[17 BBY]
[Meditation Chamber, Command Deck, Eriadu Authority Capital-class Warship Stormcrow, Republic 5th Fleet, Combined Republic Battle Fleet, Naboo System, Chommell Sector, Mid Rim]
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.
I was her, and she was me. One with the Force yet separate in the Force.
We were One. We were Two. We were Separate. We were United.
All was Connected through the Force. But…
We, United, held it Separate. For the Force was both Wilful and Will-less. United yet Divided, a Grand Narrative laid out before it…
But…But…
There is no fear, there is power.
Through Passion, I gain Strength.
That was not our Purpose. Not Our Will.
And, as a wise mentor once said "Nothing is Impossible with the Force"
So, We, United, As One, pushed through the Veil of the Dark Side that laid upon the Galaxy.
Supposedly, for there both was and was not such a thing. Destiny was always in Motion.
For the while the Force, the Light strove for Unity, and Destiny, and the subsuming of Will, the Darkness was ever in Chaos. Ever twisting. Ever turning.
I am the heart of the Force.
Through Strength, I gain Power.
Apathy was Death after….
Apathy is Death
We reached out, strengthened with blazing Light. Weakened with descending Dark.
The Force, Here and Now, Bent to Our Will.
Division was an Illusion. Was Reality. Was Contradiction. Because the Force was Contradiction.
This was Not Meant to Be…
This was Meant to Be. By Our Will so shall it Be!
Let Darkness Descend…
I am the revealing fire of light.
Through Power, I gain Victory.
So, what if the galaxy must fall in to the Dark a time?
The Light had burned as embers long already…
Too long perhaps…
I saw Her. She saw Me. I was Her. She was I.
Pain. Suffering. Betrayal. Understanding. Knowledge. Power.
I am the mystery of darkness.
Through Victory my chains are Broken.
Around Us, By Our Will, powerful wards hummed and sang. The vessel we were aboard blazed with Light and Dark, a twisting, writhing shadow and twilight in the death throes of an Age.
Here. Now. This Moment. One Age was Dying. Others threatening to be Born. We stood amidst the clash of warships and armies. Feeling the blaze of Force wielders in Battle. They fought for a Dream long since dead but had not yet recognised its death. Beyond Sith returned. Beyond chaos waited. Beyond Order of the Dark could be imposed. Beyond there was Light. Beyond there were Chosen Ones…
Kriff your Chosen Ones!
Kriff your so-called Destiny!
To save the Ideals of Peace the Galaxy must first burn.
To save the Ideals of the Republic the Republic must die.
To save the Light the Darkness must roar and rage in triumph.
To save the Ideal the corpse of the Reality must be betrayed.
There must always be a Darth Traya.
By Our Will, Victory!
By Our Will, let the Galaxy Burn in the Cleansing Flames of War!
By Our Will, from Chaos cometh New Order!
In balance with chaos and harmony, Immortal in the Force!
The Force shall set me Free!
Destiny shattered. Fleets moved, droids and organics died, Naboo burned, and events were put into motion as possible futures were washed away and new ones were born and warred for Destiny…
--
[17 BBY]
[Secure Bunker, beneath Parliament of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Senate Building, Raxus Secundus, Tion Hegemony Sector, Outer Rim]
Mina Bonteri stormed into command bunker likely looking as tired as she seemed, but the Military High Command had called her in, urgently, along with many others, without even time to race across the planet to the military command centre itself "What is happening?"
She spotted the Mon Calamari admiral, Merai, turning to her from the screens, or at least his holographic avatar did, but looking healthier, finally recovered from near fatal injuries early in the war "Admiral Merai, explain this summons?"
"Yes" it was the holographic avatar of the Nemoidian Viceroy, Sentepeth Findos demanded clearly coming online at a similar time to Mina's arrival "Explain what is so critical"
"Councillors" the Mon Calamari avatar greeted as officers of the CIS, as well as droids, ran around with frantic energy even here, and clearly even moreso at the Military Bunker where Merai was "We have a developing situation in the Galactic South"
"What?" she demanded seeing the galaxy map expanded before her. Flashing icons were in existence over a number of systems. Christophsis. Farstine Boomis Koori.. And flashing most angrily the Naboo system. Greater tactical displays were flashing up from all three, but Naboo…
Naboo's was a three-dimensional map of too many icons to count…
Merai's avatar gestured "We believe that Tarkin and his allies have committed their entire mobile fleet formations to battle. First, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Fleets have engaged our forces at Naboo, and General Kleeve has committed our active reserve and called for reinforcement. There will be none. Admiral Mar Tuuk's Fleet had been ambushed at the Farstine system by the Eriadu Second Fleet, and other Republic forces have begun attacks on Christophsis and Boomis Koori to likely pin our mobile reserves there"
Sentepeth Findos's avatar gesticulated as other's began to arrive, Saam Gume first, then the Muun, as the Nemoidian spoke "That is…Our ENTIRE SOUTHERN RESERVE IS COMMITTED??"
"Yes Councillors" Admiral Merai's voice was gravelly "Admirals Toth and Ningo's fleets are pinned against Naboo, and both Admiral Trench and Admiral Kleeve are attempting to relieve them. The ship numbers involved…."
The Mon Calamari shook his head, almost disbelievingly "This is the largest engagement of the war that we have seen. First strike launches at Naboo have involved over five hundred thousand droid-fighters. Tarkin himself is present with his two best fleet commanders. We are looking at the decisive battle of the southern reaches"
"The…cost!" the InterGalactic Banking Clan Councillor, the Muun, Lo Vaapet, hissed starring at the screens before them, Findos's avatar seeming stunned as well "The sheer cost...billions upon billions of credits!"
"There are also multiple Jedi present on both the ground and in space" Admiral Merai continued as Mina noted various life-feeds from the planet Naboo. Eriadu based ones and their own Shadowfeed from 'embedded' holo-journalists on several of the vessels. Not only was Findo's and Stark's idea to show the advances an issue, but clearly the Republican Warlords clearly had a similar idea. Jedi clearly present on several feeds, brief sightings repeating, along with droids and more spectacular images "The Republic remnant based out of Eriadu have committed significant resources to this operation"
"Admiral" Mina asked calmly "What is our Fleet status?"
Admiral Merai nodded slowly, clearly studying displays from his more advanced command bunker "We are not doing well Councillor Bonteri, we are currently not winning at the very best interpretation…"
--
[17 BBY]
[Inner Decks, Confederacy of Independent Systems Warship Dominator, refitted Mandator II-class Star Dreadnaught, Toth's Death's Head Fleet, in battle Naboo, Naboo System, Chommell Sector, Mid Rim]
What they were doing should be impossible part of Ahsoka Tano's mind told her as she moved with her friend Bariss, flanking Knight Morne, and…
The security doors ripped off the walls, along with part of the wall before them as Knight Morne gestured with both hands, lightsaber at her side as she moved at an easy jog, showing no sign of strain. Ahead were dozens upon dozens of droids and soldiers in armour up on gantries in the large canteen area beneath access to the command decks. Blaster fire erupted from those gantries even before they stepped forward, but she could only watch pick up to a jog, and then a run…
Finding her own legs moving, Bariss's too, as they charged forward, those great metal slabs rising into the air like shields, soaking up hundreds of blaster bolts as they raced forward, Rex and the soldiers from the Stormcrow behind, with, them. Many decks below she could feel the two Nightsisters racing towards their objective, but for Ahsoka…it was like being with Skyguy in Knight Morne, all furious energy and the Force in control…yet not. There was power and guidance, and the Jedi Knight burned like the furnace of a raging star at the same time as being serene and focused.
Within ten steps they were into the hastily erected defensive position, tables overturned and assembled into barricades…
Above firing positions, with heavy blasters amongst them, were firing away and Ahsoka felt the rightmost metal slab rotate as she separated from the Knight, racing to her right as Bariss went left. The rightward slab slammed into barricades, decapitating droids and soldiers behind them even as Ahsoka raced towards them. They were dead by the time she was jumping unto the barricade, then upwards, flipping in the air as she did so, her feet impacting on the slab and running on it towards the Magna guards and heavy droids behind that barricade…
With a kick Ahsoka went flying towards them, even as the slab flew upwards at those shooters in the gantries whose blaster fire the slab had been shielding her from. She barely noticed the explosion and shrieking of metal and alarms as she land, body extending sinuously as her dual lightsabers sang to life again, decapitating one MagnaGuard and taking the arms of another…
With a kick and a flip that armless one was slammed into another behind it as she felt/saw Knight Morne walk forward, blaster fire missing her as she, almost casualty Force-lifted the massive B3 battle droid into the air, and then began to repeatedly slam it into the ceiling and against the gantries. Bariss was moving Ahsoka, swirling towards each other, like they were dancing together some strange duet as their soldiers moved with them, each playing their part.
Nothing could stand before them as they smashed through the defences, their target, already trying to flee the bridge, ahead.
He would not escape. This ship would fall. Its fleet would come apart. Ahsoka knew that with a certainty. By her Will it would be so…
--
[17 BBY]
[Bridge, Eriadu Authority Republic Venator-class Star Destroyer Retaliation, Taskforce Vindictive, Reconstituted Republic 3rd Fleet, Republic Grand Fleet, in battle Naboo, Naboo System, Chommell Sector, Mid Rim]
"Stand firm, today we are unbreakable!" Maarisa Zsinj, Moff of the Galactic Republic's Third Fleet (formerly Second Fleet), stated across the command-net, know the words were heard by every soldier and sailor under her command whether they could 'hear' it or not "No more retreats. No more compromise. Stand firm and today victory is yours!"
And stand her fleet was doing, against the weight of two Separatist fleets, both larger and stronger than her own individually as had been seen at several battles. But today…today her Third stood like a Durasteel wall, trading blow after blow with were certainly Trench's and Kleeve's fleets. Her arms were folded across she stood the bridge of her Retaliation, watching as ships died, felt lives snuffed out, as hundreds o thousands of droid-fighters were joined by yet more of their kind, along with vast numbers of organic piloted starfighters. The elites of both sides being flung forward into the meatgrinder as the heavier fleets desperately sought to break through her battle line like maddened krayt dragons.
But they were gain space only so slow, not an inch given as her heavy cruisers again shifted position, those at the rear shifting forward once more as those with weaking shields fell back a line. As if ancient warrior formations on Coruscant with shields and spears and arrows the battleline shifted and reshifted under her command as she felt Cavik Toth die somehow. Knew, bone deep, that his fleet, despite its firepower, despite its great ships, was now falling apart. That it, and Ningo's Bulwark Fleet were finished against the combined strength assembled under Grand Moff Tarkin. All it took was for her Fleet to do it's Duty here and now. And do her Duty she would.
Thousands of droid-fighters died charging into the teeth of her interlocking defences, desperate to close with the Invincibles who were dreadfully weak to such things. Weak, but protected here and now, escorts and gunships laying down suppressive fire the Seppies were struggling to do on their side. Elite starfighter and bomber squadrons were being directed towards those ships behind the droid-fighters; - Wroonians, Nemoidians, Morkugai clones, Humans…
But their own starfighers were racing to intercept, the best of the best from hers and the Stormcrow's fleets, Humans, Twileks, Pantorans, Solemites, Arkanians, and a half-dozen other species of the Outer Rim, led by a Jedi Master in the best TIE fighters and ARC-170s the reduced Republic could produce. The enemy would fail despite their desperate determination. Her own fleet would be a battered, shattered, wreck by the end of this day, but…
Victory awaited. Duty and Victory!
--