Coruscant
19 BBY (16:05:18 GrS)
Four days before Order 66…
With her spot aiding Anakin and the 501st tomorrow morning assured, now was the time to begin her operation to disrupt Order 66.
After removing Cody, Rex, Vaughn, Jesse, and Gregor's inhibitor chips, the Togruta and the droid Russo-ISC had been hard at work in the Temple laboratory, exposing the chips to electricity and electromagnetic waves. The chips were hardened against all sounds humans could hear as well as electric shocks—unsurprising given that they were intended to remain functional in the middle of a war.
But Russo had discovered that they were susceptible to microwaves. A blast of simple non-ionizing microwave radiation, powerful enough to heat metallic components, but not powerful enough for a human to feel it, would heat the Kaminoan biochips inside of a Clone's head.
They had tested this on two more Clones, resulting in both having fried chips and only slight non-lethal burning on the surface of their brains. The long-term effects and potential for brain damage did concern Ahsoka, but she was convinced this was a necessary evil. She and Russo had come to the conclusion that it was not possible to start removing the inhibitor chips surgically on a massive scale—at least not until Palpatine was out of the picture.
"There are still numerous holes with this plan," Russo said, sitting in the passenger seat of the Jedi Temple Praxis Turbo Speeder Ahsoka was borrowing. On the droid's lap was a portable microwave generator.
"Yes," Ahsoka agreed, montrails and lekku blowing in the wind while she gripped the control yokes, "But we can fill those holes in with a shovel as we get to them."
"Fill those holes?!" Russo scolded, shaking his head disapprovingly. "It is best not to take metaphors so literally! No, we needed to tell the High Council yesterday."
"I need to get members of the High Council offworld to tell them," Ahsoka sighed, putting the airspeeder into a slow descent. "That will happen during the Battle of Coruscant… At least Mace Windu, Obi-Wan, Shaak-Ti, and Anakin will be off-world. I will tell them then."
Russo shook his head, his monotone voice continuing to convey a sense of deep concern. "I do not understand why you have neglected to tell them. I am sure the Chancellor has not managed to place listening devices in the Temple. If he had, then he would have killed us both already. And even if he has placed listening devices, it is possible to disrupt outgoing signals through an electromagnetic field or using the Force as you did when you told me."
"We can't be sure of that at all," Ahsoka muttered, looking down cautiously over the side of the speeder. Down below were a few drunken Clones in service casuals, laughing loudly as they staggered out of 79's, Coruscant Guard riot troopers keeping an eye on them. In truth, the biggest factor for Ahsoka not telling the Council was the risk that they would not believe her—or worse, that they would believe her, but also ostracize her for overwriting the consciousness of her younger self.
The orange glow of the bar's banner now reflected brightly off Russo's photoreceptor lenses. "Oh, Jedi Knight Tano, this is such a bad plan!"
"This is a perfect plan," Ahsoka retorted, stepping out of the speeder the second it touched the ground.
"General?" asked a Clone standing in front of the door.
Another Clone snapped to attention. "General?!"
"At ease boys," Ahsoka smiled. "I'm just checking the place out… I've heard so much about 79's and just wanted to see it for myself." She surreptitiously grabbed the black duffel bag containing the microwave emitter from behind the driver's seat.
"Oh dear," Russo said in a soft voice.
"Wait out here," Ahsoka whispered. "Maintain passive scans and tell me if anyone from the Coruscant Guard shows up."
Russo nodded in acknowledgement, but slouched in a posture that looked almost depressed. "Don't forget this," he said, passing her an earpiece.
Smiling like she was having a great time, Ahsoka put the device in her ear and strolled inside, slowly snaking her way through the crowd. It was very loud inside, and the Togruta could not really effectively eavesdrop on any conversations, though she made out comments about "scrap" and "being planetside" here and there.
She sat down at the barstool in front of the counter and downloaded the menu to her datapad.
The Clone who had been sitting to her left looked nervously at her, then abruptly stood up. He had an absolutely hideous blue mullet that looked like he had cut it himself.
"I'm sorry, was this seat taken?" Ahsoka asked.
"No, General, you can have the seat," the Clone said nervously. "What—what are you doing here if you don't mind my asking? Is this part of a Jedi investigation?"
"If it were, I wouldn't be able to tell you about it, would I?" Ahsoka asked rhetorically.
"No, I suppose not sir."
"You're not in trouble, please, sit back down uh…?"
"Edge, sir."
"Well Edge, it's nice to meet you." Distractedly, Ahsoka stooped down below the bar counter, unzipped the black bag, set the emitter's timer to ten seconds, then sat back down.
Edge had taken a seat again as well. "What is that sir?"
Ahsoka grimaced. Damn I knew I forgot something… I haven't even thought of a single excuse or explanation! "I… You see, it's—"
"Oh blast!" Edge cried out, massaging his temple.
"Are you alright?" Ahsoka asked concernedly, though she knew the pain was the side effect of his inhibitor chip frying on the surface of his brain.
Before Edge could answer, almost every Clone in the room cried out in agony, barring a squad of Clone Commandos in Katarn armor, who shot up in surprise and confusion. Ahsoka cringed, hoping she didn't just accidentally kill a roomfull of Clones.
But as soon as it began, the affected Clones took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you alright?!" asked an Ithorian to a group of four standing behind Ahsoka.
"Yeah," one of them muttered, massaging his head. "That was weird."
Ahsoka looked back over to Edge's seat and found the Clone glaring at her, an angry fire in his eyes. "This is what I was here to investigate," she said placatingly. "I brought this device to measure the… The headaches."
Edge snorted angrily. "Headaches?!"
"Yes… We don't know much, but groups of Clones have been coming down with headaches. Since 79's is the cantina with the most Clones, I decided to investigate it for myself here… Now…" She opened the duffel bag, withdrawing the microwave emitter that did vaguely resemble some types of sensors. The display said CYCLE COMPLETE in big red letters. "The scan cycle is complete… Are the headaches gone?"
"Yeah," Edge sighed, looking a bit more tired than he had before. "Nothing another drink can't fix anyhow."
"Very strange," Ahsoka muttered in pretend curiosity. "I'll pay." She turned to one of the server droids. "Two Toniritas please." A Tonirita was a glass of Alderaanian Toniray wine mixed with lime juice with salt sprinkled on the cup's lip. In the timeline Ahsoka came from, they had been unavailable for more than nine years.
"Tonirita?" Edge gasped. "I can't be seen drinking a—"
"Fine," the Togruta snorted. "One Tonirita and one whatever-Edge-wants."
"Very well, Master Jedi," the server droid said, "Can I see some ID?"
Ahsoka took a sharp inhale of breath. Kriff. Her ID would show that, even though she felt like she was forty-six, she was in fact, seventeen. The legal drinking age on Coruscant was eighteen. Wait. Why can the Clones drink? Technically, the oldest ones are fourteen.
"Shall I call the police?"
"I'd like to correct my order… One virgin Tonirita, and one… whatever-Edge-wants."
Edge stifled a laugh, but still grinned widely. "An Adumari beer please."
Ahsoka tapped her credit chit on the droid's reader, accepting a charge of ₹16.30. She wiped her forehead, surprised that she had been sweating profusely.
o.o.o.o.o
Kelia Los'ean
Aboard the RSD Kestrel, Ponemah System
Amidst the shouting of orders and their acknowledgments, Kelia stood on the bridge, staring silently at the laser-pocked hull of the Obrexta III. This had been the least adrenaline-inducing of any capital ship to capital ship engagement the Commodore had ever witnessed.
The Obrexta III's very last turbolaser battery exploded in a flash of fire against the darkness.
"All gun crews hold your fire!" Jural barked to the fire control crew. "It's down."
"Yes sir," Perth yelled back.
"Communications," Kelia said, "Relay those instructions to the entire taskforce. They are to hold their fire. We don't need the objective suffering a reactor breach before we've even boarded it."
"Yes sir!"
The mixed bag of Clones and non-Clones tapped away at their consoles, enacting or relaying the Captain and the Commodore's orders.
"Have we taken any casualties?" Kelia asked Jural as another squadron of V-Wings took off from the Kestrel's flight deck, darting towards the damaged Separatist vessel.
Jural gave her a noncommittal shrug. "Insofar as I can tell, none. No problems so far either."
"Uh, sirs," one of the Clones at the communications said hesitantly, "I detected one outgoing comm from the Separatist vessel. It might have gotten through our jamming field."
"How long ago?" Kelia asked, approaching the station.
"Less than thirty seconds."
"If the bird and the wolves are right about CIS-Republic collusion and how important this ship is," Jural tsk'd "We'll be up to our noses in CIS reinforcements soon."
Kelia moved her hand to the comm station, sending a tight-beam to the boarding vessels herself. "Vanquisher, you are go for boarding action. The Separatists might have gotten a signal out of the system, let's get this done with as quickly as possible."
o.o.o.o.o
Lir Sey'les
Aboard the Vanquisher, Ponemah System
"Sey'les, I am really sorry I got you demoted," Seke said in a low voice. "I really was thinking about gum."
"It was practically a whole rotation ago," Sey'les snarled angrily, raising her voice over the vibration of the Pelta-class frigate's shaking deck-plating. She couldn't believe this Togruta had picked this time to discuss it. She looked around incredulously, to gauge everyone else's expressions.
She and the other Direct Action Operatives all wore green armor suits, matching the color of Republic naval uniforms. Their suits resembled Clone armor from the neck down, but Direct Action Operative helmets were based on officer field helmets. Able to be worn by a greater number of species with no need for costly modifications, they were more conical shaped and thinner at the top with a wide circumference at the bottom encircling the neck.
The female robotic voice used for collision alerts suddenly cut over the ship's intercom. "Contact in ten, nine—"
"I just wanted to apologize. Sey'les, I am sorry."
"Seven, six, five—"
The rest of the Direct Action Operatives were now staring at them, Arsk Solve with his fluffy blue Mahran ears perked up.
"Just shut up, Seke!" Sey'les snarled so loudly that the entire airlock could hear.
"Four, three—"
"Ensign Sey'les!" Kev yelled from the front of the airlock, "Is there something you—AHHH!"
A moment after the automated voice announced one second to impact, the Vanquisher slammed its portside into the starboard side of the Separatist Bulwark-class with such force that if Sey'les hadn't been holding her hand grip, she would have sprawled over just like General Kev Rel'skar.
Kev thudded against the airlock door, then stood up spitting angrily. "Ensign, is there something you want to share with all of us?"
A deathly silence filled the airlock. All eyes were on the ashy furred Bothan.
"I was just thinking the usual," Sey'les said firmly, "Everyone, watch your corners, stay out of doorways as you proceed to your objectives, and do kick some ass in there."
This sentiment was met with a chorus of cheers and shouts from most of the Clones, but not the Clone Commandos in Rider Squad. Instead, they were in their own little world in their helmets, likely receiving special mission orders.
"Thank you for that reminder, Ensign," Mornsted said gruffly over the commotion. "Everyone, final checks start now!"
Before Mornstead had even finished his order, Kev and his Padawan Fojo already had their sabers ignited, digging the exposed portion of the Obrexta III's hull. When their sabers met at the bottom of a giant square-shaped cut, the piece of hull fell inwards into a dark corridor. The Jedi had held their sabers defensively, but there didn't seem to be any droids on the other side waiting for them.
The Jedi both looked tense and Kev's fur swirled with nervousness. Sey'les's own danger sense was blaring. But still, in spite of the danger the Force was screaming to anyone sensitive enough to feel it, Kev and Ekos cautiously stepped into the breach.
It was a mistake they would live to regret.
"WAIT! FALL BACK!" Sey'les yelped. The searing sensation from the Force had suddenly become elaborate enough for her to arrive at horrifying understanding. Heeding her cry, Kev and Ekos froze in place, and time seemed to slow down. But before the two Jedi could step back into the airlock, the corridor of the enemy vessel turned into a slice of hell.
Two red lasers, looking more like a light display at the Galaxies Opera House than a weapon, extended from a small plastoid device in the corner of the corridor wall. At the speed of light, they connected with both of the Jedi and passed through them—Kev was bisected in two places, at the legs just below the kneecaps and through his pointy ears. The shorter Rodian Padawan was sliced at the thighs, with the top laser fortunately missing his purple and yellow head frills completely.
Less than a second later—the precise length of time it took Kev and Ekos's nerve endings to feel the pain of being sliced to pieces by a laser and transmit it to their brains—both of the Jedi cried out in agony, falling to the floor as their legs slid apart.
"SMOKE GRENADES!" Sey'les yelled as loud as she could, grabbing one from her vest and throwing down between Kev and Ekos.
A plume of thick dark smoke obscured the two Jedi as it filled the corridor, then spilled into the airlock. There were shouts for a medic and shouts of surprise. Mornsted managed to scream out one "SEY'LES! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" before the lasers fired again.
The walls flashed with a hot crimson as the laser was blocked by the smoke's opacity, engulfing everything and everyone. Smells of burning plastic and ozone flooded the air, along with dozens of renewed cries of alarm, but this time no one was hurt. One of the Clone engineers echoed Sey'les's cries for smoke grenades, throwing one of his own into the corridor to join hers.
"MEDIC!" Sey'les yelped, pushing her way to the front of the group, and rushing into the corridor. While the smoke made it nearly impossible to see, even with the glowrods several Clones had activated, she could sense Jedi's locations. She grabbed the Rodian first, reaching her arms under his armpits and dragging him back into the airlock.
The laser fired again as she went back for Kev, and the smoke heated up at least twenty degrees. This time, Mornsted was at her side, with Rider squad crouched down all around them, blasters aiming into the darkness, visors aglow in green, magenta, and red.
"Negative on clankers. One-Four, knock out those emitters." Rider Squad's leader, Garen, ordered, his gold-trimmed red and grey helmet gesturing over his shoulder, green visor glowing menacingly in the smoke.
"Copy." Chalis acknowledged, the black, grey, and gold armored commando quickly snapping a shot from his DC-17m into the emitter mount. The lasers sparked as they burst open, spewing small electronic components all over the deck below as Chalis dropped back to a knee. "Clear!"
"Good work ner vod." Blade uttered with a nod, the blue and gray commando's DC-17 pointed into the darkness.
"You've done this before, I take it?" Mornsted grunted to Sey'les, heaving Kev up himself before she had a chance to grab him.
"I've been in this situation before," Sey'les growled. "But I wasn't the one who thought of the smoke bombs." The last time something similar to this had happened, the Bothan had lost nearly her entire team. It was only thanks to the quick-thinking of Razal Wulf throwing a smoke bomb that any of them had survived.
"Well, good thing you remembered," Mornsted sighed, lying Kev on the floor against the right wall.
"We have to get Kix!" Kev snarled, fighting his own agony as he grasped up for Mornsted's collar.
"We need a medic over here!" Mornsted barked. "Seke! Where are you?!"
A moment later the Togruta emerged through the smoke, holding a medkit and swearing in fear and dismay as she crouched down next to Kev. Two Clone medics followed closely behind her.
"What the hell do we do now, sir?! Both Jedi are out before we even cross the threshold!"
Mornsted picked up his comm. "I am telling the Kestrel we are proceeding without the Jedi."
