75 The Lost Fleet [1/2]

Part 1

Conference room

Corellian Cruiser Freedom

Western Sector Fleet Flagship

Bespin

When the enemy is on the offensive, then days could be an eternity. Its worse when you were out of contact and left wondering what the kriff was happening. With the whole Western quadrant cut off from access to the rest of the Republic and the holonet being jammed, there was not much that the commanders of the Sector Fleet units at Bespin could tell me besides the state of the enemy advance in the region.

To my utter lack of surprise, the news were quite grim.

"I'm honestly surprised you managed to pass through Cerea before the clanker could secure it, sir." Rear Admiral Vex said.

He was the Clone in charge of all units at Bespin before my arrival to take command.

"We made a good time." Holt agreed. "We left scouts behind at Lorta. They informed us that heavy enemy units entered the system four hours ago."

"So we've got a day at best to get get your ships resupplied, general." Vex said after glancing at the map of the sector floating above the table we were all sitting at. "While Nothoiin is still held by the rest of the fleet, Dolla should be under assault already and the clankers should have dispatched a force to Gerrenthum to finish encircling our forces there."

"You mentioned a good news, admiral?" I asked. The positioning of both enemy and friendly forces was quite interesting…

"It's Eridau, sir." The Clone smiled. "While some of us had reservations about getting a newly promoted rear admiral in charge of the whole Sector Fleet, he proved us wrong, sir. Admiral Tenant is still holding Eridau itself along with its moon, however the outer and inner system are under enemy control. His last transmission indicates that at least a third of a Separatist Sector Fleet along with the Confederacy's Second Fleet were assaulting his position. He's determined to hold them off for as long as possible."

I nodded thoughtfully.

"If our intelligence is correct and the information you provided seems to indicate that's the case, we can expect almost half a Sector Fleet to converge on Gerrenthum in the next forty eight hours."

"That's correct, sir. While the enemy has left light forces to cover the hyperlane junctions and bottle up any important planets we're holding, my staff estimates that approximately half the total Separatist forces assaulting the quadrant are converging on Gerrenthum." Vex confirmed.

"How reliable are the locals there? What forces do they possess?" Holt asked.

"A decent sized defense navy and some fortifications, ma'am. We're talking about the this sector's capital world. As for reliability…" Vex shrugged. "I can't say for sure."

"I would have preferredmore time, admiral Vex." At least a week. Two would be better, however that was wishful thinking. "The Freedom has some good simulators. I want all captains on board in the next three hours. We'll be practicing fleet operations until the resupply is done. We'll leave for Gerrenthum late so we can be there after the bulk of the enemy forces arrives. Have a messenger sent to Nothoiin. I want the rest of the fleet to join us there. The Separatists believe that they can take this sector on the cheap and then sent the bulk of their forces to more strategically important locations. We're going to prove them wrong. We'll destroy as many of their fleet at Gerrenthum, then move to Eridau crushing anything standing in our way before kicking the enemy from that system too."

Vex looked at the map and smiled coldly.

While it was true that the local Sector Fleet simply lacked the numbers and firepower to meet everything the CIS was throwing their way, especially when their new love for ramming tactics were taken into account, the forces I brought were heavy on capital ships and the Freedom herself was powerful enough to crush a fleet by herself. My original plan was to resupply and get out of here as fast as possible. The fact that Tenant was still holding Eriadu and thus tying up a lot of enemy forces changed things. That his orders led to a full half of his original command waiting for me intact – that altered the strategic situation significantly. Even with half a Sector Fleet coming to the Gerrenthum, we were going to have a solid firepower if not numerical advantage.

=RK=

Jedi Master Shaak Ti's quarters

Tipoca City

Kamino

"This is the situation, Master Ti." Master Rancisis finished explaining everything that had happened on Coruscant.

He had arrived mere hours before the Confederacy launched their offensive and practically cut off Kamino from the Republic. The reinforcements he brought were going to be vital for holding the system once the enemy broke though the fleets defending the hyperlanes leading to Kamino.

However, the news Rancisis waited almost two weeks to share made Ti on edge. It didn't take her long to figure out why did he wait. Right now, the only way to contact Coruscant wast a single powerful transmitter that had enough range to reach the Core even with the holonet jammed and the place was under guard by a Cathar contingent brought by Master Rancisis. While welcomed, their presence has been a surprise for the Togruta; one that her fellow Council Member finally decided to dispel.

The Jedi were planning a coup and she had been instrumental in persuading some of them that it was going to be necessary. Honestly, Ti wasn't sure what to think about that. While she was convinced that Veil was up to no good and was using the Republic as he used her, the Jedi Master had qualms with what the Council planned to do.

Ti had been equally shocked and resigned when she heard of the way Master Tiin's address to the Senate went. It made her think what led to such an outcome. She watched a recording of the debates multiple times and reached some unsettling conclusions. Speaking with some of the Clones, who were simply put furious with her made other things clear.

The Jedi were failing in their duties to the people of the Republic. Oh, Ti knew that the Sith had a hand in shaping the public perception, making the Jedi's failing appear worse than they really were – something that made her even more furious with Veil.

"Please repeat that. I want to be sure I've understood the Council's instructions correctly." Shaak Ti sighed and looked at Rancisis through narrowed eyes.

"We expect that Veil will head to Kamino if we still hold this system after he fight his way through the Separatists in the Western Quadrant. When he arrives his forces will be depleted and he would likely be exhausted after utilizing Battle Meditation as often as he needs to. Once he arrives, you're to request a meeting so you can apologize for the troubles you've caused him. One in person here in Tipoca city. When he lands we'll engage him along with the forces I've brought." Rancisis explained.

Ti closed her eyes. She could see the twisted logic. If she could control her emotions, she might be able to fool Veil. Might. In doing so, she would prove to all the Clones who were under her command that they were right about her. About their mistrust of the Jedi.

Even if they somehow managed to take Veil out, the army wasn't going to just accept such a betrayal. If there was one thing she was sure of, that was it. Win or lose, the Council's orders were a suicide.

"I see." Shaak Ti whispered. By the Force, how things got so bad?!

"I trust you'll do what's required of you, Master Ti?" Rancisis asked.

"I'll do my duty." Ti nodded. She told him the truth too.

Shaak Ti just needed to figure out what her duty was and to whom.

=RK=

AN: Map of the situation in the Western Quadrant:

{ibb} {.co} {/cpGRMv}

=RK=

Part 2

Flag bridge

Corellian cruiser Freedom

Gerrenthum system

A day of simulating training and a few hours of contingency planning for the battle we expected to fight were very far from enough to consider my new command to be combat ready. Simply throwing two fleets which hadn't trained for weeks into a single unit and expecting them to excel was folly – one I was forced to use anyway.

That's why the "plan" we decided on was basic. We weren't going to use a combined fleet from the start. Vex's command was going to strike the Confederate forces coming from Isde Naha while my own fleet was going to deal with the enemy contingent arriving from Jiroch. Whichever group took care of their clankers first would assist the other. Once the system was secure we would commence repairs, have a chat with the locals and decide what our next course of action would be. Ideally we might even be able to jump the force coming from Lorta, though that was mostly wishful thinking. Once they learned of our victory – and wasn't that a bit of wishful thinking too, those Separatists would be pulling back the way they came if they knew what was good for them.

"The simulations were useful for something at least." Joanna hummed.

The tactical display hovering in front of us was updating and the combined fleet was more or less where it was supposed to be. Mostly less to be honest. I wasn't going to be pulling anything requiring too much precision with this force for the foreseeable future. It was a good thing that with the Freedom here, good old fashioned brute force was going to work splendidly.

"Yes." I nodded. "We don't need to spend too long straightening up our formations." To be fair, both fleets – mine and Vex's were individually deployed rather well after exiting hyperspace. The discrepancies could be seen only when comparing the rough positions of the two forces with what they should have been.

"Sir, we're getting a feed from the scouts." Holt's aide said. He along with Piett was acting as a third of our staff after Atrisia.

"We're inputting the sensor data now." My own aide added.

The plot shifted again. There was a lot of traffic in system, though most of it was busy scattering. Two large blobs of red symbols were advancing towards Gerrenthum after prudently jumping on the north and south edges of the system. There were flashing dots spreading in front of the enemy forces designating scouts searching for trouble.

There were at least a hundred ships – a third of them cruisers near the sector capital. They were in formation along with a lot of smaller unidentifiedcontacts. It was a decent sized force, however each of the Separatists task forces coming at them had more than enough ships and firepower to take them on and win.

"The plan's a go. Admiral Vex, you're taking on the southern force. We'll deal with their friends up north. Admiral Holt, we're going to test what we trained for while waiting for Crimson to raise its ugly head. You have tactical control of TF 1. I'm moving my flag to the Remembrance and taking control of TF 2. Have the insertion calculations ready by the time I arrive." I ordered. "Piett, you're with me."

"Aye, sir!" My aide jumped to follow me.

"May the Force serve you well in the battle to come, admiral Holt." I nodded at the Corellian woman and headed to the nearest hangar.

Finding both enemy forces in system and approaching the capital cautiously was less than ideal. We waited a bit longer before heading this way hoping that they would be deeper in the system – preferably engaging the locals when we arrived, though we could work with this too. It just meant that the enemy had better odds at salvaging more of its forces.

=RK=

CIC

Mandalorian cruiser "Remembrance"

Two light hours from Gerrenthum

While Vex's fleet wasn't ready to execute any complicated tactical move along with my own forces, I actually had some time to drill my fleet before heading for Atrisia. While the hit the chain of command took thanks to Crimson was very bad, I had the captains gathered on the Freedom for most of our time in the Unknown Regions and we got busy in the simulators.

It paid off.

The fleet divided in two groups centered around the Freedom and my Silencer equipped cruiser before jumping at the northern force. We emerged at the enemy's flanks and began moving in opposite directions. Thanks to having the Freedom, Holt's TF 1 was heading towards the enemy's front, where they could concentrate most of their firepower, while my own TF 2 was going to sling along wrecking everything in range before turning to hit the Confederate formation from behind. If we had more of the senior command staff from before Atrisia, I would have had two more task forces hitting the enemy from above and below.

"Captain, fire at will. Concentrate on their light ships. Beware ramming attempts. Launch fighters and keep them as CAP." I ordered.

The Remembrance was commanded by one of the Clones under Trek he recommended before leaving to get the next two Silencer equipped cruisers to Pellaeon at Mandalore before we headed for Atrisia. His name was Kilo and from what I saw during the simulations, he had a decent head for tactics on his shoulder even if he lacked experience.

"Silencer is charged!" Piett announced from his station behind me.

"Fire once you have the maximum number of targets locked in." I smiled. It's been too long since I've seen that weapon deployed.

To their credit, whoever was in charge of the Confederate fleet reacted fast. The first salvos just went in when the CIS fleet accelerated in attempt to get away from the killing ground formed between my two task forces. Unfortunately for them, Holt was accelerating parallel to their course and unleashing hell upon them as she overtook the enemy formation.

"Targets locked in, firing!" Piett exclaimed.

Twelve intact Munificents vanished from the tactical display.

"Keep the Silencer covered while it recharges." I advised. "Have the TF move ten degrees to starboard, five degrees down." I added after watching the enemy react.

Swarms of Vultures were already launching and attempting to close with us. Fortunately the enemy didn't wait until they were all out and threw them in on big group. Instead they came piecemeal and most of them were devoured by the Guardian, CAP and our own frigates which were all concentrated on the starboard side of my formation. That enemy action was understandable – they were losing a lot of Munificents fast and if they didn't get their Vultures off ASAP and sent our way, they were going to get blown up for no gain. This way, the droid fighters were going to at least cost us some of our own and at least soften up if not take out some frigates too.

Needless to say, the enemy wasn't faring particularly good, especially on their other flank. The Freedom could unleash half her weapon at anything coming into range and only the battleships could survive such concentrated firepower for more than a few seconds. The Munificents that ran afoul of the Corellian ship simply blew up after the first salvo that made contact with them. Even better, for the first couple of minutes, the Freedom drew the fire of everything that could target her and her shields didn't even waver. Before the Confederate commander could comprehend what was happening over there and change targeting priorities, that whole flank was being systematically shattered and Holt wasn't going to give them a chance to reform.

Things on my end weren't going as well, which was as expected. While my TF 2 was actually larger, even with the silencer we had at most a third of the firepower Joanna could throw at the enemy. The Freedom made that much of a difference.

"Good work weapons. Now target that Munificent division trying to pull up." The captain ordered.

"The Silencer is almost charged, captain." Piett reported.

"Get us five more degrees to the starboard and target that battleship. Have our division concentrate fire on it after the Silencer hits it. Once it's disabled, continue targeting the Munificents." Kilo ordered.

It was a good call. We were almost past the enemy formation and that Lucrehulk was one of the last things that might slow us down while we completed our turn and could take the CIS fleet from behind.

I called both sensor and optical feed in front of me to watch how the Silencer was going to perform against a battleship. It already proved itself against the Munificents and it was going to be a great tool in neutralizing the numerical advantage the enemy usually enjoyed. If it was reasonably effective against modern battle wagons too, it was going to be even better.

"Weapon clear. Target locked. Firing!" Piett announced.

Ten crimson beams flashed from the hangar bay and struck the Lucrehulk at the same time. For a brief moment its shield blazed as it struggled to stop the incoming firepower, then it failed at the points of contact and the diminished energy lances struck the ship itself. Armor simply detonated and took everything around with itself. While the battleship was still operational and the damage it suffered was concentrated in the areas struck by the Silencer, its shields were depleted. The first salvo that hit it afterward popped them. The next slammed in the exposed hull as my ships began dismantling the Lucrehulk. Yet even as it was dying, it spat back its defiance. A CR90 was unfortunate enough to run straight into the return fire and simply vanished and it was soon followed by a light cruiser that broke in two after mere seconds of bombardment.

Meanwhile the enemy Vultures had concentrated their remaining numbers and the CIS commander chose to throw them all at the Freedom in a last ditch attempt to cripple her. Despite everything Holt managed to throw their way, the range was too low and the droid fighters managed to break through. Those that lived long enough to do so might have been enough to cripple a smaller, more lightly armored ship. However the Freedom had been built to survive a tremendous amount of punishment even after her shields failed. All the Vultures could achieve was to disable some sensor clusters and weapon emplacements and with a single notable exception all of those were either secondary guns or Guardian clusters.

The Remembrance's division finished off the Lucrehulk it was targeting and my TF was completing its turn when the Confederate commander had enough. The enemy fleet broke and dispersed with ships fleeing in hyperspace as fast as they could.

"Limited pursuit is authorized. Concentrate on disabling enemy hyperdrives! The moment they are all gone, resume offensive formation and have nav coordinates locked to admiral Vex's force!" I ordered.

Seeing the enemy force simply break was beautiful. To be honest, it wasn't something I expected by a Confederacy force. Given the expendable nature of their crews and lighter ships, they were usually content with accepting losses that would shatter the morale of a traditional navy. To a lesser extent the same was true for the Clone crewed and commanded units of the GAR. In the right circumstances such a trait could be a great boon. However it sometimes led to losses that could be otherwise avoided.

=RK=

CIC

Republic cruiser For Honor

Three light hours from Gerrenthum

Admiral Vex didn't attempt anything fancy. While the enemy outnumbered his forces, he was most certainly not outgunned and the fleet units from Nothoiin should be arriving shortly. That's why he chose to meet the enemy head on. He was going to concentrate their attention on his fleet and when the time came close in to deny them an easy escape in hyperspace.

Vex ordered all fighters and bombers launched after his fleet reverted back to real space and ordered the later to move to the back of the fleet. He was going to keep them in reserve until the enemy force was broken and tried to flee. The Torrents on the other hand were going to aid the frigates and Guardians in fending off the Separatists Vultures.

"We've got targeting solutions across the fleet!" One of the Clones making up the admiral's staff reported.

"Fire at will. The targeting priority stands." Vex ordered.

Blue and red turbo-laser bolts crisis-crossedthrough space and ships began dying. The escorts took the brunt of the casualties during the initial engagement. CR90 and light cruisers were dying almost as fast as the enemy was losing Munificents. Tens of thousands of Vultures threw themselves against Vex's fleet and were met by Torrents with missile and laser fire after the Guardian missiles softened them up. Whole squadrons of droid fighters were vanishing as they raced through the distance between the fleets. Then they slammed into a wall of fire when the CR90's and the Guardians began engaging them with their AA guns. Some broke through only to be jumped on by Torrents left in reserve.

To Vex it looked like someone was launching fireworks around his leading ships as hundreds of fighters dueled while shot at by the Guardian. The admiral felt relief when the Vultures failed to do more than lightly damage a pair of Venators and a single Acclamator before being mopped up. One of his fears was that the clankers had found a way to negate the Guardian in which case the huge number of droid fighters they had could have been decisive.

With the Vulture threat handled, Vex could concentrate all his attention on the fleet engagement. The enemy had decided that they were losing too many Munificents and the frigates were peeling off to go to the flanks and their battle line was advancing. Now things were going to get really ugly as more and more battleships were getting into effective range.

"Begin targeting the Lucrehulks. I want multiple cruiser and assault ship divisions to concentrate fire on a single battleship." Vex ordered.

Enough firepower to shatter continents was concentrated on single capital ships. It was slow and hard, yet they began to die. Acclamators were turned into floating coffins. Venators began falling out of formation if lucky or simply shattering when two or more Lucrehulks concentrated on them. The battleships didn't go unscratched either. One after another they began to lose shields and were wracked by the Republic's furious response.

Suddenly the enemy formation broke. Their remaining Munificents charged Vex's fleet at ramming vectors, while the battleships went to go around his fleet.

"Admiral, general Veil has defeated the enemy northern force and will be arriving to assist us in two minutes!" A staff member announced.

"That explains it. Begin independent maneuvering. Escorts, keep those Munificents off our backs. The fleet is to disperse and block those battleships from escaping!" Vex ordered.

For the next few minutes the battle turned into chaotic melee as the enemy fleet attempted to disengage. There were no formations, just pure chaos as the two forces continued to tear each other apart. Veil's arrival should have broken the enemy, however the Republic's luck ran out. A minute after the general engaged the southern force and began reducing it in earnest, the Confederate fleet from Lutrillia arrived and joined the melee.

The chaos grew further when the forces from Nothoiin finally arrived and the locals decided to head for the giant fur-ball too. All Vex could to at that moment was to watch and pray. There was no commanding such madness.

Suddenly things changed. The very idea that the Republic could lose the battle vanished from Vex's mind. He knew that victory was at hand. Knew what his ships were about to do even if proper communication was all but impossible thanks to the jamming and ECM thrown around by everyone. All he had to to was command the few ships close enough for comms to work, because he was somehow aware what everyone else in the Republic fleet in the system was doing.

It was time to end this madness.

"Turn us twenty degrees to port. Half speed. Concentrate fire to the starboard..." Vex began issuing orders in earnest.

The Republic was going to win. He was certain of it.

=RK=

Part 3

Flag bridge

Corellian cruiser Freedom

High orbit above Gerrenthum

"The final tally is up along with our best estimate of enemy losses." Piett came next to the chair where I was vegetating after using Battle Meditation before getting the chance to fully recover after Atrisia. Only a cocktail of stimulants and alchemy produced concoctions kept my head more or less in the game – something that was necessary. In less than an hour representatives from Gerrenthum would be getting on board to discuss the aftermath of the battle and I needed my head straight for that talk.

"Tell me. Our losses first." I ordered.

Piett looked at the data pad in his hands and nodded grimly.

"We lost eleven Venators, with sixteen more suffering various degree of damage. At least four won't be able to keep up with the fleet. Perhaps two more – damage assessment is still underway there." My aide began listing the bad news.

To think that the battle began so well, before my luck finally ran out…

"The assault ship losses are even worse – seventeen Acclamators are confirmed destroyed. Two more are little more than wrecks for the breaking yards, with six damaged. Another pair will need an extensive stay in a shipyard before they could be considered combat capable." Piett continued. His tone reflected his thought on our victory – it was better than getting killed by the Separatists, but that was all you could say about it.

If it wasn't for my gamble with the Battle Meditation when it became clear we were losing, this battle could have seen my entire command annihilated. Only the Freedom and a few lucky ships might have made it out of the melee considering how many of the enemy frigates and destroyers went on suicide runs when everyone lost control of the engagement.

"The heavy cruisers got gutted, sir. Six lost, one is a wreck and another got its engines torn out by a ramming attack." The "good" news continued to come.

The only good thing after this debacle was that the Confederacy had only one remaining Task Force that could engage us anytime soon. It should be arriving at Nothoiin soon and I had dispatched scouts to keep an eye on them and apprise me of numbers and force composition. Even with my fleet mauled we should have more than enough forces to crush that bunch – the Freedom by herself should be able to do so comfortably.

"Our escorts took the brunt of the casualties." Piett grunted. "Eighteen light cruisers, twenty four Consular frigates and fifty nine of the CR90's are destroyed. While most of the remaining frigates are combat capable, the preliminary estimates are that at least ten of the light cruisers won't be able to leave the system without extensive repairs." Piett concluded.

"What do we have left that can get under way in the next twenty four to forty eight hours?" I asked.

Piett turned his attention to the data pad he was holding and began typing commands.

If we wasted too long here, Eriadu could fall and if that happened, the Confederacy would be able to concentrate their remaining forces in the nearby sectors against us. We needed to relieve that planet and make sure we wouldn't be intercepted by superior forces before I would be able to use Battle Meditation again. It was another question how well I would be able to handle the technique without a few weeks, perhaps a month of recovery time.

"This is my best guess, sir." Piett handed me the data pad.

1 Corellian cruiser – Freedom, lightly damaged;

10 Venators, including 1 Silencer equipped; /3 lightlyto moderately damaged

12 Acclamators; /4 lightlyto moderately damaged/

2 Dreadnought heavy cruisers; /1 moderately damaged/

9 light cruisers; /5 lightly damaged/

11 Consular frigates; /3 lightly damaged/

15 CR90 frigates; /2 lightly damaged/

I was left with a quite powerful fleet even without counting the Freedom or the Silencer, however it was a pale shadow compared to the forces I had before engaging the enemy. Speaking about the Separatist bastards… I browsed the data on the pad until I found the estimates.

300 Munificent frigates;

144 Recusant light destroyers

22 Luckrehulk battleships;

71,000 fighters;

If true, I had just won a great victory… and the only reasons why my whole command hadn't been wiped out were the Battle Meditation and the incredible firepower and defenses on the Corellian cruiser. I wouldn't be able to rely on the former for the time being. Even worse, with the loss of so many ships, the chain of command was in tatters and what remained of the fleet would be less effective now that I would be unable to cheat. I needed to discuss our situation with both Joanna and Vex, though unless there was something I hadn't considered, our best course of action was simple – we simply had to relieve Eriadu and hope that some of the forces there were still reasonably intact. Otherwise fighting my way to Kamino might turn out to be a pipe dream.

"Good job, Piett. Go make sure that the ships in best condition receive priority on supplies and parts for the repairs. We'll be leaving in two days at the latest. I want a confirmation on what portion of the fleet will be combat capable and able to keep up at flank speed, both in hyper andreal space."

"I'll make sure of it, sir!" My aide saluted and left after I handed him back the data pad.

Now I had to finish preparing to meet the locals.

=RK=

Joanna got back from her inspection on the Freedom a few minutes before our visitors arrived and crashed in a seat next to mine. While she had done a great deal of progress, Holt was far from being at hundred percent after Atrisia.

"We'll be ten percent down in combat capability until we can get back to Corellia and the shield systems are damaged. Twelve to fifteen percent below maximum until the engineers could overhaul some of the components. We'll need at least a week or more of safety for that. Guardian effectiveness is down thirty percent due to destroyed weapon emplacements and sensor clusters. We can bring it back to ninety with the spares on board." Joanna grumbled. She was obviously pissed off that her ship had taken such damage, no matter that any lesser spacecraft would have been gutted by such amount of punishment.

I wisely didn't say aloud that all things considered we got off lightly.

"Did you go over the dossiers of our guests?" Joanna asked after a short silence. Her tone told me all I needed to know about her feeling as far as the locals were concerned.

"Yes. There isn't much we have in our database – most came from Vex's ship. All we got was names and job description." I answered.

"Not much to go on. They didn't aid us until it became clear we were going to win." Holt grumbled.

"True. At least they saved a few of our ships." While my battered force could take on the locals – thanks to the Freedom, any further engagements here weren't going to gain us anything. I needed them as either reluctant allies or neutrals willing to take Republic credits at worse. Otherwise I might be forced to write off most of my damaged ships and reduce the locals naval presence in order to keep them from aiding the enemy.

The situation was less than ideal.

"Many more were crippled or destroyed because they didn't come to our aid when we really needed them." Holt growled.

"I'm less than pleased, Joanna. You can trust me about that." If I had my way, I would see the locals paying for what was at the very least gross incompetence and at worst treason. While I wasn't going to get what I wanted, I would be content with receiving what my fleet needed right now. Properly dealing with the Gerrenthum government could wait until the war was resolved. "Getting into another fight right now won't serve our interests, no matter how much certain parties deserve to be turned into space dust."

Holt nodded stiffly and glared at the door.

=RK=

Part 4

Flag Bridge

Corellian cruiser Freedom

High orbit above Gerrenthum

For what little it was worth it, the dossiers were correct. The two visitors led in by a CorSec escort were splitting images of the pictures we had in our database.

"General Veil, admiral Holt, welcome to Gerrenthum. I wish we met under better circumstances." An aging man wearing the light blue uniform of the local navy greeted us. "I'm admiral Neo Lind, commander of the Gerrenthum Naval Forces." He introduced himself.

Lind was a human with short graying hair and piercing brown eyes. He had beard that reminded me of Kenobi's, though the admiral's was shorter.

Next to him stood a tall middle aged woman. She gave us a small formal bow and a smile that didn't touch her eyes.

"The Figg Consortium welcomes you to Gerrenthum. I'm the CEO, Marisa Figg."

The image in our files obviously failed to capture the woman's presence. While she had striking features – tall cheekbones, a face that was a product of either great genetics or a plastic surgeon, probably both, what got my attention it was the air she carried around her. The man was a predator accustomed to getting what she wanted by any means necessary.

Her presence here told me a lot – instead of a diplomat or another high ranking member of the government, it was the CEO of one of the biggest corporationson the planet who came to represent Gerrenthum's civilian leadership.

"Admiral Lind, miss Figg." I kept my voice bland, disinterested. "You will provide basing, supplies and repair facilities for my damaged ships as well as resupply for the rest of my fleet. I'll be taking a third of your battle line along with appropriate escorts to relieve Eriadu. You'll be suitably compensated by the Republic treasury for your troubles."

"Resupplying your fleet and aiding in its repair won't be an issue. However, given the unsure times we live in, waiting for payment from the Senate won't be acceptable." Figg's smile never wavered. "For all we know, the funds to cover our expenses might not be available considering what is happening in the Core."

"I'm afraid that we'll need every ship we have to protect Gerrenthum, general." Lind managed to look quite apologetic. "Considering the number of Separatist forces that assaulted this system mere hours ago..." The admiral gasped for breath when I focused my will through the force and constricted his airways.

"Are you two along with your government under the impression that this is a negotiation?" I made sure my voice sounded amused. "Gerrenthum is a Republic world. When two Republic fleets engaged superior Separatist forces coming in to conquer your planet, your fleet declined to offer any support until it was clear who was going to emerge victorious." The amusement in my voice was replaced by ice. "Your only saving grace is that you chose not to openly side with the Separatist, admiral Lind. Otherwise, right now my forces would be making sure that Gerrenthum would be unable to provide any support for the enemies of the Republic." I let my grip on the man's throat go.

Even such a small thing set my nerves on fire, though I managed to keep my neutral expression in place.

"You won't get away with..." The man bristled.

"Spare me. You're obviously put up to take all the blame, admiral. When my report of the battle gets back to Coruscant, the Senate will want someone's head for the failure of the Gerrenthum's navy to engage the enemy before the battle was won. I can assure you, GAR High Command will want the same. Have a half of your fleet ready to depart in thirty six hours, admiral Lind. You'll be leading them. If you distinguish yourself at Eriadu, you might even save yourself from taking all the blame. Dismissed." I looked at the CEO, who kept an unwavering mask in place, yet I could sense she was disturbed by my actions.

Lind glared at me, however he gave us a stiff salute before turning around and marching out of the compartment.

"Are you going to dictate terms to our government and corporations too, general?" Figg asked. Her voice held a trace of amusement and was otherwise calm in direct contrast with the emotions coming from her. There was a bit of fear, a lot of anticipation and not a little anger and indignation that I could sense.

"It can be arranged. If you decline to deal with the Senate's treasury, I'll have to simply requisition what my fleet needs." I said.

"Doing so will earn you and the Republic a lot of enemies not only on Gerrenthum but in this whole sector." Figg countered.

"So far you've proven yourselves anything but friends to the Republic. Sooner than later, there would no longer be place for such… indecisiveness in this war. My bet is on sooner."

"That's a bold claim, general. You aren't speaking for the Senate." Figg said.

"I don't have to." I chuckled. "With this offensive the Confederacy and those supporting them – openly or not – committed the one sin the Senate won't forgive. They're proving themselves a credible threat for the Core Worlds. Can the Republic count on the Figg Consortium or should I contact your competitors?"

"They can't provide you with everything you'll need in any reasonable time frame." The CEO sounded very sure of herself.

"If I'm not working with your corporation, there is nothing stopping me from simply requisitioning the necessary equipment from your and blacklisting your Consortium in both Republic and Mandalorian space."

Figg stared at me in disbelief. That certainly wasn't what she was expecting, even after she saw me deal with Lind.

"It won't be so simple andyou well know it, general." Figg protested.

"You mean your people might prove difficult. Alter or destroy manifests, misplace or sabotage equipment… I'll consider anything in that vein as treason and Gerrenthum siding openly with the Confederacy. You people already proved yourselves as unreliable. Treason isn't a big step down."

"The Senate won't stand for this!" Figg snapped.

"On the contrary – there will be enough Senators eager to make an example of an Outer Rim world, especially a Sector Capital if it means it might keep the other in line. After all, too many of the worlds in the Outer Rim openly sided with the Separatists."

"And you wonder why?!" Figg sneered.

"It's obvious actually. The problem you people had in my time are simply worse nowadays." I nodded. "Their mistake was in backing the wrong side in this civil war, miss Figg."

"Not if the Confederacy wins."

"They had the opportunity to achieve a military victory months ago and squandered it. This offensive of theirs will cause a lot of damage," I made a dismissive gesture. "All it's going to achieve in the end is prolonging the war and getting even more people needlessly killed. I'll ask you again, miss Figg, can the Republic work with your Consortium or not?"

"We'll provide what you need." Figg said through gritted teeth.

"See that you do. I'll hold you personally responsible for any accident. Have a nice day, miss Figg."

I slumped back in my chair when the woman left.

"What happened with being reasonable?" Holt snorted.

"I didn't hear you utter a word."

"You're in charge of this fiasco and actually could speak for the Republic. As you very well know, right now the situation between Corellia and the Republic is complicated. Besides I agree. We can't trust the locals."

"That's why I want as much of their fleet at Eriadu." I nodded.

"You intent to place them in the position of most danger." Joanna raised an eyebrow after she reached that conclusion.

"That too. I'll want to give a fighting chance to our crippled ships we'll have to leave here anyway if the locals get any ideas." I admitted. "Who knows, they might even see sense. After all once we've relieved Eriadu, the Separatists won't be able to spare the forces for another major push in the region for some time."

"There's that. So this is your idea of gaining reluctant allies?" Joanna asked.

"I'll admit that mine wasn't the best possible approach. However my patience for self serving politicians is gone after my last dealings with the Senate. Please advice the our people to keep a close eye on our hosts. It's unlikely that they'll do something particularly dumb with the Freedom around, but I've learned not to underestimate people's stupidity." I slowly got up to my feet and groaned as my body protested. I needed to get some shuteye before I kriffed up even more.