Chapter 26

"Ryloth."

The words out of Obi-Wan's mouth were short and brusque. He ran a weary hand through his beard as he stepped into the kitchen and accepted the mug of tea from his little one. "I warned them, I warned them that we needed to send reinforcements to Master Di and Captain Keeli, in addition to the relief efforts we sent through Senator Organa and the Toydarians."

Jaina frowned. "They just checked in a few days ago, didn't they? What could've possibly happened?"

Obi-Wan sighed, raising the mug to his lips and taking a sip. "Master Di, Captain Keeli, and their forces were in the middle of a major assault in the southern region—defending the capital. They requested reinforcements and supplies, but none could be sent."

"And apparently, it is now too late," he said grimly. "Their entire battalion is presumed KIA."

Jaina's expression fell. "But they were the front line to Lessu."

"I know." He closed his eyes and exhaled heavily through his nose. "Even worse, a Separatist blockade is controlling all airspace in the sector, and all humanitarian aid has halted as well. Local food supply is running low."

He shook his head in a mix of frustration and resignation. "Ryloth has been completely overrun."

"We leave at 0500."


(the next morning)

Dressed in her new soft pink tunic—and the chestplate armor, as promised—Jaina followed her Master onto the bridge of The Negotiator, where Commander Cody was already waiting for them at the holotable, his helmet tucked under his arm.

"General," Cody greeted, offering Obi-Wan a crisp salute, then turning to Jaina with a small smile. "Hey, kid."

Jaina returned both the smile and the salute, having grown fond of the loyal, by-the-book Commander over the past few months. "Cody."

Cody's eyes skimmed over the younger Padawan; his eyes pausing on the new tunic, and the softened white armor on top. He gave a small, amused smirk at the sight, raising an eyebrow. "Nice new suit, Mini-General."

Jaina nudged his elbow with her own. "Oh, shut it."

Obi-Wan fought the urge to smile at the little interaction, and gave a small scoff instead. "Now, now, Padawan," he scolded gently, but there was no real annoyance in his voice, only a hint of exasperated affection.

He was always entertained at seeing how much fondness the hardened members of the 212th held for his little Padawan—their little Commander. He knew that, just like he had, those around her could see that Jaina was kind and quiet…but occasionally a force of nature to be reckoned with. "Don't go poking the Commander."

Jaina shrugged. "It was really more of nudge, I'd say…"

And there was the sass.

"That's enough, Jaina," Obi-Wan said, injecting as much sternness to his voice as he could manage. "We have work to do."

"My apologies, Master." Jaina lowered her head a moment, then clasped her hands behind her back, gazing over at the holotable.

The small amount of amusement Obi-Wan had allowed himself to feel faded as quickly as it had appeared, once they were back to business. His expression returned to its usual stoic solemnity, the faint lines around his tired blue eyes more pronounced as he focused in on the tactical holodisplay of the Ryloth system.

He shifted his attention to Cody. "Update, Commander? Are Skywalker and Windu on schedule?"

"Yes, sir," Cody reported, flicking through a datapad. "Rex and Ponds have confirmed that they're on standby on the Resolute and the Endurance. Shall we commence the briefing?"

"Very well," He gestured to the tactical display. "Go ahead, Cody."

Cody typed a few commands into the controls, bringing up the life size holograms of Anakin and Ahsoka, and Master Windu.

Anakin nodded at his former Master. "There you are," he said, crossing his arms. "I was beginning to wonder if you overslept."

Jaina's lips twitched.

Obi-Wan frowned sternly at his former Padawan. "I would not recommend such a notion, Anakin. Considering your own track record."

Ahsoka snickered behind her hand. Jaina subtly shot her an impish look.

"Briefly," Windu began, in a cool, no-nonsense tone, "the situation is dire. As we all know, the capital has been infiltrated, and most of the planet remains under enemy control, with only a few pockets of resistance left via the local militia, while what remains of Republic forces are scattered."

"The Separatist blockade, thus far, has been impenetrable."

Windu folded his arms over his chest. "We need your forces to break through, Skywalker, in order for Kenobi to take the Fifth Fleet and establish a landing zone for infantry."

Anakin, ever the bold, ever the confident, smirked and nodded. "Understood," he said. "Me and the boys will handle it."

"I'm sure you will," Obi-Wan said wryly. "Although, I would prefer that you also take into account a slight amount of finesse and tact—instead of just blasting your way through as usual."

Anakin chuckled, a cocky, lopsided grin on his face. "No promises."

"If you can break through the southwest quadrant by 1400," Obi-Wan continued. "We can plot a course for the city of Nabat. We'll have our landing zone."

"Consider it done, Master." Anakin nodded. "If you'll excuse us, I must prepare my pilots."

The holograms faded as Anakin and Ahsoka signed off, with Windu following soon after.

Obi-Wan exhaled in resignation, massaging his temples.

Jaina peered closer onto the holographic photos and maps, each displaying streets filled with smoke and destruction. "Is that the capital city? Lessu?"

"Correct, Commander Arden," Cody replied quietly. "It has suffered…heavy civilian casualties. Mostly orbital bombardments during the Separatists's first wave."

As he watched his Padawan study the hologram, Obi-Wan felt his chest twist.

The thought of more civilians—more lives—suffering and dying at the hands of Dooku, the Separatists, the war…made his stomach turn.

He hated knowing that their forces hadn't been there to stop it.

"How much of our air defenses were neutralized during that first wave?" Jaina asked, frowning. "And how significant are the projections for the Sep ground forces?"

Cody hesitated, clearly not proud of the answer he knew he had to give. "It was bad. Much worse than anticipated," he said. "Nearly eighty-five percent of all Republic anti aircraft cannons were destroyed in the first wave, Commander."

He paused again, taking in the look on Jaina's face as she processed this information.

"Our projections show a steady build-up of their forces, which will likely be deployed within the next five to seven days, to follow up after the orbital strikes. Around Nabat, the Jixuan Desert, and other cities around the Southern Hemisphere—in order to control all supply routes to the capital."

Obi-Wan felt his face fall as Cody finished.

Not good.

Jaina continued to stare at the hologram, a pensive, focused expression on her face. He didn't have to look at her to know her brain was working. The small frown was enough to tell him she was already conjuring up plans and counterattacks, analyzing and preparing.

"It's been an utter disaster, since we lost General Di and his men," Cody continued, his expression grim as he pointed from city to city. "We've lost communication with Syndulla and the local militia, and the Separatist orbital strikes have devastated the southern and eastern provinces. Multiple civilian centers have been decimated, resulting in mass casualties."

Jaina sighed heavily, her fingers, still clasped behind her back, clenching into her sleeves.

Obi-Wan glanced at his Padawan, noting the way her shoulders had inched up ever so slightly. He'd seen that sign many times before, in the last months.

"We just need to take things one step at a time," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "Anakin will break through the blockade. In the meantime, we need to focus on securing the city of Nabat once we land. From there, we'll take one step after the other until we retake the entire planet."

Jaina nodded silently. "Yes, Master." She paused. "…Shall I prepare the usual options and contingencies, then?"

As Obi-Wan watched her shift into her formal tone—one he'd heard many times before when she wanted to avoid certain topics—he tried to reign in a mixture of affection, concern, and irritation.

"Of course you already have several mentally prepared," he grumbled quietly. "Yes, go ahead."

Jaina lowered her head, and left the bridge.

Obi-Wan watched her go quietly, his mouth a stern, thin line.

Once she was gone, Cody let out a scoff. "She's already got half a battle plan ready, doesn't she?"

The Jedi Master let out a dry sigh, a mixture between pride, amusement, and exasperation, as usual, when it came to his little Padawan. "I can practically hear her thinking already."


As The Negotiator hangar bay continued to be filled with the noise of preparations, droids loading crates, and pilots doing last-minute checks, Jaina typed away at her datapad from her little sanctuary—tucked away in between two gunships.

She glanced towards her wrist comlink as it began to beep, smiling softly and clicking it.

"Shouldn't you be doing preparations of your own, A?" she quipped, as a small hologram of Ahsoka materialized atop her wrist.

A soft, amused chuckle rang out in response. "Yeah, yeah, I know," Ahsoka said. Her hologram bobbed as she shook her head. "Consider this a part of my preflight check." She paused. "I need to talk to you."

Jaina frowned. "What's wrong?"

There was a beat before Ahsoka's hologram spoke up again, this time her voice quieter and more somber. "Anakin just gave his briefing. He's…he's giving me command over the starfighter corps for the first wave, while he and Yularen handle the capital ships."

Jaina's eyes widened. "That's—" she paused. "That's…a good thing though, isn't it? You've wanted to fly out on your own ever since Kaliida Shoals."

"Yes," Ahsoka agreed, quietly. "It is…it is what I've been working towards. I just…I feel like…" An unsettled frown appeared on her face. "I don't know. I feel…unprepared. I need to make a good impression. Everybody is counting on me."

Jaina tried to manage a reassuring smile. "Anakin wouldn't send you out there if he didn't think you could handle it. You two have done some pretty amazing things the last couple of dogfights."

Ahsoka let out a dry scoff. "I know," she said, the hint of her usual sarcastic snarkiness creeping in. "He said the exact same thing to me just now. He's very skilled at reminding me of all the times we've taken down droids together. I don't need to hear it from you too."

Jaina paused. "…I…I'm sorry, A, I…I don't…I don't always know what to say at situations like these…I'm…" she sighed, rubbing at her temples and mentally cursing the way her brain worked at times.

There was a beat before Ahsoka spoke up again. This time her voice had softened, losing some of its edge. "That's alright, Jaina," she assured her quietly. "It's fine. If anything, I'm just glad you're not giving me an 'I believe in you!' kind of speech."

Jaina scoffed dryly. "As if either of us would ever believe any sort of speech like that, at this point."

"True." Ahsoka chuckled quietly. She paused, and her small hologram shifted as she fiddled with the ends of her silka beads. "But…there is one thing you could try…"

"Anything," Jaina said quietly. "Just tell me what you need."

Ahsoka was silent for several long seconds, still staring down at her hands and the control yokes of her starfighter, like they were the most interesting thing in the galaxy.

Finally, almost tentatively, she spoke up. "Can you…can you just…" she trailed off, looking up to meet Jaina's eyes through her hologram. "Can you tell me that it's going to be alright?"

Jaina pressed her lips together and forced a smile. "It'll be alright, A," she said quietly. "Just be yourself. Utilize everything you've learned from Anakin these past three months, and everything that's made you you before your Padawanship even began. You can do this. Everything will be alright, eventually. No matter the outcome. One step at a time."

Ahsoka's shoulders seemed to relax somewhat as she took in her friend's words, a smaller version of her usual smirk appearing on her face. "One step at a time," the Padawan repeated, in a slightly stronger tone. "Yeah. I can do this."

She sighed softly. "Thanks, J."

Jaina smiled and nodded softly towards the small hologram atop her wrist. "Good hunting, A. May the Force be with you."

Ahsoka smiled back and cut the transmission, her hologram vanishing into thin air.

Jaina tucked her comlink back up her sleeve and took in a deep breath, shaking her head to push away any concerns.

"One step at a time," she murmured, finding difficulty—as usual—in taking her own advice (or rather, her Master's). "Easier said than done…" she sighed. "But at least I was able to help…"

With a final sigh, the Padawan turned back to her datapad and resumed her work on the deployment contingencies.


Jaina silently returned back to The Negotiator bridge, her datapad tucked under her arm as she returned to the holotable where her Master, Cody, and now Admiral Block, were conversing in low voices.

Cody glanced upwards at her approach, his expression grim. "We've just received additional intel, Commander Arden. We'll need to approach Nabat on foot. The droids have extensive AA artillery in place, and we cannot engage them from the skies as they…they are using the residents of Nabat as living shields around the cannons, knowing that we will not fire upon them."

Jaina frowned, her eyes widening as she took her place at her Master's side. "Living shields? The residents?"

Cody grimaced and nodded. "All non-combatants that had remained in the city are being forced to surround the anti-aircraft turbolasers, acting as…as an insurance policy against any aerial assault."

Jaina paused, the blood pounding in her ears as she gazed at the holomaps laid out in front of them, and the updated recon images.

Obi-Wan glanced down at his Padawan, watching the emotions flicker across her face as she took it all in. He subtly rested a hand on the small of her back.

"So…" Jaina trailed off. "We're essentially left with no other option but to engage in a land siege? With all non-combatants concentrated in one area?…That complicates things." She sighed and held out her datapad towards her Master. "And limits my contingencies to three."

"…Three." Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. That was, unfortunately, rather low for his Padawan. "Only three?" He repeated, a skeptical look on his face. "For a ground offensive of this magnitude?"

The Jedi Master glanced back towards Cody and Block. "Give us a moment please."

Jaina pressed her lips together, swallowing through the lump that had suddenly gathered in her throat as the other two exited the small briefing room and slid the door shut. "The permutations were quite restricted this time around," she muttered quietly. "Given the limited variables. Not to mention too many factors are unknown at this point that could potentially risk the civ—"

Obi-Wan's expression was still serious, his lips thin in that stern line that never failed to make his Padawan's stomach feel like stone.

"This is hardly the first time we've encountered unknown variables," he said, his voice a quiet, even tone. "That has never stopped you from coming up with several options before, my little one."

He continued to watch his little Padawan fiddle with the sleeves of her tunic, avoiding his gaze. Despite the fact that she clearly had hundreds more potential scenarios flying through her head, he knew better than to try and coax her into revealing them, or explain her thought process. There was little use.

The Jedi Master crossed his arms and fixed his Padawan with a scrutinizing look. "I'm not saying this as a criticism, only that three seems…rather low for you."

Jaina sighed softly, feeling as though she was being pinned in place by the weight of his stare. "I know that, but I…"

She gulped slowly. "I know our options this time are limited, Master. More so than usual. The positioning of the civilians makes this even more complicated. I've already tried analyzing the possible outcomes—I've tried."

He studied her for a long moment, his gaze intent and scrutinizing, silently observing every micro-expression in her body language, analyzing every inflection in her voice. "I'm not trying to pressure you, my Padawan," he said quietly. "I simply know you well enough to know that you have more in your thoughts than you're letting on."

He took in her expression: the slight guilt at his words, the frustration of working on dozens of scenarios and plans that no one would see or understand, and the worry of leaving too many variables unanswered and unresolved.

"And I know you're feeling frustrated," he assured her. "But that doesn't mean you don't have to communicate with me. Remember?"

The Jedi Master knew that his little one's mind was never idle.

Jaina sighed heavily, rubbing absentmindedly at her temples. "The terrain and the elevation limit the options for a vehicular advance. AATs would be able to pick off our walkers in an instant," she mumbled under her breath, her eyes darting over the holomaps. "Cody's latest intel takes out air support as a viable option: the Sep anti aircraft batteries seem strategically placed and protected by their—" she gulped, "—civilian shields…Master, I truly cannot think of anything else, other than a direct advance through select blind spots: setting up an LZ a few clicks away, out of their range, and making the approach on foot to prevent any civilians from getting caught in the crossfire."

Obi-Wan observed her quietly, still studying his little Padawan's face intently. Despite that, she had laid out a solid and cohesive option that she clearly thought had the highest probability of success, even if it was as straightforward as it was simple.

He folded his arms across his chest. "A direct approach," he reiterated with a thoughtful frown. "In the open, with no cover or air support. That seems a bit…risky."

Jaina shrugged weakly. "I can't…seem to conjure up any more…options…That is, of course, merely my opinion, Cody might have something better up his sleeve."

There was something about the way she was avoiding his gaze—or rather, staring at the holotable in front of her, her expression strangely lost—that told Obi-Wan his little one was still leaving something unsaid.

"You're sure you've considered everything?" He questioned quietly, a slight edge in his voice.

The Padawan shifted uncomfortably and glanced up at her Master. "Like I said, I've looked at every option I could think of."

She lowered her gaze again, her eyes still trained on the holotable. "I don't—" she sighed, biting her lip. "I don't know what else to do, Master. Anything else might endanger our own troops further, or the civilians. I'm sorry."

Obi-Wan rubbed his fingers over his bearded chin, his sharp eyes taking in every flicker of emotion, every minuscule shift in her body language, every movement of muscles across her face as he mulled over her earlier words.

She had analyzed the terrain, studied their resources, and mentally projected the potential number of droid casualties and Republic casualties by each scenario.

He knew his little one was in one of her little moods, her mind fueled by logic and logic alone—and yet he could still feel the storm of concern just beneath the surface through their bond, and see the slight anxious expression whenever she made mention of the civilians.

The Jedi Master took a deep breath and looked back down at his Padawan. "My little one," he said quietly. "I know how difficult it is to stop thinking, I know." He paused, his expression growing serious, his tone dropping to a low murmur. "Remember, it is alright to not have all the answers."

His little one's eyes were still avoiding his, focused on the holographically-projected topography instead, even as her fingers fidgeted subconsciously with the end of her Padawan braid, tugging at the pale pink ribbon.

Obi-Wan turned to study the maps for several minutes, then sighed heavily. She was not wrong.

The plan, while simple, had its merits. Obi-Wan could see that the layout of the surrounding terrain and the enemy positions would allow their forces to approach from the multiple blind spots she had flagged on the maps.

But the downside…

…was that there was no cover, minimal stealth capabilities, and no reinforcements—at least until they could secure the city as a larger landing zone for the Acclamators.

The Jedi Master sighed softly and clicked his wrist comlink. "Cody, have all available units from Ghost Company mobilized for a ground advance on Nabat. Minimal firepower with blasters and EMPs only. No rockets, no detonators."

"We are here to aid the Twi'leks. Not to destroy their homes."


A/N:

eric lickens .10: Hi there, and welcome! Your review really made my day, thank you so much! Meant a lot to me.

In terms of timeline, I don't actually plan on changing much. It was more a matter of picking and choosing which bits from the show/books/comics I wanted to do, and rearranging them to fit.

I actually already finished this story until the "end" of the war some time ago, I've just been rewriting and revising some parts as I go along hehe. But I'm happy to say that the (dysfunctional hehe) family dynamic between Obi-Wan, Jaina, and Satine is just around the corner, the first Mandalore arc is quiiiite close hehe.

Thank you so much again! See you around, hopefully!