-Chapter 95: A Tactical Genius-
Location: Charros IV Orbit
"The diligent mind outwits the seasoned schemer."
Charros Four was not unfolding like anyone had planned, both Republic and Separatist factions working hard to gain the upper hand in the battle for Haor Chall's production facility.
Plo Koon commanded his forces on the ground, alongside Master Jaro Tapal and his Padawan Cal Kestis, while Ahsoka was left in charge of the fleet above. It was a good thing, because the Separatists had brought in a trio of Munificent-class cruisers and a Providence-class destroyer to lead the naval counterattack in an effort to deprive the Republic of their support.
Leading them was a stern and intimidating commander by the name of Fol Regis. An older human male with greying hair and many different naval commands and operations under his belt, Regis was looked upon favourably by Count Dooku and other Separatist leaders for his many victories over the Republic. So much so that Dooku was looking to put him in charge of one of the Subjugator heavy cruisers, a fact Regis was well aware of. Charros Four was to be his final command of traditional vessels before upgrading to one of the biggest ships in the entire Separatist navy.
Dooku had informed him he was to be escorted once the battle was over. What Fol hadn't been expecting was for his escort to be The Wraith.
The super-soldier arrived on the bridge in full armor, approaching Admiral Regis from behind.
"Commander. Pleased to see you've arrived." He cordially greeted. Regis' head turned ever so slightly at the sound of his emulated voice.
"You're early, soldier." He crisply responded.
"At Count Dooku's behest. He thought it best I stay with you." Wraith quickly informed him, maintaining his distance.
"I'm not one who needs to be supervised, soldier. I know what I'm doing." Regis bluntly replied. That caught Wraith off guard, though he supposed he should've expected some sort of hostility. Regis was an old-fashioned commander, who believed that the military was better off split into different functions that should stay separate. He had a rigid sense of structure, known for leading by the book, and took no guff from anyone. What likely chafed him the most was the fact that Dooku had entrusted his safekeeping to a member of the army. Regis would've personally preferred a pair of battle droids from this ship to escort him over someone untrained and lacking in naval expertise.
"All due respect, sir, I'm just following Count Dooku's orders." He plainly told him.
"A sense of loyalty that is to be commended, I suppose." Regis mused. "But so long as you are up here, on my ship and under my authority, you ought to do as I say." He stated. Wraith could see things had taken a sour direction and slowly replied,
"I agree sir. But-"
"But what?" Regis curtly demanded, cutting him off.
"Seeing as Count Dooku is our joint superior, we both should follow his ruling of the matter." Wraith suggested.
"Count Dooku is not here to dictate otherwise, therefore you will follow the orders of an officer superior to yourself." Regis gruffly responded. "Seeing as I am your superior, that means you will do as I say. Understood?"
"If I may, Commander Regis, might I suggest-" Wraith tried to continue, but Regis didn't let him finish.
"Is. That. Understood?" He repeated in a thunderous tone as the man now turned to face him. Looking quite sharp in his near-pristine uniform, his silvery goatee lining his chin, Wraith almost remember the respect he had for him, if not for the steely eyes boring into him with a look of questioning intensity. "I care not for what a mere ground unit has to offer, when they clearly have not the experienced of even a seasoned naval cadet, only for their cooperation when they are in my field of expertise." He rattled off, stunning Wraith by his fervor. "Now, is that understood soldier?"
"Yes si-" Wraith made to reply before Regis cut him off again.
"You are army and I am navy, therefore your presence here is both unnecessary and unneeded. I simply choose to tolerate it because you are to escort me back to Raxus when this is over." "Seeing as you have no understanding of naval warfare, I suggest you keep any and all suggestions to yourself." That wasn't true. Having studied naval warfare a great deal, Wraith could probably command a fleet as well as Regis could. But seeing as he was at a clear disadvantage, even with his frustration running high, his hands were tied and he couldn't do anything about it.
"I... I-I..." He rambled, not the words he wanted to use, but his brain was having trouble bringing him up to speed and his mouth simply started without it. Regis shot him a disapproving look, like he was clearly superior to him.
"You have something you wish to say, soldier?" Regis demanded. "Go on then, man! Spit it out!" He fiercely ordered. Wraith quickly collected himself before continuing,
"I just wanted to say your reputation proceeds you, Commander, and that it is a... pleasure to be serving alongside you." He ground out, one particular word necessary despite everything within him vehemently wishing to use something else. The praise did as hoped and simply returned his gaze to the Republic fleet before him.
"Now, be a good bodyguard and be seen... not heard." He ordered. Wraith begrudgingly agreed, taking a few steps back and standing against the wall with his hands clasped before him. Clearly he'd underestimated the sheer gruffness of Commander Regis as well as his apparent hatred for anything not naval aboard his destroyer. It was surprising, but confirmed to Wraith the notion that Commander Regis was a real jerk.
He certainly was no Rols Umar.
Aboard the lead Venator cruiser, Admiral Barton Coburn stood alongside Ahsoka Tano as the bridge crew prepared to engage the Separatists.
"General Koon is counting on us to keep these Separatists busy. He puts great faith in your abilties, Commander Tano." Coburn told Ahsoka. Barton was a man who ran a tight ship, speaking in measured words coupled with a steely gaze and commanding presence. He was as disciplined as they came and knew how to lead when called upon. His men respected him for his abilities, as did Plo Koon. Coburn had confidence he could lead this fight, and had to wonder why Plo would leave his pseudo-apprentice with him. He would not disregard his General's orders, but was not afraid to supersede the Togruta Padawan if push came to shove.
"Well, I did help win the battle for Ryloth, so I know at least a thing or two about navy battles." Ahsoka revealed.
"At least you have experience," Coburn surmised, "I'm sure General Koon wants you here for a reason."
"Master Plo doesn't make decisions lightly." Ahsoka agreed. As she finished, one of the bridge crew arrived.
"Admiral, our scans have pinpointed the rear destroyer to be the Arrow of Ang-Gleese, belonging to Commander Fol Regis." He announced. Coburn's brow creased as he recognized the name.
"He's good." He quietly mused.
"Dealt with him before, Admiral?" Ahsoka asked, sensing his familiarity with the name.
"On several campaigns in the Expansion Regions. He's routed me twice, and I've held him off more times than I care to recall." Coburn answered her. "I want full tactical data available immediately." He instructed the crewman, making for the bridge's holotable with Ahsoka right behind him. The pair joined several other bridge crew and Clones around the table where renders of both the Republic and the Separatist fleets were in place. Ahsoka quickly took stock of the situation alongside Coburn.
"This looks a little... uneven." She realized, seeing a difference between the ships in red and their ships in blue.
"He's got four ships and we have three, General Tapal's cruiser is busy supplying the ground offensive." Coburn stated. "We'll have to make due with what we've got."
"Three of his four are mainline cruisers, while we have two smaller Acclamators." Ahsoka observed. "It seems like he's trying to use force to stop us, Admiral."
"That's a trick he's tried before." Barton replied, pleased with Ahsoka's careful yet decisive work. "He likes to hang back in his destroyer while he orders his other ships about. He's a man who goes by the book. Unfortunately for him, I've read that book."
With a steady gaze, Regis watched the Republic cruisers advance as his mind began to calculate and plot out how the battle might progress. He knew the 104th Battalion was here, a unit he'd fought several times before and therefore knew the Republic's Admiral Coburn was in charge of the fight. Given these facts, Regis knew he needed to devise a plan Coburn would not expect if he wanted to win. In his mind, the two were evenly matched, and it would take a certain amount of cunning to sort out the winner.
"Sir, the Republic cruisers are closing to firing range." A crew droid reported.
"Order Black Dawn and Sunburst to flank the lead cruiser, Hammerfist is to pursue the starboard Acclamator." Regis stated with clipped, almost practiced orders. "Tell them to wait for my mark."
"Roger roger." The droid reported, quickly relaying the order to the droids aboard the other cruisers. Through the main viewport, everyone present could watch as the Separatist ships advanced and moved into position, spacing themselves between the Republic cruisers. Regis had positioned them so that they were beneath the Venator and out of the range of its topside guns, but more than able to pound the weaker Acclamators with all their bow-mounted cannons. After a few more seconds of waiting and scheming, the droid stated, "Sir, all ships are in position. Republic vessels are within targeting range."
"Commence assault, have Black Dawn attack the Acclamator alongside Hammerfist with all starboard guns." Regis commanded, the droids obeying immediately. "Pay attention, soldier. Perhaps you'll learn something." He suggested over his shoulder in passing. Wraith remained silent, as instructed, but did cross his arms in a display of passive agitation.
He really didn't like this Regis one bit.
Shifting his focus, he immersed himself in the Force, knowing no one on this bridge would sense him or care. Testing his senses, he could feel the determination of Regis as well as his annoyance at Wraith's presence. Shoving that aside, Wraith could not sense any Jedi around him, knowing that Plo Koon's 104th had been reinforced by the 13th Battalion. But as he broadened his reach, Wraith quickly picked up on a presence that started pulsing feelings that he easily picked up on. There was concentration, concern, even some subtle worry that he could feel resonating through the cords of attachment tied to his own presence.
Ahsoka must be on one of those ships, instead of the surface. He realized, the fact suddenly changing the dynamic of the battle for him. Her life was possibly on the line!
Forcing himself to calm down, Wraith knew Ahsoka was more than capable of serving and leading. He would only ever need to intervene at the last possible second, and he needed to remind himself (repeatedly it would seem) that she could handle this.
But then, he heard a very familiar voice in his head... and it wasn't Voice.
Wr-Wraith? It tentatively asked. The super-soldier thought he was dreaming. That sounded like...
Ahsoka? He queried, thinking her name rather than saying it.
Wraith? Is that you? She asked again.
Yes, it is. It appears you and I have been connected... telepathically, I'd say. He responded, consciously working on not speaking out loud and more or less thinking about what he wanted to say.
But... This must be because of our bond! Ahsoka realized, suddenly realizing she had a lot more to work out and didn't know a whole lot about bonding with someone.
I'm inclined to agree with you, but we'll worry about that later. I presume you're physically here? Wraith queried, not quite trusting his new abilities enough to accept what he'd already suspected.
Yeah. And you're on one of those Separatist ships, right? She replied.
The rearmost one, yes. He answered in affirmation. Ahsoka knew which one he was referring to instantly.
Oh! You're on Commader Regis' destroyer.
I am.
How is he?
A jerk. A competent jerk, you could say. Wraith replied, and that was being nice about it.
Oof. If you don't like him he mustn't be that good. Ahsoka mused, and Wraith could practically see her smile.
Personality wise, I'd rather brush my teeth with wire mesh. He quipped.
Admiral Coburn says he's good. Ahsoka countered.
He is. And I think he's gotten real arrogant because of it. Wraith agreed, explaining the sum total of the conclusion he'd reached.
Sounds like he could stand to be brought down a few pegs. Ahsoka agreed. Then Wraith had a thought. A sudden, devilish, treasonous thought he couldn't help but smile at. Perhaps he could help Ahsoka and her cruiser humiliate Regis.
You know... I wouldn't mind seeing him lose this one. He sparingly suggested. Ahsoka seemed to pick up on his tone.
Oh yeah? She replied. Wraith could see the mischievous grin on her face in his mind's eye.
Yeah. I suppose you'd be open to receiving some... secret intel? He queried, already knowing her answer.
Always. Mind telling me what he's doing? She asked. Wraith took a moment to focus on Regis, catching the tail-end of his order to the droids.
"...ensure the Republic chases them, then their line will be open." He didn't hear everything, but Wraith was enough of a tactical genius to know what Regis was trying to accomplish.
He's organizing his ships to draw your attention away from the cruiser he's positioned by your starboard side. If you ignore him, he's going to try and shell your engines. Now, can you convince your crew that you're coming up with this all by yourself? That was his only worry about this entire scheme.
My acting might be rusty, but I suppose now's as good a time as anyway to brush up those skills. Ahsoka replied. I'll stay quiet and you just keep me updated. Keep it constant, but slow enough for me to comprehend.
You got it, babe. Wraith replied, and grinned as he heard her giggle.
"Tell Steelhaven to skirt around and flank the cruisers! We will pursue them from our side." Coburn ordered the bridge staff. He was in his element, doing what he did best as he took command of the battle and engaged Regis' forces.
"Admiral! Wait!" Ahsoka suddenly exclaimed, drawing his attention. "You have to focus fire on cruiser to our starboard side!"
"We cannot just leave Steelhaven unaided, Commander." Coburn repesctfully and politely replied, despite the energy in his voice from the heat of battle. "You know as well as I do that our Acclamators do not have the full strength to repel two Munificent frigates." Ahsoka nodded.
"I know, but I think that's what Regis wants." She replied, quickly enlarging the holomap a bit. "Look, this cruiser isn't slowing down." Pointing to Black Dawn as it sped towards them. Normally a cruiser would maintain a holding pattern and not get too close. This was clearly different. "I think it's going to try to make a run at our aft side while we're turned to try and help Steelhaven." While shielded, a Venator's engines were perhaps the most vulnerable part of the entire ship. If those went down, then so did all maneuverability. seeing this ploy, Coburn slowed and processed the change. A few different scenarios flashed through his mind, but since the Jedi had been the one to catch this ploy, perhaps she had some advice as well.
"What would we do in the meanwhile?" He calmly asked. Fortunately, Ahsoka had an answer ready.
"The Separatists are low enough to avoid our big guns. Either we make them chase the Acclamators to our height, or we drop down to meet them." She told him. Coburn gave that some thought and, after a moment, acted.
"Order Steelhaven to flank the cruisers. Helm, take us down until we're level with those cruisers. Order our starboard gunners to hit the Munificient with a full barrage." He ordered.
Regis watched with declining smugness as the Republic did not fold as he'd hoped and instead held their position with minimal change, the leading Venator rising to meet his frigates.
"Sir, the Republic is holding their position." A droid spoke, stating the obvious.
"Yes, I can see that." Regis dismissively replied, already working on a response. "Tell Black Dawn to hold position and to focus fire on the Acclamator."
"Uh, sir? Their starboard Acclamator is moving to flank Hammerfist." Another droid reported. Regis could see that coming too, and decided it was time for all of them to attack the Republic.
"Have Sunburst pull back and to target the lead ship, then tell Hammerfist to hold position as well, we'll join Black Dawn and focus our fire on the Venator. We'll give them something else to think about." He stated, the droids quickly passing his orders along.
"The Separatists are moving sir," a crew member stated from the tech pit below.
"And so is the Arrow. It's moving towards our starboard position." Another chimed in. Coburn was anticipating that move eventually. Regis was never afraid to join a firefight.
"He's ensuring his forces are even." He said aloud, gazing out the viewport as he watched the Separatist craft shuffle about while the guns of his ship attacked with a steady stream of blue firepower. Coburn had yet to fully deduce why Regis was employing such a move and momentarily assumed it was to bolster his forces and improve the strength of his attack. But Ahsoka soon knew otherwise.
He's going to shell your forward cruiser. Wraith told her.
"Admiral, if you have the Acclamators pull further ahead and focus fire on that approaching destroyer, the frigates will either get stuck or chase after them." Ahsoka quickly suggested as soon as she'd processed his information. "That way they'll be exposed and free for us to hit." It sounded good to Barton. Perhaps there was more to this Jedi than he knew.
"Have Steelhaven and Iron Spire press forward, direct them to focus on the destroyer!" Coburn quickly called out.
Regis couldn't help but watch in dismay as his plan fell apart once more, both Acclamators breaking formation and advancing towards his ship while the Venator shelled the remaining Munificents with its powerful firepower, as their guns were focused elsewhere. The Commander swore under his breath.
"They're matching my every move! It's like they know what I'm doing!" He couldn't fathom how Coburn had gotten this good since the last time he'd seen him, but realized that the Republic would not be going down without a fight. He just wished he could get the drop on them...
Little did he realize that his 'bodyguard' behind him was actively working on a thorough play-by-play to help the Republic get the drop on him.
"Hold our position! Arm torpedo and missile launchers and target the port side Acclamator." He ordered the droids. "We'll turn them into space dust and then surround the Venator!"
"Sir, Hammerfist reports severe damage to engines."
"Sunburst reports it's losing its shields. They can't take that much sustained firepower."
"Neither can we." Regis realized. "Order them to fall back alongside us, let Black Dawn cover our retreat."
He's pulling most of his ships back. The two to your port side are weakest-
"Admiral, we should try to finish off the frigates to port. That way we can halve his-" Ahsoka began to say, believing Wraith had finished his statement.
But the one to your starboard side is going to cover their retreat. He then said. That caused Ahsoka to pause and realized she'd been hasty in dishing out suggestions. Coburn turned to her expectantly, seeing as she hadn't finished her thought.
"Commander? Something wrong?" Suddenly afraid she might get found out, Ahsoka quickly created an excuse.
"S-Sorry," she apologized, trying to cover for her mistake, "I... hold on..." The Togruta paused and intently stared at the holomap, watching every ship move about and feigning vested interest as she processed Wraith's report. Getting a grip on herself, she took a breath and turned back to Coburn. "Admiral, the two port frigates look like they're going to pull back to join Arrow. I think they're retreating." She then stated. "I'm sorry, I just... got ahead of myself." She excused, trying to sound sheepish and apologetic for what she perceived as being out of line.
"No harm done yet, Commander. So far you've been our best tactician today and a big help." Coburn assured her, making Ahsoka smile while internally breathing a sigh of relief. "Get Iron Spire and Steelhaven to target the Munificent to our port side. Helm, give our gunners two targets to pick from." Coburn instructed.
In his hasty attempt to backpeddle and fix his mess, Regis failed to realize he'd just put Black Dawn in the perfect position to be cut off, leaving his one good cruiser completely besieged while the others were mercilessly pounded by all of the Venator's guns.
This had turned into a complete blunder.
Despite scrambling to issue new orders, Regis was incapable of stopping both Hammerfist from losing its engines, and subsequently getting pounded into scrap, and Sunburst from taking heavy fire and losing its shields, limping away and barely combat-ready as a result. Nor could he stop the barrage from both Acclamators that swiftly tore through Black Dawn's defences, the frigate falling to pieces as the Republic permenantly put it out of action.
Behind him, Wraith quietly chuckled beneath his mask.
The moment was made worse when a projection of Dooku appeared on the terminal next to him.
"Commander, how does the battle progress?" He inquired. Regis maintained his calm look of composure, but couldn't answer. He dare not give him the truth, but he was too proud to admit failure.
"I believe I can answer that, sir." Wraith suddenly declared, breaking his silence as he stepped up behind Regis, the Commander suddenly moving as the intimidating super-soldier approached. "Commander Regis... has made an absolute mockery of the CIS navy. He has lost the battle for Charros Four, wasting good ships with fallible tactics and has effectively handed the upper hand to the Republic, all wrapped up with a bow on top." He declared, shocking Regis. Dooku's brow furrowed as Wraith continued. "Further more, Commander Regis has shown a blatant disregard for your orders, denying me any ability to aid in his swift return to command one of our Subjugators." Regis offered only a shocked look at Wraith, like a man who'd just been stabbed in the back.
"And here I thought he was a man of good repute." Dooku mused.
"Words can be twisted sir, the truth hidden beneath layers of falsehoods. Fol Regis is, in my honest opinion, an incompetent captain with only enough experience to qualify as a seasoned naval cadet." Wraith stated, using Regis' own words against him. "I'll be sure to file a report with you sir."
"I expect it today." Dooku responded. "In the meanwhile, you had best return to the surface and at least try to push the Republic back alongside Banshee. Leave Commander Regis to his failure... I will find someone more worthy of commanding a Subjugator." He ordered.
"Right away sir." Wraith affirmed with a salute. The call ended as Wraith turned on the still-stunned Fol. "I would like to add, should you survive this, that you ought to remember that I am not just a 'soldier', but a 'super' soldier. As in 'superior' to all others." He sneered, once again throwing Regis' words back into his face. Departing the bridge, Wraith felt a sense of great achievement as he left Regis to struggle with his new situation. Sure, it might've cost the Confederacy some resources, but he had confidence in his and Banshee's abilities on the ground.
Besides, Fol Regis needed to learn a lesson in humility... the hard way.
Ahsoka, I'm leaving Regis' destroyer now. Give me a few minutes and then feel free to shell it into oblivion. He spoke through their bond.
I'll send it up the chain of command. She humorously responded. Looks like being able to share our thoughts certainly has its uses. She added.
Apart from sending long-distance love-notes. I look forward to our next encounter, my dear. Wraith replied, half-wondering where the button was to turn off his comms.
Sorry, no buttons with this communicator. Ahsoka teased. Just a gentle reminder that I can hear your thoughts, not just the ones you're trying to convey to me. Wraith sighed.
"This is going to take some getting used to." He mused aloud, a few passing battle droids not caring in the slightest.
Coburn watched with a sense of pride as the Arrow of Ang-Gleese retreated like a dog that'd been kicked alongside the burning ruin of the remaining Munificent. The day had been won, virtually soundly. Each ship had sustained some structural damage of some kind, but could easily fight again without needing to stop at Kuat or Anaxes for immediate repairs.
And it was largely due to the Jedi beside him. The Padawan girl he'd clearly underestimated.
"Guess Master Plo and Master Tapal won't have to worry about the Separatists being supported now." Ahsoka mused, watching the remaining ships flee alongside him.
"This victory will give our forces the space they need to gain the upper hand." Coburn agreed, turning to her. "I will admit, you were quite exceptional today, Commander. You seemed to know the enemy's move before they made it. The work of a real tactical genius." Ahsoka accepted the compliment, knowing she wasn't really a 'tactical genius' and that today had really been more of a team effort.
"You tend to pick up a few things when you're around General Skywalker. I guess he's just passed on his aptitude for ship-to-ship stuff to me. Either that or I was in the zone today." She replied, trying to downplay it all.
"Regardless, I believe we now see why the General wanted you here." Coburn complimented, his tone sincere. "Well fought, Commander." Ahsoka accepted the praise regardless of the truth.
"Thank you, Admiral." She replied, content with keeping the reality of her 'genius' a secret.
