Chapter 2 A lost padawan
Felucia 20 BBY
The skirmish at the Separatist outpost recently concluded, everyone was accounted for everyone except young Commander Tano Padawan to Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.
"Good job, Corporal. Where's Commander Tano? Anakin asked as he deactivated his lightsaber.
"she was covering our flank when we scaled the wall." The Corporal replied.
"Everybody fan out. I want a perimeter sweep now." Anakin ordered with a slight hint of wornness in his voice.
Anakin proceeds to speak into this commlink, trying to contact Ahsoka, hearing only static then nothing.
Where could she have gone to," Skywalker asks to no one in particular?
"Calm yourself, Skywalker." A deep voice belonging to Plo Koon replied.
"Trust in her strengths and the force, and she'll be found in time. As much as I want to look for her myself, we need to continue the mission; however, we can keep looking for Ahsoka as we continue the mission and after we've completed it." Plo Koon stated while putting a hand on Anakin's shoulder.
"Rex, have everyone finish their sweep, then get ready to move out. But keep a lookout for Commander Tano." Anakin ordered.
"Roger that, General. I'll get the boys ready to move out and have them keep an eye out for any possible leads for Commando Tano. One other thing General, we did find Commander Tano's lightsabers but no body. Upon further investigation, it appears something dragged her into the jungle, but her kidnapper's tracks start to blend into the rest of the dirt." Rex replied.
"Thank you, Captain," Anakin replied with a hint of happiness as he moved to where the AT-TEs were.
RRS Resolute, Orbit above Felucia 20 BBY
Staring at the Separatist fleet's broken remains, Admiral Wullf Yularen was deep in thought when a Clone Officer ran up to him.
"Sir, we a group of unknown ships have appeared at the edge." He got out between breaths for air.
"Where did the unknowns come from and have made any movement after appearing?" Yularen replied with a hint of panic.
"We don't know, and no movement so far, sir." The clone replied in a stabler fashion after being able to get some breaths of air in.
"However, sir, their force greatly outnumbers ours. If the sensors are correct, then we're dealing with at least twenty-three ships in their fleet compared to our seven ships." The clone stated.
Inside, Yularen panicked as it didn't take a genius to know that his fleet would have a high probability of being taken out if those ships decided to attack.
"Do we have any idea about what weapon systems that unknowns have?" The Admiral asked, trying not to let his internal panic slip.
"Negative, sir, they're too far out to get a good look. All we know is that they're here and not moving." The clone replied calmly.
Internally Yularen wondered what the unknowns were doing. Wondering if they were trying to get a read on the situation and trying to size the Republic ships to determine their next ships.
"For now, leave the ships be. But if that fleet starts moving, let me know and get General Skywalker and General Plo aboard the ship asap. I'll personally let Skywalker know of the situation myself." Yularen stated.
Yularen proceeds to briskly walk to the communication array at the other end of the bridge. He quickly presses a few buttons to contact Skywalker.
"General, we have a situation up here." He says, still trying to hold back the panic that's building in him.
"Admiral, we also have a situation down here as I seem to have misplaced my Padawan," Anakin replies slightly sarcastically.
"What do you mean that Commander Tano is missing General?" Yularen replied, minorly annoyed by Skywalkers dismissal of what he just said.
"I mean that Commander Tano is missing and that my and I are currently attempting to locate her. She isn't even answering any communication attempts. We've already been looking for her for some time after we mopped out the last of the Separates forces down here. Wait, what do you mean by a situation, Admiral?" Skywalker stated and asked.
"What I mean by situation General is that we have a fleet of roughly twenty-four unknown ships at the edge of the system currently holding and seemingly doing nothing. I'm personally informing you in the event we need to withdraw as I doubt our mere three Venators and four Acclimators can defend against so many ships rapidly. Yularen nearly shouted.
"All right, Admiral, I'll start having some troops head back to the ships while we continue searching awhile longer," Anakin stated calmly.
"Roger, that general, I'll update you if the situation changes," Yularen stated before he ended the communication.
Felucia 20 BBY
Anakin had some concerns about the message that Yularen had given him. He didn't know how to explain it, but something felt off to the young Jedi shortly before Yularen contacted him. "What did the Admiral have to say?" Anakin's trusted second in Command Rex asked. "Just giving us a status update on the situation in orbit. Apparently, there's a fleet of twenty-four unknown vessels at the edge of the system currently holding position and doing nothing," Anakin replied though feeling slightly off.
Rex picked up on it. "Something wrong, General?" Rex asked.
"Besides the fact that there's a fleet of unknown ships, no," Anakin replied nonchalantly. "I'll inform Master Plo about the situation, and you continue the search for Commander Tano."
RSS Resolute, Orbit above Felucia 20 BBY
It has been an hour and ten minutes since the unknown fleet has first appeared on sensors, and the fact that they haven't moved at all was getting to Yularen.
The sense of unease and panic was getting to Yularen, and it was taking all his discipline not to act on it.
He could probably imagine what the unknowns were doing, figuring out the situation whether to attack them outright or not.
It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. He was also smart enough not to pre-emptively attack them.
At least I'm not like some of the other officers in the navy, he thought to himself. The Republic doesn't need more enemies.
He assumed that the unknown vessels were military in nature from what little details he could tell from the sensors and the formation.
The fact that they haven't attacked calmed and put at unease at the same time as he could guess that the commanders of the unknown were doing one of two things either sizing up the Republic force or getting ready to talk to them.
Yularen hoped it was the latter as he knew he had no chance in a fight based on numbers.
His only hope would be that they're on the primitive side of things and not some advanced race from unknown regions or wild space.
His sense of unease growing at the thought of them being more advanced. Nearly causing him to vomit for the third time.
Suddenly a clone came into the room Yularen was in. "Sir, the unknown fleet is moving. We're also detecting a build-up of energy on what we assume is their weapon system. It also seems we're being hailed by them, sir." The clone said with some panic in his voice.
"Recall Generals Skywalker and Plo now. I'll deal with the unknowns." Yularen ordered as he got up.
Now, are they going to talk to us while being armed or say why we're being attacked? Not that He'd blame them for such a thing seeing as this is the first contact or is a preface to an attack.
Yularen hoped it was the former as he reached the communication terminal in the bridge. What he saw appear on the holographic display surprised him.