[20 BBY]
[Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer The Negotiator, Task-force Kenobi, In Orbit Bothawui, Both System, Bothan Sector, Mid Rim]
"I can't believe we had to free that sleemo! He's General Grievous for kriffs sake! He should be in prison not walk out and laughing at us!" Ahsoka Tano complained to her friend as they sat back against the wall after a spar. Bariss sighed at that, resting her head back against bulkhead behind her head as Ahsoka took a drink from her bottle of energy drink before complaining further "Laughing at us!"
"Languag Ahsoka. Though it was coughing really..." Bariss replied semi-seriously, still in that low, tired, tone she seemed to have taken on over the last few months "...hah hah...hurk-hurk...hah...hurk"
Ahsoka smiled at that "Hah, yeah, wheezing all the way! But still...he's free again, doesn't seem right. My Master...well, Skyguy isn't super happy about it either, so it's not as if it's just me complaining about it Bariss!"
Her friend sighed, resting her head against the wall behind her, hood back up as if to somehow protect her from the galaxy or something as usual. Bariss got a bit strange at times lately, but it was hard to tell when she was just being her usual prim and proper self, and when she was being down about things "It's the Will of the Force, that's what Master Unduli says, even if it is sometimes that is hard to follow"
"Hmph!" Ahsoka replied gesturing with her hands for emphasis "I say we should have thrown him in the deepest hole we could find, and just rescued Master Gallia and the others! Bam! Problem solved!"
"Hmmm...Decisive as always Ahsoka, but maybe, maybe, it might have worked, Daron'd agree with you probably..." Bariss muttered, then sighed "...but my Master is right, what's done is done and we'll hunt him down again and defeat him for good this time. Just got to trust in the Code, in the Force, and things will work out in the end"
"Yeah...I guess" Ahsoka grumbled, though Anakin disagreed with the idea strongly. Then again her Master was being...moody around Naboo maybe? Super-weird lately with the Clones?...so that wasn't a huge help in backing her up in persuading Masters Kenobi and Unduli about why that was a bad idea. Still he was still an awesome teacher, just like she was still the most awesome padawan, even if the war wasn't going exactly the way it was supposed to.
"And have you been told where you are going to next on a mission?" Bariss asked, glancing at her "...since you're not chasing Daron since he off trying to win the war on his own...or just get away from the other Masters after...everything"
"Kiros, my people have a colony there, but its gone quiet after saying they would stay neutral in the war...I think they just want get us away from here now we can't follow Stormy up into Seppie territory. Well...we could..." she clarified making a face "...but Master Yoda called it an unacceptable risk chasing through Hutt territory..." and Master Skywalker getting some trouble between the Council and the Chancellor he'd said to the old politician "...so, new missions not on the frontlines"
Ahsoka suspected a big part of was to simply get them out of the general area as the other, non-Jedi, Generals...did not want them here. Even Jedi Kota seemed to be unhappy with them...and Master Krell had turned out to be traitor even. A traitor that nobody had noticed till he was being killed on live on the Holo-Net after thousands and thousands of Troopers had died fighting each other; and now people distrusted her here, even distrusted the clones. It just wasn't fair...
--
[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II}, Battle-group Army of Light, In Orbit Ossus, Abega System, Auril Sector, Outer Rim Territories]
"Continue the evacuation Yulen..." I instructed into my communicator as I stood inside my training area "...I want everyone who went down to go through screening, and I want everything removed, rubble blocking those entrances. We were never here"
"Doing as ye command Boss, six hours till completion, so I assume you'll be down to check before that?" came back from the tiny wrist mounted hologram. The primary problems had been dealt with, and time was running out on our third day here; there was a war to fight, and we were back to being combat fitness once again. That and even my brief incursion had granted a treasure throve beyond what I'd expected, or even hope for, with hundreds of sealed books and a number of Holocrons. I needed to return here, but that was going to be in the future, assuming I survived that long.
"Yeah, I'll be down in about two or three hours Yulen to oversee the final details. Don't rush unless we get attacked, be patient and methodical"
"Aye-Aye Boss" he replied as the hologram winked out and I lowered my arm and glance at the dangerous woman standing across from me, waiting. My bodyguard droids stood in the corners of the area, two Heavy Troopers of my personal squad at the doorway, while her two compatriots practiced against each other on the other side of the large training room, practice lightsabers hissing off each other. To their mild disgust, or annoyance, I made them use them; best not test fate with Darksiders who lacked control after all. They still screamed when they hit though I'd found.
"You are experienced in things such as this it seems?" the Dathomiri queried, surprisingly calm and un-sneeringly to me as I walked slowly towards the ring "...though I find it strange you and your army retreat from a horde of primitives, and a strange Force imbued tree inside that ruin"
I shrugged as I moved "We had...have...limited time to stay here. Time that cannot be wasted risked dealing with some sealed creature of the ancient Jedi. Who, I might add, were far more powerful than those of this millennia in their arts, much like the Sith of the past were. Perhaps at a later date, but for now I feel it best to let sleeping things sleep"
With a tug of the Force I brought my own training-saber into hand from my belt "As to the Ysanna?"
I ignited the weak energy blade, its shimmering white colour identical to Ventress's "What does it gain me to destroy them?"
'Ah there's the sneer' I noted as she ignited a second training blade and adopted a basic stance of what looked like Form II. My feet and hands slid into the familiar stance of Form III, a two handed grip on my single blade unlike her pair of weapons "To prove your strength of course! You show weakness by not show them their place!"
"Oh? And give away our interest in the location by turbolasering the lot of them? Or slaying them with the Force and perhaps drawing the attention of others?" I answered submerging myself into the Force, into the Light, a calm serenity...a cold hard logic as I waited for her to move. To see her strength, feeling her anger, the urge to be unleashed...so much potential wasted by such blindness. Still, there was much to learn and I would not turn it away, especially when I needed to test myself against Dooku's 'Apprentice' and see the lower levels of what he'd taught her.
"That point is to disguise our landing and acquisitions for as long as we can. Blowing up small primitive armies tend to make that harder to hide"
...she moved, a veritable blur as threw herself at me, blades flashing. My hands moved, feet bouncing upon the ground faintly as my own blade flowed from block to block. Defence was my focus for now, learning, judging, feeling out her attempts to push at my mind with the Dark Side. Sloppily to my surprise, very energetically though, speed and agility making up for technique as I was pushed back by the ferocious flurry of blows as I dodged and flowed with the attacks. Just moving, sensing out the attacks, the whispering 'threat-threat-threat' of the Force in my head...
Block, Block, Parry, Block, Block, Parry, a dance as I controlled my movements, economising them, as a pillar of Order. Ventress was a blaze of energy, untamed fire, the frustration at failing to defeat me easily giving her strength, power...of a sort at least. But it was wasteful too, time passing as we danced about the ring, sweat beginning to flow, power waxing and waning as she snarled and cursed, frustration growing, power rising...burning...being expended...
Exposing weakness, a chink in the armour.
So I tripped her, hooking a foot behind one of hers, my blade deflecting her blows as tiredness struck her...then my fist as it connected with her stomach...
...a grunt of pain, she staggered back just a fraction. Her blades moved for my one last time still, a dodge for one as I blocked the other with my own, gripping her wrist and twisting it away from me. Momentum drove her backwards, helped along now that I had leverage with hand and foot, and she slammed into the matt with a soft thud. Largely unfazed of course despite the impact, Force user after all, but I jabbed my blade down unto her chest where her heart would be...illiciting a choked off scream turned groan as electricity sparked.
"Dead" I stated stepping away after a moment, falling into a defensive stance. Anger rolled off her in waves, but that was false strength as she rose for another round with a snarl of rage...seemed I was correct, she weakened with time fast. Though the flurry of faster and faster attacks along with her roar of anger hide that pretty well as the banshee came back for another round...
--
[20 BBY]
[Raithal Military Academy, GAR-Central Command, Galactic City, Coruscant]
It had been difficult to pull together a meeting such as this without raising eyebrows, even if it was private dinner to get away from the stress of the war like so many others on Coruscant were doing. But that was just the way things had gone, the institutions of the Republic apparently riddled through with traitors, incompetents, and sympathisers of the Separatists. To preserve them they had to be careful, to avoid the powers of the Jedi, the eyes of enemy, and so many others that threaten the institutions that they all loyal served...had bleed for, had sacrificed sons for.
"We have had some victories..." General Alara Tagge, of Tepasi's finest as she liked to mention occasionally "...the Mon Calamari have made advances towards Munto Codru, the Stormcrow's raided Murkhana, and we turned back Trench at Lantillies"
"Few and far between..." Gentis replied getting nods from several of the others present. An eclectic group all in all; a few with the rank of General such as himself and Tagge, an Admiral, members of the Raithal Military Academy he was over, and two of Coruscant's Security Force "...Onderon is lost, Kashyyyk nearly cut off, and that monster Toth's Fleet is ready to deploy according to Republic Intelligence"
"At least the parts that can be trusted"
He nodded in agreement to Commissioner Durrant's words "Unfortunately true, comparing information supplied by GAR-South and GAR-Man Cala has revealed severe deficiencies...possibly treason, but most likely gross incompetence protected only by elements of the Senate and the Jedi Order. Which of course...brings us to our topic of the evening, and the reasons for such secrecy"
Tagge nodded "How far does the rot go? And how far can we trust the clones...Ryloth proved they will follow a Jedi's orders above common sense"
Gentis sipped from his glass of water, a serious expression on his brow before he answered that "Yes that was a debacle, mercenaries and clones fighting it out on the Holo-Net. Its only afterwards we see it is the Jedi that is the traitor, like Dooku, and the mercenary that is the patriot. But its shown a serious weakness in the GAR, and it's become concerning the influence the Jedi are wielding over the Senate, and the Chancellor in particular. It's been almost impossible to meet him with one of those Masters of their 'guarding' him I'm been told, and GAR-South's reports indicate a severe command problem in place"
He held up his hand to forestall the others "Now, do not get me wrong the majority of Jedi appear to be earnest, but with first Dooku, now Krell, and the continued difficulties of our armies...certain improbable things have been seen. Separatist reinforcements at just the right time, sudden diversions of supplies...changing of records to conceal whatever is behind these activities. Cadets, fellow soldiers and servants of the Republic, there are traitors in our government attempting to bring down all we hold dear. Worse, it is not only in the Senate but in the Jedi Order as well"
His palm slammed unto the table "No More! We meet here today to find a way to save our Republic, our Chancellor whose mind maybe influenced against his will based upon reports we've seen of the Jedi in action, and from the Anti-Force User Tactics After Action supplied by the Aegis Guard. The Jedi hide one army from us, millions strong, whole fleets of ships, and somewhere amongst their ranks are traitors they either cannot find due to incompetence, or attempting to shield such from our gaze..."
--