Chương 108: 108

A Young Girl's War Between the Stars 108 3 3 BBY/ 9 6 7 GSC. Naboo Conflict + 5 4 days. Coruscant. Anakin looked around with wide eyes as their convoy of speeders approached the Senate building. Down below, he spotted two columns of navy clad guards wearing fancy uniforms and helmets with feathered ridges escorting a group of people in robes. At their head was an old man, who looked up at them and smiled as they descended. Beside him, Padme—all done up as the queen of Naboo—pointed and quietly said, "Look there.

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has come to greet us. He was the senator for Naboo, before the attack on the Senate and the secession." The speeders landed and the group climbed out. Anakin joined Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, while Asajj fell into step just behind and to the side of the queen. Jar Jar stumbled and nearly knocked over one of Padme's handmaidens, only for Qui-Gon to snap out a hand and steady the clumsy alien.

"Oopsieday! Meesa sowwy," the long eared alien apologized.

"Be more careful," Qui-Gon chided, before the group advanced to meet the Supreme Chancellor. They stopped before the old man and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan bowed, and seeing this Anakin did so as well. Then, the queen came forward and the old man sent her a smile.

"Tis a great gift to see you alive, your majesty—though I wish it were under better circumstances. We've been very concerned, given the communications breakdown." Sending a look to Qui-Gon, he continued, "I'm anxious to hear your reports on the situation."

"I will give my report to the Senate as a whole, Chancellor," Padme said, using her 'queen voice' as Anakin had come to think of it.

"And you will. You will," Chancellor Palpatine assured.

"I've called for a special session of the Senate to hear your position, Master Qui-Gon's report, and from our guest." Chancellor Palpatine's eyes cut to the end of the line, and the silenced and shackled prisoner standing there.

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Yes, Chancellor," Queen Amidala confirmed. The neimoidian Anakin had learned was Nute Gunray, the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, had been kept securely on the ship the entire time, but this was the first time Anakin had actually seen him. Apparently, only Master Qui-Gon had been allowed to visit him and bring him food and water during the trip.

"Viceroy Gunray is Our prisoner, and will be made to testify before the Senate."

"I see," the old man murmured. Seemingly dismissing it, he turned and moved to offer Jar Jar a hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Representative Binks. If only the situation that brought you here weren't so dire."

"Meesa?" Jar Jar asked, pointing to himself. Palpatine nodded.

"Oh, yes. The Senate are all eager to hear from you. There is a question of procedure, but I'm confident we can overcome it. Come, walk with me," he placed a hand on the gungan's back and urged him towards the Senate building, motioning for the others to follow. When Asajj stepped up beside the queen, the Senate guard raised their weapons and the entire procession halted. Turning back to the group, the Chancellor smiled.

"Ah, but I'm afraid our Mandalorian friend will not be joining us."

"I am a Jedi," Asajj shook her head.

"By the orders of my Master, I go where the Queen goes." The guards' plasma rifles whined as they armed them and, a moment later, one of Asajj's lightsabers found its way to her hand, the grass green blade igniting. The cat which had been sleeping across her shoulders perked up, opening its eyes and watching as its tail began to twitch and something made Anakin's fledgling Force sense wary. Master Qui-Gon stepped between Asajj and the guards with a strained smile.

"Gentlemen, please. You don't want to do that." Turning to Palpatine, he said, "Chancellor, she is our guest."

"She is a member of the Separatists and connected to the ruler of Mandalore. Arresting her will give us leverage over the Separatist leadership, Master Qui-Gon," the Chancellor argued." That would be a mistake, Chancellor. The Mandalore is not known to show kindness or mercy to those who attack her through her Padawans. I fear that if you take her Padawan into custody, she will respond in a manner far beyond what you or I would consider proportional.

I assure you, young Asajj is a Jedi in good standing here on an official diplomatic mission. Her status as a representative of the Jedi supersedes her Master's political affiliation and positions. Jedi of the Republic or of the Confederacy, it matters not—we are all Jedi and we are all sworn to uphold peace and order in the Galaxy." Queen Amidala raised a hand and laid it on Asajj's shoulder.

"She is here at Our request, as part of Our agreement with the Confederation of Independent Systems. Until such a time as Our disagreement with the Republic is resolved and the Republic acknowledges its duty to Naboo and moves to address them, she will remain by Our side." The Chancellor hummed, before nodding.

"Then I must ask that she disarm before entering Senate chambers."

"As a Mandalorian, carrying weapons and wearing beskargam is as much a part of my culture and heritage as the head covering is for Mirialans or eye covering is for Miralukans. Would you ask either of them to remove their ceremonial garb before entering? Additionally, allowances for such things are specifically codified in Republic law. Those laws apply regardless of one's status as a member of the Republic or not, in order to facilitate newly discovered races joining the Republic.

I can quote the laws in question if you would like…" Asajj offered, and the smile in her voice was obvious. The old man stared at her for just a moment, before a chuckle escaped him.

"Yes, you are indeed your Master's student. Very well. The law is the law." Looking to the guards, he instructed, "Keep an eye on her, but she may enter as she is." With that, they followed the Chancellor into the Senate building. Leaning closer to Asajj, Obi-Wan quietly teased, "Got that one from Tanya, didn't you?"

"Master sent me a short list of Republic laws and Senate bylaws to memorize on the flight," Asajj supplied, just as quiet.

"She said it was better to be prepared for this sort of rules lawyering. That, and the best way to win was to beat them at their own game, using the loopholes they crafted for themselves."

"That does sound like her," Obi-Wan murmured, nodding. M aking their way inside, they split off as the Queen of Naboo and Asajj went one direction and the Supreme Chancellor went another. Anakin started to follow after Padme, only for Master Qui-Gon to put a hand on his shoulder as Obi-Wan gave the Viceroy a push to get him moving.

"This way, Anakin. We have our own booth."

"Oh," Anakin nodded, allowing himself to be led along by Qui-Gon. They eventually entered a door labeled 'Jedi' and stepped out onto a platform. Qui-Gon touched a button on the platform and, a moment later, it pushed off from the wall and joined the others floating around the room. Anakin looked around with wide eyes, taking in everything. There were more aliens here than he had ever seen on Tatooine.

Here and there however, he could spot patches of wall or floor that looked newer than others, and certain evidence that reminded him of the sort of damage he'd seen when a pod racer engine exploded. Padme did say there was an attack on the Senate recently, he thought, before turning his attention away from it and looking around the room. He spotted Padme and waved. He might have imagined it, but he thought he saw her smile, and the smallest wave her her fingers back. Right. Have to act all serious for this.

Thinking that, Anakin put on his serious face. A few minutes later, a light shined down from the middle of the ceiling and the platform at the top moved into the center of the room. Chancellor Palpatine stood atop it, smiling as he looked around at the senators. He smiles too much. Reminds me of a used parts salesman back ho—back on Tatooine. The kind that sells you junk that he knows is going to blow up on the third turn.

"Honored delegates, today we will hear testimony from the Jedi and Queen Amidala of Naboo, in regards to the ongoing blockade of Naboo by the Trade Federation, and Naboo's illegal attempt to secede from the Republic," Chancellor Palpatine said, his voice echoing in the large room.

"Master Qui-Gon, you have the floor." The Supreme Chancellor's platform backed away from the center as theirs moved forward and the light focused on them. Anakin stepped closer to Obi-Wan, who put a hand on his shoulder and pulled his back against her front, holding him there loosely. Master Qui-Gon cleared his throat and began.

"Thank you, Chancellor and Senators—" That was as far as he got before another platform descended, much more rapidly.

"This is an outrage! This Jedi h as kidnapped our Viceroy and now holds him prisoner! We demand the immediate release of Viceroy Gunray!"

"The Chair does not recognize the Senator from the Trade Federation at this time," Chancellor Palpatine declared.

"And we will not be silenced until he is released!" the TradeFed senator yelled.

"I am afraid that won't be happening, Senator," Master Qui-Gon shook his head.

"You see, Viceroy Gunray is under lawful arrest. He is a prisoner of war, given over to my custody, and I will not be releasing him until he fulfills the conditions required and agreed upon by the Viceroy himself to do so. Now, if you would be so kind as to wait your turn? I promise, we will come to the release of the Viceroy eventually." The Neimoidian senator fumed, but nodded and pulled his platform back. Master Qui-Gon nodded, and continued.

"At this Senate's request, we have been to Naboo and evaluated the situation. We have spoken with the queen, and representatives for both the Trade Federation and the Confederation, in order to assess the situation and attempt to mediate. Negotiations have met with some success and the Confederation are willing to agree to terms with the Republic, but only if certain conditions are met.

"To summarize the situation: the Trade Federation blockade was a lie. A smokescreen for an invasion using the Trade Federation's droid army—""Baseless lies! I object! You have no proof!" the Senator from the Trade Federation roared.

"We demand a commission be sent to Naboo to ascertain the truth!" Before Qui-Gon could speak up, a three eyed senator butted in.

"The congress of Malastare concurs with the honorable delegate from the Trade Federation. A commission must be appointed!"" You asked the Jedi Order to investigate and we have," Master Qui-Gon pointed out.

"What is the point of appointing a separate commission, other than to attempt to buy time for the Trade Federation to win their war? A war which they are losing, by the way."" How dare you accuse the congress of Malastare of colluding with the Trade Federation?! The utter disrespect!" Others began chiming in and Master Qui-Gon simply smiled and reached into his robe, withdrawing his personal holocom. Anakin frowned, looking back up at Obi-Wan.

"What's he doing?" Obi-Wan smiled.

"Tanya made sure we were prepared. As she put it, 'always bring receipts.'" Master Qui-Gon tapped at his holocom for a few moments, before tapping at the controls on their platform. A moment later, the space above them filled with a huge hologram. First, a video of the Trade Federation ships in orbit around Naboo played. In it, smaller ships exited the big, round ones and headed down to the surface. A new video began playing after, showing a droid army forming up on a field.

More of those ships that had left the bigger ship landed, then disgorged droids, tanks, and other equipment. A third video played immediately after, of a droid army sweeping through a village full of humans and gunning down everyone they could, while armored Mandalorians returned fire and evacuated the civilians. Master Qui-Gon spoke into the sudden silence.

"You were saying, Senator?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he cast his gaze between the Senator from the Trade Federation and the ones who were obviously taking the Trade Federation's side.

"The Jedi do not make claims without evidence, nor do we lie." The Neimoidian senator's jaw flexed as he looked positively thunderous, but he apparently had nothing to say to contest that." I have this footage and more. If you like, we brought a crate of battle droid scrap taken from Naboo with us, as more proof. The facts are undeniable at this point, Senators.

The Trade Federation have launched a ground war using their droid army to attempt to take Naboo and anyone who says otherwise is lying," Master Qui-Gon pressed. Waving a hand, the collar keeping Viceroy Gunray silent unsnapped, uncovering his mouth.

"Viceroy, please give your testimony now." This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. T he neimoidian man smacked his mouth for a moment, before reaching out and taking a glass of water from the stand in the middle of the podium. He took a sip to wet his mouth, then put the glass down.

"It is true. Everything he said."

"Be silent, you fool!" the Trade Federation Senator yelled." We blockaded Naboo, not to pressure the Senate, but to distract you. We did it so that you would be so busy arguing back and forth among yourselves and the new Senators would be so busy trying to claim glory and establish their reputations that enough of you would never agree to take any sort of decisive action. When word of the invasion did finally reach you, it was our hope that you would spend even more time endlessly debating in circles.

The hope was that it would keep you busy long after Naboo was regretfully captured, then force you to waste even more time negotiating to get it back when we never intended to return it."" Shut up! Shut up!" The Viceroy did not, in fact, shut up." The simple fact is, the fuel Naboo provides is of such quality and such quantity, and its processing and refinement so easy, that the Trade Federation cannot pass up this chance to annex the planet for ourselves.

It will fuel our ships and our droid army for millennia to come. Neither the Republic nor the Confederacy will be able to compete, once we scale up production. Eventually, our numbers will overcome you both." The Trade Federation Senator slammed his fists on his podium.

"I said shut up! You will be executed for this!" Viceroy Gunray scoffed.

"I will not. When I am freed, I will return to my position as Viceroy. Admitting the truth here does not matter. The Republic's Senate is impotent, and even were they not, there is nothing they can do to stop it now. Our ships are already in position and our army is in place. Either we will have Naboo within the month, or we will not. But it will not be by the Republic's efforts, and the Republic will have lost Naboo regardless—either to us, or to the Confederation. It is a win/win situation, Senator.

Now, be silent. If you threaten me again, it will be you facing execution." Turning to Qui-Gon, he spat, "I have fulfilled my agreement with that devil Mereel, Jinn. It's time to hold up your end of the deal."

"Not just yet," Master Qui-Gon shook his head.

"When we're done here and you have answered any questions anyone wants to ask." Gunray sighed, but nodded.

"Very well." Turning back to the Supreme Chancellor, Qui-Gon continued.

"As to the matter of the secession… Naboo has signed a treaty with the Confederation of Independent Systems. I have here the full text of the treaty, should you wish to review it." He tapped at his holocom and the platforms around the room chimed with the incoming document.

"In short, it s tate s that the Confederation agrees to take over all responsibilities from the Republic concerning Naboo, starting immediately by removing the Trade Federation from Naboo. The Confederation have added a clause that states that should the Republic step in and fulfill their duties, and remove the Trade Federation from Naboo themselves, the CIS will freely give up all claims to Naboo and will only charge for the labor, materials, and supplies used in their defense of the system.""

They know we cannot act immediately! We need time to properly consider all the potential ramifications of such a thing!" a senator blurted out from somewhere. Master Qui-Gon smiled and nodded.

"I believe that was the point, senator." Another voice yelled, "You're supposed to be working for us to shut this nonsense down!"

"And we have," Master Qui-Gon nodded.

"As you've heard yourself, there is no reasoning with the Trade Federation. Their goal is to take Naboo for its plasma and they are not going to give up easily. The war on Naboo will not be resolved in the Senate chambers. That is the conclusion the Jedi Order have reached regarding the Trade Federation blockade, per your instructions. The issue of the secession, however, is well within your power to resolve here and now. Today. The terms I have negotiated with the CIS are quite reasonable.

Act now, deploy the navy and the army, and provide food aid to Naboo and the Confederacy will withdraw from Naboo."

"Neither the Senate nor the Republic will be coerced into action! We will act or not act when and how we decide to!" Master Qui-Gon sighed.

"I should point out that Mandalore Mereel's stated goal in adding the escape clause was t o force you to choose. T o act now if you wish to keep Naboo, or to demonstrate to the galaxy at large that the Republic will not actually honor their agreements if your system happens to be outside the Core. She predicted you would choose to reject the offer and intends to capitalize off of that rejection." Queen Amidala's platform moved closer and she looked around the gathered Senators.

"I came here to plead for my people. To follow the advice of Our Confederate liaison and request aid from this Senate. I ask only that the Republic honor its oaths, agreed to when Naboo joined the Republic. Do you mean to tell me that you will not? That no matter what, this Senate will debate in circles and do literally anything in its power to avoid fulfilling its obligations?"

"The chair does not recognize the Queen of Naboo," Chancellor Palpatine spoke up. Padme turned a glare on the old man.

"Chancellor, you are Nabooian. Do you have no empathy for the plight of your own people?" Palpatine shook his head.

"I must consider the greater good of the entire Republic and I must remain impartial. I cannot show favoritism by forcing the Senate to come to a decision now. Please, I must urge you to withdraw from your agreement with the Separatists and put your trust in this Senate and the Republic to do what is right."

"What is right for the Republic," Padme clarified, and Palpatine smiled.

"Exactly. Naboo may suffer a bit in the short term, but in the long term I assure you, we will set things right."

"No." The queen shook her head.

"I will not allow my people to be crushed under the metal heel of the Trade Federation to further the political aims of this Senate or the Republic as a whole." Looking around, she glared at the senators.

"Consider this your official notice. Naboo has withdrawn from the Republic and joined the Confederation of Independent Systems. Good day." The Senate chamber erupted into a cascade of noise as Queen Amidala withdrew her platform. Master Qui-Gon quickly did likewise. As soon as the platform was docked, he freed Viceroy Gunray and they left the chamber, hurrying down the hall to meet with the queen—leaving the Viceroy behind. The queen nodded as their groups met and merged, heading for the exit.

"Master Qui-Gon. We will be departing Coruscant immediately. Will you be traveling back to Naboo with Us, or do you have other business?" Master Qui-Gon shook his head.

"Nothing that cannot be postponed until we reach Naboo."

"Excellent. Then let us be away from this place. We have been away from Naboo too long already. This entire excursion was an exercise in futility."

"Not entirely, your highness," Master Qui-Gon shook his head as they exited the building and made for the speeders.

"You gave the Republic a chance and they refused. It may not seem like much right now, but it counts for something. In the years to come, when they look back on the events that led up to the coming war, they will see that Naboo left the Republic with cause. They will see that your actions were justified."

"Master," Obi-Wan murmured, drawing the man's attention, "whose side are we on?" Master Qui-Gon smiled, giving her a wink.

"I should think that would be obvious, Padawan. We are sworn to uphold justice within the Republic."

"Mm. But aren't the Senate the ones who decide what is and isn't just?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, they only decide what is legal." Turning to Anakin, Qui-Gon said, "Anakin, keep this in mind. You will often times find that justice and legality are two entirely separate things that only sometimes intersect." Obi-Wan sighed.

"The Council are going to be upset." Qui-Gon sent his Padawan a smile.

"When are they not? However, we have all the evidence and proof of our work in good faith. It is not our fault that neither the Trade Federation nor the Republic intend to deal in good faith. We have done all we can."

"Covered our asses, hm?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Quite thoroughly." They reached the speeders and Anakin joined Padme in hers as she captured his hand in hers and pulled him in to sit beside her. As they flew straight back to the spaceport, he looked up at her and commented, "It seemed like everybody was working with those Trade Federation guys and the whole thing's rigged against you."

"It did seem that way," Padme murmured.

"I wouldn't put it past them to have bought favors from many of the other senators, to ensure their agendas moved forward."

"And you said the Trade Federation is attacking Naboo, right? What are you going to do about that?" Padme smiled, reaching out and running her fingers through his hair, before pulling him against her side in a hug.

"We're already doing everything we can. The war is already being fought back home. This was just a formality. We came to plead our case and see what their reaction would be, but we already suspected what their intentions were. The Republic intends to see Naboo captured by the Trade Federation, so they can use our suffering to justify a larger war against the Trade Federation. We were always meant to lose and it seems most of them are in on it, for one side or the other.

Either the Trade Federation bought their votes in order to stall, or allow them to claim Naboo, or they support the Republic and they've been let in on the plan to see Naboo fall so that they have a proper justification to enter the war. The secession changes things. They can no longer justify going to war against the Trade Federation to reclaim and avenge Naboo, so they will need to find another reason to convince their populace that their war is just."

Frowning, Anakin said, "It sounded like they really want to take your planet and aren't gonna stop until they have it."

"That's it exactly, Ani," Padme sighed.

"That's where Master comes in," Asajj piped up from the queen's other side, drawing Anakin's attention.

"What do you mean?" The armored girl was silent for a moment before answering, "Master is very good at solving problems. The Trade Federation are just another problem to be solved." Anakin scoffed.

"They've got a whole army."" An army of live fire training dummies," Asajj murmured, and Anakin blinked.

"Master's only playing with the moving targets back on Naboo to give our people some time to train and to give the queen time to attempt to negotiate. She loves making a big show for important things. When the queen gets back, she'll end the invasion." Frowning, the boy demanded, "If she could end it just like that, why didn't she?!" It was Padme who answered, pulling Anakin's eyes to her.

"To give me a chance to work things out with the Republic. One last chance for them to do the right thing, and for Naboo to back out of the agreement to join the Confederacy. But we saw how that went." The speeders slowed down as they entered the spaceport, bringing them over to the silver Nabooian ship that would take them away from Coruscant. As soon as they landed, they boarded the queen's ship and within minutes were taking off. Master Qui-Gon waved for Anakin to join him and Obi-Wan in the lounge area.

Sitting down across from the two Jedi, Anakin asked, "What are we doing today?"

"Hmm…" Qui-Gon considered for several moments, absently stroking his beard in thought. Eventually, the man smiled and nodded once before floating a tablet over using the Force.

"I believe I have it." Anakin watched with wide eyes and a grin.

"Am I going to learn how to do that?!"

"Eventually," Qui-Gon nodded.

"Today's lesson is less about the Force and more about what it truly means to be a Jedi. Skill and power are useless, if you don't know how to properly apply them. Or when. A discerning mind filled with knowledge and wisdom is a Jedi's most useful tool, beyond even the Force." Tapping away at the tablet, he found what he was looking for and eventually asked, "I take it you didn't have much schooling on Tatooine?"

"No sir, Master Qui-Gon," Anakin shook his head.

"Then let us remedy that," Master Qui-Gon smiled.

"'History' is quite a broad subject, so let us start with something a bit more recent and relevant to our current situation—" Anakin blinked, then looked around.

"Wait, Master Qui-Gon, something feels… wrong. Where's Jar Jar?" Master Qui-Gon paused, blinked, then looked to Obi-Wan.

"Did you see him board the ship?" The girl frowned as she thought about it.

"No, Master. I do remember he was on the speeder with us when we left the Senate, but I don't recall seeing him when we left the speeders." Qui-Gon stood quickly. Moving to the holocom on the table, he pressed the button for the bridge. As soon as it lit up, he asked, "Did any of you see Jar Jar board the ship?"

"No, Master Qui-Gon. We thought he came in with you." Frowning, Qui-Gon looked to Obi-Wan.

"Anakin, Obi-Wan, search the ship for him."

"What if we accidentally left him behind, Master?" Obi-Wan asked, and Qui-Gon sighed.

"That is up to the queen. However, given how urgently she wants to return to Naboo, he may have to fend for himself for a while." 3 3 BBY/ 9 6 7 GSC. Naboo Conflict + 5 8 days. Naboo.

"Aaahahaha~! Burn! Buuurn~!!! Hahahaha!" Allaya turned to look at Jaster, whose helmet tilted down to look at her as well. Around them, Mando and clone technicians paused briefly to glance at their Mandalore enjoying herself before getting back to work.

On one of the color holograms within the mobile command center they were using today, the rear line of battle droids burned and melted to slag in the trenches as their forces cut off the droid army with a viscous combination of plasma fuel, iron, aluminum, and a jelly-like sap secreted naturally from one of the local plants that the sappers had found—the mixture sticking like napalm and burning like thermite as it produced enough heat that they felt it even from where they stood.

"She always get like this?" Jaster asked quietly. Allaya shook her head.

"Sometimes. Never like this though. This is the first time I've seen her this… enthusiastic."" Begin the artillery barrage~! Pound those worthless clankers into scrap metal!" Tanya roared into the comms as she moved over to another display, showing the view from the front lines, leaning against the table it was being projected over. The barrage of the enemy's front lines began immediately, and the thump of artillery and mortars firing and the whistle of physical and energy shells filled audio pickup from the feed.

Then, the ground shook, rocking the mobile command center beneath their feet as the first barrage hit and exploded, scattering droids everywhere. The enemy stopped and deployed shields around their heavy assets, and the marching troops moved closer to stand under them. Artillery immediately shifted and began hammering the shields—falling into the staggered fire pattern Jaster had described.

"They're right where we want them. Set off the mines!" On the display showing the front lines, mines that their people had buried all across the battlefield just before the line of trenches popped up and went off— under and inside the shields. Enemy droids and equipment were blasted apart and multiple shield generators went down, allowing the artillery to finish the job." Decrease rate of bombardment—make it look like we blew our load right up front and we need to start conserving ammo.

Start letting them through, then cease bombardment entirely in an hour. Remember, we're marching them into a meat grinder. We want them to keep marching in and not decide to go around," Tanya reminded, and the artillery slowed down." Ground forces, prepare to engage as soon as the enemy hits the forward eastern trench line."

"Is that our cue?" Allaya asked, and Jaster nodded.

"Go get 'em," he said, giving her a swat on the butt and sending Allaya scurrying out to find a place to squeeze in among the troops with her rifle. Moving over to stand beside Tanya as she watched the feeds, he asked, "What do you think about the troops?" She hummed, glancing over at a feed showing the clone troops on the front lines. They were all hunkered down in their trenches, buckets on, waiting patiently.

"This is their first large scale engagement. I think they look ready, but looks can be deceiving. Trial by fire is the best test. We'll put them into the crucible of war and see what comes out the other side."

"Sounds about right," he murmured.

"How much longer do you think the queen will be in getting back?"

"Hopefully long enough to give our people some much needed experience. This is as easy as it's ever going to get," she gestured at the holograms showing the battlefield from various sensors placed where the enemy hopefully wouldn't find them.

"We are teaching the Trade Federation as much as we're learning from them. They're bound to adapt quickly, and they produce replacement troops as quickly as they can scale up production and source fuel." Nodding, Jaster asked, "How do you see this ending?" Tanya considered for a moment before answering, "We're going to need to go for a decapitation strike to remove their leadership and then several very demoralizing blows to civilian population centers to convince whoever takes their place not to resume the war.

Eventually. For now, the war is useful, as it allows us to justify buildup of troops and ships without scaring the Republic too much. But there's a fine line—or more of a hard cutoff point where we have to decide that we're prepared enough and strike, before they can scale past our ability to defeat and still have the strength to take on the Republic." Grinning, Jaster reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's enjoy it while it lasts, then—and line our pockets as much as we can until then."

"It's just a shame we have to destroy all of these droids," Tanya murmured.

"I would love to shut them down and send them home to be reprogrammed and put to work. Such a waste of resources." She sighed, taking in the holograms.

"This whole thing is a pointless cash grab by the Trade Federation under orders from the Sith, and if I have my way, their entire leadership will be put before a firing squad when this war ends."

"One can hope," Jaster murmured.

"Now, tell me about the Kandosii. I want to know what we've got up there backing us up." He could hear the grin in her voice as Tanya answered.

"She's the first in a small production run of dreadnoughts…"