Chapter 29 - Points of View
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Samael61
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Hello there,
If you enjoy this story, you can read 15 chapters in advance on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.
Anakin Skywalker is on the path to become one of the greatest figures on the galactic scene. If you want to read an original story of greatness, you can check my story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Coruscant
500 Republica
Sidious brooded in the darkness. His fury tightly controlled and his power in the dark side masked, he sat in his room. The Sorcerer had struck Nal Hutta, and it did not look good. The records taken as he destroyed a Gozanti-class cruiser showed thermal explosions with heat reaching that of the surface of a star.
He could throw lightning bolts that made the Sith lightning look like sparks from a short circuit, summon stars to strike down his enemies, and more.
He wanted that power.
Wherever that infernal child had gotten his hands on his Mystic Arts, he swore to find it. They were being wasted in the hands of the Sorcerer. That kind of power would accelerate his plans by years.
He was still baffled by the restoration of Kalee. By all accounts, the planet had gone back to its previous state before the Yam'rii invaded. All the experts he consulted—either excitedly or terrified—had theorized the same thing.
The planet was rewound back in time.
That kind of power, to control time on such a scale, could make his wildest dreams come true. He could achieve immortality and rule forever.
Grievous, whom he and Tyrannus were grooming to be the leader of the Separatist Droid Army, had pivoted to the Sorcerer's side as well. He still despised the Republic and the Jedi. The reparations could have lessened it, but it did not matter. He was calling the Sorcerer a brother. Already his soldiers were fueling the boy's war against the Hutts.
With a zealous drive that would have been useful against the Jedi.
Reparations were another headache for him. It had boosted his approval ratings, seizing Yam'rii funds to pay back the Kaleesh. He was still dissatisfied at having to give those credits away to his enemies.
Even if they didn't know it yet.
His powers had shaken the galaxy so fundamentally that Sidious knew he wasn't the only one after them. The Jedi were considering a trade to offer the Sorcerer something of value in return for his Mystic Arts. Businesses sought a partnership over his ability to restore planets.
His control over hyperspace lanes alone made him the most dangerous being in the galaxy.
But Sidious didn't know how to take that power.
His apprentice was defeated as if he were a Jedi initiate fighting a master. Killing or capturing the Sorcerer wouldn't be simple. It would have to be something he wouldn't see coming. An attack that would catch him by surprise. Unfortunately, most of the famous bounty hunters in the galaxy were either dead or captured by the Sorcerer.
He would have to work on it.
His holocommunicator beeped. He schooled his features and voice, answering it.
"Captain Jayfon, how did your investigation go?" he asked, gathering his hands in front of him, plastering that insipid smile on his face. The fake kindness in his voice was nauseating, yet he didn't waver.
"Chancellor, it does appear to be a sensor malfunction at first. However, we couldn't find any sign of tampering or unauthorized access to the system. Either it is a never-seen kind of fault in the system or whoever did it is a professional," Jayfon said.
"I see." He knew at the very first second that there was no error. Someone had sabotaged the system to trigger the security measures, halting the sanctions against the Sorcerer for his illegal meddling with hyperspace lanes.
Who had the courage to attempt something like this, he didn't know.
"The Senate members are free to return as they wish. There is no danger."
"Thank you for your hard work, Captain Jayfon," he said.
"Good day, Chancellor."
He sent a message to Ameda, ordering him to gather the Senate. This scare had delayed the sanctions on the Sorcerer. He hadn't wasted the time, already taking Nal Hutta. Reports said that the Hutt Council were captured alive.
He would have to purge the Senate. Otherwise, the business relations the Hutts had with certain senators would be revealed to his disadvantage.
Keeping his smile was becoming difficult.
—
500 Republica
Padme started her list by eliminating Bail Organa. In the short time she knew him, he didn't have the qualities to be the Sith lord. She would still check his midi-chlorian count to be certain.
Hundreds of names remained on the list.
Of the two thousand and five hundred names in the Senate, two hundred and sixty eight were male humans. She would investigate the corruption, the bribes, and everything she could to find the Sith lord. Whether he was a senator or simply had influence in the heart of the Republic, she would find him.
And put a blaster bolt through his head, somehow.
It wasn't all bad, though. Anakin and Freedom First had captured the Hutt Council alive. They were investigating the databases to gather evidence on corrupt senators. He had promised that as soon as sufficient evidence was gathered, it would be released to the holonet. She couldn't wait for the uproar.
Perhaps it would even open a path into further inquiries.
—
Jedi Temple
Council Chamber
"The initial records and scans suggest these miniature stars have the surface heats of one. When condensed, the strike is extremely effective," Jocasta said, lending her expertise on astrophysics. At least as much as it was applicable to the latest impossibility shown by the Sorcerer.
The recording before the Council showed how the Sorcerer had struck a Gozanti-class cruiser down with frightening ease. Each day he was proving to be more dangerous. Politicians and the like were afraid of this power they couldn't control. The ones whose greed ran ahead of their common sense wanted to exploit him.
She had ample proof of what their fate would be, all written in the countless pages of history she had read.
"Currently," Oppo began, breaking the tense silence, switching the recording to the surface of Nal Hutta, "they have most of Nal Hutta's capital, Bilbousa, under control. Master Quinlan is discretely feeding them intelligence on the resisting Hutt forces. Nar Shaddaa is blockaded in space, but Freedom First has not landed any troops on the surface."
It was the prudent course of action in his opinion. Nar Shaddaa would be an absolute bloodbath. The infamous ecumenopolis, the Smuggler's Moon, was a criminal haven. Any battle there would include more combatants at once than it would on Nal Hutta.
"With the Hutt Council captured alive, the remaining Hutts are looking to escape into Republic territory," Master Adi said. Her words brought another tense silence to the chambers.
"Did we find anything on their command structure? What is the influence of the Kaleesh in Freedom First?" Mace asked. The alliance between Kalee and Tatooine was met with mixed results. An alliance that could put an end to the Hutts was welcome. That one side of it had ample reason to detest the Republic, and the Jedi Order did not.
Qymaen Jai Sheelal, otherwise known as Grievous to many, is the Supreme Marshall of Freedom First. His Izvoshra, the elite warriors back on Kalee, serve as commanders at various levels. They have also committed over a hundred thousand soldiers so far. As we guessed, the Sorcerer can open portals between planets. Reinforcements from Kalee are never ending," Oppo said. He went into further details, showing the training offered by the Kaleesh to the initial members of Freedom First. They had rebuilt the rebellion into a standing army, supplemented by their members in great numbers.
An ongoing recruitment drive was taking place in Tatooine in the meantime. Kaleesh contributions to the rebellion were invaluable, as would be their say in the alliance.
Master Gallia pulled out another document on the holoprojector. "They have signed an accord, the Bond of Brotherhood, signifying the deep ties between Tatooine and Kalee," she said. The Sorcerer's miraculous and mind-boggling restoration of Kalee had made him a hero, a savior. The Kaleesh were willing to die to repay him.
"From the holocron, what uncovered have we?" Yoda asked. The Temple had been agitated since the day the Sorcerer had become known. The contents of the holocron had not helped them.
The council members turned to Vokara Che, Chief Healer of the Temple. She was entrusted to verify the secrets in the holocron.
"The implications are as troubling as the first day. Manipulating midichlorians to accelerate healing and prompting individual cells to replicate has proven to be true. Theoretically, creating a lifeform with this method is possible. We can't know how the Force will react without trying. Which, forgive my bluntness, is something I will never attempt," Healer Che said. Life was sacred. They had no right to create one just to test if it could be done.
"You don't have to worry, Master Vokara. I don't think anyone here will ever consider such a course of action," Windu said.
"After due consideration of his actions, I don't think we should be worried about the Sorcerer's intentions. Even if he were created by the Sith, which seems unlikely, he wouldn't be leading a rebellion to end slavery in the Outer Rim," Master Mundi said. If anyone with the dark side of the Force created life, they would never let it stray from them.
"Agreed," Yarael said. There wasn't much to do with the Sorcerer himself. The Jedi didn't have much to offer in return for his techniques. They weren't about to go and steal it like pirates either.
"One last matter. There appears to be another Force-sensitive with Freedom First, fighting with lightsabers," Plo Koon said. He was the one keeping in touch with Quinlan Vos in Nal Hutta. He brought the recording of her forward. Her gender was the only concrete knowledge about her. She kept herself hidden and didn't seem interested in senseless murder.
Potentially a Jedi who had left the order, deciding to join the fight, but nothing was certain.
"Compared to the Sorcerer's actions, I do not believe she concerns us that much," Windu said. There were Jedi who had left the Order due to various reasons. It was possible this mysterious warrior was one.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Plo said. While training with the initiates, he heard the curiosity of several students about the Mystic Arts. The Knights, those he knew were disgruntled with the Jedi Order, considered defecting. The Sorcerer was not bound to any government. He was free to act for the good of the people.
It was attractive to many.
"What about the scare in the Senate?" Master Trebor asked. They were tasked to investigate it by the Senate. The timing was too suspicious to be a mere coincidence.
"Obi-Wan's investigation yielded no results pointing to sabotage. He believes it is the work of an expert, meant to stop the vote," Master Piell said. He agreed with the knight. This was an expert's work.
Depa Bilba hummed. "No results of sabotage, but he believes it is?"
"The system is state of the art. There are redundancies upon redundancies. It is not something that is going to suddenly break down and give a false alarm. The lack of any evidence is evidence in itself," Piell explained. He too had inspected the system and reached the same conclusion.
Just like the previous meeting, this one had ended with no clear idea on the course of action they should take.
—
Nal Hutta
Bilbousa
She was shaken awake by one of the soldiers.
"We will push to take the western side of the city. Commander Bentilais wants to know if you will join us."
"Very well," she said, stretching her arms, legs, and whole body. Sleeping on a coat had made her stiffer than the backs of the Kaleesh soldiers. She was used to the comfort of her soft beds, whether in the Theed Royal Palace or in the quarters assigned to her in the 500 Republica apartment.
Most of the city had fallen. Reinforcements from the rest of the planet had poured into the capital. Those that survived the constant bombardments and Anakin's wrath were holed up in the western side of the city. She knew this battle wouldn't last long either.
In fact, once they had the capital, the Kaleesh had promised to flood the planet with reinforcements to crush the remaining loyalists.
She quickly joined Bentilais and his group. Their destination was the road leading to the Slaver's Market. With so many traders of flesh and their guards holed up there, they had managed to hold out with the reinforcements. Of course this attack would be their end.
"Has anyone seen the Sorcerer?" she asked. Anakin usually acted as their initial striker, crushing enemy spirit in advance.
The target of their assault, the Slaver's Market, lit up with hundreds of orange bolts striking from the sky. She could see the floating figure there, raining death on the slavers.
"Never mind," she said, her tone lightening up. They soon reached the edge of the barricades, waiting. The moment the sky darkened once more, Bentilais gave the signal. A barrage of rocket launchers targeted what remained of the enemy positions.
They charged when it ended, taking cover behind armored vehicles. Neither Freedom First nor the Kaleesh possessed tanks or personnel carriers. Vehicles taken from the slavers had armor welded on them to act as shields for the infantry. She had to give it to the Kaleesh. Years of living in their conditions had made them truly resourceful.
The darkness of the night was disrupted by blaster bolts.
The enemy fire turned into sparks on the thick durasteel. She took the right flank, deflecting shots while snipers took the enemy out in the dark.
The lead vehicle exploded as enemy rockets impacted it. The driver was dead in an instant while the soldiers were flung around. More rockets came from the darkness, ready to tear the vehicles apart. Unfortunately for them, Anakin was close by.
He landed on the second vehicle, creating round platforms with mystical letters on each. Every rocket launcher found one in its way, but there were too many. She left her cover, standing before him, lightsabers at the ready.
The convoy moved again, ignoring the wrecked lead vehicle. Snipers targeted the launchers, reducing the numbers one by one.
"Keep moving," Bentilais ordered, his voice cutting through the noise of the battle. She spun around, sending several bolts scattering around. The soldiers dispersed as the vehicles entered the street through the main avenue. Teams barged into the buildings with confirmed enemy presence, sweeping the inside with blaster bolts before moving in.
It would take time to clear every building, but in this instance, the enemy was the one out of that precious commodity.
Rocket shots died out eventually. Either they had run out of ammunition or they were all dead. The reason did not matter; the results did. The drivers moved the vehicles in a wedge formation, giving the following men cover. Counter fire from the cleared buildings began as Freedom First established an entry point. Anakin retreated after that, tired. He had already done more than enough.
The battle would continue until morning.
—
In the next chapter:
Padme watched the news with a smile. Over two hundred senators were arrested on the charges of corruption and breaking the ban on trading with the Hutts. The timing was surprising, so surprising in fact that she found it suspicious. Freedom First was still slicing into the Hutt database on Nal Hutta.
Days before they would be ready, the Chancellor had sprung this up.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.
If you enjoy this story, you can read 15 chapters in advance on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.
Anakin Skywalker is on the path to become one of the greatest figures on the galactic scene. If you want to read an original story of greatness, you can check my story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Coruscant
500 Republica
Sidious brooded in the darkness. His fury tightly controlled and his power in the dark side masked, he sat in his room. The Sorcerer had struck Nal Hutta, and it did not look good. The records taken as he destroyed a Gozanti-class cruiser showed thermal explosions with heat reaching that of the surface of a star.
He could throw lightning bolts that made the Sith lightning look like sparks from a short circuit, summon stars to strike down his enemies, and more.
He wanted that power.
Wherever that infernal child had gotten his hands on his Mystic Arts, he swore to find it. They were being wasted in the hands of the Sorcerer. That kind of power would accelerate his plans by years.
He was still baffled by the restoration of Kalee. By all accounts, the planet had gone back to its previous state before the Yam'rii invaded. All the experts he consulted—either excitedly or terrified—had theorized the same thing.
The planet was rewound back in time.
That kind of power, to control time on such a scale, could make his wildest dreams come true. He could achieve immortality and rule forever.
Grievous, whom he and Tyrannus were grooming to be the leader of the Separatist Droid Army, had pivoted to the Sorcerer's side as well. He still despised the Republic and the Jedi. The reparations could have lessened it, but it did not matter. He was calling the Sorcerer a brother. Already his soldiers were fueling the boy's war against the Hutts.
With a zealous drive that would have been useful against the Jedi.
Reparations were another headache for him. It had boosted his approval ratings, seizing Yam'rii funds to pay back the Kaleesh. He was still dissatisfied at having to give those credits away to his enemies.
Even if they didn't know it yet.
His powers had shaken the galaxy so fundamentally that Sidious knew he wasn't the only one after them. The Jedi were considering a trade to offer the Sorcerer something of value in return for his Mystic Arts. Businesses sought a partnership over his ability to restore planets.
His control over hyperspace lanes alone made him the most dangerous being in the galaxy.
But Sidious didn't know how to take that power.
His apprentice was defeated as if he were a Jedi initiate fighting a master. Killing or capturing the Sorcerer wouldn't be simple. It would have to be something he wouldn't see coming. An attack that would catch him by surprise. Unfortunately, most of the famous bounty hunters in the galaxy were either dead or captured by the Sorcerer.
He would have to work on it.
His holocommunicator beeped. He schooled his features and voice, answering it.
"Captain Jayfon, how did your investigation go?" he asked, gathering his hands in front of him, plastering that insipid smile on his face. The fake kindness in his voice was nauseating, yet he didn't waver.
"Chancellor, it does appear to be a sensor malfunction at first. However, we couldn't find any sign of tampering or unauthorized access to the system. Either it is a never-seen kind of fault in the system or whoever did it is a professional," Jayfon said.
"I see." He knew at the very first second that there was no error. Someone had sabotaged the system to trigger the security measures, halting the sanctions against the Sorcerer for his illegal meddling with hyperspace lanes.
Who had the courage to attempt something like this, he didn't know.
"The Senate members are free to return as they wish. There is no danger."
"Thank you for your hard work, Captain Jayfon," he said.
"Good day, Chancellor."
He sent a message to Ameda, ordering him to gather the Senate. This scare had delayed the sanctions on the Sorcerer. He hadn't wasted the time, already taking Nal Hutta. Reports said that the Hutt Council were captured alive.
He would have to purge the Senate. Otherwise, the business relations the Hutts had with certain senators would be revealed to his disadvantage.
Keeping his smile was becoming difficult.
—
500 Republica
Padme started her list by eliminating Bail Organa. In the short time she knew him, he didn't have the qualities to be the Sith lord. She would still check his midi-chlorian count to be certain.
Hundreds of names remained on the list.
Of the two thousand and five hundred names in the Senate, two hundred and sixty eight were male humans. She would investigate the corruption, the bribes, and everything she could to find the Sith lord. Whether he was a senator or simply had influence in the heart of the Republic, she would find him.
And put a blaster bolt through his head, somehow.
It wasn't all bad, though. Anakin and Freedom First had captured the Hutt Council alive. They were investigating the databases to gather evidence on corrupt senators. He had promised that as soon as sufficient evidence was gathered, it would be released to the holonet. She couldn't wait for the uproar.
Perhaps it would even open a path into further inquiries.
—
Jedi Temple
Council Chamber
"The initial records and scans suggest these miniature stars have the surface heats of one. When condensed, the strike is extremely effective," Jocasta said, lending her expertise on astrophysics. At least as much as it was applicable to the latest impossibility shown by the Sorcerer.
The recording before the Council showed how the Sorcerer had struck a Gozanti-class cruiser down with frightening ease. Each day he was proving to be more dangerous. Politicians and the like were afraid of this power they couldn't control. The ones whose greed ran ahead of their common sense wanted to exploit him.
She had ample proof of what their fate would be, all written in the countless pages of history she had read.
"Currently," Oppo began, breaking the tense silence, switching the recording to the surface of Nal Hutta, "they have most of Nal Hutta's capital, Bilbousa, under control. Master Quinlan is discretely feeding them intelligence on the resisting Hutt forces. Nar Shaddaa is blockaded in space, but Freedom First has not landed any troops on the surface."
It was the prudent course of action in his opinion. Nar Shaddaa would be an absolute bloodbath. The infamous ecumenopolis, the Smuggler's Moon, was a criminal haven. Any battle there would include more combatants at once than it would on Nal Hutta.
"With the Hutt Council captured alive, the remaining Hutts are looking to escape into Republic territory," Master Adi said. Her words brought another tense silence to the chambers.
"Did we find anything on their command structure? What is the influence of the Kaleesh in Freedom First?" Mace asked. The alliance between Kalee and Tatooine was met with mixed results. An alliance that could put an end to the Hutts was welcome. That one side of it had ample reason to detest the Republic, and the Jedi Order did not.
Qymaen Jai Sheelal, otherwise known as Grievous to many, is the Supreme Marshall of Freedom First. His Izvoshra, the elite warriors back on Kalee, serve as commanders at various levels. They have also committed over a hundred thousand soldiers so far. As we guessed, the Sorcerer can open portals between planets. Reinforcements from Kalee are never ending," Oppo said. He went into further details, showing the training offered by the Kaleesh to the initial members of Freedom First. They had rebuilt the rebellion into a standing army, supplemented by their members in great numbers.
An ongoing recruitment drive was taking place in Tatooine in the meantime. Kaleesh contributions to the rebellion were invaluable, as would be their say in the alliance.
Master Gallia pulled out another document on the holoprojector. "They have signed an accord, the Bond of Brotherhood, signifying the deep ties between Tatooine and Kalee," she said. The Sorcerer's miraculous and mind-boggling restoration of Kalee had made him a hero, a savior. The Kaleesh were willing to die to repay him.
"From the holocron, what uncovered have we?" Yoda asked. The Temple had been agitated since the day the Sorcerer had become known. The contents of the holocron had not helped them.
The council members turned to Vokara Che, Chief Healer of the Temple. She was entrusted to verify the secrets in the holocron.
"The implications are as troubling as the first day. Manipulating midichlorians to accelerate healing and prompting individual cells to replicate has proven to be true. Theoretically, creating a lifeform with this method is possible. We can't know how the Force will react without trying. Which, forgive my bluntness, is something I will never attempt," Healer Che said. Life was sacred. They had no right to create one just to test if it could be done.
"You don't have to worry, Master Vokara. I don't think anyone here will ever consider such a course of action," Windu said.
"After due consideration of his actions, I don't think we should be worried about the Sorcerer's intentions. Even if he were created by the Sith, which seems unlikely, he wouldn't be leading a rebellion to end slavery in the Outer Rim," Master Mundi said. If anyone with the dark side of the Force created life, they would never let it stray from them.
"Agreed," Yarael said. There wasn't much to do with the Sorcerer himself. The Jedi didn't have much to offer in return for his techniques. They weren't about to go and steal it like pirates either.
"One last matter. There appears to be another Force-sensitive with Freedom First, fighting with lightsabers," Plo Koon said. He was the one keeping in touch with Quinlan Vos in Nal Hutta. He brought the recording of her forward. Her gender was the only concrete knowledge about her. She kept herself hidden and didn't seem interested in senseless murder.
Potentially a Jedi who had left the order, deciding to join the fight, but nothing was certain.
"Compared to the Sorcerer's actions, I do not believe she concerns us that much," Windu said. There were Jedi who had left the Order due to various reasons. It was possible this mysterious warrior was one.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Plo said. While training with the initiates, he heard the curiosity of several students about the Mystic Arts. The Knights, those he knew were disgruntled with the Jedi Order, considered defecting. The Sorcerer was not bound to any government. He was free to act for the good of the people.
It was attractive to many.
"What about the scare in the Senate?" Master Trebor asked. They were tasked to investigate it by the Senate. The timing was too suspicious to be a mere coincidence.
"Obi-Wan's investigation yielded no results pointing to sabotage. He believes it is the work of an expert, meant to stop the vote," Master Piell said. He agreed with the knight. This was an expert's work.
Depa Bilba hummed. "No results of sabotage, but he believes it is?"
"The system is state of the art. There are redundancies upon redundancies. It is not something that is going to suddenly break down and give a false alarm. The lack of any evidence is evidence in itself," Piell explained. He too had inspected the system and reached the same conclusion.
Just like the previous meeting, this one had ended with no clear idea on the course of action they should take.
—
Nal Hutta
Bilbousa
She was shaken awake by one of the soldiers.
"We will push to take the western side of the city. Commander Bentilais wants to know if you will join us."
"Very well," she said, stretching her arms, legs, and whole body. Sleeping on a coat had made her stiffer than the backs of the Kaleesh soldiers. She was used to the comfort of her soft beds, whether in the Theed Royal Palace or in the quarters assigned to her in the 500 Republica apartment.
Most of the city had fallen. Reinforcements from the rest of the planet had poured into the capital. Those that survived the constant bombardments and Anakin's wrath were holed up in the western side of the city. She knew this battle wouldn't last long either.
In fact, once they had the capital, the Kaleesh had promised to flood the planet with reinforcements to crush the remaining loyalists.
She quickly joined Bentilais and his group. Their destination was the road leading to the Slaver's Market. With so many traders of flesh and their guards holed up there, they had managed to hold out with the reinforcements. Of course this attack would be their end.
"Has anyone seen the Sorcerer?" she asked. Anakin usually acted as their initial striker, crushing enemy spirit in advance.
The target of their assault, the Slaver's Market, lit up with hundreds of orange bolts striking from the sky. She could see the floating figure there, raining death on the slavers.
"Never mind," she said, her tone lightening up. They soon reached the edge of the barricades, waiting. The moment the sky darkened once more, Bentilais gave the signal. A barrage of rocket launchers targeted what remained of the enemy positions.
They charged when it ended, taking cover behind armored vehicles. Neither Freedom First nor the Kaleesh possessed tanks or personnel carriers. Vehicles taken from the slavers had armor welded on them to act as shields for the infantry. She had to give it to the Kaleesh. Years of living in their conditions had made them truly resourceful.
The darkness of the night was disrupted by blaster bolts.
The enemy fire turned into sparks on the thick durasteel. She took the right flank, deflecting shots while snipers took the enemy out in the dark.
The lead vehicle exploded as enemy rockets impacted it. The driver was dead in an instant while the soldiers were flung around. More rockets came from the darkness, ready to tear the vehicles apart. Unfortunately for them, Anakin was close by.
He landed on the second vehicle, creating round platforms with mystical letters on each. Every rocket launcher found one in its way, but there were too many. She left her cover, standing before him, lightsabers at the ready.
The convoy moved again, ignoring the wrecked lead vehicle. Snipers targeted the launchers, reducing the numbers one by one.
"Keep moving," Bentilais ordered, his voice cutting through the noise of the battle. She spun around, sending several bolts scattering around. The soldiers dispersed as the vehicles entered the street through the main avenue. Teams barged into the buildings with confirmed enemy presence, sweeping the inside with blaster bolts before moving in.
It would take time to clear every building, but in this instance, the enemy was the one out of that precious commodity.
Rocket shots died out eventually. Either they had run out of ammunition or they were all dead. The reason did not matter; the results did. The drivers moved the vehicles in a wedge formation, giving the following men cover. Counter fire from the cleared buildings began as Freedom First established an entry point. Anakin retreated after that, tired. He had already done more than enough.
The battle would continue until morning.
—
In the next chapter:
Padme watched the news with a smile. Over two hundred senators were arrested on the charges of corruption and breaking the ban on trading with the Hutts. The timing was surprising, so surprising in fact that she found it suspicious. Freedom First was still slicing into the Hutt database on Nal Hutta.
Days before they would be ready, the Chancellor had sprung this up.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.
