Star Wars: Rogue Knight II Return Of The Sith

Part 1

Corellian cruiser Freedom

Hangar A-1

"General on deck!" Rex snapped.

The tattered remains of the 501st augmented by hand-picked Kamino survivors so they could be up to full strength were gathered in parade formation in one of Freedom's biggest hangars.

"Rex, its good to see you back on your feet." I smiled at the Clone. "Men, Kamino was an eye-opener. We were betrayed by the Jedi. They not only turned against the Republic and assassinated the Chancellor, many of those knaves joined the Separatists. They mercilessly cut down our brothers and sisters in the army. It was their actions that led to the destruction of your home!" I waved a hand for emphasis.

The best thing? Everything I was saying was true. It was the Jedi and their coup who forced my hand into destroying Kamino instead of merely ensuring that world's fall to the enemy.

"Today a few of them will be making it up to you all." I pointed out to my four newest minions who were glowering at my back. "Master Madorin and his colleagues volunteered to play OpFor as I train you to take out rogue Jedi." I beamed at the Clones. If their grins were anything to go by, they loved the idea.

The same couldn't be said about my minions. They were expendable anyway so kriff them.

I began walking up and down in front of the gathered troopers.

"The first thing to know about hunting down Jedi – elaborate plans don't work. The longer you plan, the more complex your plan is the bigger the odds of miserable failure and death. First, the tools of your trade!" I stopped in front of a stack of crates full with various beautiful implements of mayhem. I pointed at the top one and it opened to reveal its contents, which flew up until they floated between me and the Clones.

"Firs, we have various sonic weaponry – blasters, grenades, screamers, the works. Their purpose is to break a Jedi's concentration which makes the Force much harder to us and thus softens up your target." I waved a hand and the sonic tools flew back into their case.

"Those are good old fashioned flame weapons – incendiary grenades, flamethrowers, plasma charges the works. While a Jedi could deflect fire, that requires concentration. Flames could be used either as a distraction or to finish off the target when they're busy dealing with another threat." Off you go.

"Next – cl.u.s.ter rockets, artillery, air-strikes, orbital support. It can work if you can pin-down the Jedi in a given area." I sent more toys back in the box. "Now, blasters. Using them is sub-optimal. Expect many, many shots to get deflected back at you though our new armors and shields help with that issue. Remember, engaging Jedi with blasters is a last resort. If you absolutely have to do it seek open terrain. Swarm them, surround them and shoot them from every possible side. It's going to be ugly but that's your best options. Only a handful of Jedi could survive a few hundred blasters firing at them at the same time from multiple directions. Overwhelming numbers and firepower is the name of the game if you have to take them out with blasters"

"This leaves mines – they could be quite effective either as an ambush tactic if the Jedi don't pay attention so you could lure them in or either as an area denial or to buy you time. Remember, most Jedi love to fight hand to hand – they will charge you, jump, run over walls, and generally make a

nuisance of themselves. Last and potentially least – gas attacks. It might work. I stress this point, might. Some Force Adepts could make themselves either temporally or permanently immune to most toxins you could get your hands on. As a general rule, gases that work through skin contact and attack the nervous system are much better than anything that needs inhalation to be useful. If nothing else works a Jedi could hold their breath for quite long even when they're in the middle of a fight. It would be even better if you have something corrosive to use – getting their skin dissolved before the toxins are absorbed by the bloodstream is your best bet." I stopped to take a breath and give the Clones some time to digest my lecture.

"You must have noticed a theme – distraction, misdirection. This is your best bet. Confuse the Jedi. Attack from multiple angles in multiple different ways. Take and keep the initiative. Create an opening, exploit it and make damn sure your target is dead."

The glowering at my back intensified. If my minions looks could kill I would be a steaming pile of ash on the deck right now and I wasn't done yet.

"A situational technique that works against typical Jedi is to exploit their pacifistic and self-sacrificing nature. Target civilians they might be compelled to protect, as long as said people aren't Republic citizens. Doing so might give you an opening. Point of order," I pointed a thumb behind me, "It won't work on those reprobates over there."

"Most of that is common sense, sir." Rex pointed out.

"You will be surprised, Commander. You've been working alongside Jedi since the war began. Given the number of soldiers in the army and the limited amount of Jedi to go around, most of our troopers haven't had such opportunity. Once I deem you all proficient Jedi hunters, I want you to train the rest of the infantry in the fleet how to do it. You can do that for me, right 501st ?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The thunder of thousands of throats answered me.

"Good! One thing that I'll be teaching you is how to shield your minds from the Jedi. The basic is simple – you need to be feeling strong emotions while thinking about something else. Guilt, l.u.s.t, fear, love – generally anything that won't broadcast you're about to shoot the kriffing bastards in the back. It works on most Sith too, with emotions they usually don't use or like – love, mercy, regret, empathy so to speak. I'll begin teaching the first group of you, while the rest practice anti-Jedi tactics on my friends over there." I turned to wave at my minions. "Rex get me a hundred of your best men for personal training, the rest of you – have at them." I jabbed a finger at the Jedi.

=RK=

Part 2

=RK=

Flag bridge

Republic cruiser Freedom

High orbit above Eriadu

"I hope everyone enjoyed their brief vacation, because we're back in business people!" I exclaimed after my small command staff gathered.

Half-hearted noises came from Joanna, Wilhuff and my aide Firmus whom I just got back after leaving him under Holt's tender mercies after Kamino. Which reminded me…

"Before I forget, Piett, after the meeting check where did we misplace Veers. The last time I recall he was back on Geonosis and about to pull back with the Caamasi."

"I'll make a not of it, sir." Firmus tapped it into his pad.

It turned out that admiral Tenant, the nominal GAR commander at Eriadu didn't survive his injuries from the battle and perished while we were on our way to Kamino. That's why I left Vex in charge of the contingent we would be leaving here – consisting of our damaged sh.i.p.s. We more than made up for it by picking up twenty of the new Venators with their battle groups along with fifteen brand new local cruisers making up one of Gideon's Theater Fleets.

"Good man. Joanna, status of the fleet? Do we have a final disposition?" I asked.

"While we got out a lot of sh.i.p.s from Kamino, many suffered various amount of damage. Between Tarkin, Vex and me we were able to reconstitute a formidable force which we could take with us." Holt called an order of battle to the main holotank.

The Freedom blinked on top as the Flagship. Below her spread division after division of Venators. Fifty nine of them. They were joined by the local cruisers and then Acclamators chock full with troopers to give us a decent sized ground force just in case. Then there were the escorts – light cruisers – just eighty three we could take, though that number was made up by the frigate packs: three hundred thirty seven of them.

In order to take this many sh.i.p.s without torpedoing my deals with the locals, there were some hoops I had to jump through first. Before we could head for the Core, we were going to raise hell in CIS space and make sure the Separatists would be too busy to mount a proper offensive in the Western Sector for the time being. First we were going to chose one of their staging grounds which doubled as supply depots and raze it, then we would go to Naboo, relieve the siege there and ensure the enemy attention in the region would be divided. Only then we would chose the best way to either Coruscant or Mandalore, whatever proved practical.

Nevertheless the total ship numbers were impressive. Most impressive.

"You two outdid yourselves. Logistics?" I praised my subordinates.

"Everything should be loaded by noon today. We need to chose destination." Tarkin answered and called up the galaxy map, then zoomed down to Eriadu and the surrounding sectors. "Intel suggests Triton, Sull.u.s.t and Darkknell as enemy staging areas. They estimate a Sector fleet spread out among those locations for repair and resupply."

"Sull.u.s.t and Triton are the primary staging grounds for attacks against Eriadu while Darkknell is a major way-point towards the Core. It is one of the jump off points for assaults on Naboo." Joanna added.

"Darkknell." I pointed at the Knel'char system. "From there we can jump directly to Naboo. It lessens the chance we would be intercepted or outraced by enemy response."

"Objectives?" Wilhuff asked.

"We make a point." I put up on display the preliminary assault plan for that system. "We will exit hyperspace six light hours from the triple star, send in scouts and then execute tactical insertion. Joanna, I want the Freedom and her battle-group for something special." I zoomed in on the only inhabitable or real planet in the system. Darkknell. became huge and her orbital defenses appeared as angry red symbols.

"That's audacious." Joanna glared at me.

"Your ship is build to take and dish the necessary punishment. She'll be all right."

Holt grumbled but didn't argue.

"Wilhuff, you'll be commanding the second part of the fleet. Once we're in position and everyone focuses on us, you'll jump in and hit them from behind. We'll be laying waste to everything in that system ASAP then once the fleet reforms either in system or at one per-determined staging points, we'll head off to Naboo."

"If there's third to a half of a Separatist Sector fleet there we should be all right. If we don't waste any time." Tarkin interjected.

"We can take the whole thing if we have to, however we'll suffer casualties I would prefer to avoid at this time. Besides, they're likely to come after us anyway. I would rather fight them at Naboo alongside whatever friendly forces are in that system."

"After Naboo? All hyperlanes leading into the core will be heavily monitored and we know what will wait us in the end of the route if we go there directly." Joanna asked.

"I lean towards striking through the Separatist's Mid Rim territories, hit targets of opportunity as they present themselves and break out into the west part of the galaxy. Once there we'll have many more options. However, that's just a goal – we won't be finalizing any plans before Naboo and getting any and all intelligence our people there could give us." I told them.

"That's settled then. Let's refine the plan for Darkknell. and get some contingencies ready." Tarkin said. "How big a part of the fleet do you want for the direct assault on the planet?"

"No more than a third. We want them to come after us, not to run." Joanna answered.

"I agree. We'll be taking all Block II Venators with us. Their improved Guardian might prove quite useful."

"You're going to have every small craft in system coming after you." Tarkin nodded. "You don't need to leave any for me."

"I'll take it under consideration. Firmus any thoughts? Is there anything in the plan that strikes you as particularly idiotic?"

"Eh? Sir!" Piett stammered and looked like a fish freshly plucked out of the water.

=RK=

Part 3

GAR FOB Kilo

Malastare

Cold rain splashed over Ki-Adi-Mundi while he sneaked towards one of the Republic bases housing hyperspace capable craft. It took him weeks to sneak through the front-lines while avoiding patrols of his own 21st Nova Corps. Jet and Bacara were determined to get him after their initial ambush failed. The Jedi Master had the Separatists to thank for the opportunity to slip away from the city where he hid after his men betrayed him. While the Clones were too busy hunting him down, the enemy commander launched an offensive that nicely got their attention. Almost getting their forward HQ overran with them in it was just the opening Mundi needed.

Managing to avoid all the patrols, aerial and orbital surveillance on the other hand was hard. He was a distinctive individual who couldn't simply blend in with a group of refugees. That left the Jedi Master relying heavily on the Force to conceal his presence from everything he could think off. Most of the time he had to substitute raw power for knowledge and experience, however finally Ki was beginning to get the hang of it.

Stealth was simple – in theory. Wrap the Force around yourself like a cloak and you might be able to convince people looking at you that you weren't there. However that worked best when in crowd and couldn't fool electronic surveillance. What Mundi ended up doing was much harder, though the basic building block was the same. He did cover himself with the Force, then had to figure out how to bend light around himself to become literally invisible. Then there was thermal and more exotic sensors he needed to fool.

It was hard, tiring and the main reason why it took him so long to get to FOB Kilo. However he was finally in place, there was a nasty storm in place which significantly cut down the visibility and Mundi decided to use its cover to his advantage.

Getting to the outer fence was easy. Jumping over it too.

Doing all that without landing on a mine or tripping either motion or seismic sensors – not so much. Master Mundi had to use everything he knew in order to ensure he had less presence than a ghost. By the time he was through the perimeter and inside the base, the Jedi had to find a nice dark space in a corner and rest for a bit. The amount of energy he used so far was staggering and let him exhausted yet he did it. He was in.

Mundi stood in his corner for half an hour before he felt confident enough to continue sneaking. He scampered out of the way of patrols and security droids, avoided loaded vehicles preparing to head for the front and finally made his way to the spaceport, where his job become harder. There were fighters being serviced nearby, freighters and transport shuttles coming in and leaving all the time, thus the whole area was naturally deemed a security risk and thus heavily guarded. Fortunately most of the measures in place were meant to stop things coming in not leaving.

In the end, the Jedi Master ended up hitching a ride under an old fashioned wheeled truck while keeping himself invisible. His endurance was nearly gone by the time his transport actually got into the spaceport and parked near a freighter unloading MRE crates. With his last strength, Mundi sneaked into a ship preparing to leave just before its ramp sealed shut behind him. It didn't really matter where the freighter was headed to. All Mundi really needed was a safe place to get his breath and then he would either continue hiding if the destination was useful or have a polite word with the crew. However his first point of business was to find a convenient hiding hole and recover…

=RK=

Flag bridge

Republic cruiser Freedom

High orbit above Eriadu

"Other concerns? Last minute intelligence?" I asked my staff.

There were a few revisions and alternatives of the basic plan we made when Piett pointed out that our target was a way-point to the Core. While we were going to reduce the system because of that fact, we forgot to take into account the possibility of enemy reinforcements going for the front dropping unannounced. We knew it would take at least a few hours for sh.i.p.s from Sull.u.s.t or Triton to reinforce Darkknell, however Sanrafsik could get there within an hour. One and half top.

We spent the rest of the morning tweaking the plan of attack until it was almost time to leave.

"A contact of my wife in Separatist space heard few interesting rumors but nothing that directly affects us." Tarkin answered.

"There's still a bit of time so give. What are our friends in the Confederacy cooking up now?" I asked, while Joanna pointedly ignored us and get back to checking the status of the fleet.

"It looks like a couple of our own might have defected. The Zinji, mother and son from Fondor. They were stationed near the Corporate sector when the enemy offensive began rolling in. Instead of fighting or avoiding action they appear to have cut a deal and began building a small empire of their own out there."

"The Corporate sector? Didn't it fall while we were just getting out of the Unknown Regions?" I frowned.

"So we heard. It seems to have fallen, just not to the Separatists as we assumed." Wilhuff shrugged. "It's just a rumor so far."

"That's going to be a problem in the long run. It's not like we could get a fleet there before dismantling most of the Confederacy first. I just hope no one else gets the bright idea to emulate those fools. If that happens we'll need to step on them hard."

"Yes." Tarkin grumbled. "Letting warlords run unchecked will have unpleasant consequences. We'll have to clean up their mess when the Separatists are done for."

"Anything else of interest?"

"The captain isn't exactly thrilled you turned one of his hangars into a war-zone." Joanna chipped in.

"Its convenient place to train anti-Jedi tactics." I told her.

"This I need to see." Tarkin perked up.

"Once we're at Naboo. Everyone should be stowing their gear and getting a few hours of R&R before we hit our target. That includes us."

=RK=

Part 4

Darkknell

Knel'char system

When the war came to Darkknell, there was no warning anyone in the system took seriously. Long range sensors on couple of traffic control stations registered blips appearing and vanishing in interstellar space, yet no one paid them much attention. It was deemed as just another glitch for maintenance to deal with by overworked and overly stressed controllers who had to deal with whole fleets of military sh.i.p.s and their logistics train on top of all the usual commerce that passed through Darkknell. While the total amount of freight shipping through declined since the conflict began, the Knel'char system itself was getting overcrowded with Confederate shipping and depots for supplies being sent to the Core.

Darkknell was supposed to be safe. The only enemy who could have possibly posed any threat were those maniacs at Eriadu, however they were mauled a few weeks ago. Besides, not only the Darkknell's system defense fleet was ready to meet any troublemakers, there were powerful Confederate formations present at all times – either to guard the Separatist investments, passing through or replenishing their supplies.

Only lunatic would strike Knel'char – that's what the locals believed as they happily went on with their day to day affairs and enjoyed the bounty provided by the Confederate presence. That happy state of affairs continued for more than a year before the Republic came knocking on the front door.

It was early in the morning local time when without warning hundreds of Y-Wing bombers exited hyperspace on the edge of Darkknell's gravity well, hit their afterburners and screamed for the atmosphere. Before anyone could react, the planet's cluttered orbitals became home of thirty new large sh.i.p.s and over a hundred of escorts. It was a miracle that there were no collisions from the abrupt and surprising transition.

It was a small, short live mercy.

Darkknell's orbitals lit up in a storm of energy. Crystallized bolts of plasma, condensed thermonuclear fire rivaling the hearts of the stars themselves and gravity itself were all unleashed in a merciless onslaught upon the locals. Weapon satellites, freighters and couple of Munificents were ravaged before they knew what hit them. Before the planetary shields could begin to raise missiles and torpedoes rained in their thousands upon a single hemisphere. Fiery flowers blossomed upon the surface as compact proton and concussion munitions unleashed their fury. They soon raised towards the heavens in shinning fireballs resembling the forgotten horror of a nuclear bombardment.

Whole cities shook to rubble as seismic charges leveled industrial zones and transport infrastructure. Spaceports vanished behind the blinding glare of heavy assault munitions, which leveled whole neighborhoods as a mere afterthought.

For all its pyrotechnic glory, Darkknell's fiery fate was merely a sideshow; something the Y-Wings to get busy with away from the voracious appetite of the Separatist Umbrella.

The real hell was unleashed up in space. When the Freedom arrived, she and her consorts acted with uncanny precision and coordination. Each of them chose multiple unwitting targets and opened fire while the enemy was still busy comprehending the disaster that just dropped on their heads. Confederate warsh.i.p.s, Darkknell's own defenders, mere merchantmen or civilian sh.i.p.s being in the wrong place at the wrong time – it didn't matter. Freedom and her brood roared as one and anything around them that wasn't a the Republic navy died. Only a pair of Lucrehulks which had their shields on for some arcane reason survived the first barrage only to be singled for the Corellian cruiser's particular attention. The second battleship even managed to shoot once before its shields overloaded under enough firepower to wipe out a small fleet. Then the hapless Lucrehulk had no option but to melt and vaporize before its reactor went critical and it ignited itself like a short lived star.

The Freedom and her consorts altered their course so their escorts would fly through the thickest concentration of merchant shipping nearby while the capital sh.i.p.s went for the nearest Gollan defense platform. Darkknell had only three of those and only one in this immediate area. The Freedom led the way, letting her colossal shields absorb everything the Gollan could throw at her and she replied in kind.

=RK=

Flag Bridge

Corellian cruiser Freedom

High orbit above Darkknell

Getting my own body back had unexpected consequences. While I was directing the Freedom and nearby Venators through Battle Meditation, I could perceive the world differently. I knew that I was slower, physically weaker and a bit easier to damage. It was easier to tire myself when not leaning on the Force to cheat. My connection with my power wasn't stronger because I got my original body back.

Yet, I could perceive the battle in a more clear, more… tangible way for lack of better words. The void of space crackled with energy. Fuel ignited in thermonuclear pyres immolating whole sh.i.p.s. Breached reactors shone like neutron stars sending lethal radiation everywhere before detonating and shredding everything in range. Torrents and Vultures dueled in the cross-hairs of Umbrella and Guardian alike.

Missile swarms consumed each other before their targets vanished behind what looked like solid walls of counter-fire.

Each time the Freedom unleashed her fury something died a fiery death. It was chaos; pure mind-blowing terrifying madness. It was beautiful, glorious. I could feel the durasteel determination of my people. Their resolve not to fail me. I could sense the bowel-loosening terror of my enemies who were still scrambling to form a coherent response to our attack.

War was our art and we were busy creating a masterpiece with the shredded hulls of our fallen foes.

It was magnificent!

=RK=

Part 5

CIC

Republic cruiser Repulse

Darkknell system

For once, Tarkin was pleasantly surprised by the enemy. So far at least.

There were no sudden Separatist reinforcements jumping after the Freedom and Veil. No sign that the enemy expected an attack, much less one of this magnitude. Even their numbers fell well into the expected quota. The Confederacy had a hundred or so more warsh.i.p.s in system than the attacking Republic fleet, though such a meager disparity didn't really matter with one of those big Corellian cruisers on the field.

It wouldn't have mattered even without the Freedom. The enemy obviously got caught off guard. Their response was slow and sluggish, with too many sh.i.p.s dying before they knew what hit them. By the time the Separatists got organized and attempted a spoiling counter-attack meant to give the hundreds of transports in the system time to flee, it was too little too late. The fleet's second echelon arrived and Tarkin cut most of his light sh.i.p.s lose to hunt. Veil obviously had the enemy fleet well in hand if the 'battle' over Darkknell's northern pole was anything to go by.

"Tactical, is there something left worthy of our attention?" Wilhuff asked.

"We're still analyzing the sensor data, sir. There were an awfully lot of sh.i.p.s in here when the vanguard arrived."

"I'm not interested in excuses, only results, lieutenant." Tarkin shot an icy glare at the junior officer.

"Sir! Sorry, sir! It won't happen again!" The lieutenant's fingers flew over the controls of his console as if they were on fire. "There, sir!" He exclaimed in relief. "A group of thirty freighters trying to clear the outer asteroid field. Those are the type that haul either tibana gas or fuel!"

"Get us an intercept vector. Calculate a hyperspace jump. I want them nailed!" Tarkin exclaimed.

He smiled viciously. If those sh.i.p.s were loaded – that would be enough supplies for a whole fleet. Even if empty, they would make nice prizes. Prizes… Such a nice though.

"Belay the last. I want them captured if practical. Call our ground compliment. I've got a job for them… Cut Eleventh and Twenty Seventh Frigate Division loose. I want them to block those transports from entering hyperspace. Send the remaining light cruisers with them. Do I have a line with the troopers?" Wilhuff asked.

"I've got a commander Zed on the comm for you, admiral."

"Excellent. Commander, I've got a job for you. We have thirty volatile targets to capture. Tibana gas or fuel freighters. I need them intact if practical." Tarkin ordered.

"I'll assemble a boarding force. Time?"

"ASAP. We're on intercept course."

"Roger that. We'll get them, sir. Zed over and out."

=RK=

Assault shuttle 911-AN

En route to objective Resh

Darkknell system

"Lock and load. Eta one thirty." Sergeant Kole roared. "If I see any of you fools release the safety, I'll frag you myself, am I clear?!"

"Yes, sergeant!" The three squads packed in the cargo hold chorused as one.

"Damn right I am! Listen close, lads. We're going to board that damned Seppie freighter, then we're going to trash every single clanker we can find so hard, their assembly line won't recognize them! We're going to shoot them up, bash them, kick their tiny droid brains right out of their tiny clanker heads! Right, laddies?"

"Damn right, sergeant!"

"Today we pay the traitorous motherless bastards for Kamino! I don't want a single one of them dragging its broken carcass to an escape pod! I don't care if they're a busted clanker or a kriffing traitor! We're going to make them all pay and secure that ship for the general! Am I clear!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"I'm a sergeant, damn it! I work for a living." Johnson grunted.

Why the kriff did he got saddled with babysitting a bunch of brand new Clones instead of being back home on the Freedom?! The dark skinned sergeant sighed. He couldn't even get a smoke as he was sealed in his CorSec Assault armor.

Johnson spared a moment to lament on the injustice of it all. There weren't enough of the nice new combat armors the GAR was fielding lately so he and his men were stuck with a home-brewed version of the standard Commando kit. The Republic released its specks to all member systems some months ago when they began to officially roll in the new superior equipment. At least the Assault Armor was much better than the original kit the Clones rolled in at the start of the war. Those things while rated for shrapnel, most ballistics as well as various hazards if sealed were notoriously easy to penetrate by military grade weaponry. That wasn't much of a problem against the hordes of cheap B1s with even cheaper weapons. Against SBs however…

"Thirty seconds! Look alive!" The pilot of this death trap exclaimed gleefully over the com.

"You heard her. Bi, I want you out and prepping the charges the moment that ramp opens!" Johnson ordered.

"I'm ready, sarge!" The demo expert patted a stack of explosives strapped to his c.h.e.s.t plate.

"Ten! We're going in!" The navy pilot sounded like she had the time of her life in the c.o.c.kpit.

"Brace!" Johnson shouted, gleefully. He couldn't let a bloody fly-girl outdo him after all. He might have to return his ground-ponder card if that happened.

The shuttle shook and everyone got rattled when the compensators strained to kill the inertia and keep them from liquifying as their ride de-accelerated. A loud clang sounded and then the ramp began to open.

"We're in! The sky is clear. If anything tries to interrupt you, the Guardian will pop it. Up and at it, boys!"

"Go, go, GO!" Johnson shouted and popped his restrain's release.

Bi was already going out behind a pair of troopers acting as living shields for him and all the exploding goodness he was loaded with.

The Sergeant was out of the bird so he wouldn't be taken out by anything wiping out the advance party. The moment he stepped away from the ramp his feet hit the outer hull of their target and only his magnetic boots kept him in place. Even with them if it wasn't for the transports inertial dampeners, Johnson along with everyone else would have been thrown off the ship – which would be academic because the acceleration of even such a ponderous beast as their target was far above what most living things could survive.

Johnson ran behind his men and grinned when he saw where they had landed. The shuttle was resting just ten meters in front of the bridge and Bi was already strapping shaped charges on its windows next to their frames too so the automatic shutters would be busted by the explosion.

He looked around. There were two more shuttles on final approach which will should be carrying the rest of the platoon and two squads from Besh platoon which were their reinforcements.

"All set up! Clear the zone!" Bi snapped over the comm.

"Clear the zone! On the double!" Johnson ordered and hurried to do so himself.

The Clones scattered away from the central window and the Sergeant gave the all clear.

"Fire in the hole!" Bi exclaimed with just the right amount of glee and gave the ignition command.

The resulting explosions weren't particularly spectacular. There were a few small flashes that were almost completely invisible over the illumination coming from the bridge, the windows shattered and their pieces flew in like a volley of jagged daggers before the resulting explosive decompression s.u.c.k.e.d them out along with anything unsecured in the compartment. The smarter of the crew had either gotten away when they say the soldiers coming to visit or got themselves strapped in. A couple of brave fools even got out hand-blasters though the sergeant didn't know what they expected to accomplish with them.

Once the air was vented off, Arubesh platoon stormed in and secured the bridge without any real trouble. The above-mentioned fools were too busy strapping on oxygen masks to open fire and were promptly disarmed.

"Get the controls locked in. I want this place secure. Make sure our hosts don't suffocate or freeze to death..." Johnson began issuing orders. He wondered if this op would be enough to add pirate to his resume?

Part 6

=RK=

Observation deck

Corellian cruiser Freedom

Hyperspace

I sat in a chair near the windows observing the chaotic lights of hyperspace. To my right, Tarkin and Rex were discussing the success of Wilhuff's improvised boarding operation and how to streamline such stunts in the future. Meanwhile, Joanna was back on the Flag Bridge and as a good XO was overseeing the day to day affairs of the fleet.

Back at Darkknell we got very lucky, there was no doubt about that. We caught the Separatists with their pants down and didn't give them a chance to recover. Even better, there were no enemy fleets stumbling on our raid. Tarkin's stunt paid off too – there were ten Tibanna gas haulers and eight more chock full with hyper-matter flying at the rear of the fleet. Twelve other such transports were destroyed when they tried to flee in hyperspace. That was just the tip of the iceberg. Over a thousand large freighters were blasted out of space before we left for Naboo.

In raw numbers, those weren't too many transports. However a significant number of them were large super-freighters chock full with supplies. Those took time to build not to mention their cargo would take yet more time and freight capacity to make up for.

If we could strike a few more such blows to the CIS on our way back to the Core, they will begin feeling the strain on their logistics train. Nevertheless, Naboo came first. Deciding where exactly we would go next would hinge on what we would find when we arrived at our destination in twelve hours.

"Rex, Wilhuff, I need your capture teams to consist by troops not trained to deal with Jedi. If there's any significant resistance, the casualties could be heavy and I have no intention to waste specialists that way. Better slot people who weren't with us at Kamino for that job. Use that contingent for reinforcing Naboo as needed too. We're keeping our people with us." I interrupted them when they began discussing which troops will make the best boarders.

"That might be sub-optimal." Tarkin pointed out.

"Once the boarding parties are selected as permanent units, we'll provide them with additional training and specialized equipment as practical." I added.

"That might work."

"You two will have to make it work. Just don't forget to get a bit of rest. I'll want both of you on station an hour before we arrive at Naboo." I finished my drink and headed for my quarters.

"We'll be there in time, sir." Rex agreed for them both.

I simply nodded and got out of the former bridge. I needed to meditate about few things and get myself some rest after the limited use of Battle Meditation at Darkknell.

=RK=

I got out of the fresher clad in clean clothes and crashed on my bed. Ever since Ashaa restored my body, I've been feeling a bit off. At first I didn't really notice it and then chalked it up for no longer being a husk of a man on his last legs. It was only during the battle over Darkknell that the difference became plain to me, however at that time I didn't really have the time nor the inclination to even think about it.

To make sure, I did examine myself through the Force and with the exception of the minor fatigue I was currently feeling I was in perfect condition. No surprises there. Nevertheless, perhaps I should have grasped the implication sooner. I was in a perfect shape for a human male in his mid thirties. Before my body had to be rebuilt, I was in perfect shape too, for a superhuman who was faster, tougher and stronger. The new normal used to be different, with corresponding changes in my mental chemistry to account for the maintenance of my altered body – a bit more hormones of one kind, less of another…

To be honest, back in the day I didn't notice a change in the first place, however I was kinda busy then. In the days following my upgrade I had multiple people talking in my head and trying to make me insane, once that was fixed I had to fight a ritual war with a member of the Dark Council and then Crimson happened at a time when the Cold war almost went hot.

Here and now however… I relaxed and slowly submerged myself into the Force, all the while examining the nature of my connection with my power. As far as I could tell, there were no changes there. Yet, the world felt a bit brighter. More alive. It was as if a subtle filter was removed from my senses.

It wasn't like I suddenly shifted closer to the Light Side without noticing. At this time the Dark Side ruled supreme and even she seemed move vivid, more… real.

I frowned. The kriff did I do to myself when I got upgraded by Ashaa?! All the enhancements were physical so I thought my mind had been safe. Yet, did it really matter? Unless it affected my long term judgment, the upgrades were surely worth it.

Well, I won't have the time to get back for the foreseeable future so I would have the opportunity to see if something was different besides the world appearing to be a brighter place.

I let my mind drift through the Force and concentrated on my bonds. Aria's presence shone brightly like a newly born star. I could taste the touch of the Dark Side upon her even half across the galaxy, yet she didn't feel like someone who had actually fallen. She felt all right, if quite a bit tired.

The touch of my mind across our bond made her stiffen, then she relaxed. I could sense her relief when she got a confirmation that I was all right. I found myself sharing the same sentiment on her behalf. I sent a pulse of reassurance through the bound and pulled back.

I took a few moments to examine the unpleasant psychic scar where my connection with Jaybo used to be. My youngest apprentice died in fire somewhere in Corellia, though at the time I was too busy binding a whole fleet to me at Kamino to pay his demise a proper attention. I hadn't really thought about the kid ever since I sent him to the Green Jedi. He was supposed to be safe there, damn it! What a kriffing waste!

My awareness brushed the place in my mind where our connection used to be. It still held the impression of his final moments – fear, pain and desperate need to protect someone. Then everything was consumed by fiery agony.

Someone was going to pay for that! I would make sure my apprentice was avenged even if it would be a cold comfort for him.

I pulled back from the scar and let it to heal on its own. Only now I cast my awareness towards Coruscant. What I got was a simple impression more than anything else. A certainty that Obi-Wan was alive and more or less all right which likely meant that his wife was likely fine too.

Bo on the other hand… I grit my teeth. I knew it was useless. That she couldn't have survived her wounds, yet I searched for her through the Force. That's why I was left speechless on my bed when I felt a small bright spark through the shadow veils thrown by the Dark Side.

That.. That was surely impossible! My wife was dead – my mind rebelled in denial.

I concentrated on that spark. Bo was blind to the Force, so forming a proper connection, especially over such a distance was out of the question unless I wanted to die this time. However, that spark persisted. It continued to shine back on Coruscant with my wife's familiar presence.

I let the Force go and laid in the bed with a relieved smile on my lips. Yeah, the galaxy was indeed a bit brighter place today.