Chapter 4: Scouting and Strategy

A little freighter tumbles through the tunnels of hyperspace. Its two occupants, occasionally glancing out the viewports, can see the blue skies shift and change as their vehicle moves many million times the speed of light.

"Ah! I've always hated hyperspace!" Ahsoka groaned, "And we still have a third of the way to go!"

"On the bright side, we have killed 6 hours already." smirked Adven trying to make light of the situation; he hated hyperspace too.

"How are we going to scout anyways?"

"Hmm, I have a cloaking device. We'll drop out about 0.003 light years out from our system, engage the cloak, make a minor jump, and do some 'Anakin' flying."

"This is your idea? Get over there, hope they don't see us, and then practically wave 'hello'!" Ahsoka asked incredulously.

"Pretty much, I thought that you would've gotten used to Anakin's plans. However I don't crash my ships, only borrowed ones." At this the two chuckled.

The next three hours were spent by the Padawans catching up on galactic and Jedi news, and ways they tried to prank people.

"Here we are," Adven announced as the proximity alarm chimed the 10 second warning. He wrapped his hand on the hyperdrive controls and gently pushed them. Outside the viewports the scene changed to the blackness of deep space dotted with tiny pinpricks of stars.

"Twitter, engage the cloak." Adven ordered, his faithful astromech completing the task in moments. A blue ripple ran across the ship making it invisible to both the naked eye and technological sensors And it re-entered hyperspace once again.

The ship popped back into existence after forty seconds and Adven took the controls,

"Okay!" he huffed guiding his ship toward the mottled ball in the distance, "Time for some extremely exciting recognisance." The Reckless Venture quickly approached the planet of Bimmisaari, and the two Jedi could see that there was no large fleet in orbit.

"Twitty, could you get the sensors started?" Ahsoka asked gently and the little droid obliged. Gazing at the central sensor readout, the two Padawans were quickly able to determine that, indeed there were only two Munificent-class frigates in orbit.

"Just as the Intel says," Adven stated "However let's get a closer look." Without saying anything further, he threw open the throttle and the ship increased its speed.

"I haven't seen one of these this close!" Ahsoka exclaimed as the freighter flew merely a dozen metres off the port side of one of the frigates, "And apparently you weren't kidding when you said 'wave hello' huh?"

"Nah, I wasn't kidding…" Adven replied "I remember, I was in some cantina on Abregado Rae and overheard a report on how Anakin rescued Master Koth. He popped out of hyperspace half a klick from Grievous' ship, and then basically skimmed the hull until he found a hatch."

"Oh, that's why Rex was a bit green when they got back. I thought it might've been the lights."

As the ship reached the bridge viewports, Adven turned the engines to idle and looked in. As the interior was illuminated, and the distance wasn't great, they were able to make out most of the details: the pilot droids sitting at their stations, the guards and officers walking about, and the Niemodian captain sitting in the command chair.

"That looks like Tuuk to me." Ahsoka said with disgust.

"Are you sure? I thought that all Niemodians were cowards?" Adven joked, "But If he's here, then he must have someone else doing the political' part of the negotiating…" he added more seriously.

"So, what are we doing then?"

"I have a mind to go down to the planet, drop some espionage probes, and then head for our rendezvous with the rest of the fleet at Charros, any questions?"

"No, let's do it!"

Meanwhile…

On board the Relentless, Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi and his former apprentice were sitting in the officers' mess discussing the latter's new apprentice.

"So yes, I admit that he is a good pilot according to my standards," Anakin said, and Obi-wan coughed,

"By your standards? Anakin—"

"Yeah, at least he doesn't hate flying unlike someo—"

"Ah, I don't hate flying! I hate it when you fly!"

"Tell that to Arfour, oh and by the way, remember, 'there is no emotion only peace' and 'hate leads to the dark side' Master?"

"A-NA-KIN! I thought we were discussing your Padawan, not my attitude toward your flying!"

"As I was saying, he is a great pilot, and awesome with a lightsaber only…" here the Chosen one trailed off,

"Only he is just like you, and your other Padawan, cocky, arrogant, reckless—"

"Alright Master, I got the picture and I don't need a twenty-page list of my traits. But yes, he is a lot like me and I don't know what the council will say when they keep on hearing your exasperated sigh followed by the words 'Anakin and his Padawans have run off again'."

Here Obi-wan laughed merrily, "Anakin, have you ever considered the fact that he council might be deliberately assigning you unruly apprentices so that they only have one group to account for?"

Anakin bawled with laughter, "That explains a lot!"

The Reckless Venture appeared out of hyperspace in the outer Charros System.

"So, where did Master Skywalker say to meat at? After all an entire star system is a big place for a rendezvous." Ahsoka questioned.

"Dunno," her companion replied, "Why don't we widen the sensor range, when the fleet arrives we make a microjump and scare the living force out of Skydorker!"

"Ha! Let's do it!"

br /

Though the wait wasn't too long the two Padawans could hardly contain their excitement, after all, pranking a Jedi was always fun – unless you pranked Master Windu (Ahsoka learned that the hard way). As the Republic taskforce arrived, Twitter reported it and plotted their jump. Adven then pushed on the hyperdrive lever, a wide Corellian grin spreading across his features.

Anakin Skywalker stood on the command walkway of the Relentless, the ship had just come out from hyperspace, so naturally the thought about his apprentices' whereabouts hadn't even crossed his mind yet.

"General!" A clone sensor officer hailed, "I've picked up an anomaly!" The words were barely out of his mouth when there was a blinding flash and the Venture was flying straight towards the bridge. Anakin had barely enough time to cringe before the imminent impact, however, the oncoming ship swerved away at the last second completing an insane loop around the tower and then decelerating in front of the main viewports. As everyone tried to get their breath back, a familiar voice came over the comm speaker 'If there is anyone still conscious on board this bucket, could you please clear me for landing, I need to use the fresher." The voice was familiar, yet there was something different in it, was it sarcasm?

Any other master would have been very angry, but not Anakin, not even Obi-wan, they just smirked – Adven was sure enough one of them.

"So, what did you gather from your recognisance?" Anakin asked his apprentices in the briefing room of the Relentless.

"Ah, let's see," Adven said sticking a datacard into the holoboard, "That you have an awesome facial expression when I nearly ram you. The fact that my cloaking device works, the fact that—" he didn't finish the list as Anakin cleared his throat,

"So you suggest ramming Mar Tuuk's ship like this, and while he is stunned speechless bring in some bombers?" He said sarcastically, and then regrated it instantly "Oh no! Bad idea!"

"Nice idea, I might just use it, as to what we've learned: There is no fleet in orbit, there are only two Munis, Mar Tuuk is on board." As Adven spoke, the holoprojector displayed several images gathered from the scouting trip, "I have also dispatched some recon droids, the images and audio gained through them suggest that – at least at the moment – Mar Tuuk is not running the talks. Instead, I have reason to believe that this is our negotiator." Here a holo of a hooded figure appeared.

Ahsoka, deciding it was time to join in the conversation said, "Before any of you ask, it is not Dooku, and definitely not Ventress. In short, it isn't anyone we've seen before."

"Very well done Padawans," Obi-wan congratulated, "Do you by any chance have a brilliant, Chosen-one-styled plan?" Anakin grunted in the background, but no-one payed attention to him.

"Yeah we do," Adven smirked, "We have made a scan of the warships, and there are no life-forms except for Tuuk, so I would like to blow them into the middle of next week. I suggest we use the 'ram' trick on them, while they are stunned, we bring in one Acclamator, and one Venator, launch our bombers and their escorts, and make a run on the frigates. If they bring in reinforcements we do the same, if not we blow them up, pure and simple!"

"Well, that's quite an Anakin plan, and I—"

"… And you hate flying? Ok then, you will be commanding the back-up taskforce from the bridge of a Star Destroyer, so you won't be flying."

"N-n-no its n-nnot that," Obi-wan stuttered but Adven cut him off again,

"Do we have an agreement?"

"Yes, you and Ahsoka are in charge, I'm going to the Sabacc tables." Anakin ordered and jogged off.

"Is he always like this?" Adven asked Ahsoka,

"You have no idea, come on!"

"Déjá Vu" Adven snorted and then addressed the Admiral, "Order all ships to make a jump to these coordinates, and make the arrangements for the assault. Here is what we'll need…."

The Republic taskforce came out of hyperspace 0.003ly from the Saari Ha System, and Adven had called a mass briefing on the Relentless. The four Jedi and Yularen stood in front of the hologram pod as images of the other captains in the taskforce flickered to life.

"Alright everyone," Adven started "Shortly, I'm taking my ship, and a starfighter which I can carry on board to Bimmisaari. There I will attempt to surprise their leader. Upon receiving my transmission, the Relentless and the Mariner will come in and launch their starfighters and bombers. The objective is to destroy the two Munificent frigates. I don't care how you do it, just do it. If the enemy is to call in reinforcements, then we will do the same, understood?"

His reply was a chorus of "Yes Sir"s and "Understood Sir"s

"Alright then, brief your pilots and get ready, the operation starts in a quarter of a standard hour." Even though everyone seemed to understand the plan, Obi-wan was still a little shifty, "Master, I have instructed Hawk to give you a lift to the Steadfast, the shuttle is already prepped. Sky guy, are you coming with me are staying here?"

"Ah, I'll be leading the bombers, you know me!" Anakin replied cheerfully, "Don't get killed and May the force be with you."

"And with you masters," Ahsoka and Adven responded almost simultaneously.

Once again the two friends found themselves running to the hangar, however this time, they were leading a mission, not just spying.