It seemed to Ambrose as if the surprises of the day would never cease. First, he nearly died on several occasions in an intense battle. Second, a close friend and mentor died. And lastly, he was being called on by the general for an unknown reason. It seemed odd to him that he fear facing the general. He had no reason to be afraid, at least that he knew of, but there was always going to be that small part of him that was nervous, and the nervous side overpowered the logical side.
Ambrose was nervously toying with R2 – W6's circuitry when Pete put his hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Yeah . . . yep, I'm ready," Ambrose replied. He had lied. Nothing could prepare him for this, he thought, though he couldn't understand why. It was probably because he was still brooding over O'Hara's death. Staring at O'Hara's dead body really shook him up. He had never seen a corpse before and he didn't think that he would ever have to since he was a pilot not a soldier.
The general was in the command tower of the Incorruptible. The command tower was perched up near the engines much like that of a Republic Attack Cruiser. Also the Incorruptible was shaped like an arrow head: a thin triangular shape with a small protrusion at its "base". And as the Incorruptible was on the outside, it was enormous on the inside.
They walked for a considerable amount of time to their destination. Pete was the first to speak, "What do you think the general wants?"
"That is what I've been thinking about. I can't think of anything rational."
"Neither can I." Pete momentarily paused. He softly spoke, "Listen, O'Hara dying wasn't your fault. I can tell your still feeling guilty about it; don't." Ambrose looked away. "I know it's hard losing a friend." He paused again and looked away. He looked up again and said, "Before you came along . . . there was another, a rookie like you. We got close, far too close. We knew we shouldn't have, but we did anyway," he was at the verge of tears.
Ambrose looked at Pete and asked, "What happened to him?"
"No."
"No? What do you mean no?"
"Not him, her."
"Oh . . . I see." Ambrose quickly contemplated whether he should go any further. He hastily decided and asked, "What happened to her?"
It took Pete a moment to gather himself together. Then he said, "To make a long story short, we were under heavy fire and she dropped back to cover my back . . . and I never saw her alive again." Pete paused. Ambrose wondered if he had finished, but he continued, "After it was all over, they collected all the bodies and fighters they could and they brought back her fighter or at least what was left of it. They put her on a stretcher before she was to be cremated and jettisoned. I stood where you stood not too long ago." He stopped walking and he was trembling. "I remember seeing her that last time. Her face that was usually filled with color was as pale as a ghost. I tried to touch her but she was frozen stiff, everything about her was frozen, her blood, her skin, her hair," he paused again and turned away from Ambrose. Ambrose hesitated and returned to Pete's side. Tears were slowly running down his face and he said, "Don't let your memories get ahold of you, kid. You'll always regret it.
Ambrose thought the whole story through his head again and a question popped up, "What was her name?"
"Amor," Pete responded. They stood where they were for many moments. Pete recovered and said, "We shouldn't keep the general waiting." He walked off and Ambrose followed him without saying a word.
They reached the elevator which brought them to the command center. Awe struck the two clones as it was very large and at that, full of commotion. There were two parts to the command tower. The foremost was the bridge of the Incorruptible. The bridge was larger than most, but it had all the same equipment and stations. At the center of the bridge was a data screen, which could present a two or three dimensional map of everything within the Inncoruptible's short range sensors. In the center of the command tower was a command center. The command center was where the commanders of the 192nd would converse their strategies for battles that had taken place or are about to take place. That was where the general was.
The two walked up, snapped a salute, and Pete asked, "What is it that you called us for, general?"
The reason Ambrose feared facing the general was a good one. The general was a man of tremendous proportions. He stood six and a half feet tall. He could have weighed almost two-hundred fifty pounds. He was a very intimidating figure also; he had a face that seemed to be chiseled out of stone and his black eyes seemed as if they could dig deep into your soul.
He spoke in a very stern manner, "I have been expecting you for some time. What could have taken you so long?"
Ambrose tried to speak, but Pete was at it before Ambrose could say a word, "My R2 unit had been hit by some debris during the fight, general. I hope you understand."
"You are lying to me lieutenant, but that isn't important." Neither Ambrose nor Pete knew how he knew. "I believe introductions are in order; my name is Jedi Master Coda Ahiha," he motioned his arm towards the other general, "and I believe you've met my padawan . . ."
"Serena Nassa," she interrupted. She turned to her master and said, "This is Lieutenant Pete and Ensign Ambrose. They are ready to go whenever you are, master." Whatever she meant, neither Ambrose nor Pete knew.
"Alright," said Coda, "let's get started. We have discovered a previously unknown system which is rich in various raw materials. It is a perfect spot to set up a factory since it has been relatively untouched by miners, renegades, or other factions. Although it has been undiscovered by us until fairly recently, we do believe that it is secretly occupied by Separatist forces. If there is in fact a factory there, it is our job to scout out and destroy it. It is my understanding that you two have been trained to pilot S-5 stealth corvettes, am I right?"
"Yes, sir," Pete responded.
"Good, that is why I called you. Any questions?"
Ambrose was first to ask, "Why would we need to infiltrate and destroy this particular factory, sir?"
"It is a golden opportunity. First, security in the system is very thin so we can devote very few resources to this endeavor. Second, it is a major disadvantage to the Separatists to have a major factory destroyed. Third, it is believed that Separatist leaders are residing in this system so it would be another major blow."
Ambrose persisted with his questions, "But why a stealth corvette, sir?"
"If this system is as crucial as it's cracked up to be, reinforcements will show up very fast," Coda responded again. "Any more questions? Good. You have six hours to get some rest before we begin our mission tomorrow."
