"What's the news from the outside world? What's happening on Coruscant—what's the Council doing these days?" Marek asked eagerly, leaning over the holo-table.
"Actually, quite a lot," Obi-Wan replied. "The CIS shipyards on Foerost have been blockaded, though it seems impossible to capture or destroy them for now. The battle for Atraken has dragged on for three weeks. Master Echuu Shen-Jon defeated Sev'rance Tann—one of Count Dooku's dark acolytes—during the Battle of Krant. She was the one who led those daring early attacks at the start of the war, managing to destroy one of the energy nodes that left dozens of Core Worlds, including Coruscant, without power for days. However, after that duel, Master Shen-Jon decided to leave the Order.
"Unfortunately, the Republic's losses remain heavy—Kalarba, Molavar, Firkyar, Kabal, and dozens of other worlds have fallen."
"Well," Marek sighed, "the situation is… not very good."
"Indeed," Kenobi agreed. "That's why the Council sent us to this sector."
"Will you be staying with us long?"
"Actually, we're in a hurry—in a few hours we're leaving for Ren Var," Skywalker said, attempting to keep the conversation going.
"Actually, Anakin," Kenobi interjected wearily, "that's classified information." He closed his eyes with a long, resigned sigh.
Ahsoka smiled faintly.
"Oh, sorry, Master," Skywalker replied with mock contrition. "I must've… overlooked that."
Obi-Wan's comlink beeped softly; he turned aside to answer.
Skywalker looked at Marek and spread his hands.
"The Master is overly concerned with secrecy."
"He knows best," Dagon said diplomatically. "Everything secret eventually becomes known… doesn't it, Skywalker?"
Anakin flinched slightly at the remark, studying the Jedi's face. Dagon's expression was serious—yet the faint glint at the corners of his eyes hinted at… amusement?
"Come on, Anakin—the ships are ready," Obi-Wan called over his shoulder. "It was good meeting you, Knight Dagon."
Skywalker followed his Master toward the exit. On his way out, he turned once more.
Dagon Marek was leaning over a tactical map, deep in discussion with one of the officers.
Dittmar stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Marek… I've been thinking about what we discovered earlier in the war, back on Va Aart."
"You mean the bacta reserves?" Dagon asked, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"Yes. Massive deposits. Hidden from general galactic trade, nearly untouched. I've run the projections: even small quantities could provide enough to sustain our fleets in extended campaigns. And discreetly—we can't let this leak, or the Republic will be all over it."
Dagon's lips curved into a faint smirk. "I found it at the start of the war, remember? Didn't mention it to anyone. But you're right. If we move carefully, we can harvest enough to supply both our forces without anyone noticing. It's… an opportunity."
Dittmar nodded. "I've already begun planning which ships loyal to me can make short trips to Va Aart under cover of routine patrols. They'll extract only as much as necessary. No one will be the wiser."
Dagon tapped the table lightly. "Agreed. My suggestion: synchronize the operations. Keep the channels off standard comms. Supply one fleet at a time, rotate harvest points, and maintain plausible deniability. The advantage here is… immense."
"And it will give us leverage," Dittmar said, lowering his voice further. "Fleet readiness will increase, our fighters better equipped. The other side won't even know what hit them."
Dagon nodded, his gaze shifting back to the strategic map. "We act quietly. No fanfare. And we ensure the Republic thinks the bacta shipments are simply routine logistics. From there… we control the timing and scale of operations."
The two officers exchanged a brief, conspiratorial glance, the weight of their shared understanding settling over them.
"Good," Dagon said at last. "Let's finalize the schedules for discreet harvests. Then we move on the next strategic point."
"Understood," Dittmar replied.
They turned back to the holographic map together, plotting the next phase of their fleet build-up—silent, precise, and hidden from the eyes of the Jedi Council.