Chapter 25: Plans Made Only to be Foiled
34 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin) - 2 Years before Canon
Sector/System: Bandomeer
Location: Bandomeer Space - Asteroid belt - onboard the 'Valitas''
Jack's POV:
I finally made some plans even if I was anything but pleased with them.
Without other Clans assisting or more factions of Deathwatch to join us, this is going to be a long campaign.
I'm not too happy, we might be able to take one base down by surprise but the others would all be on high alert, making losses too high with our current numbers.
"Sir, the Togruto Jedi is here for you, also the Deathwatch commanders have just docked and should arrive soon." the communication trooper said, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Good send her in." I told him and soon watched the doors open and watched three Jedi walk in
"Greetings to you once more." I heard Master Shaak Ti's words while I saw the two others behind her look elsewhere when I looked at them.
"Welcome. I take it you have an answer for me?" I asked her, watching her eyes shift around the room.
"Yes, I do. May I inquire about Master Gallia's situation?" She asked looking all regal
I mean it is no wonder she was sent out when meetings with nobels happen.
"You may, but I won't be needed to answer, truthfully." I said with a smug-sounding voice
My head hurts from planning, let me have a bit of fun.
"Where is Master Gallia now?" I heard her ask
"She's still on my ship, she will join us later, for now… that answer you had for me." I told her
"That is understandable, the council approved therefore we are willing to assist in this endeavor." Master Shaak Ti said, making me smile underneath my helmet
'Good at least we have Jedi support and four of them, that means we could let Deathwatch go for Base A while we do Base B at the same time then combine our groups and go after the last one of Base C before the fortress.' I thought
Just when I thought such the doors opened and a group of Deathwatch group commanders arrived.
"Coms, call our commanders over here the final phase of planning is going to be now." I told the communication trooper who called the others quickly
"Good you arrived, please stand around the table so you can see things clearly, I'm not in the habit of repeating myself.
Buck and Korar arrived soon enough, but Chuck and Nora showed up through Holocalls, seems they commandeered one of the Corvettes each
Sera and Rin also arrived guiding Master Adi Gallia into the room guiding her to stand next to me and flanking either side of her.
"Good everyone is now here, let us start planning the demise of the pirates, I have to declare that the information we had gotten before coming here was wrong, multitudes out of date as all of you have already found out." I began speaking
"As you can see I have put the old information we received next to the information we managed to collect out here, and those bases don't look alike at all." I continued seeing some people look in shock that had taken their helmets off.
"That means we got a leak, either in Deathwatch, my own clan, or wherever my mother the Chief of Clan Gryphen got it from." I kept going
"Before I go deeper into the plans I made and discuss them with you all, are there any questions?" I asked and saw to my surprise only the Jedi showing a questioning look
"Go ahead Jedi, speak of your concerns or stay quiet for the entire duration of this meeting." I told them and watched Master Shaak Ti start off.
"Then do not mind if I do, I was wondering how you planned to approach, as you can see all bases have some form of Capital ship weaponry." I heard her ask
This question made it clear she had no real knowledge about these operations we are always trained for in case of having to deal with other clans.
I could sense the looks the others gave her so I decided to explain, albeit short.
"Good question, that those who never are in a true fight or warzone never need to learn. But since you will be joining us I rather not have you all die straight away. Allow me to explain." I told her
"We have these big hulking Fighter and Transporter craft, they are called Kom'rk, great ships, we use them to fly close to the ground and drop the troops out of their range." I started explaining
"You wish to walk close to five Kilometers?" I heard a surprised Master Gallia say
"Yes, we would have to walk for a good amount, but it allows us to move into range much easier, then we use rockets from the ground to deal with some turrets on one side, or blow a hole in the wall." I continued
"Once we do so, on one side, another group will do the same from another side basically boxing them in when most of them focus on the breach, by doing this we have many of them face their backs to the other team." I kept going.
'It surprises me that Kenobi is listening, no snarky comments… at least for now.' I thought before I continued.
"However even if this will let both our groups have easy shots in the enemy's back, we do not have the luxury to stick to the outside." I said pressing a few buttons
The base shown on the table zoomed all the way out, showing that all bases were on massive asteroids.
"That is the main reason… you get a leak or hole in your mask, armor, or whatever … you're only saveable if the Kom'rk shows up for a hot pickup, and that is if your oxygen device is still functional or the suit's sealing feature can close it fast enough." I said stopping for a moment.
"Go ahead kiddo, I have not seen you like this before." I heard Butch say making me stop the drumming of my finger on the table's edge
"He's right boy, no need for nerves now, we did not train ya to be a nervous wreck." I heard Lazy Bones say right after
If they had both not been smiling I might have thought they were not happy about this and would beat my ass… they still might though.
"Sigh… Alright, why am I like this, I'll tell you, we do not have enough man." I started again letting out a long breath
"We expected small bases so we came up with the numbers for them, now that the info was wrong, and the bases are many times larger… We need at least twice our current numbers, numbers we won't get any time soon." I explained
That was when one of the Deathwatch commanders stepped in, just when my finger started drumming away again.
"We take one side, you lot take the other side, a few teams will be on standby to assist if needed as reinforcements or to assist in evacuating the injured or the two groups on the ground after the base is finished, then after this one, we go to the other, high alert or not." I heard this commander say
"True, and that would have been the plan, but my fear at this time is that fortress, how much do they have there, how many ships and manpower, how prepared were they really, was this just one faction? Or was this a cleaning house policy?" I explained my true worry.
I hardly noticed it, but it seemed my inexperience in this universe was showing right now, this is different than assaulting a base on the ground, on some planet with breathable air.
"Sir Reporting!" the trooper at the communication station interrupted, allowing me to center myself again.
"Report and it better be good." I told him watching him stand at attention and salute
"Sir! We received word from Bandomeer Native people themselves that, seems a large Pirate landing force is en route likely to take all their hard-earned Ore that could be used in weapons and explosives." I heard him say
"They requested assistance on all known frequencies." I heard him finish his report.
"...Fuck!" was all I could say
"Send all information on the areas where the Meerians are located on Bandomeer, including all the miens with the Ionite." I watched the troopers do just that while I gave out extra orders.
"Send word to all those on our side about this change of plans, I want all troops ready to hot-drop on the ground of Bandomeer, be advised, the air is Toxic so make sure to have enough antitoxins in your armor or in the medic's cases, extras in the field packs." I told them watching the same trooper on coms relay the new to all our ships
"Forget the bases, this is good for us in the long term, the more losses we inflict on them now the better, make sure to shoot 'true'" I said making sure extra emphasis was on the true and seeing the nods I knew they knew what I mend.
No prisoners, shoot true to kill, not maim, not injure, just kill.
I knew the Jedi likely wouldn't like this, but it is what is needed right now to clean the Borderlands.
"Alright then, since they wanna play, let us go foil their plans." I told everyone who gave affirmatives in a multitude of ways, from salutes to simple nods, to people putting their helmets back on
Just before I left the command room after telling everyone to get ready, followed by the rest, I quickly turned around to the Jedi.
"The two male Jedi go with Butch, it will be your best bet to keep your life, Lazy Bones, do what you do best, ladies follow me my ship will leave soon." I said watching how Sera and Rin guided the two female Jedi to follow.
Once on my ship, I had let both in the same temporary room Master Gallia had been in before.
When they entered the room Sera and I went to the cockpit and quickly left the Pelta class ship 'Valitas', when we got outside I saw all three of my clan Kom'rk joining in formation with the few fangs we had available from Chuck and Nora coming along.
While I saw the Deathwatch ships do the same, having their six Kom'rk split into two groups with five Fang fighters each while the last five stayed on the 'Valitas'
— — — — —
Location: Bandomeer - Pirate Fortress
Inside said Fortress in a grand hall sat a woman in all black with a pale face and burning red eyes, her black hair over one shoulder and her head resting on the back of her hand.
This woman sat on a throne of pure black, so back your eyes would make you think the light is absorbed by it.
This woman looked rather bored around the room watching people being busy on the left and right sides in outcroppings in the floor where these people were using a multitude of consoles
"Zorbak, what you said just now, who was it that decided to go towards Bandomeer?" the woman spoke to the man.
"Commander, we are trying to find out as we speak, since Bandomeer's population called for help on all known frequencies" Zorbak, the brown-skinned Zabrak captain answered back.
"Make sure you do. Oh Zorbak, about that patrol lost at the edge, they are likely lost with, stop their financial payments and plunder their banks while you're at it." the woman told him
"On it!" said a green-skinned Twi'Lek
"Commander, a call came through" another brown Zabrak called from his place at communications.
"Play it." the woman said dismissive
[This is Bandomeer, the Meerian people from Bandomeer request assistance. Now that the corrupt corporate sector that almost wiped us out and turned our planet barren is gone, the Pirates have moved in. Many of them were formerly working for the corporate mining conglomerates. We need assistance! Payment afterward can be discussed.]
"The message is on repeat commander, seems the situation is dire for them, oh well." the Zabrak shrugged his shoulders and sat back down
'Mmmm… there will always be some wannabe heroes and profiteers that will show up, wonder how I could use this to my advantage… the Hutt boss is gone so turning all that is left to my hand should not be too hard, the cleanup was rather thorough.' the woman thought