Cassian returned to Corellia amidst a storm of war. With the Star Forge cloaked and self-sustaining, his focus shifted entirely to accelerating the Republic's military production. Corellia's orbital foundries now churned out an unending stream of vessels, many enhanced with hybrid Rakatan-Halo technology. Though he remained cold and distant, Cassian's return gave the Republic something they hadn't had in weeks: momentum.
Across the galaxy, the Clone Wars reached a critical boiling point. Outer Rim sieges intensified. Jedi fell. Planets burned. And in the shadows, Chancellor Palpatine orchestrated his final gambit.
The first blow came with the kidnapping of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Disguised as a bold Separatist raid, it plunged the Senate into chaos. Panic swept Coruscant as General Grievous escaped with his prize into deep space. But Cassian suspected something darker. The kidnapping had been too clean, too perfectly timed.
As the Jedi launched a desperate rescue mission, Cassian rearmed their strike fleets, providing advanced stealth ships and quantum communication relays. He did not attend the Senate meetings, nor did he care for the Chancellor's safety. His priority was containment and preparation.
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi stormed the Separatist flagship above Coruscant. With Cassian's cloaking tech, their infiltration succeeded. Dooku met his end in the throne room of the Invisible Hand, slain by Anakin's blade at Palpatine's urging. That moment Cassian would later note in a report marked the exact fracture point of Skywalker's destiny.
The Jedi Council, shaken by Dooku's death and the Chancellor's deepening power, turned their attention to Requiem the last monstrous commander of the Separatist military. No longer the coughing cyborg known as Grievous, Requiem had become something worse: rebuilt by CIS scientists with scavenged Spartan designs stolen from Corellian convoys. He was faster, deadlier, and barely machine.
Cassian intercepted a holo-report from a Republic outpost annihilated by Requiem's fleet. The devastation was methodical, precise. Familiar. It was his own designs turned against him.
He met with the Council through encrypted channels, giving them the last known coordinates of Requiem. Obi-Wan was chosen to confront him.
On the volcanic world of Zeffo Prime, Obi-Wan and Requiem dueled amidst erupting geysers and crumbling monoliths. The clone battalions fell back as titans clashed. Requiem's enhancements gave him the advantage, but Obi-Wan's cunning and his use of Corellian disruptor tech brought the general down. The Separatist armies, left leaderless, fragmented.
But the war was far from over.
Anakin, back on Coruscant, spiraled. Haunted by visions of Padmé's death and manipulated by Palpatine, he drifted toward the dark. Cassian watched from afar, noting the subtle changes in Skywalker's demeanor. His reports to Daelus Damaris were clinical:
"Skywalker's emotional instability is increasing. The Chancellor's influence is no longer political it's personal. This is the divergence."
Palpatine declared a tightening of emergency powers. His grip on the Republic tightened like a vice. Padmé grew distant. Bail and Mon Mothma's secret meetings became more frequent.
Cassian began stockpiling weapons on Corellia, covertly selling to both sides. He prepared his aces in silence.
Because the Clone Wars were ending.
And what came next would shatter everything.