Chapter 26: The Invincible

The timing was awful. The Jedi Council had just come to call, many Masters of great power and renown were present to hear who had been elected to sit upon the Council in place of their fallen or departed comrades. They had only just gotten started when they were interrupted by a frantic Chancellor Palpatine, his thin, breathless wheeze informing them of the atrocity on Christophsis, the breaking of the temporary truce in light of the peace they were attempting to forge. And worse, Bail Organa, Prince of Alderaan, was trapped on the planet and barely making due under the vicious Separatist bombardments. The planet was blockaded, and there was no hope of breaking it without the support of the Republic Army. Obviously, this could not be allowed to stand. The Separatists were cruel, vicious, with no intent on seriously considering peace as an option. They needed to be stopped, and they needed the Jedi.

Quinlan and Qui-Gon quickly volunteered for the mission, grabbing their Padawans and leaving the chambers as quickly as they were able. The two of them stood no chance at being put on the Council, so their attendance was completely pointless, and neither cared much for formalities. Anakin was of a similar mind with his Master, but Ahsoka made her displeasure known. She hadn't spent much time with the Council, despite being close to Master Plo, and just being there was a great honor for her. She couldn't understand how her Master had been so eager to get out.

They headed directly to the shipyard, not bothering to stop by their rooms to pick anything up. Their lightsabers were always on hand, and they figured they needed little else, since the massive Star Destroyers they would be taking had everything they needed. The two massive ships, Qui-Gon's Resolute and Quinlan's Dauntless stood next to each other in the shipyard, thousands of clones marching in perfect order up the boarding ramps and into the hold of the ships while hundreds of droids were running final maintenance checks and loading the arsenal that would be needed for combat. Both ships were ready, and with a quick chat with a clone in orange streaked armor, Quinlan and his Padawan followed Jinn and Skywalker onto the Resolute.

It was not long after that the ships were on their way down the Corellian Run toward Christophsis, and Anakin sighed, looking around the bridge at the identical men that manned the controls, and the Jedi Master and Padawan that were gleefully spinning in circles on the command chairs. Anakin was glad to be out of the Temple, to be sure, but Quinlan Vos and Padawan Tano were taking it to a whole different level.

"You know, Snips," he drawled, and the little Togruta tensed, glaring at him. "This isn't a field trip. It's a battleground."

"It's a relief effort, Anakin," Qui-Gon said softly, the Master standing at the bridge with his hands clenched tightly behind his back as he gazed out the viewport. "We're here to bring the supplies that the Senator requested and then get him out of there. We can deal with the Separatists if-"

"We're going to clear them off the planet!" Quinlan cried, spinning in his chair and Qui-Gon hung his head. "They've broken the cease-fire, and it's not like we wanted that peace deal. I mean, a Sith made it! We're better off throwing it to the wind and letting darling Obi-Wan try again."

"Saving lives comes before destroying ships, Quinlan," Qui-Gon sighed. It was almost pointless to argue with the man, but, as the Senior Jedi, he felt it his duty. The two Padawans were reckless enough as it was.

Anakin sighed and looked at the radar readings. Three Republic cruisers laden with food and medical supplies flew beside the Star Destroyers in the hyperlane. Even after all that had transpired, even after the nasty business with the Sith, the Jedi, first and foremost, stood for peace and saving lives. He could feel his chest swell with pride for the order he served and took solace in the fact that this war would be fought primarily against mechanicals, and it felt good to know that he was on the side that was taking the least lives. After all, the Jedi fought to preserve life. The Sith fought to end it.

"How are we supposed to get past the blockade, Master?" Skywalker asked, coming to stand beside stoic Qui-Gon. A faint smile came to the old Master's face, small and slightly mischievous, and for a moment, the Jedi looked just as he did when he found Anakin ten long years ago.

"We may have a plan." Those dark blue eyes drifted to Anakin, and the Padawan grinned broadly. "We have a stealth ship, Anakin. A prototype. And you're going to fly it."

"I don't get it!" Ahsoka wailed, throwing her arms in the air as she paced in the tight corridor of the ship. "How come he gets to fly this thing?"

"I told you, Snips!" Anakin laughed, his hands running over the controls as he deftly powered the ship on, breathing as one with the thrum of the engines like he was born to it. "There isn't a pilot better than me. Anywhere."

"You are so modest." Ahsoka shrugged. "But, I suppose you must feel some kind of kinship with ships, Skyguy, since you're part machine yourself."

"That isn't funny, it's a battle wound. I'm a veteran and a survivor of two Sith attacks!"

The Togruta chortled. "I thought they were mighty battles. He just attacked you now?"

"I was ambushed."

"You change this story all the time," she drawled, smirking as the other Padawan's hands tightly gripped the yoke as he lifted the ship into the air and engaged the stealth drive. "Master Quinlan never lost a hand, and he's been in lots of fights."

"Never with a Sith, Ahsoka," the Kiffar said from his seat behind the copilot's seat. The Togruta sniffled.

"Well, Master Qui-Gon fought two Sith, and he's still got all his hands."

"Well Master Qui-Gon's just better than me, ok?!" Anakin jammed the controls forward and the ship sped away from the Resolute toward the massive might of the Separatist blockade, the young Ahsoka nearly being flung back through the halls with the suddenness of it, but she managed to grab hold of the back of Quinlan's seat. The clone in the co-pilot's seat couldn't help but laugh, his blue trimmed armor distinguishing him from his millions of identical brothers. Anakin decided he liked this one.

They had left Qui-Gon behind on the Resolute. It's not that they wanted to, but the old Master had insisted they keep a Jedi commander in the air if it became necessary to engage with the Separatist fleet. As the stealth ship drew closer, it was becoming increasingly apparent that they would. The entire fleet was primed and ready for combat, and while they were not actively pursuing the nearby Republic ships, debris in the surrounding space indicated that they had opened fire earlier. The Jedi were uncertain if they were the first on the scene, but they suspected not.

The image of Qui-Gon appeared on the small holodisc that sat in the center of the control console, his arms crossed and face pensive. "Remember, Anakin," he said sternly, "our top priority is getting you through the blockade. There should be enough relief supplies on the ship to at least get Senator Organa through the day."

"Is this stealth thing going to work?" Anakin asked, and Qui-Gon shrugged.

"That's why you're the pilot. If anything goes wrong, I'm fairly certain you can still navigate through that mess. I have the fleet on standby to cover you."

"Mm, I wouldn't if I were you, Qui-Gon," Quinlan drawled, leaning out to look through the viewport as they quickly approached the Separatist blockade. "That dreadnaught over there is going to be a problem."

Qui-Gon frowned. "Why, do you know the ship?"

"No, but I know who she belongs to." He pointed at the markings on the massive ship as they flew closer, the two Padawans holding their breath as they came uncomfortably close to the ship's large, imposing broadside laser cannons. The ships did nothing. The Separatists couldn't see them. "That's the insignia of Admiral Trench."

"Never heard of him," Ahsoka muttered, but Anakin nodded.

"I have. I thought he died."

"Not yet..."

The stealth ship glided past the Separatist fleet, and soon enough, they were on the other side of the blockade. Anakin held his breath. He felt something in the Force, and his hands gripped the yoke tighter. Seconds later, the dreadnaught launched several small starfighters, accompanied by slightly larger vulture droids, the combat ready ships blazing toward them as full speed. Anakin didn't move the controls, despite protests from Quinlan and Ahsoka, the two Jedi looking nervously from the radar to the viewport. A moment later, the fighters shrieked past them, flying toward the planet down below.

"Master, they're attacking the planet," Anakin said, his chest tight as he quickly took inventory of his assets. "We must have troops on the ground, or they're trying to kill the Senator, or something."

Qui-Gon nodded. "We can begin an attack on the fleet, if you think that will stop the raids, but I'm reluctant to do so. I'm familiarizing myself with this Admiral Trench's history, and...well, it's not good. He's dangerous, and he's holding his position, and our fleet is much smaller. It seems like he's trying to goad us into action."

Anakin took a deep breath and closed his eyes, reaching out with the Force and feeling the thrum of the ship, the concern of the other Jedi, the fear of the Senator far down on the planet below. Something had to be done. "He's trying to lure us to attack by attacking the planet," Anakin muttered, wheeling the ship around pointing the thin nose at the Invincible. "Let's give him what he wants." He cut the hologram when it looked like Qui-Gon would object, and he could hear Quinlan behind him quietly telling his Padawan to fasten her safety restraints. "We're going to fire on that dreadnaught, Rex," Skywalker told the clone next to him, eyes narrowing in concentration.

"Sir," the clone said, apprehensive, "firing the weapons will take us out of stealth. It kills our advantage."

"I disagree." The clone looked back to General Vos, and the Kiffar nodded his head.

"Do as he says."

The clone sighed, prepping the system and readying the weapons. "I hope you know what you're doing, sir..."

"Yeah, me too." Without another word, Anakin fired, the ship's perfect stealth fading away to reveal the long needle shaped ship, the missiles seeking the vulture droids that were flying from the dreadnaught toward Christophsis. They hit their mark, the droid ships exploding in a burst of flames and shrapnel. They had the dreadnaught's attention, the massive ship opening fire on the little ship, and Anakin expertly navigated the crossing lasers, bringing the ship safely through the volley.

"Ready our flares, Rex, and get us back into stealth."

The clone nodded and didn't say a word, and Anakin smiled appreciatively. They were born and bred for battle, yes, and while they were made to follow the orders of their commanders, Skywalker was used to taking orders, not giving them. But Rex followed orders, and he did it quickly and well.

"Sir," Rex said sharply. "The dreadnaught is firing heat seeking missiles. Skywalker smiled. He knew this would happen. He felt it.

"Get ready to fire the flares, Rex. How long before we're back into stealth?"

"Ten seconds, sir." Skywalker nodded, thrusting the acceleration forward, the long ship screeching as it tore through space, the missiles on their tail. Moments before the stealth drive engaged, Anakin told Rex to deploy the flares, and the ship went invisible, the dreadnaught's missiles seeking and destroying the super-heated flares that the clone had released. The ship rocked in space from the explosions, but they were not damaged.

Qui-Gon appeared on the holodisc, his noble face worried, his eyes frantic, and his breath ragged. "Anakin, stop! What are you doing?!"

"If they lose their fleet leadership, they will lose this battle," Anakin said, his teeth grit as he banked the ship around, a fair distance from the blockade. "This Trench guy is dangerous, right?"

"Extremely so, Anakin, please, don't-"

"Then we want him focusing on us instead of the people on the planet, right?" He hissed as the dreadnaught fired on their last seen position, and Skywalker deftly avoided the lasers, the ship spinning and weaving out of the way and coming out of the volley unscathed.

"Sir," Rex said softly. "There's a message coming through on the open com channel." Anakin frowned. The only one that could possibly be using the open channel right now was someone in the Separatist fleets, since the Republic was using their own encrypted channel. It had to be Trench. The Padawan frowned. He was...not equipt to deal with it. He knew the Admiral would only be goading him, and Anakin knew himself, knew that he was impulsive enough to fall for the taunts. Master Yoda had been helping him with his reckless nature, but a few days wasn't enough to correct all his bad habits.

"Ignore it, Rex. Master, did you get the message on the open com?"

Qui-Gon nodded. "It's Trench."

"What does he want?"

"To let you know that he knows you're a Jedi." Qui-Gon crossed his arms. "He says no clone can fly the way you can, which is how he knew."

Anakin chuckled. "Well, he's right about that."

"He says he's dealt with cloaked ships in the past, and he's going to deal with you now in the same manner. He's giving you a chance to retreat before-"

"No, no, stop, that's enough." Anakin frowned, his fingers drumming on the control console as he observed Trench's Invincible. "I don't need to hear his idiot taunting. Did he say anything else of note?" Qui-Gon shook his head. "...can you see if there's anything in our records about the cloaked ships he's destroyed in the past?"

The Master nodded. "Give me a moment, I'll see what I can find." The hologram cut, and Anakin sighed, running his hand over his face.

"Well, now what?" Ahsoka asked, leaning forward to look over his shoulder. Skywalker looked back at the girl to find her...concerned. He frowned. He'd only known Ahsoka for a few days, but the girl had never looked anything but smug. "He knows we're here, what's the plan?"

"I'll let you know when I have one," Anakin muttered, and the little Togruta's face dropped.

"You don't have a plan?!"

"My Master always says that one must follow the will of the Force!" Anakin shrugged. "The Force really wants me to take this ship down."

"...you're making that up, aren't you?"

Anakin grinned. "Absolutely."

The hologram of Qui-Gon came back, and all Jedi in the ship looked to his image. "He wasn't lying, Anakin. Cloaked or not, Trench found a way to destroy them using tracking torpedoes."

"But how..." Anakin sat back, removing his hands from the yoke and looking through the viewport at the dreadnaught before him. His attention was snapped back to his passengers when the Kiffar touched him on the shoulder, a lazy grin on his face.

"I know how he's doing it..." the Master purred, lightly tugging on Anakin's braid. "It's a trick of the trade among bounty hunters who carry cloaking devices with them." He tapped his wrist. "They track other's cloaking through the magnetic signature of their stealth device."

A slow smile spread over his face. "That's why you're the Master." He grabbed the yoke. "Got to go, Qui-Gon. Hold off any attack until we destroy Trench."

The Master hung his head. "For what it's worth, my reckless Padawan, may the Force be with you." The hologram cut again, and Anakin focused, his attention narrowing to the feel of his ship and the dreadnaught before him. This time, he had a plan, and while Anakin Skywalker was very good at improvising, he was downright dangerous when his scattered thoughts focused into a moving idea.

"Let's give him something to look at, Rex. Arm the torpedoes and prepare to disengage the cloaking deice." The clone nodded and did as he was told, flipping the necessary switches and arming the weapons, his hand on the stealth controls. When Skywalker gave the command, the ship reappeared and fired four more torpedoes, the projectiles screeching through space toward the dreadnaught. "Engage the cloaking device," Skywalker commanded, and the clone moved to do as he was told. "That should have given him something to lock on to."

"And...we want that?" Ahsoka asked, and Anakin smirked when he felt fear and tension in the Padawan's voice.

"What's wrong, Snips? Real action a little too much for you."

"You can make fun of me when I lose a hand, Skyguy."

He laughed as he thrust the accelerator forward, flying full speed in a wide arch toward Christophsis and slowly circling back around to face the dreadnaught just as the four torpedoes struck the hull. "No thank you. I'll make fun of you now, if that's alright." Ahsoka grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest, but she said nothing.

As suspected, the dreadnaught launched it's weapons, lowering its shields as four proton torpedoes were fired at the cloaked ship. Anakin's eyes narrowed, reaching into the Force as he banked wide, the dangerous missiles narrowly missing the hull of the hidden ship as he sped past them toward the waiting dreadnaught, the locked on weapons following the ship like magnets. It was exactly what Skywalker had wanted, but he would have to be quick. The dreadnaught's shields were down, but it wouldn't stay that way.

"Rex, turn off the cloaking device and divert all power to the engines." Skywalker tightly grabbed the yoke and pushed the ship to max speed, feeling the additional thrust kick in when the stealth drive deactivated. With the torpedoes right on his tail and slowly gaining, he drove the ship as fast as he could right toward the dreadnaught Invincible. It was deadly silent in the cockpit, the other two Jedi and the clone commander tense and watching as Anakin worked. Maybe he wasn't the best Jedi. Hell, he wasn't even a good one, despite his tremendous power in the Force, but here, at the helm of a ship, Anakin Skywalker was home. He would not be bested in his element. Not today.

The dreadnaught quickly grew larger in the viewport, but Anakin stayed his course, feeling the others on the ship shift uncomfortably, their anxieties and concerns increasing as they drew perilously close to the massive Separatist ship. He waited until he could wait no longer, and then Skywalker pulled back the yoke as hard and as far as he could, and the needle-like ship jetted upwards, it's hull scraping against the dreadnaught and leaving a shower of sparks in its wake until it breached over the thick transparisteel of the bridge. Anakin leveled the ship off, flying low along it's length and not pulling up until he heard four deafening blasts as the Invincible was struck with its own proton torpedoes, the ship erupting into flames as the impact and the vacuum of space destroyed it, breaking it apart as it drifted.

Skywalker grinned triumphantly as the cockpit erupted into Quinlan's helpless laughter, Rex's cheers of victory, and Ahsoka's quiet cries of relief. Anakin put the ship's navigation on, allowing the autopilot to bring them down to the planet, and he turned to the Padawan sitting behind him. "You alright, Snips?" She nodded, but didn't say a word. "I know it's scary, but-"

"I'm not afraid." Anakin raised an eyebrow, and the Togruta's blue eyes became indignant. "I'm not. I just..." She sighed. "I was...wrong. Ok? That was pretty good." She smirked. "For an amputee."

Anakin rolled his eyes, but smirked at the other Padawan. The hologram flashed back on to reveal a relieved Qui-Gon. "Nice work, Anakin." He frowned. "Never do that again. I'm far too old to have you straining my heart like this!"

"Master, I had it under control!"

"You are reckless, and a menace, and you are absolute garbage at following orders. You're turning out to be an awful soldier." Qui-Gon couldn't keep the faint smile off his lips. "I've called for reenforcements, they should be arriving shortly. We're beginning our attack on the remainder of the Separatist fleet so we can get our troops down on the ground."

Skywalker nodded. "Understood, Master. I'll get in contact with Senator Organa while we wait for you so we can deliver the relief supplies."

Quinlan climbed over the seat and settled himself in the lap of an extremely uncomfortable Commander Rex, winking at the clone before turning his attention to the hologram. "I'm not waiting, Qui-Gon. When I hit the ground, I'm going to go out and scout the opposition. They were sending ships down to the surface, so they must have troops around."

"Understood. I'm getting reports about the fleet launching carrier ships now. I'm rerouting the Dauntless to see if we can't cut off their reenforcements. Just be careful out there. We don't know what the Separatists have brought."

"Well," Quinlan drawled, "they probably brought droids."

"Don't take this lightly. You know what's on their side."

Master Vos was silent for a moment before he slowly nodded. "Yes, I know. I'll be careful." He reached over and shut off the connection and leaned back, his head resting on the blue and white helmet of the clone commander, the man shifting uncomfortably as the Master softly hushed him.

"Do you think there's going to be a battle on the planet, Master?" Ahsoka managed to ask between repressed giggles as Rex slowly wormed his way out of Quinlan's fierce grasp. Anakin was not so tactful. He was openly laughing as loudly as he could.

"Without question." The Master yawned as the clone broke free, losing his helmet in the process, which the Kiffar clutched in a tight grasp. Rex was flushing deeply, a frown on his stern face, and Quinlan yelped, throwing the helmet back at the clone when he looked at the man's face. "Sweet Force, put it back on!" The clone did so gladly, and the Padawans look at the Master silently. They didn't need to say anything, they knew the Master could feel them in the Force. Quinlan thrust his thumb at Rex. "He wasn't as cute as I hoped."

Anakin whistled. "This war is just going to be filled with ugly faces for you than, isn't it?" He leaned toward the clone. "No offense, Rex."

"Believe me, sir, none taken..."

Quinlan rolled his eyes. "He's not that bad, I just forgot that he looks like that assassin asshole that was trying to kill your girlfriend, Anakin."

Skywalker stared wide-eyed at the Master as he begun to sweat, though he wasn't sure why. Ahsoka's helpless laughter wasn't helping much either. "She's not my girlfriend..."

"Oh, right." Quinlan smacked his forehead. "Sorry, I forgot that the Senator was into Sith Lords these days."

Ahsoka Tano watched the following explosion of anger and tears and emotion with interest, and the only thing she could think of was how happy she was the ship was on autopilot. Anakin would have certainly crashed the ship in his rage if it was not.