Hey, everybody. I'm back. This will be a bit of a shorter chapter, but hopefully, it won't be too bad.
Let's get to it.
RandomFanAuthor: I think, at this point, the USSR would interested enough in self preservation that with the information provided to them, they would be willing to work with the Republic long enough to defend themselves.
Chapter 6- A New Team
Anakin sighs in frustration as they walk out of the UN's main assembly hall. Just a few minutes ago, a meeting had been held to brief the members of the UN on the current situation, the threat of the Separatists, and the proposed alliance with the Republic. Some nations had expressed suspicion as to the truth of the claims presented by the Republic/Jedi delegation, but many had become convinced of the truth, as many of them already knew about the ships in orbit over the planet.
The disappointment, for Anakin at least, had come when the vote had come. Of the 169 countries represented in the UN, a total of 128 had voted for complete alliance with the Republic. Of the remaining 41, 38 had voted to remain neutral, refusing to send forces or materiel beyond their borders and refusing to take part in the war unless attacked directly. Many of those countries were in Africa or the Middle East. And 3 countries had abstained from the vote, which was seen as one step short of declaring alliance with the Separatists by some. Those three countries were Libya, Iraq, and North Korea.
"What is it, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asks.
"I can't believe them, Master. Yes, a lot of them said they intend to join us. But 41 countries said no. 41! Out of 169. Almost a quarter of them, Master!" Anakin says in exasperation.
"I understand your frustration, Anakin. But, they may yet come around. And, as our research has shown, this planet has developed somewhat of a fear of extraterrestrials over the years, and visitors from other planets are rarely portrayed in a positive light. And many countries still don't know much about us. It's honestly not too surprising. TO be perfectly honest, I expected more countries to vote neutrally," Obi-Wan says.
Anakin looks at Obi-Wan and sighs. "I know, Master. Still, it's frustrating," he says.
"I know, Anakin. But we have to be patient," Obi-Wan responds, drawing just a nod from Anakin.
"General Skywalker and Kenobi!" a voice calls out. The two turn and see a man walking towards them.
"Yes?" Obi-Wan asks.
"Generals, I'm from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. We received a transmission from your fleet in orbit. I think you may want to hear this," he says as he holds out a recording device.
A moment later, they hear Admiral Yularen's voice say, "Please alert our Generals that we have detected Separatist ships in a system several parsecs away. We believe that within the next month or so, the Separatists may be able to locate this system. Also, alert them that an LAAT bringing the cargo from the Jedi Temple will be heading planet-side in a few hours, and we need a spot for them to set down."
Anakin and Obi-Wan are quiet for a few moments, then Obi-Wan says, "Thank you, sir." The man nods before turning and walking away.
Obi-Wan then turns on his commlink. They had modified their comlinks to enable them to place calls to phones here on Earth. He immediately places a call to President Bush.
A few moments later, they hear President Bush's voice say, "Yes?"
"President Bush, this is General Kenobi. We just received word from our fleet. They detected Separatist ships in a system a few parsecs away, and believe the Separatists may be able to locate us in a matter of weeks. Also, the cargo from the Jedi Temple is ready to be brought down to us, and our admiral would like to know where to send the ship carrying it," Obi-Wan says into his commlink.
"Thank you for the report, General. Please instruct your Admiral to send the ship to Andrews Air Force Base. I'll begin talks with other national leaders to select the men for training. Also, I'll wish to talk to you about the distribution of weapons among the armies of those countries who voted in favor of alliance today," President Bush responds.
"Of course, Mr. President. I will be happy to speak to you about that tomorrow," Obi-Wan says.
"Also, in regards to training some of our men to use lightsabers. From what I know of you all, I think the best candidates for teachers would be General Skywalker and General Windu," President Bush says.
"I agree. I will pass the message on to them," Obi-Wan says.
"Thank you, General Kenobi. I will see you tomorrow," President Bush says before hanging up.
Obi-Wan turns to face Anakin. "What do you say, Anakin?" he asks.
"Sure thing, Master," Anakin says with a grin.
(5 days later)
"So, putting this team together didn't take long," Anakin comments as he and Mace follow General Colin Powell, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, down a hallway in the Pentagon.
"Well, we had already contacted a number of countries regarding this issue. The search for candidates began before the general UN vote," General Powell says.
"And you say they all come from special operations unitsfrom across the world?" Mace asks.
"Yes. They're all from special ops units, and were picked for their skill at unarmed combat. They also underwent background checks, and those results factored into the decisions as well," General Powell says. That last comment makes Mace feel a little better about this.
They reach their destination, and General Powell opens the door. As they walk in, they hear, "Atten-hut!"
Anakin and Mace look around, and see twelve men, standing in two rows of six, all standing at attention.
"At ease, men," General Powell says, and the men ease up.
"Men. This is Jedi Master Mace Windu and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. They will be the ones training you for this mission. But first, I think you should introduce yourselves and where you're from," General Powell says.
The man on the right end of the first row snaps to attention and says, "Sirs! Lieutenant Samuel Adams! United States Navy, SEAL Team Six!"
The rest of the men begin to call off, going from right to left. "1st Lieutenant Tyler Hall! United States Army, Delta Force!"
"1st Lieutenant Grant Wilson! United States Army, Delta Force!"
"Sergeant Major Alexei Ivankov! Soviet Army Spetsnaz!"
"Captain Vasily Stasevich! Soviet Army Spetsnaz!"
"Lieutenant John White! British Army SAS!"
"Staff Sergeant Harry Paton! British Army SAS!"
"Captain Dennis Rommel! German Army KSK!"
"1st Lieutenant Daniel Mofaz! Israeli Sayeret Matkal!"
"Captain Shaul Peretz! Israeli Sayeret Matkal!"
"Lieutenant Cheng Han! Chinese Special Operations Forces!"
"Warrant Officer Toshiyuki Yamazaki! Japanese 1st Air Brigade!"
Anakin and Mace look between them. They then look at each other and nod before returning their gaze to the men.
"Well. I can sense none of you are Force sensitive. However, I believe you will all make very good candidates for this task," Mace says.
"Sir! May I ask you something, sir?" Lieutenant Hall asks.
Mace feels a little impressed by the professionalism showed by the troops. "Yes, Lieutenant," he says.
"Sir, what is the mission we've been selected for? Our generals did not go into detail, sir!" Hall asks.
"A very good question, Lieutenant," Mace says. He looks around at the men briefly before saying, "As you may know, we are Jedi. Our ancient enemies are the Sith. The Sith are bent on domination of the galaxy. While the Jedi use the power known as the Force for good, the Sith use it for evil. The Separatists are led by the Sith. Your leaders have asked us to train a handful of men to be able to stop the Sith should they come to this planet."
"And to do so, we'll be teaching you to use this," Anakin says, pulling out his lightsaber and igniting it. The men all look at it in surprise.
"This is a lightsaber. A sword made of pure energy, and the principal weapon of both the Jedi and the Sith. Unlike us, you do not possess the ability to use the Force. But, by training to use a lightsaber, you may still be able to defeat a Sith," Anakin says.
All the men stare at the lightsaber. Then, Anakin calls out, "Rex! Bring them in!"
A moment later, Rex walks in, carrying a crate. He sets the crate down in front of the men and opens it, revealing 16 lightsabers brought from the Temple. They decided to bring a few extras to make sure everybody chosen for the team had the chance to choose a lightsaber compatible with them.
"Alright, gentlemen. The first step of your training is simple. Choose your weapon," Mace says.
The men all glance around at each other, then slowly walk forward and gather around the crate. One by one, they grab one of the lightsabers in the crate. Warrant Officer Yamazaki picks a second lightsaber as well.
The men examine their lightsabers, then one by one start to ignite them. Hall, White, Paton, Rommell, and Han all have blue lightsabers. Wilson, Ivankov, Stasevich, Mofaz, Peretz, and Yamakazi all have green lightsabers. And to the surprise of Mace and Anakin, Adams has a purple lightsaber.
As the men all look at their sabers with a bit of excitement, General Powell steps forward. "You twelve men have been trusted by the entire world with a very special. You will comprise the Anti-Sith Assault Team. You will protect our planet against the threat of the Sith," he says.
All twelve men look at General Powell, then around at each other with a bit of pride.
"Now. We shall begin your training," Mace says.
And, I'll end there. I hope you liked this chapter.
So, I realized when doing research for this chapter that at this point in history, early December 1991, there were only 169 members of the UN. So, included that in here. I'm gonna go back through my previous chapter if I accidently put 193 (the current number of members of the UN).
So, despite the Security Council's vote, according to my research, it wouldn't force every country to follow their plan. Of the 41 countries that voted neutrally, 38 will just remain neutral. But, the three I mentioned will side with the Separatists, and be dealt with appropriately. I imagine that the leaders of Libya, Iraq, and North Korea at the time would be interested in the power they would gain from a Separatist victory. If there are any others you guys feel would really side with the Separatists in this situation, let me know, and I may alter this.
You've now been introduced to the Anti-Sith Assault Team, or the ASAT team for short. They will make some appearances later on. They will be separate from the Terran Jedi, and may continue to exist as a unit beyond the end of the Clone Wars and rise of the Terran Jedi.
Next chapter may show the Separatists finding the system. Not sure yet. So, until next time, please leave a review, and stay tuned!