Four
The mottled blue tunnel of hyperspace exploded into a mess of elongated stars as the Tracyn'senaar reverted back to realspace. Specks became ships and satellites and a disc became Coruscant itself as they decelerated towards them, rushing up towards the canopy of the cockpit before stopping almost dead in front of them.
It was something Arkaan had never quite gotten used to, and judging by the reaction of Jay next to him, he wasn't the only one who got caught by it. The viewpoint shifted slightly as Senaar corrected their angle of approach, and lights began twinkling on the console from the communication with the ground. Faint noises from the comm sounded, and Jay listened in to Senaar exchanging pleasantries and data with a flight controller, negotiating an entry slot.
A secondary light winked on above the comm console, but this time a much louder voice came over it.
"This is the Iron Fist hailing the, uh, Tracey Seenar, acknowledge."
Arkaan sighed and leaned forward, slipping a switch.
"This is Captain Arkaan of the Tracyn'senaar, acknowledging."
"Hold for Colonel Raven."
"So he's a Colonel now?" muttered Senaar before Arkaan shushed her.
"Noa! Glad you could make it! Change of plan, vod, we're heading out ASAP. Rendezvous and land on the Iron Fist so we can get underway."
"Alright, shall do. See you in a few."
Before Arkaan had even finished speaking, the view outside the cockpit tilted as the Tracyn'senaar swung around, and the heavily armoured vessel began threading its way through the traffic floating just inside the upper atmosphere of Coruscant.
A large dagger shaped vessel began to grow even bigger as they were guided closer by the AI. Other, similar shaped ships floated around it in formation, with smaller support vessels flitting around them, ferrying men and equipment between the Acclamator-class vessels.
A few minutes later, the Tracyn'senaar finally settled on its landing struts in the hangar of the Iron Fist. Massive doors closed and a low vibration sounded through the ship as the ramp lowered, Arkaan standing on the lip as it descended. Behind him, Jay was pulling on a jacket and securing the flap of the holster on his hip.
White armoured figures raced around outside the smaller vessel, and Arkaan turned his attention to the tall ships racked up along the walls of the hangar. They were roughly triangular in cross-section, with a bulging cockpit section and canvas webbing lined the ceiling of the cargo area. Two ball-shaped turrets sat at the front end, and two stubby wings protruded from above the cargo area, with rocket pods thrusting forward on top.
"It's called a LAAT/i, and I have no idea what that stands for. C'mon, we need to get moving, they're making the jump to lightspeed any minute now. Hi, how're you doing?" said Raven, directing his last statement to Jay over Arkaan's shoulder.
Jay nodded at him, and behind him, a silver-plated droid appeared, the smooth armour shining in the harsh lights of the hangar. Senaar, now in her droid form, hefted a rifle, swinging it over and almost hitting Jay in the crotch with the muzzle. Raven gestured and the four of them moved off though the hangar, dodging technicians and soldiers
Seeing the helmets of the clone troopers around him, Jay moved up next to Arkaan and nudged him. He nodded, the similarity to the iconic Mandalorian helmet not lost on him. His own helmet was back on board the Tracyn'senaar with the rest of his armour, having left it behind, not thinking he'd need it.
They made their way through the ship, taking turbo-lifts and moving through security checkpoints. Eventually they arrived at the bridge and Raven swept them in past the two upright guards with a wave of an ID badge. He guided them over to stand behind a grey-suited officer, who was currently engaged in making sure the jump went as planned, coordinating the different efforts from the helm and navigation consoles. A countdown began over the speaker system and the bridge almost cleared as officers and ensigns took up their stations.
The countdown hit zero and the stars beyond elongated as the enormous ship made the transition into hyperspace. The engine noise changed pitch as the hyperspace engines took over and the ship began to quiet down for the long journey to wherever they were headed.
The captain turned around and caught Raven's eye before heading over.
"Captain, this is Noa Arkaan, the man I was telling you about," said Raven, introducing the two.
"Ah, yes, the advisor. I'm Captain Renauld Pell, welcome aboard the Iron Fist. I trust your stay here will be pleasant."
"Well that depends on the nature of our adventures on board. I don't suppose you can tell us where we're headed?"
"I don't see why not. We've received intelligence that the Separatists are planning on a move on Corellia, and we're spearheading an assault on one of their staging areas in the out-lying systems."
"Right into the thick of it, then."
"Very much so. By the way, I don't know if the captain here told you, but we're bestowing all you with a brevet rank of colonel, with the rank and pay of a captain until it can be confirmed by the higher-ups. Congratulations. Now to show you to your quarters. Ensign?"
A young uniformed officer stepped forward and saluted smartly before gesturing for Arkaan, Jay and Senaar to follow him.
***
After an episode involving Senaar demanding to know where her room was, a thoroughly confused and embarrassed ensign left, leaving them to arrange the transfer of some of their gear to the quarters. After getting it sorted, they joined Captain Pell in the command centre of the ship, where he and another man wearing dark armour over short black robes were poring over maps and holographic representations of the target area. Green and red markers showed known and expected troop positions, as well as angles of attack and rendezvous and fall-back points and projections on how the battle would progress.
The man in the dark robes and armour looked up as Arkaan and Jay approached and frowned at them.
"Who the fierfek are you?" he demanded.
"I'm Noa Arkaan, this is Jay, my assistant."
"Right, the Mandalorian. I'm Jaro Hoday, General of the 78th Assault Battalion. Jay have a second name?"
"No. This the attack?" asked Arkaan, indicating the holo display in front of them.
"Yep, what do you think?"
"I think you've got all your bases covered. What do you have in the way of aerial and heavy fire support?"
"The LAAT/i gunships will provide top cover, but I don't anticipate we'll need much artillery, but if we do, Captain Pell and his heavy guns are standing by, and we've drilled extensively in coordinating between ground and the ship. We're a battalion of shock troops, Mr. Arkaan, we work hard and fast."
"We? You're a Jedi, aren't you? I was under the impression you only took command of the clone troops a few weeks ago."
"I did, but you can learn a lot in three weeks, as I'm sure you're fully aware."
"If you say so. How long until we hit Corellian space?"
"Three days, give or take a few hours or so."
"That fast?"
"That's the beauty of a military vessel, Mr. Arkaan. We have the ability and an excuse to push already powerful engines to beyond their listed specifications."
"Alright then. What are your plans for the remainder of the trip?"
"Drills and briefings for the troops and weapons and equipment maintenance checks."
"Well, just let us know when we're an hour or so out and we'll make sure we're ready for the drop. How are we inserting and what role do you want us to play?"
"It'll be a contested aerial insertion, using the LAAT/i gunships, with fire from the Iron Fist to soften up the target first. I want you and your associates to go in with the second wave, over which Colonel Raven have tactical command. The plan is to drop troops in here, and here, and on top, here, then move your troops straight up the middle, dropping them here, just outside the facility and using them to crush any remaining resistance. We'll have reserves ready to move as a third wave, but I don't think we'll need them."
"What about their naval assets? I assume there'll be some sort of unofficial blockade of the system, so getting to the planet in the first place could be a bit of a problem."
"We've got that covered. Ours is just the ground assault aspect of the attack, we'll be jumping in after another fleet has pounded their ships to dust."
"In that case, why not just bombard the base from orbit and have done with it?"
"Because we want the base relatively intact. It's in a convenient place, located just off three different major trade routes to and from the Core, and controlling those lanes will be vital to the war effort."
"So you're sending in troops to take the base. This had better be worth it, Jaro, or you'll be throwing away the lives of these men for nothing."
"I know, and I've made it clear to High Command that if I feel the base is too well defended, I won't hesitate to blow it to Naboo. So, any thoughts on the plan?"
"Looks like it'll work, but if I were you, I'd get some long-range fire support along here, either snipers or heavy gunners, or a combination of both if you've got them. You might also want to task some of your gunships on a close-in air-support role, with some troops on board as a quick reaction force in case something goes wrong and the men on the ground need the extra support of a few more rifles to see them through. How many men can those LAAT/i things take?"
"Thirty men, give or take."
"I'd say three should do it in that case, but again, it's your call, and I don't know how many of the things you have to hand."
"We have enough to task a quick reaction force for each of the waves."
"What kind of enemy strength are we facing?"
"It's part of a planetary invasion force, so we figure on upwards of a thousand battle droids, not including support troops, and we think at least half of that are the new B2 Super Battle Droids."
Arkaan looked at him whilst Jay made no effort to stop his jaw from dropping.
"You want to take a single battalion against several thousand battle droids? You're a General, I thought you'd have access to whole regiments, never mind one battalion. How good are these clones anyway?"
"Perhaps you should be the one to tell me that, Captain Arkaan. After all, it was your people that trained them."
Arkaan paused for a second. He knew they'd been cloned from a Mandalorian, but trained by them as well? It kind of made sense, seeing as their progenitor was a warrior from a race known for their paternal instincts, but one man to train an army of millions? How many Mandalorians had been involved as well as Jango Fett?
He made a mental note to find out as much as he could.
"If they've been trained by real Mando'ade then they'll show you a thing or two about soldiering."
"I should hope so, Captain. Look, I'd heard the 78th had been trained hard, and that there were none as good as them for shock tactics and assaults. I'm not exactly known amongst the Jedi as having pacifistic beliefs, if you know what I mean, so I decided that if I was going to command troops, it had better be ones that knew what they were doing and could take the fight to the heart of the enemy. Stormtroopers fit that bill, so here I am, commanding a single battalion against a thousand or so battle droids. You can stand there and look down on me all you like, but so long as you give me the help I need to do a good job of commanding them and getting the victories we need, then I'll see what I can do in making it worth your while, in any way I can. Alright?"
Raven looked at Arkaan, a slightly bemused look on his face, and he nodded, indicating that Arkaan was free to speak for all of them.
"All we ask is that you don't get in our way. If anything we ask for or do seems strange, you have to know that there'll be a good reason behind it, or we wouldn't be doing it. And just remember, war is hell, so don't expect to come out of this smelling of roses and dripping with medals. We can make the hard choices you might not be able to, so I suggest you use that wherever possible. Aside from that, if you practice what you preach, then we should get along fine."
"Thank you, Noa. May I call you Noa?"
"If you want, but everyone just calls me Arkaan."
The two shook hands, and Hoday nodded at Raven and Jay.
"I have a question," asked Hoday, his brow furrowing with curiosity.
"Go ahead," replied Arkaan.
"Are the stories about you true? The ones about you and the Jedi sent after you?"
"That's two questions, Mr. Hoday. But the fact that I'm standing here talking to you should have given you the answer before you even asked."
Before he could react, Arkaan inclined his head at Jay and the pair of them walked out of the command centre, leaving Raven laughing his head off at Hoday's even more confused look and Captain Pell shaking his head.
***
The next few days were spent in frantic preparation for Jay as Arkaan did his best to get him prepared for the coming fight. They requisitioned a set of armour and customized it, painting it black and modifying it to fit Jay's shorter and slightly less toned frame, using only certain plates and filling the rest of the space with webbing, pouches and equipment. The helmet itself was painted all black with a red stripe running vertically up and over it, and Arkaan matched it with one running down the breast-plate. The pistol went onto a separate belt, hung with various other pouches, including more power packs for it and the DC15 carbine they'd also picked up from the armoury.
In addition to the equipment side, they also spent time running through drills, with the pair of them taking part in exercises and drills with the clone troopers whilst Raven and the Wookiee watched in amusement. Hoday sometimes joined them, and despite his misgivings, it looked to Arkaan like the man was actually trying to engage with the troops as well as familiarize himself with the job of leading them.
The first time Jay fired the carbine, he ended up nearly dropping it, and, when they'd finished laughing their heads off, Raven, Arkaan and the gunnery sergeant in charge of the ship-board firing range showed him how to shoot properly, giving him tips and changing his stance and the way he fired until he was able to hit the targets that popped up with a reasonable degree of accuracy. They repeated the process with the pistol, and even gave him the chance to practice with a few training grenades.
After three days, Arkaan knew Jay wasn't ready for the battle, but the preparations they'd made would have to do. Even so, he'd have to watch him carefully and make sure he didn't do anything stupid. He'd have to get Senaar to help him, since juggling command of a few hundred clone troopers and looking after Jay wasn't something he was looking forward to.
***
"Make ready to revert to realspace in twenty minutes. All personnel report to stations, advisers to the bridge."
Arkaan looked up at the ceiling as the announcement came over the speakers and looked back down at Jay. They were both sat in a shared room adjoining their cabins, with the stripped parts of their rifles laid out on the table in front of them. At a gesture from Arkaan, they both stood and swiftly made their way out of their cabin and through the vessel.
Outside a turbo-lift leading to the bridge level, they were met by Raven and the Wookiee, who both nodded at the other two before boarding the elevator.
Another announcement came over the tannoy system as they arrived on the bridge, letting the ship know they were ten minutes out. Captain Pell looked up and approached them, waving away some ensigns as he went.
"We're ten minutes out from the staging area. Once we arrive, we'll load the troops onto the gunships and make ready to launch them. I estimate an hour before we're ready, so use that time to get ready yourselves and get to your marshalling points. Good luck, gentlemen. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."
With that, Pell turned on his heel and the ensigns moved back in. Two clone troopers, one bearing a full size DC15 rifle, the other a short carbine, stepped up beside them.
"Sir," said one to Arkaan. "We're to escort you to your marshalling points when you're ready."
"Alright then, just stick with us until then. You, stick with Jay and myself, whilst you go with Raven. I'll see you on the deck, vode." This last statement he directed at Raven himself, who threw a mock salute and dragged the Wookiee and the clone trooper with him.
Arkaan, meanwhile, pulled Jay into a niche with an engineering console, putting his hand out for the trooper to give them some privacy.
"Listen, Jay, I need to talk to you about something."
"Alright," replied Jay, a little on edge.
"I need to know that when the time comes, you can pull the trigger. I know we'll be facing battle droids, but the principal is the same, and if you can't shoot when a target presents itself, whether it be a battle droid or a Neimodian officer, or even a mercenary, Wookiee, human, Rodian or otherwise, I need to know now."
"I think I can do it."
"Thinking and doing are two different things. Ever had to defend yourself? Hit someone?"
"I've been in a few fights."
"How did you do?"
"I lost."
"But did you hit back, get a few smacks in?"
"Yes, I broke one guy's nose and apparently another was urinating blood for a while."
The trooper looked round in alarm as Arkaan burst out laughing and turned away when Arkaan patted Jay's shoulder.
"That's good, there's hope for you then. Just stick close to Senaar and keep your head down. You know your equipment, you know how to use your weapons, so trust them and you'll do alright. C'mon, we need to get ready."