//------------------------------// // Chapter 32: Storm Over Ryloth // Story: Star Wars: The Great War // by ShootingStar25 //------------------------------// It is a rough road that leads to the height of greatness. Recap: Planet Ryloth invaded, subjected to a brutal droid occupation. The people of Ryloth are starving under the blockade of a Separatist fleet. Evil Separatist leader, Wat Tambor, now rules with an iron fist. Answering a plea from the Senate, the Grand Army of the Republic mounts a bold offensive to liberate the system. It is up to Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka, along with Storm and Twilight Sparkle, to make way for Obi-wan's ground assault. In the space above the planet, Ryloth. There was a Separatist blockade that was guarding the planet against any Republic forces that would try to rescue the citizens below. The person in charge of this blockade was being contacted by Wat Tambor. "Captain, are prepared?" asked Wat Tambor to the Neimoidian named Mar Tuuk. "Our blockade is impenetrable. When the Republic attacks, they will get quite a surprise," said the Neimoidian Captain with a grin as he stroked his chin. "I'm counting on you, Captain. We cannot allow the Republic to invade this planet," said Wat Tambor. The transmission then ended. In hyperspace, there was a cruiser traveling. Onboard were our heroes as they were looking to break through the blockade so that Kenobi could have a clear path for his assault. "Sir, we're coming out of hyperspace," said one of the men at his station. "Prepare for battle. Raise the shields," said Admiral Yularen. Three cruisers now emerged from hyperspace as they gathered close. In the hangar, several ships were getting ready to take off. "All ships prepare to launch," said the voice over the P.A. An R2 unit was being loaded into a ship as inside the pilot's seat was Ahsoka. The little droid gave the girl a beep. "This is my first time commanding a squadron, R7. Let's make a good impression," said the Padawan. The droid rotated its head to look at her and gave a beep. "Of course, I'm not nervous," said the girl. "Besides, she's not gonna be alone," said Twilight as she approached their ship and petted the droid's head. "I'm going as second in command. If she's struggling with anything, I'll offer advice. Trust me, I was in the same position when Celestia put me in charge of leading a squadron when I was a Padawan." "So, any advice. Not that I'm nervous or anything. Just... want to make sure that this mission goes off without any problem," chuckled Ahsoka nervously. "Make sure you have a clear head, and if anything happens that we can't deal with, pull back and regroup," said Twilight as she sat on the nose of the ship next to R7 as she petted the robot like a pet. "Also, don't do anything either Storm or Anakin would do." "Drive recklessly and disobey orders," stated Ahsoka with a sly smile. "Pretty much," smiled Twilight with a similar expression. "I heard that Sparky!" shouted Storm. The girls turned their heads as they saw the boys approaching them. "Hey, Snips. This is it, your first command. Don't be nervous," said Anakin as he too leaned on the ship. "I wish everyone would stop saying that," said Ahsoka as it felt like they were trying to say she wasn't ready. "The men you're commanding are depending on you with their lives," said Storm. "Thanks. That takes the pressure off. If I wasn't nervous before, I sure am now," said the girl to her pals. "Hey, we have faith in you," said Anakin. "I wouldn't send you out there if I didn't think you could handle it." The boys then began to walk as Anakin stopped to say one last thing to the girls. "May the Force be with you." "I won't let you down..." said Ahsoka quietly as the boys walked away. "I hope." "I'll be there if you need help," said Twilight as the girls smiled. Twilight then left to board her personal fighter as she took a deep breath. She sat in the cockpit as her comlink was going off. "Yes?" "Just... wanted to say, be careful, Twilight. Don't... you know... blow up or anything. Don't want Celestia to beat my ass because, well..." "I won't," giggled the lavender girl at how her partner was worried about her well-being. "Good... well then, good luck. If Ahsoka panics or something goes wrong, take over, okay." "She's gonna be fine. And hey,... thanks for... being concerned about me," said Twilight. "You're my partner. Plus, that promise we made. May the Force be with you," said Storm. "May the Force be with you," replied Twilight as she turned off her comlink. The girl's ship lowered the shield as she started up her engines. "Okay, you boys ready?" asked Ahsoka to her squad. "This is two-- Axe. Ready when you are Skipper," said the pilot. "Ready on three. This is Slammer, over." "Ready on four. Kickback checking in, over." "Swoop to Blue Leader, Group Two is standing by, over." "Tucker on five. Waiting for mother bird, over." With the rollcall over, Ahsoka now began to exit out of their waiting stations and onto the runway. The rest of the ships and Twilight soon followed the girl as they exited the hangar doors and were now in space. They followed the Padawan as they were heading towards the Separatist blockade. "Commander." "Yes, Captain?" said a droid. "Launch all fighters," said the Neimoidian. "Roger, roger." The vulture droids on top of the Separatist's ships transformed and took off. They were now flying towards the small group of Republic ships as they looked to intercept them. The boys had made it to the bridge as they prepared to watch the girls in action. "Tell Ahsoka and Twilight the fleet is ready," said Anakin. "Commanders, you're all clear." "Thank you, Admiral. Keep the cruisers back until we soften them up," said Ahsoka. "Well, R7, are you ready for some action?" The droid gave a beep. "Remember, Ahsoka," said Twilight over the radio. "I got it, Twilight. Axe, keep your squadron back and wait for my signal." "You got it, boss," said the pilot. "Here we go," stated Twilight to the fighters as they zoomed ahead. Both sides were moments away as they began to fire as they closed in. A field of blue and red lasers could be seen with some small explosions as the two sides were now fighting. "All right, boys. Let's clear a path," said Ahsoka. "Right away, sir," said Axe. "Don't forget to pick your targets," added Twilight to the pilots as they listened to the lavender girl's orders. The small strike force was now taking out any droids in their path as they blew up. On the cruiser, the boys and the Admiral were listening in on the comlinks as they overheard all the chatter of the squad as they talked over each other. That alone, got the Jedi Knights to make a face as they turned back to look forward. On the main enemy ship, the Neimoidian Captain had a hologram image of the cruiser as he recognized who it belonged to. "That is General Skywalker's flagship. He is leading this attack," said the captain. "Sir, their fighters are closing fast," said a B1 droid. "Patience. Let's see what trickery the Jedi have planned for us," said the enemy leader. The battle still raged on as the girls and their squad were doing their best. They managed to take down some more droids as they had created a path. "We've got their fighters occupied. Axe, time for us to make a run for the battleship," said Ahsoka. "Come on, you whiners. Let's get dirty," said Axe to his men. They were now heading towards the girls to execute the next part of their plan. "Sir, a squadron of fighters are attacking," said the commander droid. "They have a clear path right to us." "Now is the time to bring in our reinforcements," said the captain. "Battlecruiser 17. Battlecruiser 19. Attack position." said a droid. On cue, more Separatist ships appeared behind the blockade as they managed to spring their trap on our heroes. "Admiral, four more enemy cruisers have joined the blockade," said a nearby clone. "Shit," said Storm as he saw they fell for a trap. "We've got to warn those fighters," said Admiral Yularen as he began to contact the girls. "Commanders, we've been caught in a trap." "Trap?" said Twilight as she looked ahead and saw the four huge ships that weren't there before. "You're overreacting, Admiral. I can get us through," said Ahsoka. "Blue Squadron, stay the course." "We're all set, Blue Leader," said Axe. "Ahsoka, it's not worth it," said Twilight over the channel. "We'd best pull out to avoid any significant losses." "I've got this, Twilight," said the Padawan as she was ignoring the orders given by the admiral and the Jedi Knight. "I'm ordering you to return to the ship. We're going to need your help," stated Admiral Yularen. "Do something, Anakin!" said Storm to his friend with a stern look as he was hoping he could get Ahsoka to listen to reason. "Ahsoka, it's too risky. Get your pilots out of there," said the Jedi Knight to his student. "Sir, we've got their fighters surrounded," said a droid as he looked at their map as it showed their dots circling the girls and their forces. "Good," chuckled the captain. "She's not turning around," said a nearby clone. "Did you train her not to follow orders?" asked Admiral Yularen to Anakin. "Apparently not, but I know Twilight will," said Storm as he approached the channel. "Twilight, can you hear me? You need to pull out your forces now! Take over command." "Copy that, Storm," said Twilight. The lavender girl knew the situation as she began to seize control of the mission. "This is General Sparkle. Fall back to the cruisers," said the girl as most of the other fighters listened to the higher ranking Jedi as they listened. However, Ahsoka still had some pilots with her as she was determined to carry out the mission. "Axe, are you still there? Come on, boys, stay in formation," said the Padawan. "I've got two on my tail. I can't shake them," said Axe as he was trying to evade. "I can't help you, Axe. I got my own problem," said Tucker. Another droid was chasing the pilot as it began to fire. It swerved trying to dodge the blasts until one of them made contact with the ship. It then shot the wings of the ship as it exploded as the ship was destroyed. Back with the cruisers, it wasn't good either as the droids were now kamikaze into the Republic cruisers to destroy them which was working. "We're far too outnumbered. They're breaking our lines," said the admiral as he looked out of the ship's windows. "Ahsoka, we are in trouble. I order you to get back here!" shouted Anakin. "All right, all right. Let's go, squad. Pull back to the command ship," said the girl in a soft, hushed tone. "Why are we retreating?" asked Axe. "We're not retreating. We're following orders," clarified Twilight as she looked out of her ship's glass to look at Ahsoka. The girls and the rest of the pilots now turned around as they headed back. The droids were still sacrificing themselves as they bombarded the cruisers as small explosions were going off everywhere on the large ship. Inside, the crew and the boys could feel the rumble as did their best to not fall. "Intensify deflector shields," said Admiral Yularen. "There are too many. We can't shoot them all down," said a nearby pilot. "Fighter Squadron, where are you?" shouted the admiral. "Cool your jets, Admiral. We're almost there," said Ahsoka. "You should have listened when we told you, and you would already have been here!" shouted Storm as he didn't like the girl's tone. "It's too late!" said the Admiral. "Run for it!" shouted Anakin. They saw a droid heading straight for the bridge as the boys and the crew were now running away. It collided as the glass held but it caused the whole unstable ship to now start tipping over as it was going down. "Admiral, come in. Admiral!" stated Ahsoka unaware of what just happened. "Hang on, Admiral," said Anakin as he and Storm were bent down at the injured man. "Get us out of here," said the admiral as he fell unconscious. "Get those fighters on board and prepare for lightspeed!" shouted Anakin to the crew. "Ahsoka, you no longer in command!" said Storm through the channel as he contacted the squad. Safe to say, that got the girl to gasp. "Twilight, you're in charge. Get your ass here, now!!" "Understood," said Twilight with a firm tone as she obeyed the order given by her partner. "All fighters return. They're preparing for lightspeed," said Twilight. "Do you understand, Ahsoka?" "Uh, right," said Ahsoka as she was still shaken. "Axe, stand on it. We've only got a few seconds to get on board." "Don't worry about me, Skipper," said the pilot. "Captain, the Republic space forces are in retreat. Shall we pursue them?" asked a droid. "No, do not break our formation," said the captain. "Let those cowards rot." "Ah, my power converters, they're falling," said Axe. "Just stay with me, Axe," said Ahsoka. The fighters were just moments away from reaching the cruisers as they were trying to avoid the enemy fire behind them. Three droids were on the clone pilot as he was trying to evade them, however, his systems were starting to heat up. "Overload, overload," said the clone as soon his ship was shot. It spun out of control and exploded. "Axe!" shouted Ahsoka as she managed to lose another one of her allies. The squad now made it back to the ships as the hangar doors opened. "Close up the hangar doors. We're home," said Twilight as she was the last one to enter. "Jump to lightspeed!" shouted Anakin as the men obeyed his order. The ship jumped into space. Out of the three cruisers they brought, only two survived as the droids managed to destroy one of them when the girls were retreating to their lines. Storm slammed his fist on the control panel as the sound didn't go unnoticed by Anakin as he couldn't blame his pal for what he was thinking. Once our heroes had made it to a safe space, they began to recollect themselves. The boys were in the hangar as they were talking with the pilots that survived. "Get your squad together. We need a head count," said Anakin. "We need to know how many we lost today," stated Storm. The clones nodded as they left. The boys then looked as they saw Ahsoka was sitting on her ship. Twilight was nearby as she was trying to show some support to her friend. The pair now began to march over to them as along the way, Storm grabbed a small chair that was nearby. "Boys," said Twilight as she got up and saw them. "At ease, Sparky," said Storm as he held a stern look. "What's with the chair?" asked the bookworm as it got Ahsoka to look up also. "This," said the Jedi Knight as he held the object up. Not a second later did he throw, and as hard as he could, he flung it against some nearby crates as it ricocheted off and made a gunshot sound go off. The force along with Storm's power when he threw the object actually made the chair bend and crack off the top half. Twilight was scared as she brought her hands to cover her mouth as she saw the sight before of how pissed off her partner was. "That shit is never gonna happen again!" shouted Storm to Ahsoka as he pointed to where he threw the chair. "Do you understand!!?" The Padawan just nodded as he put her head down and remained silent. "Ahsoka, I am very disappointed in you. You not only disobeyed the Admiral, but you also disobeyed me. As well as your superior officers," said Anakin with a stern look as he was also talking about how she ignored the calls from both Storm and Twilight. "I thought I could knock off those battleships so when Master Obi-wan arrived, he could get through," said Ahsoka. "Yeah, and look at what happened," said Storm as Twilight couldn't help but feel her partner was being a bit harsh to their friend. "I know you meant well, Snips, but there's a bigger picture that you're not aware of," shouted Anakin. "First rule of war, listen and obey your superiors!" "But sometimes you two get carried away," countered Ahsoka. "All that means is that I understand what you're going through," said Anakin as he put his hand on his Padawan's shoulder. "But I failed," said the girl. "It was a trap, Snips. It wasn't your fault." "I lost so many of my pilots." "Take heart, little one. That's the reality of command," said the Jedi Knight as the girl put her head down. "Generals, we're approaching our staging area," said Rex as he appeared behind the boys. "Very good, Captain," said Anakin as he spoke to Rex while looking at Ahsoka. "Master Windu, Master Kenobi, and Master Luna are requesting a report on our progress," said the clone commander. "Oh, shit," said Storm as he knew that three Jedi Masters weren't going to like what they had to report. "Our progress, huh?" said Anakin as he too had a similar feeling as Storm. "Well, we haven't made any progress yet." "I'll tell them, sirs." "No, Rex, we'll tell them ourselves," said Storm to the clone. "It'll be our fault we failed," said the boy as he gritted his teeth for Ahsoka to hear they were covering for her. "As soon as we tend to our wounded, get me a damage report," said Anakin. Ahsoka had left while the boys were talking as Twilight saw her friend vanish. "Right away, sir," replied Rex as he left. "Now, Snips. I'm gonna need you to..." The boys turned as they saw only Twilight. Anakin had a concerned expression on his face as he left. Storm was left with Twilight as the two partners looked at one another. Neither said anything as they knew what Ahsoka might be going through, regardless they had a mission to carry out. The boy left as he knew Luna was going to have an earful when they broke the news to them. "Sparky, until further notice. You're in charge," said Storm. Twilight nodded as the boy left. In the Separatist ship, Tambor was contacting Tuuk. "Captain, what is the status of the enemy attack?" asked Wat Tambor. "The Jedi were crushed, of course. They fled the system, their ships in flames. I assure you, Emir, our blockade is very much intact." "Congratulations are in order, Captain. But do not underestimate the Jedi." The transmission ended. The Neimoidian Captain leaned back in his chair as he put his hand to his chin. "Commander, bring me the archive data on General Skywalker. I need to learn more about our opponent." "Roger, roger." With our heroes, both boys were currently talking with the Jedi Masters. The other Republic cruiser was shown in flames as it had taken some damage when they retreated. "They caught us by surprise, Master. We were outnumbered," said Anakin to Obi-wan. "How many men did you lose?" asked Kenobi. "We lost a cruiser, the Redeemer, plus an entire squadron of fighters," informed Storm. "And your Padawan?" asked Luna. "No, uh, Ahsoka is fine. She's just recovering from the battle. Losing her squadron was hard to take." "Give her time, but, Anakin, you will need her help if you're going to get through this," said Obi-wan to his student. "I know." "Your forces have been cut in half, Skywalker and Storm. If you can't break that blockade before the next planetary rotation, we will have to postpone the invasion," stated Windu to the Jedi Knights. "The Twi'leks on that planet can't wait forever, Master," stated Storm. "The longer the Techno Union keeps control of Ryloth, the more difficult it will be to free them," said Anakin. "I agree. We don't have much time," said Luna to the boys. The three Jedi Masters all gave a nod as they disappeared. "Rex, see if you can find Ahsoka." The girls were in the med bay area. Ahsoka was sitting next to Admiral Yularen who had a headband wrapped around his forehead. Twilight was standing behind her friend as a medical droid came in to check on the man. "He is stable for now," said the droid as it left. "Admiral, I'm so sorry," said Ahsoka as she saw the man unconscious in front of her. She then grabbed his hand to offer comfort. "They're all gone." "Commander Ahsoka, General Skywalker is looking for you," said Rex as the door opened and he saw the girls. "Let's see what the boys want," said Twilight as they followed Rex. The Admiral had opened his eyes as the girls left. In the hangar, Anakin was currently working on a fighter. Storm was leaning against the ship as he handed a tool to his pal as the Jedi Knight rolled back under the ship. "No, R2, the other one," said Anakin as he rolled out from under the ship. The droid gave a beep as he handed the item to his pal. "Yeah, that's it. This'll do it." The girls then arrived as Storm tapped the hood of the ship to signal their partners arrived. "You wanted to see me, Master?" "Ahsoka, hand me that socket plug," said Anakin. "Here," said the girl as she grabbed the tool from R2 to her teacher. "Thanks, Snips. How are you feeling?" "Oh, I'm fine, Master, just fine." "Ah, that's good to hear," said Anakin. "We're gonna need you levelheaded if we're gonna pull this off." "Pull this off? Pull what off?" asked Twilight. "I talked to Master Windu. We are to proceed with our attack on the blockade," said Anakin. "What?" shouted Ahsoka. "Uh... we can't. I, I, I--" "Ahsoka, we have to break that blockade," said Anakin. "The Twi'leks on Ryloth are depending on us." "I understand that Master, but we've lost so many men. Did we get support?" asked the Padawan. "No, we have to make do with the forces we have, and we need to come up with a plan," said Storm. "You guys don't even have a plan?!!" shouted the girls in unison. "Chill out, Sparky!" "Don't worry, Ahsoka." "No. That's what you said last time, and now everyone's gone, my whole squadron." said the girl as she pointed at her teacher in defiance. "Ahsoka!" shouted Anakin. "We can't just smash through that blockade," said the girl with a scowl. Before the boys could respond, Anakin's comlink was going. The boy cast a glare at his Padawan as he answered it while looking at the girl. "Skywalker here." "General, the Defender is contacting us. There seems to be a problem." "Alright, Rex. We'll be right there," said Anakin as he ended the call. "Go back to your quarters and cool off!!" shouted the Jedi Knight to his student. "We'll finish this talk later." Ahsoka stormed off in anger as Twilight saw her friend leave. She looked back at Anakin as he sat down next to Storm on the fighter. While our heroes were coming up with a plan to break the blockade, the Separatist leader was doing his research. In his hands, he had a tablet as it had the info on Anakin. "Not a conventional Jedi, to say the least, it would seem. Hmm," said the captain as he stroked his chin. "Commander." "Yes, Captain?" said a B1 droid. "Prepare all cannons and send the droids to their battle stations." "Yes, sir," said the droid as he was walking when he stopped. "Um, Captain, are we under attack?" "No, but if Skywalker's record indicates anything, he'll be back," said the captain. An alarm was going off inside of the Republic cruiser. Clones were seen running down the hall as Ahsoka heard the sound and opened the door to her quarters. "Trooper, what's going on?" asked the girl. "The starship Defender is being evacuated, sir." "Evacuated? Why?" "I'm not sure, Commander. We're on our way to help General Skywalker and General Storm in the hangar," said the clone as he took off with the last bit of clones that ran by. In the hangar, Anakin and Storm were busy giving orders to the men. All around, the clones were loading stuff onto ships. "All right, men, all right. This way. Come on. Move it," said Anakin as he stood on top of a crate. "Everybody move your assess!!" shouted Storm as that got the message loud and clear. Twilight was near the boys when she was noticed Ahsoka approaching them. "Master? I'm almost afraid to ask," said the Padawan. "I ordered the Defender evacuated," said Anakin. "I can see that. Why?" asked Ahsoka. "Well, actually, I got the idea from you," smiled Anakin. Ahsoka had a raised eyebrow as she looked at Twilight to which the girl shrugged. She then looked at Storm as she hoped the boy could explain what his buddy meant. "For the record, this was all his idea. I didn't have anything to do with it," said Storm. "Oh. Great," said the Padawan as she knew what that meant. "Rex, take over, will you?" said the Jedi Knight to his clone commander as he got on top of the box and directed traffic. The four Jedi now began to walk as Anakin was telling the girls the plan he came up with. "You said we couldn't just smash through the blockade. I decided that's partly true. You also implied that our plans put a lot of people at risk, and we agree with you on that one." said Anakin. "That's a first," said Ahsoka. "We decided the only way we can break the blockade is if I pilot the Defender right into their battleship and take out the commander." "What?" said Ahsoka. "By yourself? It's too risky," said Twilight. "Relax, Sparky. He's not gonna be alone, 'cause I'm going with him." "Even then!" shouted Twilight. "Storm, I've told you about doing something reckless. Do you remember that last time?" "I'm still standing, aren't I?" counted the boy. "That's not the point!" shouted the bookworm. "Don't worry, Twilight. We know what we're doing, besides this way, we're the only ones at risk," assured Anakin to the girl. "Besides, the Defender is damaged already." "You can't be serious, Master. You'll both die!" said Ahsoka. "No, we won't. Cause that's where you come in," said the Jedi Knight to his Padawan. "The enemy can't stop that ship from taking them out. R2, Storm, and I will get in an escape pod and jettison right before impact." "But the enemy fleet is right there," pointed Ahsoka. "We know. And we'll be pretty much defenseless in an escape pod, so we're depending on you girls to engage the remaining fleet with the combined forces we have here," said Anakin. "Master, I... uh... I can't," said Ahsoka as she put her head down. "If something goes wrong, I can't be responsible for--" "You are responsible, Ahsoka. These men are depending on you, and this time, so are we," said Anakin. "But, Master, last time, I--" "Attention! Everyone, attention!" shouted Anakin as he was calling all of the clones as they formed a group in front of the boys. "All right, men, listen up. Me and Storm are taking over the Defender, and we're leaving Commander Ahsoka in charge." "She'll lead the second half of the mission when we engage what's remaining of the blockade," stated Storm. "Try to leave some ships for us, Generals," stated Rex as he punched his fist. "Will do, Rex," chuckled Anakin to his buddy. "Now Commander Ahsoka will fill you in on the full plan." "Boys, wait," whispered Ahsoka. "Good luck," said Anakin as he gave a wink to his student. The boys turned to board the ship when Storm was stopped. He turned around as Twilight had managed to grab his hand before he entered the ship. The boy saw the girl as the look on her face was one of concern. "Please, Storm. There's got to be another way." "Sorry, Sparky. But we're running out of time. Anakin convinced me to allow Ahsoka another chance to prove herself. So, I'm taking a risk. Besides, if you girls execute your part of the plan, then there's no need to worry about us." said the Jedi Knight. "But... what if..." said Twilight as she released her grip from his. "Hey, do you trust me?" asked Storm as he put his hand on her shoulder. The girl looked at her partner as she was staring at him. For the boy, he had one of his signature smiles that when Twilight saw it, meant that he was being genuine. And based on how much they've been through as a team, Twilight knew that smile meant he knew what he was doing. So with a deep breath, the Jedi Knight gave a nod to her partner. "All right, I trust you. Just... be safe. For my sakes, please," pleaded the girl. "Normally, I don't make promises I can't keep. But... this one... I'll make an effort," smiled Storm. Twilight looked to step forward to give a hug when... "No hugging," stated Storm as he turned and entered the ship. "Sorry," said Twilight as she got off the ramp. "Master..." called out Ahsoka as she saw the door close behind Storm. "Awaiting orders, Commander," said Rex as it got the Padawan to look at the many clones before. They all stood at attention, ready to listen to the Jedi. "I'll be on the bridge," said Ahsoka as she left quietly. "Well, you heard her, boys. Back to work. Come on. Move it. Move it." stated Rex as the clones kept on moving. The final ships were shown flying from the Defender as they approached the other Republic cruiser. The ships docked as the last bit of supplies were now being unloaded. The girls were now making their way to the bridge of the cruiser as the door slid open. Upon entering, Rex and the Resolute's clone navigator were present as they saw Ahsoka as they wanted to hear what the plan was. "Commander on deck," shouted Rex to the other clones on board as they all stood at attention. "At ease," said Ahsoka with a quiet tone. "General Skywalker is contacting you," said Rex as the girls approached the table. "All right, Ahsoka. We're ready to get underway," said Anakin as the hologram of him appeared. "Master, are you sure you won't reconsider this?" "This is the only way. Trust me." The transmission ended as in the distance in front of them, the ship the boys were on entered hyperspace and disappeared. "Better fill us in, Commander," asked Rex. "Right," said the Padawan as she and Twilight began to relay the boys' plan. While this was happening, the Separatists were having their own meeting. "Count Dooku has assured me the Republic forces are stretched thin in our sector. They should be unable to mount a counterattack. Any attempt to do so would be suicide." said Wat Tambor. "Still, I am certain this Skywalker will return," said the Captain as he read the Jedi Knight's file. "His ultimate defeat shall be my greatest victory." "You admire Skywalker?" "As a general, yes. His record shows he is a great warrior. And I want him to know it is I who has beaten him," smiled the Captain. Back with the girls, they had just finished relaying the details of the plan. "Well, I have to say, this plan is questionable," said Rex. "Yeah, but with their general destroyed along with their battleship, the droid commanders will be in chaos," said Twilight. "Only temporarily, and there's still General Skywalker and General Storm to find in all that mess," replied Rex. "I know, but--" said Ahsoka before she was cut off. "In our first attack, we had three fully armed cruisers, and we failed," said the clone navigator. "I wish General Skywalker had discussed this plan with us. The odds are very much against us," said Rex as Ahsoka still unsure about all of this. "They always are," replied the Padawan. "Yes, but normally we have General Skywalker and General Storm to lead us in--" said the clone navigator as he then looked at the girls, particularly Ahsoka. "I meant no offense, Commander." "None taken," replied the girl. The Defender has exited from hyperspace as it was now floating in front of the Separatist blockade. It didn't go unnoticed by the enemy as they saw the ship approaching them. "Sir, an enemy ship is emerging the hyperspace," said a commander droid. "I knew he'd return," said the captain. "There's an incoming transmission, sir," said the droid as he noticed their comlink channel beeping. "Ah, put it through," said the captain as he got up from his seat and turned to the communicator screen behind him. "Is this on?" shouted Storm as he was tapping the camera unaware that it was live. "Hello? Anybody there?" said the boy as he now moved his eye to the camera. "Who is that?" said the captain as he wasn't expecting to see Storm. "I guess it is," replied the boy. "That's not how you do it, Storm. This is," said Anakin as he now began to adjust the camera. "I was told only Skywalker would be present. Who is that Jedi?" asked the captain. "He's apparently also in the report," said the droid as he showed the tablet containing Anakin's info as to the captain's surprise, the droid was right. "How did I miss that?" asked the captain as he grabbed the tablet and touched on Storm's profile as he saw the info of the teen boy. "Master Luna's student?" "Greetings, Captain. I'm Anakin Skywalker, General of the Grand Army of--" "I know who you are, Skywalker. As well as your little friend," said the captain as he gave the tablet back to the droid and addressed the two boys. "Well, our reputations precede us then," stated Anakin. "We've been ordered to surrender ourselves, the entire crew of this vessel, and our ship in exchange for safe passage of food and medical supplies to the people of Ryloth." "A noble gesture, Jedi. And your capture along with your friend would make me the envy of the Separatist fleet," said the captain. While the boys were negotiating/distracting the enemy, the girls and their allies were still discussing the plan. "Sir, even if Skywalker and Storm are successful and destroy the battleship, how will we stand up to the combined firepower of the remaining frigates?" asked the clone navigator. "I thought about that, and well, I have an idea," said Ahsoka with a bit of hesitation in her voice. "Go ahead, Commander," said Rex. Ahsoka then began to push some buttons on their holo map as she was moving the images to show her plan. "If we took the Resolute and angled her hull against the incoming frigates, the bridge and hangar deck would be relatively safe from their attack. We could draw them in and then use the bombers to outflank them. The bombers would be too fast, and they would be trapped." said the Padawan. "Hmm," replied Rex as he saw the images in front of him. "I'm not sure about this, Commander," said the clone navigator. "I... I think," hesitated Ahsoka. "If we were certain the shields would hold," said Rex. "Perhaps a different strategy. We need to take more time and plan," said the clone navigator. "No! We don't have any more time. Master Skywalker and Master Storm need me now. They need us now," stated Ahsoka. "The Commander is right," said a voice as approaching them behind was none other than Admiral Yularen as he was up and moving despite having the bandage around his forehead. "I know this strategy is very bold. But these circumstances call for drastic measures." "Then the strategy will work, sir?" asked the clone navigator to the Admiral. "Well, will it?" asked the Admiral to Ahsoka. "Yes, it will," responded the Padawan with a nod. The girls now began to set things into motion. As they were doing that, the boys were doing their part. Their ship was still heading towards the main vessel. "We have completed the scan of the enemy ship," said a droid. "And?" asked the captain. "The ship is heavily damaged. All power is diverted to the forward shields. There are only two life-forms on board." "What?" said the captain with his hands out to his side. "The ship is heavily damaged. All power is diver--" said the droid as he began to repeat what he said before being cut off. "No, you insolent scraphead. Skywalker, what treachery is this? You have nothing to bargain with," said the captain. "In that case, we'll be going. Oh, and you can still have our ship," smiled Anakin smugly as he was seen walking away from the camera. "And one final parting gift," said Storm as he made sure to give the middle finger to the camera as it shut off. "Uh, sir, there's a second Republic ship entering the system," said the commander droid as it got the captain to have his eyes widen. "She made it," said Anakin as he was seeing their allies arrive on the map. "Boost the engines and let's get out of here," "Already done," said Storm as he and R2 put the final touches on their plan. "When those two ships collide, they'll be chaos," said Ahsoka as the image of the map showed what would happen. "We need that time to get the boys' pod into the tractor beam." "Right, Commander," responded Rex. "I'll command the fighter squadron. Wait for my signal to begin the attack," said Ahsoka. "Yes, sir." "Ahsoka, you got this," smiled Twilight as the Padawan returned the gesture as she left through the door. "All cannons, fire! Fire!" shouted the captain as he saw the cruiser heading toward them. The boys were on the bridge when they saw the ship about to collide with their enemy. They now both turned as they were running with R2 to the escape pod. The boys entered as Storm used the Force to yank the blue astromech droid in as the droid gave his iconic scream as it shut behind them. The pod ejected from the main ship as they were now floating as they prepared to watch the fireworks about to go off. "We can't stop it. What should we do?" asked the commander droid to the captain. "You stay here. I'll be back," said the captain as he was walking away. "Oh, that's great," said the droid oblivious to what the captain really meant. The cruiser now collided with the head Separatist ship as an explosion was going off. The boys were sitting back in their chairs as they watched what was happening. "See I told you it would work," said Anakin to R2. The droid gave a beep to the boys as their comm channel was receiving a signal. "Skyguy, we're approaching your position. Standby for retrieval," said Ahsoka over the channel. "Right on time, Ahsoka," said Anakin. The cruiser now had the enemy in its sights. "I don't think they're going to attack, Commander," said Admiral Yularen to Ahsoka. "We'll have to retreat," relayed Rex. "No, wait. Remember, they are droids. They're just a little slow. They'll figure things out," said Ahsoka as she was in the cockpit of her ship. "I think the Captain left," said the commander droid as he had holograms of the other droid on the ships. "Who's in charge?" asked a droid. "Not me." "Not me." "What should we do?" asked a droid who was in a pilot's seat to the commander. "Begin attack," said the commander droid. The Separatist ships now began to fire at the Republic cruiser as it was turned on its side as the bottom of it was absorbing the shots. "Droids are attacking, sir," said the clone navigator. "Commander, on your order, commence flanking maneuver," said the Admiral. "Okay, boys, here we go. Follow my lead," said Ahsoka with confidence in her voice. The Padawan and the flight squadron now exited from the hangars as they were now outflanking the Separatist ships as they were taking them out. Ahsoka's plan worked as the enemy couldn't defend themselves. "We've been outflanked." "Affirmative," said another droid as soon his ship was destroyed and his image disappeared. "That a girl, Ahsoka," smiled Anakin at seeing his Padawan overcome her obstacle. "Where is the Captain? What's going on?" asked Wat Tambor. "He's in an escape pod," replied the commander droid. "Idiots! The blockade has been broken!" shouted Tambor. "Ah, where are those escape pods?" asked a droid. Soon their ship was turning on its side as it was destroyed. "Commander, the invasion fleet is coming out of hyperspace," said Rex to Ahsoka. At that moment, more Republic cruisers appeared. "Ahsoka, this is Obi-wan. May we begin our landing?" asked the Jedi Master as both Windu and Luna were with him on board. "Yes, Master. You're cleared for ground assault," replied the Padawan. "Should we even ask where the rest of Anakin's fleet is? Or why he and Storm are in an escape pod?" stated Luna looking at her fellow Jedi Masters. "That's probably for the best," replied Ahsoka to the Jedi Master. "Rex, that reminds me. Send a shuttle to pick the boys up." From the cruiser, a small shuttle was now heading towards the escape pod that the boys were in as they had been seating back and seeing all the action play out before their eyes. "Generals, you still there?" asked Rex through the comlink. "Yup, we're just sitting here watching the show," said Anakin as he put his hands behind his head. "Wish we had some snacks though. Oh, wait a minute, here are some. Thanks, R2," said Storm as he petted the droid's head. He then opened them as both he and Anakin began to munch on them. The shuttle now attached its cable as it pulled the pod inside. With the boys safe and sound, they were now flying back to their cruiser.