-Chapter 63: Space Invaders-
Location: Risban
"Machines have potential. Any piece of equipment is only as good as its user allows."
Warmth. Massaging, all-enveloping warmth. It was intimate and close, covering every inch of her body. She felt like his hands were everywhere, like she was completely surrounded by him.
And it was the best feeling ever.
"Wraith..." She softly moaned, loving his gentle ministrations, "that feels so good..."
"I had a feeling you'd like it." He whispered in a low, husky voice that sent shivers up and down her spine. He was loving her reactions, eager to try new things to see if he could elicit more from her. "When was the last time you felt this good?"
"N... N-Never..." Ahsoka stammered, loving the way his hands massaged the muscles in her back and then worked their way around to caress her abdomen and the muscles of her torso. This was the most relaxed she'd ever felt in her life. Wraith's touch was doing something for her senses, making her feel at ease and yet a little worked up at the same time.
All she knew was that she wanted more.
"Please... Whatever you do... don't stop..." She begged him.
"As you wish, my princess." He whispered next to her lekku, his deep voice sending a fresh shudder through her body...
Ahsoka bolted upright in her bed, now wide awake as the dream dissipated.
"What. The kriff. Was that?!" She said aloud, thoroughly mortified that she'd experienced such carnal thoughts unbecoming of a Jedi... about Wraith of all people!
She'd been warned by other Masters about the potential for such things. Being young and still maturing, she would likely be prone to suffering from arousing thoughts that she would be wise to resist and never act upon. Already going through the dreaded 'urge', Ahsoka was now starting to loathe everything physical as her hormone-addled mind simply refused to obey her Jedi teachings and continued to conjur up naughty and shameful thoughts.
And those thoughts usually involved The Wraith.
The one person she was trying to forget about and push from her mind, Ahsoka had to wonder if this was some cruel trick of the Force to torment her. Here she was, trying to act like a Jedi, and all of her arousing thoughts were focused on a Separatist super-soldier. "I hate my life." She grumbled, rubbing her eyes with a sigh. Then a soft knock rapped on her door.
"Ahsoka? You awake?" It was Anakin.
"Uh... Yeah, Master. I just got up." She answered, feigning a yawn to add to the effect. "What is it?"
"Emergency meeting, we got a lead on a Separatist fleet and we're shipping out. Meet us as soon as you can, okay?" Anakin explained. That was new. And sudden. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Ahsoka reluctantly forced herself to wake up a lot quicker than she'd prefer.
"Sure thing, Master." She called back, sitting up in bed and bracing herself from another day.
It was a good thing Ahsoka wasn't one to shower in the morning, as there was no time for it today. Simply washing her face and donning her outfit in a hurry, Ahsoka was soon striding through the halls of the Jedi Temple en route to where Anakin and several other Masters were waiting. She could sense Master Windu and Master Obi-Wan but wondered if that was it or if there were more.
Rubbing her eyes and yawning again, Ahsoka swore it was way too early for this. She was one who enjoyed a few extra minutes of sleep, or at least being able to wake up slowly. Already off to a rough start, Ahsoka silently asked the Force to brighten her day somehow.
Rounding a corner, she got the exact opposite.
"Mornin' girlie." A heavily accented voice greeted her. Jarred from her moment of quiet, Ahsoka looked up with wide eyes at who was addressing her.
There stood Corsair, leaning against a wall, smoking another cigarra.
"What the kriff are you doing here?!" She demanded, knowing that outsiders like him were not welcome within the Temple. Not without an extremely good reason.
"Special ordahs." Corsair answered, taking a quick drag. "Yor Chancellor wanted me here." He explained. The Chancellor. Right. Well, at least he wasn't here of his own volition. That would've made him an even bigger jerk than he already was.
Calming herself down with a quick, unspoken mantra, Ahsoka determined not to talk to Corsair any more and just go on with the day.
Unfortunately for her, that's not how things went.
"I undahstand ya had a little 'run in' with Wraith on Aliston Nor. Or should I say, his fist ran inta you." Corsair remarked. His words did little to stir Ahsoka, who was already over the incident. She'd taken it as a sign of Wraith's true nature and thought nothing more about it.
"What about it?" She passively wondered, trying to sound as disinterested as possible in order to get him to cut this short. Instead, Corsair clamped his cigarra between his teeth and smirked.
"Yor steamin'." He stated. Ahsoka rolled her eyes, attempting to deflect his words through sheer passive-aggressive annoyance. "But I know that's not what's eatin' ya. What is, is that ya saw him lockin' lips with that Twi'lek admiral." Corsair then pointed out. Ahsoka raised an eyebrow marking, as if to silently ask 'how do you know this?' "Yeah, I read the reports, I know what happened. And I know that yor angry about it." He continued. "It's obvious! Jus' from lookin' at ya."
"What do you care?" Ahsoka shot back.
"Remember what I told ya? About Wraith bein'-"
"Yeah, yeah, I do. What of it?" She cut in.
"Well, here's tha livin' proof. After whatevah he's said, now he's gone off an' kissin' a smokin' hot Twi'lek. Hell, they're probably sharin' a room now." Corsair casually remarked. Ahsoka was suddenly rooted to the floor, a fresh emotion blasting through her body and overtaking her once-disinterested demeanor. "I mean, I would, if I were in his place. Why wait around for a Jedi prude when there's a perfectly exotic, perfectly single Twi'lek just down the hall? He'd be a damn fool to pass her over for you." He continued. A red-faced Ahsoka turned to face the Titan, feeling absolutely livid at his insinuations and his casual insults direct at her.
"You... You-...!" She sputtered, too angry to speak properly. Corsair simply chuckled and went on.
"Not ta mention that admiral's got a much bettah bod. Seriously. Curvy in all the roight places, she's a real lookah, that one." He added, seeing Ahsoka was absolutely miffed at him. "What've you got? Nothin'. Ya've got nothin' on her, kiddo." He remarked, gesturing up and down Ahsoka's form. "Best ta just get that in yor tentacled head now. Wraith, bein' the man he is, would obviously spring for a gal like her. I mean, let's face facts, ya nevah stood a chance. And ya'd be a right bloody fool to think that'd he'd evah remain true ta you. That's just how he is, luv. Yor just jealous he's found someone bettah." The very notion sparked a flurry of feelings that ravished Ahsoka's thoughts. At first she felt indignant and determined to prove him wrong. On the other hand, she was seething that Corsair would insult her in such a way. She may be a Jedi, but she was also a woman who cared about how she looked.
"I. Am. Not. Jealous." She growled through clenched teeth. Corsair nodded, his annoying smug smirk still present.
"'Course yor not. Jedi can't be jealous, it goes against yor damn code." He mused. "But ya are. And it's obvious." He said, leaning forward to get his point across. "Welcome ta reality, luv. Best ya get used to it." He said, taking one final drag from his cigarra before crushing the butt against the wall behind him and then flicking it towards Ahsoka's feet where it bounced off her boot, leaving a tiny black smudge on the toe. The Titan moved on and let Ahsoka stew in her fury, thinking nothing but murderous thoughts about Corsair.
How dare he say such things to her! How dare he condescend her like that! How dare he insinuate things like that! How dare he refer to Wraith like-...
Like what? He'd told the truth, hadn't he? Anakin's similar beliefs could back him up, even if his words were harsh and intentions crude. Why would Ahsoka be jealous of him?
"I'm not jealous." She repeated, talking to herself. "I'm the furthest thing from jealous." Even as she said these words to strengthen her resolve, something in the back of her mind wondered if she really was and was simply denying it.
No! She didn't care for Wraith, no matter how much everything tried to prove her wrong. Such was the way of the Jedi, going against the grain to do what was necessary. She was determined to prove them all, especially Corsair, wrong.
Because right now, she really, really, REALLY didn't want him to be right.
Composing herself with a sigh, Ahsoka entered the room. Today had gotten off to a very rocky start.
Standing around the holotable were Corsair, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Mace, the projected image of a planet and a single ship in red presented to them.
"Morning Snips." Anakin quietly greeted. "How are you doing?"
"Let's just say, I wish I was back in bed." She replied, folding her hands in front of her as the briefing began.
"I can relate." Anakin said with a nod.
"Corsair and his Titans were able to retrieve some data from The Wraith's shuttle during an engagement over Sluis Van. It has proven to be very telling." Mace began.
"Shor' has. Tha kriffah's never wiped his nav-log, real rookie-level mistake." Corsair informed them. "One a' tha most popular destinations was for a very specific signal that me an' my men were able ta deciphah. It's only evah broadcasted from a large capital-type ship." He told them. "We were able ta lock it in and discoverahd somethin' big. Check it out."
"That certainly looks like a Separatist battle fleet." Obi-Wan observed.
"Ovah Risban too, home ta a bunch a' hardline Seppies. Odds are this one's somethin' big." Corsair went on. "Tha ship in question is called tha 'Dominance'. Ring any bells?"
"That was the ship that attacked us just after our investigation of Oetchi." Mace said, hands on his hips. "It's one of the Subjugators."
"Well now, sounds like an oppahtunity ta knock off anothah a' those suckahs." Corsair noted.
"We'd better dispatch a fleet of our own, get the drop on it while we can and eliminate it." Anakin determined.
"Nah, ya best let me an' my crew handle this one." Corsair interjected.
"All due respect Corsair, but as generals in the Republic army, Jedi have first say in these matters." Mace clarified. But the way he said it clearly indicated the matter was not up for debate.
"Yor 'first say' bettah be a good one, or else yor gonna let a perfectly good oppahtunity slip by." The merc scoffed, clearly letting the Jedi know he didn't trust them.
"We know. But we will still make the call." Mace firmly answered.
"Right..." Corsair slowly replied, crossing his arms.
"What? Don't trust us?" Anakin cheekily wondered.
"No." Corsair flatly said. "But, I also despise Jedi. The whole damn Order."
"Whatever for?" Obi-Wan wondered.
"I've been 'round Jedi befor'. Trust me, I've got good reason ta despise you lot." Corsair responded, offering them only a brief glimpse into his story but nothing more.
"But we're not them, Corsair." Obi-Wan countered, wondering if he could mend some ancient wound.
"No... but yor part of the same Order. Hold to tha same beliefs. Ergo, not a whole lotta difference." The Titan explained. "There's no changin' my mind, Jedi. So jus' do what ya want, but don't come grovellin' ta me when ya fail." He curtly told them.
Elsewhere in the galaxy, over Risban...
"Doc... what exactly is Sunfire?" Wraith finally asked. Alone in a turbolift with Scipio, the question had been burning at the forefront of his mind ever since he was picked up. He'd asked Scipio upon arrival and the Doctor's surprise and reluctance to explain further kept him wondering. Maybe he now he would get some answers.
"It was... the Techno Union's final attempt to engineer a super-soldier. Before the war." Scipio told him. His voice sounded reluctant yet he continued, "The Techno Union had been attempting to create a marketable serum that turns the average being into a soldier-soldier for decades. As I understand it, Sunfire was the latest in a long line of projects."
"Did you work on any of them?" Wraith asked.
"No. I was part of the team assembled specifically for Project Sunstorm, after the Techno Union joined the Spearatists and was commissioned to try again." Scipio told him. "But there were plenty before us; Sunfire, Sunspot, Sunflare,"
"I think I see a pattern..." Wraith dryly mused. "So what happened to Sunfire?"
"It failed, quite spectacularly, and became the reason why the Techno Union shut down the whole project until after being inducted into the Separatists." His somber tone told Wraith there was much more going on.
"What happened?"
"The patient receiving the dosage suddenly went berserk, brutally killed all the lab staff and then escaped." Scipio explained. That struck a chord with Wraith, but he chose to pursue it later.
"Did you have any role in Sunfire?" He wondered.
"No. But my colleague, Doctor Slovodar Merik, she was the leading scientist." Scipio explained.
"She?"
"Yes. A female Zabrak. She was... a very intelligent woman." There was a hint of longing in the Pau'ans voice and a distant look in his gaze that caught Wraith's attention.
"You speak as if you knew her."
"I did. We were close friends, working side by side for the Techno Union." Scipio said. "She died that day. I never saw the footage, but those who did tell me it was horrific." His gaze fell, his spirit downcast and Wraith opted to change the situation.
"Do you... Do you think this Corsair was that test subject?" He pried.
"We don't even know if he's telling the truth, my boy." Scipio responded.
"Yeah, but... for him to know the name of the project-"
"My boy, until proven otherwise, we must approach everything he says with scrutiny and suspicion."
"But he was able to pry my hands from around his neck! He is nearly as strong as I am!" Wraith emphatically said. "Surely he must've-"
"It could be entirely possible he took some other form of physical enhancements, other than one of the old serums." Scipio cut him off. "We will have to discuss this later, there are more pressing matters to tend to."
"Like what?"
"You'll see once we reach the hangar." Scipio teasingly replied, leaving Wraith to hang on the edge of anticipation.
Soon enough, the lift doors slid open with a hiss, revealing a large space the super-soldier was very familiar with. The hangar was as wide as it was tall, proving to be very spacious and perfect for accommodating dozens of ships of varying sizes. But as Scipio led him onward, Wraith spied one ship that hadn't been here before... and was very different from everything he'd seen on the Dominance.
"What is this...?" He wondered, trailing off as he drew closer to the craft, stepping a little ahead of Scipio in order to get a better look. The Pau'an smiled.
"This, my boy, is the RX-One, or the Rogue Advanced. It's a prototype model we've been looking to test out." He explained. Wraith drunk in the shiny and sleek starfighter with a sense of awe. He'd always loved starships and to see something as beautifully designed and crafted as a Rogue-type filled him with a sense of wonder.
"I always did like this model." He mused, walking right up to the hull. "Adapting the Porax thirty-eight was a very good choice as far as starfighters go." His hand reached out, fingers barely trailing against the shiny durasteel plating.
"And this one has been completely kitted out." Scipio added. "We've kept the deflector shield projection web, the sensor array, the dual-reactor systems, made a few modifications to the heat sink cells, added a modified hyperdrive that's technically a Class Zero-point-five-"
"Zero-point-five?!" Wraith interjected, whirling around with a look of shock on his face. Scipio nodded.
"and heavily modified the weapons systems." He continued. Wraith turned back around to look at the ship, now in awe of its capabilities. Spying two cannons jutting from the side pod instead of one, Wraith could already see some of the upgrades. He thought the Porax model was the be-all and end-all beforehand, this version seemed like heaven with a hyperdrive.
"Tell me more..." Wraith asked in a distant voice as he started to circle the craft.
"We've upgraded the laser cannons from single barrels to twins, enabling a high rate of fire. We've also took some inspiration from the Belbullab twenty-two and mounted two missile batteries to the underside." Getting down, Wraith saw two small, tubelike shapes jutting out from the hull of the ship. It was innocuous enough to not detract from the design, but looked like it carried quite the deadly payload.
"Concussion missiles?" He wondered.
"Better. Seeker cluster missiles." Scipio corrected with a grin. Wraith knew exactly what those were. A single projectile that could split open and fire off up to eight individual warheads that would seek out a target and then close in for the kill, operating independently thanks to advanced tracking and guidance systems.
A single cluster missile had the potential to down eight fighters with one shot.
"Much better." Wraith agreed. Scipio continued to rattle off stats and figures as Wraith circled the craft. So far, the prototype Rogue impressed him greatly. One of the finest ships in the galaxy made even better thanks to Separatist ingenuity, engineering and creativity.
Surely, this was peak starfighter potential.
"Gotta admit, I love this thing." Wraith finally said, his vision satisfied with what he saw. "But... is this what you dragged me down here for? To show off the ship?" He inquired.
"Yes and no." Scipio responded. Now came the catch. "Like I said, this is a prototype ship we've been looking to test out and we need someone who can handle giving it a proper 'spin', if you will." He said slowly. "Think you're up for the job?" Wraith put to and two together and was thoroughly surprise.
"Me?!" He exclaimed. "Doc, I... I'm no pilot."
"Don't be ridiculous! How many times have you personally flown your shuttle from planet to planet before?" Scipio replied.
"Okay, well... I'm no ace, I can't dogfight and I doubt I'd get very far in fighter-to-fighter combat."
"Which is fine, you're not being transferred to the navy." The Pau'an assured him. "But this cockpit has been built with an organic pilot in mind and, well, very few of us here actually have spent time flying a ship like this."
"Doc, a simple Aka'jor shuttle is a far cry from an advanced Rogue-class fighter." Wraith protested.
"But you have been engineered with advanced reflexes and evolved thought-processes, making you the perfect candidate! If you can fly this, anyone can." Scipio challenged. Wraith said nothing, teetering on the edge of uncertainty. "You'll just be testing out the systems, not engaging in anything serious." Scipio added, hoping that would calm him down.
It did.
While Wraith didn't fancy himself as pilot material, nor had he spent nearly enough time in a simulator to deem himself a competent one, a simple test flight shouldn't be so hard... that and he was really itching to fly a Rogue-class.
"Well... alright. So long as it's just a training run... and I'm only shooting asteroids." He slowly agreed.
"That's the spirit!" Scipio beamed. "Now about your attire..."
"What about it?" Wraith wondered, looking down at his armor.
"That armor's not going to fit in the cockpit, so I've whipped you up something more appropriate." Scipio stated, quickly scooting over to a nearby crate, opening it, and withdrawing a fully-finished all-black outfit for Wraith to wear. The super-soldier eyed the curious design before recognizing its purpose.
"A flightsuit?" He said aloud.
"Custom made for you, my boy. Not only does it convey your signature appearance, but it also contains top of the line features to help you as a pilot." Scipio informed him, passing off the suit. Wraith took it and eyed it over for a few seconds before looking up and asking,
"Where's the nearest closet?"
A short while later...
"YEEEEHAAAAAW!" Wraith joyously whooped as he got to experience the speed and power the Rogue Advanced had to offer. "What a machine!" He cried, pushing the stick as far as it could and receiving a burst of incredible speed as he did. The controls for this craft were fairly straightforward; two matching throttles mounted right where his arms would rest along his chair, each one fitted with half-dozen buttons and switches that controlled the fighters weapons and sensor arrays. Before him, a single monitor offered him both a targeting computer and a scanner, as well as dozens of switches and toggles on either side that controlled his power output, shields, thrusters, literally everything was at his fingertips.
So far, the craft was performing beautifully.
Having already executed several loops around the length of the Dominance in record time, Wraith was now testing out the craft's short-notice maneuverability. Tight turns, sudden rolls, barrel rolls, even coasting turns weren't off the table. And yet the Rogue Advanced had handled all of them perfectly. "The power in this thing is astounding!" Wraith observed. "Not only does it handle well, but everything reacts within milliseconds! I can't say as I've ever flown something this responsive before."
"Are you telling me that, or writing a review?" Scipio asked over his helmet comms.
"Maybe a little of both." Wraith replied, switching on his targeting computer. "Let's see how the weapons work." Pinging his scanners, Wraith found a small piece of asteroid not far from him and quickly aligned his sights with the stationary rock. Waiting until his computer aligned with the target, beeped to let him know he had a lock on, then turned from green to red, Wraith squeezed the trigger on his throttle. A short burst, his finger barely on the trigger for more than a second, fired three visible streaks of laser energy from each cannon on either side which struck the rock and turned it into dust with a small explosion. "Imagine what a sustained attack would do..." He said to himself, impressed by what he saw. "Weapons are a-okay, Doc. Real powerful."
"That's good. Now, enough of your comms, let's make sure the onboard communication systems work." Scipio instructed.
"Right." Reaching for the side of his helm, Wraith powered down his helmet systems and opened a frequency through the Rogue's, hailing the Dominance. "Dominance, this is Rogue Advanced, do you copy?" Within moments, he had a reply,
"Loud and clear soldier." The voice was not Scipio, but feminine. And he knew it well.
"Admiral. I see you're in on this as well."
"What can I say? This ship is partly under my command." Sereva answered.
"True."
"But we should talk about the name. 'Rogue Advanced' sounds too clinical." She remarked.
"I'm not exactly part of a squadron, so I don't have a call sign." Wraith answered, banking hard and steering his snubfighter towards the Dominance, cutting power as he did.
"I think Admiral Shak is correct, my boy. You really should have a name while out in space." Scipio chimed in. Wraith could only assume he was on the bridge with her.
"I have a name. It's Wraith."
"A ship name, genius." Sereva corrected. Wraith rolled his eyes. "Come on, what's a good, tough, cutting-edge name for someone like you flying about?" She wondered. Wraith paused, half-bored by their insistence but opting to please them just this once. He racked his mind, taking his time as he thought of a good name. He thought about the ship and what it could do... and he had an idea.
"Dominance... this is Fang of Izax, do you copy?" He repeated.
"Nice choice." Sereva said, clearly agreeing with his choice.
"I didn't have a lot of material to work with." Wraith stated, easing the throttle up just a little more. "But... I do think the Zakuulan gods are cool." He added.
"Fair enough. Alright, 'Fang of Izax'," Scipio began again, this time using the new designation, "how about you pull back around and we'll run a-" He trailed off as something drew his attention away. In the background, Wraith could make out faint alarms and multiple conversations.
"Talk to me Doc. What's going on?" Wraith demanded, now concerned.
"We're suddenly reading multiple ships dropping out of hyperspace!" Scipio relayed, sounding slightly panicked. Wraith knew what that meant.
"We're supposed to be alone out here..." He quietly said. "Then that would mean-" His thought was soon finished when Sereva's voice rang out over the comm.
"Wraith, Five Republic vessels have just arrived, three Venators and two Accalamators!" She informed him. "We need you back on the ship!"
"How in the universe did they find us?" An exasperated Scipio wondered.
"The Titans. They must've lifted the information from my shuttle and passed it off to the Republic." Wraith realized. Scipio and Sereva continued conversing, but Wraith started thinking. He realized his critical failure in leaving his shuttle behind on the Sluis Van platform. The Republic was now attempting to destroy another Subjugator, this one his base of operations... his home.
This was his mistake. And now he would be the one to rectify it.
Yes, he was no veteran of space-combat, nor was he capable of properly handling himself in a dogfight. But what he could do was use his wits, tactical expertise, and this glorious little ship, to put a major wrench in the Republic's plans.
"Hold that thought, Admiral. I'm not coming back to the ship." He suddenly said, shifting the throttle ahead to coax some speed out of the powerful thrusters.
"Wraith? What are you doing?" Scipio nervously wondered.
"Since I'm out here, I might as well introduce the Republic to another marvelous piece of Separatist engineering." He replied, a plan already beginning to form.
"You're going to fight them?! My boy, you said it yourself, you are no dogfighting specialist!"
"That will be a last resort, Doc. But I am going to fly this ship over and do what I was made to do... turn the tide."
"How?"
"I have a few ideas. But I'm gonna need total cooperation from the bridge. You okay with that Admiral?" Wraith asked.
"You're the strategic genius, from what I hear." Sereva cheekily replied. She knew full-well what he was capable of. "I'm okay with following your lead... for now."
"Much obliged." Wraith replied, switching on a few systems and toggling his shields. "Keep me updated on the progress of the battle. Let's see if we can't destroy them here and now." He added, aiming to fly right under the prow of the Dominance. "Doc... tell me what this new flightsuit is capable of..."
The bay doors of the Venator cruisers opened to disgorge a large swarm of Republic starfighters, covered by heavy turret fire from the cruisers. Dozens of V-19 Torrents, Y-Wings and ARC 170 starfighters launched out into formation, led by a trio of Delta-7B Aethersprite starfighters; A yellow-painted one piloted by Anakin Skywalker, a red-painted one piloted by Obi-Wan Kenobi and a burgundy-painted one piloted by Ahsoka Tano.
"Everyone form up, get ready to make an attack run on the shield generators." Anakin commanded as he adjusted some of his systems.
"Anakin, you're sure about this? We don't want to fly into an ambush." Obi-Wan cautioned.
"The data the Titans got us indicate the Dominance is probably here for repairs and maintenance. We've likely caught them with their pants down, this is as good an opportunity as any." Anakin replied.
"Let's not count out their own fighter squadrons, Master." Ahsoka added. "If they can't shoot at us, they're bound to have their own fighter accompaniment."
"Smart thinking Ahsoka." Anakin applauded. "If anything, they'll be the only thing we have to worry about." Flicking his targeting computer to it's maximum setting, Anakin primed all his systems. "Artoo, watch my subroutines, will you?" He asked his blue and silver astromech. Artoo whistled in reply as Ahsoka and Obi-Wan checked in with their astromechs: R5 and R4 respectively.
But as the Republic began their attack run, a small and seemingly innocuous starfighter was approaching from a great distance.
At the controls of the RX 1, Wraith was busy running his scanners at their maximum and carefully easing his snubfighter closer to the Venators. He had to do this just right, or else his plan wouldn't work. He'd already had Sereva give the order to launch the Dominance's arsenal of Vultrue droids and Droid Tri-Fighters, which would hopefully provide enough of a deflection for him to go through with his plan.
"Let me get this straight; your idea of beating the Republic is to not use the ion cannon?" Sereva clarified.
"Yes." Wraith plainly answered, ensuring his craft was steered well away from the Republic fleet.
"...why?" Sereva finally wondered.
"By not using it, we lure them into a false sense of security. They'll be thinking that we're in the middle of repairs and can't properly fight back. That's when we spring the surprise that we are indeed fully operational." He answered. It all seemed so implement to him, he sometimes forgot others didn't think like he did.
"And how do we spring that trap?"
"Leave that to me." He replied, triggering his signal jammers as he angled his craft towards the rear of the Republic. He'd flown in a wide arc around both the Dominance and the Republic, a long distance covered in relatively short time thanks to powerful engines RX 1 came with. Now behind the Republic, he was making a slow and careful approach. His weapons were powered down, all available power devoted to shields, thrusters and sensory equipment. This had to go just right. At the moment, his sensory array was showing him heavy signal traffic jumping back and forth between the cruisers, something that intrigued him. "Admiral, my sensors show the Venator closest to the Dominance's bow is broadcasting a lot of communications. Can you confirm?" He inquired.
"Stand by, Izax." Sereva said. A pause followed as she investigated, Wraith patiently waiting. "Confirmed, there's a lot of chatter going on, but the origin of the signal is coming from that Venator." She finally reported.
"Then I've found my first target." Wraith mused. Switching signals, he spoke to someone else. "Doc, just to confirm, this craft does come with magclamp features?"
"Correct. It'll allow you to land on any surface."
"And my flightsuit can seal and allow me to withstand a vacuum for approximately ten minutes?"
"Yes, but that process does sap a lot of your other abilities. It is your maximum lifesaving function and requires total attention." Scipio cautioned.
"I'll be quick." Wraith replied, prepping his ship to go through with his plan. Adjusting his sensors, the RX 1's nav computer quickly calculated the distance between him and his target, enabling him to get a good look at his course of action. In the distance, blue and red laser bolts exploded left and right as Republic and Separatist fighters engaged in fierce space combat.
None of them had deviated to pursue him.
"Okay... so far so good, seems like I haven't been detected." He mused under his breath. Under his suit, Wraith was starting to sweat. He could feel perspiration slick the insides of his gloves, forcing him to flex his hands several times to readjust his grip.
Though he'd never admit it, he was nervous.
Cutting power to this thrusters, Wraith crept up on the rear of the Venator, his snubfighter responding to his every move. Soon enough, he was mere meters from the cruiser.
Now came the tricky part.
Killing his primary engines entirely, Wraith switched on his repulsorlift thrusters and started to angle his ship in the zero gravity. He adjusted until his underside was parallel to the hull and then slowly coaxed his snubfighter closer and closer to the cruiser. Engaging the magclamp, Wraith felt the fighter drop suddenly before attaching to the cruisers hull with a heavy clunk.
He'd landed successfully.
Releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Wraith unstrapped form his chair and started the process of sealing his suit. It was complete in less than a minute and then Wraith depressurized the cockpit, disabling the seal and allowing the transparisteel canopy to slide open. Taking hold of his ship, Wraith was now floating in zero gravity.
One wrong move and he would be sent hurtling into endless space.
Pulling himself along the ship, Wraith slowly made his way down to the hull of the cruiser. Drawing Tyth from behind, Wraith ignited the firesaber and set to work cutting open a breach in the hull...
The bridge crew of the Venator largely consisted of Clones and humans, among them were veteran naval personnel who had served alongside Anakin on the Resolute before its destruction over Sullust. They were some of the finest men the Republic Navy had to offer.
As they went about their tedious work, coordinating with the other ships in the fleet and planning the dangerous mission of destroying an active Subjugator-class heavy cruiser, none of them were expecting what came next.
It was Admiral Yularen who noticed it first. A single monitor displayed a flashing sensor warning, indicating a rear hull-breach. At first, he thought it nothing more than a faulty subroutine. There was nothing behind them, the only true danger was before them.
But his instincts told him something was very wrong.
Just as Yularen went to order a technician to investigate the matter, the turbolift at the back of the bridge slid open, and a figure surged out and onto the holotable, gunning down four personnel with a pair of blaster pistols. The ruckus drew everyone's attention and all eyes widened as they recognized that The Wraith was among them. Everyone who had a sidearm reached for it, Wraith charging at crew with pistols trained on them. He cut them down with precise shots, his aim flawless. The bridge personnel stood no chance and were relentlessly cut down, both the armed and the unarmed. With Wraith in the thick of the carnage, Yularen attempted to strike him from behind, only for Wraith to turn, grab his arm and give it a twist.
"Bad idea," he rumbled, "now live with the consequences." Stowing one pistol and igniting Tyth once again, Wraith cleaved off Yularen's arm, cutting clean through the biscep. The Admiral gasped in shock and stumbled back, clutching the remains of his seared limb. Wraith then executed a kick that knocked Yularen into a nearby console, his head knocking against the terminal and rendering him unconscious. Sheathing his other pistol, Wraith determined the bridge had been cleared and set about his plan to sabotage the Venator. But as he made for the front of the bridge, he realized there was someone still here.
It was Commander Thrawn.
"If you expect me to surrender or turn this ship over to you, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed." The Chiss calmly stated. With Tyth flashing brightly, Wraith advanced towards him.
So he was responsible for all the communications. Go figure. He was likely coordinating the battle from here.
"Not in the mood, blue-skin." He growled. "Out of my way or I'll cut you down."
"You may try." Thrawn replied, maintaining his aura of calm superiority. Wraith swung his blade hard, Thrawn ducking as a trail of fire passed overhead. Refined precision, Thrawn managed to sidestep, duck and dodge Wraiths every attempt to score a hit, frustrating the super-soldier to no end. A cross-cut was quickly avoided with some expert footwork and then a downward slash evaded with a quick sidestep. Thrawn took advantage of the moment and, drawing a baton from his side, smashed Wraith in the hand with it. The blow was enough for the super-soldier to loose his grip and Tyth was sent clattering across the floor. "I see you're not wearing your usual armor." Thrawn calmly observed, putting his weapon aside. "That puts you at a disadvantage."
"You think me so dependent on my arsenal?" Wraith challenged, wringing his hand. "I will prove you wrong!" Charging Thrawn and ready to execute the mother of all shoulder checks, Wraith didn't expect the Chiss to go low and extend his baton into a staff, deftly taking out his legs with a single sweep. Flat on his back, the tip of Thrawn's staff tapped Wraith's chest.
"By all means, I'm waiting." The Chiss softly replied, the barest hint of smugness in his voice. Wraith growled and suddenly took hold of the staff, managing to wrench it from Thrawn's grip and strike him on the chin. Thrawn stumbled away as Wraith cast the staff aside and sprung to his feet. "Well done." The Chiss complimented.
"I have no time for this." Wraith rumbled, drawing his pistol and shooting the bridge terminals, each of them exploding in a small shower of sparks.
"You would kill an unarmed foe?" Thrawn wondered with signature calmness.
"I have before." Wraith retorted taking aim at the Chiss. For a tense moment, Thrawn believed this to be the end and wiped a little dust from the cuff of his black uniform. Then, Wraith slightly shifted his aim and shot the terminal behind Thrawn, the Chiss flinching a little. "But not you."
"Why?"
"Because you are worthy of respect." Wraith answered. "You have proven yourself more capable than the entire Republic Army and Jedi Order combined. Therefore, I believe you deserve to go down with a fighting chance, something you clearly don't have right now."
"I did not ask for your respect." Thrawn quietly retorted.
"Enjoy it, Commander Thrawn. I don't give it out freely." Wraith responded, stooping down and collecting his firesaber. "Feel free to watch and see how the Republic fares without your assistance." He added, moving towards another bridge terminal and shooting it. Thrawn did not intervene as Wraith methodically eliminated each and every terminal on the bridge, destroying them all and effectively cutting their communications. As he made his way to the rear, Wraith ignited his fiery blade and stabbed Tyth clean through the bridge's holotable, leaving a molten slag mark behind as he wrenched his blade free. There would be no more communications leaving this cruiser, therefore crippling the Republic's coordination. With his job done, he made to leave.
"You will regret your decision to spare me." Thrawn suddenly spoke. "Respect may show civility but it also shows weakness. I was under the impression you had no weaknesses." Wraith stopped, but said nothing. Thrawn continued. "If you deem me such a threat to you, you should kill me. Showing mercy to an enemy allows them time to plan your demise."
"Wise words." Wraith replied. "But you should be grateful, Commander. If we meet again under different terms, I won't be so merciful." He said over his shoulder. With that, he advanced to the turbolift. As the doors slid open and Wraith stepped inside, Thrawn uttered one final word,
"If."
Climbing back into his snubfighter, Wraith rapidly went through the process of getting oxygen flowing again. His suit seal would only last for so long and he needed atmosphere as soon as possible.
"Doc, the Venator's bridge crew has been dealt with, their communications are done for." He reported to Scipio, quickly running through the power-up sequences.
"Splendid!" Scipio applauded. "Now what?"
"Now for the next phase of my plan." Wraith replied as his canopy closed, the hiss of fresh atmosphere filling his cockpit. "I have to get the attention of those Republic fighters. Ten credits says they're being led by Jedi, if I can get them to chase me, I think I can score a critical blow against their forces." He explained. That wasn't everything he had in mind, but he'd have to relay that later.
"Alright... be careful... Fang of Izax."
"Always." Disengaging the magclamp, the RX drifted away from the Venator before Wraith eased the throttle forward, looping his fighter back around and flying away from the cruiser. Powering his shields to full and ensuring every one of his systems was running at 100 percent, Wraith switched on his targeting computer and let his scanners sweep over the space battle raging not far from him. "Okay... now for the hard part. The thing I'm not good at..." He sighed, breathing deeply. He knew how to fly, for sure, but now the odds of his survival had just changed. Flying a simple shuttle was a far cry from flying at high-octane being chased with people trying to kill you, all while cannonfire was ripping past.
And he had never done such a simulation before.
Closing his eyes and evening his breathing, he took a moment to get a feel for his ship. Honing his senses, he tried feeling out the snubfighter, attempting to listen. He needed his instincts now more than ever, and maybe, just maybe, feeling out the ship would help.
For some strange reason, he felt something resonate within him. Like his senses were suddenly attuned to the mechanical functions of the snubfighter. He could feel the pulses of the engine, the energy flowing through the power cables, the data bouncing from system to system.
He felt at one with the fighter.
Snapping open his eyes and slamming the throttle forward, Wraith was pressed back into his seat as the burst of speed propelled him forward. He was ready to do this.
The silver snubfighter rocketed towards the battle, cannons warm and ready to fire. Wraith quickly calibrated his tracking systems and synchronized his cannons, feeling as prepared as he could be. The first ship to cross his screen was a Vultrue droid, quickly pursued by a V-19 Torrent. His computer registered the ship and turned yellow, followed by a long, droning tone. Then it turned red with a series of beeps and Wraith hit the triggers, a burst of laser fire erupting from his cannons. The rounds sheared through exposed cockpit, scorching the body and lighting up the starboard engines as the Torrent suffered a direct hit. Flames quickly engulfed the body before the starfighter exploded, the wings sent spiraling off in different directions.
His first fighter kill.
Feeling better about himself, but refusing to get too cocky, Wraith veered to starboard and locked on to a passing ARC 170. His targeting computer going through the same motions as before, Wraith fired a quick burst that shredded the starfigther's starboard engine and likely killed the rear gunner. The ARC went spiraling out of control as Wraith fired a second burst that caused the other engine to erupt in flames. The craft exploded seconds later as the engine fires caught the fuel lines and caused a detonation. Wraith turned hard to port and fired a stream of fire as he passed a cluster of Republic ships. He saw a few explosions, but was not certain if he'd scored any kills.
His sensors displayed a group of three ships in tight formation, but he couldn't see any before him. Pushing the throttles, Wraith dove down and quickly highlighted three more ARC's in front of him. Acquiring another target lock, Wraith flicked his missile system on and pulled the trigger. A red streak erupted from his starboard side as a single missile was loosed. It burst open seconds later and a circle of eight warheads bloomed open, their individual systems acquiring target locks of their own. Three missiles streaked towards the leading ARC, who quickly rolled and changed directions. The other two followed suite, but wound up exposing themselves. One missile closed in on the rearmost ARC and slammed into its aft, the back exploding into flames and pitching the craft forward uncontrollably. With it's underside revealed, a second missile struck there, another fiery explosion consuming the ship and blowing it in two. The remaining ARC's suffered varying fates. The lead one continued to outrace the incoming warheads, while the one behind it was struck by three at once, the warheads clumping together as the honed in on the same target. A fireball consumed the starfighter and turned it into a cloud of dust and debris that Wraith sailed through, in pursuit of the remaining ARC. A single warhead managed to connect with one of the starfighter's triple wings, the rest detonating beforehand. Flames quickly sprouted along the wing, creating a weakness Wraith sought to exploit. But the pilot was good, using speed and maneuverability to his advantage. The tail gunner went to work firing on Wraith, attempting to draw a bead. A few stray bolts struck his bow, their damage heavily reduced by his shields. Hitting the triggers, Wraith unleashed a steady stream of concentrated fire that shredded the rear of the ARC, and explosion destroying the tail gunner cockpit and sending the body of the Clone flying past him. Wraith continued his barrage as his cannons ate up the ship, blowing it to pieces until the starfighter finally combusted. "Finally." Wraith breathed, now reminded of just how stressful and tedious fighter to fighter combat could be.
Glancing to his port, he saw a line of a dozen Y-Wings form up on a yellow Delta-7B, breaking off from the main engagement and make a break for the Dominance. "Oh no you don't..." He growled, banking hard to port, throttling forward and flicking on his targeting systems.
Seeing an opportunity, Anakin led Hatchet Squadron away from the fray and towards the mighty Subjugator. A veteran of dozens of space battles, Anakin was known as the Jedi's greatest pilot and was something of a flying ace in the Republic navy. He was good, very good, and squadron leader Straightshot felt confident falling in with the Jedi General. The triangular Delta-7B led the Y-Wings like an arrow, pointing them on to victory.
"Tighten up, boys, those batteries could light up any second." Anakin ordered over comms, both hands on his stick.
"Copy that General." Straightshot complied, passing the order along.
"The instant we see something wrong, we break off. Understood?" Anakin added, recalling the last time they fought a Subjugator and remembering how much of a bloodbath it was.
"I copy sir." Straightshot confirmed. A brief second of silence ensued before a worried Clone called out,
"General, this is Hatchet Five! I've got a missile lock!"
"Me too!" Hatchet seven reported. Instantly, both Five and Seven were blown up, quickly followed by Hatchet Six and Eight through Twelve, all of them screaming a missile lock before cutting out. Anakin could see a glow in his cockpit, emanating from the eight wrecks behind them.
"Straightshot! You see anything?"
"Negative, sir! I've got no locks on me!" The Clone frantically reported, trying to determine what or who had attacked his brothers.
Suddenly, streaks of laser fire rained down from above, shredding through both Hatchet Four and Hatchet Three, turning them into fireballs.
"From above!" Hatchet Two cried out before his comm was reduced to static.
"Artoo, scan report! Now!" Anakin ordered. It was just him and Straightshot now. "Break off! Repeat, break off!" He shouted, veering hard to starboard. The Y-Wing behind him followed suite, trailing right behind Anakin. Straightshot pulled up alongside his General just as their attacker swept in again.
"Six o'clock! Six o'clock!" The Clone gunner cried, firing the turret wildly.
"General! He-AAAGH!" Straightshot was cut off as Anakin watched his cockpit fill with smoke and flame, rounds from their attacker piercing clean through the shielded Y-Wing before the starfighter exploded in a ball of fire. Flinching and instinctively veering his own ship away from the explosion, Anakin had to wonder who had just decimated his squadron.
And then a silver Rogue-class starfighter streaked past him.
Speechless for a split second, Anakin shook himself out of his stupor and threw himself into action.
"Artoo, lock on to that ship! Do not lose it!" He ordered his droid. As the astromech beeped and whistled a reply, Anakin took off in hot pursuit of his quarry, the Rogue already in a wide, banking turn away from the Dominance. Anakin activated his comms as he coaxed a little more speed out of his snubfighter's engines. "Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, we've got a new player on the field. He's good. Dangerously good. Just took out all of Hatchet Squadron by himself." He reported.
"Wait, what?!" His apprentice exclaimed, clearly not anticipating someone better than a droid ship to be out here.
"Sounds to me a bit like when Ventress arrived during the Battle of Muunilinst." Obi-Wan thoughtfully mused. Anakin had to admit his friend had a point. He'd chased the Dark Jedi from Muunilinst all the way to Yavin, Ventress having proven herself a very deadly pilot.
"I'd agree, if it weren't for the fact she's dead. This is something else." He concluded. "Form up on me. If they're good enough to take down twelve ships in a heartbeat, we need to stop them."
"Understood." Obi-Wan agreed.
"Be right with you, Skyguy." Ahsoka chimed in. With his friends close at hand, Anakin gave chase and pursued the Rogue, pushing the stick forward and earning him a burst of speed as Artoo overrode a few systems for maximum engine output. Anakin stayed close behind the starfighter, his own experience with piloting and battle-tested skills allowing him to keep pace with the Rogue. He tried to get off a few shots here and there when he seemed to have a chance, but the starfighter would always dodge at the last moment, either veering away to travel somewhere else or to avoid his shots altogether. As they did, the Rogue would fire off a few rounds of its own, blasting stray ARC's and Torrents as they bobbed and weaved through the frenzied fray. There were times it seemed the enemy pilot took no notice of Anakin and was casually continuing his work while dodging him at the same time. That gave Anakin some considerable irritation and his brow furrowed as his concentration deepened.
Soon, the reddened starfighters of Obi-Wan and Ahsoka joined in as Anakin's wings, a trio of Jedi now pursuing the Rogue.
"If you get a shot, take it. I can't seem to hit this guy." The Jedi called out. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka took his advice and matched speed with Anakin, both of them firing off periodic rounds of matching green laser fire, only to miss as the Rogue rolled and shifted just out of the way. Suddenly, the double thrusters glowed a very bright blue and the snubfighter took off like a shot, putting out a speed that surprised all of them.
"Look at the speed of that thing!" Ahsoka cried, watching the number on her targeting computer increase as the ship got further and further away.
"Cut the chatter, Ahsoka. Accelerate to attack speed." Anakin clearly order, punching his own thrusters to their maximum. The friends did the same and they kept in hot pursuit of the Rogue, albeit with a much bigger distance between them.
"At this rate we'll never got a shot off, he's too far away!" Ahsoka complained, sounding frustrated. The Rogue continued to sow a path of destruction, blasting Republic starfighters that just so happened to align with its crosshairs. An impressive body count was being racked up by this unknown pilot, a fact that served to increase the Jedi's worries.
"You're right about one thing, Anakin. He is good." Obi-Wan observed.
"That's what worries me." The Knight grimly muttered. "That's not Grievous' ship."
"Could it be a Magnaguard?" Obi-Wan theorized.
"Master, look at the sides, there's two cannons instead of one." Ahsoka pointed out. As Anakin's wing, she had a better view of the starfighter's side than Anakin did. "That's not standard issue on Rogue-class." Thanks to Anakin, Ahsoka knew a great deal about the inner workings of starfighters, but he'd also taught her about ships in general, usually the standard issue ones the Republic and Separatists used.
"Good find, Snips. This isn't your average Rogue-class." Anakin agreed.
"Cad Bane? He could've upgraded Xanadu Blood." Obi-Wan suggested, seeing as such an add-on could only be reserved for someone with the credits to get it.
"It's not in his coloring, though." Anakin countered, knowing the greenish shade of the bounty hunter's personal craft well. This one was silver, very streamlined and monochromatic, looking more military than like a custom job.
Suddenly, the Rogue executed a quick loop, cut its engines and was soon in line with the Jedi. The odd move took them off guard, but before they could properly react, something else happened.
"Anakin, I'm being hailed by the Rogue." Obi-Wan announced.
"Me too!" Ahsoka chimed in.
"That makes three of us." Anakin said, quietly wondering what was going on. "Open comms." He stated, toggling a switch before him. With an open line, Anakin spoke first. "What do you want?"
"Anakin Skywalker. The 'galaxy's greatest pilot'." The mechanical, synthesized voice that answered was immediately recognized by the Jedi. Anakin's eyes widened before narrowing.
"Wraith." He growled.
"So much for those stories. You let your whole squadron be reduced to space dust and didn't do a thing. Where's the 'hero with no fear'? Did he clam up all of a sudden?" The super-soldier taunted.
"What are you doing out here? You're no pilot!" Ahsoka demanded.
"I figured it was time I expanded my resume, my dear." Wraith replied. "And seeing as I'm already an ace, I'm off to a great start."
"What are you doing here with this Subjugator?" Obi-Wan pried.
"We're just using Risban as training space, Kenobi." The Wraith answered. "Permit me to introduce you to a wonder of Spearatist engineering. A new little project of ours." Gunning his engines, Wraith pulled a little further ahead so the Jedi could get a good look at his ship. "Ever heard of Izax? He's the father of the Zakuulan pantheon. Those who die are march to his embrace to be devoured... and his hunger is ravenous." He said, teasingly referencing only the name he was using while out in space. "Follow me... at your own peril." He threateningly added.
"You don't have our experience Wraith, the odds are against you!" Anakin stated. "We'll blast you into space dust before you have a chance to blink." He promised.
"To do that, you'll have to catch me!" Wraith retorted, wagging his wings rather cheekily before pushing his engines to full power and taking off like a shot. For a moment, they were impressed by the incredible speed of the craft, which appeared to be more than anything they'd seen from other starfighters, but then Anakin was all over the situation.
"Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, contact the remaining squadrons. Have them form up on us, we're gonna chase down Wraith." He determined.
"What about the battle?" Obi-Wan asked.
"If we can vaporize Wraith, we'll have scored a much bigger victory." Anakin responded, explaining his decision. "Contact the cruisers, tell them to open fire on the Dominance, full barrage!"
"Anakin you cannot let whatever rivalry you have with The Wraith get in the way of what needs to be done!" Obi-Wan chided, believing he was letting his pride get the better of him.
"I am doing what needs to be done! We came here to eliminate a Separatist target and that's exactly what I'm going to do." Anakin retorted. Cutting his comms, Anakin took off after Wraith, pushing his engines to their limit. Obi-Wan could only sigh as he too reached for his comms.
His scanners showing one of the Jedi fighters give chase, Wraith smirked and adjusted his power output, sending most of it to his shields and providing ample defence against any attempt to shoot him down.
"That's right... come and get me." He quietly said, adjusting his systems as he got ready for a chase. Suddenly, green laser bolts ripped by overhead, his craft shuddering from the sheer proximity. Wraith rolled hard to the right and slammed both throttles forward, shooting out into space at high speeds. Anakin was right behind him, the Jedi Knight summoning all of his inherent skills and experience in order to prove himself the better pilot.
He could handle this, given time. There wasn't a single space battle he hadn't won.
Reefing back on his throttles, Wraith executing a wide and high loop. Anakin quickly did likewise, shooting a constant stream of laser fire as he did. Being further behind Wraith, Anakin had the advantage of distance, executing a smaller, tighter loop in favour of getting a perfect lock on the RX. The green bolts strafed the exposed top of the ship, peppering the craft with bolt after bolt. "Ouch!" Wraith grumbled as the whole craft shuddered, "Felt that one." He muttered, shaking off the blunder and realizing he'd been spared by his shields alone.
In his cockpit, Anakin smirked.
"So you're shielded... good to know." He mused, already thinking. "Artoo, divert power from shields to weapons." He instructed. Artoo responded without a string of beeps and boops. "Yeah, I know it's risky. I'll be careful." Anakin answered, pressing his stick further. "Oh, and contact Red leader and Green leader for me." As his astromech did so, Anakin lined up the leveled-out Rogue in his crosshairs and fired again. Wraith dipped just in time and the bolts vaped a Vulture instead.
"Focus, soldier... focus." Wraith commanded himself. This was yet another close call. Anakin really was no slouch behind a stick. Wraith determined he needed to make use of his snubfighter's strengths instead of just trying to be a fighter pilot. He couldn't outfight Anakin, he lacked the know-how to pull that off. But he could outrun him and lead him on a merry chase. "So that's how you wanna play, Skywalker?" Wraith mused, highlighting the craft behind him on his scope. Adjusting his systems with the flick of a switch, he was ready to go. "Alright... let's play!" Slamming the throttle forward, Wraith opened up the engines and took off like a shot. Anakin as in hot pursuit moments later. The Jedi could already tell his Delta-7 didn't have what it took to keep pace with Wraith. The least he could do was stay on his tail.
And that was exactly what he planned to do.
Artoo suddenly let him know of an open communication and Anakin answered it.
"Red Leader, Green Leader, I need your squadrons to form up on me. We've got a bigger bogey out here than any Vulture." He commanded.
"Copy that, General Skywalker." Red Leader complied.
"Commander Tano and General Kenobi already let us know, sir," Green Leader added, "Blue, Gold and Black Squadrons will be right with you. And, uh, our condolences for Hatchet Squadron." The Y-Wings has been destroyed almost entirely, most of them belonging to Hatchet Squadron. Very few of them were still involved in the fray and, as a bomber, weren't faring well against the more nimble Separatist fighters.
"We can avenge their deaths by taking this guy down." Anakin solemnly vowed. Switching off comms, he returned to the task at hand.
He had a super-soldier to hunt.
The Fang of Izax darted around the battle with speed and ease, winding and turning on a dime to execute complex zigzag maneuvers in an effort to throw off its Republic pursuers. One by one, fighter after fighter joined Anakin in his mad quest to chase down The Wraith, an impressive trail of Republic units forming behind him. ARC 170's and V-19 Torrents, all of them following the advice and direction of their General. Anakin grew so zoned in on the RX in front of him, he started to forget about those following his lead, the Clone starfighters having a hard time keeping pace with their General as he followed every winding turn and sudden pitch. Overall, the RX proved itself a vastly superior snubfighter, especially in the speed and handling department. Although he'd never admit it, Anakin would begrudgingly conclude that Wraith was piloting a very capable and deadly starfighter.
All the while, the super-soldier had a plan. Courtesy of some very nice G-Force compensation devices in the cockpit, Wraith could think quite clearly while performing such intense maneuvers while at high speed. This had granted him access to the most powerful weapon available to him: his mind. Ever the tactician, Wraith has carefully considered all his options and Skywalker was busy playing right into his hands without even realizing it. Every single move Wraith made was all part of a larger ploy, something he was going to act upon very soon.
Leading the massive column of Republic ships behind him, Wraith slowly wove his way around the Dominance and ordered Sereva to recall the cruiser's fighters. He had this under control.
The tight turns and wild dips and dodges were all intentional. With so many other ships on his tail, Wraith knew that staying still for even a second result in a hail of innumerable cannonfire that would likely disintegrate him. For that reason, he needed to keep moving so none of his opponents could ever get a shot off.
So far, it was working. But the moment was coming when he'd have to rely on someone other than himself... and that worried him.
"Alright Admiral, I think I have their attention. Feel free to boot up the ion cannon and hit those cruisers." He announced as the rounded the Subjugator's massive engines.
"With pleasure!" Sereva happily replied. Now flying on the starboard side of the ship, Wraith was ready to go ahead with the next part of his plan.
"Admiral, also have the starboard gunnery crews stand by, I'm bringing a line of starfighters past them. Tell them to enjoy the target practice... and to try to avoid shooting me down."
"Will do, Fang of Izax. Should they fire on your mark?" Admiral Shak inquired. Glancing at the dozens of ships on his scope, Wraith determined it was time to focus.
"...yes." He finally said. After a moment of silence, in which Wraith executed several tight turns and primed his engines with a higher power input, Sereva was back.
"Awaiting your command," Wraith knew where the Dominance's turrets were primarily located, giving him a slight advantage over his foes.
He waited a few more seconds, lining up the planet of Risban to his lower right and primed his thrusters. Numerous alarms went off as he went stationary, indicating multiple target locks.
"Now! Start at the rear and work their way up!" He shouted, slamming the throttles forward and forcing his engines to give him whatever speed they could.
From behind, Anakin grinned as his targeting computer turned red, then lost his grin as Wraith blasted forward with a burst of sudden speed.
"Dammit, lost him." The Jedi cursed.
At that moment, thunderous explosions echoed behind him.
"General! We-" Red Leader started to report before being cut off.
"Red Leader? Red Leader!" Anakin shouted, tapping his comms.
"Anakin! The Dominance's cannons have opened fire on us! Wraith just led us into an ambush!" Obi-Wan frantically reported. The situation registered with Anakin and he acted quickly.
"Break! Break!" He ordered to the other ships. "Scatter! We're sitting ducks right now!" Anakin quickly wheeled about, reefing back on the stick as his snubfighter turned up in a half arc. He had to try and get above the guns, but some space between him and the cannons targeting him. Hopefully Ahsoka and Obi-Wan would do something similar. Looking down at his scanner, Anakin watched as the friendly green markers that had been behind him slowly winked out one by one. Given the fact that almost two-hundred and fifty turbolaser banks were trained on them, Anakin was unsurprised by this, but he was devastated. "Dammit." He cursed again.
"Izax, the gunnery officers send their thanks." Sereva informed Wraith.
"Like shooting scalefish in a barrel, right?" The super-soldier mused, clear of the targeted area.
"Something to that effect," Sereva agreed, "the Republic cruisers have been disabled. They're floating husks now."
"Missed the light show." Wraith sighed. He always did enjoy watching that thing fire. "Vaporize the Acclamators and one of the Venators, then jump to hyperspace." He spoke, offering his next tactical suggestion.
"What? Why? Why not all of them?" Sereva questioned.
"We need some to limp back with a report of failure." Wraith explained. He waited for an affirmative understanding, but got nothing. After a few moments of no response, Wraith had to wonder. "Admiral?"
"Your suggestion has been taken into consideration, Fang of Izax. But I will be destroying all but one of the Venators." Sereva tersely responded, sounding very much like she had chosen to exercise her authority. Obviously she didn't like his idea.
"Fine." He relented. "Send me the coordinates to whatever world you're jumping to when you've got the chance." Scipio answered next.
"My boy, you're not boarding?"
"We still need to test out the hyperdrive, Doc. Plus, I need to humiliate Skywalker a little more." Wraith answered, the final stage of his plan in mind.
"Wraith..." Scipio hesitantly resounded, the time of his voice conveying precisely what he was feeling.
"I'm not in over my head, I'm just keeping his head out of the fight so he can't coordinate properly." He assured the Pau'an. Flicking a switch and toggling his targeting computer once more, Wraith banked to starboard and took off towards the assembling Republic stragglers.
Now free of the attack zone and flying high above the Dominance, Anakin took stock of who was left.
"All wings, report in." He quietly said, knowing there were few of the flight group remaining.
"This is Red Six, sir. Red Nine and Twelve suffered flak damage that took out their comms. We're exchanged hand signals and they're okay." A Clone answered. "They'll be my wings."
"Good." Anakin accepted. "Anyone else?"
"Green Two standing by."
"Green Seven standing by."
"Blue Three standing by."
"Black Ten standing by." A series of Clones chorused in response.
"I'm here Anakin." Obi-Wan added.
"Me too, Master." Ahsoka concurred.
"Great. So there's ten of us left." Anakin surmised.
"Out of how many...?" Ahsoka dejectedly wondered.
"We'll... tally that up later, Snips." Anakin replied. "Right now we need to get back to the-" Casting a glance to his starboard side, Anakin watched with a sinking feeling as the Dominance relentlessly shelled the helpless Republic battle group. Fire were raging on most of the Venators, save one, and the Accalamators had been smashed to pieces, now nothing more than debris fields with larger chunks of ship scattered throughout. Only a single Venator remained untouched, though sporadic flashing bolts of ionic energy rippled across its hull, "battle." Anakin finished with a sigh.
They'd lost.
"Anakin, we don't have the firepower to do any more damage. I don't know why they're sparing that cruiser but it's our saving grace," Obi-Wan stated, "we should turn back now while we still can." As he finished speaking, a Clone suddenly jumped on the comms.
"General this is Red Six, I've got missile lock!"
"From where?!" Anakin urgently wondered. "Artoo-"
"I see it Master!" Ahsoka called, throttling forward as she spied the single red streak coming in from the Dominance.
To her surprise, the single warhead suddenly split into eight.
"What the-?!" Her exclamation went unfinished as they sailed past her, different targets in mind. "Cluster missile!" She cried. The warning did them no good as one-by-one, the missiles found their targets and blew up the remaining Torrents, two of them grouping together and slamming into the lone ARC in the group. The Jedi watched helplessly as all three cockpits were filled with flame before an explosion snapped the starfighter in two, its debris joining the cloud that had formed from the other fighters.
All of a sudden, a silver shape shot through their midst, rattling all three Delta snubfighters.
"How the mighty have fallen." Wraith growled through their comms. The Jedi has been blindsided, his plan coming to an almost-perfect conclusion. Anakin registered the ship, then the voice, and was suddenly overcome by a darkened desire to put an end to this.
"You!" He growled, slamming the stick forward and turning on a dime, taking off after the RX. "Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, get back to the ship. I'm going after Wraith!" He ordered.
"Anakin-!"
"Master-!" The protests of his friends were cut off as Anakin switched off comms, powering on other systems in their place.
"Artoo, divert all power from shields to weapons!" Anakin commanded, toggling his targeting computer once more. His snubfighter had a couple of proton torpedos, both of which he wanted to send down Wraith's engines.
"Master Kenobi, we have to do something!" Ahsoka cried, caring only for how Anakin might fail in such a narrow-minded state. Looking out his canopy, Obi-Wan watched as the Dominance suddenly vanished into hyperspace.
"I'm afraid there's not a whole lot we can do, young one." He dejectedly determined.
"Then... go back to the cruiser. I'll shadow the fight and jump in if Anakin gets into trouble." Ahsoka replied, veering to port and turning around to focus on the unfolding dogfight.
Wraith dove left and then right, leading Anakin on yet another chase.
"Enough games!" Anakin shouted, jamming the trigger on his cannons. Green bolts streaked past the RX, his aim wide and high.
From inside his cockpit, Wraith chuckled as he maneuvered his ship in line with Risban... and the glow behind the planet swiftly grew brighter. Risban's sun suddenly appeared from behind the planetary sphere and Wraith's canopy and optics quickly polarized to adjust.
Anakin, however, was suddenly blinded. With Wraith in front of him, the systems couldn't properly detect the rising sun and allowed the brightness in unfiltered. Raising his hand to shield his eyes with a grunt, Anakin looked away... just long enough for Wraith to pull a barrel roll. When his canopy polarized, the Jedi looked up to find his quarry gone. "What...?" He momentarily gasped before looking down at his scope to see a red blip right behind him. Artoo screeched a warning and Anakin was immediately on the defensive.
Wraith chuckled to himself as he toggled his weapons to their linked fire setting. Anakin. Rolled and dove, trying to avoid him. But matching speed, Wraith casually signed himself a pulled the trigger. His port side cannons fired two bolts, one striking Anakin's starboard engine while the second hit his wing and chewed through metal and circuits. Anakin jolted as fire and smoke erupted from his destroyed engine, multiple warnings lighting up all over his console. He suddenly found the controls difficult and his stick hard to command. "Artoo, cut all power to starboard thruster, see if you can kill the flames." He ordered, taking control of the situation. Artoo whistled in compliance as an unwelcome voice crackled over his comms.
"It'd be very easy to shoot you down right now." Wraith gloated. Anakin saw the RX streak past his port side.
"If I had Azure Angel, you wouldn't be so lucky." Anakin ground out in response.
"Now now Skywalker, don't blame your ship for your incompetence." Wraith chuckled. "But by all means, do limp back to your remaining ship."
"Why? Why not just kill me now?" The Jedi asked.
"Because I want you to go home with a report of failure. I want you to feel the weight of having failed yet again. All these men dead, all these ships gone, and what do you have to show for it? Nothing." Wraith rumbled. Turning his ship around, Anakin watched as the RX came dead on, headed right towards him. "Let it be known you're not the greatest pilot in the galaxy," Wraith added, unable to resist getting one last barb in. "I am." His words had a sense of finality to them and Anakin could practically hear the RX acquiring a target lock.
Suddenly, blue rounds peppered the side of the RX and the snubfighter dove away, quickly pursued by a burgundy Delta-7B. Anakin smiled a little.
"Thanks Snips."
Now chasing Wraith, Ahsoka was doggedly determined to keep him away from her Master. But as she fired another burst from her cannons, a private comm appeared on her console. She answered it, knowing who was calling.
"Now whatever was that for, my dear?" Wraith wondered.
"I think you know why." Ahsoka shot back, in no mood to be friendly.
"Come now, Ahsoka, you're never this peeved so there must be something eating you." Wraith continued, juking left as she followed.
"Oh, I don't know," she sarcastically replied, "maybe I just saw the guy who supposedly 'cares' about me lock lips with a Twi'lek who's way hotter than me." Her biting response snapped Wraith out of his casual and confident demeanor.
"Wait, what? Oh! Oh that." He spluttered, realizing she had seen Sereva's expression of unappreciated affection and that he needed to do some damage control.
She didn't know the whole story.
"Ahsoka, listen to me, that was not what it looked like." He tried to explain.
"Oh yeah, suuuuure. Like I haven't heard that before!" She snapped, promptly ending the call and firing off another burst from her cannons.
She didn't realize it in the heat of the moment, but having stewed on his words the whole flight over, Ahsoka had let Corsair's words get to her... and was now starting to believe them.
"Ahsoka?" Wraith wondered, tapping his comms. The sudden burst of fire became his answer and he flinched as his craft shuddered. "Kriffing hell." He grumbled, knowing he needed to have a talk with Ahsoka and soon. Cutting his engines, Wraith slowed down and let her snubfighter blow past him.
Ahsoka jerked her stick to starboard as Wraith seemed to cut power. Speeding past his ship, She had to wonder if this was some kind of ploy to get her in front, where his weapons would be effective. She'd seen other pilots do it before.
Instead, he veered to starboard and engaged his hyperdrive, taking off into a tunnel of light.
"Well... guess that's that." She huffed... still steaming on the inside.
In hyperspace, Wraith took his hands off the controls and relaxed for a moment, breathing deeply as the intensity of the battle wore off. He chuckled as he recalled the barb he'd shot at Anakin, knowing that he'd need a lot more practice and experience before even thinking about calling himself 'the galaxy's greatest pilot'. Reflecting on what had transpired, Wraith patted the inside of his craft affectionately, deeming it a reliable and wonderful snubfighter in every sense.
But there were other things on his mind that weren't so wonderful.
Having failed against Thrawn, albeit in an impromptu attempt, Wraith's thoughts were slowing turning dark. He couldn't successfully beat the Titans, not without significant extraneous assistance. He couldn't even beat Thrawn, the Chiss having read him like a holotext and reacted accordingly. These few specialists had proven to be be better than him... so what good was he?
"Is this all I am?" He wondered aloud. "An over-glorified anti-Clone weapon?" Sure he'd bested a few Jedi before, but when was the last time he'd actually done so? So far he'd dealt with average organic beings... and it was they who had bested him.
If that's all he was good for, then he had failed in his mission, both as a super-soldier and as The Wraith. His usefulness was at stake, his very existence in question. Unless he found some way to prove himself the superior, fear-instilling symbol he was meant to be... then The Wraith was for naught.
He hoped the next battlefield would prove those thoughts, and himself, wrong.
Author's Note: That next battlefield, my beloved readers, comes in the form of Season 4, episodes 2-3. Stay tuned!
