight and left with them. The rest of the inhabitants were taking refuge from the struggle. Tull's last report stated that he found reason to believe that there was an insurgent presence still in the city, but its size was unknown. All further reports from the holy city are still sealed by The Wraiths. Whatever happened, Tull survived and would go on to serve in the Federation Security Service before returning to the mercenary group.

Paul Luz, a prominent businessman, arrived at Kalee with a small convoy of hoverscouts and CAV transports. Minister Sundane assigned Luz and his team to scout the countryside between several major cities to watch for insurgent groups moving between them by land. Luz eventually came upon the wreckage of a civilian transport, and the survivors claimed to be refugees fleeing a nearby city recently seized by the native insurgents. Luz called in medical support from the blockade and agreed to take the survivors to (2,1). That city had once been the headquarters of Black Dust Industries and was rumored to still be under loyalist control. As the convoy skirted the city into Kalee's arctic regions, the refugees suddenly hijacked the vehicles and captured Luz and his crew. Luz was held as a hostage until the end of the conflict. His captors were later identified as Avancian loyalists resisting both the native insurgency and Federation control.

Back at Kaleela the assault was not going any better. The armed mobs were growing and weaponry from a looted Avancian barracks were disseminated throughout. Several of the down starfighters had crashed into the high rise buildings, causing one to collapse onto the startport, killing hundreds instantly. Shortly after the tower fell, Toshikhan and his strike team successfully disabled the city's main power generator that they had barricaded themselves inside of. Kaleela was cast into darkness until the backup generators were activated. With all of the city's power and the shields being powered by the backup generators, Toshikhan knew the shields could not hold out much longer. Taking advantage of the chaos he and his team escaped and found shelter in a nearby religious building. On the north end of the city Semper had reunited his soldiers but saw little hope of making progress on the objective without incurring countless more civilian deaths. With no clear path to success he ordered his team to retreat north into the jungles to reunite with his and Seko's forces there. Seko had been slowed by insurgents in the jungles and had come across an underground aircraft hanger and bunker. Clearing that had delayed his scheduled arrival at Kaleela. The Trade Federation naval forces arrived in the system soon after the ion shields gave out, and Minister Sundane ordered all agents in Kaleela to withdraw. A droid battalion and air support units occupied Kaleela and attempted to reestablish order for a few more months with no success. Units were also deployed in the other urban centers, curfews were issued, and airspace was controlled by the Federation but they were unable to unseat the insurgency from much of the planet.


Resolution

Minister Sundane was concerned about the loss of life and heavy damage to the infrastructure. The native insurgency was much stronger than anticipated and had won over much of the population. He contacted Viceroy Jacob Jansen to weigh their options on the planet only to discover that the Viceroy was finishing negotiations with a Kaleesh soldier and Federation citizen Rael sul C`an. C'an was moved by the plight of his homeworld and approached the Viceory about moving operations of his business to Kalee in an attempt to restore peace and rebuild the planet. The Federation agreed, on the condition that C'an turn over control of Naboo when he left it for Kalee. On Year 16 Day 167 the last Trade Federation forces withdrew from Kalee and representatives from C'an's Kolkpravis group arrived to take control, officially ending the siege witch had lasted nearly 140 days. Neither Aramuse nor Terras were ever apprehended.

References