Disclaimer: Do not own Star Wars or Star Trek. Skyriver Galaxy belongs to Lord Maximus.
Ch. 3
Task Force Shadowheart
Zak, after being shown his temporary quarters by an ensign, was busy perusing the ship databanks for the histories of all the factions that were here on the ship. And what he had found, straight up amazed him.
'They were at war with each other over the course of centuries, millennia for some, and yet, they came together to fight for their freedom and survival against these 'Iconians'. They put aside their differences and hatred for each other and fought back against a common foe, something that the Republic can't seem to figure out in this war.' He found himself thinking as he read about the Alliance's most recent and devastating conflict, one that led to its creation.
And the one who led the charge, was the exact same General who rescued his ship and passengers from the bounty hunters and Separatist fleet. Apparently, Rex had been an ally of Starfleet since its conception, befriending many of the famous captains, most of whom were in charge of the Enterprise. And after the Borg attack on the Vega colony, where he rescued his adopted daughter Alexa, he had been in the spotlight alongside then-Lieutenant Williamson of Starfleet, Sergeant Martok of the Klingon Empire, and Centurion Khel, fighting together against the Borg, Cardassians, the Dominion, and Undine, before learning that it was the Iconians who were the true threat.
Then, they worked together to try and get the various fleets to work as one and fight back after the Iconian Empire launched their attack. For six months, the newly formed Alliance, not even official yet, fought a losing battle against them. The final battle alone almost resulted in the complete destruction of the Alliance, if not for Rex's efforts to discover why the Iconians were the way they were. And, as it turned out, it was one hell of a discovery, but one that Rex and the others, after handing over something called a 'World Heart', had apparently agreed to keep as a secret. The Iconians then left for Iconia, in order to rebuild their civilization, ending the war.
It was after the war that Task Force Shadowheart was formed, with its mission being to investigate any and all Iconian technology, as well as exploring beyond the Gateways. Hence, why they were here in the Skyriver Galaxy, as they had reactivated the Gateway on their end that the Saurian had arrived through, only to find out that Skyriver's Gate had shut down after their arrival due to an overload of power in the ancient systems, effectively trapping them here. The only thing that Zak couldn't find was the location of the artifact, due to some kind of high security system that was blocking it.
Another detail that he discovered, was that the Alliance had something called the 'Prime Directive', a law that states rather specifically that no contact was allowed with any civilization that had not developed some form of FTL travel. It originally was limited only to something called 'Warp Drive' as it was believed that one could only travel faster than light with one, but was changed when Rex had demonstrated the Hyper Drive to the Federation. That, and other such tech from here, was currently being put into use even now, as well as improved on, such as personal shielding, body armor, and blasters for ground combat, something that only the Klingon Empire and the Dominion had any experience in.
Zak soon found himself thinking about what it would be like to travel to and explore the Milky Way galaxy, in the same way that this Alliance was doing here. 'To explore new civilizations, simply for the sake of learning, must be pretty fun to do. Wonder if I'll get a chance to do the same?'
He then decided to go and talk to the general, if only to see if there were any openings to join them in their explorations.
"Normally, I would smack you upside the head, then drug your ass til you were literally talking to pink elephants so that you couldn't get out of the bed, much less my med-bay. However, if you were anything like that damn lizard, it wouldn't keep you down long, thanks to that thrice-damn field you call the Force." Dr. Jazia Dax, Chief Medical Officer of the R.R.W. Shadowblade, said, while conducting her final check-up on Ahsoka Tano's health. "Also, for future reference, my species, the Trill, thanks to our symbiotic relationship with our symbionts, are completely immune to all mind-affecting effects of the Force. So no tricking me into thinking that you don't exist."
Ahsoka blushed at that detail, as she had thought that she had affected everyone in the med-bay. She then continued what she had been doing since she returned to the medical wing, which was observing the doctors as they were working with their various patients. She watched as Dr. Dax scanned her with a device that she called a 'tricorder', studying her vitals for anything out of the ordinary. Ahsoka also found herself watching as Alexa was performing a medical check-up of her own, apparently as part of her individual Jedi training she was required to work here for several hours a day in order to learn how to be a medical officer, as she used the Force to heal one of the many children aboard the ship, who had scrapped his knee rough-housing with one of the others.
To her utter amazement, Alexa, without even looking up, used the Force to bring to her grasp a jar of what looked like candy while sending a bundle of bandages back towards a medical locker. Alexa then handed the boy a piece of candy and was talking to him even as she sent the jar back from where she got it. "There you go, kiddo. Here's your candy for being such a brave little boy, and try to be safer this time round, hmm?"
The boy nodded, before grabbing the sweets and running out of the med-bay, possibly to find his friends. Ahsoka then turned her attention back towards the doctor, just in time to catch what she said next. "Well, everything checks out, other than you needing some food, you're good to go. Also, before you take off, General Resede wants you to come up to the bridge. I believe he wants to show you something or other." She then turned toward Alexa and called her name, grabbing Alexa's attention. "Alexa, you're done for today. Why don't you show Tano here how to get to the bridge?"
"Sure thing, Jazia! Come on, Ahsoka, let me show you around." With that, the two left, heading towards one of the turbolifts at dotted about the ship. Along the way, Alexa was explaining to Ahsoka everything she wanted to know about the Shadowblade, showing her some of the key differences between this ship and the ones that were familiar to her.
"The Shadowblade is a modified Scimitar-class Dreadnought. She's about three and a half kilometers long, nine hundred and eighty meters in height, with a wingspan of five and a half kilometers. The Shadowblade carries a command crew of three thousand personnel, along with an additional ten thousand soldiers, plus families. She also carries upwards of two to three hundred starfighters for protection. She is also the only ship in the task force that has primary and secondary shields, enabling it to take quite the beating before needing to recharge." She was then interrupted by Ahsoka, who was looking at her in shock.
"Wait, this ship has primary and secondary shields?! What the hell are you using to power this monster?!" She exclaimed in surprise.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Alexa replied, looking at her in amusement.
Ahsoka just glared at her and said, "Try me." Alexa just shrugged and told her, causing her jaw to drop in response. "An artificial singularity."
She just stood there and watched as Ahsoka tried to say something for a couple of minutes, her mouth working but no words coming out. What she managed to say next succeeded in causing Alexa to start laughing and laughing hard. "A-A-A blackhole?! You guys are using a blackhole to power this ship?! Are you guys fucking NUTS?!"
"HAHAHA! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for laughing, but your face! Trust me on this, we are in more danger of smashing into an asteroid then we are of losing control of the singularity. The Romulan Star Empire and, later on, the Romulan Republic have been using artificial singularities for centuries. I would think that they would know what they are doing in that regard at least."
Ahsoka found herself blushing again, in response of both how she reacted and what she said. It was then that they had found a turbolift and entered it, seeing that they weren't the only ones in it, as Zak had also entered right behind them. "Bridge." Alexa said, enabling the lift to start moving.
After a few minutes, Ahsoka decided to ask a question that she had been thinking about for a couple of hours now, her curiosity getting the better of her. "So, how did you meet Master Resede?" When Alexa didn't answer, she looked over and saw that Alexa was hesitating about something, and through the Force, Ahsoka could feel the fear and pain that emanated from her. But before she could apologize for asking, Alexa spoke up.
"It was nighttime on Vega, when they came. A race of cybernetic organisms called the Borg. They were the thing of nightmares for the Federation, as a single Cube was capable of wiping out entire fleets of ships, and we were attacked by two Cubes and a Tactical Cube. The few ships in the area that tried to fight back were easily brushed aside, and the garrison didn't do much better either. By the time my parents were aware of what was happening, half of the colony had already been assimilated into their collective. I remember my mother waking me up and telling me to run to the woods like we had practiced. I was only four at the time, but I could see that she was scared about something, so I did as I was told, and ran for the woods. It was on my way there that I ran into a group of the Borg, as they were escorting all those that they had assimilated. My Father was in that group."
At this point, both Zak and Ahsoka could literally see the pain that the memory was causing on her face, though only Ahsoka could tell just how deep that pain was, thanks to the Force, at the fact that her father was assimilated by the Borg. After a deep breath, Alexa continued her story.
"I remember rushing out to my father, not understanding why he wasn't trying to escape from them. As I tried to pull him away to escape with me, I watched as my dad turned toward me, and it was then that I realized that my father was no more. His left eye had been replaced with some kind of cybernetic scanner, and his left arm, up to the elbow, had also been replaced. . . . I still see that face in my nightmares, and wake up screaming as I did then. It was then, just as the Borg was about to assimilate me, that I met the man who would eventually take my father's place, Rex. As the Borg had surrounded me, with my back against a wall, Rex had leapt off the building behind me and placed himself between me and them, glaring at them in anger."
*Flashback*
Little Alexa, who was on the verge of tears, had looked up at her mysterious rescuer in surprise, as he stood up between her and the monsters that had been reaching for her. In a low tone of voice, the stranger spoke up. "Okay boys, why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
He then thrust his hand forward, and, much to her shock and awe, the scary monsters were blasted off their feet, flying back a good twenty or so meters! Then she watched as he grabbed a strange silver cylinder, roughly two feet in length, with several buttons on it. He pressed one of the buttons on it, causing two bright silver beams to appear with a SNAP-HISS.
The stranger charged one of the closer Borg drones, taking a swing at it with his pretty light sword. A green field appeared around the drone's body, the Borg's ability to 'adapt' to the frequency and power level of an enemy's weapon, trying to protect it from the incoming blade. But, to the drone's surprise and her awe, the light sword basically plowed through the shield like it wasn't even there and cleaved the drone in two! The other Borg drones in the area turned towards him and some started approaching, intending to assimilate him into the collective, while others opened fire on him, trying to knock his weapon out of his hands.
Alexa watched as her rescuer started swinging his sword around, deflecting the disruptor fire back at the Borg, killing several of them before they adapted to their own weapons fire. He then raised his hand again, and to her amazement, instead of just blasting them back again, lightning shot out and slammed into all of the Borg in reach. The ones hit by it suffered for it, as the lightning basically fried most, if not all, of their cybernetic components. The ones that survived that, however, had other problems, as the stranger leapt into their midst, splitting his sword in two and started hacking them to bits, his blades a blur of destruction as he fought them off and away from her.
*Flashback Ends*
"Rex didn't stop fighting til after several ships from the Omega Force task group showed up, taking the burden off of his shoulders. It wasn't til later that I learned that the entire Vega colony hadn't been assimilated like I first thought, all because of him, Uncle Tovan, and the crew of this here ship. You see, they were coming to the colony to pick up medical supplies, and had arrived just after the last of Starfleet's ships was about to be destroyed. So while Rex and his MACO squads were on the ground helping with evacuations, his ship, alongside the Miranda-class U.S.S. Chimera and the Klingon Bird of Prey I.K.S. Blade of Kahless, attacked the Tactical Cube and its escorts, a certain death sentence had Rex not spent time constantly modifying the Shadowblade with all kinds of experimental prototype technology that he would later share with the rest of the Alliance after he worked out all the bugs. After the attack, he had decided to adopt me after learning that none of my family survived. And here I am, fourteen years later, exploring the galaxy that my new father came from."
At this point, the turbolift had arrived at the bridge. Ahsoka and Zak took the opportunity to look around, slightly curious as to why the area was so small compared any ship that was comparable in size that the two knew of, namely the Lucrehulk-class battleships and the new Victory-class Star Destroyers. They saw a large display screen along the back wall that showed the schematics of a ship, most likely the one that they were on. The display showed just about everything one would need concerning the ship, namely the floor plan of each deck, weapon systems, current shield strength, everything needed for ship operation. Directly opposite the display was what looked like a huge window to the outside of the ship, and what it was showing surprised the hell out of them, as the tunnel they were flying through didn't look at all like hyperspace. Instead of the gaseous appearance that hyperspace tunnels always take, this one was full of numerous streaks that were flying by at incredible speeds. Scattered about the center of the room were several different consoles, all with someone working at them for something or other concerning the ship. And in the middle of the bridge, surrounded by the various consoles, were three chairs, all of which were currently occupied. One they recognized as the general, Rex, while the other two, a male and a heavily pregnant female, both Romulan, were complete unknowns to Ahsoka, while Zak knew them to be the First Officer and Ship's Counselor, Tovan and Serena Khel.
As Alexa walked toward the three, Ahsoka and Zak began to listen to the conversation that was going on. "Whose turn was it today for the patrols, Tovan?" They heard Rex ask, before hearing Tovan's response.
"According to the schedule, it should be several of Martok's Birds of Prey. Why?"
"Simple, because they'll want to show off to the Jedi who defeated the Fek'Ihri and saved the Klingon Empire from their return.
"Father, I brought up Ahsoka and Zak, as you asked." Alexa said, before turning towards the display monitor. "So, Welcoming Party?
As she and Serena were talking, Rex turned to his guests, figuring that the pair would like some answers as to what was going on. "Welcome to the bridge. I'm sure that you have at least a few questions, so I'll answer what I can."
Zak and Ahsoka looked at each other, before he decided to start things off. "What's this about a Welcoming Party?"
"Klingons are a race of warriors, so they believe in glory and honor. Due to a series of events that had threatened the Klingon Empire, I myself am considered an honorary member of the House of Kahless, which was a high honor amongst them as Kahless was responsible for freeing the Klingons from a race of humanoids known as the Fek'Ihri, not to mention creating the Empire.
"What about where we are going?" Ahsoka asked, getting a contemplating look from him, before he looked back at the display.
"We are going to a planet lost to history, where my task force is currently stationed at studying the artifact that brought us here in hopes of reopening it for supplies from back home." He replied, drawing a confused look from the pair, before Ahsoka put it together. "You're talking about Tython, aren't you? How do you even know where it's at? The Jedi Archives don't even have it listed anymore, due to the hyperspace routes into the Deep Core being lost!"
"Simple. I remember the route in and out of the Core. I've been to Tython before, when the Jedi Order was stationed there during the war against the Sith Empire." He said, drawing an even more surprised look from her.
"Bu-but that was almost four thousand years ago!" Ahsoka cried out, with Zak looking shocked at the news, while Rex just chuckled at her, before replying, "Yeah, I look good for a four thousand year old lizard, wouldn't you say? Let's just say that my people were a rather long lived group of individuals."
"And who were your people, if you don't mind me asking?" Zak asked, after he got over his shock.
"The Saurians, a race that is now almost completely extinct, thanks to the Sith Lord Exar Kun, who, in fear of the Jedi of that time asking for help from us, wiped out my people by destroying our homeworld with his fleet." He answered, lost in his memories of that time, before continuing. "However, even though he wiped us out, we took our pound of flesh from him. Thanks to us, his fleets and armies were decimated to the point that he couldn't recover before the Jedi launched their own attack against him. So in a way, my people were the ones ultimately responsible for his downfall."
Before they could continue questioning him, the helmsman spoke up. "Sir, we're almost to our exit point."
"Good, make sure to signal the patrol after we exit warp. As for you two, please take a seat and enjoy the show."
Deep in the Core, hidden inside a nebula a few parsecs away from the Tython System, a small group of Klingon ships lay in wait, as part of today's patrol schedule. L'Kor, captain of the Vo'quv-class Carrier Spirit of Qo'nos, was watching his viewscreen for the arrival of any ship that exits warp at this point. His current forces include five B'rel-class Birds of Prey, three Pach-class Raptors, his ship and its squadrons of To'Duj starfighters. The reason for this was that recently, a fleet of unknown ships had showed up near here, before jumping away into Hyperspace to a different destination. What had worried the fleet commanders was that the fleet had numbered close to five hundred capital ships, and over one hundred thousand starfighters.
"Captain, the Shadowblade is due to arrive in one minute." His tactical officer, a Jem'Hadar named So'Karn, called out, catching his attention.
"Good. All ships engage cloaking devices and stand by to attack if it is not the Shadowblade. Qapla'!" L'Kor said, watching as his attack group disappeared from view. He then sat down and listened as So'Karn counted down, watching for the ship to arrive.
". . . Five, four, three, two, one." The Jem'Hadar officer counted down, everyone tensing up for the possible encounter. The moment So'Karn finished counting, the Shadowblade came out of warp and stopped, broadcasting the identification code for the month. L'Kor looked at his comms officer, who was checking to make sure that the correct code was being broadcasted. All outgoing ships were given two separate codes, one for the 'All Clear', and the other for 'Under Duress', and all ships on patrol had orders that if the 'Under Duress' code was broadcasted, they were to immediately disable the ship and board it, capturing anyone who wasn't part of the crew.
"Signal is 'All Clear', Captain." Gaila, L'Kor's comms officer and Orion girlfriend, said, turning towards him.
He nodded, before looking back at the viewscreen. "Signal all ships to decloak and assume escort positions."
Ahsoka watched as, to her amazement, several 'Klingon' ships just fade into view! She only partially listened in on the conversation that was going on behind her as she watched the ships, which were moving with far more grace than ships of similar size had the right to move, move into what she assumed were escort positions.
"Something happened recently. A Vo'quv, three Pachs, five B'Rels, and escorting fighters, that's far more than what was supposed to be here today." Serena said, looking at the viewscreen in worry. "What could have happened?"
"Johnson, hail the patrol leader. I need to know what's going on." Rex ordered, feeling just as worried, as Martok wouldn't have put more ships here without a damn good reason.
"Yes Sir." That had Ahsoka and Zak's attention, as Zak asked, "What's going on?"
"General, Captain L'Kor has requested that this conversation be had in your ready room, clearance level Delta."
"That's what I'm gonna find out. Tovan, you have the Bridge." Rex replied, heading to his ready room. Once inside, he activated the privacy field and turned on his comms. "Clearance level Delta: Two-Two-Omega-Resede-Zero."
"Clearance code accepted. Activating secure comms." The computer stated, before switching over to L'Kor's.
"General Revan, good to see you old friend. The reason I requested this is that I didn't want to scare your guests with this. As of eighteen hours ago, a massive fleet, with close to five hundred capital ships, came out of Hyperspace near the Tython system, sticking around only long enough to regroup before jumping again. Based on the info you sent us, it was a Separatist Fleet. Sending you the data, you definitely need to see the flagship."
Rex then looked at the data, which included a video that was captured via a Romulan stealth drone. Watching the video, he saw the flagship, a five kilometer long monster with close to five hundred turbolaser cannons and two massive ion cannons, according to a sensor readout taken by the drone.
"They never detected us?" He asked, looking up from the video.
L'Kor shook his head, "No, the moment the first ship exited Hyperspace, we went dark and sent in the drone. Martok had asked that upon your arrival, you join him and the others in a meeting to discuss what to do."
Rex nodded, before looking at the recording again. "Roger, I'll be there." It was then that he had a rather interesting thought. "Hey, L'Kor. How much of the task force is in the Tython System?"
"Roughly ¾ of the fleet, why?" He asked, seeing the grin on the General. Rex just leaned back, smirk firmly implanted on his face.
"Simple, I think our guests would like to see just how big our little family is. Call it a gut feeling or a warning from the Force, but I think that our introduction to my home galaxy is going to be very interesting."
"HA! If your gut feeling is correct, as usual, then it'll be a damn good day to die, General! Qapla'!"
Ahsoka watched as Rex returned to his seat, before looking back at the viewscreen, as it showed them approaching Tythos, the main sequence star that was the center of the Tython system. She couldn't even begin to try to hide the feelings of excitement that were welling up in her, merely at the thought of seeing the original home of the Jedi Order.
"Excited, are we?" Serena asked, giggling in amusement as Ahsoka jumped up a bit in surprise. After her heartrate was back to normal, Ahsoka grinned sheepishly, "That obvious?"
"Only to those that know what they are looking for. After all, I see it all the time in my husband's eyes every time we discover something new in this wide universe that we call home." Serena said, looking out the viewscreen as they approached the outermost planet in the system, Furies' Gate. And in orbit was Fury Station, an ancient space station that they repurposed a month after their arrival into a sensor array powerful enough to detect activity anywhere in the galaxy.
As they flew pass the station, Ahsoka and Zak started seeing ships of a design never before seen by anyone they knew, along with various space stations and what looked like defense turrets scattered all over the system. Serena took the time to explain any questions they had concerning the ships that where flying all around them, while keeping the classified details to herself.
"Over there, setting up those torpedo turrets, are Dhael-class Romulan Birds of Prey. And those ships over there on patrol are Negh'Var battlecruisers, and the lead ship is a Negh'Tev, both belong to the Klingon Empire and are their mainline battleships."
"What about those saucer-like ships over there?" Ahsoka asked, pointing towards a group of ships that were flying past them.
"Those? Their Federation Science ships, specifically the Nebula-class. That triangular section on the top there happens to house some of the most powerful sensors ever installed on a ship. Oh, looks like we'll be able to see some of our shipyards today as well." Serena said, pointing toward a series of space docks and repair cradles that were up ahead. Inside of them were different types of ships, with what looked like tiny shuttles and people in spacesuits hovering over them, doing inspections and repair work.
It was then that Ahsoka, tearing her gaze away from the space docks, saw it. Tython, the fifth planet in the system, along with its two moons, Ashla and Bogan, and it was more beautiful than she ever thought possible. As the Shadowblade approached, Ahsoka took note of several ships orbiting a decent sized station in Tython's orbit, three of which caught her and Zak's attention, as they dwarfed the other ships in size.
Serena, seeing where they were looking, spoke up. "Those ships there are the other flagships of our task group. We have the Klingon flagship, I.K.S. Blade of Kahless, a Martok-class Tactical Battlecruiser. Then there's the U.S.S. Chimera, a Yorktown-class Science Starcruiser from Starfleet. And finally the Light of the Founders, a Jem'Hadar Dreadnought Carrier. They, along with the Shadowblade, represent the four major groups of Task Force Shadowheart."
"And which ship is the strongest?" Zak asked, looking her in the eyes. What he didn't expect was for her to start laughing at the question. "Hahahaha. I'm sorry, hahaha, but in a straight fight, if there's such a thing as a straight fight, that's a toss-up, as those three were modified after the Iconian War from their original design. Like this ship, they were modified to be four times larger than a ship of similar make, as well as being stronger in terms of firepower, speed, shield strength, needless to say, the flagships are fully capable of fighting an entire fleet from home by themselves and come out the victor."
That statement caused their mouths to plummet, as the idea that a single one of the flagships was considered a fleet-killer was a very bitter pill to swallow, though Zak had an easier time with it as he had seen the Shadowblade in action.
After Ahsoka recovered from that shock, she then asked her another question. "What about the station? It's different from all the other stations that we flew by."
"That is the station responsible for powering the device that brought us here. We call the device an Iconian Gateway, and it's capable of transporting anything from a single ship to entire armadas to anywhere in the universe. If our scientists managed to fix it, then maybe we'll show you how it works."
After the ship stopped near the others, Ahsoka, Zak, and Lissark got to experience the use of transporters for the first time, which freaked the ever-living shit out of them as they were beamed onto the station. From there, they were taken on a small tour of the station, with a Romulan female named Satra, who was the lead Science Officer of the Iconian Gateway restoration, leading the tour.
"And this is the main control room of the station, where, once we can get it to work again, we can activate the Gateway, as well as work the station's various systems, like life support and point defenses. It is also, in my personal opinion, the best spot to view the planet Tython, as well as communicate with our research teams on the surface."
"Wait, you have research teams on Tython? Why would you need to, if General Resede told you about it himself? I mean, he is from here after all, so he would know all about it." Ahsoka asked, confused.
"While Rex has told us everything he knew about Tython, it was his idea to send research teams down, so that we could learn more about the planet's various ruins. Starfleet in particular is all about exploring different cultures, so everything that we can about Ancient Tython all the way to now is knowledge that we can use to further ourselves in a way." Satra replied, while leading them away from the control room and going to their last stop, namely the meeting with the leaders of the task force.
"Now, you'll be meeting with the other leaders of our fleet in the conference room up ahead, namely Fleet Admiral Williamson, Dahar Master Martok, and the Founder Odo. They, along with General Resede, will talk with you about any other questions that you might have. They might also have questions for you, so please answer them truthfully."
They nodded in understanding as she opened the door to the conference room. Once inside, they saw General Resede, along with three other individuals, sitting at a table facing them. The room itself was fairly large, with podium seats against the walls facing the center of the room, filled with various sentients sitting in them watching as they entered. In the center was a massive holotable, currently showing the system itself and all ship movements thereabouts. Behind each leader was a flag hanging down, each showing a different symbol. The green flag behind Rex had a large Raptor on it, the blue one behind the only human up there had a Delta with a star in the center, the red one behind the Klingon displayed a triangle split in three, and the purple one the Changeling was sitting in front of was showing a diamond with a reverse L shape in the center.
Satra led them to the front of the table, before saluting to the task force's leaders and then left the room, closing the door behind her. Ahsoka's attention was then brought back in front of her as Rex stood up.
"Welcome friends, to Skyriver Station, our first intergalactic command post for the Milky Way Alliance. You already know who I am, so I'll introduce my friends and co-leaders. To my left is Fleet Admiral Eric Williamson of Starfleet, my second-in-command of the Fleet. To my immediate right is Dahar Master Shaveth Martok of the House of Martok of the Klingon Empire and leader of our ground forces. Finally, to my far right is Odo, one of the Founders of the Dominion and Chief Scientist of our research and science teams."
"To either side of you are the various captains of the Fleet, all of whom may have a few questions for each of you. Now, if you may introduce yourselves, we can get started." He said, before sitting back down.
After looking at each other, Ahsoka decided to start things off, "My name's Ahsoka Tano, of the Jed. . . I mean, formerly of the Jedi Order. I'm a Togrutan." She said, almost forgetting for a moment that she was no longer a Jedi, which almost brought about tears once more at the memories of what led to her exile.
Zak, seeing that the Togrutan was deep in her memories, picked up on the introduction, "I'm Zak Nafren, captain of the Twilight Runner and master smuggler. This is my First Mate, Lissark, a Trandoshan Hunter. I would like to thank you again for bailing me and my passengers out of that mess with the bounty hunters and CIS."
"Why were the bounty hunters after you Captain?" Odo asked, watching with interest how both Ahsoka and Zak looked at each other before answering.
"It was because the Separatists had hired them to destroy the resistance cell on Dantooine and to capture me for Count Dooku, leader of the Separatists. As for why, unfortunately, I don't know, just that I lost friends in that ambush, and I wasn't even there to help save them as I was on a supply run." Ahsoka replied, not noticing the look that was passed between the four of them, though Zak spotted it.
'They know something, they know why she was captured.' He thought to himself, watching Rex in particular, as his eyes hadn't move from Ahsoka at all.
"I am sorry that your friends died, but I'm sure, in their minds, that it was a good death, one that was costly to the blHnuchs that chose to ambush instead of facing them in open, honorable combat, and one that had bought you time to escape, once you found out about the attack. Honor your friends by living in spite of the petaQ's attempt to capture you, and remember this: Revenge is a dish best served cold, and it is very cold in space." Shaveth said, partially to help steer her away from those dark thoughts of revenge.
"Do you possibly know the size of the Separatist fleet?" Eric asked, trying to get an idea of just how badly they were outnumbered by their soon-to-be opponents.
"Their fleets are about the same as the Republic's in size, the problem is that the majority of their ships are crewed by droids and they are mass-produced in factories, whereas the GAR have been relying on clones for the majority of their forces, and there is only one place where they are grown and trained, the planet Kamino, and unfortunately, it takes time to grow and train them." Ahsoka replied, only this time she caught the look that was passed between them. ". . . Why are you asking?"
All four looked at each other once more, before nodding. "The reason we asked, is that yesterday, a massive Separatist fleet, numbering close to five hundred capital ships of various makes, came out of hyperspace just outside this system. Upon detection, we immediately went dark, while sending in a stealth drone to get us a live feed of the fleet. These were the images we got back." Rex said, gesturing towards the holotable.
Turning, the trio watched the video, as the drone flew past ship after ship, up until it came to the lead ship, and the sight of the five kilometer monster froze Ahsoka's blood, as she had seen two others just like it, and the death toll that followed. "No. . . Not another one. . ."
That caught their attention, "Wait, there were more of that thing?!" Eric asked in shock.
"Two more, the Malevolence and the Sssubjugator. The first was destroyed by smassshing it into a moon, and the second was boarded and dessstroyed by detonating its reactor. Hundredsss of ships were dessstroyed by them and they can and have absssorbed a ton of beatingsss by GAR cruisers. That monster is fully capable, by itself, of wiping out entire fleets. Sssupported as it is, I don't know how the Republic can stop it." Lissark replied, looking at the ship in fear.
"That's the point, they ain't supposed to. One doesn't send a fleet with a superweapon unless they plan on doing a lot of damage in a really short amount of time." Odo replied, adopting a thinking posture as he tried to think of their target.
"Founder, I believe that I know what their first target might be." A Vorta spoke up, standing as he did so. Odo and Rex looked in his direction, with Odo nodding to him. "Speak, Borath. What have you learned?"
"Founder, on my way back to the Tython System, my ship had intercepted a distress call from a General Kenobi, requesting any and all reinforcements to Kamino. Based on what we had just learned, I believe that this Separatist battlegroup is heading for Kamino, to knock out the GAR's ability to fight in this war, as well as to annihilate any Republic fleet that arrives before or after they attack. If they can cause enough damage, they might be able to force the Republic into a surrender on their terms."
Ahsoka couldn't believe what she had heard. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master and one of her friends, was in trouble, and there was nothing she could do to help him or her Master, Anakin . . . Or could she? Before she even realized it, Ahsoka heard herself crying out, "Please, you have to help them!"
This caused everyone to look at her, before Admiral Williamson spoke, "Why? Why do we need to help them? Don't forget, Miss Tano, we are not natives to this galaxy, and we definitely don't have a steady supply line or the ability to call for reinforcements at this time. So for what reason would we choose to help, especially given how the Jedi Order, in your own words to General Resede, basically threw you to the mob?" He asked, hating how he was making himself sound, but there was a reason for this. Before this meeting, Rex had explained what he saw in his vision in more detail, and had told them of his plan, to save both her and the Jedi Order. But the plan hinged entirely on Ahsoka, and her ability to forgive the Jedi for abandoning her to that bullshit trial, before she went into self-imposed exile.
That threw Ahsoka for a loop, as it totally killed the vast majority of her arguments to get them to help. Yes, the Order had tossed her aside during the bombing incident, and if it wasn't for her Master actually going out and catching the true culprit, she'd have been killed. Never mind how the Council then tried to pass it off as a 'trial', saying it was the will of the Force that this happened, which led her to leave the only home she had ever known, simply because, at the time, she couldn't find it in herself to forgive them.
It was then, for the first time in years, that she felt the Force give her a direction and course to follow, and in her heart, she felt that it was time to return to her family. Ahsoka then looked up, staring each of them in the eye, and catching Rex's look of approval, told them why they should help.
"Because, the Jedi Order, especially Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker, are my family. Yes, family can and will fight, but they also forgive each other, and I can't abandon them to what is certainly death and destruction, without trying my damnedest to save them, even if it leads to my death, at least then I tried to help."
Rex, Shaveth, Eric, and Odo looked at each other, nodding as they came to the same agreement, before Rex spoke their decision, "Then, there's really only one thing to say."
Standing up, Rex reached forward and pressed a button on the table before speaking out loud, bringing Ahsoka a feeling of hope for the first time in weeks. "Task Force Shadowheart, this is General Resede. All hands, BATTLE STATIONS!"
A/N: Here it is, the next chapter of the story. Next time, the Battle for Kamino will start up, and the galaxy will never be the same afterwards. Don't forget, review, or I'll stuff you into a torpedo and fire it at the nearest star!