Chapter 59

Yag’Dhul Orbit, Yag’Dhul System

Harrin Sector

“Our reconnaissance craft has reported the defeat of the Twentieth Armada, General,” Admiral Jerjerrod reported, a slither of trepidation sneaking into his voice, “By the time it arrived, the fight was already over. The enemy is now attempting to circumnavigate the moon towards our port quarter.”

“So General Grant’s assessment of the situation was ultimately the correct one,” Jedi General Empatojayos Brand murmured, “Has the recon ship been detected?”

“Apparently not,” Jerjerrod straightened his shoulders, “They are now tracking the enemy fleet’s movements. That is our one advantage.”

“Can we contact the Open Circle?”

“Not so, General. Commander Esterhazy’s force is on the opposite side of Yag’Dhul; without the Twentieth Armada acting as a bridge… we are isolated.”

There was no time to reel from shock, even after the pivotal change of circumstances. As General Brand received the datapad and traced the Separatist vector, he could only conclude that the Battle Hydra had no intention of escaping using the breakthrough they had just created, and was instead circling around the far side of Yag’Dhul’s second moon in order to strike Taskforce Swift Justice from their port quarter.

It was just as Skywalker’s apprentice, Tallisibeth, had predicted they would do–only that her assessment of their initial target was incorrect. Nevertheless, they would be upon Brand’s fleet within a matter of moments, and thus a prompt reaction was in order. Jedi General Brand analysed the enemy’s projected movements, then came to a decisive verdict that was no small part influenced by his origins.

“We will bring the fleet around a full hundred-eighty,” Empatojayos Brand commanded, “And ambush the Separatist fleet as they round the moon.”

“Ambush?” Admiral Jerjerrod questioned, reproach evident in his tone, “We are to go on the offensive?”

“The Hydra has failed to realise we have discovered their intentions,” the Jedi General placed his fist in his palm, “And it is obvious their intentions are to use the moon to cover his flanking manoeuvre, then push us into the asteroid field where they can undo us piecemeal. However, in doing so they will stick closely to the moon, so as to remain in our blindspot for as long as possible.”

“You intend on mirroring their manoeuvre?” the Admiral caught on quickly.

“Correct,” General Brand grinned, “We will seize the initiative, and the advantage. When they complete their circumnavigation of the moon, they will not find unsuspecting, easy pickings, but the full frontal might of our fleet, ready and waiting to meet them.”

Admiral Jerjerrod did not share the Jedi’s optimism, irritation and impatience rearing their troublesome heads at the Onderonian Jedi’s brash naivete–at least, from his perspective. This tense state between the two opposing flag commanders did not go unnoticed by the crew of the Swift Justice, themselves split between the two judgements, and the air on the bridge felt charged with electricity.

“Disclose your reservations, Admiral,” nor did it go unnoticed to the Jedi General, “I do not bite.”

Empatojayos Brand said so jokingly, in an attempt to ease up the tension, but Admiral Jerjerrod did not look upon it kindly–or rather, may not have noticed the jest at all in his apprehension. Do not presume to frighten me with your mysticism, Jedi, appeared to be the prevailing thought running through his mind then.

“It is true there is an advantage afforded to the side that strikes the initial blow,” the Admiral made his statement loudly, boldly opposing the Jedi General, “However, the Separatists number two-hundred, and we half that number. We may seize the element of surprise, but it is not enough to overcome such a numerically superior foe.”

“We are not fighting alone, Admiral,” General Brand admonished his counterpart, “The Open Circle is coming to our aid. You must recall the original mission of this battle; to eliminate the Perlemian Coalition’s Armada. If we deal a decisive blow–albeit incomplete–blow to the Separatists here, the Open Circle’s total victory is all but assured! We must merely delay them long enough for Commander Esterhazy to reach us, which she already intends to do.”

“However,” Admiral Jerjerrod stomped down, ferociously jabbing at the ground, “You cannot deny that we will be destroyed in the process. The original plan was for the Twentieth to come to our aid first–the possibility of the Open Circle even reaching us in time is perishingly minimal!”

The crew of the Swift Justice was torn between their two leaders, just as they were torn between their desire for victory, desire for vengeance, against the Separatist menace–and their own basic instinct for self-preservation. Unbeknownst–but subconsciously aware–to the General and the Admiral, the support of the crew hinges upon their every word, and the arguments they make.

“Do you fear death, Admiral?” General Brand challenged, “If so, fear not, for this not death, but only the Force’s willing embrace. Do not allow your loyalty to the Republic only extend as far as your life. If we deal a crippling blow to the Battle Hydra here, we will send the Separatist State reeling, and crush their renewed offensive in the crib!”

The balance of influence moved in favour of the Jedi General. They would be martyrs, but to the many young souls who enlisted in the Loyalist cause to become heroes, it was admittedly an enticing prospect in the moment where their fates were uncertain. Admiral Jerjerrod once again, however, did not appreciate the Jedi General’s perspective.

“…Do you have a family, General?”

If Empatojayos Brand was taken aback, he did not show it, and the confident grin he wore never left his face, “The only woman who could possibly constitute as such is with the Force.”

“I do, however,” Admiral Jerjerrod’s eyes were cold, “You may think someone as old as I would be more than willing to throw his life in service of the Republic, but I do have a family, and I have a grandson, of whom I possess every intention of seeing his face again.”

“What is his name?”

“Tiaan. He must be fourteen now,” Admiral Jerjerrod split his mouth into a quiet snarl, “I made a promise to return, Jedi, and I harbour every intention to uphold that promise. A dispassionate mystic like you may not begin to understand what I feel, but do not dare begin to injure the loyalty I bear to my family as disloyalty to the Republic. Seek death, Jedi. Do not force those of us who treasure something real to follow you.”

And the balance of influence swung the other away. Unconsciously, the Jedi General knew his hold on the crew’s confidence was fragile.

“…Orderly. How much time do we have?” Brand’s expression and tone of voice seemed indifferent, much to the Admiral’s chagrin.

“–Two hours, sir. Give or take.”

“Very well,” the Jedi General folded his arms before him, clenching and unclenching his fists just out of view, “What do you propose, Admiral?”

“We move to battlespace to one most advantageous for us,” Admiral Jerjerrod tapped his datapad veraciously, “We hasten, which the Separatists will not expect, and force our way through the asteroid field. Upon emerging on the other side, we may reopen communications with the Open Circle. The Separatists will have no choice but to follow us through the asteroid field, as any attempt to circumnavigate it will give time for the Open Circle to rendezvous with us. The asteroid field will naturally break up their formations, and their numerical advantage will be thwarted.”

“You intend to say we can defeat them as they emerge from the asteroid field after us?”

“It is certainly a more sound course of action compared to your frankly foolhardy plan to ‘ambush’ them.”

The accumulated store of unease aboard the Swift Justice was just about to reach saturation point. Like many Jedi Order–Republic Navy relationships, the one between General Brand and Admiral Jerjerrod had never been ‘friendly’ and bordered on ‘sour’ even on better days. But at this crucial juncture, the two stubborn personalities had come to a breaking point, an invisible thunderhead brewing right over the heads of the many spacers trapped between them.

So which would snap first? Such thought unwittingly came to the minds of many men and women.

When Jedi Command and Republic Strategic Command first decided upon Jedi-Navy cooperation, there had always been the question; would the Jedi General or the Admiral outrank the other? It was a question with no simple answer, especially when dealing with parallel chains of command.

In most cases, the answer to this question usually boils down to which personality overpowered the other. The more reserved Admiral Wullf Yularen, for example, usually deferred to Jedi General Anakin Skywalker’s loud and overwhelming force of personality. On the other hand, Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi preferred to let Admiral Block’s actual military experience take command, especially after his mistake at Christophsis.

But when both Admiral and Jedi General were equally stubborn? Well, sometimes a rare friendship could bloom, where both personalities complimented the other well. The late Admiral Cede Wieler and General Rees Alrix was one case, and a reason why the latter went to such great lengths to avenge his death, among others. Another surprising case was between General Mace Windu and Admiral Shoan Kilian, both hard individuals who possessed a degree of warm respect for each other.

Unfortunately, such cases were perishingly rare, despite High Command’s best efforts. Rather, the cold, conflicting relationship between Admiral Jerjerrod and General Empatojayos Brand was a microcosm of the greater interservice rivalry that plagued the Republic Navy.

Ultimately, and perhaps thankfully, seeing the situation not particularly develop in his favour–or anyone’s favour, rather–Empatojayos Brand relented first; “Very well, we will prioritise rendezvousing with the Open Circle.”

Admiral Jerjerrod, and the whole crew with him, deflated in relief.

“We will not go through the asteroid field, however.”

And the Admiral unwillingly tensed again, “Then how do you propose we do so, General?”

“We will circumnavigate the asteroid field instead,” General Brand traced the northern border of the field on his datapad, “By moving in counterclockwise rotation, we will head in the opposite direction of the enemy fleet. Attempting to cross the asteroid field risks the enemy catching up and intercepting us in the act. So instead, we will outrun them conventionally, then contact the Open Circle as we round the field’s western edge. From there, assuming the Open Circle is continuing at present vector, it’s a straight shot to rendezvous, through the gap between Yag’Dhul and its first moon.”

Admiral Jerjerrod traced the lines closely, reviewing the course of action with perhaps a lot more scepticism than he would with a fellow career officer. Before he could make a full evaluation, however, a shout from the datapits interrupted his thought process; “Contact lost with the recon craft!”

It was either the recon craft strayed into the dark side of the second moon–which was extremely unlikely–or the Separatists had discovered, and silenced, them. Regardless, there was no way to know whether the Battle Hydra was still sticking to their strategy, or adapting it to make the recon craft’s intelligence obsolete. It was this new situation that pushed the Admiral to one side of the fence.

Against an enemy many times their superior, and one of which they had no intelligence upon, there was but one sensible action; run in the opposite direction.

“Very good, General,” Admiral Jerjerrod nodded sharply, “Helm, come right to oh-six-seven relative, and meet her there! For engines; all ahead full!”

Swivelling so that the asteroid field was now to their port beam and the second moon of Yag’Dhul right behind them, Taskforce Swift Justice roared south-west, moving in a counterclockwise rotation to the planet. Merely half an hour later, they detected the sharp drive cones of Separatist battlecruisers emerging from behind the moon in battle formation.

⁂

Meanwhile, nearly two-hundred thousand klicks away, the tension that had just released Swift Justice now gripped another flagship in its talons. The Open Circle Fleet’s flagship, Harbinger, has been attempting to contact the Twentieth Armada for the better part of an hour, to no avail. Just as General Octavian Grant rationalised, communication was key in a cooperative battle, and in trying to finalise her battle plan against the Battle Hydra, Jedi Commander Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy had been trying to confirm how the specifics of such strategy would be executed.

It was because Octavian Grant had been so insistent on communication being the fulcrum this battle would pivot, that she did not believe he was ignoring her transmissions out of any petty disagreement.

“We can’t contact General Grant, Admiral,” Scout was sweating, but not from the temperature, “Should we assume the worst?”

“Against the Perlemian Coalition’s Armada, Commander?” Admiral Yularen tugged at his moustache, “We always should.”

“If the Twentieth was destroyed…” utterance of such words alone was enough for bile to rise up in Scout’s throat.

If the 20th Armada was destroyed, then it was my fault. How many men and women served in that fleet, dragged away to fight the Open Circle’s battle? How many men and women died, because I was too stubborn to listen to those who knew better than I? Scout whispered a silent apology to Octavian Grant in her heart. She knew Master Brand took her side because she was a fellow Jedi, and the Chosen One’s Padawan, and exploited that relationship.

If she had listened to Octavian Grant’s orders… would the battle already be decided?

Now, the Open Circle Fleet was blazing towards Yag’Dhul, completely blind to what was happening on the opposite side.

Scout mercilessly, but painfully, crushed down on any guilt she was feeling, flooding her senses with the Force. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no passion, there is serenity. The mantra helped her subdue her nervous jitter. She hoped the bridge crew didn’t notice it… but if they did, they made no show of it.

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“If the Twentieth was destroyed–” Scout pulled herself together to finish her statement this time, “–then the Hydra’s next target is undoubtedly Taskforce Swift Justice. In which case, we need to get to the battlefield as soon as possible to reinforce them. We should still be able to strike the enemy from behind, and turn the tide back in our favour.”

“That won’t work, Commander,” Admiral Yularen said kindly, but Scout can’t help but find some self-perceived disdain behind his leonine gaze.

“What… makes you say so?”

“The fighting will already be over by the time we get there,” the Admiral spelled out his supposition, “If the Separatists were able to defeat the Twentieth Armada is such swift fashion, then there is no doubt they will be able to repeat that victory over Swift Justice even faster. It is an unexpected haste on behalf of the enemy, one that goes to our demerit precisely because we should have expected it.”

“But the original strategy–”