"aaaa" - talking through a holocomunicator or comlink. aaaa - inner thoughts and Force Visions. 'aaaa' - talking through a bond.
AN: Thank you princesselsaamidala22 for your review of the last chapter.
I'm so sorry for getting this out late. I meant to have this finished two days ago, but some other things got in the way and I didn't get to finish writing until today.
I loved the season finale of the Book of Boba Fett. (Again, if you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you go watch it. Minor spoilers are ahead as I will be talking about the things that I thought were cool.) I'm sad that Grogu didn't stay with Luke and learn to become a Jedi, but I'm also happy that he was reunited with Din on Tatooine. I also thought that it was super cute that he decided to wear the chain-mail shirt.
We got to see an early confrontation between Boba and Bane. Also, later in the episode, the mayor's assistant goes out to negotiate with the Pikes, who came there to deal with Fett, and when that goes not according to plan, Boba and Mando come flying in overhead and just start slaying them all.
It was good to see the people of Freetown, as well as the Mods, and Black Krrsantan, coming together to help them out.
Also, it looks like Boba learned how to ride his pet rancor since he used it to defeat both of the Scorpenek droids that were causing havoc throughout the town. I also loved hearing Grogu's little squeal as he fell over when he caught the piston that he pulled out from the leg of the droid with the Force.
Boba kills Bane with his gaffti stick and the way that Fennec took out everyone in the office that the Pikes worked out of was awesome.
In Part 1 of the Ryloth Arc, Rosella is put in charge of breaking through the blockade that surrounds Ryloth. The plan doesn't work out like it was supposed to and Anakin has to teach his padawan a very important lesson.
Happy reading!
Chapter 10: Breaking through the Blockade
A few weeks after the events that had transpired on Naboo, Anakin and Admiral Yularen, along with Rex, were up on the bridge of the Resolute, going over their plan of attack, while Rosella, who was much better and had been cleared to head back to the front lines, was down in the Resolute's hanger looking over every inch of her new starfighter as she had been tasked with trying to break through the blockade of Separatist ships that currently surrounded the planet.
Once the discussion was finished, the three men split up. Anakin headed down to the hangar, Yularen walked onto the bridge and Rex headed to the barracks aboard the cruiser.
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A Lucrehulk-class battleship sat in space over the planet of Ryloth. Flanking it were two Munificent-class frigates. On the bridge, the Neimoidian in charge, Captain Mar Tuuk was speaking to a hologram of Wat Tambor, who was down on the planet.
"Are you ready for this Captain?" Wat Tambor asked. "The Republic forces are heading your way."
The only thing that Mar Tuuk could do, at the very least, was glare at the projected hologram in front of him even though his eyes were protected by the pair of data goggles that he was currently wearing. "You have no reason to worry," he said. "I have made sure that the blockade is impenetrable." He leaned back in his chair and placed his hand on his chin. "When the Republic attacks, they will get quite the surprise."
"I'm counting on you Captain," Wat Tambor said as he fiddled with the dial on the left side of his chest plate. "That blockade is the only thing that is keeping the Republic from invading Ryloth." He turned the dial again and the hologram disappeared.
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Yularen walked up the middle of the bridge and stopped in the center. The cruiser, along with the Defender and the Redeemer, was headed towards the planet of Ryloth.
One of the navigational officers turned around in his seat and looked up at the Admiral. "Sir, we are coming up on our destination," he said.
"Prepare for battle," he said. "Raise the shields."
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Down in the hanger, Yularen's voice was being repeated over the loudspeakers. "All ships, prepare for launch. All ships, prepare for launch."
Each clone pilot boarded their V-19 Torrent-class starfighter and got prepared for the upcoming battle.
Rosella, who was in charge of this mission and taking command of a squadron for the first time, was sitting in the cockpit of her red and white starfighter that had a white emblem of the Jedi Order covering the entire hull. She watched as a red, green and white astromech was lowered into the socket in front of her, smiling as she heard it happily beeping. "This is going to be my first time commanding a squadron R7," she told the droid. "Let's make a good impression."
R7 swivelled his domed head around to face her and beeped questionably.
The teenager grew a little flustered as she understood what the droid had asked her. "Nervous?" She asked, a little surprised that R7 would think that. "Of course, I'm not nervous."
Their conversation was interrupted by Anakin, who came walking up to the pair. "This is it, Rosella," he said as he braced one of his feet and both of his hands on the side of the fighter. "Your first command. I hope you're not nervous."
"I wish everyone would stop saying that," Rosella said.
"Those men who are flying with you are trusting you with their lives," he told her. Anakin hoped that she knew this was serious, not like the command that she had taken during their battle against Grievous when he was the one leading Gold Squadron.
"Thanks for that vote of confidence Master," she responded. "If I wasn't nervous before, I certainly am now."
"Hey, I have faith in you," Anakin said. "I wouldn't be sending you out there if I didn't think you could handle it." He gave her one last smile, pushed himself off her fighter and began to walk away. Then he stopped and turned around. "May the Force be with you."
Rosella looked at her controls. "I won't let you down," she said. "I hope." Then she reached forward and with the push of a button, her engine began to purr and her cockpit sealed shut around her. Then she grabbed her controls and was soon hovering above the ground under the watchful eyes of the crew who worked in the hanger. I can do this. She thought to herself from inside the cockpit of her fighter. "Okay, boys. Are you ready?"
"This is Two Axe. I'm ready when you are skipper," Axe said.
"Ready on three! This is Slammer, over," Slammer said, checking in as he closed his cockpit around him. He had what looked like a flower painted onto his helmet.
The third member spoke up next. "Ready on four," he said. "This is Kickback, checking in."
"Swoop to Blue Leader," Swoop said. "Group Two is standing by, over."
"Tucker on five," the final member said. "Waiting for mother bird, over."
The hanger crew signalled that it was time to go. Rosella pushed forward on her controls and flew through the blue shield that protected them when the dorsal doors were open. Right behind her were Axe and the rest of the squadron.
They emerged from the hanger and flew over the hull of one of the other cruisers, heading towards the enemy.
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Mar Tuuk, who was rubbing his chin with his right hand, lowered the datapad that he had been looking at from in front of his face. "Commander," he said, looking at the B1 battle droid who stood to his left.
"Yes, Captain?"
"Launch all fighters," he ordered, dropping his hand from his chin as he pointed outside.
"Roger, roger," the droid responded.
Outside, on top of both of the frigates, two groups of vulture droids received the order and hovered in the air as they transformed and then took off at high speed, heading for the Republic forces.
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Anakin walked onto the bridge. "Tell Rosella that the fleet is ready," he said as he made his way to Yularen's side. Then he folded his arms over his chest.
"Commander, your all clear," Yularen said.
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"Thank you, Admiral," Rosella replied. "Keep the cruisers back until we've softened them up." Then she looked at R7. "Well buddy, are you ready for some action?" The droid beeped happily. Glancing up, she narrowed her eyes as she saw the huge group of incoming droids. "Axe, keep your squadron back until I give the signal."
"You got it, boss," Axe said. Then he relayed the command to the other members.
The fighters stayed back while Rosella zipped ahead in her starfighter. Here we go. She thought to herself. Taking a deep breath, she let go of her anxious thoughts and pushed her control stick forwards as she and Blue Squadron flew right into the heart of the vulture droids. She took down a few of them and then said, "Alright boys. Let's clear a path."
"Right away, Commander," Axe responded.
Blue Squadron immediately began firing on the droids.
"Pick your targets," Rosella ordered. She kept watch as red lasers, along with a few vulture droids flew past R7 and the transparasteel canopy of her cockpit as the teenage padawan continued to take down as many of the flying metal machines as she could.
Two more vulture droids were blown up as Rosella shot them down.
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Anakin, who still had his arms crossed over his chest, stood on the bridge with Admiral Yularen. While he couldn't see the battle from where they were stationed with the other cruisers, he was able to listen as the men who were out flying with Rosella called out to one another. Their voices rang out over the bridge as they called out different things, like incoming vultures, new maneuvers and other things.
He didn't hear Rosella's voice, but wasn't too worried about it. He had told her not to use the frequency that was to be used for the squadron unless she absolutely needed to. If he was being honest with himself, he hoped that she would have the courage and the sense to pull out of there if she got too overwhelmed or if the battle got too heated.
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Mar Tuuk sat in his chair as he studied the slow, rotating hologram of a Republic star destroyer that was displayed in front of him. "That is General Skywalker's flagship!" He said as he dropped his hand from his chin. "He is the one leading this attack."
"Sir!" One of the battle droids who were below him said, turning around as it pointed outside. "Their fighters are closing in on us."
"Be patient," the Neimoidian said in a calm voice as he leaned back in his seat. "Let's see what tricks the Jedi have planned."
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Her time spent in the Temple's flight simulators was paying off.
As Rosella flew through the multitude of red and blue lasers that were flying back and forth, she didn't forget the reason why she had been sent out here in the first place as she did a double barrel roll, managing to eliminate a few more vulture droids. Making sure that she was on the frequency that was set for her squadron, she said, "Alright. Now that we have their fighters occupied, it's time to make our run at their battleship. Axe, are you and the boys ready?"
"We're ready Commander," Axe responded. "Come on boys! Let's get dirty!"
The rest of Blue Squadron followed Axe as he took off for the battleship.
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"Captain!" Another battle droid said as it turned around and pointed outside. "A small squadron of fighters are attacking. They have a clear path right to our battleship."
"Now is the time to unveil our little surprise," Tuuk said. "Bring in our reinforcements."
Two battle droids who were at their stations pressed buttons as they got in contact with their other frigates.
"Battle cruiser 17!" The first one said.
"Battle cruiser 19!" The second one said. "Prepare for battle! Attack formation!"
Four more Munificent-class frigates came into Ryloth's airspace.
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Anakin and Yularen were still on the bridge when one of the navigational officers reported in.
"Admiral!" He said, causing the man to turn around while the Knight listened in. "Four more cruisers just joined the blockade and have launched more fighters."
"We've got to get word to the Commander and her men," Yularen said as he turned around and looked at Anakin.
The Jedi Knight nodded and then glanced towards the viewport, hoping that Rosella would make the right decision.
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Rosella was in the middle of the battle when her onboard communicator jumped to life. "Commander!" Yularen's voice sounded a little frantic as he spoke. His next words shook the young girl a little as he said them. "You're leading your men into a trap!"
What?! The teenager thought to herself as her eyes took in the other battle cruisers that had appeared out of nowhere. As soon as she saw the other droid fighters that were heading towards them, she realized that the enemy had outsmarted them. She and her men had been caught off guard. As the thought of ordering a retreat ran through her mind, she wasn't sure if it was the right choice since this was her first time leading a fighter squadron. She wished that she had gotten to those simulations during her combat flight training.
When she had been an Initiate, the first few simulations that she had done had been about teaching her how to fly, rather than combat. After becoming Anakin's apprentice however, he made her do the first couple of arial combat scenarios, when she wasn't busy with homework or her lightsaber training, in order to get her prepared for the day that she would eventually be doing something like what she was doing now.
Deciding to stick to the plan, she jerked her fighter to the side as she avoided a vulture droid. Then she switched to the frequency that she used for her squadron. "Blue Squadron!" She said. "Stick to the plan!"
"We're all set Blue Leader!" Tucker told her.
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"Commander! Listen to me! I am ordering you to return to the ship as we are going to need your help!" Yularen said from his position on the bridge.
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The onboard communicator aboard Rosella's fighter came to life again. "Rosella!" Anakin said in a worried and calm voice. "This is way too risky. I want you to listen to me and get your fighters out of there now!"
Remembering what had happened to Shadow Squadron when they had gone up against the Malevolence, the blond-haired girl made her decision. Switching to the same frequency that she had used before, she said, "Blue Squadron, I realize that not all of you will make it out of this alive, but I want you to pull back and head for the Resolute!"
As the rest of Blue Squadron tried to follow her order, Rosella realized that she should have obeyed the Admiral the first time.
Within moments, the young Jedi and her squadron found themselves surrounded as they were overwhelmed by the large compliment of vulture droids. There was nothing Rosella could do except watch as the droids picked off members of her group one at a time.
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"Sir!" One of the battle droids said as it looked at a screen that was similar to the tactical boards that the Republic had in their communication rooms. "We have their fighters surrounded."
"Good," Mar Tuuk said as he curled his right hand into a fist.
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One of the troopers who stood near a panel at the front of the bridge looked up. "Sir," he said. "The Commander and Blue Squadron have begun their retreat, but it's going to be hard for them to make it back here as the enemy has them surrounded."
Yularen took one look at the paleness on Anakin's face and opted not to say anything.
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For the second time in her life, Rosella felt like she was alone as she flew through the large number of droids that now surrounded her and her group as they tried to make it back to the command ship. The first was when her biological parents had been killed and she had been kidnapped as a toddler. "Axe?" She called, her voice a little shaky. "Are you still there?"
"I'm still with you ad'ika," Axe said as he looked from one side to the other as he was being chased by two of the vulture droids. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to do anything until I get rid of these two droids that are on my tail."
"Sorry, Axe," Slammer said. "Wish I would help you, but I have my own problems to deal with."
The vulture droid that was chasing the member of Blue Squadron continued firing on the fighter. One of the lasers made direct contact and there was an explosion of orange and yellow as the entire V-19 exploded, killing the man who had been piloting the craft.
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On the bridge of the Resolute, Yularen saw that some of the vulture droids had broken through and were now attacking the Redeemer. "We're far too outnumbered!" He said. "Those droids are breaking through our lines."
"Rosella!" Anakin said. "Our cruisers are in trouble."
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Upon hearing the communication from Anakin, Rosella switched frequencies, making sure that she was connected to both the Resolute and her squadron. "We're on our way," she said. "Blue Squadron! Head for the command ship!"
"We're trying Commander!" Axe responded.
"I know you are Axe," Rosella said as she glanced out of her cockpit at the V-19 fighter.
As the padawan and the remaining members of Blue Squadron headed back to the Resolute, another fighter was lost as it fell to a vulture droid.
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The turbolasers on the hull of the Resolute fired again and again as the officers inside desperately tried to shoot down as many of the droids as they could. It was of no use though as the vulture droids began to make kamikaze runs into all three of the cruisers.
Yularen turned from where he was watching the battle. "Intensify our deflector shields!" He said.
"Sir!" One of the officers said as he turned his chair around. "There are too many droids out there. We can't shoot them all down!"
Yularen turned back to face the battle. "Fighter Squadron!" He said. "Where are you?"
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"We're almost there Admiral!" Rosella said as she tried to assure the man that they were going to make it in time to help.
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"I'm afraid that it's too late!" Yularen cried out, his eyes widening as he saw that one of the vulture droids had been knocked off course and was heading right for them. He turned around and raced for the communications room.
Anakin saw it too. He waved a hand at everyone who was on the bridge as he turned around. "Run for it!" He exclaimed.
There was a loud, thundering explosion as the vulture droid, whose left wing was on fire, crashed into the cruiser, causing an orange and yellow miniature one to appear over some of the panels.
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No! Rosella thought to herself as she saw explosions breaking out over the hulls of all three Republic cruisers. She almost gasped as she saw that the port bridge on the Resolute was on fire. "Admiral, come in," she said, trying to make contact with the Resolute. When she didn't get an answer, she tried again. "Admiral!"
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Alarms were blaring out on the bridge of the Resolute.
Anakin was currently kneeling over Yularen who had been injured in the explosion. "Just hold on Admiral…" he said.
The man turned towards him and placed one of his hands on Anakin's left arm. "Get us out of here…" he told him in a weak voice.
Anakin placed his right hand over the Admiral's and softened his gaze for just a moment. Then he looked away and glanced around. "Get those fighters on board and prepare to jump into hyperspace."
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The teenager's eyes widened as she saw all three cruisers attempt to turn around. The Resolute and the Defender were successful, but the third one wasn't so lucky. With one large and final explosion, it broke apart.
"All fighters return at once!" An officer's voice broke Rosella out of her thoughts. She was completely shaken by what had happened and knew that this part of the battle would haunt her when it was finally over. "We're preparing to jump into hyperspace!"
"Uh…Right!" Rosella said, her voice still shaky after what had happened to her men. Glancing out of her canopy, she saw that only three out of the fifteen fighters that had been with her at the beginning remained. "Axe, stay with me! We only have a few seconds to make it on board!"
"Don't worry Commander," Axe responded."You can count on me."
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Mar Tuuk remained where he was, watching as the remains of the Republic fleet turned around and fled from the scene.
One of the battle droids approached him and said, "Captain! The Republic forces are in retreat. Shouldn't we go after them?"
"No, you fool!" The Neimoidian said. "That would only break our formation. Let them run!"
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"No!" Axe said as he glanced at the readouts for his fighter. "My power converters are failing!"
"Try and keep it together Axe!" Rosella said, her fear that something bad was going to happen to her second-in-command now evident in her voice. She and her remaining pilots had almost reached the Resolute.
As the padawan and what was left of Blue Squadron fired on the few vulture droids that stood in their way, the teenager had to jerk her fighter to her right as she avoided a droid that exploded near her. Then she threw her fighter into a series of tight corkscrew spins.
Three of the vulture droids were on Axe's tail. The trooper tried everything that he could, but it wasn't enough. "Overload!" He cried. "I can't hold it together!" Then he pitched forward as a shot from one of the droids made contact with his fighter.
There was nothing Rosella could do but watch as Axe's fighter flipped upside down and spiralled out of control. She heard his death yell as she looked out of her canopy to see the fighter explode into bits and pieces. "Axe!" She cried out. Turning away, she lowered her eyes, feeling deeply saddened as she now understood the full magnitude of her earlier decision to stick to their original plan.
The two remaining members of Blue Squadron, as well as her fighter, approached the Resolute's hanger.
"Close the hanger doors," Rosella said sadly as she and her remaining squad members passed through the rapidly closing doors. "We're home."
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"Jump to hyperspace!" Anakin ordered as he now stood on the Resolute's starboard bridge as the port bridge was still on fire.
The surviving cruisers immediately jumped into hyperspace, leaving the battle behind.
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Once both cruisers had safely arrived in Republic space, Anakin made his way down to the hanger. This was the part that he hated doing. Even after battles like the one that they had just gone through. In the back of his mind, he knew that the assault could have gone better. Even if they had been forced to retreat, they could have done it without losing all those troopers and with Yularen walking around, not laying in the medbay. Letting out a small sigh, he walked over to two troopers who were wearing yellow helmets and armor. "Gather the remaining members of your squad together and do a headcount," he said. "I need to know how many we lost out there."
The troopers nodded and walked away.
The Jedi Knight turned around and sighed as he caught sight of his apprentice sitting dejectedly with her shoulders slumped on the wing of her fighter. One of the hanger crew was lifting her astromech out of the socket. Although a part of him was proud that Rosella had listened to him and gotten most of her pilots out of that tough situation, he was still disappointed that she had disobeyed the Admiral. He reached out over their bond as he walked over and winced as he felt the sadness and guilt rolling off of her in waves. He could tell, just by looking at her, that she had lost her confidence.
"Rosella, I am very disappointed in you," he said in a stern yet commanding voice. As soon as Rosella looked up at him, all he wanted to do was gather her in his arms and comfort her. But he knew he couldn't do that. He needed to be her Jedi Master right now, not her father. "The Admiral gave you a direct order and you ignored it."
"I know," Rosella said. "As soon as I saw those fighters headed our way, I just got caught up in all of it. Once I realized that we had been taken by surprise, I wasn't sure if retreating was even the right choice since it was my first time out there. So, I decided to stick to the original plan. I thought that if I could get to their battleship and knock it out, Master Obi-Wan and Master Windu would have an easier time getting through." She hung her head, feeling ashamed because of what she had done.
Anakin sighed, knowing exactly how she felt. If he had been in her position, he probably would have done the same thing. But he was aware that even good intentions have negative consequences. He was glad that both his brother and father had taught him that as it was now his turn to impart their wisdom onto his student. "I know you meant well Rosella," he said as he looked away for a moment and then back at her, "but there's a much larger picture that you need to be aware of. This is one rule that you need to remember. Listen to your superiors and do what they tell you to do."
The teenager stood up from where she was sitting as she spoke. "But sometimes even you don't follow that rule!" She said.
Anakin bent down and placed a reassuring hand on Rosella's shoulder. "All that means is that I understand what you're going through," he said.
Rosella glanced to her right, not wanting to meet his gaze. "I failed out there..." She quietly mumbled.
"Don't blame yourself, Ella," Anakin said, knowing that Rosella must have been blaming herself for something that hadn't been in her control. He knew how much it hurt inside when he lost men who were under his own command. It never got easier and it never would be. But he also knew that the Separatists had laid out a trap that they all had fallen for. He reached for their bond and sent every bit of love that he had for her across it. "It was a trap and a very well laid out one."
Rosella glanced up at him and then looked away again as that wasn't making her feel any better about the situation. She knew she had messed up big time. "I lost so many of my pilots," she said sorrowfully.
Anakin's heart nearly broke when he heard those words come out of her mouth. "Take heart little one," he said sympathetically as he let go of her shoulder and stood up. No matter how much he wanted to spare her from the harsh reality of it all, he knew that he couldn't. The sooner Rosella learned her lesson, the wiser she would become moving forward. "That's the reality of command."
Rosella let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the floor, thinking of all the pilots who weren't coming back.
"General, I don't want to interrupt, but we're approaching our staging grounds," Rex said as he approached them with his helmet under his right hand.
"Thank you for letting me know Captain," Anakin replied without turning around as he wanted to keep his eye on Rosella.
"Master Windu has requested a report on our progress," Rex said.
As soon as Anakin heard that, his eyebrows raised a little. Taking his eyes off of his padawan and daughter, he turned around. "Our progress?" He asked. "We haven't made any."
"I'll let him know, sir," Rex said as he turned away to head back up to the bridge.
"No Rex," Anakin said, holding out a hand as he saw his Captain stop and turn back around. "I'll tell him myself when I head up there. Since Yularen is injured and in the medbay, I'm in charge of the fleet. Once the wounded are taken care of, get me a damage report."
"Right away General," Rex said. Then he turned around and walked away.
As soon as Rosella heard that Yularen had been injured during her race to get back to the Resolute, she wrapped her arms around herself and walked away. She could barely hold it together as she made her way out of the hanger bay. Looking at the empty bays only served to quicken her pace as she left. Even though Anakin had told her not to blame herself, she knew that it was her fault. She, Anakin, Rex and the rest of their taskforce hadn't made a dent in the blockade and were no closer to freeing Ryloth from the Separatists.
"Now Ella," Anakin said as he turned around, "I'm going to need you to…" He stopped speaking as he glanced around, not seeing her anywhere.
Rosella had vanished.
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On the bridge of the Lucrehulk-class battleship that was now flanked by 6 munificent-class frigates, the Neimoidian captain listened as Wat Tambor spoke to him via hologram.
"Captain, I heard that the Republic tried to attack the blockade," he said. "What is your status? Have they been pushed back?"
"The Jedi were defeated," Mar Tuuk responded. "They had no other choice but to leave the system with their ships in flames. I assure you Emir; our blockade is very much intact."
"Then congratulations are in order Captain," Tambor told him. "But do not underestimate the Jedi."
Then the hologram disappeared.
The Neimoidian sat there, one hand on his chin. He knew that the Techno Union foreman was on to something, so without turning around, he said, "Commander, bring me the archive information that we have on General Skywalker. I would like to know more about him."
"Yes Captain," the droid replied.
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The cruisers that were part of Anakin's taskforce were still in Republic space. Even though the Resolute didn't look like it had taken any damage unlike her sister ship, the Defender, it was still damaged nonetheless.
Rosella, who had gone straight to her quarters upon leaving the hanger bay, was sitting against the wall beside the door. Her arms were wrapped around her knees and tears were streaming down her face as she quietly cried for the thirteen members of Blue Squadron who had fallen under her command. Although she didn't want to admit it, her crying helped to release a large amount of guilt that was racing throughout her mind. The young girl sighed and knew that while she couldn't do anything about her fallen men, wallowing in her own self-pity wasn't going to help her either.
Then she remembered that her father had told Rex that the Admiral had been injured during the attack. As far as she was concerned, that was also her fault. Standing up, she decided to clean up in her refresher and go visit him as she wanted to apologize for not listening to him. After making sure that her face was clean and she looked presentable, the young padawan exited her quarters and headed down the corridor, passing by Anakin's, which were directly next to hers.
As she made her way to her destination, Rosella briefly thought back to what her father had said about the reality of being a commanding officer. While it was indeed true, it still didn't sit well with her. Upon arriving and getting directions from Corric, she made her way to his room. Taking a deep breath, she slowly released it.
Since she had no clue as to how bad the man's injuries were, she steeled herself for the worst and then entered the room.
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Meanwhile, Anakin stood on the other side of the holotable in the briefing room. Across from him stood Obi-Wan and Mace who were calling in from one of the Acclamator-class assault ships that they were on. Rex was standing on Anakin's left while he was bent over the table, inputting some commands. Soon, a holo showing the Separatist forces and the cruisers, with Ryloth firmly in the background popped up.
"I wish I had better news for you both," he said as he took a step back. "The Separatists caught us by surprise. We were outnumbered and had to retreat."
"How many men did you lose?" Obi-Wan asked as he crossed one arm over his chest and held the other one up in the air.
Anakin sighed. "We lost one of our cruisers, the Redeemer," he said. "Plus, nearly everyone in Blue Squadron."
Obi-Wan had his hand on his chin, but took it away as he asked, "How is Rosella doing?"
"Rosella's fine," Anakin said. Then he looked away. "She's just recovering from the battle. Losing most of her squadron was hard for her to take in. I would like to avoid sending her back out there for the time being."
"Give her time Anakin," Obi-Wan told him. "But you are going to need her help if you want to break through that blockade."
"I know," Anakin said.
"Skywalker, your forces have been cut in half," Mace told him. "If you are not able to get through before the next planetary rotation, we may have to postpone our invasion plan to free the planet."
"We can't do that Master," Anakin responded. "Those Twi'leks can't afford to wait forever for our help. If the Techno Union keeps Ryloth in their grasp any longer, it will be even more difficult to set them free!"
"I agree," Mace told him. "We're running out of time."
Both Obi-Wan and Mace nodded and their holograms faded away.
Anakin turned to look at his Captain. "Rex, see if you can locate Rosella and have her meet me in the hanger."
Rex nodded.
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As Rosella sat in the metal chair next to the bed, she couldn't help but think about the last time she had been in a room like this. The only difference was that it was Yularen laying in the bed, not her father. She released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding as she was glad that he hadn't been too badly injured. The man simply lay there, his forehead wrapped with bandages, most likely due to blunt trauma from the explosion on the bridge.
She heard metal feet walking towards her and glanced at her lap before looking up as the medical droid who was attending to the Admiral came over and checked on him. After it had finished its observation, the droid looked at her and said, "He is stable, for now."
Then the droid walked away.
Rosella lowered her head before looking back at the unconscious man. As her eyes shifted towards the bandages, she turned away. Knowing it would probably be a while before he woke up, she lowered her voice and began to speak. "Admiral, I am so sorry," she said sadly as she reached over and grabbed his hand. "I should have listened to you when you told me it was a trap. I nearly lost my entire squadron and you had to pay for it. Those men are gone and it's all my fault."
The teenager closed her eyes as she felt her guilt returning, though it wasn't as intense as it had been earlier in the hangar. Before she could say another word, the door to the room slid open.
Rex stood there; his helmet tucked underneath his right arm. "Commander," he said softly, but loud enough so she could hear him. "General Skywalker wants you to meet him in the hanger bay."
Releasing his gloved hand, Rosella rose from her seat and turned around. Then she walked out of the room, letting the door close behind her, not realizing that the Admiral had opened his eyes and heard everything that she had just told him.
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Anakin was busy working on his padawan's red and white fighter with R2's help.
When Rosella arrived in the hanger, all she could see was her master's legs sticking out from under it. As she approached the left side of the fighter and stopped beside the blue and white astromech, she rested her hand on R2's dome. The droid softly whistled as she gently rubbed her hand back and forth. "You wanted to see me, Master?" She asked.
Anakin popped his head out from underneath the fighter just as he installed a component into it. Upon hearing the sad tone in his padawan's voice, he looked at her with a concerned expression on his face. "Rosella," he said. "Can you hand me that socket plug?"
A panel on top of the astromech's dome opened revealing the part.
With a sigh, Rosella grabbed it, walked over and handed it to him. "Here," she replied.
Anakin slid out from under her fighter and took the plug from her. "Thanks, Ella," he said. Then he looked up at the downcast teen, knowing that he had to ask how she was holding up. "How are you feeling?"
Rosella softly sighed, knowing that her father wouldn't be able to hear it. "Oh, I'm fine Master," she said. "Just fine."
"That's good to hear," he replied before sliding back under the ship to install the component that he had in his hand. "I'm going to need you to have a clear mind if we're going to pull this off."
Rosella narrowed her eyes as she heard what he said. "Pull this off?" She asked. "Pull what off?"
"I spoke to Master Windu and Obi-Wan. The invasion of Ryloth is still going to happen, so we need to make another run at the blockade and break through it," Anakin said while he resumed his work on her fighter.
"What?" Rosella asked, trying to wrap her mind around what she had just been told. As far as she was concerned, there was no way that was going to happen. "We can't! I-I-mean-"
Anakin, having sensed her fear and insecurity about having to head back out there, quickly slid out from under her ship and stood up. "Rosella, listen to me," he said. "We need to break through that blockade. The Twi'leks on Ryloth are depending on us. We can't hold back just because of one failed attempt."
"I understand that part Master, but we've lost a lot of men!" She said. Looking up at her father, Rosella noticed that he had turned back to her ship. "The only way that we'll even have a chance at making another successful run is if we have more support!" Sensing the slightest bit of wavering hope coming from her father, she knew it wasn't going to be good news, but she had to ask. "We're not getting it, are we?"
Anakin lowered his head. With Republic forces spread so thin, it was too late to get any additional ships or fighters to them. "No," he said. "We'll just have to make do with the forces that we have here which means I need to come up with a plan."
"You don't have a plan yet?!" Rosella asked in an exasperated tone as she stood there, an incredulous look on her face.
"Don't worry Rosella," Anakin replied, slightly turning around as he glanced at her.
"No!" Rosella said in an accusing tone of voice as she stared at the ground, narrowing her eyes before looking up at him and pointing her right hand at him. She felt her guilt, anger and lack of self-confidence mixing together. She knew this wasn't going to end well, but right now she didn't care. "The last time you told me that, I almost lost everyone in my squadron!"
"Rosella!" Anakin said as he turned around.
"We can't just smash through that blockade without losing any more of our men!" Rosella said.
Their conversation was cut short when Anakin's wrist com began to beep. The teenager crossed her arms and tilted her head, knowing that he needed to answer it.
Anakin kept his eyes on his teenage daughter as he lifted his arm up and pressed the button. "Skywalker here," he said.
"It's Rex, sir," the Captain's voice came out of the device. "The Defender is contacting us. It sounds like they have a problem."
"Alright Rex, I'll be right there," Anakin responded and then ended the communication. "Rosella, go back to your quarters and remain there until you've calmed down. We'll finish this talk later."
Rosella's shoulders moved up and down as her expression changed from a more frustrated look to a despondent one as she walked away.
Anakin watched her go and sighed as he sat down on the wing of her fighter. R2 beeped and whistled as he rolled up to him and retracted his third strut.
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On the bridge of the Separatist ship, Mar Tuuk stroked his chin as he looked at the datapad that he was holding in his other hand. "Not a conventional Jedi to say the least, it would seem," he said. Glancing through the information again, he quickly turned his gaze over to the droid who was in charge when he wasn't around. "Commander!"
"Yes, Captain?" The droid asked as it stood up straight.
"Prepare all of our cannons and make sure you send all the droids to their battle stations!" The Neimoidian said.
"Yes, Sir!" The B1 droid replied as it turned and began to walk towards his battle station. Then he stopped and turned around. "Captain, are we under attack?"
"No," Mar Tuuk said as he tapped his fingers together. "But I've gone over Skywalker's records and if he sticks to what he does best, then he will be back for another round. This time we will be ready for him."
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Upon returning to her quarters, Rosella closed the door behind her and walked over to her bed, turning around as she sat down on the mattress. As the teenager brought one of her legs up to her chest and rested her hands on top of it, she thought about everything that Anakin had told her down in the hanger.
In a way, he was right.
She understood that the blockade needed to be broken in order for their forces to land on the planet and liberate the people of Ryloth from the Separatists. She also understood the lesson that her father was trying to teach her about being a commanding officer. But in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think that if she had listened to the Admiral earlier, then maybe Axe and the others, as well as the Redeemer and her crew, would still be alive.
When she heard that they weren't getting any more support due to the limited amount of Republic reinforcements in the area and the fact that her father didn't even have a plan on how they were going to accomplish their second attack on the blockade, she had let her emotions get the better of her, which was what led her to believe that they couldn't get through with the ships that they had left.
Getting into a meditative position, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing as she focused on letting the guilt that she felt over her actions go. When she had finally rid herself of that feeling, the sounds of a blaring alarm reached her ears.
What is going on out there? The teenager thought as she came out of her meditation. As she heard the sounds of feet running by, she got off her bed and stretched her legs. Walking over to the door, she pressed the button, allowing it to open as she saw the troops running down the hallway. Looking in the other direction, she flagged down one of them. "Trooper," she said. "What's going on?"
The clone, who was clad in white armor, stopped and looked at her. "The Defender is being evacuated sir," he said.
"Evacuated?" She asked. "Do you know why?"
"I don't have a clue Commander," he told her. "The rest of the men and I are on our way to the hanger to help General Skywalker."
Rosella stepped outside her quarters and watched him leave.
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A couple of V-19 starfighters flew into the Resolute's hanger and landed in one of the empty bays.
In another bay, Anakin was busy waving his hands in the air as he was directing his troops as they unloaded boxes off of a gunship that had flown over from the Defender. Rex was standing nearby, with one other clone behind him. Standing on top of a crate, he said, "Alright men, alright. This way. Let's get those boxes stacked in whatever space we can find. Come on! Move it! We don't have a lot of time!"
"Master?" Rosella asked, a small hint of confusion in her voice as her eyes took in everything that was going on. "I'm almost afraid to ask this, but what is going on?"
"I've ordered the Defender evacuated," Anakin replied as he continued directing the troops.
Rosella crossed her arms over her chest and very nearly rolled her eyes. "I can see that," she said. "Why?"
"Actually, I got the idea from you," Anakin said.
Did I actually give him an idea? She thought to herself. "Oh, great," Rosella said, starting to feel her lack of self-confidence returning.
"Rex, take over for me," Anakin said as he hopped down from the crate. "I need to fill Rosella in on my plan." As they walked away, Rex hopped up on the crate and continued the job that Anakin had started. "During our discussion earlier, you pointed out that we simply can't smash through the blockade. I've come to the conclusion that what you said is partly true. You also implied that my plans put a lot of people at risk. I agree with you on that one."
"That's a first," Rosella said, knowing that she had been trying to get him to realize that for a while.
"I've decided that the only way to spare most of our men and our ships, as well as take out the blockade, is to take the Defender and pilot it right into their battleship, hopefully eliminating their commander in the process," Anakin said as he finished explaining his plan.
"What?" Rosella almost exclaimed as she looked up at him.
"This way, I'll be the only one at risk even though R2 will be coming with me," Anakin told her. "Besides, we won't technically be losing a ship since the Defender is damaged already."
"You can't be serious about this Master," Rosella said, trying to talk him out of what was most likely a suicide mission. "You'll die."
"No, I won't," Anakin said as he turned away from her and headed up the ramp of a Nu-attack shuttle, R2 at his side. "That's where you come in. Since the enemy won't be able to stop the ship from taking them out, R2 and I will get into an escape pod and jettison off the ship before impact."
"You do know that the enemy fleet will be waiting for you when you arrive, right?" Rosella asked as she pointed outside.
"I know," Anakin said, trying to soothe his daughter's fears as he could sense her lack of self-confidence starting to build within her. "I'll practically be defenceless while in the escape pod, so that is why I'm depending on you to engage the rest of the enemy fleet with what's left of our combined forces."
"Master I…I can't," Rosella said as she felt her lack of self-confidence finally catch up to her. The thought of losing him quickly made its way into the back of her mind as she tried to back out. "What if something goes wrong out there? I can't be responsible for…"
"You are responsible Rosella. More than you think," Anakin told her in a firm voice. "These men are depending on you, and this time, so am I."
"But Master, the last time I did this, I…" Rosella started to say, but she was cut off again.
"Attention! Everyone! Attention!" Anakin said, raising his voice as all the troops who were in the hanger turned around and came over. Rex joined them, standing near Rosella. "Alright men. Gather around and listen up. I will be taking over the Defender and leaving Commander Rosella in charge. She will be in charge and will lead the second half of the mission when we deal with what remains of the blockade."
"Try to leave some ship for us, General," Rex said as he pounded his fist into his other hand.
Anakin chuckled. "I'll try Rex," he responded. "Now, Commander Rosella will fill you in on the full plan."
"Master… wait," Rosella ground out between her teeth, dropping her voice to a whisper.
"Good luck," Anakin said, winking at her and turning around as he headed into the ship, making his way to the cockpit where R2 was already waiting for him.
"What are your orders Commander?" Rex asked.
Rosella's shoulders slumped as she knew that she wasn't ready to be in command of the entire ship. "Have everyone get back to work Rex. I'll be on the bridge if you need me," she said as she turned around and walked away.
"Well, you heard the Commander, boys," Rex told the troops who were gathered around him. "Get back to work! Come on! Move it!"
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The last three V-19 starfighters flew out of the Defender and over to the Resolute.
Rosella walked up to the doors of the bridge and let them slide open.
Rex saw her, and straightened up as he said, "Commander on deck!"
Rosella moved into the room and saw that everyone was waiting for her. "At ease men..." She said, as she realized that for the first time in her life, she was alone on the bridge of the Resolute. Normally, Admiral Yularen or even her father would be here with her. As soon as she reached the holotable which was still showing the spinning Venators and the Separatist blockade, she saw the men relax and go back to their places behind the tactical boards.
"The General is contacting us, Commander," Rex told her.
A holo of Anakin popped up on the other side. He had his arms crossed over his chest. "Alright, Rosella. R2 and I are all ready to go."
"Master, are you absolutely sure that you won't reconsider this?" Rosella asked as she spread out her hands.
"This is the only way, Rosella," he told her. "I have confidence in both you and the Force. This plan will work."
Then the holo vanished and as Rosella watched from where she was standing, she could just make out the Defender as it jumped into hyperspace.
"You better fill us in on the plan, Commander," Rex told her.
"Right…" Rosella said as she reached forward and began to press buttons on her side of the holotable.
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"Count Dooku has assured me that the Republic forces are stretched thin in our sector," Wat Tambor told Mar Tuuk via hologram. "I do not see the need to have your forces on high alert since they shouldn't be able to launch a counterattack. Any attempt to do so would be suicide."
"I am more than certain that Skywalker will return," Tuuk said. "His defeat will be my greatest victory."
"You admire Skywalker?" Tambor asked, sounding surprised.
"As a General, yes," the Neimoidian said, confidence in his voice as he placed his hands together. "His records show that he is also a great warrior. I want him to know that it is I who has beaten him."
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"Well," Rex said as he pushed himself off of the holotable and looked at Rosella. "I have to say, this plan is questionable, Commander."
"Yeah, but with their General, or whoever is in charge of the blockade finally out of the picture, along with their battleship, the droid commanders will be lost and confused," Rosella responded.
"Only for a little while," Rex told her. "Don't forget, we also need to find the General as well, even if he is going to be in an escape pod."
"I know but-" Rosella said, before being cut off by the navigational officer.
"When we first started this campaign," he said, "we had three fully armed cruisers, and look how well that plan turned out."
Rex sighed. "He does have a point," he said, causing Rosella to look at him. "I know we don't have a lot of time, but the General could have fleshed out this plan with us a little more before he left. I mean look at the odds. They seem to be against us."
"They always are like that Rex," Rosella said, glancing down at the holotable, knowing that this wasn't going well for her. In the back of her mind, she wondered why her father had done this to her.
"Yes, but usually we have General Skywalker here to lead us and-" the officer stopped before he said anything further as he saw the hurt expression on Rosella's face as she looked up at him. "I meant no offence, Commander."
"None taken," Rosella responded.
It was clear to everyone in the room, especially Rosella, that no one liked the plan that Anakin had laid out for them.
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The Defender, which Anakin was on, dropped out of hyperspace right in front of the Separatist blockade. She was still on fire and had lost her starboard bridge.
"Captain, a Republic ship has just emerged from hyperspace," one of the droids told the Neimoidian.
"I knew he would return," Mar Tuuk said.
"We have an incoming transmission," the droid said.
"Put it through," Tuuk said as he stood up and moved towards the viewscreen at the back of the ship. The Neimoidian watched as the screen shifted before swirling into a close-up of Anakin.
"Greetings, Captain," he said. "My name is Anakin Skywalker, General of the Grand Army of the-"
"I know who you are, Skywalker," Tuuk said as he raised one of his hands and waved it through the air.
"I see that my reputation proceeds me then," Anakin replied. "I have received orders to surrender myself, the entire crew on this vessel and this ship in exchange for safe passage of food and medical supplies to the citizens of Ryloth."
"That is a very noble gesture Jedi," Tuuk said as he rubbed his chin. "I also know that your capture will make me the envy of the Separatist fleet."
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"We have a small problem with this plan Commander," the officer said as he spoke up. "Even if the General is successful in eliminating the battleship, how are we going to deal with all the combined firepower of the remaining six frigates?"
Rosella seemed to think for a minute. "I've thought about that and well, I might have a solution for you," she said.
"Go ahead Commander," Rex told her in a firm, but gentle voice.
"If we took the Resolute and angled her hull against the incoming frigates," she said while pressing buttons to have the hologram stop in front of her and tilt the Resolute so it was on its side with the hanger and the twin bridges facing away from the frigates, "the bridge and the hanger decks would be relatively safe from their attack. We could draw them in and then use the Y-Wings to outflank them. Those ships are perfect for this since they would be too fast for them and the enemy would become trapped, allowing us to take them out."
Rex smiled a little, knowing that Rosella was gaining her confidence again. "Hmmm..." He said.
I'm not so sure about this plan of yours Commander," the officer said.
"I-I think," Rosella said, beginning to lose the confidence that she had just found within herself.
"If we were certain that the shields would be able to withstand the attack," Rex said.
"Maybe we had better come up with a different strategy," the officer said. "We need to take more time and think of an actual plan."
Sensing that both Rex and the officer were second-guessing themselves, Rosella slammed her hand down on the side of the holotable, causing both of them to look at her. "We don't have time to come up with another plan," she said. "Master Skywalker needs me now. He needs us now."
"The Commander is right," a voice behind them said.
Rosella turned around to see Admiral Yularen walking into the room, the white bandage still wrapped around his head. She watched as the man came up beside her and looked at the holoprojection before him. "I know that this strategy is a bold one," he said. "But we are in a desperate situation and this is the only plan that we have right now."
"Then this plan will work, sir?" The officer asked.
"Well, will it?" Yularen asked, turning towards Rosella.
Rosella could see the confidence that the Admiral and her father had in her. She also got the sense that Rex trusted her and so did everyone else on the cruiser. "Yes, this plan will work," she said.
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The Defender slowly approached the round battleship.
Mar Tuuk stood there, his left hand on his chin while his right one was on his hip.
"Sir, we have completed the scan that you requested of the enemy ship," one of the droids said as it came up to him.
"What have you found Commander?" The Neimoidian asked.
"Well, the ship is heavily damaged. All power is being diverted to the forward shields. We have also picked up one life-form on board," the droid said, completing its report.
"What?!" Tuuk said as he whirled around to face the droid, shock written all over his face.
The droid repeated his findings, saying, "The ship is heavily damaged and all power is being diverted-"
"No, you insolent piece of scrap," Tuuk said as he turned around to look at the viewscreen. "Skywalker, what treachery is this? You have nothing to bargain with and yet, you think you can negotiate with me?"
"Well, in that case, I'll be leaving," Anakin told the Neimoidian as he began to back away from the screen. "Oh, by the way, you can still have my ship."
Mar Tuuk turned around to see the Republic vessel still heading towards him and clenched both of his hands into fists.
"Captain, a second Republic ship has just entered the system," the droid told him.
The Neimoidian suddenly had a bad feeling that this day wasn't going to end well for him.
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"She made it!" Anakin said as he saw the red triangle-shaped figure that represented the Resolute appear on the screen. Turning around, he looked at R2. "Boost the engines and let's get out of here."
R2 happily beeped and whistled as he plugged in and followed Anakin's order. The Defender's rear thrusters lit up as the cruiser began to move at a fast speed, heading towards the battleship.
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"When those two ships collide with each other, the entire area will be in complete chaos," Rosella told everyone in the room as they all looked at the holotable, which showed the Defender colliding with the battlesphere. "Once that happens, we're going to need the time to get General Skywalker's pod into the tractor beam."
"Understood, Commander," Rex said with a nod.
Rosella nodded and turned around, making her way to the doors that led to the rest of the cruiser. Then she stopped and turned around. "I'll command the fighter squadron. Wait for my signal to begin our attack."
"Yes, sir," Rex responded. There goes our mirdala al'verde. She is going to make a fine leader one day. He thought to himself as he watched her leave.
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The Neimoidian Captain knew it was already too late to stop the Republic cruiser that was heading towards them, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. "All cannons, fire! Fire!" He ordered the droids, some of whom were frantically running around with no idea what to do.
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As Anakin watched from his place on the bridge, he saw the Separatist battlesphere begin to fire on the cruiser. He knew that the shields would be too strong for the lasers and turned away as he looked at R2. The astromech beeped as they got off the bridge and into an escape pod.
They launched from the burning cruiser and Anakin turned the pod around as he wanted to see what sort of plan Rosella had come up with.
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"We can't stop it!" One of the droids reported to the Neimoidian.
"What should we do?" Another droid asked.
"All of you, stay on the bridge," Mar Tuuk said as he walked away from his seat and turned to leave the bridge. "I'll be right back."
"Oh, that's a relief," the first droid said.
The Defender crashed into the edge of the battlesphere before heading straight for the bridge.
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As Anakin watched from his escape pod, he smiled as he saw the cruiser explode the moment it collided with the battlesphere and color the area around it in flames of yellow, red and orange.
"See?" Anakin asked as he turned to look at R2. "I knew it was going to work."
R2 beeped in happiness.
Then the pod's communication system came to life. "Master, we're coming up on your position," Rosella said. "Stand by for pickup."
Anakin smiled as he hit the communication button. "Right on time, Rosella," he responded.
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As the Resolute came out of hyperspace, she began to tilt to one side.
Down in the hanger bay, Rosella was going through the preflight checklist for her Y-Wing bomber when the communication system aboard the ship came to life.
"Commander, I don't think those droids are going to attack," Admiral Yularen said.
"I think we might need to retreat," Rex told her.
"No! Wait!" Rosella said. "You have to remember that the only ones in charge right now are droids. They're just a little slow. They'll figure it out sooner or later."
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The droid commander who was on the Separatist battlesphere was sitting in the Captain's chair when five other holograms appeared in front of it.
"I think the Captain left," one of the droids said.
"So, who's in charge now?" Another droid asked.
"Not me."
"Me either."
"What should we do?" One of the droids who was at its battle station asked.
"Begin the attack," the droid commander said.
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The six remaining Separatist frigates moved towards the Resolute and began firing their cannons. They all converged on the oddly angled cruiser and continued their attack. Fortunately, the shields held up and the lasers simply bounced off the hull.
"The droids are attacking," the navigational officer said.
Yularen reached over and pressed a button on the holotable, activating the built-in communication system. "Commander, on your order, begin the flanking maneuver."
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"Thank you, Admiral," Rosella said. Then she switched frequencies to the one for her squadron. "Alright, boys! Here we go. Follow my lead."
The teenager led the large group of Y-Wings and V-19 starfighters over the side of the Resolute. Then they split up into smaller groups as they each took on one of the six Munificent-class frigates.
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"We've been outflanked!" One of the droids said.
"Affirmative!" Another droid said before being yanked out of the range of the holoprojector as the ship that the droid was on was destroyed.
As the other droids watched, they knew they were doomed.
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As Anakin watched the battle from the safety of his pod, he smiled as he was proud of his adopted daughter. "That's how you get things done, Rosella," he said.
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A group of droids stumbled and were destroyed along with their ship as two groups of bombers flew overhead of it.
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"Where is Captain Tuuk?" Wat Tambor asked the helpless B1 battle droid commander who was sitting in the command chair. "What is going on up here?"
"He is currently in an escape pod, sir," the battle droid told him.
"You idiots!" The Techno Union member roared at the droid. "This blockade has been broken!"
"Uh…where are those escape pods," one of the droids, who were stationed on the lower level, wanted to know as the ship began to tilt to the side and it scrambled to grab into the seat of one of the other droids. Its claw-like hands failed to grab on and the last thing the other droids heard was a scream as the ship exploded.
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As Rosella flew by the exploding ship, she received an incoming communication. She activated the onboard system and returned her hand to her flight controls.
"Commander, the invasion fleet is coming out of hyperspace," Rex told her.
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Three Acclamator-class assault ships jumped out of hyperspace.
"Rosella, this is Obi-Wan. May we begin our landing?" He asked.
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"Yes Master," Rosella responded. "You are cleared to go ahead and begin your ground assault."
"I don't even think I want to know where the rest of Anakin's fleet is or why he's in an escape pod," Obi-Wan said over the onboard communication system.
"That's probably for the best," Rosella said. "That reminds me. Hey Rex, would you mind sending a shuttle to go pick up Master Skywalker for me?"
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Another Nu-class attack shuttle took off from the Resolute and flew towards the escape pod that was floating in space. Anakin saw it heading towards him and activated the communications system.
"General, are you still there?" Rex asked as his voice came over the comm.
"Yep," Anakin said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm just sitting here, watching the show."
Then the shuttle, which had lowered itself over the escape pod as it got into position, activated a pair of heavy-duty magnets, hooking the pod to the undercarriage and flew back to the Resolute.
Mando Translations
mirdala - clever
ad'ika - kid, boy, sweetie, darling, son, daughter, child
al'verde - commander
Quick author's note: I would love to hear what you all think of this story. All comments and critiques are welcome. Just try not to be too harsh with them.