Part 11 – New Friend – Part 4
After Bruce and Vekkif's sparing match, Obi-Wan and Anakin didn't waste any time getting their padawans back to their studies, after they showed them to their rooms.
The rooms were pretty nice (and if you've seen Fallen Order, you know what they look like), and comfortable.
"Is it a little weird that they couldn't get the exact location of the first Jedi temple," Vekkif asked, leaning back in the chair in Bruce's room.
"I always found it a bit confusing myself," Bruce said as he tapped on the screen of the datapad he was reading, "We have one report of the first temple being on Ossus, and the other about the first temple being built on Tython."
"Perhaps the first temple was on Ossus, but because most of the records were destroyed during the Cron Supernova, they can't be confirmed." Vekkif said.
Bruce looked over and gave Vekkif a small 'smart thinking, there' shake with his finger, "Very good reasoning there, bud."
"We'll probably never know," Vekkif said, "Unless we find some way to look into the past."
"That a reference to my ability?" Bruce asked.
Vekkif shrugged and just gave a slight "eh" before returning to his studies, "Honestly think we're going to find the 332nd out here?"
Bruce lowered his datapad, and looked over at Vekkif, "They were on their way back to Coruscant when they went missing," he said, "I don't know if we're going to actually find them, but we'll find something, and hopefully, we can get some answers, because I don't know what it means if we're right."
"It means we can put a face to our enemy," Anakin said as he entered the room, "And it looks like part one of your theory has been proven correct."
"The Tribunal," Bruce asked as he put his datapad down, "It's only been a few days."
"That's why we're being cautious," Anakin said, "Signal's week, and we can't get an exact location," he then pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, "We've got probe droids scouting the system."
"Let's take a look, then," Bruce said as he stood up.
The trip to the bridge didn't take long for the three of them to get to the bridge where Obi-Wan was discussing the details with Admiral Block, "What've we got?" Anakin asked.
"We have debris in orbit above this planet," Obi-Wan said as he turned their attention to the holotable, "The signal is there, but we don't know where on the planet its coming from, but using Bruce's direction, we believe that they could be on the polar caps," the map zoomed in on the very top of the planet, "We've sent a few probe droids, and we should hear back from them very shortly, if Padawan Kirkwood's vision is..." the beeping from the console cut him off as the probe droid sent an image of a crashed Venator to the holotable.
"Master Yoda did say that the future is always in motion." Anakin said.
"All we need is one thing to confirm our suspicions." Bruce said.
"Let's see if we can hail them," Obi-Wan said as queued the Tribunal's transponder frequency, "Tribunal, this is the Vigilance, do you copy," nothing came over the holotable, just a blank image, and no sound, "Tribunal, this is the vigilance, please respond."
Anakin walked up to the table, "Tribunal, this is the Vigilance. Rex, are you there," he asked, "Come on Rex, answer me if you can."
"Sir," one of the clones in the pit said, Bruce walked over to the pit to see the clone looking up, "We're not getting anything over the Tribunal's frequency, upper or lower band. I also can't get a status from the computers."
"Is there any connection we can establish," Bruce asked, kneeling so he could look a little closer at the clone.
The clone hit a few commands on his console, "Nothing," he said before looking up, "Ship's been very heavily damaged."
"Any way we can check for signs of life?" Bruce asked.
"Not my department," the clone said, "I'd say there's only one way to confirm."
Bruce stood up and turned to the three other force-wielders, Admiral Block simply slapped the scramble button on the holo table, "To the hanger," Obi-Wan said as he fished his communicator from his pocket, and contacted Cody, "Commander, we've found the Tribunal. Get your men ready."
"Yes, sir," Cody said as he switched off his communicator, and turned to his troops in the mess, "BROTHERS! We've found the tribunal! LET'S GO!"
The clones picked up their helmets, and ran out of the room, followed by their commander.
When the pilots heard the klaxon, they ran to their LAATs, and by the time they had fired up the engines, several members of 7th Sky Corps ran into the hanger.
As Cody was entering the hanger, so were Bruce, Vekkif, Anakin, and Obi-Wan, he saw them and spoke up, "General!"
"Commander," Obi-Wan said as he walked over.
"We've found it?" Cody asked.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said as he produced a small holo-projector from his pocket and activated it to show off the image that the probe droids had of the Tribunal, "We can't get any kind of communication from the ship, and it appears to be heavily damaged."
"So, he's free then." Cody said.
"Seems that way," Obi-Wan said, "But we still need one thing to confirm."
"Let's go get that confirmation." Cody said.
"Think these robes will protect us from the cold?" Vekkif asked.
"The cold builds spirit," Bruce said as they stepped up onto the LAAT with everyone else.
"Sounds like something this one would say," Obi-Wan said, motioning his head towards Cody.
"I think we're going to get along just fine," Cody said as the LAAT hatches closed, and the ship rose before leaving the hanger.
On the trip down, the sound of Obi-Wan's holo-communicator going off drew everyone's attention, after pulling it from his pocket, and turning it on, Admiral Block came on, "What's the news, Admiral?"
"We're still getting nothing from the Tribunal," Admiral Block said, "But, more worryingly, the probe droids have stopped responding."
"Atmospheric interference?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No, sir," Admiral Block said, "If it was atmospheric interference, they'd start failing slowly, and we'd get static before they'd fail. But they're failing instantly I believe they're being attacked."
"Probably because they are," Bruce said, "Are their signals still present, or are they gone?"
"Gone, completely gone," Admiral Block said, "And right before the last droid failed, it sent back an image you might want to see," the picture changed to the image of a Munificent-Class Frigate, "The Separatists are here, and if they're here, then they're either salvaging, or trying to get into the Tribunal."
"Thanks, Admiral," Obi-Wan said, "Let us know if anything changes."
"Will do, General." Admiral Block said.
Obi-Wan tucked the communicator back into his pocket, and Bruce raised the question, "Black Sun, Crimson Dawn, or Death Watch?"
"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked.
"We're all thinking it," Bruce said, "I'm sure if one of us could read minds, it'd what all of us are asking. If those probe droids aren't being knocked out by atmospheric interference, then we have to face reality. He's back, and he might be back in the Separatist's good graces."
"Then we have to work on ending it," Anakin said, "In the meantime, if we want support to continue, then we have no choice but to finish the job."
"Agreed," Cody said as he swung out his rifle, and turned to the pilots, "Pilots! Go to red light, and find us a safe place to land," the pilot switched on the right light, and the other LAAT pilots did the same, "Men! Expect contact, arm up!"
As they got closer to the surface, a presence Anakin hadn't felt in a while kept growing as they approached the surface, "She's alive," Anakin said, "I can feel it."
"So, can I," Bruce said, "But the presence of the 332nd is very faint."
"Then our enemies must have killed a lot of them," Anakin said, "Ashoka would have never let her men go into danger."
"Then she's incapacitated," Bruce said, "She probably in bad shape."
"We have a few medics on hand," Cody said, "Plus the Vigilance is equipped with a full medical suite."
"That'll be good for treating your brothers," Bruce said, "Not so much treating a Togruta whose probably been injured by a lightsaber. If she's been here a month, then we have to get her back to the temple, and soon."
"We'll be down in a few minutes," Cody said, "We'll find out when we get there."
"We do have one thing to go on," Bruce said, "If it was a salvage mission, then they probably wouldn't be here. Which means they probably haven't gotten in yet."
"Let's hope so." Anakin said.
The rest of the ride down was tense, but when everyone inside felt the ship start to slow down, a sudden tension filled the cabin, "Here we go," Obi-Wan said as he drew his lightsaber, followed by Anakin.
Another minute, and when they felt the ship touch down, Cody looked over at Bruce who was doing a few small hops, trying to calm down.
"Take it easy there, kid," Cody said, putting a hand to Bruce's shoulder, "It's your first battle. You'll do fine."
"Thanks," Bruce said as he drew his saber.
The light flashed green, the doors opened, and everyone ran out the side, expecting to run into a hail of fire from E-5 blaster rifles, and B2 SBD wrist blasters, they emerged onto an empty plain, but they could hear what they were expecting to run into up ahead of them.
"Looks like they got the party started without us." Anakin said.
"Hopefully it hasn't ended." Bruce said.
Ahead of them was a ridge, and over the ridge, they could see the bent remains of the Tribunal's necks that led to the bridges, there was a small outcropping that would overview the area they were hoping to see, and where there would hopefully be cover if the droids started firing at them.
As they crept over to look over the edge, they saw a collum of droids firing upwards at a group of 332nd clones that were taking cover behind the lip of the side hanger.
"Looks like they could use some help," one rookie trooper said as he went to go climb over the hill.
"Easy there, shinny," Cody said, grabbing trooper's shoulder, and lowering him back into cover, "We don't know how many these clankers have, and we don't want them to see us until we know that our V.I.P. is still alive."
"Let's make a plan," Obi-Wan said as he pulled out his holo-projector, and pulled up a picture of the Tribunal, before putting it on the ground, "The droids are over here," he held his hand over the left side of the venator, "And we're over here," he held his hand over the area just off to the front left side of the hologram.
"We can draw fire from our position," Cody said as he pointed to the area Obi-Wan held his hand over, "Maybe we can sneak a team in."
"It'd have to be a small team," Anakin said, "We're still going to need the bulk of our forces here to keep the droids focused."
"What about us," Bruce asked as he motioned between himself and Vekkif, "We could be that infiltration team. My knowledge of a Venator, and his stealth ability could help us get in undetected."
"Padawan Kirkwood does have a point," Obi-Wan said, pointing at Bruce.
"Still, our brothers are on that ship, and they don't know we're coming," Cody said, "Maybe we should send a few with them."
"Agreed," Obi-Wan said, "Me and Anakin can stay here, and help the clones draw the fire."
"Any of your men have jetpacks?" Bruce asked.
"I can spare a few of them," Cody said, "I'd saw take three medics, and three fighters."
"I think we can manage with that." Vekkif said.
"I say we stick as close as we can to the left side." Bruce said.
"Agreed." Vekkif said.
"Good luck, boys." Anakin said.
"See you on the other side, master." Bruce said.
"Cody," Obi-Wan said, "Send them with some of your best."
"Will do, sir," Cody said, motioning Bruce and Vekkif to follow him.
To be continued…