The Battle of Mizra

Background:
The Battle:
Aftermath

Background:

After the Sith suffered their trio of humiliating defeats in 1500BBY (see: Battle of Gap Nine, Battle of King’s Galquek and Battle of Corpelion) it was generally accepted that the Sith Empire would collapse in the next 40 years. It was this strategic optimism that prevented the Jedi from fully capitalizing on their hard won victories.

By 1468BBY the Sith were resurgent under Darth Skyr. A somewhat embarrassed Jedi Order began to organize what they thought would be a ‘clean up’ campaign. It was believed that the Sith had not had the time to recover from their catastrophic losses 40 years prior and the Jedi would face minimal opposition.

Word leaked of the upcoming Republic offensive and, unfortunately, analysts were correct. The Sith Empire had not recovered enough to resist a Republic invasion. Skyr had two choices, he could seize the initiative and launch a doomed campaign into the heart of Republic space, or he could stay home and make the Republic pay for every inch of ground in blood. It was never a real question. He was never one to surrender the initiative to the enemy. Darth Skyr organized a hasty offensive. This expeditionary fleet was frankly undershipped and undermanned. It should’ve never penetrated the defenses of the Mid Rim let alone drove into the heart of the Inner Rim.

Darth Skyr’s incursion into Republic space provoked a sluggish response from the Jedi. While Skyr was winning victories on Phaseera, Gizer and Taanab, the Jedi Order was mobilizing for what it believed would be a killing blow regardless of Skyr’s short term victories.

The Jedi finally mobilized and relieved the siege of Castell and then defeated Skyr at Ord Mantel. Skyr was noticeably passive during these defeats, his offensives lacked his characteristic brutality. It has been proposed that Skyr saw these battles as ‘information gathering.’ That he used these hopeless battles to squeeze out information for a future victory only he foresaw.

Whatever the truth, the Jedi perceived themselves as having an overwhelming position, such that, when Skyr retreated to Mizra, they did not hesitate to follow.

<Addendum>
There have been recently declassified reports that some Jedi commanders DID question why Skyr would retreat to Mizra. High command was satisfied with <redacted>’s explanation that Skyr was probably hoping the Jedi would besiege him with a token force while the bulk of their fleet drove into the heart of Sith Space.

The idea that a defeated Sith would look solely to his own security fell in-line with Jedi prejudices. Thus it was not overly questioned.

The Battle:

Initial Dispositions

The Republic’s 3rd Fleet outfought Skyr’s Armada and achieved uncontested orbital dominance. Unfortunately Mizra was undergoing a predictable ionic storm period at the time, which made orbital bombardment impractical.

The Sith entrenched atop the planet’s central mountain range. They numbered, auxiliaries included, less than 600,000

The Jedi deployed to Mizra’s surface virtually unopposed. Commander <redacted> chose the southern plains as his command post. Estimates vary, but it is believed that Republic Ground Forces numbered several million.

Some analysts have argued that the Republic Fleet should’ve simply blockaded Mizra and waited for the ionic storm to pass. However, Commander <redacted> was cognizant of the fact that Skyr had affected an escape under similar conditions during the 5th Battle of Ryloth. Leaving him alone to escape and cause more destruction was deemed an unacceptable strategy, so the Jedi elected to pin him in place with a ground campaign.

The First Days

Commander <redacted>, unwilling to surrender the initiative to Skyr, ordered an assault of the Mountain M-98. Taking, M-98 would drive a wedge in Skyr’s line and allow the Jedi to threaten his central command post.

In just 3 days, the Jedi successfully took M-98 despite fierce resistance. There was a slight scare when a Sith counter-attack came within 2 kilometers of Commander <redacted> while he was deep in battle meditation. The necessary response was assumed to have given away the Commander’s location and he was relocated.

Subsequent Battles

The Jedi kept their momentum throughout the month-long campaign. The Republic 3rd Fleet engaged and defeated a newly reinforced Sith Armada led by Darth Fernal, which retreated to the edge of the system. The Republic 6th Fleet arrived to reinforce the Jedi’s orbital supremacy. Meteorologists predicted the ionic storms would end within the week.

With the seizure of H-43, the Jedi Ground Forces held the heights overlooking Skyr’s Valley (then named V-79), which housed Skyr’s Headquarters. Unwilling to wait for the ionic storms to pass, Commander <redacted> ordered an assault on Skyr’s Valley, intent on ending his threat once and for all.

The Jedi were handed a stunning reversal that day. The events of the battle itself are unclear, as is evident from the above account. While the assault went well, a Sith commando unit demolished 3 of Commander <redacted>’s decoy locations. While the Commander himself was unharmed his location was, once again, considered compromised necessitating his immediate egress. Unfortunately, this evacuation required he exit Battle Meditation.

Suddenly bereft of the Commander’s Battle Meditation, the Jedi forces lost cohesion and were driven back for the first time since setting foot on Mizra with heavy losses.

After the Battle of Skyr’s Valley, the flaw in the Battle Meditation strategy was obvious. The Jedi resolved to go without Battle Meditation and eliminate the risk it posed, but the result was a string of stinging defeats.

These defeats led to the formation of a sizable faction within the Jedi army’s leadership that believed Commander <redacted>’s Battle Meditation was the only way to defeat the Sith.

The Jedi still vastly outnumbered the Sith, it is possible they could’ve simply overwhelmed Skyr’s forces. However, as evidenced by their defeats, the Jedi army lacked the command infrastructure necessary to operate without Commander <redacted>’s Battle Meditation. The Jedi Army was simply not able to function properly without Battle Meditation.

This organizational dependency has been oft criticized in the years following Mizra so it will not be overly dwelt on here. Though I will remind critics that there was no reason to plan for its lack up to this point.

Eventually this faction won the day.

There was a ‘besiege’ faction that wanted to wait until the ionic storm passed, but the storm seemed to have gained a mysterious ‘second wind’ leaving meteorologists uncertain as to when it would pass now. This uncertainty led to their advice being overruled.

As a compromise with those cautious Jedi who didn’t want to utilize the Commander’s Meditation, Commander <redacted> was set far from the front lines. Maintaining Battle Meditation from this distance would be difficult, but within his power. With this, the Jedi launched their planned assault and fell into a horrifying trap.

The Final Battle of Mizra

As soon as the Jedi were committed on the ground, the Sith Armada launched a headlong, reckless, assault into the teeth of the Republic Fleet. The Republic Fleet was caught flat-footed and were on the verge of crumbling, before Commander <redacted> was able to extend his Battle Meditation to orbit. The Republic fleet, buoyed by the incredible coordination Battle Meditation allows, turned the tide against the Sith Armada. They were on the verge of winning and snuffing out the Sith’s last hope, before a sniper’s shot shattered them.

Commander <redacted>, deeper in Battle Meditation than any have ever gone before, was suddenly killed by a sniper’s bolt. The sudden horror Commander <redacted>’s death affected everyone wrapped in his power, from the Admiral of the 6th Fleet, to the Republic Trooper suddenly facing a Sith speeder charge.

Skyr, apparently feeling Commander <redacted>’s death through the Force immediately ordered a mounted counter charge into his bewildered foes. Darth Fernal, taking advantage of the confusion, focused fire on the Republic’s flagship, the Mynock, and destroyed what coordination the fleet had left. What followed on both fronts was not a battle, but a slaughter. The horrors of what followed need no introduction.

Aftermath

Of the troops the Jedi had committed to Mizra’s surface, less than 1,000 would escape. Even that horrific loss of life paled in comparison to the annihilation of the Republic’s 3rd and 6th Fleets. Those fleets combined represented nearly 1/3 of the Republic’s effective naval power. Their loss forced the Republic to retreat to the Core and regroup.

This is to say nothing of the losses suffered by the Jedi Knights themselves. It’s unknown exactly what percentage of the Order was present at Mizra, but considering their actions immediately after, it is not far-fetched to claim that the majority of Knights died in that slaughterhouse.

Darth Skyr, the victor of Mizra, would come to rule the Sith Empire with an iron fist. The vast majority of the Republic’s former space fell under his sway in the years to follow. Yet… even he could not break the Core. Perhaps it is this failure that led to his eventual death.