Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars

Ch VI: The Precipice

C.S.S. Ambitious, in orbit of Randon, Randon System

Randon was an important planet for the C.I.S. Located at the hub of several trade routes and serving as a flourishing center of commerce and business, it was a prosperous and peaceful world. The investments of multiple corporate entities, and the proximity of Hutt Space, had led to those same entities investing heavily in the security forces of the planet, particularly the navy. While the planet would never have the resources or wealth to project power into neighboring regions, she boasted first rate dockyards and orbital facilities to house a respectable defense fleet. When Randon had declared for the Confederacy, those same dockyards almost immediately began servicing Confederate ships, and the system itself formed a vital supply depot for the Southern regions. When the Confederacy had controlled them, anyway.

It was for these reasons that High Command had deemed it necessary to position an eighty strong fleet of ships in the system to bolster the planet's defenses. If Randon ever fell, it would spell the end of any dreams to reopen the war in the Southeast.

At the moment none of that was a concern to the overall commander of C.I.S. naval assets in the system, Darth Vader. While lately his time had been occupied with either fleet dispositions, simulation results for his still drilling troops, or convoy schedules for supplies destined for the front, he had elected to put all of that on hold to focus on a more… supernatural, area.

The confines of the Sith's quarters were filled with silence save for the humming of an active warship. The Sith himself sat in a specially made hyperbaric chamber installed not even a month ago for his use, his normal helmet and mask absent. Had anyone been able to see within the capsule they would have beheld a pale, scarred face, adorned with a rare look of serenity as the cyborg drifted on the currents of the Force. He had cast his consciousness into the depths of the Dark Side, allowing the coldness to act as a salve to his body and the crushing pressure to act as a testament to his strength.

Just as the tides rise and fall, so to do I draw breath, he thought, punctuated with a deep inhale followed by a cleansing exhale. Had anyone else been there, they would have seen the shadows rise and fall with his breath. Strive not to be a predator, become the deep itself.

The air within Vader's quarters became unnaturally heavy and still, just like the bottom of the deepest ocean. Light receded in favor of shadow, which was in turn leashed to the will of the Sith. They writhed and stretched as he wished, like the currents of the deep making their own way and ensnaring anyone or anything foolish enough to be trapped in their grasp.

Be as the deepest depth, let no light escape.

Let only the strongest survive the majesty of my whim.

Let none dare defy it.

For just as the depths, so to am I sublime.

Said so softly, the seemingly self-aggrandizing verse was more akin to a fervent prayer. It was a request, a call for power, reflecting the deepest fear of all those who tread the path of the Dark Side.

The loss of power, and the abandonment of the shadows.

Over and over the Sith chanted this verse, something which had come to him in a flash of inspiration during his earlier meditations. Whereas before the Dark Side had seemed to struggle, to scoff at his lack of anger or even passion, now it slithered and snaked about his form eagerly. For him it would not stoke a flame, but would instead fill the deep. If it could not bask in the glory of rage then it would bathe in the coldness of hunger.

He hungered for power, he hungered for safety, he hungered for victory. For what else could something as unstoppable as the deep achieve if not that?

His answer would not come, as the stillness was broken by an insistent beeping. Vader's eyes flew open as he returned to his sense of self. For a moment he simply sat, regaining his breath as if he had just come up from a very long dive. He quickly realized that the temperature in the hyperbaric chamber was even colder than normal, and his breath came out in heavy wisps of fog. Manipulating the controls to replace his helmet on his head, the Sith saw that the beeping indicated a transmission from the bridge. He idly noted that the time was 0530.

Ominous metaphors later, business of the fleet now.

With a push he accepted the call, seeing the visage of the tactical droid which acted as his second in command. It was the same one which had been with him at Phindar.

"Admiral," the droid said in its monotone voice. "I apologize for the interruption, but we've received a priority-one transmission from the Admiralty. They request you answer as soon as able. Also, the latest drill results came in."

"I see," Vader replied, exiting the capsule and moving the call to the comm. device on his desk. "I'll take it in the bridge. What of the results?"

The droid's eyes flashed as it processed the data, sending it to his datapad ahead of time so he could read the full report later. It was catching on to his habits quickly.

"With this latest simulation, the fleet defeated the opfor primarily through application of the Base Strike Doctrine and use of light ships as raiding elements while the heavy ships stayed concentrated in their role as the main combat force. Final results tally at fifteen allied light ships damaged, nine destroyed. One cruiser was destroyed, with three needing time in drydock. One carrier was also damaged, none destroyed."

Vader nodded, reminding himself to debrief his captains over this later. "And enemy losses?"

"Thirty light ships damaged, fifteen destroyed. Ten capital ships damaged, three destroyed. Opfor planets Alpha through Delta were captured, with all being held against counterattack. Your surprise at the end of the simulation accounted for half the casualties sustained by our forces."

They're getting better, Vader thought, pleased even if the casualty counts were higher than desired. At the beginning the fleet wasn't even able to maintain cohesion once I introduced the factor of surprise attacks by Y-wings.

And now they were beating back surprise hot jumps by a Republic battlegroup in each system. While he still wished that the casualties were lower, it was progress. Things would likely be different when he led the fleet in actual engagements: then they would be acting out his tricks instead of trying to counter them.

By now Vader had exited his quarters and was making his way to the bridge, holding a portable communicator in his off hand to continue the conversation. As he made his way through the halls, he saw various droids going about their tasks while the organic crew began their shift change. Those organic sailors whom he passed quickly saluted, more energy in the movements than when he'd first been put in charge of them. They had come a long way from the dejected, broken soldiers he had been given two months ago.

At first, they had resented his authoritarian method of command, and there had been much shouting (on their part), cursing, and intimidation by way of (nonlethal) telekinetic strangulation in the beginning. But soon the sailors began to see their commander in a different light; there was still some fear of his looming presence, but it was also mixed with a healthy amount of respect for Vader's meritocracy and his willingness to listen to subordinates if they had a good idea. His swift and complete (again nonlethal) liquidation of officers deemed totally incompetent also played a part. Even if he instilled the fear of the gods in his subordinates, he also imparted in them a drive to improve and earn his respect. And earned it they had, both through the hard work of the organic sailors and the sleepless nights of the officers as they brainstormed ways to beat his simulations without his help.

The result was a force that, while untested, was nonetheless as ready for battle as Vader could make them, assuming they entered battle now. He personally hoped that Task Group Rancor would have more time to train and iron out the last kinks before they saw action, but he knew that fortune was not always so kind.

Shortly he was at the door to the bridge, and was greeted with a shout of "Admiral on deck!" by one of the B2 guards. He waved away the salutes of the organic crew, focused on the hologram standing next to his tactical droid. Coming to a stop, he gave a salute to Vice Admiral Trench, who offered one in return.

"Vice Admiral, I wasn't expecting a call," Vader began. "It must be urgent."

"Yes, I will get to the point," Trench said in Basic, his voice and face grave. "We've lost control of Ryloth, and Wat Tambor was captured."

The organic crew members went stiff upon hearing that, and even Vader's eyes widened in surprise. Not at Ryloth's fall, everyone knew that had been bound to happen any day now, but at the capture of such a prominent Confederate.

"I was under the impression that Tambor was ordered to flee and make his way here," Vader said. "Was his craft intercepted?"

"From what we know it never left the planet," Trench said, his own confusion at the situation evident. "Regardless of how he was captured, the fact remains that he is now in enemy hands. This cannot be allowed."

Vader nodded, already knowing where this was going. "You want my fleet to get him back."

"With all due haste," Trench said. "I know you wanted some more time to train up your forces, but yours is the only significant force close enough to act in time."

"But what about Randon?" Vader asked. "If my fleet leaves, I'm not sure the defense forces could stand up to a determined attack."

Trench nodded, most likely having accounted for that. "While it doesn't appear likely that the enemy will launch an assault, I took the precaution of detaching one of my own squadrons. They can hold down the fort while you complete the mission."

"Very well, we'll leave immediately then," Vader said, already turning to give the orders.

"Before you do," Trench called, regaining the Sith's attention. "There is one more thing."

Vader tilted his head, wondering what that could mean.

"Command has seen fit to dispatch assistance for you in this mission," Trench went on, his tone apologetic. "Apparently it was thought best that Asajj Ventress be assigned to help you rescue the Councilor."

The cyborg put a hand to his hip. "Surely you are joking, sir."

"Afraid not, Rear Admiral," Trench replied wryly. "In fact, she should be arriving any second now. The president ordered her there post haste."

As if summoned by the vice admiral's words the I.F.F. of a fighter appeared on the ship's sensors. It was soon followed by the necessary clearance codes to land in the hangar. For his part Vader simply stared at Trench, somewhat indignant but knowing there was nothing he could do about this.

"I hope she has been made aware that this is my fleet."

Trench nodded. "She is under your command, that was made clear to her. She seemed miffed, but I'm sure that your… abilities will keep her in line."

Vader shook his head. "We can only hope. If I may?"

The Harch nodded, offering Vader a salute which was returned. "Great Weaver smile upon you, Admiral. We're counting on you."

The transmission ended, and Vader turned to his crew. "Alert all commands, we're setting out as soon as everything is ready. Also, get Ventress' fighter stowed and have a droid escort her to my quarters."

"A droid, sir?"

It was a valid question, normally an organic noncom would be sent to escort a visiting commissioned officer.

"I'd rather the droid be chopped to pieces than one of my sailors," Vader said wryly, and all the crew nodded at that.

Better some B1 than them.

The droid, surprisingly enough, survived the journey to Vader's quarters.

Unsurprisingly, Ventress was fuming at the slight of having been given a B1 as a chaperone in the first place.

"Is there any reason in particular for you to think so lowly of me?" she asked through gritted teeth, the anger rolling off of her in thick, viscous waves. For most, it would have made for an intimidating and looming presence. For the Sith sitting behind the desk, it reminded him of an energetic and stubborn kitten.

"Surely you understand that it is a simple matter of expediency," Vader replied. "After all, I was given very short notice before being made aware of this vital mission."

The Dark Sider didn't seem to buy his explanation one bit, but the cyborg couldn't care less. He wasn't here to assuage some pup's ego. "Regardless, my fleet will assist you to the best of its ability. This is a matter of utmost national security after all. What intel do we have?"

Ventress pulled out a datachip, setting it on Vader's desk and sliding it towards him. He put the chip into a receptacle, and as a map of their region of the galaxy was projected Ventress began speaking.

"We know that Tambor is being transported back to Republic territory as part of a convoy. The councilor himself is being held aboard a Venator, identified as the Righteous. There are two other Venators in the convoy, but for the most part it consists of troop transports and medical ships carrying wounded troops."

"Easy targets, in other words," Vader mused, analyzing the projected pathway of the convoy. "They must have been hoping that the limited escorts would make us disregard this particular convoy. Do we know their stops?"

Ventress nodded, a smirk appearing on her face. It was a sadistic thing. "Our intelligence has learned that the convoy will be stopping at several locations along the recently occupied territories. It's only a matter of choosing where to launch our attack."

Vader's gaze never left the hologram as several systems were pinged to indicate the stopping points. Most of them were impractical for his fleet to attack because of distance and their time crunch, but there were a couple that he could work with.

"Milagro or New Cov seem to be the best places to stage an interception," he said after a few moments of silence. "However, something about this bothers me."

"What's to be bothered about?" Ventress said with a raised eyebrow. "We outgun and outnumber them by a huge margin, and they'll be moving slower than a snail's pace. This will be one of the easiest operations of the war."

"That is precisely why I am bothered," Vader replied, now locking his gaze upon the woman. "It makes sense that they would hide Tambor in such a lightly defended convoy, But to move so slowly? To stop at several planets along the way that even the dimmest commander would consider not entirely secure? This does not indicate incompetence, but a trap."

"Are you suggesting that we should let this opportunity slip by?" Ventress said, her aggression plain in her posture and through the Force. "Don't forget that you've been ordered to carry out this mission by Dooku himself."

Vader stood up, easily towering over the pale woman. He matched her aggression with his own looming presence. His breath drowned out all sound, and the room began to darken and lower in temperature. "Do not forget," he drawled, his hand drifting to his lightsaber. "That you are under my command, and that this is my fleet. I will not shy away from this task, but I will also do it in the way that I deem best. You are here to assist, and nothing more."

He punctuated his statement with a slight pressure to Ventress' windpipe, even though his hands never moved from his sides. Not enough to strangulate, but enough to make breathing difficult. Her eyes were wide, one hand gripping her throat. Most likely she was surprised at how easily he'd broken through her defenses.

Concluding that his point had been made, Vader released his hold upon the Dark Sider's throat. The gasping gulp of air she took in was like windchimes to his ears.

"Now then, since we know about this convoy," he continued, as if the previous incident hadn't just happened. "I presume there are other similar groups of ships making their way back to Republic space?"

Ventress took a few more breaths before responding, her eyes holding nothing but malice but knowing better than to provoke another reaction. "Yes," she answered, her breathing returning to normal. "There are three other convoys leaving at different times from Ryloth, with similar makeups. They also have similar routes and schedules."

Vader cupped his mask's chin in thought. A plan was beginning to come together in his mind. "This information, I presume that it was from a very well-placed mole? One that I cannot be told about?"

Ventress nodded, some smugness evident at being able to deny Vader some information. Not that it really mattered. "Yes, even the President wouldn't disclose the identity of the informant to me. Which means that they must be important, and in a very sensitive position."

Vader nodded, having expected as much. He would have been told if the clone commander he had captured earlier had given up his codes. "Very well, then I believe I have a plan of attack."

The woman leaned forward, excitement now entering her posture. Vader mentally snorted; she was so much like a Kath hound.

"What is it, then? We need to get going as soon as possible."

"In due time, Ventress," Vader said, keying the bridge on his intercom. "You'll have too hear it with the rest of the officers."

His call was answered, the voice of his tactical droid coming through. "Inform the commodores that I have a briefing for them in thirty," he said. "Once that is done, get the fleet ready to sail."

Ignoring the droid's "Yes, admiral," Vader turned to Ventress, gesturing to the door. "Shall we?"

She huffed, but walked out of the door all the same, following after the cyborg. He could feel her glare the whole way.

Vader led the way to the tactical room close to the bridge. By the time the two Dark Siders arrived there were three holograms and Vader's tactical droid standing around a holotable. The three holograms were of organic Confederate commodores, each one in charge of their own squadron of twenty vessels and groomed by Vader himself in carrier operations. While standard Confederate naval doctrine had squadrons centered around a powerful battleship, Vader had instead organized them around the four Lucrehulk carriers he had been given. A less heavily armed variant of the class, these vessels had expanded hangars in their rings, with dedicated facilities for housing and maintaining bombers and fighters. For this reason he placed high value on the ships, including them in the center of his task troup's battle doctrine. Combined with whatever small craft could be carried on his other ships, Task Group Rancor had a veritable swarm of droid fighters and bombers that could be sent up at a moment's notice.

All those present in the room saluted as the Sith lord entered, a salute he returned as he walked up to the head of the table. For her part, Ventress leaned against the far wall, not wanting to be too close to the crowd.

"Gentlemen, and ladies," Vader began, passing his gaze over everyone. "You all know why you are here, so I will get straight to the point."

He manipulated the controls, bringing up a projected map of the Southeastern territories of the Confederacy. Or what used to be, before they were steamrolled by the Open Circle Fleet. Four planets were pinged, each along the Corellian Run. "We have received intelligence that the Republic will move Wat Tambor from Ryloth back to the Inner Rim in two days. They are attempting to disguise this transfer by putting him in one of several lightly defended medical convoys. Unfortunately for them, we know both which convoy it is, and its scheduled route."

The projection zoomed in, various graphics appearing as Vader spoke. "The fleet will jump to Daalang, on the edge of our space. Once there, we will split the fleet into two formations. My Squadron will depart from the rest and head for its objective. The rest will move to Nexus Orta, smashing the Republic defenses there. There are only a handful of ships, so this shouldn't be an issue. Once that is done, the fleet will split into its composite squadrons and hit the other convoys. These diversionary attacks will be launched at New Cov, Druckenwell, and Paqwepor. Meanwhile, my squadron will intercept Tambor's convoy at Milagro, where we will recover the councilor before withdrawing to friendly space. The designated meeting point is Daalang."

The commodores all studied the projection, put on a loop once Vader's explanation was done. He could tell they had questions.

"We're covering an awful lot of distance, sir, and hitting multiple targets across a wide area," one of them, a human male, said. "Timing and coordination are going to be issues if we're separating."

"We have the exact schedules of the convoys," Ventress said from her spot, drawing everyone's attention. "So long as there aren't any issues in transit, this will go off without a hitch."

"Speaking of," another commodore, this one also a human male, spoke up. "Can I assume that we're hitting the decoys as well as the actual target to prevent the Republic knowing they have a leak?"

Vader smiled under his mask. His officers were sharp ones. "Yes, along with the practical reason that it's a perfect opportunity to play havoc with their logistics. To answer the other question, Command has sent another squadron to defend Randon while we're away. I've been assured they can hold the fort."

The third commodore, who had opened her mouth to ask about just that, closed it upon Vader's answer.

"This seems very much like a trap," the tactical droid said. "Is it truly wise to split our forces in this manner?"

Vader nodded. "I'm almost certain that it is, but we have little choice. Recovering the councilor is far too important."

"Even then," the first commodore said, pointing to Milagro. "Why commence the interception there? Milagro is awfully close to actual Republic space."

"It is, but it is also lightly defended, with most of their forces still oriented to Ryloth and Christophsis. The closest Republic forces that can respond to any of our attacks will be whatever they left as garrisons in the occupied systems. And those will be no match for even a single carrier group."

"I do have one more question," the third commodore spoke up. "Why exactly are these convoys moving so slowly? I noticed that each one is making several stops, even the actual target."

All eyes turned to Ventress, seeing as she was the one who had brought this information. She offered a simple shrug. "We believe they're picking up more wounded on the way. Apparently, there have been guerilla campaigns on the planets we're hitting, and the Republic's casualties haven't been light."

"Will we be lending any assistance to these guerillas?" the same commodore asked, which Vader nodded negatively to.

"No, we don't have the resources or time for that. Your objectives are to hit your targets, cause havoc, and then withdraw after half an hour of combat. Nothing more."

The commodores nodded, having expected that much. While it rankled to leave their countrymen in the lurch, they knew that too much was at stake to let mere sentiment guide their actions. And besides, just because they weren't liberating these planets now didn't mean there wouldn't be another chance in the future.

Seeing that his officers understood their roles, he concluded the meeting. "We leave as soon as all ships are ready. I have sent each of you your objective, it should be in your datapads now. Remember, while your goal is to cause havoc, do not overstay your welcome. Resistance is estimated to be light, but that doesn't mean things won't change. And above all, do not expect this to be easy."

There was a brief pause, before one of the commodores gave a wry smirk. "Easy left our vocabulary the moment you were made our commander, sir."

The other two commodores gave slight smiles at the woman's remark, while Vader's own smirk went unseen. "May fortune smile upon you."

The commodores all saluted, which Vader and his droid returned. "And may the glory of victory be yours," they chorused, before their holograms dissolved.

Vader wasted no time, turning and leaving from the room, the tactical droid and Ventress on his heels. "I want everything locked down, make sure the ammo and fuel is good for this mission and the return. Have our starfighter wings assembled in launch formation by the time we depart, and also send a notice planetside just what is going on. I don't want them panicking when we leave."

"Right away, sir," the droid said, sending out the orders through its connection to the ship even as Vader gave them. "Is that all?"

Vader tilted his head, before he glanced at Ventress. "Assign a fighter wing to Commander Ventress, and get her craft accommodated. Make sure it's operating at peak performance."

"How kind," she drawled. "If that is all, I'd like to go to my quarters. I also don't need a chaperone this time."

Vader nodded, and the woman briskly moved off. The cyborg and his droid watched her go.

"By my calculations," the droid said when Ventress had turned the corner. "She will be the cause of multiple headaches for us."

Vader mentally snorted, not disagreeing with the droid's assessment. Bold he may be, but hot-blooded officers with their eyes on glory didn't have a record of lasting long in his fleet.

"Let's just hope Dooku doesn't hold it against us if something happens to his pet," Vader replied, before turning to walk towards the bridge. "But never mind that, we have a fleet to ready."

And so, with little forewarning or time to prepare, Rear Admiral Vader's fleet left the Randon system for its new, vital mission. The fleet moved to Daalang as a single unit before departing as Vader had planned. For their part, the rest of Task Group Rancor caught the Republic forces by surprise at Nexus Orta, destroying all enemy ships in the system for no losses. Wasting no time, as they knew how tight the clock was, they proceeded to split into their composite squadrons and move towards their objectives, each group's journey lasting about a day. Arriving at precisely the same time as their targets, each carrier group of Vader's fleet wreaked havoc, destroying the convoy defenses and eliminating all non-medical ships. Out of all of the squadrons, one frigate had been lost. It was a stunning victory, even for the victors themselves.

After completing their objectives, these three carrier groups of Task Force Rancor were able to withdraw in good order as planned, eventually meeting up at Daalang. After an excursion which had lasted three days, their part was over.

As for the carrier group directly under Rear Admiral Vader, things would take a different turn.

It's been a while everyone. I apologize for this particular delay, I didn't foresee the amount of attention and energy my capstone would require. That was during the Fall, and by the time Spring rolled around I was further delayed by a combination of personal issues and focusing heavily on my schoolwork to dull said issues.

But, that's all over now, and I am a college grad. I figured that with that I'd run out of excuses to put off writing, and thus, here we are.

I will admit, most of this is a single stream of consciousness, as it almost completely deviates from the original outline I had. The only piece of that outline which survived is the fact that Tambor needs to be rescued, and that Vader is about to launch a daring campaign. Reckless would be a word many would use.

The chapter is brief, and I do feel bad after you've all waited so long (and to those of you who've been patient with me all this time, I truly thank you). Rest assured that the next, while it may not be very long, will be much more action packed.

I hope you enjoyed, and I look forward to seeing you all next time.