**Chapter 355: Lessons from the Past**
Admiral Bam-Al Beyler, head of the Anaxes Academy—now no longer the Justice Corps but the Naval Corps—looked up as the Kappa-class shuttle descended toward the landing pad. The craft carried Jedi High General Dagon Marek, the recent victor of the Battle of Dentaal, arriving from the newly docked *Akagi*.
Although Beyler remained skeptical of most Jedi when it came to naval command, he could not deny that exceptions existed. Achieving decisive success with limited, often modernized ships was no small feat. Victories at Kashyyyk, Muunilinst, Boz Pity, Christophsis—where the famed CIS Admiral Trench had met his end—along with the defeat of rising star Rain Bonteri, and now the "Battle of Super Ships" at Dentaal, spoke for themselves.
Finally, the shuttle settled onto the surface of Anaxes's Citadel spaceport, the planet's primary military installation. It was here, for millennia, that the Republic Navy had been forged, and now the reborn fleet of the Grand Army of the Republic was being tempered once more.
The fortress planet Anaxes, nicknamed "the Protector of the Core," had been a symbol of prestige and power for ages. Before the Republic's rule, it had served as a fortress and main shipyard for the Alsakan Federation, later acting as a defensive bulwark for the rapidly growing galactic state. Thanks to its deep shipbuilding traditions, Anaxes became the seat of the Republic Naval College—which, after the Ruusan Reformation, was renamed the Justice Corps Planetary Defense Force College. Even in centuries when the galaxy lacked centralized military forces, young naval officers from countless worlds dreamed of attending the Citadel as the most prestigious training ground.
Beyler was proud to lead this institution at such a pivotal moment in history. He himself had studied here, and Anaxes had become practically his home.
Several clones emerged from the shuttle first, taking up casual but unmistakably alert positions. Two were clearly elite, their armor subtly different. They were likely the General's personal security detail—prudent, given how many times Marek had antagonized the Separatists. Dagon himself followed, accompanied by two young officers.
"Sir!" Admiral Beyler saluted crisply. "Allow me to greet you! Welcome to the Citadel!"
The Jedi was quite young… as were the officers accompanying him. The woman and man had not even reached thirty, yet they already wore the ranks of Captain and Commander respectively.
"They probably earned those promotions after Dentaal," Beyler thought. "Which isn't surprising."
"At ease, Admiral," Dagon smiled.
"General," Beyler gestured cordially toward a waiting speeder. "Please follow me. With your permission, we have an extremely tight schedule."
"Really?" Dagon raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, sir. We've prepared lists of the most distinguished cadets, so the selection process should not take long. Fortunately, this is an honor for both the Academy and the future officers. Now, I'd like to ask you for a favor…"
"And what is it?"
"We just received a new class of students—young men and women. It would be nice if you could say a few words to them… perhaps give a short lecture."
The Admiral wasn't certain he would receive a positive answer, but the Jedi only smiled.
"Why not? I agree."
"That's great! And this evening, a gala in your honor is planned at Pols Anakis."
Following the General into the large training hall, Commander Lichtendal Ceri looked around. How long ago it seemed… No, not here—the hall at Corulag Academy had been smaller—but the atmosphere was exactly the same: five or six hundred young sentients frozen in anticipation of their first real lecture. It felt like yesterday, yet it had been only seven months since they left the Academy. The war had begun, and officers were needed at the front. Sumeragi, Grace, Kristen, and he himself had never imagined fate would bring them together with Jedi General Dagon Marek. If anyone had told them then, they would have laughed.
Glancing sideways at the Zeltron woman who had settled nearby, Ceri chuckled inwardly. If someone had said in his first year that this girl would be a Captain in less than a year, and he a Commander, he would have laughed despite all his composure.
Meanwhile, the General finished his short welcoming speech—nothing too serious, just lofty phrases about duty and the honor of service. Everything as expected. Then the lecture truly began. Traditionally, regardless of the Academy, these three hours were devoted to the history of the navy, its glorious traditions, and the great battles that shaped galactic civilization.
"Let's begin the lesson, gentlemen and ladies!" Dagon called out. "Imagine this: the Republic has been at peace for many, many years. There are no wars, so the army has been disbanded and the navy either scrapped or transferred to planetary governments as part of local security forces. However, not everyone agreed with the current state of affairs—politically or economically. Individual worlds began to express discontent. Separatist sentiments grew. These worlds started to militarize, then to separate from the Republic. Soon the very existence of the state was threatened. And then began the revival of the navy and army…"
He paused, scanning the hall with a knowing smile. "I wonder how many of you thought I was talking about the current conflict? I imagine quite a few."
"Yes, sir. Isn't it?" a hand shot up from the front row.
"Good question, Cadet. I can assure you—war doesn't change. What changes is the place and time. The period of history I'm about to describe is very similar to our current situation—and that makes it valuable as a clear example."
Moving from behind the podium to the holographic projector, Dagon activated a detailed map of the Galaxy.
"So… the year was 23,865 Before the Great Resynchronization. After a century-long war with the Tion-Desevro Alliance, the centralized Republic fleet was disbanded. The only ship remaining on duty—the *Guardian of Coruscant*, a Gilagimar-class cruiser—was more a museum exhibit than a warship. Peace came to the young Republic. After the difficult war, growth, development, and expansion followed. At the time, two powers—Coruscant, representing the Republic, and Corellia, dominating its Conglomerate—were invisibly vying for galactic space. Corellia turned its gaze south, establishing new hyperspace routes. Coruscant expanded southeast, away from Kuat, toward Belasco and Lannik. But the most interesting developments began even during the war. Metellos, one of Coruscant's first colonies, was heavily overcrowded. Many ships carrying settlers set out in search of a better life. Their route lay north, along the little-known hyperspace lane used by Tion Hegemony ships to attack the Republic. The first planets on their route were Alsakan, then Anaxes, Brentaal, Tanaab, and finally Lantilles and Lianna—in other words, the entire modern Perlemian Route. The outcasts' expansion took a thousand years, and they developed for several thousand more before declaring independence in 17,012 BBY. The Alsakan Federation grew rapidly, growing richer and more prosperous. They favored an aristocratic philosophy and strove for less bureaucracy and greater local and planetary independence. Meanwhile, Coruscant and its corporate and political interests sought to accumulate as many natural resources as possible. However, the Republic, lacking access to vital hyperlanes and hemmed in on both sides, slowed its expansion. It reached the point where planets began seceding from the Republic to join the Federation. For example, in 16,990 BBY, Caamas seceded, and a year later Alderaan followed. Naturally, the Republic was not pleased. In 16,983 BBY, what would become the most significant and protracted conflict in galactic history began—the Seventeen Alsakan Conflicts, which lasted for fourteen thousand years."
A murmur passed through the hall. Dagon clicked a key, bringing up a detailed diagram.
"Actually, they began with minor clashes between Alsakan convoys and Duros merchant ships, but the Battle of Virgians is still considered the true beginning. Republican Admiral Paretto, with six Vigil-class battlecruisers and ten transports carrying forty thousand troops, attacked a Dryhte-class patrol vessel. As a result, two Republican cruisers were destroyed, but the patrol vessel was also forced to retreat due to serious damage."
"Sir! But judging by the diagram, that patrol ship was only forty meters long with two guns! And the cruisers were eighty-seven meters long with six! Why did they suffer such losses?"
"It's worth taking a closer look at the weapons of the opposing sides. Republic ships were built along the lines of those of Xim the Despot's empire, equipped with mirror armor and blaster cannons. The Alsakans, on the other hand, favored mass driver cannons. Initially they lacked access to sufficient gas sources for lasers and blasters, so they switched to mass drivers. As the Alsakans developed, they encountered several hostile races, and orbital bombardments ensured victory. The only thing that could guarantee success back then was mass drivers. Technology was quite primitive: the maximum hyperdrive class was 20, and communications were imperfect. Therefore, the conflict unfolded slowly. The Alsakans learned of the attack on their colony only five months later and responded even later. It was not until 16,977 BBY that a squadron of Alsakan ships attacked the Republic at Virgians, retaking the planet."
The hall murmured again. Dagon chuckled. "Yes, yes—I did mention the conflict unfolded slowly. Both sides attempted to use massive battle fleets to secure victories, but neither had the resources to divide forces between attack and defense. Gradually, however, from conflict to conflict, the pace and intensity increased. At the Battle of Kes, both sides fielded a dozen warships, while the Republic contributed over forty ships to the capture of Belasco and Porus Vida. The First Conflict ended with the signing of a peace treaty, guaranteed by the Jedi."
"Well, yes, it was quite natural—after all, the Jedi threatened to shut down the hyperspace beacons. After that, everyone quickly calmed down and made peace. I still remember that," a cadet muttered.
"Sir! May I ask a question?" A young Zabrak woman rose from her seat.
"Yes."
"Why didn't the Republic—hmm, Coruscant—attack Corellia?"
"Good question. By that time the Corellian Conglomerate's fleet was quite impressive. Besides, a Jedi enclave had existed on Corellia itself for a couple of thousand years, numbering several thousand sentients, many of whom were native Corellians. There is no doubt they would have supported their homeworld in any conflict."
Dagon activated another schematic and began walking beneath the huge hologram. "The next round of conflict began five hundred years later. Alsakan launched a lightning attack on Porus Vida, reclaiming the planet. The Republic responded with an attack on Gizer, deep in the Federation's rear. However, the Republic fleet suffered a complete defeat, losing over a hundred warships. After this, peace returned for a time. The Third and Fourth Conflicts were purely positional. The Republic unsuccessfully attacked Kattada, Kepasi, Alderaan, and several other worlds, while the Alsakan Federation defended itself. Incidentally, during the Second Conflict an interesting incident occurred: the first—and only—battle in naval history between ships and sentient lifeforms known as the Duinuogwuin, or 'Star Dragons.'"
"Sir! But isn't that a myth?"
"Not at all. There are references in the Jedi archives—brief, but they exist. These wars left a deep mark on galactic history. Works of art like the Alsakan Mosaics and the Belgoth Beacon were created, only to be destroyed in later battles. Not all have survived intact, but I'd like to mention one painting."
The image appeared on a large color wall screen.
"Before you is a painting by Sarapin Dwayne: 'Admiral Brandon Arcturus's Superbattleship *Agniki* at War.' This work is valuable because it was painted by a combat officer who actually participated in that battle. By the way, do the ships remind you of anything?"
"Sir! If you remove those armor plates, you get… your *Exquisite*! But that's a Republic ship and the painting clearly shows the Alsakan alphabet! And those shots… those aren't mass drivers, are they?"
"Exactly. The Fifth Alsakan Conflict, which began in 13,025 BBY, marked the first major change in weapons. The Republic switched to mass drivers, abandoning blasters and turbolasers, which were ineffective against heavily armored enemy ships. A distinctive feature of Republic weapons were special devices that encased the fired projectile in an energy shell. Sometimes missiles launched from the same mass drivers were used instead of solid projectiles. At the same time, Alsakan ships switched to beam weapons, primarily lasers and proton beam cannons. In doing so, Alsakan designers were forced to abandon energy shields, replacing them with thick armor—their reactors couldn't provide power for both. This was no drawback; such design solutions endured for millennia and left a noticeable mark even on later Republic shipbuilding. Ten thousand years later, the *Exquisite* was built using Alsakan design principles; such ships were constructed earlier and later. But let's return to the painting. It depicts the Battle of Borleias, which we will now examine."
Enlarging the image, Dagon continued his explanation in detail, pointing out ship classes, tactics, and the brutal realities of ancient fleet combat. The cadets hung on every word.
Lichtendal smiled quietly. "It's quite typical of the General to turn a painting into a teaching aid. I think this lecture will be remembered for a long time."
---
Later that evening, with a formal smile, I raised my glass in response to yet another eulogy from a high-ranking officer whose name I had already forgotten—and wasn't trying to remember. I sipped the wine and half-turned. Gathered at my table were mostly Academy instructors and the local garrison commander. Lichtendal and the others sat at another table, joined by several young officers. There was no need to guess who was having the most fun—they or the fresh-faced cadets who had just learned they were shipping out far sooner than expected.
It was safe to say we had used half of our time on Anaxes productively. Nearly two hundred and eighty young officers had been selected—or rather, they were supposed to become officers in two months, but we needed them now. About fifty of them, after another internal selection, would become Second and First Lieutenants, taking command of corvettes and frigates. The rest would remain midshipmen on various ships for the time being.
Ah, if only we could have brought Sumeragi—she would have arranged a proper selection right on board the *Akagi*. But no—our line captain was busy elsewhere. Oh well. Let these new officers get into the spirit of battle, so to speak. They wouldn't be running anywhere anyway; the shuttles had already delivered the last of the "lucky ones" to the ship even before I finished my lecture.
Thus, our immediate need for fleet commanders was fully satisfied. All that remained was to wait for the new ships to arrive, then a week or two to settle the crews. And, Force willing, if we weren't pulled out to plug some hot spot in the next month…