//------------------------------// // Making Plans // Story: The Dragon and the Force // by FenrisianBrony //------------------------------// Spike touched down just beside the Harmony, many of the Jedi milling around it cheering as he strode towards his ship, only to find himself waylaid by Revan, the man still wearing the mask. “I trust the matters you were attending to were concluded satisfactorily?” He asked expectantly. “They were actually,” Spike nodded. “How are matters here?” “The council have returned to Coruscant, but most of the Republic troops that accompanied them have stayed in orbit. A lot of the Revanchists are also in orbit,” Revan replied. “So what happens now?” “Well, Republic high command has been informed of our new status in the war, they’re calling us to a meeting above Arcadia to plan our next move. Now the council is out of our way, Jedi can be officially included in the battle rosters and sit in on command briefs.” “Good. I’ll prepare Harmony for launch. The Revanchists I brought with me can come aboard again if they want, but I don’t have any more room. Highest capacity I think the ship could take is two hundred and fifty, and that’s pushing it,” Spike nodded, before turning and walking up the ramp to his ship. “Spike?” Revan called out as the Dragon reached the airlock. “What is it?” Spike asked, turning around to face Revan. “Your friends, Corinna and Zule, you couldn’t have known. Don’t beat yourself up over it. In a way, they helped bring the council to us. Without that, we wouldn’t have been given true permission to join the war,” Revan assured him. “It doesn’t make it any less painful to be betrayed,” Spike muttered. “But still, it’s not your fault. Two hundred new recruits and one traitor isn’t a bad hit ratio,” Revan insisted. “I guess,” Spike agreed. “If that’s all?” “I’ll see you at Arcadia. The meeting is set for tomorrow at 1000, Coruscant standard time. Try not to be late.” And with that, Revan was gone, disappearing into the thinning crowd of Revanchists boarding other parts of Harmony, or heading for their own ships elsewhere on the planet. Most of the ships were small, little more than couriers or other small civilian ships, but they were armed and crewed by Jedi, and that made them deadlier than a lot of larger warships. Only Spike had his own warship, but now the Revanchists were part of the military, maybe that would change. Jedi in charge of Hammerhead-class Cruisers and Foray-class Blockade Runners. That was a thought that would make Mandalorians run in terror. Raising his voice, Spike addressed the remaining Revanchists on the planet. “Revanchists! We’re leaving for Arcadia! Mount up!” Turning, Spike heading inside his ship, followed swiftly by the other Jedi, specifically those who were helping out on the bridge, his crew taking their places and overriding the droid brain control of the ship, preparing the mighty vessel for flight. Spike smiled, taking his seat on the command chair, leaning back and allowing a smile to grace his lips. Sure, Corinna and Zule had pissed him off, but if he looked at the wider picture, their betrayal helped the movement more than anything else. They were heroes of a movement they didn’t even believe in. “Harmony, Captain Spike’s authority, S-P-4432. Prepare ship for launch, activate life support systems for space flight, prime shields and weapons,” Spike said simply, before looking over to the Jedi in charge of navigation. “Navigator, plot us a Hyperspace course for Arcadia.” “Course plotted Spike,” he called back a few seconds later. Life support operational. Shields primed. Weapons primed. Crew and passengers on board. Airlocks sealed. Begin launch procedures – Y/N? Spike smiled, hitting Y, before grabbing hold of the controls sticks, feeling the ship move at his touch. Next stop, the Republic fleet at Arcadia. *** Spike stood at the front of the bridge of Harmony, staring out of the massive viewport into the void of space beyond. They had only been in the Arcadian system for an hour, but Spike had used that time to take in all the ships that were stationed here. It was the largest fleet he had seen for decades, since the end of the Great Sith War, and he knew that compared to that fleet, this fleet was a lot more powerful. Most of the ships there were the standard Hammerhead Cruisers, hundreds of them milling around the six massive Inexpugnable-Class tactical command ships that led the fleet, led by the Swiftsure. There was one ship that Spike didn’t recognise though, a large triangular ship, slightly smaller than the Inexpugnable-class, but this ship looked much deadlier, hundreds of turbolaser batteries bristling out from its surface. This was a new design, made especially for the Mandalorian War, and while this may have been the prototype, Spike was sure he was going to see more of them flooding the space lanes soon. “Spike, we’ve received permission to approach the fleet,” a Jedi said, walking up beside Spike. “We can’t land, but we can get closer so you don’t have to spend so long in the shuttle.” “Thank you Padawan…” Spike asked, turning to face the nameless Jedi. “Lelia,” the female Padawan nodded. “You have the bridge then Lelia, start unloading the troops,” Spike smiled softly, before turning and making his way towards the shuttle bay. *** Spike made his way towards the central command room on the station, the soldier leading him there staying in complete silence throughout the trip. Quickly reaching the room, Spike made his way inside, looking around at the occupants and smiling as he recognised three of them, namely Malak, Meetra and Revan, the leader of their group still wearing the Mandalorian Mask. “Spike,” Revan nodded as he looked over towards him. “Generals, this is the last member of our group. Now we’re all here, we can get started.” “The Mandalorians are pushing us back on all fronts,” one of the generals said, taking a step forward and activating a holo-projection of the galaxy. Most of the galaxy was highlighted in blue, the Republic symbol floating over it, but one corner of the map wasn’t highlighted, the Mandalorian Neo-crusader symbol emblazoned over the top. The two parts were separated by a thick red line, with small arrows flowing across it, indicating attacks going across the border. Spike grimaced as he realised most of the attacks were coming from within Mandalorian controlled space. “As you can see, there are three major attacks that the Mandalorians are launching across our lines,” he continued, before pointing to the largest of the three main attacks. “The main one is here, pushing away from their victory at Taris towards the core worlds. They’re using Omonoth as a staging ground for their assaults on Alderaan, and as long as they hold that sector, we can’t advance. The second attack is here, pushing into the Eres sector and threatening to destroy key early warning systems for the core. Lose those, and we won’t have warning when the next attacks come in. The final assault is happening here, the Charros system. We need the trade routes through there to keep the core worlds fed.” “What assets do we have in play?” Revan asked, leaning forward, “Well, the first and fifth armies are already engaged on the front lines, they’re holding steady for now, but not for much longer,” one of the generals sighed. “The second army has been almost completely destroyed stopping the first attacks on Alderaan, and the third army is stretched to breaking point with the new assault on the Eres sector. The forth army is still being held in reserve as a final line for defence of the core worlds, and we have a newly formed sixth army standing ready. You must have some assets of your own though, master Jedi.” “For the last time, none of us are masters,” Revan sighed. “But yes, thanks to Spike here, we have a lot more reinforcements than I expected. Three hundred Jedi stand ready to support the Republic, although not many of them have actually seen combat, especially in the first wave.” “Still, three hundred Jedi ain’t half bad, no matter their combat experience,” one of the Generals chuckled. “But to business. The sixth army is prepared to mobilise against Omonoth and then onto Taris, but unless we have adequate support, we’ll just be throwing an army into a meat grinder.” “Malak and I can take a detachment of Jedi to support the army,” Revan chimed in. “If we take a large number, seventy to a hundred, we should provide enough support to spread the Mandalorians out and give the army more chances of success. “ “That sounds acceptable,” the general nodded. “I know the command staff of the sixth army, they’re veterans of the Great Sith War, they won’t disappoint you.” “I’m sure they won’t,” Malak nodded. “That still leaves the majority of the Revanchists unassigned, and two theatres left unsupported.” “We need to keep the trade routes open, or the core will starve,” Meetra pointed out. “I can take a force to the Charros system and make sure it stays open, but if the Republic can’t spare troops, I’ll need a lot more Jedi, and that means we can’t protect the Eres system.” “I can hold it,” Spike said simply, leaning forward and pressing a few buttons and zooming in on the Eres sector. There were four planets in the system, one of them already bearing the mark of the Mandalorians, while the remaining three still flew the flag of the Republic. Stroking his chin, Spike sighed heavily, before pressing another button, bringing up troop numbers and geographical data about the planets. “Here, Eres III. What can you tell me about it?” Spike asked. “It’s the gateway to the system capital on Eres II,” one of the Generals shrugged. “Erm, let’s see. It’s fairly unstable, volcanic temperament with over sixty three percent of its land mass dominated by large Xoxin planes.” “Xoxin?” Spike asked in confusion. “It’s a highly flammable, semi-liquid substance, it has the consistency of tar when it’s setting,” the general clarified. “Great, high flammable,” Spike groaned. “Still, that’s where we’ll make our stand. Eres II is too small to make a decent defence on, and if they get to Eres I, we could lose the early warning system even if they don’t take the planet. I can be there by the end of the day, along with a few reinforcements, and I’ll coordinate the defence personally.” “Are you sure you can do that Spike?” Revan asked in surprise. “I’ve done holding actions against a larger force of Mandalorians before,” Spike chuckled softly. “But still, I’ll take some Jedi with me, but I want one other unit.” “Which one?” A General asked, grabbing a datapad. “I can’t promise anything of course, but I can see where the unit is and if it can be pulled out.” “The 59th Republic Recovery Force, the Vipers,” Spike said simply. “I want them placed under my direct command.” “Let’s see…the 59th? Under command of Lieutenant Cortez?” the General asked. “He made Lieutenant?” Spike chuckled. “But yes, where are they?” “They’re returning to the front after training on Rendili,” the General replied after quickly checking the datapad. “They were chosen to be part of a new initiative to combat the Mandalorians. If they do well, then they’ll be the template for all our Special Forces in the future.” “You gave Cortez command of a Special Forces detachment?” Spike deadpanned. “You took back Flashpoint with his help, it seemed like a logical decision,” the General pointed out. “I will get a transmission to the Rendili Hyperspace yards and get them to change the course for the 59th, well, the 1st Special Forces Battalion now. I heard they renamed themselves, but I’ll let them tell you about that.” “I’ll set course for the Eres Sector immediately then,” Spike nodded, looking around at Revan and the other Jedi. “I’ll see you three later. Don’t blow up the universe.” “Spike, are you sure you can do this?” Revan asked, walking beside Spike as the pair made their way back towards the hanger.” “I better be able to do it, because the Republic doesn’t have enough men to give me a proper army,” Spike sighed. “I’ll make do, and I can’t deprive the rest of the army of Jedi, so I can’t take many with me. Out of the three attacks, this is the only one we could possibly lose and still continue the war. If we lose Alderaan, the core will be next, so don’t let that happen. If we lose the Charros trade routes, the core worlds starve and we have to forfeit the war. You can’t let that happen so promise me that you’ll let me tackle Eres, and keep the more intact armies away from it. I’ll hold it, or I’ll die trying Revan.” “Good luck Spike,” Revan nodded, his features unreadable behind the mask. “Don’t die.” “I always try,” Spike chuckled, before walking up the ramp of the shuttle, sitting down in the seat and launching towards Harmony. It didn’t take him long to get back to his ship, landing in the now empty hanger and making his way towards the bridge. The Jedi were gone now, all traveling to the station or other ships around the fleet, meaning it was just him and the droid brain. Walking onto the bridge, Spike glanced out of the viewport at the front of the ship, before stopping dead in his tracks as he heard someone breathing on the bridge. Slowly turning around, Spike looked at his command chair and groaned in exasperation. “I thought everyone was supposed to have gone,” Spike sighed, crossing his arms. “Yeah, but you wouldn’t last long without me would you Spike?” Tarhal chuckled, leaning back in the command chair, his legs resting over the arm on one side. “Fine, if you’re going to stay you make yourself useful,” Spike shook his head in exasperation. “Oh, and that’s the Captain’s chair.” “I know, your annoying droid brain keeps telling me,” Tarhal snickered, getting up from the chair and looking at Spike. “So where are we heading, ‘Captain’?” “Harmony, set a course for Eres III, full speed, pull out all the stops.” Affirmative Captain Spike. Course set for Eres III. Begin launch procedures – Y/N? Spike sat down in the chair, hitting Y and slowly beginning to take the ship to the jump coordinated. “You said I had to make myself useful,” Tarhal pointed out, looking down at Spike. “You gonna follow through with that or do I have time to myself?” “Well I could murder a cup of tea,” Spike chuckled. “Hop to it.” “Great, from Jedi knight to tea maker,” Tarhal grumbled, heading towards the door at the rear of the bridge. “Oh Tarhal,” Spike called out, twisting in his seat to look at the Wookie with an innocent smile. “What is it?” Tarhal asked, looking back at him. “No milk, two sugars.” “I hate you,” Tarhal groaned, before heading towards the galley in the middle of the ship. Spike chuckled as the ship continued to move towards the system jump point, the viewport in front of him showing him where he would have to be to make the jump to Eres III. It didn’t take him long to get the ship there, and Spike activated the ships intercom system. “Attention, this is your captain speaking. We are about to jump to hyperspace, so can all passengers please secure themselves for a jump, especially those among the crew who could be considered a walking carpet.” “Blow it out your arse Spike,” Tarhal shouted over the intercom. “I will have you know that on board this ship, I am the law,” Spike chuckled. “If you don’t like it, I am sure you could leave.” “You’re so annoying!” Tarhal roared. “Yeah, I know,” Spike chuckled, deactivating the comms, before grabbing hold of the hyperspace lever. “Harmony, once we are in hyperspace, keep us on course and run a system check and restart. I want to know everything is ready as soon as we hit real space again.” Affirmative captain. Jumping to hyperspace on your mark. Spike slowly eased the lever forward, and watched as the stars around him seemed to stretch out, before they shot forward, entering the slightly blue tunnel of light that made up the hyperspace lanes. Leaning back in the chair, Spike allowed his mind to drift, before he had a small idea of a way to test his new droid brain. He hadn’t really run the ship through its paces yet, and the thing hadn’t even seen combat, so this could be a good time to test what the droid actually could do. “Harmony, what do you make of Tarhal?” Spike asked, turning his seat round to face the computer screens behind him. Query not understood. Please rephrase query. Spike sighed, thinking of how to rephrase the question. “Prepare a dossier on the Wookie known as Tarhal, then read me said dossier. I want to know a droids opinion.” Droids do not have opinions sir. Creating dossier now. Accessing Jedi archives, authorisation required. Captain Spike authorisation code S-P-4432. Access granted. Dossier complete. Play dossier now – Y/N? “Just play the damn thing,” Spike groaned, pressing Y, watching as the screen lit up and displayed the information the droid was now reading off. Loading personnel files Subject - Tarhal Species - Wookie Age - 38 Affiliation - Republic Jedi Order Revanchist Movement – Second Wave Status - Alive Born on Kashyyyk, Tarhal was taken from his home by Trandoshian slavers and sold on the Corellian market when he was six galactic standard years old. Escaping, he was taken for appraisal for possible force sensitivity in the year 8 BGSW (Before the Great Sith War) Completing his training as an initiate of the order, Tarhal was chosen by Jedi Master Norik. During this time, he proved himself headstrong and loyal, following orders to the letter. Fought in the Great Sith War, serving with distinction, proving himself on battlefields such as Coruscant, where he assisted in holding an orbital defence battery alongside four other Jedi: Spike – Status – Alive Zule Thanos – Status – Alive Corinna Thanos – Status – Alive Asho – Status – Deceased – Died in the defensive actions on Coruscant. Was also noted for rescuing the newly knighted Jedi Knight Spike from a Mandalorian torture facility on the planet Maryx Minor. After the Great Sith War, Tarhal was set with his Master to participate in the Great Hunt, achieving four confirmed kills on Terentateks. After the hunt ended, Tarhal attempted to gain a position within the 59th Republic Recovery Force, but was denied. Continued to serve under Master Norik for another two years, before being knighted himself. Quickly took up a Padawan, known as Stratmum. Was recruited into the Revanchist movement by Jedi Knight Spike, leaving his Padawan behind on Coruscant. Currently assisting Jedi Knight Spike in a mission to Eres III. Mission parameters unknown. Dossier complete. Load physical appraisal – Y/N? Spike sighed, shaking his head at the cold, calculating nature of the droid. He had expected it to respond in this way, but he had also hoped it would have been able to give an opinion, rather than just a service record. Hitting the N button, Spike allowed the chair to spin back around, before getting back up, stretching slightly. He would have to see about getting the droids neural pathway programming updated at some point in the future, if for no other reason other than to have someone to talk to that wasn’t part of his own mind. Not that he disliked talking to Moonstone or Desolation, but talking to yourself did make you seem a bit crazy. If others could see Moonstone, maybe they wouldn’t think he was quite as crazy, but Desolation was another story completely, considering the fact that when they spoke to each other, they often used the same mouth. “Harmony, you have control of the ship. Tell me when we are ten minutes out from Eres III. Oh, and send off a message to the fleet around Eres III telling them we’re coming. I don’t want to be shot down as soon as we enter the system.” Affirmative. Ship control established. Message sent. Awaiting reply and confirmation. Reply received, confirmation received. Republic forces are alerted to our arrival. Nodding to himself, Spike turned and left the bridge, heading towards the galley to find Tarhal, mentally wondering if the tea the Wookie made would compare to his own brew. Somehow he doubted it, but he could live in hope.