The Horrors of Jabiim
Disclaimer: Disney owns everything and I make no profit from this.
Summary: Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi are sent to assist the growing Resistance Movement on Jabiim, a world whose mining operations are vital to the Republic's economy. Having been equipped with familiar weapons and vehicles in the form of experimental AT-TE walkers, Anakin will have to guide the Jedi and Clones under his command trough one of the bloodiest campaigns in the Clone Wars and survive an encounter with Count Dooku's new apprentice…
Warning: For those who have not read my story "A Messed Up Destiny: Before the Dark Times", it is needed for context of what's going on here and for the other side stories I plan to write that will take place in the same universe. So I suggest you go read it or you'll be completely lost here.
Note: Because this story relates to an extremely bloody battle of the Clone Wars, visual descriptions will match the theme of the conflict, so viewer (or in this reader) discretion is advised and should be seriously considered.
Coruscant, Council Chambers, Anakin's point of view:
Today was a bad day. Plain and simple. I didn't even need the Force to confirm it, I had already known from the moment Obi Wan told me that our presence had been requested by the High Council. And indeed, today was a very bad day, since it was the first day of Battle of Jabiim, though with our hindsight, 'battle' was an understatement, because according to both of our memories, it had been a bloodbath of a campaign that lasted almost two months in the original timeline and even I -'the great Darth Vader', as Revan usually called me when joking around- shuddered at the thought of having to go back there.
With a glance to Obi Wan, it seemed that he was thinking the same thing, but I was quickly pulled out of my thoughts by Master Windu, who was giving me an angry look, probably thinking that I hadn't been paying attention. Not that he was wrong per say, he just didn't know that I was already fully briefed for the mission.
"Now that I have everyone's attention…", he began while refusing to look away from me, "Generals Skywalker and Kenobi are being sent to Jabiim. The situation there is bad, with the Nationalist faction now ruling the planet after having disposed of the pro-Republic government. The Chancellor has requested that the planet join us peacefully, attempting negotiations, but the Nationalist leader, Alto Stratus, immediately refused to comply and has officially allied himself with the Confederacy of Independent Systems.", Windu said, providing an acceptable overview of the situation.
The Jedi's gaze then turned to me, with Obi Wan seemingly forgotten for the time being. In another life, the near-hate in the man's eyes would been unnerving at the very least, but I didn't bat an eye, provoking Windu even further. "It is your job to assist the Resistance fighting against the CIS and secure the system for the Republic by force, seeing as negotiations have clearly failed. Masters Sirrus, Norcuna and Rallcema Bylissura shall be joining you, accompanied by Jedi Knight Dalnus Cam.", Windu added seriously, informing us of the Jedi we'd have to work with. I could recall another Master being assigned on this mission, but perhaps my accession to the rank of General meant the Council believed she wasn't needed? My guess was as good as anyone's, really.
"Your primary task is to secure the system and the government's loyalty, but you also have a secondary objective. Republic spies have been made awake of the presence of a female Force User that is leading the Separatist forces. The Council wants you to capture her so she can be interrogated for information on both the Confederacy's army and Count Dooku's whereabouts.", Windu finished as Obi Wan and I exchanged a serious glance. We both knew he was talking about Ventress, who was currently on her first mission for Dooku.
The thought nearly made me smile. She'd be easy to defeat if she had experience yet. Unfortunately, Windu caught onto that and sent a glare my way. "Is something funny, young Skywalker?", he asked, emphasizing the word 'young'.
I grinned at him. "It's Knight Skywalker.", I corrected. "And no, nothing funny. I just wanted to say that this is where the fun begins.", I said almost comically, much to Yoda's amusement.
Windu didn't find it as funny however, but was unable to do anything other than glare harshly in my general direction, not wanting to be seen having emotions, since that wasn't the Jedi way and all that. Obi Wan on the other hand, had to stifle a laugh at the quote, which caused some Council members to look at him strangely and me to glance at Yoda, trying to get him to understand that it was time for us to leave.
The little troll didn't need to be told twice, as Obi Wan and I were dismissed moments later. The Council would be tied down for a few more hours, discussing –bickering over- Force knows what, and Obi Wan was glad not to have been nominated for a seat on it yet. The two of us then headed for our 'new' flagships, the Resolute and the Negotiator, the same ships we had in the original timeline, given to us as gifts from the Supreme Chancellor due to our heroic actions in the Battle of Geonosis, a reward that was –at least according to Sidious- long overdue.
Neither Obi Wan nor I complained when we had received the 'gift', though we had recognized the bribe for what it was, a gesture of good will to guarantee our help with Sidious' own agenda, or whatever he could actually do under the guise of the Republic's Chancellor.
Jango, Rex and Cody were there to greet us when we arrived, with the former two looking like they had just come out of an hour-long sparring match, which was probably the case, seeing as Jango liked to challenge Rex frequently, having finally found a 'worthy opponent', though his excuse of needing the exercise wasn't completely unbelievable to those who didn't know any better.
As Cody and Obi Wan left, with the latter having started yet another rant about how the Council was sending Padawans into a lethal warzone, which didn't seem to surprise Cody in the slightest. I headed towards Fett and Rex, but I did catch Cody saying something about how 'it was the Will of the Force', his voice full of sarcasm. It seemed that perhaps the Clone Commander was more outspoken when dealing with Obi Wan directly, something that I made a mental note of for later in case the information was needed someday.
"Let me guess.", Jango began. "Your kriffing Council is sending more kids to battle.", the Bounty Hunter said, his voice full of righteous anger.
I shook my head in disapproval of the Council's decisions, with Rex opting to say nothing and merely listen to us talk, not yet fully used to being treated like an equal by his 'superiors'. "Don't get me started on that…", I mumbled, loud enough to be heard by both of my companions. "At least they're sending some Masters with us too. They're bound to arrive soon, but I can't be bothered to greet them.", I then added, completely honest.
Rex seemed to take my words as an indirect command and nearly scurried off to prepare a welcoming committee of some kind before I placed a hand on his shoulder, firmly holding him in place, a sign that he was to stay here. He complied instantly, which both impressed and angered me, since I couldn't stand to see my friend act like an unthinking machine at times.
Wanting to break the ice, Jango spoke again, pretending that the last thirty seconds had never happened. "Honestly, when are those idiots going to learn how stupid their tactics are?", he questioned loudly, though it was rhetorical.
I gave him a shrug in response. "I have no idea. Jedi really know nothing about the military or warfare, yet the Chancellor expects us to lead an army…", I sighed, throwing Sidious under the speeder again since this damned War was his fault to begin with.
"Ah, yes! Politicians!", Jango exclaimed. "My fourth favorite type of vermin!", he joked.
That's when Rex understood that he wasn't meant to be all serious for the time being and joined in, quipping back at Fett. "What about the other three sir?", he asked jokingly. The answer he received was anything but.
"Slavers, pirates and Sith Lords, in that order.", replied Fett, unconsciously running a hand above his pistols. "I'd kill them all if I could, but it seems that even Skywalker here has trouble dealing with the latter kind.", Jango said, not needing to point at my prosthetic arm for the jab to be noticed.
Rex was ready to jump to my defense, but I cut him off, not wanting this to turn into an argument. "Like you'd do any better against Dooku. May I remind you that I am the one who saved your life from him and his Battle Droids?", I quipped back at the Bounty Hunter, who didn't seem to have a counter prepared.
After a moment of silence, I continued. "That's what I thought.", I told him smugly before walking away with Rex, who was doing his best to contain a wave of laughter that would echo around the ship for days if released.
Soon the Captain and I found ourselves on the Bridge, with me having just finished updating Admiral Yularen –the assignment of a competent officer to me being another one of Sidious' indirect bribes- on the situation. He appeared to be deep in though by the time I was done, but he was holding back his tongue, unsure of whether I'd listen to his opinions. The Force told me as much.
As soon as he was about to turn around and tend to other duties, I asked for his opinion on the plan. He was surprised, startled even, that a Jedi was asking him for his ideas in regards to an operation, but he soon began pointing out the very obvious flaws with the Council's battle plan, and found me agreeing to his every comment and remark, which served to reinforce the fact that I was willing to listen to him when dealing with something in his area of expertise.
After spending about an hour in the Resolute's Command Center, a reinforced room that was hiding in the bowels of the ship as per my personal request since I had always hated the Force-awful design of the dual bridge in both Republic and Imperial models of Star Destroyers and because it left the commander of the ship or fleet exposed to torpedoes or even kamikaze attacks –something Vulture Droids would later become famous for, but yet another thing I wasn't supposed to know about-, the Admiral and I had changed most of the plan to suit our needs in going against the rough terrain of Jabiim.
The man was left to put the so called 'finishing touches' to a plan that I was actually proud of –nothing like the 'impromptu plan B' type of attacks I always performed in the original timeline, though I still preferred them in any given situation because of how difficult it was for droids to adapt to them- and that put us in an advantageous position while compromising the least amount of units and walkers possible, as Rex and I moved down towards the barracks, chatting away while we did so as I tried to get the Captain to open up more.
"Rex, have I ever told you about what I used to do before Geonosis happened?", I asked absent-mindedly, trying to strike up conversation with the man.
Rex nodded an affirmative and began reciting what he knew of the Jedi, perhaps thinking this was a test of some kind. "We were taught that the Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice in the Republic, so I'd assume that you were on a mission somewhere, fighting pirates or protecting innocents.", he said, drawing from what little information the Kaminoans had made available to him and the Vod.
I didn't mean to, but I let out a chuckle, surprising the Captain. Rex immediately apologized for whatever he had done, asking if he had remembered something wrongly. It made me laugh a second time. "No, Rex. You didn't make a mistake and you actually aren't that far off from the truth. You see, Senator Amidala had become the target of a mysterious Bounty Hunter…", I began, narrating the story of how Obi Wan found Kamino to the best of my ability, careful to leave out any personal or mission sensitive –meaning Vader related- information and letting Rex ask questions whenever he wanted.
"Sir, I've been to Coruscant exactly once, but even I know that jumping out of a moving speeder is pretty much suicide! And all of that to catch one Bounty Hunter?", Rex questioned, amazed at my story of how I defeated Zam Weasel.
I was about to respond to him –the witty remark had been thought of already-, but was cut off by my com. beeping, signaling that Obi Wan was calling. I immediately picked up and his hologram appeared in front of me, looking dead-serious.
"Anakin. Our Jedi allies have just boarded my cruiser. Are you ready to depart?", Obi Wan inquired, already knowing that the boys should have been done about…thirty minutes ago.
Sensing that the aforementioned Jedi were near him, I tried to look shocked, as if I had forgotten about having to depart soon. "Uh, let me check in with the Captain.", I said nodding at Rex. He gave me a meaningful glance and confirmed that everything was good to go, so I relayed that information to Obi Wan, telling him that we'd make the jump to hyperspace in five minutes, which would give Rex and I plenty of time to go back to the Bridge.
Obi Wan murmured an affirmative –something about also needing a few minutes- and I sped off towards the Bridge with Rex following closely behind, not wanting him to miss the light show. We arrived about a minute later and I was informed that the Resolute could make the jump to hyperspace momentarily. I sent a mental message to Obi Wan telling him to make the jump as I ordered the same to be done for my ship, before positioning myself in the center of the viewpoint, and beginning to gaze outwards and into the stars.
Rex copied my movement and wanted to ask why we were here, but he cut himself off as the stars around the Resolute began to shift into nothingness, only a blue vortex remaining as the ship entered hyperspace. Rex's mouth was hanging open underneath his helmet –and I didn't need the Force to tell- and he tried to say something, but couldn't.
He took a moment to compose himself and tried again, this time succeeding. "Sir…that was beautiful.", he said, completely honest.
"I know, Rex. It's why I come up here every time we go on a new mission. I've found that even the smallest of beauties can mean so much in a Galaxy that is now devoid of them.", I replied with a sigh, answering the unasked question that had been hanging in the air. "Try to find some beauties of your own Rex. We don't know how long this War will take to finish, but I'd personally prefer if I got a few good things out of it. Wouldn't you?", I inquired, but received only a nod in response, a sign that Rex was contemplating this new information.
Deciding that a talk with Revan in regards to the upcoming bloodbath was in order, I left him to it, turning around and practically gliding out of the bridge, though that description was something I'd only hear when Rex eventually came back to this topic on a later date, which was a slight pity, since it was a description that I fully agreed with.
And…scene! There you have it everyone! Chapter 1 of Horrors of Jabiim! I know I said this was going to be a one shot, but after doing my research I discovered that this was too large of a battle to cram into one chapter alone, unless of course I wanted to end up with twenty thousand words worth of describing explosions. So…you guys get this prelude/banter-filled chapter in its place. I'm not sure how long the rest of the story is going to be, since it honestly depends on what I decide to change with the Campaign itself. Anyhow…now we move to our regularly scheduled exposition!
Firstly, the Council meeting. To be honest, I'm not sure how many people actually read Star Wars Comics and have even heard of this Battle, hence me including this scene as a way to let people know of what kind of situation our heroes will be dealing with in this story. If I also get to include Windu hating on Anakin for no apparent reason only to receive sass in return…then that's just a bonus!
Secondly, Obi Wan's relationship with the Jedi Council. While in the original timeline Obi Wan placed the word of the Council above all else and trusted their judgement, he has lost faith in them after seeing the Fall of the Republic and is thus far more open to the obvious truths hiding behind the stoic faces of its members.
As Anakin states, the truth is that they have no idea about tactics whatsoever and just send Jedi and Clones around the galaxy with no real plan, which is something Obi Wan also knows, but prefers to ignore in order to focus on the more serious problem of the Council sending kids into War!
And sure, they aren't fourteen year old teenagers like a certain Togruta we all know and love, but we're talking about men and women who just became adults and are in their early twenties having to experience everything that comes with fighting in a War because the High Council has no plan and Obi Wan sees this. Even Cody sees it to a certain extent, but Obi Wan has actually been on the Council, meaning that he's probably feeling like crap because he now understands what kind of effect his decisions were having on others people's lives.
Lastly, Captain Rex. At this point in the timeline, Rex is still not too different from your average Clone, at least behavior-wise. As Anakin points out, he isn't exactly used to being treated as an equal by anyone who isn't a Clone –or a brother, from his point of view- and his programming, both metaphorical –meaning conditioning- and literal –meaning the inhibitor chip- are urging him to be a 'good soldier', telling him that 'good soldiers follow orders', hence Anakin having to physically hold him in place to prevent him from running off to comply with something he mistook as an order.
Also, by the end of the chapter we see Rex making progress and actually expressing his own thoughts on things such as Anakin's story of the Chase over Coruscant (totally not a reference to the title of the fourth chapter of Book 1 in the series), actively commenting on his 'superior's' story and momentarily overriding his conditioning, treating Anakin as a friend to joke around with instead of an authority figure.
And let's not forget his reaction to seeing the ship enter hyperspace from the Bridge. He freely expresses his thoughts, even if he does so with few words, and gets wrapped up in the moment, his mind away from the worries of the future to come. If you think this is a nod to Qui Gon's favorite lesson for our Chosen One, you're absolutely right, and Anakin is teaching this to Rex here, though he does so in a way that doesn't allow him to perceive it as any kind of command or order, instead opting to teach him through experience, since it outranks everything else.
Next time: The Battle of Jabiim begins as Republic forces swoop in to save the Resistance members from a devastating defeat, as Asajj Ventress prepares to strike against the Jedi Knights with the help of Bounty Hunter Durge…
That's all for now everyone! Reviews are always welcome, whether it be to ask a question or to chat, and I'll see you all next chapter, but until then, May the Force be with you!