Stand Off (5)

Republic Cruiser Requiem

Blockade over Naboo

I watched news reports on what was happening down in Theed on a holo-display projected on the bridge. Most of the crew here were glancing from their station to see the events unfolding below us.

Small news droids, were buzzing around the city and catching on camera the tragedy in progress. It was the day after we came back from Iego and the hospitals on Naboo were already busy synthesizing copious amounts of the cure. However, for many people it would be too late. The water borne strain of the virus killed too fast. Already there were tens of thousands dead with the number raising fast. The few stasis tanks which were available to the doctors on the planet and whatever the fleet could spare were full but that barely covered twelve thousand people. It was not even a drop in the bucket compared to the millions infected. The most optimistic projections were looking at least a million and half dead with a twice that number of people that would take months to recover.

Reporters from all over the Republic had a field day. While thanks to the quarantine none were allowed on Naboo in person, that didn't stop them from sending down droids to capture the tragedy in person. I could see images of makeshift hospitals on the streets with GAR and local security personnel attempting to keep the order. Bacta and almost everything else we could spare could at best alleviate Blue Shadow's symptoms at best. There were lots of people dead either on the streets or in their homes and right now I could see groups of Clones gathering the bodies for disposal. The picture changed to an overcrowded military hospital set up in one of Theed's many parks. There were thousands of people either lying where they could or simply sitting on the ground while medics, soldiers and med-droids did what they could but in too many cases it was too little too late.

A mother was carrying the tiny form of her little girl who was covered by large oozing blue spots. She was frantically begging for help only for a clone to take a look and quick scan, before simply shaking his head. The woman fell to her knees and simply stood there on the ground, clutching her child.

Nearby a pair of little boys were shaking the unmoving form of a Zabrak male whose unseeing eyes were turned towards the camera frozen open in death. The horror show continued on and on and that was just Theed.

Once upon a time such images would have moved me. Nowadays... I've seen too much horror that made the tragedy on Naboo pale in comparison. Hell, I've caused worse too. All things considered, even when using only conventional weapons taking a heavily populated world would see much more tragedies than the whole of Naboo had the misfortune to boast. Then there was Crimson and that horror made every other bio-weapon I've seen or heard of inconsequential in comparison. It was a good thing that Crimson was eradicated a couple of decades before I ended in the future.

It was a clusterfuck of epic proportions. At least Amidala had calmed somewhat once Skywalker managed to escape from the hospital frigate where he was recovering and made his way to Theed. He was subject of the quarantine for now too so hopefully Anakin wouldn't be causing any troubles for the foreseeable future.

I shut down the holoprojector and looked outside the bridge through one of the windows. I could see a lot of transport ships, which were disgorging hundreds of shuttles chock full with relief supplies and doctors volunteering to help. The most important commodity was coming from the Medical Ship "New Hope" - a two kilometre long titan filled with some of the best medical equipment and doctors in the galaxy. Its shuttles were disgorging fifty thousand more stasis pods which would help save a lot of people.

Before the start of the war there were twenty five of those mobile hospitals but they as well as any other medical assets the Republic used to posses were primary target for the CIS. Only ten of the leviathans were still intact enough to travel through hyperspace.

My attention went to the tac-pad in my hands. On it a message from the Chancellor's office stared me in the face. In its endless wisdom the Senate had called an emergency session to discus the events of Naboo. I was to make my way there as soon as the situation on the surface had stabilized and bring Senator Amidala with me. So much for keeping Skywalker and his wife out of trouble.

I smirked and called Anakin. It took him couple of minutes to pick up his comm and then his holo image materialized in front of me.

"General Skywalker, I just received a call from the Chancellor. The Senate is gathering to discuss the situation on Naboo in three days. Palpatine suggests that it would be for the best if Senator Amidala makes her case in person. I trust you'll be able to persuade her what is best for Naboo." I valiantly suppressed my amusement. No doubt the good Senator would have a lot to say to anyone suggesting she should abandon her people in their hour of need no matter how good the reason. Better him than me.

Anakin apparently shared my thoughts on the mater because he stiffened and I'm sure he was scowling at me.

"Is that all, general Veil?" Skywalker spoke in a clipped, irritated tone.

"There's nothing else of note. Good luck. Veil out." I terminated the call.

I don't know what he said to his wife but only a few minutes later I got a brief message indicating they should be leaving Theed within the hour.

I returned my attention to the news, though this time I used my data-pad to access those feeds. It showed someone high in the CIS ranks. I had no idea who that was or even the species it belonged to.

"I repeat, no one within the Confederacy of Independent systems had anything to do with that monstrous deed on Naboo! We are ready to provide all possible humanitarian help to ease the suffering of the people of Naboo!" the insectoid continued droning apologies.

As if someone was going to believe it. With Vindi in custody and singing like canary it was a foregone conclusion that the CIS would get all the blame. My issue was that the crazy doctor had no idea who actually released the virus. I made sure he was telling the truth. I did dispatch search parties to scour the areas surrounding the river for kilometres upstream, had other teams checking all cameras within Theed too along with scouring for witnesses though the latter was a very long shot – even if someone saw something there was no guarantee they lived long enough to share it.

As far as I could remember, there wasn't supposed to be such a massive outbreak on Naboo. What Vindi knew supported my fragmented memories. How the hell did my presence cause this mess? What other surprises were waiting for me?

I spent couple of hours pondering those issues without reaching any useful conclusions then went to check up on Jaybo after the Skywalkers were through decontamination and tests to see if they caught the virus. With both of them clean I ordered Pellaeon to get us on our way and left the bridge.

=RK=

I found my apprentice in one of the hanger bays, buried into the mechanic guts of a LAAT's engine. Most of said propulsion unit's innards were strewn on the deck next to the gunship. I could see four technicians around Jaybo. They were looking at what he was doing and giving him suggestions on how to fix the craft. The kid was fast becoming the technician's mascot.

When I brought him on board the previous day, Jaybo had taken a long bath and a warm meal before heading to find something mechanical to thinker with. He had ended in one of the hangars where the mechanics had adopted him like a mascot.

My musings were terminated by the arrival of a certain furious Senator who stormed towards me with a single-mindedness common for a guided missile. When Amidala was close enough her right hand snapped in a perfectly executed motion to deliver a slap on my face. I caught her palm in my armoured fingers and rolled my eyes at her antics.

"Senator. You've spoken with your friends on Coruscant, I see." I deadpanned.

Behind her scowling face I could see Skywalker hurrying to catch up. He was not too pleased either if his thunderous expression was anything to go by.

"You wanted to bomb Theed!" Amidala screeched in a distinctly unladylike way.

I do not think that she ever lost her composure in such a way in either the movies or cartoon.

"Definitely. If the cure turned out to be a bust and the Blue Shadow could not be contained that would have been the prudent course of action, Senator. The last time I checked you represented the whole world of Naboo and not only the capital. Would you endanger all inhabitants of your homeworld instead of doing what is necessary if the worst happens?" I asked her in an even tone. I was honestly curious how would she answer.

"There are five million people in Theed! You'd slaughter them just like that?" asked Anakin with a disgusted expression on his face.

"If that is what it takes to protect the remaining few hundred million people on the planet, Jedi. What would you do? Watch most of them die?" I sneered. He spoke as if five million people were too many to be considered expendable, which was a laughable idea. I knew for a fact that there were hundreds of worlds where more people died as collateral damage in this war so far than lived on Naboo.

"The Council was right about you! You are a heartless monster!" spat Anakin.

"I never denied the monster part. By most reasonable standards I am a monster." I shrugged. Trying to hide it from anyone with even curious knowledge of my past simply wouldn't work. Fortunately or unfortunately for the Republic, I was the kind of monster the GAR needed.

"Amidala, despite being a Senator for years you are still a naive child. And you, Skywalker... Where is your valued Jedi stoicism right now? The universe does not care for your ideals or good intentions. Neither does the Blue Shadow. If it is not contained it will murder between sixty and eighty percent of all living beings down there!" I pointed at the deck and the surface of the world below us.

Anakin glared daggers at me. His right hand was clamped around the hilt of his lightsaber. I could see the emotions rampaging through his heart as clear as a day. Frustration. Anger. Love. And fear. The latest was like a parasite worming its way within the recesses of his heart. It was blinding him.

It was obvious that he had no experience with managing his emotions. They were drowning him, leaving him confused and open for manipulation. I had no doubt that as he was right now, Skywalker would be receptive to the lures of the Dark side. If I was so inclined, he was ripe for the turning.

"Tell me Senator. What would you have me do? Would you watch the virus spreading all over Naboo and choke your paradise of a world? Or if it comes to it would you have the courage to do what is necessary to save your planet? What about you, Skywalker? How many people must die so you could keep your "high" moral ground? Please enlighten me?"

Jedi... They seldom could make the hard decisions necessary during a war or certain types of crisis without compromising themselves. However, those who could bear that burden without high risk of falling were those to watch for and occasionally fear. Right now Anakin certainly wasn't in the latter category.

"It will never come to that! There is help coming to Naboo from all over the Republic! Even if the virus spreads we'll be able to save most people! The cure is already in production!" Amidala countered.

"At what cost, senator? Did you even wonder where all those medical ships were before the current emergency? How many more would be needed if containing Blue Shadow at Theed and the swamps is impossible? How many people across the galaxy will die because necessary medical support is diverted here? The world is not black and white no matter how much some people try to pretend its otherwise." I said looking Anakin in the eyes.

Amidala opened her mouth to protest but thought for a moment and snapped it shut. She looked down crestfallen. So she might be aware just how thin the logistics and medical assets of the Republic were stretched. That actually made sense – Padme was famous for her humanitarian missions.

"That is not something I thought about." muttered Amidala. But when she raised her head to look at me the fire was back in her eyes. "I should have, I admit it. However, that does not change the point! Your cavalier disregard for life goes against all principles the Republic holds dear!" Her blazing eyes bored accusingly into me. If looks could kill, and if you were a Sith they just might, I would be a pile of ash scattered across the deck.

"Tell that to the masses all around the galaxy who are afraid that the virus would escape Naboo and crawl its way to their little corners of the universe. If you want to blame someone for this mess please target your righteous wrath to the real culprits – the CIS agents who created this abomination and later released it." I turned my cold gaze at Skywalker. "The aura of fear you are giving out is irritating. Your girlfriend is right here and safe so chill out."

I gave him my best grin.

"By the way when is the wedding? Though considering Amidala's mood I am definitely off the list of invited."

Skywalker growled at me and took a step in my direction.

"Is everything all right, sir?" asked one of the clones who was with Jaybo.

At least my apprentice looked like he enjoyed the show.

I kept my face a blank mask but internally smirked. I could sense the four clones and Jaybo behind me glaring at the pair.

"It's all right. We just have a little harmless chat. Isn't that right?" I gave my guests a disarming smile, which none of them bought.

Anakin shook his head and looked around us. Most of the clones in the hangar had stopped whatever they were doing and were looking at the spectacle with interest.

"Weren't the Jedi supposed to be calm and composed all the time?" Jaybo pipped in.

"You see, my young apprentice, when one of them..." I smiled at the kid and pointed at Anakin, "... is confronted with their feelings, they have no idea how to deal with it. By suppressing their emotions they are caught off guard when, inevitably, their passion breaks to the surface. He is a case in point. You could taste his anger and fear. As well as his love and devotion to the delectable Senator. At least she could be sure that his feelings for her are genuine."

I smirked at the couple who were doing a great impression of fish thrown out of the water. I could see a rapid succession of embarrassment, mortification and anger passing over their faces and the emotions I could sense coming from them were even more interesting.