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Anakin Skywalker is on the path to become one of the greatest figures on the galactic scene. If you want to read an original story of greatness, you can check my story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Tatooine
Fort Freedom
"We make quite an interesting crew, don't we?" Ventress' voice drawled, her eyes sweeping around the room.
The Sorcerer of Tatooine, the Supreme Warlord of Kaleesh, an agent of the Queen of Naboo, a former smuggler, and a rebel are all sitting around the same table. It sounded like the start of a joke.
Whether it would be a good or a bad one remained to be seen.
"Before anything else, where exactly is our mysterious ally from?" Qymaen asked, eyes on Ventress. She carried twin vibroblades, and there was something familiar in her stance.
Too familiar.
She glanced at the warlord. "I work for Queen Amidala of Naboo."
Qymaen's reptilian eyes narrowed behind his mask, his stance becoming more rigid. "A republic world is helping us. This must be a deception to earn your trust," he said, in a cold, sharp tone.
"You weren't the only one burned by the Republic. Sure, what happened to Naboo is nowhere near what happened to your world by his account"—she glanced at Anakin—"but they too suffered because of the corruption in the Senate."
"You believe her?" he asked Anakin.
He raised a hand. "I spoke to the queen. She was genuine in her desire to help us fight for our freedom."
"Very well, I will take your word for it."
"What role will the Warlord and Ventress hold?" Corlen asked. Currently, the Kaleesh troops outnumbered all other members. Not only were they better trained, they were also experienced in war. They had already started to train the soldiers and were proving to be excellent assistance in structuring Freedom First's military arm.
It was only logical for them to have a greater say in this council.
The same went for their ally from the Republic.
Anakin tapped his fingers on the table in a wave, slightly raising his head. "I don't have the experience or the knowledge to lead men in battle, to decide how to wage war. Qymaen is seasoned and has already led the efforts to defeat a superior enemy and send them right back to their world. I believe he should take the military command."
Qymaen bowed, slightly. It was both in acceptance and in acknowledgment. For all his strength, Anakin was young. Commanding armies and fleets was best learned by experience. He was smart enough to admit his shortcomings.
He would be smart enough to be a great commander one day.
"I thought you already had Corlen for that?" Vega asked, his blue eyes looking at the man in question.
Corlen shook his head. "What I did is nothing compared to his deeds. I see no reason to refuse." Grievous was feared for a reason. Having him and the Kaleesh on their side more than made up for the parts of their army that were lacking.
The reptilian eyes locked on the youngest member of the council. "And you, brother? What will you do?"
"I am the official face of Freedom First. Until I am actually in a position to make military decisions, I should stay that way. I sign deals and give speeches, and when the time comes, well," he spread his hands, creating two mandalas in each, "I am a one-man army."
"Due to our actions against the Trade Federation, Queen Amidala created a not-so-insignificant network of informants and spies across the galaxy. We are currently working to gather more information on the Hutts. Since this movement doesn't possess an intelligence network, we will supply you with what we can." Ventress chipped in. Their influence in the Outer Rim, especially the Hutt Territory, was bare bones. Naboo couldn't afford a rapid expansion of their network and expose themselves.
The intelligence front would be their weakest.
"Much appreciated," Corlen said.
"Additionally, Naboo will continue to ship weapons to you as long as our deal is held. While what was taken from the Trade Federation's invasion is free, we will have to sell what is produced locally at cost to avoid a deficit in the budget."
The last part earned her confused looks.
"The weapon production efforts, while legal, are kept highly secretive. Any anomalies in the finance department could give it away," she explained. Queen Amidala obviously intended to take military action against the Trade Federation.
"Why keep it a secret? Does the Senate forbid it?" Qymaen asked, snorting. He wouldn't be surprised if those corrupt worms didn't want anyone to be armed too much.
"No." She shook her head. "Naboo simply did not see the need to keep a large military force before. It was a peaceful world focused on arts, education, diplomacy, and cultural efforts. With the Senate's inaction and the events of the invasion, there was no choice but to evolve."
Her explanation confused them even more.
She rolled her eyes. "The queen does not wish our enemies to know we are better prepared this time. When the time to take the Trade Federation down comes, she wants the element of surprise."
Qymaen clicked his tongue, looking away. "Wise."
"We can get into business then," Vega said. There was still so much work to do.
Ventress nodded, pulling out a holoprojector. She activated the device, creating a holoprojection of the galactic map. The Hutt Space and Neimodia were highlighted, along with Tatooine, Nar Kaaga, and several hyperspace lanes.
"The Hutts never had a standing army because it was expensive. They preferred to solve their problems by outsourcing violence to pirates, mercenaries, and bounty hunters," she said. With several famous figures, such as Fett and Cad Bane, either dead or captured, no one wanted to take on the Sorcerer of Tatooine.
"You changed that," she said. Images of a large fleet and droids, obviously mass-produced, appeared.
"With your crushing defeat of their initial fleet and making a hyperspace lane unusable, mercenaries and such are unwilling to work for the Hutts without massive concessions. Instead, they are buying a fleet from the Trade Federation, along with droids. Infantry and vulture bombers mostly."
Qymaen growled. He hated those useless tin cans. It would be his pleasure to crush them.
"The Federation cannot sell such large quantities without inviting a Republic inquiry. Instead, they contacted dozens of Outer Rime planets," she said, lighting up the relevant worlds. "They sell the fleets and droids to them in small numbers under the guise of heightened pirate activity. Those planets then sell or lease the fleets to the Hutts for a small cut of the initial transaction."
"Bastards," Corlen muttered.
Anakin's gaze hardened beneath his hood. Those planets would have to be visited.
"With those numbers, even the fleet stranded in dark space won't be enough."
"Though an interesting development is that those fleets are gathering in Nar Kaaga," she said, highlighting the system.
The Trade Federation was quick to act when it came to such a large order. Ships had moved within hours of the deal being finalized. Brokered by the Banking Clans in secret through the Hutt proxies, the number of ships the Hutts bought was speculated to be fifty Lucrehulks, three times as many Munificent-class frigates, and three Providence-class dreadnoughts.
The vulture droids and B1s were too much to count.
"They want to use the Tatooine Dash to catch us off guard."
"Tatooine Dash?" Ventress asked. It sounded like a hyperspace lane, but she had never heard of it.
Anakin drew a golden line from Nar Kaaga to the Manda system and then to Tatooine. "It's a trade secret of Jabba's clan. A secret hyperspace lane that goes from Nar Kaaga to Tatooine."
"They think we don't know. This gives us an advantage. But how do we use it?" Vega asked.
"We could trap the fleet in dark space again."
"Our network only knows that the fleet is gathering in Nar Kaaga and the numbers. We don't know when they intend to move. It will take time for the whole force to be ready, but other than that, nothing," she said.
"Blockading the lane is possible to thwart their initial attack. It feels like we are wasting the opportunity, though. I can't say if we will ever be this lucky," Corlen added. Right now, the enemy was playing into their hand. Freedom First simply had to find the best angle to use this chance.
"I know the Lucrehulks and the droids well. The Banking Clans make good use of them. They are nothing more than numbers. Any warrior worth his name could take out entire groups without trouble," Qymaen spat out. He hated those soulless machines and how San Hil didn't allow his Izvoshra to accompany him.
"Could we sabotage the droids then? Assuming the fleet is crewed by droids," Corlen asked.
He nodded. "They have a centralized command system for droids. Lucrehulk class, usually positioned at the center of the fleet for maximum security." One well-placed torpedo would bring the entire fleet down.
Ventress' eyes shone, and she whistled. "It just so happens the queen sent you a personal gift."
An astromech, mostly silver-white with blue stripes, rolled forward from the corner where he was standing. He stood next to Ventress, beeping.
"This is R2-D2. You won't find a better astromech anywhere in the galaxy. He is outfitted with jet propellers and an electroshock line, and I've yet to see any Trade Federation system he couldn't slice through," she said, patting the droid on its dome-like head.
He beeped again, rolling back and forth.
"Nice to meet you too R2," Anakin said. The series of beeps, chirps, and whistles didn't sound undecipherable to him for some reason. He understood what the droid wanted to say.
Ventress looked at Anakin, surprised he knew binary. It certainly wasn't easy to learn.
"The queen thought he might be of more help to you out there," she said. R2 was mostly taken when there was an operation against the Trade Federation. Otherwise, he just handled maintenance around the palace.
A waste of his talents in the queen's opinion.
Anakin rubbed his chin. "Well, I should get her something in return."
"Then our plan is simple. Travel through the Tatooine Dash to Nar Kaaga and slice the droid control systems to wreck havoc in their fleet," Qymaen summarized. Only through an expert force would such an operation be possible.
Or with the help of a sorcerer.
Vega raised a hesitant hand, a strained smile on his face. "Any chance we can retrieve those ships? I don't need to tell you how valuable such an addition would be." The frigates, fighters, and weapons from Naboo covered only a part of the forces they needed to occupy and dismantle the Hutt space. Otherwise, he was having a difficult time finding warships.
"We would be spending years trying to clear backdoors the Federation has." He had seen enough of those accursed ships to know the Trade Federation had contingencies should those weapons ever be turned on them.
"The attack will be in tandem with our fleet," he added, pointing at Nar Kaaga. "We will wrench Nar Kaaga from the hands of the Hutts. You will block the hyperspace routes heading there except for the Tatooine Dash. It will be our staging grounds into Hutt territory and eventually Nal Hutta."
Anakin smiled.
Things were looking up.
—
"What are you?" he asked, glaring down at the bald woman.
"What?" she smirked, showing her teeth, and crossed her arms. "Never seen a Dathomirian before?"
"But you are more than that, aren't you?" he asked, leaning down. "I witnessed many warriors carry blades. None except the Jedi did it in that manner."
Ventress snarled, her eyes darkening at the mention of that name. "I am no Jedi."
Qymaen took a step back. That kind of hatred was not faked. "Then what are you?"
"I was trained by one. We defended the civilians of Rattatak against pirates and warlords. When she died, I hunted them down in vengeance. I never became a Jedi and never will, not when they abandoned my master on that accursed world," she said, hands gripping her blades tightly.
The memory caused her pain; it was clear to see.
He moved back, giving her space. "How does the Queen of Naboo play into this?"
She glared at him for a moment before letting her blades go. "She was hunting Nute Gunray. She and a group of her handmaidens chased him all the way from Umbra to Rattatak. He managed to escape, but she found me instead. She wanted a Force-sensitive bodyguard, and I wanted off that wretched place."
"If he trusts you, so do I," he said, walking away.
—
"Master Sorcerer," Plo Koon greeted him with a bow, one that he returned.
"Master Jedi."
"How is your investigation going?" he asked. He had sent Qymaen to inspect the troops, knowing his reaction to the Jedi would be extreme.
"The Jedi Council is currently working."
"And the holocron?" He wondered what that little cube contained that was so important.
"The Council agreed to your offer. We will open the holocron, though. I suggest a more discrete place," Plo Koon said.
Anakin nodded, getting up from his seat. He opened a portal, motioning to the Jedi to follow him. It led to Jabba's study, which he mostly used to converse with the Hutt Council. The room did not see any use now and had been left to gather dust.
He created a mandala and swept the dust out of the room with a small, controlled gust of wind.
He handed the holocron to Plo Koon and activated the small recording device he had brought. In case it was something important, he wanted records.
Plo Koon held his palm flat, letting the cube rest on it. The sides of his eyes creased, and suddenly, the edges of the cube twisted, coming off as small pyramids. A small hologram appeared over the polygon section. A balding human, dressed in Jedi robes similar to Obi-Wan, spoke.
He seemed distressed.
"I am Jedi Master Eryon Sonel. I saw the need to record this holocron due to my latest discovery in healing. While attempting to regenerate a damaged cell, I managed to manipulate it into splitting itself. Under all known scientific evidence, cloning a force-sensitive would result in a severe decrease in the subject's M-count. I immediately stopped my research and destroyed all records except for this holocron."
"The Sith, should they ever learn of this, would no doubt use it for their nefarious ends to pursue immortality. I believe when the Sith are eradicated, this holocron might be of use for the greater good."
"One last thing," the holographic image said, his head jerking left and right with a strained look on his face. "It is only a theory, but this technique could possibly be used for the creation of life through a single cell. I cannot say what the results would be, and I dare not test them."
"I leave my research notes here. May the Force be with you."
Anakin blinked several times. Plo Koon was immersed in the rest of the recording. Obi-Wan and Quinlan shared a wild glance.
This was not good.
—
In the next chapter:
When he came to himself, he was flying through a tunnel. It reminded him of entering hyperspace, with blue and white streaks of light around them. The rushing sound of the wind was new.
"Where are we?" he said, raising his voice to be heard over the wind. If it were any stronger, the two of them would be blown away.
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