CHAPTER III

The Kamino Defence

From the bridge of the Mon Calamari ship, a pair of cold black eyes watched the two Jedi fighters approach.

With her orange flight suit and pale skin Aurra Sing should have looked out of place among so many white uniformed amphibians. She did not. Rather, she managed to make the crew look uncomfortable on the bridge of their own ship. If she felt the surreptitious glances of a dozen pairs of large golden eyes, she gave no sign of it. Arms crossed, she paced with indolent grace in front of the wide window, pausing only to listen when a deck officer announced an incoming holocommunication for Commander Merai. Although her interest was piqued she didn't turn from the view port. Anakin Skywalker's actions as he flew outside the ship were far too compelling and unpredictable to look away.

She noted with pleasure that her information had been correct. Skywalker's fighter was a distinctive bright blue and white instead of the usual Jedi maroon and silver. Other modifications were obvious and it occurred to her that such a ship would sell for a hefty price on the black market. Not for the first time Sing made the observation that Skywalker was no ordinary Jedi in much the same way that she was no ordinary mercenary. That made them an excellent match and the idea of this hunt suddenly became even more exhilarating.

She looked forward to adding Skywalker's lightsaber to her growing collection.

Skywalker and his companion were skimming their fighters over the surface of the wedge shaped Calamari vessel. Gun turrets fired on them continuously, but never found their target. Both pilots were using the Force to guide them through the laser towers.

Aurra was one to recognize the Force when she saw it. Long ago, she'd learned to manipulate it to her will. That had been before the Jedi betrayed her, leaving her for dead in the hands of ruthless kidnappers. As she stared down at Anakin Skywalker's fighter she pledged that he would know the same disillusionment before she carried out Tyranus's order.

A sudden blast from a tall tower managed to pinpoint the maroon starfighter. It exploded in a burst of amber light and electrical sparks. Satisfaction at the thought of one less Jedi in the galaxy caused Aurra's lips to twist upward in a cruel semblance of a smile. Skywalker's eventual end would not be as ignominious.

Behind her Merai was replying to the com.

"Master Windu! I hardly expected to find you here on Kamino!" The Mon Cal commander's voice was rough, as if he were unused to speaking in dry, guttural Basic.

"The same could be said for you, Commander Merai." Aurra easily recognized Mace Windu's calm baritone but she still did not turn from the view port. She was more curious to see what her young target would do now that he'd been left on his own. She felt a stab of disappointment as his ship was arced up and away, heading not back to Kamino, but out towards the blackness of space.

Merai was laughing now, as if amused by the Jedi Master's comment that the Mon Calamari had not been expected. "Surely such a wise Jedi as yourself does not find this surprising? The Mon Calamari have been outspoken against Palpatine for a very long time."

"Palpatine is not the Republic." Windu spoke patiently; almost as one would explain to a child.

"Don't condescend. You know as well as I do that when he speaks he does so for the Republic entire. My people are simply refusing to abide his hypocritical doctrines any longer."

Skywalker did, indeed, appear to be fleeing the battle – something Sing could not allow. She was just about to head toward her own ship when his fighter suddenly reversed course and turned back toward them.

"But war, Marai?" Master Windu was saying behind her. "The Mon Calamari are a peaceful race. You have no tactical knowledge, no experienced war generals, no armies."

"All that is changing, as you can see." Merai's official tone took on a hint of amusement. "I find it ironic that you give lectures on tactics and strategy when you seek to defend an aquatic planet without water craft."

Aurra did give a small laugh at this. For all his inexperience in combat, Merai had a shrewd eye. The Jedi had been rather shortsighted in this instance, not that they could be blamed. The information they'd been fed had been deliberately misleading.

She noted Skywalker's fighter was once again evading fire from large turret guns, and was back to skimming the surface of the huge Mon Cal ship. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was searching for something.

Behind her Master Windu's efforts to reason with Merai were having no effect. The amphibian was staunch in his alliance to the Separatists.

Now was as good a chance as any to switch from observing her prey to something hands-on. It was time to get some sense of how Skywalker performed, how he reacted in a dogfight. The slow steady approach was Sing's favorite method of cornering. It was necessary to determine what kind of confrontation would be the most satisfying. To Aurra, the assassination of a Jedi was a craft and not something to be engaged in without adequate preparation. Skywalker's reputation marked him as both an incredibly gifted pilot and a skilled swordsman. It was unfortunate that at this moment she could only test the former. Long white fingers casually rubbed the Blaster pistol at her thigh. Ah well. In her world one didn't argue with fate.

She turned and strode purposefully off the bridge.

It took Anakin no time at all to locate the primary launch bay but the closed bay doors presented a more complicated obstacle. He was forced to make several passes, dodging active laser turrets while waiting for more fighters to launch. Once the huge metal doors slid open it was a challenge to enter while dodging the outgoing squadron of Mon Calamari ships.

He had almost made it when suddenly a dark shape appeared in his flight path. His modified Aethersprite shuddered as it clipped the exiting ship. He barely had a chance to note that it wasn't Mon Calamari as both crafts glanced off each other.

Anakin's fighter spun. The ordinary Jedi fighters might have taken the collision hard but his was custom-built. It continued its linear trajectory before coming to a violent halt against the wall at the back of the bay.

The mysterious ship twisted crazily as it spiraled out into space.

Once everything stopped moving he swore under his breath. Hardly the landing he'd been hoping for. His ship's control panels were dark and the hydraulic canopy remained tightly closed. Evidently his power system had taken damage in the crash.

He could see his R-4 droid resting in the wing compartment, but the little droid appeared as silent and still as his ship. Tugging the manual release lever he unbuckled his restraints and pushed the cockpit window up. As he jumped to the slanted surface of the wing he heard the sound of booted feet. Of course, every officer on deck would be headed this way. Igniting his lightsaber, he took a deep breath and settled into a defensive stance.

All at once he found himself the target of a hail of blaster fire. He deflected the shots neatly with his lightsaber, reflecting them back toward his attackers. Within seconds he'd managed to eliminate the immediate threat of nearly a dozen Mon Calamari soldiers.

He scanned the bay for possibilities now that creative use of his fighter's two proton torpedoes was no longer an option. Mon Cal security would rally quickly, so finding a way out of the bay became imperative. A catwalk a short distance above his head presented an interesting opportunity. It seemed to lead to the far side of the bay, where huge transparisteel windows showed an enclosed control room. Clipping his lightsaber to his belt, he used the Force to easily propel himself upward. He landed neatly and took of running down the catwalk.

In the conference room on Kamino the tense silence was shattered by a transmission from Aayla Secura.

"Yes Commander?" Mace Windu answered the comlink signal, his dark eyes trying to pick her fighter out of those visible on the hologrid.

"Master, an update on the battle." The Twi'lek's voice echoed through the room. "Though we're maintaining equilibrium with the droid fighters, we just can't seem to gain a significant advantage. We've been unable to prevent the majority of Mon Calamari fighters from entering the ocean. They refuse to engage us and we can't follow them."

"I know you've done your best, Master Secura. We're going to have to rely on our ground troops and Kamino's own armament to do what they can against the submersibles. Do what you can to hold things together up there."

"Will do. Just wanted you to know where were at this point." There was deliberate pause before she continued, "Sir, we've lost Master Rey."

"I know." Master Windu replied sadly, "I felt him go." Taneen Rey had been one of his best friends during their shared youth at the temple.

"Padawan Skywalker also seems to have disappeared."

"What?" Mace asked, not bothering to mask his incredulity.

"Knight Arkam claims he saw Anakin fly his ship into the Mon Cal launch bay. Since then no one has been able to find him on radar or raise him on the comm."

"Noted." The Jedi Master's voice was terse, clipped. "Thank you for your update, Commander. May the Force be with you."

Aayla's transmission ended and before Mace could contemplate Skywalker's actions, another transmission followed immediately.

"Master Windu? Kenobi here."

Mace sighed inaudibly. "Go ahead, Commander Kenobi."

"Sir, we're doing our best to keep the Separatist landing forces confined to their main landing sites, but the added element of the Mon Cal fighters attacking the torpedo towers has left us more than a little short-handed down here."

"I understand." Mace replied, at a loss for suggestions.

"Master Jedi." It was Lama Su, speaking up from across the table for the first time in hours. "I can provide a few reinforcements in the form of some of our younger clones. They aren't fully trained, but they are quite capable, even at such a formative stage. They could be dispatched to shore up the interior defenses."

"Please." Windu accepted the offer gratefully then spoke again to Kenobi. "We'll be sending reinforcements your way."

"Thank you, Master." Kenobi did indeed sound grateful. "Any help is appreciated."

Making his way across the catwalk to the control room proved easy. By the time Anakin dropped to the ground close near the door, numerous Calamari security had fallen, some to their own reflected blaster fire, others to his lightsaber. He managed to find a key card on the body of one of the higher ranking officers and approached the control room. The handful of officers inside proved no obstacle either.

Though the Mon Calamari computer interfaces were a bit strange at first, they used universal symbols to such an extent that Anakin managed to pull up a schematic of the ship. The power generators appeared to be housed well within the heart of the vessel. Finding his way there to explode them didn't look likely.

He glanced at the wall monitors tracking the battle outside. The nearby Federation ship sparked a thought. If he could find a way to turn the Mon Cal vessel and bring it up to speed it would be easy to engineer a collision between the two starships. The idea of taking out two command ships instead of just one was exhilarating. The battle, for all intents and purposes, would be over at that point. The remaining droid fighters could be cleaned up by the Kaminoans and the Jedi could land and help eliminate invading ground troops.

To implement such a plan he'd need control of this ship. After checking the path on the schematic and reigniting his lightsaber, Anakin took off at a run towards the main bridge.

"Skywalker!" Aurra Sing cursed as she cut all non-essential power on board her fighter. She'd only had a moment to glimpse the ship that had collided with her own, but the bright blue and white of Anakin's fighter had been instantly recognizable. What was he doing, trying to land on a command ship?

Managing to stabilize her own craft had been no easy task, and so far she'd had no luck getting all systems back on-line at the same time. She could power the weaponry, the sub-light engines or the communications array. The engines seemed the most practical choice. The control mechanisms on the damaged wing were inoperable as well. Left turns and difficult maneuvers were out of the question.

As luck would have it, the uncontrolled spin had sent her quite a ways away from the main action. She contemplated limping her ship back to the Mon Cal flagship, but the fact that her craft was unmarked and unidentifiable made re-entering the fray a risky proposition. She could just as easily be targeted as ignored by either side.

Hoping for a reprieve, she elected to steer clear of the main battle until she could find a way to restore all systems on her defenseless ship. She felt no urge to rush. Anakin Skywalker was aboard that command vessel and most likely wasn't going anywhere.

Anakin found his way to the bridge, taking out the outer security almost as easily as he'd managed the officers at the launch control tower. He was astounded by the utter lack of skill the Mon Calamari displayed when targeting their blaster weapons, before it occurred to him that they were a peaceful race, unused to weaponry and conflict.

Fools! He thought with disdain. Why had they gotten involved in this conflict? Couldn't they have just stayed on their homeworld, raising their families? Not for the first time he found himself considering the idiocy of the whole mess. Life could have been so different if only Padmé hadn't rejected him.

Though he did his best for the war effort and the Jedi, Anakin could never shake the feeling that he had just been going through the motions. As if he was only half alive, doing his duty for a cause he only half understood.

He paused, standing at the secure doorway to the flight deck. Once he entered the bridge there would be no turning back. The thought struck him that once he set his plan in motion, once he put the ship on a collision course, there might not be time to escape.

The wave of relief he felt at that thought took him off-guard. In a flash it occurred to him that he really didn't care. He'd seen enough death to know that it was the ones left behind who continued to suffer. Not getting away meant he wouldn't lose any more friends and this miserable battle, this war, this life would thankfully be over.

He stood there, immobile, frozen by the knowledge that he would be content to die.

Then a surge of pure terror came on the coattails of that knowledge and it spurred him to action. He had to finish this mission and stop contemplating an end he hadn't earned. Before he thought any further, he had to take down this ship.

Using the Calamari key card, he stood clear and opened the door in front of him. For once there was no flood of blaster fire to greet him. Only silence.

He held his lightsaber aloft and turned into the doorway. The bridge wasn't deserted, but no security seemed in evidence; only a small complement of six seated officers, each manning their controls. A seventh Calamari, a Commander by his insignia, stood in the center of the room. He was tall for his species, salmon colored, with wide amber eyes that betrayed none of the fear Anakin could sense radiating from him.

As Anakin entered the room the Calamari Commander fixed him with a penetrating stare. "How quickly you Jedi adjust to killing indiscriminately." There was disgust in his watery voice.

"This is a war." Anakin replied gruffly. Though he offered the words as explanation, he was shocked to realize that the Commander had a point. This time last year he would have been horrified at the part he had played, would still play, in today's devastating loss of life.

"If you go now I'll let you all live." Where had that offer come from? After all the Calamari he'd already killed, such an offer to these seven seemed pointless. Still, he couldn't make himself stop talking. "You can still make it to the launch bay and find a way off this ship."

"Mercy?" There was scorn in the amphibian's tone. "After all the lives you've taken since you came aboard?"

"I'm not offering you an explanation!" Anakin shouted, suddenly angry. Why were they arguing with him at a time like this, when he had just offered them a chance to live? His next words held no compassion, only scorn. "I offered you a chance to leave." He muttered coldly, "Take it or don't. It makes no difference to me." Silently he prayed they would take the offer. For whatever reason, it suddenly did matter to him.

"Go!" The Commander gave the order. He seemed to know that if this armed Jedi before him was so inclined his crew would all die.

Five of the Calamari instantly headed for the door. The sixth hesitated.

"Commander Merai – " he began.

"That was an order Lieutenant!" Merai spun on his own officer, pointing toward the door. The officer appeared to waver for a moment, then did as he was told.

Merai turned back to Anakin. His salmon colored skin was flushed dark with anger. "I'm going as well, but if I live I'll make sure you pay for every life you've taken today."

"I'll keep that in mind." Anakin nodded, swallowing tightly. He hoped the commander couldn't see the relief on his face. The bridge officers had been unarmed. He'd been half sick with dread at the idea of slaughtering them.

The instant they were gone he bent over the control panels. As before, the universal symbol coding made his task easy. Effortlessly he maneuvered the huge ship around to face the Trade Federation vessel. With quick movements he locked in the course and set the velocity to maximum acceleration.

He straightened to turn and look out the view port, watching the Federation ship as it sat still in space. It would be a matter of minutes. Once they realized the intent of the Mon Cal ship there wouldn't be time for them to kick in sublight engines and gather enough speed to maneuver out of the collision zone.

Perversely Anakin wanted to laugh at how easy it had been. Then the same dread he'd felt moments ago came flooding back. No doubt there were still Mon Calamari officers on board who would not escape. He really should get back to the launch bay.

He couldn't seem to make his feet move in that direction.

The Federation ship moved closer.

Anakin closed his eyes.

Instead of darkness he saw Padmé's face as it had been when they had last parted. Silent tears cut silver tracks down her pale cheeks while the pain in her eyes drove knives into his heart.

His eyes flew open. He couldn't breathe. The thought of dying with her tear-washed face in his mind's eye was too much agony to bear.

He turned and ran from the bridge as if chased by demons from all of Corellia's hells.

On Kamino an air of hopelessness was pervasive. The battle was being lost. The underwater missile towers had been disabled by submersible Mon Calamari fighters, who were now focusing their energies on the city's main power generators. The Jedi were doing their best to concentrate firepower on the gunships but they anticipated another wave of droid fighters at any moment. The shields protecting the landing platforms had nearly been eliminated and so many troop transports had already managed to land that the facility was being flooded with droid soldiers and droidekas. Kenobi and his troops had pushed the invaders back countless times only to find more in their wake. The assault seemed endless.

Master Windu stood unexpectedly. "It's time."

Lama Su nodded, sliding his own chair back from the holotable. "I'll send the evacuation alert."

"And I will join my comrades." The Jedi Master gave a final glance at the battle before pulling his lightsaber from his belt and turning to leave.

"Master Jedi!" The prime minister called him back. "Look!"

Master Windu turned, his eyes scanning the holo images. All at once he saw the source of the Kaminoan's excitement.

The Mon Calamari ship had turned and seemed to be on-course for the Federation vessel. Windu's dark eyes widened and he dropped back into his seat.

For the first time in hours a sense of excitement flooded the chamber. The two leaders watched as the Mon Cal flagship encroached on the Federation ship's space. It seemed intent on collision. Such a thing wasn't likely. Was it?

As if the Federation ship realized the danger, it had slowly begun to pull away. It was clear from this vantage point that their evasive maneuver would avail them nothing. There was no way for them to escape as the Mon Cal flagship gained speed, rapidly closing the gap.

In stunned silence the Jedi Council leader and the Kaminoan Prime Minister watched as the ship-images met in a bright, soundless explosion. The oxygen rich atmosphere in the Mon Calamari vessel ignited in a flash of flame as its streamlined bulk cut a neat swathe through the middle of the droid command ship. The impacted vessel disintegrated under the impact; electric energy traced the hull as the front half was sheared from the tail section. Forward momentum carried the remains of the Mon Cal ship through the wreckage; slowly it tracked its way into space, small explosions occurring on every level as hot energy met volatile gas.

The crumbling sections of the Federation ship succumbed to the pull of the planet's gravity and slowly began to fall towards the Kaminoan ocean.

Mace Windu stared incredulously. If he hadn't felt the deaths of the Mon Calamari in the Force, he wouldn't have believed his eyes.

Beside him, Lama Su made a jubilant sound that might have been a Kaminoan laugh. He stood quickly. "This is wonderful!" His willowy body was trembling with excitement. "I'll need to reassign our troops. Please, excuse me." He moved gracefully out the door.

The Jedi Master watched what remained of the battle. The Federation ship hadn't had time to send out another wave of fighters and the Jedi Aethersprites were zipping towards the remaining gunships. Mace watched as groups of fighters focused on the larger, more powerful crafts. One by one, each was eliminated.

He realized his comlink was beeping insistently but had no idea how long he'd been ignoring it.

He pressed the response button.

"Yes?"

"Master Windu," It was Secura, pleasure evident in her voice, "we've got them on the run!"

"Indeed." He replied, still a little dazed by the quick turn of events.

"Wasn't that amazing!" She didn't wait for a response. "The rumor going around is that Skywalker was behind that maneuver."

"That wouldn't surprise me. He has a knack for thinking outside the box." Mace felt himself coming out of the haze. Of course it would have been Anakin. He'd flown into the Mon Calamari ship.

"What are your orders, sir?" Aayla asked, "We've almost got these gunships cleaned up."

Finally, a question he could answer without much thought. "Land your fighters and report to Master Kenobi. He'll tell you where ground needs reinforcement."

"I'll get the information passed along! Secura out."

Master Windu stood again. This battle was won and he had a young Jedi to find. He reached out in the Force, trying to find Anakin's bright signature. It was there all right, but not as strong as it should be. He looked back at the hologrid but saw nothing of the padawan's distinctive fighter. Skywalker was out there, he could feel it. But where? He delved into the Force again.

In a flash of insight he felt drawn to the ocean.

Mace Windu leaned towards the com-link panel, entering a code before remembering that Taneen Rey was dead. He entered a different code, pushing the button to transmit.

"Kenobi here."

"Commander, I need two Jedi dispatched immediately in submersible reconnaissance vehicles to search for your padawan."

"Anakin!" Kenobi was instantly concerned.

"I can explain more later, but I believe he might have been forced to land somewhere in the ocean and he may be in trouble. Rally the Kaminoan's to help search."

"I'll go myself." Kenobi's replied briskly, "Things are well in hand with the droid troops."

"Very well. Report to me immediately when you find him." He closed the channel.

When, not if. In Mace Windu's mind no other outcome was acceptable.

He spun quickly and left the room to help search.

Out in space a lone craft was hovering far beyond the reach of the battle.

Aurra Sing hadn't planned to kill Skywalker today, but that didn't lessen her annoyance at the loss of the opportunity to find out more about him. The unbelievable sight of two command ships colliding was still fresh in her mind. It wasn't that she was particularly upset at the Federation's resounding defeat. Aside from rejoicing at the death of every Jedi, she didn't care who won or lost this war.

All she knew for certain was that Skywalker had managed to disable her ship without even trying, and she'd bet her last credit that he was responsible for the quick end to the conflict. If he hadn't killed himself in the process she would be forced to admit that she was very impressed. Indeed, he was no ordinary Jedi opponent.

All that remained now was to confirm beyond doubt that he'd made it out of the Mon Calamari ship before it burst into flames. That would be easy enough, once the dust settled.

For now, she would wait. Her sublight engines and limited steering would be sufficient to take her to the Rothana system, Kamino's closest neighbor. An industrial world, the Rothanans had contracted with the cloners to build combat vehicles and machinery for the Army of the Republic. It would be easy to slip in there, find a place to repair her ship and listen to the transmission from Kamino on less secure channels.

Yes, she'd rest a bit and find out about Skywalker before reporting back to Tyranus. She laid in a course for Rothana.

Whether the Jedi found Anakin or he found them was a matter open to debate and of little importance. All that mattered to Obi-Wan was that his padawan had been found.

The Mon Calamari submersible fighter Anakin had commandeered was charred from the explosion. The high temperatures had also melted much of the wiring necessary for the ship to function. When they pulled Anakin from inside the craft, it was frightening to note that the little vessel was half-filled with water. Anakin was barely conscious and, as luck would have it, upright in the cockpit.

Obi-Wan himself had pulled his apprentice from the Calamari ship. He'd seen to it that the boy was wrapped in blankets and immediately taken to a Kaminoan medical bay. Which brought them to this point – with the Master sitting at the bedside of his unconscious padawan. He pushed Anakin's damp curls back from his forehead in an uncharacteristically gentle gesture before sitting back in the chair beside the examining table. The Kaminoan medic said Anakin appeared to be fine. Most likely he was exhausted from the stresses of space combat, the intense heat of the explosion and the rough ride to the surface.

Obi-Wan was glad to hear it, because when his padawan woke up, he would probably kill him. What had Anakin been thinking, boarding an enemy flagship by himself? In Obi-Wan's estimation, that was less like bravery and more like suicide.

Anakin sighed deeply, his eyelids fluttering open. Obi-Wan watched him look around the room, waiting for him to take stock of his surroundings. Gradually the dazed look faded and was replaced by an inscrutable expression.

He shifted in his chair so that Anakin would notice him. Shuttered blue eyes turned his way.

"Master?" There was a world of inquiry in that one raspy word.

"You're on Kamino, in a med bay. We recovered you – your ship – from the water about six hours ago."

"The battle?" Obi-Wan stood and handed him a small cup of water, helping him sit up so he could drink.

"We won." His replied shortly.

Anakin summoned the strength to flash him an annoyed look and Obi-Wan felt encouraged. If his padawan was aware enough to feel put-upon by brief answers, then he was probably on the road to recovery. He took pity on his apprentice's endless need for information.

"The Calamari vessel collided with the Federation ship. Both were destroyed. Once that happened, everything was over fairly quickly. The fighters cleaned up the remaining gunboats then landed and came to help us defend the facility."

Anakin seemed content with that simplified summary for the moment. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Anakin, I have to notify Master Windu that you're awake."

His padawan didn't make a sound, but his chest rose and fell in another deep sigh.

"Apparently they are all thrilled with your heroism." Obi-Wan tried to temper the annoyance in his voice, but his effort failed dismally.

"Master," Anakin's voice had gained strength and the hoarseness was fading. He opened his eyes and stared intently at Obi-Wan. "What I did wasn't heroic."

"Well, I don't think the Council shares your view." The constriction in Obi-Wan's chest eased somewhat as he realized that Anakin was saying so much death, so much destruction, weren't worthy of reward. Still, there was no doubt his ingenuity and courage had saved the cloning facility, not to mention Jedi lives. Even if it had almost cost him his own.

"Anakin, what were you thinking?" He knew he sounded harsh, but he couldn't help it. "Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

Anakin was looking straight at him, but Obi-Wan couldn't shake the feeling he wasn't seeing him at all. Then something flickered in those blue eyes and they dropped guiltily to the blanket. Obi-Wan felt a chill somewhere in the pit of his stomach.

"Surely that isn't what you wanted?" Obi-Wan's voice was so harsh, it hurt him. But not half as badly as that thing he had glimpsed in his padawan's eyes.

"No, Master." The denial was whispered, lacking conviction. Anakin's fingers curled into the bedding. "Please, go tell Master Windu that I'm awake."

Obi-Wan backed away from the sick bed. It was true that the Jedi didn't fear death, but even more they valued life. Anakin's demeanor and his actions spoke clearly that he did not value his own life. Obi-Wan prayed that wasn't true because the thought scared him more than he could say.

Anakin had closed his eyes once more, effectively ending their discussion.

Obi-Wan turned and left the room.