Operation Southern Star

Part 1

2ndPlatoon

Black Company

41st Battalion "The Grim Reapers"

Eriadu's moon

"Kriffing die already!" Hound roared at a Commando droid that attempted to gut him with a vibroblade. It managed to kriff up the sergeant's rifle, forcing the NCO to bash its head with the stock.

He threw the useless weapon away and drew his sidearm. A SB appeared at the torn apart door leaving out of the bunker and Hound put three quick shots between its eyes. The machine spluttered and died, blocking the exit and buying the Clone a brief reprieve.

"Dex, without reinforcements we're all dead and the cannon is lost." Hound growled. "I would like to avoid that."

"Everything's committed, sir!"

"We're actually here." A deep voice sounded from the exit. The destroyed droids flew away from the door and a tall man wearing an armor identical to Hound's came in followed by a much shorter.. girl?

"Jedi Knight Gared, at your service, sergeant. Come on, we have some clankers to kick out of here!" The Jedi exclaimed and vanished through the door. The kid gave them a shy wave and followed the man.

"Competent ones?" Dex asked.

"They better be or we're all dead." Hound grumbled. He looked around and grabbed the gun of a fallen local, then followed the Jedi outside.

"It's a good day to die…" Dex muttered. "Kriff it, I don't want to die!" He shook his head and followed the sergeant.

It was pure hell outside. The enemy was swarming over the bunkers, which had their built in weapons disabled. The only reason why the place hadn't been overran was a GAR company charging the clankers.

Dex ducked under a swing and jumped away from the Commando droid that nearly gutted him. He promptly shot the clanker, then dived for cover when one of the new big droids came behind the corner. The Jedi ran towards it, using their lightsabers to parry blaster bolts coming from weapons built into its side. They were almost upon it, when both jumped back to avoid a shield snapping around the machine. It slammed its legs into the ground for better stability and its shoulder mounted cannons tracked the tall Jedi.

The man wasted no time and made an impossibly long jump to clear the firing ark. He even managed to parry some shots that came his way while he was in the air.

The Jedi landed lightly on his feet, then paused and raised a hand towards the big droid. Dex never knew what the officer planned to do. The Jedi suddenly exploded in action and dived away.

Gared wasn't fast enough. Two white lances shot from a droid no one saw coming and hit less than a meter from the Jedi. He was picked up by the resulting explosion and thrown away like a twig.

Dex winced when the man hit the ground. There was no way anyone, even a Jedi, could walk from something like that.

The girl screamed in surprise, then sprinted towards her master.

The sergeant shouted a warning, but she either didn't hear it or didn't care.

"Draw its attention!" Hound ordered and opened fire on the closest war-droid and Dex followed suit.

The blaster bolts splashed over its shields and the kriffing thing paid them no attention. Instead it leveled its guns at the two Jedi.

"So much for making it through this..." Dex groaned.

The world flashed in blue and he screamed as like what felt like electricity washed over him. The last thing Dex recalled was seeing naked lighting dancing all over the that kriffing war-droid, then the pain became too much and he knew no more.

=RK=

Bridge

Corellian cruiser Freedom

High orbit above Eriadu

Going by appearance alone, Gideon Takin wasn't an impressive man. He was thin, almost sickly looking with receding brown hair. His injuries didn't help matters. The brigadier's right hand was shattered when his flagship ran afoul of two Luckrehulks which were too deep in the gravity well to run.

At least he was alive and would recover in time. The same couldn't be said for Tenant. His Venator was rammed by a light destroyer at the end of the battle. The cruiser was a wreck still combed by SAR teams, who were making their way to the CIC as fast as they could, however there simply wasn't a clear route to that compartment. The rear admiral could be dead or dying for all we knew and there wasn't anything more that could be done.

Tarkin sat in the seat waiting for him and groaned quietly.

"Brigadier, its good to finally meet you in person. I've heard good things about you and your brother. There were enough wrecked separatist ships here when we arrived to prove those rumors true I see." I smiled.

"The same goes for you, general. Your reputation precedes you." Tarkin nodded. "I'm glad you arrivedin time. The situation was getting unpleasant." Gideon added dryly.

I chuckled. The man was a master of understatement it seemed.

"We got here as fast as we could and we'll be leaving soon." I said.

"Back to the Core or Kamino?" Tarkin asked.

"The latter. Unless I take every relatively intact ship in the system I won't be able to fight my way to friendly territory in the Core without losing everything but the Freedom. Besides, they probably could use any help they could get." I explained.

"Yes. They will be facing another powerful force." Gideon nodded. "I take it this isn't a social call, general?"

"No. With Tenant's situation unknown, I'll be placing all Republic forces that I'm leaving here under your command, brigadier."

"I appreciate the trust. How many ships will you take?" Tarkin asked.

"Every relatively intact Republic cruiser and assault ship. We'll be leaving as soon as some basic repairs and resupply are complete." I added.

"That will leave the whole Quadrant significantly weakened." Tarkin pointed out.

"I'm aware." I turned around and went to the window.

The space outside was cluttered with dead and damaged ship. Moths of light flew all around them – SAR units doing their best to cut out wounded crew members before it was too late. Too many weren't going to make it anyway.

"In the last week the Separatists lost the bulk of a whole Sector Fleet and two standard ones in this Quadrant alone. While the Theater Fleets you assembled – a good idea by the way – were gutted, the enemy lacks the assets to threaten this system. You should be able to repair a lot of the ships I'm leaving behind as well as recover some of the wrecks littering the system."

"If we're lucky." Tarkin frowned.

"I'll be doing my best to ensure that no matter what happens at Kamino, the Separatist would find it hard to come your way with overwhelming force. At worst I'll lead them on a chase towards the core." I turned my back to the carnage outside and smiled at Gideon. "After Geonosis and the last two battles I commanded, I'm sure that our Confederate friends will do their best to remove me as a threat."

"If things got kriffed up at Kamino, you might not have the numbers to get away, general. Even if you take every ship that's not too badly damaged with you, that won't be a big fleet." Tarkin said.

"I know. I'll simply have to play the hand I've been dealt. Presuming that we don't get killed in the next few months, I have some thoughts on how best to utilize Eriadu. I would like to run a few ideas past you, brigadier..."

=RK=

Flag bridge

Corellian cruiser Freedom

High orbit above Eriadu

Firmus Piett felt a lot of apprehension. This was the second time this week he had to deliver a report about the devastating losses the fleet suffered. The fact that the enemy was mauled even worse was small comfort for all people who died here and at Gerrenthum.

Piett gathered his courage, took a deep calming breath and walked in. His expression briefly faltered when he saw that not only the general, but the two admirals – Holt and Vex were waiting for him. The lieutenant went to the table where they sat talking and saluted.

"Firmus, good. You have the reports?" Veil returned the salute and asked.

"Right here, sir." Piett offered one of the data pads he was carrying.

He still found it eery how the general thought nothing of using his abilities for little things – like picking the device with his mind and making it float into a waiting hand. The Jedi seldom did such stuff, though Firmus wasn't really sure why.

"I knew it was bad, but this... Kriff it, we got mauled." Veil grumbled. "Give us the sordid details, lieutenant. I promise I won't shoot the messenger, nor space him." Veil jokedgrimly.

"I'm glad to hear that, sir. I'll begin with what we'll have available in two days if that's all right with you, general?" Piett smiled nervously.

"It is. Calm down man, I don't bite unless you're my wife and ask nicely."

That was too much kriffing information.

"We'll have have five Venators and six Acclamators ready for extended travel and heavy combat as well as a single Dreadnought heavy cruiser. The situation with the escorts isn't much better – just a single light cruiser and fifteen, perhaps sixteen frigates."

Admiral Vex began cursing in an unknown language. The general answered in the same. The Clone shook his head and slammed a fist in the table.

"Carry on, lieutenant. How much of the fleet we actually lost and how much is fit for dockyard time?" Vex growled.

"Our combined losses are substantial. Thirty two Venators are confirmedas destroyed. Twenty with heavy damage. The rough estimates are for fifty percent crew loss across the board." Piett reported. Tens of thousands dead just from the cruisers.

"It gets worse, I recon." The general muttered and waved him to continue.

"You're regrettably correct, sir. Acclamators – thirty six destroyed and nineteen damaged. At least the crew losses are significantly lighter – thirty one percent." No doubt thanks to the heavier defenses on those ships.

"Gentlemen, we got kriffed up." Hold declared quietly.

"We kinda noticed." Veil muttered. "Do go on, Firmus."

"We've got a single operational heavy cruiser, twelve lost and five more needing extensive repairs. Their crews fared best – only twenty percent casualties across the board."

"That's something..." Vex muttered.

"Do I dare ask about the escorts?" Holt asked.

"The situation there is bad. We lost forty seven light cruisers, twenty are fit for either scrap or extensive time in the dock and three are MIA. The overall casualty rate is fifty nine percent." Firmus winced.

Needless to say, the frigates suffered even worse.

"Thirty six Consular frigates and eighty eight CR90s are confirmedas destroyed. Almost forty are with significant damage and four are missing. Casualties among their crews are the worst – about seventy two percent."

"It makes sense. When a capital ship hits one of the bugs, usually everyone dies." Holt sighed.

"What about our esteemed allies?" Veil asked.

"Brigadier Tarkin's Theater Fleets suffered heavy casualties. We don't have final numbers, however the current estimate is for forty two cruisers lost, over ninety destroyers and over a hundred and ten frigates among the four fleets defending Eriadu. That number includes the ten cruisers and twenty three escorts admiral Lind lost."

"That's..." Admiral Holt trailed off.

"It puts things in perspective, doesn't it?" Veil asked.

"I honestly never thought I'll witness, much less fight in a battle bigger than Geonosis. The last few days..." Holt shook her head.

"I hope we accounted ourselves well enough?" Veil asked hopefully.

"That's the only good news I can think about right now, sir. We've got only estimates. Proper numbers would need to wait until all sensor logs are checked over and enemy wrecks are accounted for." Piett said. He glanced at the data padhe held. "We gutted them all right. Four hundredplus Munificents, over two hundred Recusant light destroyers, between thirty five and forty battleships."

"That's a lot of scrap." The Clone admiral whistled. A pleased smile slowly appeared on his face. "How long could they sustain such losses?"

"At least as long as us." The general wasn't too pleased at those numbers. "To put things in perspective, if out friends in intelligence know what they're talking about we've destroyed somewhere between two to three percent of the total enemy navy from before the offensive began. If we keep achieving such victories, both sides would have lost their navies before anyone could achieve a victory."

"It's not that bad. With all those battleships gone, we're overall ahead in the firepower department, though the raw number of lost ships isn't exactly favoring us." Holt said, then paused. "I think."

"I think that all of us could actually use some shuteye before thinking about the price of this victory. A drink too, when I think about it."

"Some good Mandalorian spirits per chance?" Vex perked up.

"I might have a bottle or two for special occasions. Surviving the last two battles counts I recon..." The general looked at Piett. "Firmus, care to join us? You look a bit pale."

"I..." Ah, why not? Declining the invitation didn't strike him as the best possible idea. "I'll like to, sir. If it isn't too much trouble."

The general waved a hand and a bottle appeared from under the table followed by four glasses. Piett shook his head and went to join the flag officers.

=RK=

Part 2

Bridge

Droid Command ship Magnificent Annihilation

Duro

Couple of minutes after the bulk of his fleet exited hyperspace, admiral Tonith was speaking with Trench.

"You're just in time." The arachnid like alien made a grimace that might have been a smile – before half his face had been replaced by cybernetics anyway.

"We're on the clock after all. I couldn't afford to be late – for all our sakes." Tonith answered.

"I'm sending you the updated course now. When your ships are ready we're all leaving." Trench said.

"Naturally. As far as my people could figure out, we've been able to fool the enemy. I've sent the decoy fleet towards Bellassa and then Kuat to aid in Ningo's distraction." Tonith reported.

"Even if they sent their reserves at Corellia, I have a few ideas on how to handle them." Even Trench's few remaining natural eyes gleamed at that announcement. "With a bit of luck, our "raiding" fleets might slip in unnoticed too. Either way, we've got enough ships and firepower to succeed."

"That we do." Tonith smiled.

It took them weeks to clean up the surrounding space from enemy scouts, not to mention the ships expended in taking out listening posts and jamming the holonet in the nearby systems, however they were finally ready… and the fourth and last Sector Fleet meant to hit the Corellia had arrived at

Duro an hour or so before Tonith's own forces.

"I want you and your senior commanders on board my ship for the transit. We'll use the time for some additional training and further refining out plans. You'll get back for the last leg of the journey." Trench continued. "This is going to be the biggest battle the galaxy has seen in more than thousand years." The alien fixed Tonith with all his eyes. "The stuff of legends, history books and more importantly the one that decides if we lose the war in a few short years or actually earn a chance to win it."

"I'm well aware of what's at stake." Tonith shot back.

"I know. It bears repeating. Get your people moving. I'll meet you in the hangar. Trench out."

=RK=

Confederacy Council Chamber

Raxulon City

Raxus Prime

It was rare to see the whole Council gathered in the same room, Vombra thought. However it was understandable. The offensive was entering its most critical stage and they all wanted a briefing on how it was going – which unfortunately was a mixed bag lately.

Naturally, the damned Sith were to blame.

Sui Main, Ilroth and Hill finally took their seats, joining him, Argente and Nudo at the table. Kleo went over the motions of the inefficient pleasantries everyone exchanged and felt relief when they finally got to the point.

"We've got both good and bad news from the front." Hill, who was chosen as a chairman for today, began. "Most of the secondary objectives of the offensive are complete. Only Mon Calamari still holds in the far Eastern reaches of the galaxy. Our various territories are connected by direct hyperlanes and we're fortifying the key systems on those routes."

"It's good to get an official confirmation about that, Chairman." Mai smiled.

"Unfortunately, our efforts in securing the whole Western Galactic Quadrant met unfortunate end." Hill continued.

"Explain. I've heard rumors of heavy fighting but that's all." Passel snapped and began rubbing one of his horns.

"Veil. We still lack a complete picture, however it appears that about eight days ago he reached Bespin with his containment fleet. There he linked up with the bulk of the Republic naval forces in the region before moving on Gerrenthum. There he engaged roughly two thirds of the Sector Fleet sent to clean up the Sector and won."

"Another crushing defeat at his hands?" Ilroth groaned. "I hate the Sith."

"Actually it wasn't if the numbers I've got are correct." Vombra interjected. "His fleet suffered major casualties when the situation turned in a general melee. Unfortunately after his victory, Veil conscripted half of Gerrenthum's navy which spent most of the battle on the sidelines and made best speed towards Eriadu."

"I don't like where this is going." Nudo hissed.

"You won't." Hill continued. "Veil arrived while our forces in the systems were busy reducing the enemy naval forces. He caught them out of position and managed to defeat them in detail. Only a small part of our fleets there managed to get away. However, we've got confirmation from both agents on Eriadu, sensor probes and a few scouts left behind that our forces slated to subdue the Western Quadrant and the GAR naval presence there practically managed a mutual kill. If it wasn't for that Corellian cruiser or the Sith new weapon – there's at least one with Veil, we would have won. "

"That… actually not so bad." Ilroth perked up.

"Our analysts believe that once he's resupplied and conducted some repairs, Veil will attempt to reinforce either Kamino or Naboo. The former is more likely." Vombra announced.

"What forces can he bring?"

"That Corellian pain in the ass, ten or so cruisers and assault ships with a few escorts." Vombra answered.

"That ship can take on a fleet by itself." Mai pointed out.

"Yes. The Corellian cruiser is the primary threat. We're considering letting them reach Kamino, then concentrate all the forces we can support in that area and crush them." Vombra said.

"I concur." Hill agreed. "There's an interesting piece of information that finally made it back from our agents at Coruscant. It appears that the Republic intelligence services had underestimated our total naval strength." San smiled.

"How so?" Mai asked.

"They got the total number of our Sector Fleets mostly right and estimate them to be hundred plus." Hill's smile grew wider. "However for some unknown reason they appear to believe that each fleet is made of 200 to 4000 ships at the high end."

Vombra let out an electronic chuckle.

"Are you telling us that they underestimated our numbers by an order of magnitude at least?" The cyborg asked.

"Yes. My guess is that they saw what we've been building up for the offensive and made their conclusions based on those numbers." Hill shrugged. "It's too bad that due to logistics we're unable to leverage our full strength against the core."

"We'll need a lot of those ships to counter the enemy retaliation in a few months anyway and a lot of the older ships are being upgraded as we speak and thus not available." Vombra added.

"That news is heartening." Mai said. "The situation in the Core?"

"So far its going mostly according to plan. There were just two setbacks – Trench lost more forces securing Duro than anticipated, though we could afford them as long as the primary objective is complete. The other problem was how long it took Ningo to capture Antar. The Republic made a stand there behind formidable fortifications. While we're controlling the system and fortifying it in turn, the planet itself is still under siege. There are two army groups down there and they're all dug in around the shield generators."

"Unpleasant, though not unexpected. Corellia and Kuat – that's whats important." Argente interjected.

"It remains to be seen. Ningo has been reinforced and should reach Neimodia tonight. Once he gets more up to date intelligence, he'll go after Balmora and from there Kuat. One of our fleets is capturing Bellassa as we speak and go for Kuat too afterward."

"That makes what? A heavy reinforced Sector Fleet going there?" Nudo asked.

"Yes. Admiral Ningo won't have the numbers and firepower to wreck a lot of the industry, much less capture the system, however that was never the plan. His attack is going to tie up the local forces for long enough, including all Mandators which were recalled to Kuat."

"Oh. That's going to be ugly." Ilroth winced.

"Corellia?" Argente asked.

"Admiral Tonith reached Duro yesterday and he should be moving towards Corellia as we speak. His Sector Fleet was brought back to full strength with the arrival of his Second and Third Task Forces. In addition, Third Fondor Sector Fleet was dispatched to joint the assault." Vombra explained.

"That's a lot of ships no matter how you put it." Nudo nodded. "Will they be enough?"

"I trust admiral Trench. He's the best we have. However, its an unfortunate truth that a victory can't be guaranteed. Unless we got lucky and the enemy reserves are dispatched towards Kuat, Trench will be facing two full Republic Sector Fleets, Corellia's navy, including five of their big cruisers and the system's defenses."

"That's… heh." Nudo chuckled nervously. "When was the last time such a battle happened?"

"I think there were one or two similar engagements during the New Sith Wars. The last one that's properly documented are from the Great War between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire."

"We'll have to trust Trench to win, won't we?" Mai asked.

"He'll do it. I'm confident in his abilities." Ilroth said. "What's the status of the rest of the galaxy?"

"In the east, only Mandalore holds. However, our advance in Republic space in the Expansion Region is slowing down due to stiffening enemy resistance. We're still not hundred percent sure where the Republic is going to draw the line and attempt to actually stop us. So far they've fortified only the important industrial worlds in our path and falling back unless they can rely on decent system defense to back them up." Hill answered.

"My guess is the Inner Rim. Depending on how cold blooded and pragmatic their Senate could be persuaded to be. My guess is that we'll hit heavy resistance once we reach the eastern fringes of the Inner Rim. We've got reports of a Sector Fleet being assembled there with another being spread out and harassing our advance all over that Quadrant..."

=RK=

Part 3

Flag Bridge

Republic cruiser Light's Solace

Kamino

"General Rancisis, the enemy is entering the system in strength. Our remaining fleets in the sector are making their best speed here." A Clone reported. He was Kal, the admiral who used to be in charge of the defense in space before the Jedi Master arrived.

"Any trace of Veil's fleet? We can use any help we can get." Rancisis asked. His tail coiled around his custom seat and gripped it indignation at what he was forced to do for the good of the galaxy.

"No, general. As far as we know he should be somewhere in the Western Quadrant." Kal answered.

Rancisis simply nodded lost in thoughts.

While the Jedi Master agreed that the Sith needed to be removed from power, all these lies, deceptions… they weren't the Jedi way. What he found most disturbing was how easy lying turned out to be. It was too easy. It didn't feel like pushing him towards the Dark Side and that more than anything scared Rancisis. Because in the end, even if everything went as planned or even better, the Sith might have won. Not because they would succeed into eradicating the Jedi, but because they made them to destroy themselves from withing. To fall without noticing it.

Rancisis frowned. That wasn't a new thought. He had those doubts for months now, however he simply couldn't see a better alternative. What should he do, betray everything he believed in so he could run and save his own skin while abandoning the galaxy to the Sith? Doing so was simply unacceptable. Another person might have considered running away without doing their best to halt the Sith. That was simply unthinkable for the Jedi, which left them with less than ideal options.

"Launch fighters and keep them under Guardian coverage at all times. I want all ships constantly executing random evasive maneuvers to minimize the chance of ramming attacks." The Jedi Master ordered.

A single command zoomed out the image in the holotank in the center of the tactical table around which Rancisis and his staff were sitting. The hundreds of Republic ships and thousands of fighters became green symbols as the scale increased. Finally the enemy leading elements became visible. They were coming in cautiously. The closest Munificent divisions were entering real space four light hours from Kamino.

First were scouts which immediately launched Vultures to extend their effective sensor coverage. Soon the Separatist numbers began increasing exponentially until Kamino was surrounded by a red tide. It wasn't long before jamming and general ECM made scanning the enemy unreliable.

"General, I'm glad you got here when you did." Kal said. "The enemy numbers are about sixty percent higher than ONI's estimates."

Rancisis hissed in annoyance. Was this a mistake, a deliberate deception or simply the enemy being well the enemy?

"In conjunction with the system defenses we should be able to hold." The Jedi Master said with confidence he really didn't feel.

"They probably can call more reinforcements. We aren't so lucky." Kal pointed out.

"Then we'll have to fight harder." Rancisis shrugged.

It was true, what he said. It was another deception too. One of the last communiques from Coruscant contained a coded message for his eyes only using a one time ancient Jedi cypher. Practically unbreakable if you didn't know the key, which he was given before leaving the Temple.

The message was short and to the point. The Council had proof that the Clone army was a Sith invention and would in all likehoodback up the Sith when this whole charade was over. There were no instructions sent. Just that bit of information.

Rancisis closed his eyes. What was he supposed to do?! Wasn't it enough that he had to lie to and deceive everyone under his command?!

No, there were no instructions. Nor suggestions. He was left on his own devices, so he could follow his conscience. The Jedi Master almost laughed bitterly at that. The Sith had all but won unless something radically changed. They had the ear of the Senate, their popularity was soaring while the Jedi were hated and mistrusted by the ordinary people. Now he learned that the bulk of the Republic army was actually a Sith one simply waiting for an order to turn upon the nation they were supposed to protect and transform it into an Empire.

Rancisis hissed quietly. Kamino was the primary source of the Clones. There were a few new smaller facilities, though in the great scheme of things they were of no consequences. Besides all of them were cut off behind enemy lines anyway.

If Kamino fell, the Sith would lose one of their greatest weapons. Without a source to replenish their numbers, by the end of the war the Clone army would be a shadow of its former self at best. The only question was could Rancisis do it? Could he betray all the men under his command in such a way?

Could he dare not do it? Could he risk leaving an intact Clone army in the hands of the Sith if the Jedi at Coruscant failed?

The Force was quiet. The Light Side didn't guide him. The Dark Side didn't attempt to sway him. Rancisis found himself alone with his thoughts and for the first time since he could remember, the Jedi Master found himself despising the Force.

What was one more deception, one more betrayal, when it was to protect the whole galaxy?

"We're going with Blue One." Rancisis finally ordered. "May the Force be with us all."

The Separatists swarmed forward and the battle was finally joined.

=RK=

Bridge

Droid Command Ship Death at Dawn

Kamino

Ever since he got his updates, TK-51 had experienced many new emotions. The sheer frustration he was feeling after a week of slamming into the Republic forces defending Kamino and bouncing back was a new and most certainly not welcomed emotion.

Loses on both sides had been steadily mounting. Kamino had acquired two brand new orbital rings made exclusively by destroyed ships and shattered battle stations. While the enemy was slowly, surely losing, the price was proving almost too heavy. While the Confederacy could afford to spent incredible amounts of resources in order to neutralize this planet once and for all, TK-51 couldn't help it but notice that only droids were thrown in the first four assault waves. They did their jobs, shattered the enemy's outer defensive rings and all but a lucky few were destroyed in the process.

For the first time since being built, he found that fact worthy of resentment. TK-51 paused at that revelation and activated his self-diagnostic sub-routines before concentrating on the task at hand. He was part of the sixth assault wave and this one was going to break through to the planet. In fact, TK-51s role was a vital one. All the ships he had captured in previous engagements were repaired and chock full with advanced droids and the Confederacy's new allies. He was to simulate a running engagement while those ships attempted to seek safety with their friends protecting Kamino. Once in positions, they were going to disgorge all the ground forces they had and ram the closest juicy target.

That little deception was going to happen while the fifth assault wave was busy throwing itself against the last defense line and all remaining enemy ships, which were still too many for comfort.

It was a good plan. A few Republic battle groups evading CIS forces in the sector were able to reach Kamino in the last few days. Two actually fought their way to the planet losing most of their numbers in the process. One such incursion was the primary reason why the fourth assault wave got gutted instead of achieving its mission with acceptable loses.

There was just a single problem – TK-51 had qualms about the Confederacy's new allies. Jedi of all things. That they were supposedly from the Old Republic – well that bit of data didn't make him feel any better. Still, TK-51 was a Confederate Tactical droid with a mission and he was going to do it to the best of his abilities.

An alarm sounded. The plot updates showing ten Republic cruisers exiting hyperspace in a zone reasonably far away from CIS forces. TK-51 began issuing orders, including a calculation of hyperspace insertion coordinates in front of the new enemy. Letting them plausibly get away was going to be tricky.

=RK=

Part 4

=RK=

CIC

Republic cruiser Daring

High orbit over Kamino

Wilhuff Tarkin was a man running out of what little patience he had left. His homeworld had been under siege for weeks now with no world of what was happening there. His brother was there holding the line and he had no idea if Gideon was still alive. If the rest of his family was safe.

If that wasn't enough, someone in Republic intelligence had kriffed up by the numbers. There was supposed to be a single reinforced Separatist fleet assaulting Kamino. They could have stopped such a force. Instead they came knocking with thrice the expected numbers.

That was bad, however the combined Republic fleet and fortifications should have been enough to hold off the enemy for a long time. A month, perhaps more, unless they got heavy reinforcements and could afford to waste ships or the Jedi in charge went with an overly passive plan that saw both sides trading ships at a rate the Republic couldn't sustain.

"General Rancisis, if we continue trading ships with the enemy at this rate, we're going to lose the system." Tarkin growled at the Jedi. Why the did High Command put that madman in charge anyway?! Wilhuff had been pondering that question ever since Rancisis arrived. Why couldn't they sent Piell? The man might have been annoying as hell, however Tarkin couldn't deny his competence. "Give the order and I'll lead a counter attack against their next assault. If we bloody them bad enough we'll buy ourselves more time. Letting the enemy have the initiative and dictate the tempo of the engagement is suicide!" Tarkin snapped.

"General, I have to agree with the commodore." Admiral Kal finally saw sense and decided to support him. It was a week too long, however Wilhuff was going to take what he could.

"Thank you, admiral." He nodded in gratitude.

"The Separatist can't keep these assaults for much longer." Rancisis dismissed the suggestion. "We still have fleets pulling back to reinforce us."

"Fleets that are being chased by enemy forces that would at best make sure the overall situation doesn't change." Tarkin shot back.

"I will not sent our men to die pointlessly." Rancisis hissed.

"We've got another convoy coming back. I suggest we continue this discussion later." Kal stated after an aide got his attention.

Tarkin looked away from the holo images of the other officers and turned his head towards the holotank.

"Zoom out, we've got more strays coming home. I want to know how many and where they're." Wilhuff ordered.

"Aye, sir."

The image changed. Ten cruisers apparently got lucky. While they were obviously damaged, they arrived away from any nearby enemy forces that could immediately threaten them. If they were fast and lucky enough, they might even make it without being engaged.

"Which task force?" Tarkin asked. Thanks to ECM from enemy units between his ship and the newcomers, the IFF couldn't be read.

"We're analyzing now, sir." The officer in charge of the sensors reported.

Wilhuff frowned. They were out of position – it would take him longer to reach them than the newcomers would need to make another jump to the edge of the gravity well.

A minute passed while the convoy headed towards Kamino at maximum acceleration. Separatist units were moving to intercept them, but unless they could plot a hyperspace insertion coordinates in time, the survivors would make it.

Another minute was almost up and the hyperdrives should be ready soon.

"Sir, we've got preliminary analysis. We've got ships from multiple Task Forces..." The officer paused. "That can't be right..."

"What is it, commander?" Tarkin asked.

"At least one of those ships is reported lost, two more are from a battle group we lost contact with more than two weeks ago..."

Wilhuff's blood froze. Those weren't Republic ships. They were Separatist now…

"Give me a line to Kal and Rancisis now!" Tarkin snapped.

Long seconds passed. The ships came closer and closer, then a Separatist force jumped almost in their path, but not quite. The newcomers altered their vectors a bit to avoid collision and fire was exchanged. For a moment Tarkin thought he was mistaken, then shook his head. This was a masterful deception, nothing more.

"What is it, we're busy commodore!" Rancisis hissed angrily.

"It's a trap! Those ships are under enemy control!" Tarkin explained.

"That's why the enemy is engaging them?" The Jedi sneered. "Stop wasting my time, commodore!"

Tarkin grit his teeth when Rancisis cut off the channel. He looked at the holotank just in time to see the convoy vanishing.

"Captain, I want the task force advancing towards the flagship. We're being had." Wilhuff ordered.

Before he was finished, the cruisers appeared on the edge of the gravity well. They didn't alter their course but instead continued to accelerate. Separatist ships attempting such a stunt would have been blown to pieces. However no one opened fire on those units. Then the enemy jumped the gun and sent the next assault wave.

"Well done..." Tarkin nodded in grudging respect. He doubted that those cruisers would be stopped now. Not when a couple of hundred enemy ships thew themselves against the defenders as a distraction.

"Engage the enemy. Continue moving towards the Flagship. Have the local reserve take our place." Tarkin ordered.

A few seconds later he called sensor image of those cruisers. No one was shooting at them yet.

"Damned fools." Wilhuff grumbled.

Finally someone over there figured that something was wrong. Two Venators began maneuvering to avoid being hit. The pair of Gollan platforms that were targeted too had nowhere to go and weren't shooting yet, damn it.

Eight of the captured cruisers opened their hangars and began launching assault transports and Vultures to screen them. They also opened fire and only now Rancisis and company deemed fit to return the favor.

It was too little too late. The defending fleet couldn't leverage enough firepower at those cruisers to take them out in time. One slammed into Kal's Flagship and soon both of them were expanding clouds of debris. Another clipped Rancisis ship, yet didn't manage a mutual kill. Why the hell the decent man had to die while Rancisis likely survived?!

Tarkin wanted to scream in frustration.

Then to his utter lack of surprise things got worse. The two Gollan stations were hit by three Venators each and that was more than they could handle. Final defensive fire from nearby ships shot down some droid fighters and transports, though most of them passed through the shield and too damn many continued towards the surface under their own power.

The remaining rogue cruisers breached the atmosphere and began barely controlled glide towards the oceans below after being mostly disabled by the shield. Unfortunately they opened their hangars before that and more transports that were shielded by their motherships launched and began their descent.

As if all that wasn't a big enough disaster, the enemy sent three whole battleship divisions at the gap in the orbital defenses above Tipoca city.

"Is Rancisis reachable?" Tarkin asked.

"We can't raise the flag." The comm officer answered after a few tries.

"At least something good came out of this. Give me a fleet wide channel." Tarkin ordered. He took a deep breath and put his thoughts in order. "This is commodore Wilhuff Tarkin. Admiral Kal's ships was just destroyed and general Rancisis Flag took crippling damage. The Jedi Master is currently out of contact. I'm assuming command of the fleet. Contingency Arubesh Three is now in effect. All forces are to counter-attack if practical. First to third reserve squadrons, move in to plug the gap. I'm moving my battle group to assist." Wilhuff made a motion to cut the channel.

Tarkin sighed in relief. Now all he had to do was to deal with the enemy and ensure that Rancisis wouldn't be retaking command of the navy.

"Call Master Shaak Ti. I need to talk with her." If Rancisis was still alive, which was a given considering Tarkin's luck lately, he was going to ensure that the overgrown snake would be somewhere he could be actually useful – like down at the capital keeping at bay the enemy troops he allowed to land.

=RK=

Assault transport Omega 3

Kamino

Captain Romilda Vance sat strapped in her seat and wondered how the kriff she ended up in this kriffing mess. The war was supposed to be over, lost. Every fight, every sacrifice made irrelevant when the navy collapsed after a week of heavy fighting all across the galaxy leaving the Sith Empire victorious.

As if that wasn't enough, the small fleet bringing Havok Squad home, possibly one of the last battle groups that the Republic still had, suffered a hyperspace accident that somehow stranded them in a strange and terrible future.

Romilda grimaced. The news that everything they knew had been gone for thousands of years was too much after the defeat. It broke too many of the people who had survived everything the Sith could throw at them. Only figuring out that the Republic had preserved and controlled the galaxy stopped the wave of suicides and people who had simply given up and refused to live.

For a few days that news had injected life into the Remnant as they began to call themselves. That lasted just as long as it took to figure out that this so called Republic wasn't anything like they expected. Rampant corruption, inefficient Senate that was practically useless…

The command staff had gathered to decide what to do. There were a lot of angry people at that meeting. The Remnant needed a cause a reason to keep going and Master Perrion gave them precisely that. A goal. A cause to fight for.

Even now, a few years later, Romilda had no idea how the discussion had turned from talks of reforming the New Republic into finding a way to tear it down and rebuild it from the ground up. It wasn't something that happened suddenly. As the Remnant learned more about the Republic and talked with people on a dozen of worlds in the Outer Rim, they began seeing some uncomfortable things.

Then they heard about Count Dooku – a former Jedi leading a secessionist movement after being disgusted with the Republic. Feelers were sent, agents met him to hear his side. The tiding they brought was the final coffin. The Republic had been under the control of the Sith for years now. Dooku even presented some kind of proof, though Vance didn't see it herself. Once that become known across the Remnant, all of them were outraged. Felt the betrayal. After all they had suffered through, after all they had sacrificed and lost, finding a Republic controlled by the Sith was too much.

The Remnant had their cause. They had an enemy. It was that simple. The only snag was when Master Perrion found out that Dooku himself was a Sith too. That's when the Remnant almost broke beyond repairing. It was only the Jedi Master's charisma that got them through the last shattering blow. Romilda smiled at the thought. If it wasn't for Perrion being able to pull them through and give them a reason to go on, Vance was sure that even she would have bitten the blaster sooner than later.

When the Jedi Master spoke, everyone could hear the conviction in his voice. Everyone could see his point. The New Republic was a corrupt mess that needed to be torn down. The CIS wasn't much better with a Sith in charge.

Things became clear. They weren't sent into the future as a joke by a merciless universe. They were here to save the galaxy from the Sith and the corrupted monster that usurped their republic.

It all made sense. They got a noble reason to go on. To fight, to live.

Perrion was right too! The Remnant actions caused the Confederacy to overthrow the Sith leading them, making an alliance to save the Republic citizens from Dooku's master and that monster Vael possible.

That's why Romilda was here, in the back of an assault transport leading a company of Remnant special forces and a pair of Jedi attached to her command. They were going to cripple the New Republic's Clone production and retrieve the GAR's gene templates.

A victory on Kamino would be the first step in the open towards restoring the real Republic.

Romilda smiled and her eyes shone with a purpose. It was high time to show those cloned fakes what proper Republic soldiers were like.

=RK=

Part 5

GAR Command center

Tipoca City

Kamino

Shaak Ti rubbed her forehead and groaned. She wondered what the Council thought when they arranged Rancisis to be put in charge of the naval units in the system – if they thought anything at all.

"Commodore Tarkin, your request is approved. You have command of the fleet. When Master Rancisis is recovered, please send him down here. We need to have a chat." The younger Jedi Master said.

"Thank you, ma'am." Ti could feel Tarkin's relief.

"Can you spare some fighters? Too many of the enemy transports are going to reach Tipoca. We lack enough air assets and AA to stop the bulk of their forces before landing." The Jedi Master asked.

"I'll see what I can do, general. Our Torrent wings took a serious beating." Tarkin looked away. "Send in the rest of the reserve now! Concentrate on the leading battleships!" The commodore ordered. "General I'm afraid you might have even more Separatists to deal with shortly. They're throwing everything they've got in the breach and hitting us all across the line. I'm not sure I have the assets to prevent the enemy from gaining and holding a foothold in orbit."

"May the Force be with you, commodore Tarkin. Do your best, that's all I can ask for."

"Good luck, general. Tarkin out."

"Rex, the 501st is with me. We'll be the operational reserve." Ti said.

The Jedi waved a hand and the projection hovering in the middle of the room shifted to show a bird's eye view of Tipoca. There were a lot of red symbols coming down and too few blue ones rising to meet them.

"Give me camera feeds." The Jedi Master ordered.

One of the Clones manning the command center did so and windows opened in front of the general showing what was happening outside.

Missiles, both from the Torrent squadrons and AA emplacements rose to challenge the advancing enemy. The invaders responded in kind with all the leading Vultures opening their wings and revealing the ordnance hidden there.

The night sky was lit up by scores of explosions and then torn asunder as laser cannons opened up. A few hundred Vultures died screening the assault transport. The remaining droid fighters went after the surviving Torrents with a small number going in ballistic towards the city. The second group kept firing everything until they were either shot down or rammed into AA emplacements.

Even the CP shook a bit after a Vulture slammed nearby.

Next came the transports preceded by gunships which rained hellfire upon the city.

Shaak Ti frowned when she felt a shift in the Force. She raised a hand and without thinking used her power to manipulate the controls. One of the windows shifted angles and showed a Separatist assault transport. From this side it was obvious that its rear ramp was open. The camera caught it just in time to see two figures jumping out.

The Jedi Master leaned forward and stared intently at that pair. The Force whispered to her. They were important.

The camera followed them as they fell faster than mere gravity could account for. Suddenly they abruptly slowed down before slamming into a platform with an AA emplacement and a squad of Clones providing security. The troopers were thrown away like leafs on the wind and the weapon crumbled as if hit by giant hammer. The unknowns stood up from their landing and pulled out lightsabers which they promptly ignited.

Their blades were vibrant shade of blue.

Ti grit her teeth. Was this the Order's punishment for their hubris? The price they had to pay for tactically supporting a Sith Lord for months?

Those people were Old Republic Jedi! They should have been the Order's natural allies! Instead members of the Council chose to ally with Veil of all people…

"This is going to be unpleasant." Rex stated after seeing the Old Republic Jedi joining the fray.

"Tactical teams led by Jedi taking out strategic objectives leading to the fall of whole planets..." Ti hissed. That's what Veil told her about the Jedi of old.

Damn that man and his manipulations! It was because of him and the incompetence of the Council that she was forced to go out at fight fellow Jedi.

"Lucky us." Rex muttered.

=RK=

Outer landing platforms

Tipoca City

Kamino

Making an aerial insertion was still a rush even after hundreds of jumps. The only thing Romilda regretted was that she couldn't actually feel the air rushing around her thanks to the power armor encasing her. However, the capabilities of her suit more than made up for that minor inconvenience.

Her HUD updated with information from the IFF beacons of her people. More than two third of the company survived to make the jump and all were already in the air. Another update and the sensor suite of the armor began noting targets spread all across the landing platforms that were her first target.

The Jedi who jumped first were already landing and causing havoc. Now it was time for her unit to live up to its name. Vance designated targets for her shoulder mounted missile pod and activated the repulsor unit to counteract the recoil before firing. Six micro-missiles shot from their sheathe, then the pod detached and flew behind her.

The antigrav unit whined as it fought to slow Romilda's descent, giving her just enough time to see the platforms being engulfed in fire. There were hundreds of missiles shot from her company alone. By the time she landed, the resistance in the immediate area was confused and had lost most of its heavy weapons.

"Up and at them!" The captain shouted and charged over the bridge leading towards the next platform.

A pair of trooper who landed nearby joined her. One was a heavy weapons specialist who moved slower but compensated by suppressing the next platform with his assault cannon. The other was a marksman packing an anti-material rifle.

The only one who had a prayer of slowing them down was a Clone wearing one of their new heavy armors which were practically combat exo-skeletons. The man had a laser cannon of his own and shot at Romilda who dodged by triggering her repulsor unit once she saw him aiming at her. One shot was all he could do before being staggered by a sniper round that shattered his shields and dented his armor. Vance finished him off with a burs from her own weapon meant to deal with heavy infantry. The Clone's armor was simply insufficient to deal with that much firepower. His chest plate caved in and the man was instantly cooked.

Securing the next platform was as simple as disposing of a couple of wounded Clones before making sure that the AA emplacement there would not fire again. After that, Romilda charged over the next bridge.

The sheer shock of the explosive entry combined with almost unrestricted air support and twenty Jedi was more than enough to see the outer platforms fall in a short order. The enemy rallied up and put a stiffer resistance only when they reached the city itself where the Clones blew up the bridges leading to the outer platforms.

That was a mere inconvenience for the Old Republic special forces and their Jedi allies, however most of the droids were going to have trouble crossing until an engineering section could rig new bridges of someone figured a way to improvise.

Well, there were always the still intact transports hanging back until the AA in the area was properly dealt with…

"This will be interesting." Romilda smiled when he reached the enemy positions.

The Clones were dug in and had the higher ground – they were positioned on balconies along the buildings across the blown up bridges leading towards the landing platforms. They had heavy weapons too – laser cannons, missile and rocket launchers and at least a third of them had the new weapons and armor being fielded by the New Republic.

This was the kid of problems Havoc, especially when backed up by Jedi, was meant to solve.

=RK=

"Captain, do you need a hand?" Newly promoted Jedi Knight Denii Strum asked after finally making her way to the frontline.

"We can use any assistance you can provide, Master Jedi." The power armored woman answered. "How good is your telekinesis?"

"Pretty good, why?" Denii answered.

"We can use some makeshift cover and a way across..." Captain Vance explained and then waved at the platforms behind them.

"Deploy smoke grenades, my team and I will do the trick." Denii nodded.

Seconds later, the whole area was covered by multispectral smoke clouds.

"You heard the captain, people. Follow my lead!" The Jedi Knight ordered.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. Her mind expanded, touched the Jedi around her and their wills merged. It wasn't a technique that could be used for long or when under direct fire, thus the smoke, however for as long as it lasted…

One of the nearby landing pads, which was free from friendly forces began shacking when five Jedi concentrated their wills upon it. Its was torn away from its supporting pillar with a deafening screech of tortured metal then slowly flew above the heads of the Old Republic soldiers. It gained speed until it tore through the air with enough force to imbed itself in the building on the other side of the chasm.

Denii faltered from the spent energy, though she smiled at a job well done. Only a couple of meter long gap was left between the closest platform and the one now sticking from under the enemy position. Short enough for the Commando droids to jump through from a running start and trivial for Jedi and power armored troopers to cross.

Strum carefully extracted herself from the meld and sighed in relief when she felt the rest of her unit were all right if a bit tired.

"That's more than good enough, Master Jedi! GO, GO, GO!" The captain ordered and she led the charge.

Denii grinned at the praise and sprinted after the older woman.

=RK=

Part 6

CIC

Republic cruiser Daring

High orbit over Kamino

Daring shook as she glided over the edge of Kamino's shield. She and her consorts flew so close to the energy barrier that the electromagnetic field produced by it compromised their stability. Their deflectors were at maximum power, slowly draining due to the interference however it was all worth it to pull of a tiny bit more speed from the Venators.

Tarkin's battle group was still a minute out of range from the Separatist battleships exploiting the hole torn into Kamino's defenses. Twenty Lucrehulks were advancing at the gap which the remaining Gollan stations couldn't properly interdict. Over a hundred escorts were screening the battleships, taking hits, going into ramming runs and putting a deadly Umbrella barrier in place.

The reserve squadrons – built from a single Venator with light cruiser and frigate escort were entering the fray in a desperate attempt to plug the hole. Tarkin was racing there too, however he was sensing that it might already be too late.

Munificents shattered under the crossfire of multiple cruisers, a swarm of Vultures threw itself into the gap, a Venator was mission killed when twenty frigates concentrated their forward weapons on it.

Tarkin tore away his gaze from that engagement and looked at the bigger picture. The rest of the assault was more cautious, obviously meant to pin down the bulk of the Republic fleet while the Separatist could exploit the opening.

Two days ago it wouldn't have worked. Then Tarkin could have sent in reserves that were wasted by Rancisis. Even yesterday morning he would have something more to work with.

"Damn you!" Tarkin hissed. He clutched his fist so hard that he could no longer properly feel his fingers.

He looked back at the gap in time to see the Munificent formation opening and spreading out to clear the battleship firing lanes. Half of those frigates were still intact when they should have been gutted. The reserve finally got into position, caught seven of the Munificents into crossfire and promptly shattered them. The three battle groups were in place, however the same was true for the battleships.

"All units above Tipoca City with the exception of the reserve force are to attack immediately. Push out the enemy and move in to englobe the Separatist battleships, then concentrate fire on them. No less than ten cruisers per Lucrehulk!" Tarkin ordered. "Captain, bring the battle group fifteen degrees up then straighten our course. Primary targets are the frigates and light destroyers. Once we're clear coordinate fire on the closest battleship!"

Whole Venator divisions and their escorts surged forward. That bold move caught the enemy by surprise after a week long passive defense. The Separatist escorts failed to react fast enough to the changed situation and a third of them were caught out of position and wiped out before the rest could consolidate and form a proper formation.

Whoever was in charge of the battleships reacted promptly. He kept half of them going towards the planet, while the rest changed vectors as fast as they could and moved to attack the Republic forces attempting to trap them.

At last Tarkin's cruisers were in range and they opened fire at the enemy escorts. Munificents and Recusants began dying faster. Their broadsides lacked enough punch to even slow down the armored fist falling upon their formation.

A minute later, Tarkin's battle group was through, leaving a thrice their number of gutted escorts in their wake.

That was a long time for the reserve battle groups. Even combined, they had the firepower to barely take out a single battleship. The ten coming at them – the only way to stop them was by taking a page from the Separatist's playbook and attempt a ramming run. They couldn't run, couldn't hide and standing meant dying a bit slower. The reserves flew straight at the enemy, maneuvering so their formations came at the Separatists one after another and thus using the ships in front as shield.

Whoever thought of that needed a medal. Promotion too if they were lucky to survive.

The Lucrehulks weren't maneuverable enough to evade and were already in Kamino's gravity well so escaping was out of the question. Their answer was simple – reverse thrust to slow down the approach and fire everything. The reserves ran straight into what looked like a wall made of red turbolaser fire. The leading battle group simply disintegrated and it was soon followed by the second. The third plowed through the debris of their comrades, some of the lighter ships going out of control thanks to the collisions.

The light escorts died first, simply torn to pieces from the ceaseless barrages. The light cruisers fared a bit better, though they too shattered under concentrated fire. That left a single Venator approaching the leading Lucrehulk. The cruiser's shields were on fire and soon popped up like a soap bubble touching open flame. Turbolaser fire racked the Venator, yet it was too late. It came in firing all the way and all three battle groups were unleashing all their firepower upon that single Lucrehulk forcing it to keep its deflectors up and particle shielding at minimum power.

The Venator flew through the gap in the outer hull and struck the battleship in the center of the sphere containing its vital systems. Even the Lucrehulk's heavy armor couldn't survive such an impact. It caved and the cruiser plunged deep into the battleship's guts. The sheer momentum of the impact pushed the larger craft up and backwards before its reactor went critical and both ships went up in a blinding explosion.

That sacrifice wasn't in vain. Tarkin smiled coldly when he managed to tear his gaze away from the last stand. His plan worked! The counter-attack was successfully and multiple battle groups were in position to surround the enemy battleships. The only downside was that the nine closet to Kamino were going to unload all the droids on board and send them down before he could do anything about them.

Tarkin sighed. That was less than ideal, yet the best he could do. Now he had to maul those Lucrehulk before the enemy could muster a rescue force and get them out of the improvised trap.

"Angle us down five degrees, cut engines and all non-essential power and transfer that energy to forward weapons and shields!" Tarkin ordered.

=RK=

Outer landing platforms

Tipoca City

Kamino

Denii used the Force to vault over the parapet at the balcony where the New Republic soldiers had taken position. When she landed, the young Jedi Knight was surrounded by both a Force barrier and a shield emitted by her custom light power armor meant for exclusive Jedi use.

Those defenses bought her the necessary few moments to gain her bearing and concentration so she could sweep the whole area off enemy soldiers by sending powerful telekinetic shock-waves to her sides. Most Clones were thrown clearly off the balcony, with a few unlucky souls bouncing between the railing and the walls before finally crashing for the last time. Moments later, more Remnant Jedi and troopers came up and began fanning in all directions.

Clones away from the affected area attempted to bottle them up only to face strike teams led by veteran Jedi who could withstand the firepower leveled their way and then some. The troopers protected by the Knights wasted no time in shooting up any resistance and the advance continued without slowing down.

Without proper anti-Sith or well Jedi tactics, all the Clones had on their side were numbers and firepower. Given the battlefield they fought only the latter mattered in the short term and the New Republic forces were soon figuring out that properly supported Jedi Knights were a nightmare to deal with.

Some of them even lived long enough to tell the tale.

Denii herself was on point followed by captain Vance's command squad and half a platoon of the expanded Havoc squad, which was now a company sized formation.

The Jedi Knight soon fell in a pattern she was familiar with from the war against the Sith; deflect the incoming blaster bolts or tank them with a Force based barrier; sent back to sender any missiles, rockets and grenades coming her way and either reflect heavy laser shots, take out those weapons before they could fire at you or simply don't be where they aimed when they finally took a pot shot at you. She would have been in some amount of danger in a more open battlefield, however that simply wasn't the case in Tipoca City. The firing lines were restricted and usually funneled the enemy into coming from a single direction. Havoc dealt with anyone audacious enough to attempt a flanking maneuver, which left Denii with a reasonably simple job – to act as a mobile cover for the troopers behind her.

That was something her Guardian training covered extensively as a Padawan and she had some experience against people familiar with the tactic and knowing how to counter it.

She knew the Clones were going to learn sooner rather than later. It was inevitable.

It was going to make no difference for this fight.

Denii turned the corner to face another strong point at the end of rigged to blow hanging bridge. The Clones stationed there opened fire with everything they got – blaster, two heavy repeaters as well as a pair of grenade launchers.

"Morris, do your thing!" Denii ordered the best telekinetic in her team.

"I'm on it!" The human youth exclaimed.

Denii concentrated on the task at hand. Her lightsaber became a blur as she drew more Force energy into her body in order to enhance her reflexes. The world around her slowed down allowing her to meet every single shot coming her way, though the firepower was enough that she couldn't spare the effort to properly reflect it back.

Meanwhile the grenades froze over the bridge then suddenly flew back even faster and before the Clones could react their position disappeared behind multiple explosions. A heartbeat later, all the explosives attached to the bridge were rudely torn from it and hurled away before someone had the presence of mind to detonate them.

At least they made for nice fireworks.

The enemy should have set them up to blow at the first sign of tampering – doing so would have one way or another slowed down the advance.

Denii waved for one of the other Jedi to take point until she could take a breather. She waited for the first couple of squads to cross the bridge and followed suit in the middle of the formation. Soon enough Denii would recover and take point again. After Tython she was eager to make those serving Vael pay for what he did to her master.

=RK=

GAR Command center

Tipoca City

Kamino

"We need to slow down their advance." Rex said. "Set up crossfires, call in air support and all indirect fire assets… That might work..." He thought aloud.

He wondered if that's how the Separatists felt when they had to deal with a GAR unit led by a Jedi, then dismissed the idea. What he was seeing over the cameras was worse. Those enemy Commandos were acting as if they had been working with the Jedi for years, perhaps decades. So far nothing the forward deployed GAR elements did besides blowing up bridges and wrecking as much as possible of the buildings to deny easy access seemed to slow them down.

"We're fresh out of air support, boss." Fives pointed out.

"Here..." Shaak Ti spoke after zooming in the map of the city floating in the middle of the chamber. "I feel this is the most dangerous enemy unit. We need to stop them now."

"Plan?" Rex asked.

"Let them enter that building, its the fastest route towards the cloning facilities and they're making a beeline for them. We'll be ambushing them inside. I'll keep their Jedi..." Shaak Ti spat the word as if it was a curse, "on me. You'll hit the Commandos as hard as you canthen try taking their Force Adepts from behind. Attack from multiple angles and directions at the same time. Gear up on what sonic weaponry we have in the armory before we leave."

"That's it?" Boomer chuckled. "I like it. Its simple so its harder to get kriffed up."

"There's a whole droid army coming for us. Unless we stop those people from gaining a bigger foothold in the city, Tipoca will be lost soon and that's unacceptable." Shaak Ti snapped. "Armory, now!"