The Force… those quartermasters again. How they annoy me. Still, with the arrival of reinforcements, I managed to squeeze another regiment of clones out of them, along with six DS-150/AT units — self-propelled artillery platforms, analogues of the Separatist J-1. I also secured a dozen Syliure-31 hyperrings, plus some miscellaneous supplies.
And for all that, I paid with a good portion of my nerve cells…
Finally receiving the patrol plan — delivered by a courier from headquarters — we headed back to our ship, the Marat, which was finishing the loading of the remaining containers from the previous batch.
Second Lieutenant Cerri met us at the gangway.
"General Vikt, Captain Ragnos! According to orders, the crew is still loading. Estimated completion time: three hours."
"Excellent. Captain Ragnos, you know what to do. I need to get some rest. Wake me when we're approaching."
"Yes, General!"
Once our preparations were complete, we entered orbit and made a hyperspace jump to Donovia — during which I finally got some proper sleep.
***
Upon arrival at Donovia, we found it… if not entirely peaceful, then at least orderly. At a steady pace, and under the cover of the Akagi and Shinano hanging in orbit, we landed on the landing pad.
Unloading began immediately, and in the meantime, we made our way to the command post.
"General!" Commander Blam began his report. "During your absence, the enemy attacked Donovia twice — both times with single ships, frigates of the Munificent-class. The first attack targeted cargo vessels. It was successfully repelled, and the enemy retreated. The second attack was aimed at a fuel production plant. Pilots from the Artkainen squadron distinguished themselves in this battle, successfully torpedoing and destroying the enemy ship. No casualties among personnel."
"Excellent, Commander. Prepare the Marat for takeoff. Our task is to patrol one of the sectors along the Perlemian Trade Route. I'll take the Marat, the Isaribi, and that second corvette — change its designation to… Tashkent. Yes. I'll also take the Fourth and Fifth Regiments, all the Space Marines, and two battalions of droids. Twenty-four LAATs and forty-eight V-19s. You'll need to accommodate the new arrivals. Oh, and give the Brave Boys Regiment some heavy weapons. And, Commander," I narrowed my eyes, "I hope you'll keep an eye on their training so they don't slack off."
"Yes, sir," the clone replied with a grin. "With great pleasure."
***
Patrolling was organized as follows: the Marat followed the main route, providing support to two Consular-class corvettes — the Isaribi and the Tashkent. Using scissor tactics, we simultaneously targeted larger prey, supported by Marat and Torrent starfighters.
Oh, how we terrorized peaceful merchants! Picture this: a cargo ship cruising along, minding its own business, the crew relaxed and carefree — and suddenly, right in their path, appears a massive beast of a warship bristling with cannons, surrounded by fighters, while a stern-faced Zabrak demands their ship's log and cargo manifest! We had to make sure everyone knew the Republic was vigilant — standing guard. Well, we had a bit of fun while we were at it. Patrolling gets boring, after all.
The first pirates we met greeted us… quite literally with open arms. Their wreck was drifting in the orbit of an uninhabited planet with broken hyperdrives. When we brought their ship into the hold, quite a crowd gathered to see it. Even by my standards, it was an unforgettable sight. Ahsoka voiced the general opinion that the ship "Rakata had seen" — she did remember something from her lessons, after all — and most agreed with her. We couldn't determine the exact class or type. Even my astromech chirped something in binary that translated roughly as, "To the Hutt with this scrap metal."
The captain of the vessel — which carried a cargo of repeatedly stolen agricultural equipment — claimed he had simply inherited it and wasn't particularly interested in its past. In general, these pirates, who were more like smugglers (and even that's generous), were fairly harmless — they didn't steal themselves; they just transported stolen goods. Still, the law was clear: detain and deliver to the authorities.
The next suspicious ship, however, had to be taken the traditional way — after first shooting out its engines. It was a nimble little thing and even tried to return fire. But Ahsoka, providing air cover, swiftly disabled all its weapon emplacements with precise shots. We then approached for boarding. The vessel was too large to fit into the Acclamator's main hangar — about eighty-one by fifty-nine meters in size — so we performed a direct assault, jumping aboard with the help of jetpacks.
What can I say? Tony Stark would've been impressed — and jealous.
The endless void of open space was mesmerizing… but there was no time for sentimentality. Two platoons of clone marines took part in the operation, as well as myself. The rest was routine. We breached the airlocks, stormed in, and mowed down the pirates who dared resist — about half a dozen we stunned. The rest wisely surrendered.
A search revealed the reason for their hostility: nearly ten kilograms of drugs and two dozen slaves (mostly female, of course) — and that was far from the full list of contraband. The crew was sent to the brig, while the slaves were fed and calmed. As for the ship… after the assault, it was nothing more than a wreck in need of complete overhaul. So... we blew it apart. Good gunnery practice, as I told the crew.
Such encounters were rare, though. Rumors spread quickly, and by the end of the second day, the pirates had vanished into whatever holes they could find. Once, we intercepted a Techno Union transport, which we shot down without hesitation — that was our only contact with CIS forces during the entire patrol.
***
My brief rest was interrupted by the ever-restless and tireless Ahsoka.
"Master, the Jedi Council is calling you!"
"Hutt… I'll be right there."
It was the third day of our patrol. After two days of running around, I had settled on the Marat. Ahsoka was here too — with no one left to chase, she was growing bored.
After freshening up, I made my way to the command post. Before me appeared the holograms of the Council members: Yoda, Windu, Shaak Ti, Plo Koon, and Ki-Adi-Mundi. After the formal greetings, Master Windu got straight to business.
"Knight Vikt, the Council has a mission for you. You are to depart for Lantilles, where you will meet a delegation of senators led by Senator Amidala and Senator Organa. Your task is to provide them with security. They are heading to the planet Randon for negotiations with the local government. There are rumors that Rendon plans to abandon neutrality and side with the Separatists. The senators' mission is to persuade the government — if not to join our side, then at least to remain neutral."
Oh... shit.
"I understand, Master Windu. I'm departing for Lantilles immediately."
The hologram faded.
"Ahsoka, get ready. We're going on a little trip."
"Are we going to fight?" the Togruta perked up.
"We'll see, Snips. Politics is a game where you can't be sure of anything…"
***
Count Dooku's new apprentice — his latest acquisition and the one on whom he placed high hopes — knelt before him.
"Ventress," he said. "I have a new assignment for you…"