Star Wars: Episode III: Rise of the Empire
It is a dark time for the Republic. The continuing war against the Separatists has taxed their resources to the limit. Many of the Jedi Knights, guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, have decided to become Generals, helping to command the clone army, in an attempt to bring a quick end to this conflict.
The Separatists, under the leadership of Count Dooku, have created plans for an armored space station, code-named the Death Star, with enough firepower to destroy an entire planet. To complete such a station would require innumerable resources, and the asteroids in the Pogaq system have been pinpointed as a potential source.
Anakin Skywalker, recently granted the title of Jedi Knight, has volunteered to lead a task force, in an attempt to stop the Separatists from gaining control of such a crucial system. If the Death Star were to be completed, it could spell the end of the Republic, and the Jedi themselves….
A single ship sat in the dark void of space. Other than the occasional meteor or piece of space junk, there was nothing to punctuate the emptiness that seemed to penetrate one's self when heading out into a vacuum. It was the perfect place for peace and meditation, or a secret meeting, or…
…or an ambush, Seeri finished, allowing himself a grim smile.
He punched the sublight engines, and as the sudden acceleration pushed him back against his chair, he called up a sensor scan on the medium sized planet ahead of him. Pogaq, he thought it was called.
Pogaq 3, he amended, as the data scrolled up on his monitor. With a brown, slightly squashed appearance, Pogaq 3 had an entirely unremarkable history. The small band of humans that had managed to eke out an existence in the mountainous terrain had stayed entirely neutral during the Clone Wars, joining neither the treacherous Republic nor the rightful heirs to the galaxy, the Separatists. In his mind, this made them worse than his enemies. He at least had a semblance of respect for those in the Republic. They believed in a cause enough to fight for it.
It may be the wrong cause, but at least they're fighting for it.
The people of Pogaq, on the other hand, were sitting out the war, unwilling to take a stand or declare loyalty.
Loyalty. That was what it all came down to, really. Loyalty to a government, loyalty to one's values, loyalty to one's self. It was something he could understand and respect, and since the people of this planet seemed to have none, his opinion of them was lower than that of even the hated Jedi.
Shaking his head, he forced himself to concentrate. He had a mission, and he wouldn't fail. The Separatists were counting on him, since he was uniquely qualified for this particular job. Their reliance on droids was one of the few policies he disagreed with, and as a result, he had joined the military, becoming one of the few living creatures to do so. Along with loyalty, he held honor in high regard, and he felt hiding behind an army of machines was not the way to gain honor.
The droids were good enough at fighting; that wasn't the problem. The problem stemmed from their total lack of creative thought, and their inability to adapt to unexpected situations. They just didn't have the flexibility of a person.
Case in point, Seeri thought to himself, this mission.
The mission he had been assigned required the finesse and ability to truly think of a living creature, and he would succeed. Pushing all thoughts of droids and loyalty out of his mind, he set to work.
* * *
Anakin Skywalker sat in his cockpit, trying to quell the unpleasant stirrings of fear in his mind. There is no emotion; there is peace, he quoted to himself. The familiarity of the Jedi code provided an anchor, an anchor which allowed him to be brought back to reality.
Focus, he told himself. This wasn't a mission that could be flown with thoughts halfway across the galaxy. The very survival of the Republic depended on it. If the Separatists were able to gain control of the Pogaq system, it could swing the tide of the war in their favor. Running through his Jedi calming exercises, he once again mentally went through the mission plan.
In theory, it was a simple enough mission: Gain control of the Pogaq system, and if the Separatists had already done so, try to wrest it back from them. The task force that had been assembled was large enough to do the job, and Anakin was confident in his abilities.
Unfortunately, if three years of warfare had taught him anything, it was that the simplest missions always turned out to be the most dangerous. As he tried to figure out if it was this that was causing the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, or if it was his Jedi instincts kicking in, he realized that the proximity alarm installed on his ship was pinging. It was almost time for the reversion to realspace. As he watched the timer on his board count down to zero, he pulled back a lever, and the mottled sky of hyperspace became a speckled starfield, with a brown, slightly squashed-looking planet dominating the view. Surrounding the planet was a ring of asteroids, and directly in front of that was…
"The Separatists!" Anakin called to the rest of the task force. "They must have beaten us here! Landing team, go! Cruisers, deploy your fighters, and move into attack range on their Battleships." Smiling, he added, "Let's remind them of why they should never trust a droid to do person's job."
The clones that he was flying with all replied with a "Yes, sir," but their flat, emotionless voices made Anakin wonder if that last comment had been at all accurate. With a slightly ironic smile, he realized that he knew droids that had more personality than his fighter group.
Glancing down at his sensor boards, he saw that the Separatists, too, had deployed their fighters. A mix of Geonosian fighters and Trade Federation droid starfighters, their three full squadrons equaled his own total, at least in numbers. Realistically speaking, however, they were no match for his group.
They were flying the most advanced starfighter in the galaxy, the newly designed Sienar MX-1. Powered by twin ion engines, it had a roughly ball-shaped cockpit, with two stabilizers jutting out on the sides. Four lasers were mounted, two on each side, with one above and one below the stabilizer. Connected to the cockpit by the stabilizers were two engines, giving the ship hyperspace capabilities. It was somewhat lacking in speed and maneuverability, but to compensate, a shield generator gave a least a small level of protection.
All in all, the ship's appearance reminded Anakin of the Naboo Starfighter, minus the sharpened "tails" that jutted out from the cockpit and engines. A stray memory flashed by, of the last time he had flown against a Trade Federation battle ship. He had flown the strangely elegant, yet deadly craft into the heart of the ship, and inadvertently fired off two proton torpedoes into the main reactor. At the time, he had thought it nothing but luck, but now, he knew it was the Force. He could only hope that it was with him now.
He could hear shouts and yells through his comm unit, last minute orders before the two forces came within range. He ignored them. Deeply immersed in the Force, he knew that none of them were directed at him. Besides, he needed to concentrate. To come out of this battle, he would have to use all of his Jedi skills, as well as his natural piloting ability.
With the opposing ships still out of range, Anakin leaned back in his seat, having nothing to do for the moment. He felt a subtle touch on his mind, a gentle probe that he immediately recognized as his former master, Obi-Wan. Probably wondering if I'm okay. He send out a message through the Force, a nonverbal impression that said all was well, and turned back to the battle.
Finally, the opposing fighters were within range. Choosing a droid starfighter as his target, Anakin waited until he had a targeting lock, and fired. The four lasers missed the cockpit, but managed to sever one of the fighter's wings. Spinning out of control and trailing fire, the ship exploded. Glancing at his tactical board, he saw that in the initial pass, the Separatists had lost five ships; the Republic only two. The clones, obviously, had been well-trained.
Abruptly, his danger sense tingled, and he threw his ship in a rolling dive. Two lasers shot past above him; obviously, he had picked up a tail.
He immediately put his craft through a series of evasive maneuvers designed to shake off an enemy. Coming out of the move, he smiled, thinking there was no way anyone could have stayed with him through that.
Two more lasers flew by, singeing his shields and jolting him back into reality.
Whoever the pilot behind him was, he obviously had lots of combat experience. Unfortunately for him, this experience didn't necessarily extend to fighting Jedi Knights.
Smiling, Anakin reached out with the Force, and spun his craft 180 degrees on the spot. Suddenly facing a craft that had just been going the other direction, the enemy pilot was too stunned to react. Anakin fired, and caught a glimpse of the explosion as he shot past. He turned back to the battlefield, seeking a new target.
* * *
Obi-Wan sensed his former apprentice's tension a second before they came out of hyperspace. He wasn't able to pick up on the exact cause, but it could only be one thing: the Separatists. His suspicion was confirmed a moment later as they entered realspace to find a fleet of Trade Federation battleships awaiting them.
Anakin's voice came crackling through, ordering ground team to launch. His team. Working the controls of the shuttle he had been given command of for the mission, he brought the ship out of the hangar bay, into the raging battle. He keyed for the other shuttles to follow, and then headed toward the planet.
The Republic had recognized the importance of the Pogaq system, and had responded accordingly, sending Anakin and a task force to take control of the system. This was all well and good to destroy any Separatist starships that might be there, but to gain control of and hold on to the planet itself, that would require a team of soldiers. Thus, Obi-Wan had been given command of ground team, and with it an array of clone troopers. The only problem was that if the natives on the planet couldn't be convinced to join the Republic, his orders were clear: Gain control of the system by any means necessary, using force if called for. Obi-Wan knew that he was serving the greater good here, but he still felt reluctant to take an innocent world by force or threat of force. He could come up with many rationalizations, but he just wasn't able to shake the feeling that this attack was all too similar to the invasion of Naboo, all those years ago.
Shrugging off his ethical dilemmas, he brought the shuttle on a course for the planet, above the asteroid field, and as far away from the battle as possible. Armed to the teeth, it was unlikely that any of the shuttles would be attacked during their trip to the planet, but Obi-Wan didn't want to take any chances.
He looked out the front viewport, and saw the flashes and explosions that were typical of any space battle. He reached out with the Force, wondering how Anakin was doing, and picked him out almost immediately. Of course, he couldn't tell his exact situation, but Anakin sent him a message, confirming his safety.
Belatedly, he realized that he was now in range of the planets communications, and they were hailing him.
"…repeat, Unidentified ship, please state your intentions."
Flicking the comm switch, Obi-Wan replied, "This is the Republic ship, the Infinity." This was it; the moment that decided whether he would have to use force or not. Holding his breath, he added, "We have a proposition for you."
An hour later, Obi-Wan was on the ground, discussing terms of the Pogaq system's entry into the Republic. He was still amazed that it had been this easy, and he wondered if the Force was in some way toying with him.
Surprisingly, the Pogaqians had jumped at the opportunity to join the Republic. Apparently, when the Separatists had entered the system, they had immediately stormed the planet by force. The fact that the Republic had been more diplomatic in their approach had worked in their favor, and the ruling council of Pogaq had quickly and unanimously voted in favor of joining the Republic.
Relieved that he wouldn't be ordered into something that could trouble him ethically, Obi-Wan enthusiastically responded to the one remaining challenge: The citizens of Pogaq might be willing to give control of the planet to them, but he doubted the remaining Separatist forces on the planet would be as cooperative. His job was to neutralize them, and then set up a defensive position which would, hopefully, be enough to keep control of the planet. Finally, he had a tangible enemy that he could fight, not some nameless fear inside of him.
They took the shuttle to the outskirts of the enemy camp. They were outnumbered at least two to one, Obi-Wan saw, but he wasn't too worried. His clone troopers were much superior to the droids, and he could make a significant difference in the battle as well.
Unfortunate for him, he had a difficult decision ahead of him. Directly in between his shuttle and the camp was a large crater, obviously the remnant of a asteroid knocked out of orbit. Going around it would take an hour of extra travel time, which would give the droids another hour to find them. Plus, going through would conceal them from the droid's better. The only problem was, if they had been detected, the crater would be the perfect place to spring an ambush.
Weighing his options, Obi-Wan decided that it was unlikely they had been detected. Their shuttle had one of the best sensor-stealth modes available, and their approach had been very cautious. Besides, if they were planning an ambush, he should be able to sense it long before it was sprung.
At least he hoped so.
Trusting his fate to a ship's technology, and his ability to sense machines, didn't sit well with Obi-Wan, but he had to hope that the Force was guiding his judgment. Sighing, he started the trek down the slope of the crater, taking a small team of twenty to help avoid detection.
They were about halfway across the crater, when Obi-Wan's danger sense tingled. He took out his lightsabre, and, letting the Force guide his hands, brought the blade up to neatly intercept two incoming bolts. He heard the cocking sound of eighty or so guns being loaded, and saw their muzzles poke over the edge of the crater.
"It's an ambush!" Obi-Wan shouted, jumping into action immediately. "Get into a defensive position."
Realizing that they weren't in a good position, with the enemy outnumbering them, and no sizable cover in sight, he did the only thing he could.
Help, he called, hoping his apprentice could hear him.
* * *
Anakin surveyed the battlefield, assessing how badly their fleet had been damaged. So far, the Republic had roundly outfought the Separatists, but they had still suffered some damages. They had lost one of their Republic Assault Ships, and seven of their fighters, and Anakin was doing his best to keep it at seven.
Weaving in and out of the battle, his ship was less a machine than an extension of his body. The pilots he faced were good, but with the Force he was able to anticipate their next move, and plan for it.
The droids, on the other hand, he could not sense, which made them a worthy opponent. The one he was currently chasing seemed to favor vertical up and down movement, a feature he could exploit.
"Two, on me," he called.
His wingman appeared at his side. "Orders, Leader?"
"Yes. On my mark, I want you to fire at that starfighter, but I want you to miss, low."
If the clone felt any confusion at being ordered to miss, he hid it well. "As ordered."
Anakin didn't think the clone understood the reason for the order, but he would obey. After all, that was what clones did.
"Mark."
His wingman fired, and just as he'd expected, the fighter dodged up.
Up, right into Anakin's line of fire. Idly, as he blew the ship out of the sky, he wondered who had programmed such an obvious flaw into the droid.
Putting the thought out of his mind, he looked around the battlefield for more targets…
Only to find the battle effectively over. Anakin blinked in surprise. He'd been so focused in the Force that he hadn't noticed the enemy's slow attrition. He'd just taken out the last of the fighters, and all the capital ships had been neutralized, as well.
It was about that time that he heard Obi-Wan's call for help. It rolled over his mind, a wordless message of dire need. Whipping his ship around, he shot towards the asteroid field. The asteroid field…which directly blocked the quickest path to Obi-Wan. Conventional wisdom was that flying through an asteroid was a fast and messy way to commit suicide, but if Obi-Wan was in danger…
Making a quick decision, he set a course through the least dense part of the asteroid field he could find. He throttled up to full power, urging his ship to go faster, and entered into the maelstrom.
Using the Force, he was able to sense and avoid most of the bigger asteroids. A few smaller ones struck harmlessly against his shields, but none penetrated to his hull.
His danger sense tingled about a half-second ahead of his R4 unit's warning. Reacting instantly, he dove down and to the left, just as the nearest asteroid to him blew up. Somehow he managed to guide his craft through the hailstorm of small rocks without any serious damage, but he did hear some ominous thuds, and a high-pitched squeal from his droid. He had more important things to worry about, though. Like survival.
Guiding his craft through the remainder of the field, fully expecting it to blow up at any moment, he set a course for the general area that he had heard Obi-Wan's call from. As he entered the atmosphere of the planet, he finally had a chance to read the damage report his monitor.
The results were fairly promising. The life support, hyperdrive, and communications systems were all working, and hull integrity was holding, so he could make the journey home or call for help, if needed. Shields were down but would be brought back up in a few minutes, and repulsorlifts were still functioning, if marginally. The only system that seemed to be damaged beyond repair was weapons. Which means I may not be much help to Obi-Wan.
Realizing he had to do what he could, with or without weapons, he keyed for a sensor scan, searching for any sign of his former master.
He found him quickly enough, at the center of a large impact crater. Sure enough, there were signs of a fight going on, and at this range, it would take him five or six minutes to reach him. Hoping he would get there in time to be any help, he shot off at top speed.
* * *
Obi-Wan surveyed the situation around him, and realized it was getting worse all the time. The droids had called in reinforcements, and they would no doubt be arriving soon. So had he, for that matter, but Obi-Wan had no idea when Anakin would be able to come, or if he could come at all. As it was, they were barely holding it together. He was able to hold most of their shots at bay, but if they started to concentrate their fire, or if more of them arrived, he didn't know how long he could hold them back.
It was at that time that Obi-Wan heard the distant whine of repulsorlifts. At the same time, he heard Anakin send him a message. Don't worry. I'm here.
The droids, surprised at this new arrival, halted their fire for a second, just long enough to bring their weapons to bear on Anakin's ship. Anakin swung his ship around, and made to land in the crater.
Obi-Wan frowned. Why isn't he firing on the droids?
Anakin jumped out of the cockpit, lightsabre in hand, already deflecting laser blasts back at the droids. Even he could tell, however, that the situation was hopeless. The droid reinforcements were coming in by the second. Even as they spoke, the droids concentrated their fire on Anakin's ship. A small explosion told him the power cell was gone, making escape impossible. There wasn't anything that could be done. Unless…
Anakin was struck with a sudden idea. He looked over at Obi-Wan, who understood and nodded.
"On three," Anakin called.
"One…two…THREE!"
Working together, the two Jedi linked themselves through the Force. By doing this they were able to access a greater reservoir of Force than either one of them could have on their own. Anakin felt a sudden energy surge through him, and he felt as if a limitless source of power had been placed at his fingertips. He found the experience exhilarating, and more than a little seductive. He quashed the feeling, knowing it to be of the dark side, and focused on the task at hand. He had a huge amount of Force energy, now all he had to do was direct that energy. Working together, he and Obi-Wan pushed.
An explosion of energy shot out, with the two Jedi at the center. Indiscriminate to enemies and friend, the shockwave knocked out both droid and clone, and everything within a kilometer was sent to their feet. Anakin's fighter was smashed against the wall of the crater, as if no more than a twig. Opening their eyes, the two Jedi glanced at each other and grinned sheepishly. The danger had passed.
* * *
Both Anakin and Obi-Wan were being checked over at the Republic camp, by the Jedi Healer that had been assigned to the mission, when the message came through.
A tech appeared at the console. "Listen, you two better get back to the crater. I've got something here…well, I'm not exactly sure what it is. But I have a feeling that if it's not taken care of, it could threaten the Republic itself. And the Jedi."
"Well," the Healer said, looking slightly alarmed, "there doesn't seem to be any residual effects from the Force storm you unleashed. I don't see any reason why you can't go."
Nodding their thanks, the two Jedi headed out, wondering what could be so urgent as to call them back to the recent battlefield.
The tech greeted them as they reached the crater. He led them down into the cave, through the entrance that had been loosened by their burst of Force energy, and into a lab.
"Apparently," the tech said, looking worried, "the Separatist had control of the planet for longer than we thought. Long enough, unfortunately, to set up this lab."
He led them to a console, and showed them what it was that had him so worried.
"Wow," Anakin replied after a moment. "So, no chance of a mistake?"
"No, I don't think so."
At last, Obi-Wan spoke, more gravely, it seemed, than he had ever done so. "I have a feeling, that the stakes of the war just became higher. The fate of the galaxy is in our hands."
--- Author's Notes ---
Well, here it is. My first attempt at fanfiction. I've been kicking around the idea for an Episode III story, but today I just sat down and decided to write it. I'll be on vacation for the next ten days, so to anyone who's reading this (see: nobody), don't expect a chapter for a while. Don't worry though, I'll be writing while I'm gone, and with any luck a new chapter will be ready for upload when I get back. By the way, if you are reading this, please take the time to write a short review. As I said, this is my first attempt at a fanfic, so feedback would be greatly appreciated.