Message from the feller: Hello! For anyone who has enjoyed the story- I would like to sincerely apologize for the delay in getting this updated! A five month long delay between updates is extremely sucky! I've blocked out the next few days and will do my very best to get this story completed! From now on, when I write a story, I will make sure it is 100% completed before I begin uploading it, so that month long gaps like this don't occur ever again! I hope everyone reading this has a safe and wonderful new year! Here's hoping it turns out better than 2020! Thanks so much!- Feller
Chapter 8: The Element of Surprise
All the carefree playfulness that Anakin had allowed himself to experience earlier in the afternoon had vanished without a trace. What was once a peaceful supply run was now a potential battlefield, and there was no time to lose and much to be done.
The next hour seemed to pass by for Anakin in a matter of seconds. He simulated the coming altercation in as many ways as he possibly could to help him come up with a viable strategy, but he was severely lacking information. How many armed soldiers did the Syndicate have on world? Did they have heavy artillery? Where was their base? Were on the move now, or are they planning something more covert?
Had the refugees made him aware of this situation earlier, he most likely could have had things resolved by now. He could have utilized all the resources he had available to him on the Resolute to launch a full-scale investigation into this organization, and their hold on Dantooine. However, the amount of time it would take to complete such a detailed scan of a planet's surface now would take hours of prep time, hours he no longer had on his side.
His first order of business was catching the soldiers on-world up to speed. Anakin quickly debriefed his troops via comlink only minutes after he became aware of the situation. His clones immediately set out to patrol their respective camps and set up defensive parameters. He cautioned them to be on high alert for suspicious activities and to immediately report in if they noticed anything out of the ordinary on their patrols.
Next, he needed to learn as much as he could about his enemy. A consultation with Lorr Terra proved to be quite useful, as he was able to reveal where the Syndicate's stronghold resided on Dantooine. It was located several clicks off the northern most refugee camp, hidden in the caves of on a bordering set of cliffs to the camp. Unfortunately, that meant they were uncomfortably close.
Armed with this knowledge, he could now send those coordinates to the Resolute and have his flagship do some preliminary scans and monitor for large-scale biological movement in that general region. Small-scale scans were much more feasible to complete in a narrow timeframe than a planet-wide analysis.
However, the enemy's location was about the only information that Lorr could provide Anakin. He had no idea how large their numbers were or how heavily armed they were. If the small party Anakin had observed earlier was any indication, then they were more -likely-than-not armed to the teeth.
In the months since serving as General, Anakin had learned the importance of having backup plans and contingencies. He turned his attention to the possibility that this might not be a one evening operation, and begin to put the plan into action of mobilizing more troops from orbit down to the surface. If all went according to plan, he could have several battalions ready to go by morning. If they could make it through the night without major conflict, then the situation would be much easier to contain.
"I understand, sir. We'll have the boys loaded up and down on the surface by sunrise. I can pack my things and be back down and ready for action within the hour if you need me, General." Rex's voice barked at Anakin over his comlink as the General finished relaying the army's next moves.
Anakin smirked at his Captain's eagerness, "Easy there, Rex. I need you on the Resolute for the time being. I gotta have my eyes in the sky. Only a handful of our landing team headed back to orbit, I think we have enough manpower to keep this scum under control for the time being. If you can, get Specs and Scope back down here on world, I could use some extra recon coverage. Until then, just get everyone ready to move out so we can stomp these guys out quick. We can't afford to drag this out too long."
Anakin could hear Rex's frustration at being sidelined from the frontlines in his response, "Understood, General. Try not to drop too many of those bastards before I'm able to land."
"No promises, Captain. Keep me posted on any activity you're picking up on the Resolute's scanners. I don't want to be caught napping down here."
"Yes, sir! Rex out," he called as the comlink powered down with a whirling buzz.
Anakin sighed and checked his own comlink for probably the fiftieth time in the last hour. No missed messages. I guess no news is good news. For now.
He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. He took in a deep breath and tried to connect with the living energy around him. In a more calm environment, he may have been able to peer into his enemy's thoughts to read their next moves. He was able to pick up unmistakable traces of fear and anger, but it was too difficult to sift through the darkness and peer into their minds. Hectic circumstances like those in a warzone drastically clouded a Jedi's clairvoyance, even one who was as in-tune with the Force as Anakin was.
"Anakin..." a soft voice called to him, breaking his concentration. Lila Cyone stood before him, nervously wringing her hands. Anakin had probably been meditating for around ten minutes or so, perhaps she was worried that she was disturbing him?
"Something I can help you with, Lila?"
"You don't have to do this. You don't have to risk your soldiers or your own life for us. It was my brother's shortsightedness that got us into this situation. You don't need to suffer because of it..."
Anakin felt himself smile at Lila's natural motherly disposition. "You don't need to worry about me. I can handle these lowlifes. I promise I will keep you and your people safe."
She reached out and kindly touched his shoulder, tears welling up in her eyes, "Somehow I knew you'd say something like that..."
"Am I that predictable?"
"No, not predictable. My late husband used to say the same things to me when I would worry over him. You remind me so much of him," she said sadly, as memories of the love of her life flashed through her mind.
"Is that so?" Anakin cocked an eyebrow.
"He was always quick to take the weight of the Universe on his shoulders, too. And he was very good at hiding the toll that burden took on him, just like you are." Her hand subconsciously drifted toward a trinket hanging around her neck.
"Did that belong to him?" Anakin inquired, choosing to change the subject rather than addressing the accuracy of her last statement. She smiled warmly and nodded.
"This is Blba snippet. It's carved from the Blba trees that are native to my homeworld. My husband gave it to me many years ago, shortly after we got married. It's supposed to bring good fortune. I find myself reaching for it often, it helps me remember how wonderful things used to be."
"It's beautiful. Thank you for showing me. For what it's worth, seeing it is making me feel better, too." Anakin's mind drifted to thoughts of the japor snippet that Padme always wore around her neck. It was the first gift he'd ever given her, just shortly after he saw her for the first time all those years ago.
They stood together in silence for a very brief period, enjoying a warm breeze that blew across the Dantooine plains. For one fleeting moment, there was no threat of violence, death, or misery. For that sweet moment, two wounded souls found a brief glimpse of comfort and warmth within each other's presence.
Knowing the moment was coming to an end, Lila braced herself to return to her duties and headed back toward the command center. "May the Force be with you, Anakin Skywalker," Lila spoke softly before leaving his side, not knowing that it would be the last thing she would ever say to him.
As Lila left, Anakin allowed himself a few more sweet moments of quiet reflection before he, too, had to return back to his duties.
The sound of Ahsoka's voice at his back snapped him into reality, "Hey. I'm back from my recon. Everything's quiet out there for now, Skyguy. So far so good."
"Did you check in with all of our ground units? They finished their sweep of the area, too?"
"Yup. Our boys are quick and efficient."
"That they are..." Anakin smiled at her affectionately, "and so are you, Snips. Thanks for taking care of that while I was touching base with the Resolute. I know I don't say it enough, but you're doing a great job."
She tried as hard as she could to keep from beaming at her Master's compliment, but she failed, "No problem, Master. Someone has to handle the important business while you're slacking off."
"Very funny."
"I know."
Anakin's comm beeped on his belt, he quickly reached down and activated it, "Skywalker."
"General, this is Bruiser!" the voice of a Clone Trooper rang out, distorted from transmitting over the tiny speaker. Bruiser was the leader of team 3. He was stationed at the camp nearest to the Syndicate's location. This can't be good.
"Go ahead, Bruiser. What's your situation?"
"We're picking up some light interference on our portable scanners. We think it's nothing but me and Byrd are going to check it out. I just wanted to keep you aware, sir!"
"Got it. Keep me posted, soldier...and stay safe."
"Will do, sir! Like I said, I think it's nothing, but better safe than sorry. Bruiser out!" The comm clicked off, indicating the trooper had already begun to move out.
Anakin looked over at Ahsoka and noticed a look of unease across her face. It wasn't like her to be nervous. That was even more unsettling to Anakin than hearing from Brusier.
"Hey. What's that look for, Snips? Something wrong?"
Ahsoka raised her gaze to meet Anakin's, "I don't know... I sense something, but I can't figure out exactly what it is. I just can't shake this bad feeling."
Anakin furrowed his brow. I sense it, too. Ahsoka's own intuition only confirmed his suspicions. Something isn't right here. He softened his voice, "I sense it, too, little one. The best thing we can do right now is to stay alert and watch out for trouble."
He's right. I have to stay focused on the mission! Ahsoka thought to herself as she nodded in agreement. She smiled softly as Anakin's words filled her with a sliver of confidence.
Just then, she noticed a small Republic drop ship in the distance that seemed to materialize out of the beautiful evening sky. She pointed to it, "look, Master! That must be Spec and Scope's ship! The cavalry has arrived!"
Anakin and Ahsoka's eyes widened in shock as the blood red trail of an anti-aircraft missile cut into the night sky like a knife would cut through butter. They could make out the tiny inferno that erupted as the rocket made contact and disintegrated the wing of the ship. The drop ship began to spin and spiral toward the surface at high speeds, and a volcano of smoke and dirt shot into the air as it crashed landed in the distance.
A buzz of Anakin's commlink snapped him back into reality as Bruiser's voice appeared frantically over the other line. "General! I don't know how it happened, but there's a division of Clankers here at my position! They're heavily armed. Requesting backup immediately!"
Blaster fire cut off the remainder of the conversation, and Anakin and Ahsoka had already leapt into action.