Minos Cluster Campaign

Following centuries of exile beyond the boundaries of the galaxy, the ancient Sith and their reinvigorated Empire reemerged to challenge the Galactic Republic in 3681 BBY, initiating the Great Galactic War. The conflict commenced with the Empire's relentless campaign to dominate the Outer Rim Territories, marked by the early capture of the Aparo sector and the Sith's seizure of the Tingel Arm. Due to political disarray and widespread panic, the Republic was caught off guard by the rapid assault and was slow to organize an effort to reclaim its lost territories. The Republic Navy was eventually mobilized for an invasion into the Tingel Arm, only to find itself outnumbered, outgunned, and outmaneuvered. The ships of the fleet were compelled to disperse to avoid total destruction, and during this period of confusion, the Empire capitalized on the element of surprise to recapture their ancestral homeworld of Korriban and raid the Republic shipyards above the planet Sluis Van.

The Republic Senate and the Jedi High Council were astonished by the unexpected resilience of the Sith invaders, who employed speed, fear, and overwhelming firepower to sow chaos throughout the Outer Rim. The Republic's leadership was slow to react, allowing the Imperials to continue their campaign largely unopposed; it was during this series of victories in the initial year of the war that the Imperial Military turned its attention to the resource-rich worlds of the Minos Cluster—a sector of space in the Outer Rim Territories positioned near the trailing end of the Rimma Trade Route.

During the war's first year, the Empire committed significant forces to the Minos Cluster, capturing numerous worlds and seizing control of the region's natural resources from the Republic. While the Sith and the Imperial Army worked to secure their hold over the area, the Republic government continued to struggle with its inertia. Although the Jedi Order advocated for swift and decisive action against their ancient adversaries, the Senate was much slower to reach a consensus because many senators believed that the Empire could be treated as if it were a common upstart state that was pursuing a short-lived campaign of expansionism. Consequently, the Congress of the Republic was paralyzed by debate, leaving the people of the Minos Cluster and the rest of the Outer Rim to face the Sith invasion on their own.

In contrast to the Republic Senate and military, the Jedi Order recognized the severity of the Sith threat, particularly in light of the surprising Imperial capture of Korriban and the loss of the Tingel Arm. Therefore, members of the Order chose to bypass the complex deliberations of galactic politics and prepared to strike against the Sith to drive them from the Minos Cluster. Departing their Temple on the Republic capital of Coruscant aboard battle cruisers, these Jedi infiltrated the Sith-controlled Minos worlds and began a long fight against the Empire. Despite their intentions, the Jedi's departure triggered even more chaos on the capital, as many Coruscanti rallied to join the Order for a strong push back against the Sith while still others advocated restraint. The continuing political gridlock and mounting tensions caused riots to erupt across Coruscant's Galactic City, as the citizenry panicked over their own safety and the state of the contentious Minos Cluster.

Meanwhile, the Jedi in the Minos Cluster faced an uphill battle but remained dedicated to chasing the Imperial Military from the sector. As news of their heroism and tragic stories of their losses were reported across the Republic, the riots on Coruscant ebbed and ultimately ended peacefully. The actions of the Jedi encouraged the anxious citizens to take action themselves, and that spirit of shared responsibility drove waves of new volunteers to sign up for duty at military recruitment centers. While the Republic was finally beginning to sort out its internal strife, the Empire continued to shore up its control of the Minos region. In order to prevent their opponent from shipping reinforcements and goods to the Minos Cluster, the Sith coordinated their invasion of the sector with the Imperial Armada's establishment of a blockade along the Rimma Trade Route. Although that proved to be a major impediment to the Jedi's efforts, Republic defenders across the Minos Cluster managed to hold out for many months.

The blockade was lifted in 3680 BBY—a development which came as a relief to all of the Republic's forces in the Minos Cluster. On the contested world of Eliad, the Kel Dor Jedi Knight Gnost-Dural wrote in his journal of his sense of hope upon learning of the blockade's destruction. Dural and his comrades had been dug in on Eliad for months, and in that time he engaged and killed many Imperial soldiers, and the Jedi had his first confrontation with a member of the ancient Sith species. Gnost-Dural's fight with the Sith combatant was short-lived, and the Kel Dor emerged victorious. Other Jedi throughout the Minos theater, like the Kel Dor Tol Braga, were experiencing similar success in maintaining their positions, despite heavy losses and continued Imperial attacks.

The Sith's efforts to capture the Minos Cluster persisted for many years, and during that time the two opposing forces in the sector experienced shifts in power dynamics and changes in leadership and composition. In 3671 BBY, Gnost-Dural was rotated out of duty in the Minos Cluster and was transferred to the Republic Navy; additionally, members of the Republic Special Forces Division of the Republic Army were rotated in to assist the Jedi Order in its fight for the Minos worlds. Despite the addition of Republic troopers, the Republic gradually lost ground as the conflict dragged on until 3667 BBY, when Republic and Jedi defenders on the Core World of Alderaan managed to defeat a massive Imperial strike force. The unexpected victory against seemingly insurmountable odds greatly boosted the morale of the Republic's fighting forces, which saw a string of victories in the following months. The effects were felt in the Minos Cluster as well, where the Jedi and their allies were able to reestablish a foothold by 3665 BBY. Elin Garza, Colonel of the Republic Army and hero of the Battle of Bomodon, participated in the Minos Cluster Campaign during this period and led her soldiers in a series of rallying victories. In recognition of her heroism in the battle for the Minos Cluster, Garza was awarded with the prestigious Medal of Valor by the Republic.

As the war neared its third decade, the Republic's forces in the Minos Cluster came under the command of Jedi Master Orgus Din and Special Forces Lieutenant Harron Tavus of Havoc Squad. After Tavus was assigned to the Minos Cluster sometime after his recruitment into Havoc Squad in 3,667 BBY, the two worked together to lead many commando raids against Imperial targets and saw great success in these endeavors. Towards the tail end of the campaign, the two of them led Republic forces to a significant victory in the battle on the Minos world of Karideph—a feat which earned them the moniker of "Heroes of Karideph." The Minos Cluster Campaign continued under Din and Tavus's leadership until 3654 BBY, when the Sith Empire's ruling Dark Council of Sith Lords approached the Republic's Senate with an offer of peace. The High Council of the Jedi Order was hesitant to believe the sincerity of such an offer, and advised that the Senate move forward with caution. In order to ensure that their proposal was accepted as genuine, the Dark Council ordered that the Imperial Military begin to draw down some of its offensive activities, including the invasion of the Minos Cluster. Consequently, in 3653 BBY, the Sith offensive in the region came to an end, leaving the Republic as the victors after a twenty-eight year struggle.

The cessation of the Sith offensive in the Minos Cluster brought immense relief to the exhausted Republic fighters in the area and encouraged the Galactic Senate and its Supreme Chancellor Berooken to consider the Empire's peace proposals. While preparations were underway for a peace conference to be held on Alderaan, Master Din and Lieutenant Tavus traveled from the Minos Cluster back to the Senate Building on Coruscant to deliver a report on the end of the invasion. In a session of the Senate that was being held simultaneously with the conference on Alderaan, Din and Tavus addressed the legislature and attested to the Empire's cessation of hostilities. Chancellor Berooken interpreted the end of the lengthy conflict as a sign that the Sith were demonstrating good faith in their effort to end the violent galactic war.

The Empire's surrender of the Minos Cluster was, in reality, merely a component of an elaborate deception orchestrated by the Dark Council and Sith Emperor to lull the Republic into a false sense of hope and security. In truth, the Sith never intended to bring the Great Galactic War to a peaceful end and instead launched a plan to attack Coruscant during the sham peace deliberations. The Sacking of Coruscant began while Din and Tavus delivered their report on the Minos Cluster and ended with the Empire's victory in the war and the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant. Several years after the signing of the treaty, which officially ended the war, then-Jedi Master and historian Gnost-Dural recorded a holorecord regarding the Empire's return and the beginning of the conflict. The record made note of the Minos Cluster seizure, as well as several other battles from the era. Around the same time, the journal kept by Gnost-Dural during the Great War was submitted to the Jedi Archives on Tython by Grand Master Satele Shan, who annotated the logs and recorded her own memories of the Minos Cluster invasion and the Jedi who took part in the region's defense.

The invasion of the Minos Cluster was conceived as part of the extensive multi-media project surrounding the LucasArts/BioWare online video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic. The event was initially referenced in The Old Republic, Threat of Peace Act 1: Treaty of Coruscant, the first in a series of webcomics released on The Old Republic's official website. On January 22 of 2010, the website also released the sixth entry in a series of videos called the Galactic Timeline. This series, narrated by actor Lance Henriksen as Jedi Master Gnost-Dural, provided a historical account of the Great Galactic War and the history of the Republic. Timeline 6: Onslaught of the Sith Empire made mention of a Sith attack on the Minos Cluster, but placed the event at the beginning of the war, in 3681 BBY—nearly thirty years prior to the conflict mentioned in Threat of Peace, which was set during the final days of the war.

Although the large amount of time that passed in-universe between the two mentions initially made it unclear if the sources were referencing the same event, the confusion was cleared up with the release of The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural on December 20 of 2011. Included as part of the collector's edition of the Star Wars: The Old Republic video game, The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural confirmed that the Empire's invasion of the Minos Cluster lasted for nearly the entirety of the Great Galactic War, and shed light on the details of the struggle. Additionally, the invasion received several mentions in the game itself.

In the 2012 source book, Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia, the invasion of the Minos Cluster was officially designated as the "Minos Cluster Campaign." The book also provided details on Orgus Din and Harron Tavus's activities in the Minos Cluster, as well as the participation of Colonel Elin Garza and the Jedi Tol Braga.