Coruscant System (5 minutes later)
Wearing the rarely seen simple light gray long-sleeved, high-collared uniform top, and the darker gray dress slacks of a Republic Intelligence officer actually in uniform.
Commander Jaxsinne Tamm's expression was equal parts intensely speculative and harried, as she stared at me by way of her holographic representation being transmitted from the Light of Coruscant.
"I'm sorry, Master Jedi, but the Admiral and his entire command cadre are otherwise engaged at present.
I was only authorized to communicate with you while fleet actions remain ongoing, because Admiral Dron thinks your actions suggest you might have additional actionable intelligence we can use to destroy or at least prevent the escape of the C.I.S unclassified. Do you?" The strategic and tactical analyst's tone bordered on a peremptory demand, but I kept my tone mild as I framed my reply.
"Three things, Commander. First, the Malevolence's primary vulnerability has already been exploited to the best of anyone's ability.
Second, your scans aren't telling you that the damage to their hyper-drive caused by the power-feedback from the ion cannon is almost certainly as limited as it is repairable by droid damage-control teams while the dreadnaught continues to limp away with it's damaged sub-light engines.
Third and finally, unless the Admiral is anticipating the return of at least a third of the Sector Fleet in the next hour, your only real chance of preventing that ship's escape is a boarding action."
The woman looked unconvinced by my last assertion, so I explained "Commander, that's a Quarren-fashioned warship. Built using Mon Calamari shipbuilding techniques.
It's armor is as thick around as through, because everything built in that style is designed to effortlessly handle extreme deep-water immersion. I'm telling you, for the official record, that the CDF is presently inflicting negligible amounts of additional damage to the enemy vessel's internal systems.
If the CDF doesn't initiate a boarding action capable of overcoming the several hundred battle-droids acting as the dreadnaught's complement of marines, and soon, that fleet-killer is going to live to plague the Republic another day."
Looking as if there was something she very much wanted to avoid saying, there were a few moments of silence as the woman wrestled with competing obligations, before she finally admitted in a grudging tone.
"Your superiors just said much the same thing to the Admiral and the rest of the cadre by holo-comm. The Jedi Aces are eliminating what remains of the enemy flag's droid-fighter complement while our Torrents rearm.
Master Plo Koon has suggested that once the droids are eliminated, we allow him and three other Jedi to join any boarding action. They seem concerned there may be something extremely dangerous aboard the target."
The way her lips curled back to show teeth as Jaxsinne said this last told me she and the rest of the CDF command had heard the silent implication weighting the warning of the Jedi Masters, and it was that implication, unintentionally communicated or not, which had her back, and presumably those of her superiors up.
"Something beyond your experience. Something too dangerous for you to handle alone."
"I'm not qualified to second-guess professionals concerning military strategy, Commander, but Masters Tiin and Plo are both veterans of the Stark Hyperspace War.
If Master Tiin has expressed concern about an unknown enemy asset, it's only because he has personal experience with the dangers of engaging in an assault without adequate intelligence. He saw a similar lack of information kill a number of his friends and colleagues during the Yinchorri Uprising.
I'd barely begun my apprenticeship at the time, but he was my piloting and technical instructor, so I heard him speak often of the costly mistakes made during both conflicts due to a lack of critical information" I replied in a quiet, almost conciliatory manner.
I wanted to shake the woman, and insist there very well could be a deadly cyborg warrior aboard the Malevolence.
One who was a virtuoso of carnage and mayhem long before he became the pet monster of the C.I.S. That was what I wanted to do, but I was certain that, at best, I would be accused of fearmongering for the purpose of gaining the CDF's compliance with respect to their agreeing to a joint boarding-action.
At worst, I would rouse the specter of paranoia in a woman whose very vocation demanded suspicion of everyone around her.
Time and effort better spent on the challenge presently in front of the Judicial Fleet would be wasted in asking pointed questions as to how I could possibly possess information which should only available to the Separatists' highest echelon.
Instead, I simply waited for the inevitable objection. It was strange, being able to sense the pride, dedication, anger, uncertainty, and yes, fear, of a young woman presently millions of kilometers from my location.
But I was noticing that the older I got, and the better I became at shunting aside "logical" objections when it came to the workings of the Force, the sharper my sensitivity seemed to become to the people, places, things, and events I focused on. Strange, a little alarming, but even more intriguing, and definitely useful.
"The JF troopers assigned to the Home Fleet are the best the Arcology has produced in a decade. Every one of them was sent on to the War College on Anaxes, and graduated with honors to receive an assignment as trooper-marines of Admiral Dron's flag-group. With all respect due the members of your Order, Master Jedi, I am not inclined to tell the Admiral we need you Jedi to do our duty."
"It wasn't my intention to imply anything of the kind, Commander, but I can see my abysmal communication skills have failed me once again, so I'm just going to wish you good hunting, and go before I'm responsible for making an already tense situation worse"
I answered with a calm I didn't, couldn't feel surrounded by so much death, destruction, and the miasma of basic fight-or-flight feelings in the many tens of thousands of Judicials in the ships all around us.
Ultimately, I swallowed the woman's jibe, because I recognized the pressure she felt that was responsible for it.
After all, it was the senior intelligence officer's responsibility to draw back the fog of war for the soldiers they answered to, yet Commander Tamm didn't have nearly as much intel as she needed concerning what the troopers boarding that monstrosity would be facing, and it was eating her up.
I saw her raise her hand to terminate the connection, and suddenly spoke up sharply for a moment to recapture her attention. "Commander! I recently faced the destroyer-droids designed by the Colicoids for high-value C.I.S security operations.
Their globular ray-shields are almost completely nonexistent at the uppermost center-point of each units shield-bubble, and they won't stop a slow moving solid object, like an ion grenade rolled just hard enough to reach them.
Their repeating blaster-cannons are only capable of traversing a very few degrees up or down, and the droids themselves are as vulnerable as they get while in their rolling configuration.
With plasma grenades off the table, and rocket launchers unavailable in the time allotted, I cannot suggest strongly enough that you advise your people to avoid the vessel's narrower corridors wherever possible.
I was also part of the security contingent during the failed Tynnan peace summit, so I saw the bloody massacre that resulted from several squads of Tynnan soldiers facing only three of the Separatists' most advanced battle-droids in the tight confines of the service tunnels below the Government Building.
If JF troopers get into a stand-up firefight with B-2 Super battle-droids individually capable of absorbing multiple close-range hits from blaster rifles before going down, it's going to be a meatgrinder without any cover."
For a moment, I thought she intended to go ahead and cut the transmission without another word, because I could feel her frustration flare. Only for the rapid, jagged notes of these darker emotions to suddenly subside, as she seemed to take herself in hand, then quietly reply
"Thank you for that, Master Jedi." A ghost of a smile momentarily flitted across her face, as she quipped with black humor.
"Your skill as a communicator seems to have improved, a little." With a raised hand and a slight inclination of her head, she cut the transmission and vanished.
Silent throughout the entire exchange, Padme's voice was thoughtful, as she said "I may be biased, but I haven't noticed your having any particular problem communicating those things you consider important, Anakin."
The smile that accompanied the words was brief yet genuine, and I couldn't help noticing the flush of excitement that hadn't yet left her cheeks. It didn't mean she wasn't still worried for all those still in danger, of course, but Padme seemed to share my taste for danger, perhaps in spite of herself.
Noticing that caused me a moment of guilt, because I could still feel my Master's pain like a jaw full of badly cracked teeth in the back of my mind. It was less than it had been, before, but I didn't know if that was a good sign, or a very bad one. Ultimately, it was her teachings that made me realize how ridiculous I was being.
Feeling guilty over an occurrence I'd had no knowledge of, and no control over? I needed to get a grip, and concentrate on what I could effect in the present.
Once I'd double-checked to ensure I had a renewed verification of our IFF transponder-code from the still intact orbital platform I'd placed Seraph on station-keeping five thousand kilometers from, I turned and gave her a smile that was more than a little rueful, before replying.
"I was hoping to learn something about the situation on the ground, but the Judicial Fleet's need seemed rather more desperate than our own.
If they truly mean to reject the Order's assistance, and I believe the pressure to prove their effectiveness is more than enough to prompt the Admiral and his cadre to make such a grave mistake, they're going to need every advantage they can find, and a great deal of luck besides."
Shaking her head, the beautiful brunette's expression turned equal parts sad and confused. "None of this makes any sense! Killing my friend, trying to kill me, nearly killing Senator Iblis, and this despite the fact the Corellians were considering a declaration of neutrality.
Now, not just launching a sneak attack against Coruscant. Going after as much of the Senate as the Separatists can reach. It's like the Separatists want to galvanize the Republic into uniting utterly behind the idea of breaking and bringing them to heel for their unconscionable actions!"
Said just like that, I realized Padme was right. The sequence of events really didn't seem to make much sense, and that was a thought as disturbing as it was worrying, because Palpatine was many things, but never a fool. Certainly never one to tolerate foolishness and failure in an apprentice.
"Unless this isn't everything. What if the Separatists simply don't care about the Republic's reaction, because they think they're going to win the war before it's even begun? The HoloNet has been talking about the Separatist military build-up for more than a year now, but the Republic doesn't even have a proper military.
Isn't it possible the Separatists think they can hurt the Republic enough in one massive wave of surprise attacks to frighten the Senate into recognizing the legitimacy of their government?" Ahsoka suddenly asked from behind us in a voice so calm, I was sure she was releasing her emotions into the Force as she spoke.
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