A Jedi in the Night

In the middle of darkness, only the pale light of Askarre’s two moons revealed the shadowy silhouettes crawling between rubble and snow. Quiet and slowly they climbed, chest on the ground, until they arrived on top of a small hill of debris and ruined walls. Then they stopped, and waited. One of them, CT-9860, took his binoculars and gaze at the terrain. There appeared to be no enemies in sight. Ironically, that made him even more anxious.

“I see no one, general. It’s hard enough when you see clankers shooting at you, but not knowing what are they up to is even worse” he murmured.

“They are there, Sixty. I feel it in the Force” answered Ferro Gatté. Then, he grabbed the hilt of his lightsaber, and gritted his teeth. “Tell your men to prep the repeating blaster, and to keep quiet. Nobody shoots until I give the order. We’ll set the ambush here.”

“Right away, general”. The clone rose his arm and signaled the rest of the squad with a quick hand gesture. The troopers rose slightly, and aimed forward with their blasters. Their white armor was a perfect camouflage in the snowy ruins. Behind the dark-skinned Jedi Master, Koto Ran touched her forehead. She was sweating, the tension was taking its toll in her.

“There is no emotion, there is peace” she prayed. Koto tried to focus on the Living Force. Then, she felt it. The anticipation of the troopers, who were about to face death once again. The tension of Sixty, who was focused on keeping his boys alive for another day. The soothing calmness of his master. The fast beatings of her own heart. “There is no emotion, there is peace” she repeated to herself. And then she felt again, deeply and further away.

“Master, they are approaching. At least two dozen droids, and a vehicle. I think they are about to enter the street from the north.”

“Have they detected us?”

Koto closed her eyes for a few moments. “I don’t think so”, she answered to Gatté.

“Then we wait”.

The short haired padawan nodded.

The weather ended his brief truce, and it started snowing again. The snow wet Koto’s shoulders, and made a mess of her robes. She started shivering, and hug herself trying to get warmer. The Padawan learner felt a flinch of jealousy towards the clone troopers around her. While their armor wasn’t as flexible as her garment, at least it would keep them dry and reasonably warm. The clone armor was designed to be sealed and even void-proof, after all.

She also admired their stoicism, their calmness. She had trained all her life to become a Jedi Knight. But this war… this was something completely different. And this was her first real fight. I hope it doesn’t become the last too, she thought to herself. Koto forced herself to abandon that line of thought. Focus on the now, and on the Force. Master Gatté and the squad are counting on me.

Sure enough, after a minute that felt like hours to Koto Ran, a AAT tank crossed the corner and entered the snowy street, escorted by a column of B-1 battle droids. They were barely visible, but the mechanic noise of their walk gave them away completely.

Slowly but surely, they moved closer and closer towards the hidden Republic fighters, unaware of the trap that awaited them. Koto hid behind cover, waiting, until the droids came so close than she was able to see their glowy red eyes.

Like a sudden lighting, a green flash of light put an end to darkness, revealing the droids’ position. It was Gatté’s lightsaber.

“For the Republic!” cried the Jedi Master, his voice like thunder. Bolts of blaster fire decimated the first ranks of the separatist patrol. Then, he ran forward, deflecting enemy fire with his Jedi weapon. Koto ignited her blade, and followed her master without a second thought. Seeing this, the squad of clone troopers charged forward, guns blazing, and yelling the same warcry as their Jedi commander. Only the heavy weapons team stayed on place, firing their repeating blaster with deadly accuracy.

Half a dozen battle droids fell to the snowy ground reduced to scrap metal, before the mechanical soldiers started firing back. Even so, the clumsy Federation droids were no match for the battle-hardened clones of Jango Fett, and even less so for the Jedi Knight Ferro Gatté and his Padawan learner Koto Ran.

Koto swooped her lightsaber left and right, cutting down two more battle droids. Following that, she used the Force to throw another one onto a wall, breaking the machine in half a dozen separate pieces. Suddenly, a deafening noise struck behind her, and she felt in the Living Force the death of three clone troopers. Blood and guts flew away in all directions, and Koto felt sick. She looked behind her, and saw a fuming crater. That’s what was left of the repeating blaster and the clones who manned it.

“Master, we need to take down that tank!” yelled.

“Take Sixty with you and disable that thing, Ran” Gatté answered. “Men, take cover and keep firing!”

“Acknowledged, General”, said CC-9860 while running forward, brandishing his blaster pistol on the right hand and a thermal detonator on the left one. Koto Ran jumped toward the enemy tank, using the Force to propel herself, and landed right on top of the turret. She nailed her lightsaber onto it, and the yellow blade cut through steel like it was butter. Sixty primmed the detonator, and throwed it at her.

“Catch” he warned. The Padawan grabbed the explosive with the Force, and dropped it onto the tank through the hole she had just made. Finally she jumped away, but it was too late. The AAT tank became in an instant a hell of flames and scrap metal, and Koto was thrown away by the force of the explosion. She fell to the street floor, and everything went black

“She seems to be waking up. Go fetch general Gatté.”

With great difficulty, Koto Ran opened her eyes, and tried to rise up. She had barely been able to raise her torso a few inches, when the Padawan learner felt a stab of pain on her chest, and fell again on the medical bed. She breathed heavily.

“Easy there, commander. You found yourself in quite a situation, we’re lucky to have you still in one piece.”

Koto tried to focus her vision, she still didn’t see clearly.

“Blast, it hurts. Where I am?”, she asked.

“You’re on a medical camp, on Teloka City. It seems that you were too close to an explosion, and lost consciousness after a nasty blow against the floor. My team and I patched you up. Don’t worry, we didn’t find any serious injuries, but it is imperative that you rest.”

The Padawan started seeing with more clarity, and began discerning who was she talking to. He was Republic medic, a clone.

“Teloka City? That’s on the other side of Askarre! What about my squad, did everyone else made it?”

A new but familiar voice entered the conversation.

“Teloka will serve from now on as the center of operations of the Republic forces on this planet. As for the squad, your heroics saved all of us, young one.”

Koto’s face brightened with a smile.

“Master Gatté! I’m glad to see you healthier than I.”

“Indeed”, responded the Jedi Master, laughing slightly. “Now rest, as the clone asked you too. You need to recover your forces, the sooner the better. I will return soon enough.”

Koto Ran nodded.

“Master, may I ask where will you go now?”

“You may, but since it does not concern you I will refrain from answering. You will know in due time. Just try to rest and keep out of trouble, young Padawan.”

The Padawan learner sighed, answering with a resigned yes. And having heard that, the dark-skinned Jedi Master leaved the room.

“So cold”, Koto whispered. The clone doctor shrugged.

“Most Jedi seem a little cold, if you ask me”. Sometimes they feel so detached, like if they were not fully human. At least the human ones, anyway."

Koto Ran sighted at the medic, puzzled.

“It must be a bit funny to hear that coming from a clone.”

“Clones or not, you are still people. What’s your name, anyway?”

The Republic doctor made a half smile.

“Most call me Patcher. I guess CT-3141 is too hard to pronounce.”

“Well, you patched me real good if you ask me”, Koto said, still a bit disappointed in her Master’s coldness. It wasn’t the first time Ferro Gatté acted in that manner. She asked if he disliked having been assigned by the Council as her Jedi Master. “Where did you met so many of us to become such an expert in Jedi behavior, anyway?”

“I wouldn’t call myself an expert by any means”, Patcher conceded. “But I’ve met my fair share. Your people have a way of getting in danger and ending up needing medical help. It seems that you are no exception in that regard, kid”, he teased.

“Very funny”, the young Jedi snapped back, irritated.

“Forgive me if I crossed the line, commander Ran.”

The Padawan learner felt slight guilt at hearing that.

“No, it should be me the one who apologizes. I didn’t mean that, I shouldn’t vent my frustration at you. It’s just that my blasted chest aches so bad I can barely move, I’m stuck here for Force knows how long, and this is…” She looked at her right hand, and closed it. “Sithspawn”, she cursed softly.

Patcher kept quiet for a moment, seemly unsure of what to say.

“Every Jedi Master cares for his student, even the sternest ones. That’s just the way of things. I’m sure yours does too.” Having said that, the medic clone turned away. “I’ll be treating the other patients, but don’t hesitate to ask anything you need, Commander.”

“Patcher?”

“Yes, Commander?” the medic ask, just as he was about to cross the door.

“Call me Koto.”

Patched nodded slightly, and left the room.

CT-9860 gave a military salute to Ferro Gatté as he entered the war room. Several clone and local human leaders greeted him, along with the two other Jedi already present.

“Master Unduli, Padawan Offee, governor Manrhee. Forgive my tardiness”, the dark-skinned Jedi apologized.

The Askarrean politician smiled. “No need to apologize, Master Jedi. We are all glad that your Padawan is feeling better. The people of Askarre will be happy to know that such a valiant young woman such as her is joining our battle. Her fighting spirit gives great credit to our cause and the Republic.”

Luminara Unduli rubbed her chin.

“Since we are all here now, I’ll patch the Council in”, the Mirialan Jedi Master said, and she tapped a small panel near her. Holograms of the green Grand Master, Yoda; and the stern human Jedi Master, Mace Windu, appeared around her, along with half a dozen other important Jedi Masters.

“Master Unduli, Master Gatté. The situation on Askarre, how is?”, Yoda asked. With the push of a few buttons, Luminara Unduli made appear a new hologram, showing the planet and the current deployment of Republic and loyalist forces in it, along with known and suspected separatist positions.

“As you all know, the planet Askarre is divided between two people. The velocity of its rotation and orbit always keeps one side of the planet facing the sun, and the other one in shadow. The Askarrean people, who have pleaded for help from the Republic, live on the bright side of the planet. On the other side dwells a non-human species known as the Minaan, who have recently joined the Confederacy and started an invasion of the warm hemisphere.”

“Worrisome, this development is. For many decades in peace, the Askarrean and Minaan people lived.”

“I agree”, Mace Windu added. “Nevertheless, it doesn’t seem likely now that the Minaans will agree to a peaceful settlement of this conflict.”

The Askarrean governor, Saith Manrhee, nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, yes”, he said. “Those brutes have murdered thousands of our people without provocation, and the fact that the separatists are offering them weapons is proof of their treachery to the Galactic Republic. They must be punished.”

Ferro Gatté gestured at the holographic map.

“We have landed our forces here and here”, he said, pointing at several cities on the warm hemisphere. “And pushed the separatist forces back to the dark side of the planet. At the same time, a strike team lead by me infiltrated one of their cities, and destroyed their main shield generator. The far side of the planet is now completely undefended from orbital bombardment, and we also have the ability to deploy troops in enemy territory by air. The Minaans don’t have any kind of air or space assets, and their separatist support doesn’t seem to include starfighter droids yet. We have complete air superiority.”

“If your fleet starts a bombardment of their main cities, we will have a clear victory in no time”, Manrhee exclaimed.

Master Unduli crossed her arms.

“Perhaps, or perhaps not. Orbital scanners show that the Minaans have dug large tunnels and bunkers, some hundreds of kilometers deep. We have no information on how large is this net of subterranean fortifications, or if they are vulnerable to turbolaser fire. Either way, I won’t consent giving a order to raze entire cities from orbit. We are Jedi, not war criminals.”

“Very well. Continue with the siege, and keep us informed of its developments. It is imperative that Askarre does not fall in the hands of the Confederacy”, Mace Windu concluded. “May the Force be with you all”. The holograms vanished, and Ferro Gatté decided to leave and search for a place to meditate. This was going to be a tough fight.