Interior: Starhawk, briefing room.

"Wait! Just because there haven't been survivors before doesn't mean there won't be this time. Lives are at stake!

We can't just give up on Master Plo and his men.

We have to find them," chimed in Ahsoka's hologram as Palpatine, Shaak Ti, Anakin and members of the Jedi Council were discussing a CIS mystery weapon with Kal Skirata who'd invited himself.

"Clearly your Master needs to put you back in your rightful place, where you belong, on a short leash like the filthy pet you are." dismissed the creep of a Chancellor, in a tone of disdain, disgusting everyone within earshot on all ends of the communication, unaware the conversation was also being recorded.

Seething with anger which she released into the Force, an outraged Shaak Ti interjected, "Chancellor, how dare you treat Ahsoka like this? And she's right."

"Don't you dare talk down to or treat my Padawan like that!" growled Anakin.

Starkiller glared behind his helmet, "Ahsoka's right, we can't just leave General Plo for dead.

He'd never leave any of us behind, so we have no right to do that to him.

It'd be as dishonourable as you."

Palpatine frowned at the Mando Jedi, "You should show me some respect, Mandalorian scum." then turned to Tano, "As for you, irritating little nuisance, my intelligence reports the death of General Plo Koon."

"That's impossible! We only lost contact a minute ago." protested Ahsoka.

"I forbid wasting time on a pointless, hopeless attempt at a rescue mission!

He's dead, now get over it, you wretched brat." snarled Palpatine.

Unimpressed, Skirata scolded, "Never tell a Mandalorian or his companions who they should respect, you hut'uunla aruetii.

And don't ever disrespect one's aliit, or their culture." and remotely disconnected Palpatine from the frequency.

As the Council looked at him, Starkiller bluntly said, "I sense Plo's still alive, so I'm going to find him and bring him home.

Any help is welcome. Otherwise, stay the hell out of my way."

Skirata reached out as if holding hands with Tano's hologram as a gesture of reassurance, "Your old man and your vode are gonna be fine, so be strong for them.

Use the bond you share to find them and bring them home."

Surprised at the comforting encouragement from the gold armoured Mando, Ahsoka smiled, "Are those orders, Rus'alor Skirata?"

With an authoritarian stance, Kal nodded, "Ones you will follow to the letter, lil 'un.

It's not just your buir's life at stake, but the lives of several of my sons. Your vode."

Momentarily thereafter.

Exterior: space, Abregado system.

Exiting hyperspace aboard the Rogue Shadow, Starkiller and a crew of clones scanned for lifeforms at highest sensitivity before the Twilight dropped out of hyperspace near the debris field.

"Twilight to Rogue Shadow, have you found Master Plo?" asked Ahsoka, via comms, concerned but optimistic.

"Only just arrived," answered Starkiller, via comms.

Finding 3 escape pods of clones and Plo, Galen, Anakin and Ahsoka quickly got them onboard, and docked with each other, safely out of the debris field, taking some of the survivors aboard both ships.

Interior: Rogue Shadow and Twilight.

Turning to his fellow Jedi, Plo informed, "We were tracking the enemy superweapon when we learnt it was an Ion cannon."

Concerned, Ahsoka asked, "An ion cannon?"

Bringing up a small hologram, Galen asked, "Did it look anything like this?"

"Partially… where did you get that image?"

"Thrawn." answered Marek.

A few moments later, they saw the Malevolence which they scanned the schematics of before shutting down their systems and droids to avoid detection.

Interior: Rogue Shadow and Twilight.

Weary of the situation, Wolffe asked, "So, what now, ori'vod?"

"It's like the flagship I encountered above Taris, but without a gravity well." answered Starkiller.

"Does that mean you know how to beat it?" inquired Plo.

Ahsoka interjected, "Kal ordered us to bring Plo'Buir and the boys home, so let's do that before planning a counter attack."

Starkiller nodded, "Copy that, Commander."

The Togruta admitted, "Not sure I'm ready to be one yet."

Plo chimed in, "You have my faith, little 'soka."

"Thanks, Plo'Buir."

The Rogue Shadow and Twilight powered up with all power rerouted to shields and engines, and jumped to hyperspace, back to Marek's fleet.

Later.

Interior: Starhawk, briefing room.

Anakin mentioned to Plo, "Palpatine forbade looking for you and other survivors, claiming his intelligence reported your death.

That's impossible since he told us that only a minute, tops, after we lost contact with you."

"That's troubling. The only forces around at the time were Grievous's forces.

And all long-range transmissions besides their own were being jammed."

"Things like this only make Galen more suspicious of Palpatine."

Tightly hugging her father, Ahsoka chimed in, "Palpatine's a creepy, xenophobic monster.

If you saw the way he was looking at me, and heard his tone while he talked down to me, you'd be disgusted."

"I'm sure I would, little 'Soka." replied Plo.

"The old creep called me a filthy pet whose rightful place was kept on a short leash by my Master."

"Palpatine said what!?" furiously asked Plo before they readied themselves for the Council report.

Standing next to Plo and the holograms of the council, SkySnips and Kal, Galen greeted, "Hello there."

"That's my line." protested Obi-Wan, earning some chuckles.

Mace frowned, "Marek, you've been going rogue… again."

"As advertised, di'kut."

Kal pointed out, "On my orders, he, Ahsoka and Skywalker saved Plo and several of my sons.

Now we'll have some insight into the superweapon." before Plo briefed the Council.

Turning to his apprentice, Obi-Wan's hologram said, "Noble as your intentions were, you were reckless to go after this "Malevolence ," when you had a position to defend."

"I didn't go after it, I did my duty to ner aliit.

And by saving the survivors, we learnt more about the weapon so we won't be running in blind."

Juno concluded, "Since transmissions were always being jammed during attacks by the Malevolence, that'd include the distress beacons and long range communications.

That'd explain why they could keep a dreadnought like that so secret."

Kal subtly gestured to Eclipse, "I like this one."

Mando'a translations.

Aliit - family.

Rus'alor - Sergeant.

Buir - father.

Vode - brothers.

Ori'vod - big brother.

Plo'Buir - Papa Plo.

Di'kut - idiot.

Ner - my.