A/N: Usual reminder, to interact and cheer me on, google me, google this fic. You'll find the path. Cheers.
Chapter 34
All the major clans of Mandalore were seated around an impressively sized circular 'table'. It wasn't so much a singular table, as it was a modular assembly arranged into a circle and could be adjusted if a clan was to gain enough rep or power to get a seat. In the same way, a clan could lose its seat if it died out or lost prestige and if no minor house was ready, the table would shrink. The minor houses of Mandalore were present though and they stood arrayed around the table, usually behind the major clan that they were vassals to, but it wasn't really necessary and they could generally mingle and stand wherever they wanted.
Clan Kryze, being the ruling House, chaired the session and was represented by Bo-Katan Kryze, with Prime Minister Almec seated next to her. Everyone who was anyone here was in armor, most families lucky enough to still have their beskar'gam were wearing them. The exceptions being Almec and a scattering of the minor houses. Bo-Katan was not a carbon copy of her portrayal in my old life - but she had an offshoot of her sister's beauty and in my eyes was somewhat better off for it, lacking that patrician nose, severe resting expression and with short red hair that only came to her mid-neck.
"We shall now hear from Clan Vizsla," Almec declared.
At bloody last. Sitting through the past two days as various clans brought forth their military proposals or any other business they felt needed to be discussed would tax the patience of even a Jedi. They weren't all universally bad, there was some definite talent in the room and I had gotten quite a few ideas from the brainstorming, especially when it came to sabotage ops. One would think they'd let the person who was a commander in the GAR brief them first about the semi-classified situation in the battle spaces - I'd had to get permission from the Jedi Council even so - but in this room I wasn't a commander. My voice as wielder of the Darksaber and Clan Vizsla would carry more weight, but protocols at the clan meeting had to be followed.
The panel on my chair lit up as I was granted control of the room's holosystems. I tapped a few buttons and slotted in a data chit.
The room dimmed a bit and a massive rendering of the galaxy appeared above. It zoomed in to show the Mandalore sector and a fair chunk of the surrounding space.
"The Republic has successfully established a foothold in Botajef and they are consolidating for a further push. Whether they will keep that momentum is the question and all indications are that the CIS is still powering a Providence dreadnought forward to halt and perhaps even reverse that. Given that this battlespace is just 1500 lightyears northward from our sector, this will be the quickest and logistically easiest to conduct operations in. That does not mean all our focus should be here. The Separatists will be expecting us. There will be no surprise."
I lifted my hand and manipulated the holo. It was a pleasant surprise the system here was good enough to handle the interface upgrade programs that Anakin, HK and I had developed.
"The other battlespace in the north is just as crucial. The Republic has managed to open the door to the Entrella Hyperspace Route by finally driving out the CIS from Ord Mantell. Operations are underway in the Yout System and the CIS are on the run, fighting a retreating action. Current predictions are that the Republic can drive them all the way to Orinda before a consolidation pause will have to be called. The biggest problem at the moment is in the south."
I moved the holo-galaxy up with a gesture and spread my fingers apart to zoom it.
"The Republic has had to retreat to the Vondarc system and abandon Sullust. A similar setback was suffered at Malastare and the battlespace has shifted to ZeHeth. If Vondarc is not held, it would mean the loss of the Rimma Trade Route, and a strategic retreat to the Pax system for the entire south.
"In the north-east of the galaxy, things are very fluid. The plentiful hyperspace astrogeography means that there can be no static singular system warfare or battlewalls drawn. It is a constant back and forth, of small task forces maneuvering and trying to catch each other. In other cases, it can be even single ship engagements due to the hyperspace routes simply being unable to handle ships of high mass."
"From that summation, it seems as if you are advocating we deploy commandos to the south and Yout in the north," said Kal Skirata, a grizzled veteran and leader of Clan Skirata, in understated brown toned beskar armor.
"That's where the most impact would be made, those who specialize in starfighter combat would also do well in the north-east."
"Bah, why bother with such distant battles," Thon Varad threw his hands outward in a display of disdain. "The true enemy is at Botajef and up the Hydian."
I had to restrain a weary sigh. Clan Varad, in their purple beskar'gam, were amongst the most militant and bloodthirsty of them all. It was a minor miracle that they were in the current Mandalorian government and not running wild amongst the battle spaces already. Thon had also arrived at the decision that he wanted to take Dooku's head for himself in single combat one day. I certainly appreciated the sentiment, but killing Dooku was something that only a Jedi had any real hope of achieving. Palpatine just stacked the deck too much to let his apprentice be killed in a mundane fashion - such as destroying the ship Dooku just happened to find himself on or letting himself be outmaneuvered and outnumbered.
"I did not indicate we should be utterly ignoring the closest front, Varad," I said calmly. "Merely that it should be expected that the enemy will be prepared. There are a number of clandestine operations that could be undertaken but this is not the forum to discuss them. I will say again, the enemy is a former Jedi, a self-proclaimed Sith. He can divine information beyond standard mundane means. That is why any attack up the Hydian must only involve the clans selected for the task and information compartmentalization measures taken."
"That means subtlety and finesse is required, something your clan is not really known for Varad," Bo-Katan smirked.
He simply glared in response at her before looking at me, "And I suppose Manda'lor Vizsla is going to take her Blades and do the job?"
Not this again, I inwardly groaned.
"The Blades move for the good of all Mandalore in the shadows. Anyone who walks in the Way can join. It is not there to undermine any clan and answers to whoever sits on the throne. Death Watch may have made a claim to command all clans via the Darksaber in a twisted parody of what Tarre Vizsla did, but not me and not the Blades." Bastard he may be, but Pre had recognized one important fact. The clan structure itself was stifling talent. He realized that there had to be some path for any Mandalorian from the minor houses or any family in the sector to rise up in a meritocratic system that was not beholden to clan favor or blood ties.
The Blades had twenty three members from Clan Vizsla but the rest were all from minor houses and families, most of whom were from Concordia and Mandalore but also Kalevala. Pre had been in the process of planning to spread his recruiting net outside the Mandalore system when I had shown up.
Varad just folded his arms and glared at me unhappily.
"Prime Minister, I yield the floor."
Almec nodded, "Thank you for the intelligence, Manda'lor Vizsla. Manda'lor Kryze."
Bo-Katan took control of the holo systems and soon a general order of battle was displayed, essentially listing the clans, their declared specializations and so on.
"We're currently in talks with both MandalMotors and Kalevala Spaceworks. Any clan that has the funds can purchase Fang fighters and Kom'rk fighter transports, these can be claimed against taxes, but the Treasury will be keeping a sharp eye on things, minor houses can engage in a rent-to-own scheme and interest costs has been waived for the duration of the war. The Guard will otherwise also be expanding the local fighter defense fleet."
"Kalevala only makes the Nau'ur," Rook Kast pointed out. She was also a member of the Blades and represented Clan Kast. She had shown a rather interesting level of loyalty to me thus far, that I sensed was based on the fact that I was Force sensitive and the feats I had shown in conquering the Death Watch.
"They've been contracted to do a design study on a modern warship concept."
That news sent the tongues wagging amongst all the attendees of the meeting.
"Naturally!" Bo-Katan spoke loudly, which gave everyone the hint to shut up. "This ship will only be defensive in nature. It will only feature a hyperdrive powerful enough to give it intrasystem mobility. Mandalore cannot afford an offensive fleet, in both money and manpower. We'll let the Republic Navy carry that burden, that's why we pay taxes to them after all."
The ship, whatever it was, would be barely a prototype before the Clone Wars ended, but there needed to be some contingency measures ready in case the galaxy came down with a bad case of Empire. I would also be quietly having a word with Bo-Katan and the Spaceworks executive board about designing the ship to be modular enough to easily accept a hyperdrive upgrade in the future.
"You know the drill. We are behind our lines, but that is no guarantee and until we rendezvous with the Resolute we are vulnerable. The safety of Duchess Satine is of the utmost priority. It is almost certain that the CIS have some idea now that the Mandalorians are going to throw in their forces alongside the Republic. The Duchess and a number of very important neutral senators are on board who would make excellent hostages," Obi-Wan explained.
"R2," Anakin prompted. The astromech trundled forward and activated his holoprojector. The small 24 man recon clone company of the 501st led by Captain Rex examined the map local space shown. "The Coronet is currently on course for the Gargon system. It's at the edge of Mandalorian space with only a single inhabited world. The colony here is one of the newest and only has about ten thousand people. It's generally secure and they have a contingent of Mando Guard forces for anti-piracy protection. The problem is that the onward hyperspace point at this time of year is going to require a four and half hour cruise in normal space through the system."
"That's a long time to be vulnerable, general," Rex pointed out.
"Exactly, especially because our least time course is taking us past this outer gas giant with 39 moons and the radiation there is going to play havoc with this ship's sensors. It'll be a perfect ambush point."
"The Duchess has notified the local Guard to be on alert and they will escort us through, but we cannot assume anything. Prepare for the worst," Obi-Wan warned.
"Understood general, anything else?" Rex asked.
"No, that'll be all."
"R2, you stay in the cargo spaces, keep active scans for suspicious activity. General scans were clear, but you know how relatively easy it is to hide from those," Anakin instructed.
R2 warbled an affirmative, a scanner dish immediately popping up from his dome, before rolling away among the boxes. Rex moved forward and began dividing his troops and assigning them to the various decks.
Obi-Wan's comlink chimed for attention. "Yes?"
"The duchess and her retinue requests your presence."
"Very well, we'll be there presently."
He turned around and entered the elevator that would take them from one of lower cargo decks up to the luxury levels of the ship. Anakin followed and the car began its rapid upward ascent.
"A bit of anxiety about the journey, master?"
Obi-Wan inwardly cursed. Ever since the bombing of the Memorial Shrine, with Satine so close to death, he'd been struggling with his emotional equilibrium, even to the point where Anakin was picking up on it. That was a rather embarrassing lapse for a Jedi Master.
"You could say that," he reluctantly admitted. "I knew Satine… a long time ago."
"And you're close to her," Anakin said matter-of-factly. Obi-Wan really regretted ever having supported Anakin take on a Consular padawan. He thankfully let him off the hook easily, "She has you, me and her own beskar plated bodyguards, she'll be safe."
He nodded, stroking his beard in thought.
The elevator stopped and they emerged onto the royal level of the Coronet.
The hallway was richly appointed and Obi-Wan again marveled at what Satine and the Mandalorian people had managed to rebuild in the wake of the civil war. The red intricately decorated carpeting was entirely handmade with natural materials harvested from Harswee, oak walls and expansive transparisteel windows that served to show the breathtaking views of hyperspace. Intricate crystal lights and the occasional chandelier created a soft, relaxing light throughout the corridors of the upper levels.
The ship had the capacity of a thousand odd passengers, but had been only half booked for this journey to Coruscant. Most of them consisted of the various senatorial delegations, but there were also civilian passengers from both Mandalore and Kalevala. The royal level was also thankfully less crowded.
Satine's throne room aboard the Coronet was obvious simply due to the number of guardsmen deployed at the entrance, but also for the fact that now there was also a pair of beskar'gam wearing Mando warriors in House Kryze colors in attendance. The room itself also didn't actually hold a throne, instead a raised platform littered with cushions for her to relax and sit down upon.
Obi-Wan sighed and wearily cast off the fantasy that hit his mind as he saw her lounging there. Really Kenobi, you would think you're still in your late teens, he mentally scolded himself.
"Welcome Master Kenobi," Satine greeted with a somewhat neutral expression, but he saw in her eyes…
"Thank you for the invitation, Duchess."
Satine addressed the room, "Senators, I assume you're all acquainted with the collection of half-truths and hyperbole, known as Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
He bowed his head slightly to the senators; he recognized Orn Free Ta from Ryloth, Onaconda Farr of Rodia, Dantum Roohd, a few others he was not acquainted with and finally Tal Merrik of Kalevala, who was looking rather out of sorts for some reason.
"Allow me to introduce my fellow Jedi, Anakin Skywalker."
"Your servant, my lady," Anakin smiled and bowed.
She looked somewhat sadly at him for some reason. "Yes, unfortunately we couldn't meet earlier down on Mandalore due to… circumstances." A BD-3000 luxury droid approached and began serving cocktails to everyone, which Obi-Wan and Anakin politely declined. "I can't help but notice your armor is distinctly the same as one of my newest Manda'lors. You're her master?"
"That is correct, highness."
"I think it prudent to set aside some time to discuss her with you, Master Skywalker. Nothing that would violate trust or vows, I just wish to learn to know her from those who do."
"As you wish."
Satine finished her drink, "Senators, now that we are under way and you are watered, I'm afraid I have some bad news to share with you all. Effective immediately, I'm resigning as head of the CNS."
"What?" Free Ta was startled so badly he nearly knocked over his two Twi'lek companions. The other senators were no less shocked, the exception being Merrik.
"Duchess, what… why? At this critical time…" Senator Farr's sparkly eyes were twitched down with despondency.
Satine looked at him with a measure of remorse. "The Separatists have been caught red handed trying to incite a Mandalorian insurgent terrorist movement, with the final aim of assassinating me and causing the fall of the government. This evidence was brought before all the clans and Manda'lors. It is no longer feasible for the Mandalorian sector to remain neutral. My people… call for war and will be joining the Republic forces."
"Duchess, surely there must be alternatives," Dantum's deep voice boomed through the room. "To change leadership now, the CNS will appear even more weak than it already is."
"My rule of the Mandalorian people is not absolute, Senator. The Manda'lors and Prime Minister representing my people have spoken. If I do not act to defend our home, then they will act to depose me and replace me with a monarch who will. Masters Kenobi and Skywalker will also testify to you what the CIS attempted to do. It is my hope that you will use our journey to Coruscant to find someone amongst you who can replace me as chair of the CNS."
The senators looked at each other as if they expected one of them to immediately raise their hand and volunteer. Sentient nature and diffusion of responsibility meant that no hands were raised. It was a daunting prospect. The CNS technically had 1500 worlds spread out across the galaxy, most without any direct senatorial representation. Most had to literally 'share' senators who would speak on their behalf. Someone in the room now had to step up and speak for all those worlds.
"We… will need to discuss this, your highness." Free Ta rumbled uncomfortably, whilst apologetically looking at his two female Twi'lek companions.
"Please do, there is a private chamber on this deck prepared for your deliberations but before you engage in politics, I do believe it is time for dinner."
"So you and Satine actually have a history?"
Obi-Wan knew the question was coming. The problem was how to answer it as he and Anakin walked the splendid corridors of the Coronet towards their own temporary quarters aboard the vessel.
"An extended mission. As you know, Master Qui-Gon and I spent a year on Mandalore. Our task was protecting the duchess from the main instigators of the civil war, as she worked to get all sides to the table and end the fighting. At one point, the talks broke down but they couldn't afford to have her blood on their hands, so they sent bounty hunters after us constantly. We were always on the run, living hand to mouth. Never sure what the next day would bring."
He would always remember that time, not just for the constant stream of bad days, of having to kill every bounty hunter sent their way, but also in contrast, the minor moments of good they could squeeze out of that nightmarish time.
"Sounds romantic," Anakin joked in a rather tongue-in-cheek fashion.
He gave his former student a very unimpressed look. "In any event, it was not just the civil war that turned her to pacifism. There were occasions where she survived death from assassins by the slimmest of margins. I trust you can therefore appreciate what your padawan achieved by making Satine see reason in this situation."
"Oh definitely," Anakin said with feeling. It was almost enough for Obi-Wan to indulge in some pointed queries of his own.
"When the civil war ended, she returned and took on the difficult task of rebuilding her world."
"And you had to move on, you couldn't stay to help," Anakin deduced.
"Correct, the mission was over. It was a success by all measures. I was ordered on a month-long retreat to recuperate and come to terms with my experiences in the war."
"You had feelings for her."
Obi-Wan was at least grateful Anakin was using the past tense when speaking aloud, even though they both knew that wasn't the case.
"Yes, and it played a great part in why I decided to leave. I lived by the Jedi Code." He just managed to keep the bitterness out of his voice. It was a stupid unworthy wish, but going back in time he would beat his younger self over the head. He'd show him Master Bilaba's revised Jedi Code, tell him to adopt the Mandalorian Way… No. That would be selfish, even as he imagined what would've happened on countless other missions to others he had helped, had he not been there. The heart was such a troublesome thing sometimes.
"No attachments."
"Indeed."
His comlink chimed for attention. "Yes?"
"General Kenobi, Captain Lorso here, we're ten minutes from emergence in the Gargon system."
"Thank you, we'll be right there."
The inevitable happened on the third day of the clan summit.
In front of every representative, clan head and members of the public also watching, I was standing with the Darksaber drawn and defending its ownership.
My opponent was not someone I'd imagine in a million years would be the challenger. I'd only been keeping a loose watch on the future, just in case someone got it in their heads to bomb the summit, so I was somewhat surprised by it.
Her name was Rav Bralor, descended from a clan that could trace its lineage back all the way to the time of Revan, the Old Republic and Crusades. Through some quirk of genetics, she stood taller than most men and just from the way she moved and wore her beskar'gam, I had to wonder if some Hapan genetics had come into the clan in the last seven hundred years or it really just was that lucky roll of the genetic dice. Her dark brown hair was cut short, but still long enough to work some feminine elegance into.
Physically, she stood nearly thirty centimeters taller than me and to a layman the matchup looked ridiculous. It was made worse by the fact she fought with a beskar spear.
Bo-Katan was officiating the duel.
"Manda'lor Vizsla, you're the defending party. State your terms."
I stared into the visor of the woman challenging me, trying to suss out just why she was doing this. Not even that trigger-happy bastard Thon Varad had thought it a wise idea. It wasn't just about the Darksaber, I could sense that much.
"No external Force usage from me, this wouldn't be a duel with any meaning otherwise," I declared. "No area of effect attacks, as I doubt the duchess would appreciate wrist mounted flamethrowers going off in her palace." Bo-Katan held her neutral face but I could sense her gratitude to me. "Duel continues until the combatant is unable to fight, no death."
"Do you accept these terms Rav Bralor?"
Rav eventually nodded and pulled out her spear from its sheath on her back. I moved into a Form V, Djem So stance, putting both hands to the Darksaber, keeping its tip pointed at her. She'd have the reach advantage and it'd be interesting to see what form of spear combat she'd use. Rav's own stance was low, knees bent, the spear held horizontal in both hands at her hips. It was as if she was trying to negate her own reach advantage with that - but I wasn't fooled as I further studied her form and posture.
Just as well, because in the next second that spear tip surged forward straight for my chest.
I dodged with a twist of my hips, then ducked and fended off the spear with the Darksaber. The blade sparked off the spear's shaft as it was withdrawn.
Then she had her hands on the rear section of the spear, her reach extended even more and the long blade of the spear surged back and forth rapidly with feinted attacks, before finally attacking my neck.
I stepped back, the actual attack missing and slapped it away with my saber, adding to its momentum, and pushing the entire spear out of the way.
The world around me blurred with speed briefly, then I was right next to her and slashing the Darksaber right through the meat of her outer right thigh, hitting the gap of the beskar plate precisely. It wasn't a deep cut and I could've left her with a limp for the rest of her life, but simply chose not to.
Rav stumbled away from me and the smell of burnt flesh immediately hit everyone nearby. Impressively she didn't utter a single cry or grunt of pain. I had to admire that willpower.
She kept her feet and resumed her stance, favoring her left side.
"Can you still fight?" Bo-Katan queried.
My opponent simply nodded.
We resumed our stances and given what I was seeing from her body language now, there had to be some form of internal medical system on her armor, perhaps a pain deadener or even something cybernetic at work.
Her next attacks followed a similar pattern, using the reach to keep me at a distance, whilst probing my guard from every angle she could with rapid thrusts, feints, mixing in slashes to the weak spots of my own armor - upper thighs, the gaps on my arms, even my hands.
I fended off her attacks, studying my opponent, trying to find the gap in her defense and then I heard a muted distinct electronic chirp. My echosense picked it up and my combat precognition screamed in warning.
I flung my body into a rearward roll to get some distance and when I came up the Darksaber was in my right hand and my left lightsaber was in hand and lit.
Just in time to twirl both around me in a blur of black and green light as Mandalorian Whistling Bird smart munitions screamed inward to me from multiple angles, launched from Rav's left vambrace.
The sheer amount of them in such a short amount of time meant that there was no way my blades could form a perfect defense unless I started levitating them, which my own terms for the duel prevented.
It was time to play this card.
My own vambraces lit with crackling violet energy, as their electro-deflection systems, adapted from the same technology as Magna guard electrostaffs, looted so long ago on Tatooine, became in effect extensions of my defenses and offense.
The final three smart munitions that would've neatly drilled themselves into my upper legs, bounced off and fizzled as my vambraces slapped them aside.
My left blade stopped Rav's spear trying to slam down on my helmet. I surged forward with the Darksaber pointed forward, stabbing her right through the left leg. My final step brought my shoulder in and slammed into her midsection. Pushing her off the blade to fall down and collapse on her back.
Bo-Katan was on the ball instantly, "Winner Manda'lor Vizsla. Med techs!"
Three medics broke through the circle of witnesses and immediately got to work. The Darksaber had penetrated through the bone and cut a vital artery. It had been immediately closed by the heat, so there was no risk of bleeding out, but the shock to her internal vascular system meant the fight was effectively over.
I extinguished my blades, deactivated my electro-vambraces and bowed, already using the Force to aid and energize Rav's various healing processes.
The Med techs had her helmet off and had attached various devices to her; including oxygen mask, sealants to her wounds, and a portable bacta infuser.
She was still conscious and her eyes met mine with laser intent, then raised a hand to me and beckoned me closer.
I could feel no danger or malicious intent and stepped forward, kneeling by her side.
From her belt she produced a data chit and held it out.
I accepted it from her and from her surface thoughts I understood.
It was an invitation.
To what exactly, I would have to read and find out.
I nodded to her in understanding, used the opportunity by proximity to add a few more touches of Force Healing, stood and left the conference chamber.
The Coronet emerged from hyperspace and found the surrounding space entirely clear of any contacts.
Obi-Wan breathed slightly easier as the report came from the sensor operator on the bridge.
The bridge was directly inspired by the design of ancient sailing vessels. It even used a circular oak wheel as a giant steering yoke for the ship. It wasn't a necessary feature for navigation, and it was possible to control it from any of the five multifunction control stations that were arranged around the circular bridge. Given the diplomatic and senatorial nature of the vessel, the bridge crew were drawn from the Senate commandos and were cross-trained to be fully capable in their naval duties as well as being ground soldiers.
"Any sign of Guard fighters?" Captain Lorso asked. From what Obi-Wan could tell the man was a capable operator, he wouldn't expect anything else from the one selected to fly Satine around the galaxy. How he would fare under Separatist guns was the question of the hour.
"None, sir. Nothing on long range sensors, but that gas giant is really fouling our sensors."
The planet in question was 10 million kilometers distant and was neatly acting like a smoke screen in which anything could be hiding. If they had been on a military ship with military grade sensors, the system would be much more of an open book, but even a Venator would struggle to make sense of that mess.
"What of the rest of the system, anything on passives?"
"The Gargon colony looks nominal, captain. I'm getting expected local ship traffic and com signals."
"Hail the colony space control, ask them where our escort is."
"Yes, Captain." The com officer worked his control station for a moment.
A long silence followed that Obi-Wan had a very bad feeling about.
"Well, lieutenant?"
"No response, captain. I'll try alternate channels."
The officer spent the next minute trying, then, "Got something, sir. Text message only, they're having com problems on their high gain hypercom equipment. They state the Guard squadron was launched more than an hour ago and should be with us. They could be somewhere in the rad soup of the gas giant, sir."
"Facts, LT. Not speculation," Lorso gently rebuked. "Well, Generals, unless you've got any further insight I'm going to continue our course. The longer we hang out here the more chances of something going wrong."
Obi-Wan looked at Anakin, who was frowning in thought and eventually nodded.
"Go ahead, Captain."
Coronet lit up her engines and began the journey. The ship generally cruised at 900G acceleration and had to cover nearly 590 million kilometers to reach the onward hyper point.
It would take 33 minutes before they would pass by the gravitational and radiation influence of the gas giant.
Anakin walked forward to the sensor station and stared into various screens and readouts. It didn't take long for Obi-Wan to feel his former pupil becoming alarmed by something, yet he was keeping a tight lid on his outward reactions for some reason.
"We have a problem," Anakin announced, working at the controls.
The forward viewscreen was overlaid by a holo, showing three inbound contacts that were approaching the Mandalore hyperpoint from the colony.
"Those are Hardcell class interstellar transports, built by the TechnoUnion and are burning hard towards us."
"General Skywalker," Lorso sighed. "Hardcells are used all across the galaxy by every cargo company that can rub two credit chips together. Just because they're made by the TechnoUnion doesn't mean that ship is full of CIS droids. They're burning to us, because they want to head to Mandalore."
"Normally, I'd agree with you, captain. Except these Hardcells are showing acceleration rates that tell me they're using modern ion repulsion engines and not the dirt cheap thrusters they're normally built with."
Captain Lorso stared at the viewscreen for a few seconds. "That's still not conclusive, General. All that tells me, is that someone was stupid and upgraded their Hardcell instead of just buying a better ship."
Now Obi-Wan could feel Anakin's frustration levels considerably rising. A quick look at relative ranges, closure rates and the Coronet's own sensor ranges showed a rather annoying conundrum. The Hardcells would only enter a detailed scanner range for the Coronet's sensors in twenty odd minutes. Yet those sensors would steadily degrade in performance as they neared and passed by the gas giant.
Anakin just stared at the captain for a few moments before walking away from the sensor station and heading to the bridge turbolift.
"Carry on, Captain Lorso, my fellow Jedi has good instincts, I would advise you to keep a close watch on those ships, nevertheless."
"Very well, General."
Obi-Wan hurried into the lift as Anakin pushed the button to head back into the lower floors. "What did you sense?" He asked as soon as the lift doors closed.
"That the entire situation stinks and we're going to be fighting those Hardcells."
"Anakin, Hardcells are not exactly warships."
"I know that, you know that, the whole galaxy knows that, which is why they make the perfect ambush ships. Our escort is conveniently missing, the colony's long range high band communications are also down, the gas giant's degrading our sensors. A lot of coincidences that perfectly keeps us in the dark and heading straight for the Taris hyperpoint at cruise and easy to intercept."
"Those are a lot of coincidences," Obi-Wan acknowledged. "The Coronet is at least not a helpless ship."
"Sure we've got twelve laser cannons and six ion cannons on this ship, standard anti-piracy loadout, but if these Hardcells are modified how I think they are… then we're not going to be able to stop them from boarding us."
"Are you sure about this, Anakin?"
"Yes, and even if I'm wrong, then it'd be a nice readiness drill."
"Very well. Get the clones organized, I'll remain with the senators and inform the duchess. Perhaps we can get the Royal Guard organized early as well."
Anakin met up with Captain Rex and his squads on Deck 3, quickly got them up to speed and divided them into four-man elements. Then dispersed them between key points and junctions on the deck.
"Why here, General Skywalker?"
"Droch pods," he answered. "Hardcells don't generally have high capacity docking tubes. They were built to move cargo from planetary surface to surface. If they want to board us, the most efficient way is to open their cargo holds directly to space and drop out the boarding pods that way."
"The thing I don't understand, General. How did the Seppies know?"
"The answer to that is something we're going to find out in the next twenty minutes."
Anakin's comlink chirped. "Yes, Obi-wan?"
"I've managed to convince Satine to alert her Royal Guard throughout the ship. They're also quietly asking passengers to retire to quarters."
"Good."
The link chirped again. "Captain Larso?"
"The last time I ever doubt a Jedi's instincts, General. My sensor operator managed to get a good visual analysis of the incoming Hardcells. They're armed with way more firepower, at least six forward facing turbolasers and four missile launcher cells. They're also painted with a crazy color scheme on the hull. I'd bet a month's pay that we're looking at pirates."
"Do what you have to, Captain."
"Keep my passengers safe, Master Jedi. Might be able to take one or two down before they board."
The comlink chirped off. The lighting in the hallway they were in turned a dim red and the captain's voice echoed through the ship. "All hands, all hands. Emergency Stations. Condition one tau."
Anakin unlatched his helmet from his belt and donned it, engaging its seal. "Okay, Alpha Squad, we're dealing with pirates but they may have war droid support. Keep sharp."
"Yes, general."
The next few minutes were dealt with mostly herding panicking passengers to the lifts.
Then the lights began flickering and he could sense that the battle in space had begun.
It was distinctly eerie. On a warship, there were a multitude of different systems that reverberated through the hull when under combat loads, including various alert alarms. Sound dampening was not a priority. The Coronet was very different in that respect. Most of its guns were arrayed on the lower spine of the ship, where they popped out of retractable hull panels, so as to not mar the external appearance and detract from the ship's external aesthetic appeal. It came as a nasty surprise to anyone who tried to assault the ship.
It was also clear though that the pirates doing this had come prepared to take on the Coronet. If there had only been one Hardcell, even if it was militarized to the extent that Anakin assumed it was, then the Coronet would've blown it out of space in short order. Three such vessels was a different story.
For an anxious two minutes the interior lights of the Coronet kept flickering in time with its guns firing salvo after salvo.
The enemy wasn't firing back.
Anakin could only imagine that it was because they didn't want to risk killing their very lucrative, potential hostages.
That patience and good fortune didn't last though as the first replies from the pirates came.
The Coronet was scathed by turbolaser fire.
The shields held up well and Anakin could only feel it happening through the Force.
The only question now was how long they could last and how quickly the Coronet could kill the enemy before the shield fell and she was defanged.
His comlink beeped and engaged.
"Incoming drop pods!"
Anakin lit his lightsaber and embraced the Force fully.
What seemed to be a large spear of ugly metal burst out of the corridor wall not ten meters from his position.
The TK shield he was pushing forward caught any metallic debris from potentially hitting his troops.
The pod blossomed open with a screech of tearing metal.
Three grenades tumbled out into the corridor.
Anakin gave a flick of a finger and sent them straight back into the pod.
There were shouts of surprise and panic before flashes of light and blasts of sound went off in the drop pod.
Disorientation grenades, he thought.
He grabbed four droid poppers from the belts of his clone squad using the Force and sent them zooming into the pod.
All of them detonated at the same time and arcing electric energy flashes emanated from the pod's opening.
He gestured forward.
Rex and his squad rushed the pod and six guns were aimed into it.
Something they saw caused them to unload a number of shots.
Anakin hurried forward and winced at the sight.
Inside, were nearly a dozen motley armored and very well armed figures, ranging from humans, trandoshans, and weequay. All of them were contorted in very awkward poses and very dead. Droid popper's effect on biological beings was 'clean', but it would electrocute and stop the hearts of most beings. Anakin could sense no life here. The reason for the clones still firing was apparent as there had been two IG lancer droids in the pod.
Those were hardy enough that you couldn't be sure with just a direct hit from a popper.
He tapped his comlink, "Pod on Deck 3 contained."
"Two Hardcells down, our shields are almost gone and when they go, they'll destroy our guns," Captain Lorso reported.
"Enemy is neutralized on Deck 1 and 2," Obi-Wan's voice reported.
"General Skywalker, I'm reading eight pods lodged in our hull all along the spine."
"Keep fighting Captain, if we have to we'll counter-board the enemy to end this," Anakin declared. "All squads on Deck 3, rendezvous at the main elevator."
The elevators were naturally locked down to keep the pirates from going anywhere but the deck they had arrived in. Slicing the controls would eventually be possible, but the Coronet was not just designed to be an anti-piracy ship in its exterior armament, but also in its interior systems.
Deck 6 held the next lot of pirates that Anakin could sense.
The instant the elevator doors opened a deluge of fire from the pirates waiting there blasted into the lift car.
They kept firing for nearly forty seconds and the poor lift was a mess of smoking electronics and scorched oak panels.
When it finally cleared Anakin had to smile at the confusion he could sense from them when it revealed that no one had been in the lift.
The clones lifted the ceiling panels and underhand chucked more droid poppers into the corridor.
He grabbed them all with the Force and sent them speeding forward, spreading them out as best he could before they detonated.
Electric crackling followed, undulating screams, then the sound of falling bodies.
He used his lightsaber to cut open a hole in the upper air circulation duct and dropped down into the hallway.
The five pirate survivors opened fire on him immediately with screaming battlecries.
His lightsaber sent a blast right back to the forehead of the first, whilst easily deflecting away the rest.
He grabbed the next pirate with the Force, pulling the alien into range to stab him straight through the chest.
He kept the now dead trandoshan suspended in front of him, using the body to absorb some shots, whilst sending his lightsaber surging ahead in a spinning fan of light that bisected the next pirate in two.
The clone troopers now rushed forward, having taken a bit longer to ingress from the elevator roof and blasted the remaining pirates dead.
He recalled his lightsaber and dropped his impromptu shield. He would've really preferred to use Ahsoka's trick with the wall paneling, but wooden oak didn't help much against blasters.
"Rex, check each pirate, I don't sense any alive, but given we're dealing with mixed species I might be wrong."
"Understood, General… kill or stun?"
"Stun. I'd dearly like to have a talk with any survivors."
Deck 8 held more IG droids than pirates and Anakin continued the liberal use of droid poppers and the Force. He kept this up until Deck 10, when he had used up all the poppers the squads had brought with them. At this point though, the Royal Guard contingent and the two beskar plated Mando warriors from Clan Kryze had joined them in the running battle through the Coronet.
The Royal Guard formed a bulwark with their tall handheld beskar shields on either side of the corridors, letting the clone troopers use them as advancing cover.
Anakin and the two Mandos advanced in the center line. Both of them were using dual Westar blasters to utterly drop everything that showed itself as the enemy, whilst he deflected shots for them that would otherwise have hit gaps on their armor. Any pirate that got the idea of throwing grenades to break up their tight formation, quickly found the same grenade zooming straight back down their throat.
They didn't use or have thermal detonators, but they did have nasty flechette grenades.
Any pirate that tried to flank the Royal guardsmen from adjoining hallways, thinking they'd have an easier time, were quickly proven wrong as well, when their thick electrostaffs surged out and smashed the pirates into unconsciousness. The two Mando warriors finished the pirates off as the formation passed, not willing to take the chance of leaving anyone to recover behind them.
Anakin understood the necessity but it left a rather awful taste in his mouth.
The next trick the pirates tried was a mass attack of sheer numbers.
The warriors of Clan Kryze quickly saw to that though, when they fired cluster smart munitions from their vambraces that unerringly buzzed through the air and felled twenty pirates in less than two seconds.
"Nice," he commented.
One of the Mandos just nodded in acknowledgement as he changed powerpacks on his pistols.
"General Skywalker," Captain Lorso's voice emerged from his comlink. "Judging from my readings you've nearly accounted for three quarters of the enemy on board. We just lost our last laser cannon and the ions are damaged. I retracted them into the hull when it became clear the Hardcell was stripping our guns. My engineers in the upper sections are working on fixing them."
"What are you thinking?"
"One of the last things I managed to do with the ion cannons was blast away the Hardcell's shields and disrupt their internal power. They're not going anywhere and they're toothless as well. I need you to take that clone squad of yours, get in a pirate boarding pod and return the favor."
"How many lifesigns are there?"
"I wouldn't send you into a suicide mission, general. They've got about forty crew left over there."
"Okay captain, we'll clear out the remaining pirates and give them a house call."
"Please do, Lorso out."
The clan summit was over and I wanted to shout to the heavens in relief.
I couldn't do something like that in public, given I was now something of a local 'celebrity'. Interest in the summit was naturally high, as the last time one was held, it had ended the civil war. The Mandalorians didn't have something like C-SPAN, but local journalists and information networks had limited coverage of it - minus the confidential military planning sessions.
My duel was the exception and now the entire planet and soon most of Mandalorian space would know that the Darksaber had returned and had a Mandalorian Jedi wielder. Turns out old Pre Vizsla had kept his possession of the unique lightsaber on a very need-to-know basis. Not much of a surprise in retrospect as I doubt the bastard would have had the patience or skill to fend off all the potential duels that would come his way.
Thankfully, the local Mando culture and journalists had a level of respect for privacy and I wouldn't be enduring mobs of paparazzi. The worst that happened as I walked through the Peace Park was the occasional young boy or girl dragging their rather embarrassed parents behind them and asking me to do a Force trick or two for them. On one occasion I also sensed but didn't see a rather interested young man, who finally couldn't work up the courage to approach me and left.
It took me a few minutes to find the quietest spot and sit down for a bit of meditation in front of a tree ridiculously engineered to be cuboid. I really should just be getting back to my Kom'rk transport then head back to Concordia and its much more natural surroundings, but my brain practically demanded a meditation after the last few days of noise.
So I settled into a comfortable position, set my metaphysical anchors and awareness down, then plunged into the blissful abyss of semi-unity with the universe and the Force. Letting my mind speedrun through the processes that would normally happen with a deep sleep, but keeping my awareness up.
Twenty minutes later, my mind was much less cluttered and nicely refreshed. I pulled out a datapad from my belt and began reading the data chit given to me by Rav Bralor. In all the military planning of the last day there had been just no time to give it much thought. She hadn't indicated anything about its urgency, even in her thoughts. My watch on the immediate probability lines also showed there was nothing in there truly crucial.
It was a letter from Clan Skirata. More specifically from Kal Skirata himself.
Manda'lor Ahsoka Vizsla,
I write to you an invitation to join me for a dinner at my family's stronghold, Kyrimorut, at the enclosed co-ordinates in the northern hemisphere of Mandalore on the 18th of this month. Short notice, but as you will no doubt soon be called back to the front lines of the War, this has to happen now.
The reasons for why you should come, as I imagine you've received numerous entreaties from the other clans by now, are important. I must speak to you regarding the clones being used by the Republic and their future. I, along with Rav Bralor and others, answered the call from Jango Fett to aid in the training of the clones some years ago. We were specifically responsible for the training of clone sergeants, Republic commandos and certain elite squads of Recon troopers. In fact, I still hold a position in the GAR as a commander. Don't bother looking it up though, it's black operations and if you try, Republic Intelligence will be knocking on your door.
Therefore, please, do us both a favor, be discreet as possible.
I would also like to apologize for sending Rav to challenge you. As a Jedi, you'll already guess or know why I did that. For too long has the Darksaber remained in the shadows as nothing more than story or myth among the Mandalorians. It needed to be shown. You needed to be shown to the other Clan heads using it as it was truly meant to be used, in the hands of a Force Sensitive.
They have truly seen now that it would be either suicide or an extensive hospital visit if they tried to challenge you for it.
You're welcome and may the Force be with you.
Kal Skirata.
I memorized the coordinates quickly, deleted the letter and formatted the data chit three times. I wasn't happy with that, pulled it out of the pad, focused a bit and used the Force, gathering ambient electrons to utterly short it out, turning it into a lump of useless molten plastic.
Anything to do with the clone army before it was revealed in such grand fashion at the first battle of Geonosis was buried in layers of secrecy by the Kaminoans. It was their proprietary 'product' after all, and the full nitty gritty details of the creation of the clones was guarded and classified. Not even Palpatine knew everything about that process.
Kal Skirata had literally been there. Training the child clones as they rapidly matured. He wouldn't have direct evidence, but he'd have testimony on the results and his own thoughts. I also sensed there was something else he was hiding, but that one was difficult to parse.
What he could reveal to me was as dangerous as it was intriguing.
I would have to be extra careful with my intentions and probability shields in the next few days. Setting up some guarantees and contingencies would be prudent as well.
One of the upper level state dining rooms of the Coronet had been set aside as a place where Captain Lorso, Obi-Wan and Anakin could debrief the duchess and the various senators.
The battle for the remaining Hardcell was very brief. The strike team, consisting of Anakin, the clone recon squads, the two warriors of Clan Kryze and R2-D2, had a single lopsided firefight and the remaining pirates threw down their weapons and surrendered.
"That was a rather quick battle," Satine commented after seeing the visual footage taken from Anakin's armor.
"They had not been informed that either Jedi or Mandalorian commandos were on board," Obi-Wan explained. "According to the enemy captain, their original instruction was just to raid the Gargon colony. They were in the process of doing so when it was then changed to intercept and capture you and the senators, then to demand ransom from the Republic."
"Rather suspicious timing," Senator Free Ta pointed out.
"You are correct to worry, senator. It does seem our flight plan was leaked, but it came through late and had to filter through the CIS Intel channels before the pirates could be given new instructions."
"What?" Senator Farr shook his head in disbelief. "Are you saying the Separatists are now employing pirates?"
"It seems that way, Senator," Anakin answered. "The pirate captain is apparently one of a host of similar pirates the CIS has given logistical and monetary support to engage in activity that will disrupt Republic trade lanes and supply lines. These Hardcells getting military grade armaments was part of the deal."
"I've been in contact with the Jedi Council and we're getting corroborating reports coming in from across the galaxy," Obi-Wan said grimly. "It's happening everywhere."
"Has the CIS gone completely mad?!" Senator Roohd exclaimed. "These pirates might just turn around and begin raiding their space as well."
"It seems Dooku thought of that. Any pirate ship that got CIS hardware and money had a failsafe installed in the relevant ship's reactor. If any pirate tried that, the CIS could just flick a switch and the problem takes care of itself."
"Captain Lorso, what is our status? Can we make it to the Gargon colony?" Satine asked, her face a mask of silent fury.
"Coronet's fine, except for the boarding pods lodged in our hull, and the one depressurized section. We have enough spares on board to repair our ion cannons and half of our lasers if you give me half a day or so. Why do you want to go there, your highness?"
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we didn't at least check up on them. Did the pirates indicate what they did to the colony?"
"Besides raid and pillage, they sabotaged the local Guard squadron and colony communications with some pre-planned local infiltration work. This has been some time in planning," Obi-Wan explained.
Satine stood and everyone in the room felt her regal authority and charisma slamming down on their heads. "The Coronet will travel to the colony after our defenses are repaired. I will contact Mandalore and send for a full Guard squadron to hyper here. Master Jedi, I want you to take the enemy ship and secure it for travel, especially see if you can disable the failsafe on the reactor. Anything in its holds belongs to the people of Gargon and I would see it returned to them. The ship itself, I turn over to the Republic Navy for examination and intelligence gathering purposes."
"I fully agree with your course of action, my lady," Senator Free Ta graciously agreed. "I just want to point out we will be late to the Senate."
"I imagine a lot of people around the galaxy are going to be late, senator."
Everyone in the room knew that for quite a lot of people, it would also be the last journeys they would ever make.
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