#8 Christophsis or Bust
Goose was very confused. What business could a jedi have on a stealth ship? She knew that they went on unusual missions for the Republic, but this didn't seem high profile enough to warrant a jedi's involvement. Goose thought about interrupting them, because at this point she was quite confused, but they seemed very intent on their discussion so she refrained. Instead, Goose followed at a distance and absorbed her new surroundings.
The ship itself was a bit on the smaller side, and the interior somewhat cramped. Consoles and sensor readout panels were packed together tightly, with some of the crew working practically back to back because of all the cargo containers lining the sides of the ship. Lights blinked and instruments dinged, often drawing her attention several directions at once. By far, this ship was unequaled by any other spacecraft Goose had ever stepped foot on. It also possessed a sort of maniacal look that she found reminded her a lot of her favorite childhood holonet shows.
"Dag!" she exclaimed appreciatively, "This looks like a ship a villain out of a Semaj D'nob holovid might use."
Goose had meant to say it only for her own benefit, but apparently sound carried on a small ship such as this. The clone crew did not appear to notice, though they were probably watching discreetly. The Jedi, whose conversation with Admiral Yularen was just about over anyway, took note right away.
"Who are you?" the Jedi asked almost accusingly.
Goose sent him a strange look. Even though she wasn't in the most conventional uniform, it still had to be obvious what she was. After all, the caduceus symbol pinned to her collar would identify her as a surgeon almost anywhere in the galaxy. Jedi were supposed to be wise, weren't they?
"Doctor Gosling, trauma surgeon." Goose replied by way of introduction, trying not to sound too offended. "I'm looking for General Skywalker."
"That's me." he replied somewhat arrogantly.
Goose let her confusion spread across her face. She had never known that a jedi could also be a general. In fact, she didn't think it possible for them to even be in the army at all.
"Oh," she muttered mostly to herself. "Really?"
She must have come off as disappointed rather than puzzled, because he became defensive.
"Do you have a problem with that?" the Jedi demanded hotly.
Goose sent him a cold look. He was acting like a sullen teenager, and she didn't feel like taking him seriously. Even the Admiral was starting to look uncomfortable. Weren't jedi also supposed to be rational?
"No, it's just I didn't know a jedi could be a general." she answered pointedly. "That's all."
"It has been all over the holonet, doctor," Admiral Yularen interjected diplomatically.
Goose knew that the Admiral was only trying to defuse the situation, so she tried to rein in her temper. However, it was difficult because Skywalker had a chip on his shoulder wider than the Jedi Temple, and it was really starting to get to her.
"Well, I have almost literally been living in a hole, up until recently." She said snidely.
Skywalker was beginning to look angry, so Goose thought it best to stop goading him.
"Don't worry, my surgical skills probably exceed anything else you'll find in this sector." She smiled nonchalantly, "Even if I did just come from a planet clinging to the butt-hairs on the backside of the galaxy."
Apparently, he did not find her attempt at humor amusing, nor did he seem to understand she was trying to back out of a full scale argument.
"Aren't you too young to be a surgeon?" the Jedi asked antagonistically.
He did have a point, because Goose was not as old as one would expect a surgeon to be. However, she was not about to lose this…whatever it was.
"I could say the same for you." She returned smoothly.
Skywalker seemed like he was close to losing his temper, but he never got the chance.
"Everyone's on board. We are go!" came a shout from somewhere else on the ship.
Goose recognized it immediately as a clone's voice, most likely an officer. It was time to get to work. Skywalker shot her a glowering this-isn't-over-yet look before he grudgingly sat down in the pilot's seat. For some reason unknown to her, he was flying the ship. She didn't dare ask, because his mood was already dangerous enough. The Jedi opened a comm channel with the flight controller.
"Dispatch, we're powering up and ready to go." Skywalker said to the flight operator.
He received an affirmative message, then the massive hanger doors above them slowly ground open. The ship lifted off gently, and eased out of the hanger. Almost immediately, the cabin was filled with chatter as the clone crew went about running the ship's systems and preparing to cloak. From her spot in the cockpit, Goose could see the rest of the Republic fleet and the moon it was hiding behind. The stealth ship was starting to come around the moon, and she could begin to see the enemy blockade.
"Engage cloaking device." the Jedi ordered calmly.
The whole ship was filled with expectant silence as the ship began to cloak. Goose was momentarily startled to see the nose of the ship disappear before her eyes. When the report came that the cloak was successful, everyone but her breathed a collective sigh of relief. It didn't occur to her until then that they hadn't been sure that the cloak was even going to work. Now Goose wasn't all that confident about going on this mission. What if the enemy sensors could detect them after all?
Everything seemed to be going well, because the enemy ships did not react to their presence at all. Then, in what appeared to be an act of insanity, Skywalker started guiding the ship right past the turbolaser emplacements on the largest enemy cruiser. The cannons didn't fire, which meant the cloak was working, but Goose couldn't help holding her breath until they cleared the cruiser's engines. She wasn't so sure about this General's mental health, but at least everything was going well enough.
"Doesn't look like they can detect us," Skywalker said triumphantly.
"Yes, but if you get any closer, they may not need scanners to know we are here." Admiral Yularen tried to caution him, a note of irritation in his voice.
"Relax, Admiral," he replied dismissively. "Hey, you wanted to come on this ride."
At that remark, Goose couldn't help rolling her eyes and suppressing a snort.
"Well I didn't." she muttered mostly to herself.
From the flicker of annoyance that crossed his face, Goose knew that Skywalker had heard her, but he didn't react. The ship continued at a relatively slow pace toward Christophsis, which looked more and more ominous the closer they got. Suddenly, the scanner in the cockpit started beeping insistently as it registered a dozen enemy craft, headed straight at them.
"General, we have incoming bombers with fighter escort!" the clone copilot reported.
Skywalker merely set his face and took a deep breath. Internally, Goose was beginning to panic. This was turning out to be far more dangerous than she'd ever anticipated.
"Enemy ships closing," the copilot continued. "Fifteen thousand…..fourteen thousand…thirteen thousand…."
Goose shifted her feet as she listened to him count down the distance between them and the enemy ships. Did they know where their ship was, or was it just a fluke?
"What's our defensive capability?" Skywalker demanded.
"We've got torpedoes and anti-aircraft cannons, sir," the copilot answered tensely. "But we've got to decloak to use either."
"Yeah, and if they don't already know we're here, that will give away our position away pretty quickly." he grumbled bitterly.
Goose's mouth began to grow dry. Never before had she felt so trapped.
"Nine thousand…eight thousand…"
"Have they detected us?" Admiral Yularen asked urgently.
"Can't tell, sir." The copilot replied.
"If we are going on the defensive, we must do it soon!" the Admiral warned.
Skywalker's face had a faraway look, and his eyes were in defocus. For a moment, Goose was afraid he didn't know what to do.
"Come on, Skywalker…" she mumbled under her breath.
"Five thousand….four thousand….."
All around the ship, the crew was looking around, waiting for instructions. Goose could not take her eyes off the screen as she watched the enemy ships speed toward them. If those ships were after the stealth ship and not a target on the planet, they were all farkled.
"Stay cloaked," Skywalker finally ordered. "Power everything else down. Let her drift."
Lights dimmed and systems powered down as the crew complied with the command. The cabin fell completely silent as everyone waited to see the outcome of their gamble.
"Why is everyone so quiet?" Goose laughed nervously, "Sound can't travel over the vacuum of space. It's not like they can hear us or anything…"
She received stern looks from everyone in earshot, so she kept her mouth shut after that. Only the copilot's countdown broke the silence.
"Two thousand….one thousand…."
Admiral Yularen leaned over the copilot to take a better look at the scanner.
"They're going to hit us!" he cried.
"Five hundred!"
Mere moments later, a dozen enemy craft streaked past the ship, no more than a meter from the transparisteel of the cockpit. Goose let out a sob of relief once they were far enough away to be sure they weren't coming back to blow them up.
"They missed us!" Skywalker smiled, "They don't know we're here."
Admiral Yularen hardly seemed to hear him. His eyes were fixed firmly on the enemy bombers as they continued to the surface. He gasped as he realized what their target was.
"They're heading for Bail Organa and the command center," he shouted. "They're going to bomb it!"
Goose looked on in horror, though there was no way she could see what was happening on the surface. She could only imagine how many people were dying down there, and she hoped all the civilians had been evacuated. Goose felt the overwhelming need to be down there, to be helping whoever was still alive.
"Can't we get there any faster?" Goose asked carefully.
Everyone continued to ignore her as they went about their duties, though everyone looked on edge. A minute or so later, a blue hologram of another jedi with his arms crossed popped up in the front of the cockpit.
"Anakin, I've just spoken to the Senator. They're in dire need of our help." the Jedi said firmly, "Continue with your mission to the planet's surface. I will engage Trench's fleet with the ships I already have."
"General Kenobi, with all due respect, you do not have the resources to engage Trench openly." Admiral Yularen objected fervently, "He wants you to attack! You'll be walking into a trap."
"He's right, Master. You won't stand a chance," Skywalker said slowly.
"Anakin, I have enough problems without you becoming one of them." Kenobi returned wearily. "Get those supplies to the refugee camp! I'll worry about Trench, just stay on course and-"
"That tactic won't work!" Skywalker cut in angrily. He turned to his copilot, "Prep torpedo tubes one through four, fix range on Trench's command ship."
"Sir?" the Admiral asked, flabbergasted.
"You heard me, Admiral," Skywalker said warningly.
"What are you doing?" Kenobi demanded.
"We need to destroy Trench, and this ship has the best chance of doing that." Skywalker answered self-righteously.
"I want those supplies on the surface now." Kenobi ordered frustratedly.
"Don't worry, I'm on it." he replied smugly, clearly with no intention of doing as he asked.
"Anakin!" the hologram shouted, before it fizzled away as Skywalker cut the connection.
Goose had intently followed the entire exchange, and though she didn't know exactly what was going on, she could make a good guess. The Republic forces on Christophsis were crumbling, and it was doubtless that there were dozens in need of medical care after the latest bombing raid. The jedi in the hologram was Skywalker's superior, his Master he had called him. Now he was openly disobeying his orders and was readying to attack Trench, the commander of the enemy blockade.
Her gut twisted in fear. He couldn't seriously be turning their tiny ship around to engage an entire fleet! It was suicide, and he had to know it. Kenobi was right, they needed those supplies down there, immediately. People were dying, and she had the ability save them, but stuck here in space she was useless. Goose could not see how they could possibly win, not against these odds.
"That guy just told you to go to the surface!" she cried as Skywalker turned the ship about, "Wasn't he the higher-ranked one?"
If he noticed how poor her grasp of military terminology was, he did not show it. He seemed more interested in berating her than nitpicking at her vocabulary.
"We are the same rank, and I am in charge of this mission." Skywalker snapped, "Attacking is the best way to relieve pressure from Senator Organa, whether Obi-Wan agrees with me or not."
Goose did not know who Obi-Wan was, but she guessed it had to be Kenobi's first name. He did not seem likely to change his mind, but for the troops on Christophsis she had to try.
"The people planetside need the medical supplies and ammunition we're carrying!" she pleaded, "We must go back and help them."
Everyone seemed utterly shocked that she dared to object to him. What was wrong with them? Didn't they see that he was a moron?
"We are helping them." Skywalker refuted, though he lacked conviction. Then he started to give orders to his crew, "Prepare to decloak on my command. Prep torpedo tubes one through four. Fix range on Trench's command ship."
Dejectedly, Goose looked around for something to hold on to. Even if they weren't blown to bits the moment they decloaked, it was still going to be a bumpy ride.
"You realize our torpedoes may not be enough," Admiral Yularen cautioned Skywalker.
Goose brightened with hope when she saw that he also knew how laserbrained this plan was.
"All I want is for Trench to think about us, instead of the people on the planet below." Skywalker grinned madly, "It's time to introduce ourselves."
By now, Goose was seriously starting to doubt his sanity. Why had they made him a General if he was this unstable? She was now thoroughly disillusioned with him, and was mentally preparing herself to die, just as she'd done every day since being drafted.
"Just how long do you think he'll still be thinking about us when we're a field of debris floating in space?" she muttered darkly to herself.
The ship buzzed with activity as the crew carried out his orders, and all Goose could do was stand there and watch. They seemed like good men, and she just couldn't understand how Skywalker could be willing to sacrifice all of their lives like this.
"Ready torpedoes! Lock onto primary target." Skywalker ordered calmly, "Disengage cloaking device!"
The cloak melted away, and the ship was completely visible to the enemy. Goose's breath caught in her throat as she realized they were up against a fleet with firepower a hundred times stronger than their own.
"Fire!" Skywalker barked.
Four torpedoes fired off at once, and sped toward the enemy ship's bridge. Then they detonated harmlessly against the enemy's shields. Goose cursed loudly as they all saw how terribly outmatched they were. Not only that, but they had completely lost the element of surprise. They say that no one ever falls for the same trick twice, but what if the trick didn't work in the first place?
"Well, that did little good!" Admiral Yularen shouted.
"Recloaking in nine…eight…." Skywalker started to count down as the enemy ship fired off their own volley of torpedoes. "seven…six…five…"
It soon became apparent that there was no way the ship would cloak in time. The torpedoes were coming right at them, and they was no avoiding it. Goose braced herself against a bulkhead and tried not to panic.
"Prep the flares!"
"It's too late, General!" the Admiral yelled.
Goose squeezed her eyes shut and held on as tightly as she could. Dying in space was always horrific, and she didn't want to see any of it. If she didn't die from the initial explosions, she would live just long enough to watch the atmosphere boil out of the ship as she was sucked out by the sudden depressurization to asphyxiate in the vacuum of space. Then her body would freeze and pinwheel through space forever, or at least until she burned up in the upper atmosphere of Christophsis.
"Launch flares!"
Flares burst out of the sides of the ship and toward the enemy torpedoes. Miraculously, all of them exploded safely when they encountered the flares. Meanwhile, the ship had recloaked, and the enemy sensors could no longer detect them.
Goose breathed a sigh of relief and slowly opened her eyes, only to be greeted by a massive barrage of laserfire all around them. She was too petrified to make any sort of noise, so all she could do was gape in horror at the imminent onslaught.
Somehow, Skywalker managed to successfully navigate the enemy bombardment, and the cannons had all fallen silent because they hadn't hit anything. Maybe it was his jedi intuition, or perhaps just plain luck. Whatever it was, it meant they were safe, at least for now.
Everyone slumped in their seats as they realized they were in the clear. Everyone, that is, except for Goose.
"Are you milking insane?" she all but screamed at Skywalker, "Did it ever occur to you to drop me and the supplies off first, then do your crinking idiotic attack on your way back to the fleet?"
The whole ship went dead quiet. Of course the whole crew had heard her, and it sounded very much like insubordination. Skywalker turned in his seat to glare at her.
"Are you questioning my authority, Captain?" he asked dangerously.
Goose took a deep breath to calm herself, and the wild look in her eyes went away.
"No, I am not." she answered evenly, "I was simply trying to point out that there are people dying on Christophsis, and you've denied them the aid that was promised to them. I can save lives, but by keeping me stuck out here you may as well be killing them."
Goose continued to stare at him accusingly, even as his anger threatened to boil over. Judging by the anxious looks from the crew, he was not used to being spoken back to. He appeared to be ready to thrash her, but just then a crewman ran up from the rear of the ship.
"General, there is a transmission on the open frequency," he reported breathlessly. "It's the enemy."
Skywalker ground his teeth in frustration, but managed to keep his emotions in check. Goose tried to dial her own feelings back, though she still harbored resentment against him. Provoking him would not do either of them any good.
"Put it through." he said tiredly.
A hologram of a hideous arachnoid alien popped up at the front of the cockpit. Goose nearly forgot her differences with Skywalker because she was so taken aback by its sheer ugliness. It was no wonder that was the enemy, since he certainly looked the part.
"I am Admiral Trench," it introduced itself pompously. "If you are listening, jedi, you've made a bold move and a grave mistake. I appreciate your decision to face me ship-to-ship, to play this little game. It's been so long since I've had a worthy opponent, and you have an impressive new vessel. But I warn you, I have dealt with its kind before. Your technology will not save you, and your friends on the planet below will perish as a result of your failure. The people of Christophsis and her resources shall join the Separatist Alliance! Turn back now, retreat while you can, for I am your doom."
Had Goose not known he had the power to do what he threatened to do, she would have laughed. It was obvious he was putting up an act to intimidate them, because every movement and word he spoke was over exaggerated. It was all so melodramatic that had she not already been scared half out of her wits she'd believe it was some sort of prank.
But this was no prank, and he probably did intend to kill them all.
"He said that he'd dealt with this type of ship before…" Admiral Yularen murmured.
At the Admiral's insistence, Skywalker grudgingly agreed to contact General Kenobi for help. Initially furious that he'd engaged Trench, Kenobi eventually relented and performed a search of the military database.
"You were right, Admiral," Kenobi began. "There are records of Trench's battles, and a few against ships with cloaking devices."
"And?" Skywalker demanded impatiently.
"It seems in each case he used tracking torpedoes to hit the ships, somehow, whether it was cloaked or not." He continued.
"Then he knows a way of detecting us!" the Admiral interjected.
"With tracking torpedoes?" Skywalker mused. "What class of ships was he fighting?"
"Mostly cruiser to cruiser, nothing as small as your ship." Kenobi answered.
"No ship this small usually has a cloaking device." Skywalker thought out loud, "Maybe he's tracking our magnetic signature."
His face brightened as he realized he was on to something.
"Thank you, Obi-Wan." he said dismissively, "Hold off your attack until we destroy Trench."
Kenobi let out a long-suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Might I remind you that this is not your mission?" he asked futilely.
"You might," Skywalker replied cheekily before rudely ending the transmission. "Admiral, prepare to disengage cloaking device and fire."
The Admiral started pushing buttons. Goose had opted to stay in the cockpit regardless of how much Skywalker irritated her, and had seen the whole conversation. He was going to attack again, even though they could be tracked. It was even more of a suicide run than the last time, but she knew that nothing she could say would change his mind. He was reckless, but she dearly hoped he actually had a plan this time around.
"Battle stations!" the Admiral shouted to the whole ship.
A few moments later, they shouted back that they were ready.
"It's your move, General." Admiral Yularen announced.
Skywalker nodded grimly.
"Fire!" he ordered.
The ship rapidly decloaked, then fired off a volley of torpedoes. Once again, they blew up uselessly on their shields. As soon as he could, he recloaked the ship. However, if he had been right about the magnetic signature, Trench had undoubtedly already locked on to them. Hopefully, this was all part of his plan.
Sure enough, a full spread of torpedoes was fired from Trench's ship almost immediately, headed right for them.
"General, I really hope you know what you're doing." Admiral Yularen commented nervously.
Goose thought about adding her own thoughts, but decided they would not be very helpful in this situation.
"So do I, Admiral." Skywalker smiled manically.
Inwardly, Goose groaned. He didn't even know if it would work. There was nothing she could do, because it was too late now.
The torpedoes followed the ship as Skywalker turned it about and headed straight for the command ship.
"They took the bait!" he said triumphantly. "Turn off the cloaking device and divert all power to the engines."
Goose was beginning to see what he was trying to do, but she had no idea how he intended to pull it off. Even with full power to the engines, the torpedoes were gaining on them. Skywalker's face was lined with concentration as he guided the ship at breakneck speed.
Then, with an almost feral snarl, he flew the ship so close to Trench's command ship that he scraped against the cruiser's hull. His insane tactic actually worked, however, when the torpedoes destroyed the enemy's bridge. How he had known it would work, she could not guess. He was a nutcase, but at least they were still alive.
Rather than wait to watch the cascade of explosions that wracked the doomed ship, Skywalker continued on their original heading, toward Christophsis. The crew cheered their victory, and Goose smiled shakily to no one in particular. Her knees still felt wobbly, and she struggled to regain control over herself.
General Kenobi even sent a transmission to congratulate them, albeit reluctantly.
As they began to land, Goose started to roll up her sleeves to get ready to start working. The city was a shambles, and most of the buildings were bombed out ruins. Littered among the rubble were unmoving forms that she knew from experience to be dead bodies, likely those of the native Christophsians.
Aboard the ship, the mood was celebratory as the crew came down from the adrenaline high of the past half hour. Goose could still not believe it had only been that long when it had felt like an eternity. She was mentally exhausted, and it was only around midday.
The ship set down in a debris strewn square that had been cleared just enough to allow them to land. Goose grabbed her medkit, which had lain forgotten on the floor for a while, and slung it onto her back. Without a backward glance at Skywalker, she walked off the ship as soon as the gangplank was down. In the distance, she could both see and hear the battle that continued to rage not far from where she stood.
There were bound to be a multitude of casualties, and she doubted there were any real surgeons available besides her.
The day was not over yet, not by a long shot.
A/N: Good Readers, I will be spending most of the rest of summer travelling in Europe, so I will most likely be unable to update very often. I apologize, but I hope this longer chapter will make up for it. Please review, because I'd love to hear more feedback.