Looking out the transparisteel windshield of the shuttlecraft, Admiral Rik Haas, who had seen many a warship in his day, was awestruck.

The Victory, first of a new class of heavy cruiser designed to the Supreme Chancellor's own specifications, was an awesome vessel. She was a third longer than the Dreadnaught class ships, and over twice as powerful. The wedge-shaped hull made the Victory look like a giant dagger pointed directly at the heart of her enemies, and the sloping sides gave the turbolaser turrets excellent fields of fire to all directions, save the rear. Atop the hull sat terraced decks, upon which a massive bridge tower loomed near the stern.

"Admiral," proclaimed the eminent naval designer, "I present you the newest weapon in the Fleet's arsenal, the Victory class Star Destroyer. Nine hundred meters long, she is armed with fifty heavy turbolaser batteries, ten tractor beam projectors, and two fighter squadrons. She can also carry a full heavy infantry battallion and transport. She is optimized for several combat roles: battleline duty, planetary invasion and support, planetary defense, and can also operate in atmosphere if necessary."

"And how many of these ships have been ordered?" Haas asked.

"Sixty, Sir. All are scheduled to be completed by Rendili and Kuat within the month. They are also very efficient ships, we believe. The Chancellor had a new experimental policy incorporated into the design specs; the Victories are designed for an entirely human crew regarding interface and ergonomics. We believe it will make a big difference in operational efficiency, as our current multi-species interface is something of a 'one size fits none' design."

"Certainly, she is an impressive ship." Haas admitted. But deep in the back of his mind rose a nagging question:

Why did Palpatine think he needed sixty of such powerful ships in service so quickly? The current threat would be handled with intelligence and investigation, not firepower

That kind of production was unheard of in peacetime, and Haas felt a strange, icy sensation in the pit of his stomach.

***

Thousands of light years away, Darth Raptor stood on the bridge of a cruiser near an entirely different shipyard.

Planet 77219 was a large uninhabited gas giant on the fringes of the Outer Rim, so unremarkable and ostensibly worthless that it had not even been attributed a proper name.

Which made it the perfect place to hide a star fleet.

In the space around the planet, shipyards and docks orbited like a synthetic asteroid field. As Wayland was the clandestine base for Fett's ground forces, Planet 77219 housed the Mandalorian war fleet. The first batch of clones from Spaarti had not been soldiers, but engineers, technicians, and naval construction personnel. Working constant shifts, they had built the vast complex of facilities and a fleet of 600 capital ships, along with a huge number of attendant fighters.

Raptor's cruiser was one of six such vessels. The small task force had stripped the hangar bays of fighters and installed huge banks of concussion missile launchers in their place. The missiles had been modified to act as massive depth charges, as Otoh Gunga and it's inhabitants were a secondary target for the mission. A stolen civilian freigter, incongruous among the deadly warships, completed the formation.

"Captain," Raptor ordered the commanding officer of his flagship Intimidator, "Set course for Naboo."

***

The stolen freighter waited patiently just outside of Naboo's upper atmosphere.

"Freighter Nova Express, state your cargo and destination."

"Theed Control, cargo is replacement power core modules for the shield generator. Standing by to transmit registration and flight plan data"

"Go ahead, Express."

The Mandalorian pilot flipped the "transmit" switch.

"Copy that, Express, your information seems to be in order. Take approach vector 279 to the generator's landing pad, and enjoy your visit to Naboo."

The pilot's lips curled into a sneer. The Naboo would have no idea that a strike force of cruisers would enter orbit around the planet only three minutes later.

And by then, the shields would be down.

***

Anakin Skywalker was frustrated. Frustrated at Obi Wan, the Jedi, and the galaxy in general.

"Here I am, Master, I've been training for eleven years, in the prime of my youth, and now I get stuck pulling guard duty to some Senator," he complained.

Kenobi took his Padawan's outburst in stride. Anakin's impatience was something he was well-acquainted with.

"Anakin, being a Jedi isn't always exciting, but that does not make our mission any less important. You've seen the reports of the assassination of Aks Moe. The Senate needs our help."

"Yes, Master," Anakin acquiesced grudgingly.

The transport intercom announced that they had arrived at their destination. "Now come on," Kenobi said, "let's not make a bad impression."

The boarding ramp lowered to the floor of the landing pad near Coruscant's massive Senate building. A General of the Republican Guards and his aide, a young Lieutenant, stood to meet them.

"Jedi Kenobi, Padawan Skywalker," the General greeted them, "Good to see you. I can't tell you how relieved my men have been since the Jedi Council offered us their help."

"We are always honored to serve the Republic, however that may be, General," replied Kenobi in his usual gracious manner.

"And we are honored by your service, sir. Now, if you will please come with me, I will familiarize you with your mission."

The two Jedi followed the purposeful General past the door guards, to a turbolift, and to one of the many adjoining offices belonging to the various senators. Two Guards stood at the door, blaster carbines in hand. Seeing their commander flanked by the two Jedi, they presented arms in salute and stepped aside.

The door slid open, revealing several figures in an involved discussion. Anakin recognized one of them as the Supreme Chancellor. Standing in front of Palpatine and to his right was a male senator, tall, slender, and dark- haired, whom Anakin did not recognize. And completing the trio was a short human female, her back turned to the door, dressed rather ornately in a style of fashion that Anakin found vaguely familiar.

The man was speaking to the Chancellor. "No, we have not been able to find out any information on Alderaan, but rest assured you have our support with the upcoming proposal. We are a peaceful planet, but we understand that peace can be maintained only by the vigilant."

At the entrance of the General and the Jedi, the conversation halted as the three politicians turned to meet their guests. Following the General's lead, Anakin and Kenobi bowed from the waist. Chancellor Palpatine was the first to speak.

"Ahh, General DeVries, I see you have brought us the Jedi."

"Yes, Chancellor Palpatine. May I present Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight, and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker."

Palpatine's expression revealed pleasant surprise. "Excellent! Kenobi, young Skywalker, I trust that you have been well."

"Quite fine, Chancellor," Obi Wan replied.

Anakin, however, was completely oblivious to his master's conversation with Palpatine. His eyes, as well as his mind, were focused entirely on the woman he noted earlier.

It was a beautiful face, a familiar face, but one he had not seen in ten long years; not in the flesh. He found himself thinking of her often, what had become of her, how she was doing. He had no time in his intensive training to contact her, and believed that an attempt to do so would be an exercise in futility. Yet somehow, he sensed that they would meet again, and she would be a powerful force in his destiny.

Her large, warm brown eyes drew his gaze like a tractor beam. Gods, he thought, she is even more beautiful than I remember.

Padme Neberrie, Senator from Naboo, could hardly contain her shock.

Anakin? Is that really you? she asked herself in disbelief.

She could not quite equate the peculiar, precocious boy she had remembered from ten years ago with tall, handsome young man standing before her in Jedi robes. So this was the strange boy who had believed she was an angel, who had made their escape from Tatooine possible, and who had somehow managed to destroy the ship controlling the droid armies that invaded her planet. The sandy blond hair was still there, though cut short in the style of the Jedi Padawan learner, his skin was still tanned from the boyhood spent braving Tatooine's scorching twin suns, as were the same powerful, liquid blue eyes that she had remembered.

"Ani?!" she exclaimed in delight.

Anakin, seeing her smile, felt his knees suddenly weaken and his body acquire a warm, dizzy sensation. "Padme!" he responded, regaining his powers of speech.

A moment of confused awkwardness ensued between them, each unsure what to say next, yet both wanting to know so much, until Palpatine's voice interceded.

"Although four of us have met before, a fifth as not, so allow me to present two of my esteemed colleagues in the Senate. Senator Bail Antilles, of Alderran," he said, indicating the young man, "and Senator Padme Naberrie of Naboo, to whom you have been assigned."

Anakin could hardly believe his stroke of good fortune. His meeting with Padme would not be a fleeting encounter.

***



The Naboo were taken completely by surprise. The commando platoon managed to take out the stunned guards in seconds, and place the thermal detonators in the shield generator's power core facility. The chaos of the platoon opening fire in the crowded streets had generated a horde of panicked civilians fleeing the scene, and had prevented any nearby military or police units from getting close enough to interfere.

"Lord Raptor," the lieutenant commanding the platoon reported, "Shield generator is down. Commence your attack."

***

Captain Jan Atika saw the massive explosion from his post at one of Theed's few ion cannon emplacements defending the city.

He alerted Panaka's headquarters in the palace, when he saw the shuttle leap from the direction of the destroyed shield generator.

"They aren't going to escape that easily," he snarled, punching in targeting data for the fleeing ship.

The first two shots missed completely, but the third hit square on one of the aft engines. The shuttle began to belch smoke from the damaged engine as it headed back towards the planet's surface.

He did not have much time to admire his gunnery skills. A second later, a turbolaser bolt exploded the ion cannon and several of the surrounding civilian buildings.

***

Inside the ship's cockpit, the pilot and his assistant struggled with the freighter's controls, trying to stabilize the damaged ship. Smoke began to fill the cockpit, and the craft waddled clumsily in the air, the Theed cityscape looming closer in the viewscreen.

The Lieutenant burst through the cockpit's bulkhead door. "We've been hit?"

"Ion blast. Took out the starboard engine and the rear stabilizers. We're losing altitude fast."

"Lord Raptor," the Lieutenant barked into his comlink, "We're going to have to crash land. We'll see if we can cause any more damage if any of my men survive."

"Very well, Lieutenant," the static-filled Sith Lord's menacing voice replied, "your orders are to hold to the last man."

"Understood, sir," said the Lieutenant. Fanaticism and complete disregard for mortality had been two of the main traits drummed into the clone soldiers. The Lieutenant and his men had no fear of death.

***



Kenobi, as usual, was businesslike. "General, Chancellor, have you been able to find out any information about Moe's disappearance?"

Palpatine nodded to the General.

"We have traced the Senator's last distress message and ascertained it's location-a small section of relatively empty, uninhabited systems. We sent a vessel to the crash site but could not find any wreckage that we could use for running an analysis. The ship quite literally disintegrated from a massive internal explosion. In such a deserted area there were no witnesses or sensor records of the attacking vessel."

"There is something very odd here, General," observed Obi Wan. The Jedi paused, thoughtfully, for an instant. "The Senator's ship suffered a hyperspace malfunction in the only uninhabited region along its course to Coruscant. Furthermore, its attacker arrived shortly before repairs were completed, at exactly the right location. It must have been a setup of some kind. I must report this to the Council, perhaps the Jedi can assist in the investigation as well."

Palpatine picked up after Kenobi finished. "Knight Kenobi, you may tell the Council I will welcome any further assistance the Jedi can provide. General," he addressed DeVries, who looked rather ashamed that Kenobi, not himself, had been able to reach a sensible conclusion, "You are capable and you shall find out the truth in this matter. But do not wallow in perceived failure. You have done all you can."

He turned to the two Jedi. "We are very grateful for the assistance of your Order, but I am afraid it is but a temporary solution. For now, the enemy holds the initiative and we can only defend against any further attacks. Now, the General will take you to your quarters and introduce you to his officers among the Guards, and get you up to speed on procedure. I am afraid we have further business to discuss here, but I look forward to hearing the news about you when we are able to meet again."

"Thank you, Chancellor," Obi Wan said. "Come on, Anakin, we must accommodate ourselves to our new quarters."

Just then a Guard bolted into the room, nearly knocking Anakin off his feet in the suddenly congested doorway.

"Senator Naberrie, I've just received a transmission from Naboo. Theed is under attack!"

Padme stood ashen for a moment, until a familiar expression of outrage and determination flashed in her features.

"Ready my ship at once! Prepare to depart for Naboo!"