The Story of forgotten Jedi Owen Sun
Chapter 37: Overconfident
In just a few months news has spread throughout the Republic of Owen Sun and the 501st glorious victory on Castell, the tide had certainly turned and for the first time in the war the Republic saw victory on the horizon. With the loss of the Commerce Guild homeworld and the destruction of their headquarters the Separatists had been greatly weakened, little did Owen and the 501st know that they had struck a fatal blow to the CIS, one they may never recover from, almost half of the Separatists forces were being churned out by the former Commerce Guild homeworld. This compelled the Galactic Senate to pressure the Jedi Council and Grand Army to take action against the weakened Confederacy of Independent Systems and put an end to the Clone War.
So the clone Commanders drew up a battle plan and conferred it with the Jedi Council, with the councils blessing the plan was set and ready to go. With his impressive victory on Castell Owen Sun was unanimously chosen by the council to lead this operation, the objective was to assault the mechanized Techno Union world 'Foundry', a simple in and out mission- cripple the corporation's factories, production line, and finally the core then depart quickly. With Foundry shut down this would bring the Separatists to their knees giving the Republic the decided advantage it needed to mount a huge offensive and strike at the heart of the defenseless CIS and put an end to the war.
But for this plan to work a more stealthily approach would be needed, certainly an entire clone army would be spotted and dealt with before they could even set foot on the planet, so led by Owen Sun of course a squad of 12 rare, unique, new clones would be given this task. These new clones were given the designation 'ACS Troopers' or Advanced Clone Strike Troopers and were led by a man named Captain Ketros. They were recent prototypes by the cloners on Kamino and were half breeds of the Clone Commandos, they were claimed to be the ideal fighting force and the elite of all clones, able to destroy an entire CIS droid army with just the 12 of them they were the perfect soldiers, specializing in hit and run tactics they were ideally chosen for this mission.
Even with the Separatists weakened state Owen sensed the war was far from over, with his Jedi gift and through extensive meditation he perceived terrible things would take place on this risky assignment. His mind and gift had only come so far however and to the council what he had perceived was unpredictable at best, despite this the operation had already been approved and welcomed at the highest levels, it was a go. The combined strength of the council had sensed nothing negative about the assault, only an opportunity they needed to seize, the council was confident of victory, perhaps too confident…
Meanwhile gazing down at the busy Galactic City on Coruscant.
Just returning from an assignment in the Underlevels Owen stood atop the highest level of the Jedi Temple, he had freed a captured Senator held hostage by Separatists fugitives demanding the Galactic Republic submit to CIS demands, Owen dealt with them with ease.
He now wondered what would unfold on the uncertain mission, despite his reservations he had a job to do and would fulfill the council's wishes and his duty as a Jedi Knight.
"(Sigh)" exhaled Owen.
Suddenly surprising him from behind. "I sense your frustration"
"Master Drallig" said Owen.
"What are you doing all the way up here?" he asked.
"Trying to clear my thoughts" answered Owen.
"Really" replied Drallig somewhat surprised.
"Yes, I often come up here…it helps me focus my mind" revealed Owen.
"I was hoping to sort out these messy premonitions I've been having" he added.
"About the mission I take it" implied Master Drallig.
"Yes, I'm trying to make the council see it but it hasn't been easy…my thoughts are erratic, unpredictable they say, but I know something is wrong, I still can't believe the council cannot feel it" stated Owen.
"You do not trust the council's decision?" wondered Drallig.
Owen shook his head in frustration. "It's as if the council has gone blind, how could they not sense something so strong?"
"Oh…and how long have you felt this way?" asked Drallig.
"Since I was informed of the operation, I've been getting flashes that seem to run with the currents of death and misfortune, as much as I can piece together it's connected with the mission of that I'm certain" informed Owen.
"But most of all I feel the council is walking into this too lightly" stated Owen.
"How so?" asked Master Drallig.
"The Separatists aren't defeated they still have a large force enough to challenge the Republic, and not to mention Dooku, he's yet to be brought to justice and until he is despite our victories I know this war will continue" explained Owen.
"Especially now that we know he's a Sith" added Owen.
Owen brushed his shoulder length hair out of his eyes rubbing his forehead in frustration. "You dwell too much on your anxiety, instead of worrying about these thoughts and premonitions trust in the council's wisdom and you'll find these things melt away" stated Drallig placing his hand on Owens shoulder.
"What if I don't want them to, what if their trying to warn me of something?" replied Owen glaring up at his new mentor.
"You must, for the sake of the mission you must, if you do not you will burden yourself with these thoughts that could bring harm to you whether you sense it or not" guided Drallig.
"Be mindful of the future but not at the expense of the present" stated the wise Master Drallig.
"Perhaps your right, I should trust in the council's wisdom, I never believed we could take Castell and destroy the Commerce Guild headquarters but we did" replied Owen.
"The council knew it, perhaps they see something I cannot" he added.
"Now don't you feel better" implied Drallig.
Owen smirked. "Yes…yes I do"
"Thank you Master, as always your wisdom guides me through the fog" thanked Owen.
Drallig returned the smile. "Shall we return to the Temple?"
"Yes, there is much to do yet" replied Owen.
Owen and Master Cin Drallig made their way back to the Temples interior continuing their discussion, even as they talked Owen had already stuffed away the strong premonitions he felt, he took comfort in the fact that the council were the greatest Jedi minds they had and if the combined mental strength of the council could not sense misfortune then how could he? The thought asserted itself in Owens mind and he was ready to do what needed to be done, but despite this in the back of his mind a nagging concern still remained. What if the council was wrong? But more importantly what if he was right?...
Meanwhile in the council chambers.
"This new leader the Separatists have is certainly disturbing, he poses a large threat to us ending the war" stated Master Rancisis.
"Um yes, very much so" added Master Yoda.
"Have we yet discovered his location?" asked Gallia.
"No, this General Grievous moves like a ghost, we haven't had much luck in tracking him" informed Koon.
"In either case he is a deadly threat that must be stopped, I saw first hand just how dangerous he is" stated Windu.
Suddenly the doors of the council chamber slid open. "Ah Jedi Knight Sun, it is good you have finally come" greeted Mundi.
Owen approached standing in the center of the round chamber just as he had done countless times before. "Is everything in preparation?" asked Windu.
"I am ready to go" replied Owen.
"Indeed, I sense you are much more content about this operation than before" observed Master Ki-Adi-Mundi.
"I realize now the importance of this mission and I am ready to do the councils biding" replied Owen.
"Are you, before you argued with us and warned us of the premonitions you had of disaster striking on a fatal scale, are you saying you no longer believe in these strong thoughts?" wondered Shaak Ti.
Owen hung his head low in admittance. "No…I have not, I have merely set them aside"
"I know now that if disaster was to strike on this mission then the council would sense it, the fact that you do not tells me I'm wrong" stated Owen.
"Hmm, very well" replied Master Shaak Ti.
"I wish now to do what needs to be done and help end this war" Owen said with little faith behind his words.
"Good, have you spoken to the new clones you will be commanding?" asked Windu.
"No, not yet Master, I was told that they were still on route from Kamino" replied Owen.
"They arrived earlier today and have been eagerly waiting to depart, I suggest you leave right away to meet with them" informed Windu.
Owen nodded understanding. "The cloners on Kamino speak highly of these new troops, they will aide you greatly in disabling Foundry" stated Master Tiin.
"Umm indeed, ACS troopers they are called, specializing in strike tactics of combat" added Yoda.
"Their led by a man named Captain Ketros, he is devote to his men and is an excellent tactician, they say he's the best clone we've got" informed Windu.
"Hmm, reminds me of Appo" thought Owen.
"Something wrong Owen?" asked Windu noticing his off-stare look.
"No Master, I will leave and speak with him right away" replied Owen.
"The stolen signal should allow you easy access to the sector and into the planets interior, but once in you'll be on your own, we don't know exactly how many there are so just remember to follow the plan" warned Windu.
"Master Windu I'm sure Knight Sun will be able to handle himself" said Rancisis.
"Hmm yes, know much of combat he does, fine Jedi Knight Sun shall be" added Yoda.
"Very well then, we expect to hear from you soon, May the Force be with you" stated Master Windu.
The rest of the council nodded in agreement. "Thank you Master, May the Force be with you all as well" replied Owen.
Owen began to make his way to the turbo-lift when Windu stopped him. "Oh and Owen, I expect everything was taken care of in the Underlevels?" he implied.
"Yes Master Windu, it was" answered Owen.
Mace smirked. "Good, good"
"And I trust you will look after the new clone prototypes, they are rare in their own right and we may wish to clone more" reminded Mundi.
"Yes Master, I will" confirmed Owen.
After Owens departure the council began to discuss his previous objection with the operation. "It's amazing how quickly he changed his mind" stated Koon.
"Hmm yes, believe someone else had hand in decision" replied Master Yoda.
"Yes Master Cin Drallig, he looks up to him as a teacher doesn't he?" sensed Mundi.
"More than you know, I believe he is the main reason behind Owen wanting to attain the rank of Master so soon" stated Windu.
"Yes, he wishes to be a teacher just like him" added Mundi.
"The order could always use more teachers, especially one as skilled with the force as Owen is" inputted Tiin.
"Until he trains a student to Knight status I will continue to refuse his acceptance as a Master" stated Mundi.
"I would hope the rest of the council supports my decision" he added.
Silence hung in the air as the other members of the council simply didn't respond, Windu then looked concerned to Yoda. "Umm in time we shall see what the force has in store for our valuable Jedi Knight" stated Master Yoda ending the awkward silence.
As Owen retreated from the turbo-lift he bumped right into a Temple aid. "Ughhh" moaned Owen rubbing his head from the collision.
"Forgive me Master Jedi I'm merely in a rush" the Temple aid replied.
"Ughh, think nothing of it" said Owen continuing to rub his sore head.
But even as the aid departed in the Temples turbo-lift Owen had a strange feeling about the man he just bumped into, his senses seemed concerned even wary of him, but why? "I have no time for this, I need to get to the military base" he thought.
So Owen stuffed it away just as he did with his premonitions about the operation and left to meet with this Captain Ketros of the new clone ACS Troopers.
Eventually Owen made his way to the military base.
Entering the base two clone troopers immediately stood at attention. "Were not on a battlefield right now troopers, there's no need for that" said Owen.
"Sorry Master Jedi, regulations" replied the clone trooper sternly.
"Well then at ease, I'm looking for the new batch of clones that arrived today" inquired Owen.
"You mean the ACS Troopers, there in the shooting range" informed the clone trooper with respect in his tone.
"And where might that be?" asked Owen.
"Down the hall and through that corridor on the left, just follow the blaster fire" informed the clone trooper.
"Thanks" replied Owen heading towards the shooting range.
Arriving Owen could tell right away that these clones meant business as they shredded their targets with uncanny accuracy, Owen walked up behind one of the firing ACS Troopers. "Impressive" he said simply.
"Clones, ten hut!" shouted Captain Ketros.
Owen was taken aback as the clones went into two straight lines instantly, walking through the lines of the 12 ACS Troopers Owen noticed their outright differences from the countless other clone outfits he'd seen. Their armor was certainly unique in its own right, it was coated with a chrome metal, and black kevlar in certain areas, a dash of grimy white also appeared in some parts of the frame, finally distinguish them the most lines of dark green covered a majority of their armor. But most of all he was taken aback by the new state of the art DC-17m pulse rifles they carried. Getting to the end of the line Owen noticed the ranking stripes of a clone Captain. "You must be Ketros" implied Owen.
"Yes Sir!" answered Captain Ketros.
Staring into the gleaming dark green ACS visor Owen introduced himself. "My name is…" he was cut right off.
"Jedi Knight Owen Sun yes we know Sir, we have been awaiting your arrival all day!" interrupted Ketros with force.
Owen smirked. "I see they keep you well informed Captain"
"Yes Sir, we have been trained to meticulously prepare for every aspect of combat!" replied Ketros.
Owen turned his head towards the shot up targets in the shooting range. "I can see that"
"Sir, forgive me but we have run the simulations all day and I believe we are ready to depart and get our mission underway!" stated Captain Ketros eagerly.
"Are you, these won't be simulations your running Captain this is real life combat in which any of you can be killed, are you and your men ready for that?" questioned Owen.
"Yes Sir, more than ready!" shouted the entire squad of ACS Troopers with conviction.
"Good" Owen said cracking a smile.
"So, they tell me you and your men are the best we have" stated Owen.
"Yes Sir, we are a step above even the Clone Commandos and ARC Troopers, we are the best the Kaminoans have bred so far!" informed Ketros.
"Then why are there so few of you?" questioned Owen.
"Because it has painstakingly taken our creators many years to develop us, we are prototypes" informed Ketros.
"If we succeed in our final development as soldiers they will use our template to clone more just like us, you will find us more than valuable Sir" added Ketros.
"Humph, very well" replied Owen waiting to see them in action to be convinced.
"Before we get started I need to make a few things clear, there will be no more shouting and saluting and you and your men will refer to me as Commander Sun, is that clear?" laid down Owen.
"Yes Commander Sun" sounded off the entire squad.
"Good, now let's begin" replied Owen.
Owen then activated the introspective map of Foundry that Republic spies had stolen. "We will be taking a standard B-class freighter ship to the planet, I will be disguised as the pilot as we land at their docks here" started Owen pointing to the map.
"What about us?" asked Ketros.
"Seeing as your presence would certainly give us away you'll have to stow away in the freight compartments" answered Owen.
"Once I clear out the dock crew we'll steal a few of their speeders and head to the center of Foundry's factories and production line here" continued Owen.
"Pretty simple gentlemen, we bust in destroy their production line and factories churning out the CIS forces and depart" stated Owen.
"What about the core?" wondered Ketros.
"We'll take out the core on our way out that should cripple the entire planet giving us a decided advantage in numbers for the war" finished Owen.
"What about resistance?" asked Captain Ketros.
"Well we can expect a number of droid variants ranging in the millions as far as I know, but if we stick to the plan and get in and out we'll be gone before most of them get on to us" replied Owen.
"What about the approach, how will we even get into that sector of Separatists space?" questioned Ketros.
"Republic spies have stolen us a signal used by the CIS freight ships in that region, they'll think were one of their own, we'll be fine" assured Owen.
"Any questions?" ended Owen.
"What if it all goes wrong?" wondered Ketros.
"It won't, but if by chance it does we won't have many options, it's a heavily fortified sector of Separatists space, there won't be anywhere to run if we are identified" explained Owen.
"There's only 13 of us after all, I hope your up to the challenge" stated Owen.
"Yes Commander Sun we are, we will accomplish our objective no matter what the cost" confirmed Ketros.
Owen then deactivated the virtual map of Foundry. "Good, then let's get it done"
With that the squad of 12 ACS Troopers under Owens command geared up and piled into the bulky freighter, taking the helm Owen brought the ship up and out of the military bases docks, slowly but surely the hefty ship and its ghost cargo started their departure for Foundry.
Meanwhile at the Jedi Temple close by.
Jedi Master Cin Drallig watched as the freighter vanished into the dark blue skies of Coruscant. "Good luck my friend and May the Force be with you" stated Drallig.