"Spike, how are you feeling? Fully recovered?" Solo asked, looking at Ahsoka beside him.
"Yes, Master!" the Togruta girl replied cheerfully, though she furrowed her brow slightly. The skin beneath her bandages itched fiercely as it healed.
She had been unconscious for a full day. Upon waking, she immediately began replenishing her nutrients and undergoing recovery training. Her Master had given her a holographic crystal containing healing techniques. Now, whenever she had a moment of spare time, she immersed herself in meditation, focusing intently on accelerating her body's recovery. It was quite similar to the physical enhancement exercises they had practiced at the Jedi Temple.
"Then get ready. We should reach the base in about... hmm, about half an hour."
"Has the Republic sent reinforcements?" A spark of excitement lit up in Ahsoka's eyes.
"That's right. We've established brief contact with the Fleet in orbit, and quite a few Jedi have arrived. We don't know exactly who yet, but it's definitely good news."
"I'll meditate for a bit longer and change my clothes. Thank the Force I have a spare Jedi robe."
"What happened to your combat gear?"
"I've already replaced the damaged parts."
The Togruta frowned briefly, recalling how she had meticulously examined the fabric armor that had nearly saved Ahsoka's life.
Yes, it hadn't completely blocked the shrapnel, but it had successfully slowed its speed. Otherwise, the injury would have been far more severe.
"Alright... go ahead."
Solo turned to Bram and inquired about the unit's readiness.
Ahsoka quietly slipped out of the room. Once inside her cabin, she collapsed onto her bunk.
Ever since waking up, those eerie visions had been haunting her.
She spent a long time pondering them and ultimately concluded that they weren't important.
After all, the previous vision hadn't come true, so why would this one necessarily become reality?
Besides, the Jedi Temple had taught them—Master Yoda had said something like: "Focus on the present moment."
Therefore, she decided to keep silent about these visions.
Master already had enough troubles on his shoulders. Zul could clearly sense his exhaustion.
"Sigh, being a Jedi Knight doesn't seem to be an easy job."
Zul carefully observed the newly arrived group.
Jedi Knight Solo Victor looked exactly as he did in the holographic records, clad in his visually striking armor.
Beside him stood a very young Togruta, who appeared to have become his apprentice only recently.
Standing next to them were two clone troopers: one was an unfamiliar Commander, while the other was none other than Gasha.
And then—
"Hmm? This is actually a robot!"
At the same time, massive wheeled vehicles slowly rolled past the command post, each bearing clear battle scars. Some even flew flags emblazoned with red symbols and unfamiliar markings.
"Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," Solo nodded in greeting. "Gentlemen, it's a pleasure to meet you here. I doubt I need to introduce myself. These are my companions: Ahsoka Tano, my apprentice; Commander Bram, the commanding officer; and clone trooper Gasha."
Master Glaive stepped forward, extending his hand in greeting.
Flynka sighed inwardly. This gesture was common in Master Glaive's homeland, but rarely used among the Jedi.
Yet again, Victor surprised her. Without hesitation, he clasped Master Glaive's hand.
Zul noticed that this gesture was clearly familiar to Victor.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Victor. I'm Jeb Graff. We all thought you had been killed."
"Indeed, for a time, I believed the same myself," Victor replied. "But we managed to escape, albeit at a terrible cost."
"It's clear you suffered heavy losses," Master Glaive observed, clearly referring to the casualties sustained by Victor's forces. "I imagine you'll need several days to regroup and replenish your ranks."
"That's no problem," Solo interjected, then turned to Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi, could you inform us of the status of the two ships? Their fates remain unknown—"
"Your Hailfire-class assault ship, Dingyuan, seems to have been shot down in planetary orbit. A Hunter-class Star Destroyer and a frigate have already been dispatched to the Lantilles system," Master Nokuna answered in Obi-Wan's place.
"Understood."
Zul detected a fleeting trace of sorrow in Solo's voice.
Solo's gaze shifted momentarily to the side. After a brief glance, he pointed toward the far end of the camp, where an AT-AT walker was visible through the gaps between the buildings.
"So you did bring these ugly beasts here after all."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, we managed to mobilize five hundred wheeled armored vehicles, but the majority of our forces are walkers. These machines perform admirably in combat."
"Warrior Victor." Master Leska stepped forward, drawing his attention. "I'd like to discuss the actions of your clone trooper. He—"
"He was following my orders," Solo interrupted bluntly. "And I'm accustomed to having my orders followed, not questioned."
"But... don't you think this is... too cruel?"
"Come on, this is a battlefield. These Nationalists would rather die than be captured by us. We're just optimizing our war costs," Solo replied, his voice calm and blunt.
Olis Gilmun stepped forward, extending his hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, General Viktor. We were deeply impressed by your heroic actions. You can fully trust us to assist the Republic."
Until this moment, Solo had remained expressionless, but Flynka, ever observant, caught a fleeting shift in his demeanor—a surge of unmistakable irritation emanating from him.
"I'm afraid I can't reciprocate that sentiment," Solo said, his gaze hardening as he completely ignored Gilmun's outstretched hand. "Your assistance would have been valuable two weeks ago. But now, even without this pack of stray dogs, I can manage perfectly well."
Master Glaive quickly changed the subject. "General Viktor, we need your help with something—Master Shaak Ti asks you to look after these apprentices."
He pointed to the five young sentient beings standing in a distant corner.
Zul watched them, thinking to himself, "They're truly unlucky."
In his view, losing their Master was the worst possible fate, yet such was their destiny, unchangeable.
Solo stepped forward, scrutinizing the group of apprentices.
This news was completely unexpected.
He glanced over the group: a Human, a Zabrak, an Aqualish, a Gand, and a Sarlaccan.
"Great, Shaak Ti. You've really outdone yourself, giving me this 'honorable' task. What use do I have for these potential casualties?"
Solo remembered that in the Battle of Jabim, these apprentices seemed to have all died here, though the comic depicted far more of them. Wait, Aubrey initially had a Master, but later joined this squad.
Perhaps others would eventually fall under his command as well; it was only a matter of time.
Solo's memories were hazy, but he clearly remembered Flynka, the red-skinned Twi'lek, a human boy, and Anakin.
No, the prospect didn't thrill him.
"This can't be a joke, can it? But looking at the situation now, it probably isn't."
His thoughts churned before he finally sighed in resignation, accepting the reality. "Fine, we'll find them something to do. Maybe we can save one or two. Hutt-raised? What was I thinking? It'll be a miracle if we save our own skins."
Putting those thoughts aside, he turned and said, "Looks like we can't refuse, huh?"
"Correct, General!"
At the same time, Clone Trooper Gasha couldn't help but chuckle. "General, isn't this a promotion? You're about to become a brooding hen."
Solo shot him a stern look. "One more wisecrack, and I'll appoint you as the leader of this apprentice squad."
"Unless I'm dead, Commander," Gasha retorted bluntly.
Solo dramatically caressed his lightsaber hilt. "Don't tempt me."
His gaze then settled on Ahsoka.
"What?" Ahsoka immediately perked up. "I'm just standing here, not saying a word or causing any trouble. Stop looking at me like that, Master. This is the mission entrusted to you. Go handle it yourself."
"Traitor," Solo sighed resignedly.
He turned to the apprentices and said, "Alright, boys, I'll teach you how to truly love the Republic. Gasha, take them to our base."
Zul lowered his head, thinking to himself, "Even so, they still seem a bit... unhinged."
Just then, Obi-Wan Kenobi cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, friends, here's the plan. We're currently on Handuin, one of the two continents in the northern hemisphere, and our core base, the Refuge, is also located here."
The Master stood before the large tactical table, explaining the operation in detail. "We need to establish another fortified base here, Cobalt Base, which will be overseen by Masters Leska and Cyrus."
Over there is Alersar, the second continent. The isthmus connecting the two landmasses is where Jabim's capital, Joal City, is located.
Two bases will be established there: Basalt Base, led by Master Nokuna, and Marble Base, overseen by Master Gis-Ilova."
He paused briefly to catch his breath before continuing, "The overall plan is this: We must seize all critical positions in this hemisphere, including Joal, Dalen, and Zelad.
The capital will be my responsibility, along with Anakin. Masters Leska and Cyrus will join us later.
Master Nokuna will launch an attack from the south, while Master Gis-Ilova will be responsible for purging Zelad City on Alersar, assisted by Warrior Diat.
The remaining Handuin-Dalen City will be handled by Master Glaive.
General Viktor, you will need to provide support for him. After all, you already have combat experience in Jabim—do you all understand?"
"Understood!"
The group nodded in agreement.
"Then let's begin preparations."
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