He had been summoned before the Council once again, and now Mace Windu was
filling Obi-Wan Kenobi in on precisely why.
"Normally, the Jedi would not be involved in a military action. However, as both yourself and your Padawan have confirmed the presence of the Sith, it is the reluctant decision of the Council that we have no choice but to become involved. We have decided to send a force of one hundred and fifty Jedi to the invasion units, and another twenty to serve as pilots within the Fleet's starfighter squadrons. The pilots will be commanded by Master Gallia, while the ground forces are being placed under you."
"Me?" Obi-Wan was, to understate dramatically, surprised. "Surely you could find someone more experienced than I to lead them. I am a Jedi, but I am not an officer."
"Yet it is you alone, among all the Jedi, who has spoken with this Sith Lord on Wayland. It is you who knows him best," replied Ki-Adi-Muundi
"And what of my Padawan?" Obi-Wan asked.
"He has volunteered to join the pilots," Adi Gallia answered him.
"Fear, I sense in you," Yoda observed. "For your Padawan. Skywalker's destiny, he alone can face. Yet confidence, you lack, and your undoing, it could be."
**
"Dual hostiles inbound, sector two low," the voice of Anakin Skywalker's wingman, Blue Six, sounded in his comlink.
Anakin scanned his own sensor readouts and then looked out the Headhunter's canopy. "Copy, Six, I see them."
His first instinct was to order Two flight down to engage the enemies, but he paused for a moment. The mission of Red and Blue Squadrons in this sim exercise was to protect their ship, the Victory-class Star Destroyer Freedom from the "enemy," namely, Green and Gold Squadrons from another one of the Star Destroyers, for ten minutes, until "reinforcements" in the form of friendly squadrons were to arrive. For the purpose of the exercise, Freedom had been ruled "heavily damaged," having power out and engines, shields, and weapons offline.
In other words, it was up to Freedom's Headhunter squadrons to prevent the opposing force's fighters from engaging the cruiser with deadly proton torpedoes.
"Permission to engage, Five?"
"Negative, Seven. I think they are going to try to draw us off the cruiser. Hold position and continue observation."
Unfortunately, however, he saw Red Squadron peel off to go after another small formation of approaching fighters - leaving Blue to defend the Freedom all alone.
"Damn," came the Squadron leader's voice. " Form up close to the cruiser. One flight, out front. Two take low and to port, Three take high and to starboard."
Anakin bit back his frustration and attempted to concentrate on the mission. "Copy, One," he acknowledged.
As predicted, he saw a squadron-sized group of "enemy" fighters move to engage Red Squadron. Even if the Reds managed to destroy the enemy, they were now fully occupied and effectively out of the fight.
Which meant the second wave of attackers would appear momentarily.
However, they did *not* come from the direction Anakin had expected.
Instead, a shrill warning tone sounded in his cockpit, indicating that proton torpedoes were now locked onto his fighter, and they were coming in behind him.
"Torpedoes fired, sector six!" he said, "Two flight, take evasive action!"
His first move was to yank back the fighter's control stick, half-looping his fighter and reversing direction. A half roll brought him back upright. Now, at least, he could see the torpedoes streaking toward him. He waited until the glowing missiles were almost near the point of impact, then cut the etheric rudder hard to starboard while snap-rolling the fighter, standing it on a wingtip, then rolling to port, once again bringing him inverted as he forced the fighter down into an impossibly tight half-loop.
The maneuver seemed to confuse the torpedoes, however, instead they locked onto the next available target - Anakin's wingman.
"Five, I have four torpedoes tracking! Can't evade."
He saw the Twi'lek break to port, across the track of the incoming missiles, the textbook defensive maneuver. However, one of the torpedoes, sensing it was close enough to the intended target, suddenly detonated, flinging metal fragments and scorching plasma jets out in a deadly cloud which completely engulfed the fighter.
Blue Six was now "killed" in action, and Two flight was short one pilot, and the wild evasive maneuvers had scattered the tight formation.
"This is Blue Lead. Blue Nine, Eleven, and Twelve are dead. Ten, form up with Two flight."
Anakin, not bothering to scan his sensors, saw them first. Eight of the enemy fighters in two four-ship flights, coming in fast, dead ahead, intent on taking advantage of the confusion and destruction created by the torpedoes.
"They are going for the cruiser," he said. "Take the close ones."
Blue Leader's voice was reassuring "Lead flight has the second group."
Hopefully, Anakin thought, their aggressive response would force the attackers to break off the run on the cruiser and go defensive. He slammed the throttle all the way to maximum thrust and pumped extra power into his forward shields as the tiny white dots of the enemy formation rapidly grew larger.
He centered the gunsight on the lead fighter and pushed the firing button for the twin turbolasers. However, his target had managed to evade high and to the right as the two formations passed at blinding speed.
"Split up," he ordered, as he and Blue Ten came around to port, Six and Seven going to starboard. The enemy fighters were matching the maneuver, unable to launch on the cruiser with Anakin's flight behind them, and instead moving to engage the defending fighters. Which was precisely what Anakin wanted.
Once again, the fighters began closing head-on. However, Anakin didn't go for the shot this time, instead pulling into a tight overhead loop, the wisdom of his decision vindicated by the turbolaser blasts which streaked through the space his fighter had just occupied. Yet, to his surprise, the enemy fighters did not overshoot and give him a good firing position behind them. "Stay on my wing, Ten," he said, "we'll take them together."
However, there was no acknowledgement of his wingman, and suddenly Anakin felt very alone. He threw the ship around in a tight turn and drew a bead on one of his opponents. A burst from his cannons vaporized the ship. Now for the other one.
For a moment, he was surprised as the surviving fighter was nowhere in sight. His instincts, however, told him something else entirely. He wrenched the stick around in a barrel roll and avoided the incoming shots by only a few meters. The opposing Headhunter had half-looped and attempted to nail him from underneath while he was momentarily distracted by his kill.
He broke hard to starboard, and now his target was visible, having passed him in the firing run. He struggled to get a clean shot, and instead fired a few hasty bursts in an attempt to intimidate his quarry into making a mistake. It did not have the effect Anakin desired. Instead, his target continued to jink and dodge, never allowing him to get a target lock.
"This one's good," he said to himself.
It was at that point Anakin realized what was going on. His target was trying to lead him towards his companions entangled with One Flight, gambling that this would distract Anakin long enough for a quick torpedo launch on the cruiser at close range.
He glanced at the chrono on the instrument panel - one minute until help would arrive. Perhaps it was he who could serve as a distraction long enough for reinforcements to show up.
He broke off pursuit.
And as expected, his target, now possessed of the initiative, began to close rapidly on his six. The tricky part, he knew, would simply be to stay alive long enough for his plan to work.
He strengthened the rear shields and bled power from his turbolasers into the engines, picking up speed quickly. Brilliant turbolaser bolts streaked past him as he twitched his stick and the etheric rudder pedals, making himself a much more difficult target. However, when a hit splashed against his aft shields, he realized that up against a skilled enemy, staying entirely passive was going to be suicidal. He pulled up and around, the force of the tight turn trying to press his body through his ejection seats and out the bottom of the cockpit. His attacker went high, trying to kill forward speed and not overshoot, and suddenly the battle became a close- range dogfight of impossibly quick maneuvers and snapshots, with neither pilot able to gain a clear advantage.
And then, suddenly, the image of space in his canopy faded and Anakin found himself looking again at the sim room on Freedom's hangar deck. He released the canopy of the Headhunter cockpit mock-up, slowly starting to come down from the effects of adrenaline and his heightened Force-awareness.
Colonel Zim, Freedom's head starpilot, stepped over to him.
"That was some damn good flying, son," the man said. Zim turned briefly to the rest of the pilots exiting the simulators. "Good job, Blue Squadron. No hits were recorded on the cruiser."
Anakin's gaze strayed briefly to the handsome blonde Captain in command of Red Squadron, who looked furious. As you should be, Anakin thought. If you hadn't gone tearing after the decoys, Blue wouldn't have been left by ourselves.and we wouldn't have lost half of our pilots.
To Anakin's amazement, Jedi Master Adi Gallia approached from one of the simulators to stand next to Colonel Zim. "Most impressive, Padawan Skywalker," the beautiful dark-skinned Jedi Master said. "You never let me get a clear shot at you back there."
Anakin somehow managed to not have his jawbone land somewhere in the vicinity of his flight boots. "That.was you?" he asked, amazed. Adi Gallia was the most respected pilot in the entire Jedi Order, and somehow he had held his own in a one-on-one dogfight.
"The Force is strong with you indeed, young Skywalker. Trust your instincts in combat, and you'll do just fine."
However, if Anakin thought his bewilderment and elation could not have gone any further, he was abruptly proven wrong by the Colonel.
"You'll do more than fine, Kid. You're good, but you're smart, too, unlike most hotshots your age. Congratulations, I'm promoting you to First Lieutenant and to the position of flight leader for the duration of your service on this vessel."
Anakin could do little more than get out a "Thank you, Sir" and a smart salute, which was returned by Zim. Anakin turned to make his way back to the rest of the squadron, and amidst his surprise and preoccupation with a rapidly swelling ego, nearly collided with his own Master.
"Master! I must say I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be busy with your new command."
Obi-Wan favored him with a grin. "I managed to scrounge a few free moments to come watch your sim run, and I must admit, you're quite a pilot, my young Padawan."
"Thank you, Master," Anakin replied.
"Unfortunately, our duties will separate us during the battle," he said, now more serious. "And I know you're probably the best pilot I've ever seen, and well on the way to becoming a great Jedi, but as your Master, I feel obligated to tell you to take care of yourself out there." He paused for a moment. "You're like a son to me, Anakin, and I know you're becoming a man quicker than I would prefer, and well.I don't want anything to happen to you."
Anakin was rapidly becoming accustomed to being surprised, but he again found himself taken aback. His Master was a man who was warmer than most gave him credit for, but he had the habit of manifesting his love by his actions, rather than his words.
"Thank you, Master," he said, not knowing what else to say. "You be careful out there too."
**
Obi-Wan watched as his apprentice made his way back to his squadmates and into the debriefing room. It was what he had not told Anakin that was bothering him.namely, the words of the Sith, who said his Master was out for Obi-Wan's apprentice.
Of Anakin's skill, there was no question. Most Jedi, by virtue of their abilities in the Force, were great pilots, but Anakin was the type who was a natural pilot whose Force abilities only enhanced those he innately possessed. His ability to take care of himself in a fighter cockpit was not an issue.
Instead, it was the concern of Obi-Wan that he would not be able to help his apprentice during the coming battle.and that if either one of them were forced to face a Sith, to do it alone would be fatal - if not to the body, then quite possibly to the soul.
**
The brand new cruiser Victory, first of a new and revolutionary capital ship design, was also built to serve as a flagship. Thus, one particular feature, namely, a gigantic briefing room nearly as large as the main enlisted men's mess hall, was now being put to use for the first time.
Hundreds of officers, both Army and Fleet, of all ranks, species, and sexes, were gathered in the huge room, so many that it remained crowded nonetheless. All eyes were fixed on the raised stage platform along the wall nearest the ship's bow, which housed a small group of men, among them Admiral Haas and Major General Bail Organa, now serving in his former capacitiy as an Army officer after resigning from the Senate.
At a signal from the Admiral, the room became quiet and Haas took center stage near a large holoprojector.
"As you know, Aldera, the capital city of Alderaan, was invaded two days ago by a large combined naval and land force composed of cloned Mandalorian soldiers. Despite heavy communications jamming, a single station was able to send word of the attack to Coruscant.
"Our intelligence is still not as clear as we would wish, but the picture is not entirely bleak. Data from reconnaisance probes and from a small group of Alderaanian survivors, as well as eyewitness information provided by two Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, as well as Padme Naberrie of the Naboo, have given us a considerable body of useful intelligence data.
"The Mandalorians have also been linked to both the murder of Senator Aks Moe and to the attack on Naboo, as well as an assassination attempt on Senator Naberrie. All sources indicate that the enemy ground forces are made up of cloned soldiers. The clones are well-equipped, well-trained in tactical skill, highly motivated, and have not been observed to surrender, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
"Less is known of their armored vehicles or warships, though our analysts have reviewed the data from the recon probes and believe that in all classes of warships, the enemy's vessels are most likely roughly comparable to our own, save for the Victories. Two massive vessels, classed as battleships, were also seen, though we know little about their capability, and they are to be considered primary targets.
"Our objective in this operation is twofold: first, to liberate Alderaan from the invaders, and secondly, to inflict as much damage upon the enemy forces as possible. We are uncertain if the invasion force is all, or even most, of the enemy strength, but we believe that the destruction of a force of this size could seriously impair the Mandalorians ability to conduct further offensive operations.
"At 0600 Coruscant time tomorrow, the Fleet will enter hyperspace on a course toward Alderaan. It should arrive an hour later, at approximately 2 hours before sunrise in Aldera."
A globe depicting Alderaan appeared above the holoprojector, with surrounding icons representing groups of enemy warships.
"The first phase of the plan is to eliminate the threat from the enemy warships. Once the fleet emerges from hyperspace, it will proceed in battle formation directly toward the planet."
Further icons, depicting the Republic ships, appeared near the projection, moving toward the planet, and the icons depicting the enemy formations began to shift to meet the opposition.
"This will force the enemy to redeploy and engage the warships of Task Force 1. A smaller group, Task Force 2, led by the cruiser Freedom, will be detailed to provide security for the transports and to deliver the pre- attack bombardment.
"Once the enemy fleet is neutralized, Task Force 1 will assume blockade positions in order to secure Alderaan against enemy reinforcements. In addition, fighter squadrons will be assigned to ground support duty once our ground troops enter the city. General Organa will now brief you on the ground phase of the operation."
Bail Organa, dignified, dark haired, and bearded, took the place of the Admiral. The globe of Alderaan dissappeared from the projector to be replaced by a three-dimensional representation of the island of Aldera.
Aldera was roughly oval-shaped, with a large beach area in the South and a large inactive volcano in the extreme north. the terrain in between was made up of the city itself, just south of the mountain, and with a dense tropical forest between the city and the beaches. Three corridors were carved from the forest, linking the beaches to the city.
"As you can see," Organa explained, "there is only one suitable landing zone large enough to accommodate our landing vehicles - the beaches in the south. Luckily, a small group of survivors in the city was able to transmit to us a fairly detailed report of the enemy's deployments. The bulk of his forces are stationed in the city itself, and the Mandalorians have extremely formidable air defenses there as well. However, expecting an attack, the enemy has constructed a strong line of fortified positions and trenches along the heights overlooking the beaches at the southern edge of the forest.
"The first wave will consist of both Corellian infantry divisions, the Naboo batallion, and several attached combat engineer units. Their objectives are to penetrate the enemy defense in three areas, corresponding with the location of the main roads leading to the city. They are to then secure the breaches in the enemy lines until the second wave, containing our armored and mechanized infantry units, arrives.
"The armor will be split into three Battle Groups of both tanks and IFV's, along with forward recon units. Each Battle Group is to advance along its assigned route to the outskirts of the city as quickly as possible, where it will establish positions covering all the exit routes the enemy might use to counterattack the beachhead. However, the armor is not, repeat NOT to advance into the city itself without infantry or artillery support. Instead, it will hold position until the infantry, having eliminated the defenders in the south, catches up.
T"he third and final assault wave will land when the southern entrenchments are cleared, and will contain our support units, as well as the heavy artillery. The beachhead will become our base for logistics and fire support.
"The advance into the city itself will be made by three groups, each made up of an infantry division with armor in support. Their objective will be to converge in the northern section of the city where the planetary government facilities are located, thus splitting the enemy into two large pockets which will then be eliminated.
"Note that priority is to be taken to eliminate the enemy's antiair weapons, as once this is done, starfighter support will be availiable in large quantities.
"An additional force is being readied for deployment at the moment, a convoy of two more infantry divisions, supply ships, and replinishment vessels for the Fleet. It is due to arrive in system 48 hours after the operation commences.
"More detailed information regarding in-depth deployments, maps, and recon data are contained in the datapads you will recieve at the conclusion of this briefing.
"Our task is formidable, our enemy dangerous, but remember: professionalism, dedication, training, and the justice of our cause will lead us to prevail. May the Force be with you and your men."
**
The Headhunter was starting to grow on him. It did not have the agility of the Delta 7, the standard Jedi fighter, nor hyperspace capability, being reliant on a parent vessel for long-range journeys, yet it was not without advantages. While not the fastest, most maneuverable, or most heavily armed of fighters, the Z-95 managed to rate well enough in each category so that it was more well-rounded than most.
The robust alloy hull, strong shields, and redundancy of engines made the craft quite survivable in combat. The greatest advantage the Headhunter possessed over the Delta-7, however, was it's armament: two oversized wing- mounted turbolasers, which could be fired either sequentially or simultaneously, and two proton torpedo tubes, each with two projectiles. This gave the small fighter a disproportionately large punch, as proton torpedoes in large numbers could do serious damage to even the largest capital ships.
However, at the moment Anakin's attitude toward his ship was something less than reverential. The fuel feeder pump for engine number 4 was not cooperating.
"Hydrospanner," he indicated to Master Sergeant Nishi, his Sullistan crew chief.
The noncom nodded, presenting Anakin with the requested tool.
Anakin adjusted the main intake valve seal for a moment, then looked back at Nishi. "All right, let's test it."
The crew chief flipped a switch sending power to the disconnected fuel pump, and was rewarded by an expulsion of sparks, a small cloud of smoke, and the distinctive smell of charred electrical components.
"Looks like we'll have to replace it," the Sullistan said needlessly. "I'll go to Wing Staff and start filling out requisition forms."
Anakin uttered a particularly virulent string of curses. More paperwork, and no doubt a long night, as the new fuel pump would require both installation and calibration before his fighter was fit for combat. He hoped there was nothing else wrong with his ship.
His thoughts were interrupted, however, by a very female, and very familiar, voice.
"Anakin?"
He walked around the stern of the fighter and found himself staring at Padme Naberrie, quite embarrassed at his verbal outburst.
She was dressed in a blue and maroon uniform of the Naboo Guards infantry, which just so happened to be composed of a rather close-fitting fabric which molded quite delectably to the curves of her body.
"Padme?" he asked rather surprised, "What are you doing here?"
"Is that how you address a superior officer, First Lieutenant Skywalker?" she asked, attempting to sound offended, then broke into a smile that seemed to interfere rather severely with the ability of Anakin's legs to support him.
Belatedly, he noticed the rank cylinders of a Lieutenant Colonel on the left breast of her uniform, and snapped a salute, though he was unable to supress a grin.
"As you were, Lieutenant," she replied mirthfully. "No, I guess you could say that rank has it's privileges...as the senior Army officer on board my transport, I was able to borrow a shuttle and stop by and see you."
"Oh," Anakin said, rather blankly. In truth, she was about the last person he expected to see, and considering their late conversation on Naboo, he would have preferred to keep their communication on a strictly-business basis. Quite simply, it hurt too much to think about, and he did not need that particular distraction right now, on the eve of the upcoming battle. Getting distracted in a starfighter cockpit in the middle of combat was a very good way to get killed.
Both were silent for a long moment. Padme played with her hands nervously. Anakin could tell her attempt at lightheartedness was merely a disguise of a young woman who was once a queen, and a master of maintaining her composure.
"So," she said, "I see you've been promoted."
"Yes," Anakin replied, "My squad and group leaders were impressed with my performance in our sim excercises, so they made me flight leader."
"Congratulations," she replied. "I'm sure you'll do fine. Look, I really just stopped by to tell you to take care of yourself tomorrow, and I knew I wouldn't get a chance if I didn't go and see you now. And I wanted to thank you for protecting me on Naboo. I don't think we'll be seeing much of each other now that there's going to be a war."
"Thank you," Anakin said. "You be careful, too."
She stepped forward and hugged him, which was in a strange manner almost painful to him, because she was doing it as a friend now, even though he could sense well enough that she was keeping a tight seal on her emotions. So was he, for that matter. And he hated it. Hated the damn self-denial, hated how she had said she couldn't love him even if she wanted to, and hated how the situation was beyond either of their control. Hated how he had to force himself to not concentrate on the feeling of her body against his, of the smell of her hair...
He wanted to say something, to tell her how he really felt, to hell with Obi-Wan and the Council, but he managed to hold back. It sounded too much like saying goodbye.
A permanent goodbye.
***
Obi-Wan Kenobi passed the guards and entered General Bail Organa's quarters located within the Victory's massive bridge tower. The General stood from his desk, covered with a holo-map of Aldera and enemy troop positions, and motioned the Jedi inside.
"General, Sir," Obi-Wan addressed him.
"Knight Kenobi," Organa acknowledged, "Yes. As commander of the Jedi contingent in this operation, you are my chief liason to your men. I'm sure that can be of great assistance, but the fact remains that they are Jedi, not soldiers, and I'm not sure how they are going to fit into the plan."
"I understand, General," he replied. And Organa was right. The Jedi were trained to fight, but that was not their primary function, which instead leaned toward investigation and diplomacy. Furthermore, they trained to fight either alone or in teams of two Knights or as Master and Padawan, not in large formations. In addition, they didn't use long-range weapons or wear any sort of protective uniforms. Putting them all together in a large unit, where they would be devoid of long-range firepower and could be devastated by a few artillery rounds, was madness.
"If I may, General, I have an idea. Perhaps the Jedi under my command should be released to individual unit commanders. I think that our abilities would best be used in scouting and determining enemy intentions. Secondly, our mission from the council is to locate and destroy the Sith Lord who is associated with the Mandalorian army. Spreading ourselves among the units will allow us to cover more ground."
Organa regarded the Jedi for a moment. "Very well. Your reasoning seems sound enough. Send me a list of who goes where and I'll get it done before tomorrow morning. I believe a Master Ki Adi Muundi has requested an assignment on my command staff, to assist my Intelligence and Operations officers, should be here in a couple of hours, so I don't really need you with me, and Master Gallia is serving with the Admiral. Did you have a particular assignment in mind?"
"If you will allow it, General, I'd like to serve with Colonel Naberrie's batallion."
Organa nodded and typed something into a datapad, then removed the datacard and handed it to Obi-Wan. "Very well. Fill out the forms here, and then go to Personnel, third door down on the left. I've put you down for a temporary commission in the rank of Major, assigned to the Naboo batallion staff. A shuttle should be by shortly to take you to their transport ship."
"Thank you, sir," Obi-Wan replied, saluting.
"Good luck, Major. See you on the beach."
"Normally, the Jedi would not be involved in a military action. However, as both yourself and your Padawan have confirmed the presence of the Sith, it is the reluctant decision of the Council that we have no choice but to become involved. We have decided to send a force of one hundred and fifty Jedi to the invasion units, and another twenty to serve as pilots within the Fleet's starfighter squadrons. The pilots will be commanded by Master Gallia, while the ground forces are being placed under you."
"Me?" Obi-Wan was, to understate dramatically, surprised. "Surely you could find someone more experienced than I to lead them. I am a Jedi, but I am not an officer."
"Yet it is you alone, among all the Jedi, who has spoken with this Sith Lord on Wayland. It is you who knows him best," replied Ki-Adi-Muundi
"And what of my Padawan?" Obi-Wan asked.
"He has volunteered to join the pilots," Adi Gallia answered him.
"Fear, I sense in you," Yoda observed. "For your Padawan. Skywalker's destiny, he alone can face. Yet confidence, you lack, and your undoing, it could be."
**
"Dual hostiles inbound, sector two low," the voice of Anakin Skywalker's wingman, Blue Six, sounded in his comlink.
Anakin scanned his own sensor readouts and then looked out the Headhunter's canopy. "Copy, Six, I see them."
His first instinct was to order Two flight down to engage the enemies, but he paused for a moment. The mission of Red and Blue Squadrons in this sim exercise was to protect their ship, the Victory-class Star Destroyer Freedom from the "enemy," namely, Green and Gold Squadrons from another one of the Star Destroyers, for ten minutes, until "reinforcements" in the form of friendly squadrons were to arrive. For the purpose of the exercise, Freedom had been ruled "heavily damaged," having power out and engines, shields, and weapons offline.
In other words, it was up to Freedom's Headhunter squadrons to prevent the opposing force's fighters from engaging the cruiser with deadly proton torpedoes.
"Permission to engage, Five?"
"Negative, Seven. I think they are going to try to draw us off the cruiser. Hold position and continue observation."
Unfortunately, however, he saw Red Squadron peel off to go after another small formation of approaching fighters - leaving Blue to defend the Freedom all alone.
"Damn," came the Squadron leader's voice. " Form up close to the cruiser. One flight, out front. Two take low and to port, Three take high and to starboard."
Anakin bit back his frustration and attempted to concentrate on the mission. "Copy, One," he acknowledged.
As predicted, he saw a squadron-sized group of "enemy" fighters move to engage Red Squadron. Even if the Reds managed to destroy the enemy, they were now fully occupied and effectively out of the fight.
Which meant the second wave of attackers would appear momentarily.
However, they did *not* come from the direction Anakin had expected.
Instead, a shrill warning tone sounded in his cockpit, indicating that proton torpedoes were now locked onto his fighter, and they were coming in behind him.
"Torpedoes fired, sector six!" he said, "Two flight, take evasive action!"
His first move was to yank back the fighter's control stick, half-looping his fighter and reversing direction. A half roll brought him back upright. Now, at least, he could see the torpedoes streaking toward him. He waited until the glowing missiles were almost near the point of impact, then cut the etheric rudder hard to starboard while snap-rolling the fighter, standing it on a wingtip, then rolling to port, once again bringing him inverted as he forced the fighter down into an impossibly tight half-loop.
The maneuver seemed to confuse the torpedoes, however, instead they locked onto the next available target - Anakin's wingman.
"Five, I have four torpedoes tracking! Can't evade."
He saw the Twi'lek break to port, across the track of the incoming missiles, the textbook defensive maneuver. However, one of the torpedoes, sensing it was close enough to the intended target, suddenly detonated, flinging metal fragments and scorching plasma jets out in a deadly cloud which completely engulfed the fighter.
Blue Six was now "killed" in action, and Two flight was short one pilot, and the wild evasive maneuvers had scattered the tight formation.
"This is Blue Lead. Blue Nine, Eleven, and Twelve are dead. Ten, form up with Two flight."
Anakin, not bothering to scan his sensors, saw them first. Eight of the enemy fighters in two four-ship flights, coming in fast, dead ahead, intent on taking advantage of the confusion and destruction created by the torpedoes.
"They are going for the cruiser," he said. "Take the close ones."
Blue Leader's voice was reassuring "Lead flight has the second group."
Hopefully, Anakin thought, their aggressive response would force the attackers to break off the run on the cruiser and go defensive. He slammed the throttle all the way to maximum thrust and pumped extra power into his forward shields as the tiny white dots of the enemy formation rapidly grew larger.
He centered the gunsight on the lead fighter and pushed the firing button for the twin turbolasers. However, his target had managed to evade high and to the right as the two formations passed at blinding speed.
"Split up," he ordered, as he and Blue Ten came around to port, Six and Seven going to starboard. The enemy fighters were matching the maneuver, unable to launch on the cruiser with Anakin's flight behind them, and instead moving to engage the defending fighters. Which was precisely what Anakin wanted.
Once again, the fighters began closing head-on. However, Anakin didn't go for the shot this time, instead pulling into a tight overhead loop, the wisdom of his decision vindicated by the turbolaser blasts which streaked through the space his fighter had just occupied. Yet, to his surprise, the enemy fighters did not overshoot and give him a good firing position behind them. "Stay on my wing, Ten," he said, "we'll take them together."
However, there was no acknowledgement of his wingman, and suddenly Anakin felt very alone. He threw the ship around in a tight turn and drew a bead on one of his opponents. A burst from his cannons vaporized the ship. Now for the other one.
For a moment, he was surprised as the surviving fighter was nowhere in sight. His instincts, however, told him something else entirely. He wrenched the stick around in a barrel roll and avoided the incoming shots by only a few meters. The opposing Headhunter had half-looped and attempted to nail him from underneath while he was momentarily distracted by his kill.
He broke hard to starboard, and now his target was visible, having passed him in the firing run. He struggled to get a clean shot, and instead fired a few hasty bursts in an attempt to intimidate his quarry into making a mistake. It did not have the effect Anakin desired. Instead, his target continued to jink and dodge, never allowing him to get a target lock.
"This one's good," he said to himself.
It was at that point Anakin realized what was going on. His target was trying to lead him towards his companions entangled with One Flight, gambling that this would distract Anakin long enough for a quick torpedo launch on the cruiser at close range.
He glanced at the chrono on the instrument panel - one minute until help would arrive. Perhaps it was he who could serve as a distraction long enough for reinforcements to show up.
He broke off pursuit.
And as expected, his target, now possessed of the initiative, began to close rapidly on his six. The tricky part, he knew, would simply be to stay alive long enough for his plan to work.
He strengthened the rear shields and bled power from his turbolasers into the engines, picking up speed quickly. Brilliant turbolaser bolts streaked past him as he twitched his stick and the etheric rudder pedals, making himself a much more difficult target. However, when a hit splashed against his aft shields, he realized that up against a skilled enemy, staying entirely passive was going to be suicidal. He pulled up and around, the force of the tight turn trying to press his body through his ejection seats and out the bottom of the cockpit. His attacker went high, trying to kill forward speed and not overshoot, and suddenly the battle became a close- range dogfight of impossibly quick maneuvers and snapshots, with neither pilot able to gain a clear advantage.
And then, suddenly, the image of space in his canopy faded and Anakin found himself looking again at the sim room on Freedom's hangar deck. He released the canopy of the Headhunter cockpit mock-up, slowly starting to come down from the effects of adrenaline and his heightened Force-awareness.
Colonel Zim, Freedom's head starpilot, stepped over to him.
"That was some damn good flying, son," the man said. Zim turned briefly to the rest of the pilots exiting the simulators. "Good job, Blue Squadron. No hits were recorded on the cruiser."
Anakin's gaze strayed briefly to the handsome blonde Captain in command of Red Squadron, who looked furious. As you should be, Anakin thought. If you hadn't gone tearing after the decoys, Blue wouldn't have been left by ourselves.and we wouldn't have lost half of our pilots.
To Anakin's amazement, Jedi Master Adi Gallia approached from one of the simulators to stand next to Colonel Zim. "Most impressive, Padawan Skywalker," the beautiful dark-skinned Jedi Master said. "You never let me get a clear shot at you back there."
Anakin somehow managed to not have his jawbone land somewhere in the vicinity of his flight boots. "That.was you?" he asked, amazed. Adi Gallia was the most respected pilot in the entire Jedi Order, and somehow he had held his own in a one-on-one dogfight.
"The Force is strong with you indeed, young Skywalker. Trust your instincts in combat, and you'll do just fine."
However, if Anakin thought his bewilderment and elation could not have gone any further, he was abruptly proven wrong by the Colonel.
"You'll do more than fine, Kid. You're good, but you're smart, too, unlike most hotshots your age. Congratulations, I'm promoting you to First Lieutenant and to the position of flight leader for the duration of your service on this vessel."
Anakin could do little more than get out a "Thank you, Sir" and a smart salute, which was returned by Zim. Anakin turned to make his way back to the rest of the squadron, and amidst his surprise and preoccupation with a rapidly swelling ego, nearly collided with his own Master.
"Master! I must say I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be busy with your new command."
Obi-Wan favored him with a grin. "I managed to scrounge a few free moments to come watch your sim run, and I must admit, you're quite a pilot, my young Padawan."
"Thank you, Master," Anakin replied.
"Unfortunately, our duties will separate us during the battle," he said, now more serious. "And I know you're probably the best pilot I've ever seen, and well on the way to becoming a great Jedi, but as your Master, I feel obligated to tell you to take care of yourself out there." He paused for a moment. "You're like a son to me, Anakin, and I know you're becoming a man quicker than I would prefer, and well.I don't want anything to happen to you."
Anakin was rapidly becoming accustomed to being surprised, but he again found himself taken aback. His Master was a man who was warmer than most gave him credit for, but he had the habit of manifesting his love by his actions, rather than his words.
"Thank you, Master," he said, not knowing what else to say. "You be careful out there too."
**
Obi-Wan watched as his apprentice made his way back to his squadmates and into the debriefing room. It was what he had not told Anakin that was bothering him.namely, the words of the Sith, who said his Master was out for Obi-Wan's apprentice.
Of Anakin's skill, there was no question. Most Jedi, by virtue of their abilities in the Force, were great pilots, but Anakin was the type who was a natural pilot whose Force abilities only enhanced those he innately possessed. His ability to take care of himself in a fighter cockpit was not an issue.
Instead, it was the concern of Obi-Wan that he would not be able to help his apprentice during the coming battle.and that if either one of them were forced to face a Sith, to do it alone would be fatal - if not to the body, then quite possibly to the soul.
**
The brand new cruiser Victory, first of a new and revolutionary capital ship design, was also built to serve as a flagship. Thus, one particular feature, namely, a gigantic briefing room nearly as large as the main enlisted men's mess hall, was now being put to use for the first time.
Hundreds of officers, both Army and Fleet, of all ranks, species, and sexes, were gathered in the huge room, so many that it remained crowded nonetheless. All eyes were fixed on the raised stage platform along the wall nearest the ship's bow, which housed a small group of men, among them Admiral Haas and Major General Bail Organa, now serving in his former capacitiy as an Army officer after resigning from the Senate.
At a signal from the Admiral, the room became quiet and Haas took center stage near a large holoprojector.
"As you know, Aldera, the capital city of Alderaan, was invaded two days ago by a large combined naval and land force composed of cloned Mandalorian soldiers. Despite heavy communications jamming, a single station was able to send word of the attack to Coruscant.
"Our intelligence is still not as clear as we would wish, but the picture is not entirely bleak. Data from reconnaisance probes and from a small group of Alderaanian survivors, as well as eyewitness information provided by two Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, as well as Padme Naberrie of the Naboo, have given us a considerable body of useful intelligence data.
"The Mandalorians have also been linked to both the murder of Senator Aks Moe and to the attack on Naboo, as well as an assassination attempt on Senator Naberrie. All sources indicate that the enemy ground forces are made up of cloned soldiers. The clones are well-equipped, well-trained in tactical skill, highly motivated, and have not been observed to surrender, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
"Less is known of their armored vehicles or warships, though our analysts have reviewed the data from the recon probes and believe that in all classes of warships, the enemy's vessels are most likely roughly comparable to our own, save for the Victories. Two massive vessels, classed as battleships, were also seen, though we know little about their capability, and they are to be considered primary targets.
"Our objective in this operation is twofold: first, to liberate Alderaan from the invaders, and secondly, to inflict as much damage upon the enemy forces as possible. We are uncertain if the invasion force is all, or even most, of the enemy strength, but we believe that the destruction of a force of this size could seriously impair the Mandalorians ability to conduct further offensive operations.
"At 0600 Coruscant time tomorrow, the Fleet will enter hyperspace on a course toward Alderaan. It should arrive an hour later, at approximately 2 hours before sunrise in Aldera."
A globe depicting Alderaan appeared above the holoprojector, with surrounding icons representing groups of enemy warships.
"The first phase of the plan is to eliminate the threat from the enemy warships. Once the fleet emerges from hyperspace, it will proceed in battle formation directly toward the planet."
Further icons, depicting the Republic ships, appeared near the projection, moving toward the planet, and the icons depicting the enemy formations began to shift to meet the opposition.
"This will force the enemy to redeploy and engage the warships of Task Force 1. A smaller group, Task Force 2, led by the cruiser Freedom, will be detailed to provide security for the transports and to deliver the pre- attack bombardment.
"Once the enemy fleet is neutralized, Task Force 1 will assume blockade positions in order to secure Alderaan against enemy reinforcements. In addition, fighter squadrons will be assigned to ground support duty once our ground troops enter the city. General Organa will now brief you on the ground phase of the operation."
Bail Organa, dignified, dark haired, and bearded, took the place of the Admiral. The globe of Alderaan dissappeared from the projector to be replaced by a three-dimensional representation of the island of Aldera.
Aldera was roughly oval-shaped, with a large beach area in the South and a large inactive volcano in the extreme north. the terrain in between was made up of the city itself, just south of the mountain, and with a dense tropical forest between the city and the beaches. Three corridors were carved from the forest, linking the beaches to the city.
"As you can see," Organa explained, "there is only one suitable landing zone large enough to accommodate our landing vehicles - the beaches in the south. Luckily, a small group of survivors in the city was able to transmit to us a fairly detailed report of the enemy's deployments. The bulk of his forces are stationed in the city itself, and the Mandalorians have extremely formidable air defenses there as well. However, expecting an attack, the enemy has constructed a strong line of fortified positions and trenches along the heights overlooking the beaches at the southern edge of the forest.
"The first wave will consist of both Corellian infantry divisions, the Naboo batallion, and several attached combat engineer units. Their objectives are to penetrate the enemy defense in three areas, corresponding with the location of the main roads leading to the city. They are to then secure the breaches in the enemy lines until the second wave, containing our armored and mechanized infantry units, arrives.
"The armor will be split into three Battle Groups of both tanks and IFV's, along with forward recon units. Each Battle Group is to advance along its assigned route to the outskirts of the city as quickly as possible, where it will establish positions covering all the exit routes the enemy might use to counterattack the beachhead. However, the armor is not, repeat NOT to advance into the city itself without infantry or artillery support. Instead, it will hold position until the infantry, having eliminated the defenders in the south, catches up.
T"he third and final assault wave will land when the southern entrenchments are cleared, and will contain our support units, as well as the heavy artillery. The beachhead will become our base for logistics and fire support.
"The advance into the city itself will be made by three groups, each made up of an infantry division with armor in support. Their objective will be to converge in the northern section of the city where the planetary government facilities are located, thus splitting the enemy into two large pockets which will then be eliminated.
"Note that priority is to be taken to eliminate the enemy's antiair weapons, as once this is done, starfighter support will be availiable in large quantities.
"An additional force is being readied for deployment at the moment, a convoy of two more infantry divisions, supply ships, and replinishment vessels for the Fleet. It is due to arrive in system 48 hours after the operation commences.
"More detailed information regarding in-depth deployments, maps, and recon data are contained in the datapads you will recieve at the conclusion of this briefing.
"Our task is formidable, our enemy dangerous, but remember: professionalism, dedication, training, and the justice of our cause will lead us to prevail. May the Force be with you and your men."
**
The Headhunter was starting to grow on him. It did not have the agility of the Delta 7, the standard Jedi fighter, nor hyperspace capability, being reliant on a parent vessel for long-range journeys, yet it was not without advantages. While not the fastest, most maneuverable, or most heavily armed of fighters, the Z-95 managed to rate well enough in each category so that it was more well-rounded than most.
The robust alloy hull, strong shields, and redundancy of engines made the craft quite survivable in combat. The greatest advantage the Headhunter possessed over the Delta-7, however, was it's armament: two oversized wing- mounted turbolasers, which could be fired either sequentially or simultaneously, and two proton torpedo tubes, each with two projectiles. This gave the small fighter a disproportionately large punch, as proton torpedoes in large numbers could do serious damage to even the largest capital ships.
However, at the moment Anakin's attitude toward his ship was something less than reverential. The fuel feeder pump for engine number 4 was not cooperating.
"Hydrospanner," he indicated to Master Sergeant Nishi, his Sullistan crew chief.
The noncom nodded, presenting Anakin with the requested tool.
Anakin adjusted the main intake valve seal for a moment, then looked back at Nishi. "All right, let's test it."
The crew chief flipped a switch sending power to the disconnected fuel pump, and was rewarded by an expulsion of sparks, a small cloud of smoke, and the distinctive smell of charred electrical components.
"Looks like we'll have to replace it," the Sullistan said needlessly. "I'll go to Wing Staff and start filling out requisition forms."
Anakin uttered a particularly virulent string of curses. More paperwork, and no doubt a long night, as the new fuel pump would require both installation and calibration before his fighter was fit for combat. He hoped there was nothing else wrong with his ship.
His thoughts were interrupted, however, by a very female, and very familiar, voice.
"Anakin?"
He walked around the stern of the fighter and found himself staring at Padme Naberrie, quite embarrassed at his verbal outburst.
She was dressed in a blue and maroon uniform of the Naboo Guards infantry, which just so happened to be composed of a rather close-fitting fabric which molded quite delectably to the curves of her body.
"Padme?" he asked rather surprised, "What are you doing here?"
"Is that how you address a superior officer, First Lieutenant Skywalker?" she asked, attempting to sound offended, then broke into a smile that seemed to interfere rather severely with the ability of Anakin's legs to support him.
Belatedly, he noticed the rank cylinders of a Lieutenant Colonel on the left breast of her uniform, and snapped a salute, though he was unable to supress a grin.
"As you were, Lieutenant," she replied mirthfully. "No, I guess you could say that rank has it's privileges...as the senior Army officer on board my transport, I was able to borrow a shuttle and stop by and see you."
"Oh," Anakin said, rather blankly. In truth, she was about the last person he expected to see, and considering their late conversation on Naboo, he would have preferred to keep their communication on a strictly-business basis. Quite simply, it hurt too much to think about, and he did not need that particular distraction right now, on the eve of the upcoming battle. Getting distracted in a starfighter cockpit in the middle of combat was a very good way to get killed.
Both were silent for a long moment. Padme played with her hands nervously. Anakin could tell her attempt at lightheartedness was merely a disguise of a young woman who was once a queen, and a master of maintaining her composure.
"So," she said, "I see you've been promoted."
"Yes," Anakin replied, "My squad and group leaders were impressed with my performance in our sim excercises, so they made me flight leader."
"Congratulations," she replied. "I'm sure you'll do fine. Look, I really just stopped by to tell you to take care of yourself tomorrow, and I knew I wouldn't get a chance if I didn't go and see you now. And I wanted to thank you for protecting me on Naboo. I don't think we'll be seeing much of each other now that there's going to be a war."
"Thank you," Anakin said. "You be careful, too."
She stepped forward and hugged him, which was in a strange manner almost painful to him, because she was doing it as a friend now, even though he could sense well enough that she was keeping a tight seal on her emotions. So was he, for that matter. And he hated it. Hated the damn self-denial, hated how she had said she couldn't love him even if she wanted to, and hated how the situation was beyond either of their control. Hated how he had to force himself to not concentrate on the feeling of her body against his, of the smell of her hair...
He wanted to say something, to tell her how he really felt, to hell with Obi-Wan and the Council, but he managed to hold back. It sounded too much like saying goodbye.
A permanent goodbye.
***
Obi-Wan Kenobi passed the guards and entered General Bail Organa's quarters located within the Victory's massive bridge tower. The General stood from his desk, covered with a holo-map of Aldera and enemy troop positions, and motioned the Jedi inside.
"General, Sir," Obi-Wan addressed him.
"Knight Kenobi," Organa acknowledged, "Yes. As commander of the Jedi contingent in this operation, you are my chief liason to your men. I'm sure that can be of great assistance, but the fact remains that they are Jedi, not soldiers, and I'm not sure how they are going to fit into the plan."
"I understand, General," he replied. And Organa was right. The Jedi were trained to fight, but that was not their primary function, which instead leaned toward investigation and diplomacy. Furthermore, they trained to fight either alone or in teams of two Knights or as Master and Padawan, not in large formations. In addition, they didn't use long-range weapons or wear any sort of protective uniforms. Putting them all together in a large unit, where they would be devoid of long-range firepower and could be devastated by a few artillery rounds, was madness.
"If I may, General, I have an idea. Perhaps the Jedi under my command should be released to individual unit commanders. I think that our abilities would best be used in scouting and determining enemy intentions. Secondly, our mission from the council is to locate and destroy the Sith Lord who is associated with the Mandalorian army. Spreading ourselves among the units will allow us to cover more ground."
Organa regarded the Jedi for a moment. "Very well. Your reasoning seems sound enough. Send me a list of who goes where and I'll get it done before tomorrow morning. I believe a Master Ki Adi Muundi has requested an assignment on my command staff, to assist my Intelligence and Operations officers, should be here in a couple of hours, so I don't really need you with me, and Master Gallia is serving with the Admiral. Did you have a particular assignment in mind?"
"If you will allow it, General, I'd like to serve with Colonel Naberrie's batallion."
Organa nodded and typed something into a datapad, then removed the datacard and handed it to Obi-Wan. "Very well. Fill out the forms here, and then go to Personnel, third door down on the left. I've put you down for a temporary commission in the rank of Major, assigned to the Naboo batallion staff. A shuttle should be by shortly to take you to their transport ship."
"Thank you, sir," Obi-Wan replied, saluting.
"Good luck, Major. See you on the beach."
