Chapter 70

Rendili Orbit, Rendili System

Rendili Sector

Rear Admiral Calli Trilm could not care one mote about the fate of Rendili. Empress Teta’s secession attempt has emboldened the more brazen planetary governments to defect to the Separatist Alliance, for a whole multitude of reasons. Some, simply put, may believe the Republic to be losing the war, with so many Separatist fleets rampaging through the Core as it was. Others, perhaps, had always had Separatist loyalties, but were never able to act on them due to their proximity to Coruscant.

Or some, like Rendili, simply feel unrecognised by the Republic Senate, and neglected in favour of their competitors… From that perspective, the Confederacy had every reason to secure Rendili’s loyalty; after all, the government’s Rendili StarDrive was one of the Kuat Drive Yard’s few competitors in the field of military engineering, possessing a rich shipbuilding tradition that the relatively young Confederate shipyard industry desperately needed.

Alas, it was not Calli Trilm’s mission to defend Rendili from the consequences of their own ill-conceived rebellion. Maybe the Independent Provisional Government expected more systems to fall into lockstep with them, but that had failed to be the case. Admiral Honor Salima’s counter-campaign in the Galactic Interior has made certain of that, and Calli Trilm theorised that the myriad worlds teetering on the fence between Loyalism and Separatism were all patiently observing the outcome of the now-inevitable battle to decide which side they fall towards.

Rather, it was her mission to steal away with the Bulwark Fleet back into the safety of Separatist space. She had run havoc throughout the Arrowhead in search of the dastardly old Sullustan already, and she was in no mood to sightsee even more of the same old Core systems. So long as she makes away with the lives of Dua Ningo and herself, she couldn’t care less how the Republic decides Rendili’s fate.

Unfortunately, the Republic would not so easily allow her to escape. Even now, Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom she had given the slip twice now, was bivouacked at Exodeen blocking their south; and the Coruscant Home Fleet, which had snowballed in size with every star system they visited to some three-hundred ships, now stood over the corpses of Calli’s auxiliaries at Recopia to their north. Over half-a-thousand warships in total, and neither were likely to be so accommodating to her sudden departure.

Even with the remnants of the Bulwark Fleet, Calli still only commanded half that number.

Except, the Rendili Home Defence Fleet commanded two-hundred. Too powerful, too politically important for Coruscant to wrest away, the Rendili Defence Fleet was virtually untouched by the war, and her vessels were state-of-the-art and in perfectly mint condition. The perfect force equaliser; if Calli could convince them to help her escape–and leave their home vulnerable to Republic retribution in the process.

“The Provisional Government insists all we must do is repulse the Republic attack,” Captain Jace Dallin, the Commanding Officer of the Rendili Defence Fleet, told her sternly, “And it will be enough to turn the sentiments in the region. Samaria, Sedratis, Rehemsa–they will all follow in Rendili’s footsteps.”

“You do not speak with much conviction,” Rear Admiral Trilm replied, and rightly so.

Jace Dallin was a man whose character left no larger an impression upon her mind than which her boot would make on the pavement. He stood with the stiff countenance of any other career military man, with a stiff upper lip and slicked back hair, and a fade scar that ran down the entirety of his left face, from the forehead to the chin. His utter insipidity aside, Jace Dallin was, for a man of such high rank, surprisingly conflicted.

He was a Loyalist, through and through, despite serving the now Separatist Rendili government, and had made his name in the Stark Hyperspace War. A veteran soldier, he fought for the Eriaduan ORSF, then the Republic Judicial Forces, before finally settling back onto his homeworld of Rendili and swifty rising to supreme commander of the RHDF. For the Independent Provisional Government to reaffirm his position as head of their armed forces, rather than murdering him in their ongoing political purge, was another reason for Calli to doubt the reliability of this so-called Separatist government.

“Nor do you,” Captain Dallin retorted, “For the woman who outwitted the famed Obi-Wan Kenobi twice, I fail to sense any confidence in victory from you. Is running away all you know how to do?”

Calli laughed out loud, “You also fail to realise that the definition of ‘victory’ depends on the circumstances. If running away is the definition of ‘defeat’, then I will gladly suffer a thousand defeats to avoid being defeated. The Confederacy seeks not victories, Captain, only victory. In this, all true Separatists understand, and will bring that understanding to their grave if they must. No price is too high to pay for the freedom of the Rim, and no sacrifice too great.”

“…Rendili does not intend to be sacrificed,” Jace Dallin clenched his jaw, the grinding of his teeth barely audible.

“Nor will it, if your ministers had any sense,” for the first time, the diminutive Admiral Dua Ningo spoke, his voice gravelly and touched with age and accent, “Surely the Provisional Government had secured assurances from the Confederacy before deciding to secede?”

Comparative to Jace Dallin, Calli Trilm had no impression of Dua Ningo to speak of. She hadn’t a favourable opinion of him nevertheless, for the man was the source of much grief to her, albeit unknowingly. Nor did she know if he were to be a boon or bane in the upcoming engagement. The old Sullustan was a bit of an enigma in that regard, for he had been missing for the most of the war. He had nonetheless managed to stay always one step ahead of the Home Fleet for months, which spoke well of his capability, but it was also true he had been isolated and acting alone for the most part in that time.

Now that she had to work with him, cooperation would be an entirely different beast, further exacerbated by the technicality that he actually outranked her, being a full fleet admiral. On the other hand, she was the ranking officer of twice his numbers, all of whom are deathly loyal to her alone. Calli Trilm did not seek friction, but she would not put her command in the hands of a man of which she was an utter stranger to.

“I am not privileged to that information,” the Rendili Captain answered Dua Ningo softly, “All I know is that my government acts on the word of Count Dooku himself.”

“Then is that not enough insurance to act?” the Sullustan Admiral inquired honestly, “Rendili’s planetary shields are second to none in this region of space. Skako held out for over a year, and the Neimoidian purseworlds have yet to fall.”

And that was the other matter occupying Calli’s mind. She had refrained from enlightening Admiral Ningo of the current state of the Confederacy, partially because she feared her knowledge may be months out of date, and partially because she knew not where the Sullustan’s loyalties would lie. Would he support the legitimate government and military authority on Raxus Secundus, or would he support his old acquaintance and ally Count Dooku on Serenno?

Calli Trilm would prod him, prod and poke, until she had ascertained his allegiances. And should she find them disagreeable, she will turn her flagship’s guns on his head without hesitation, for her orders were not to bring back another belligerent against the Raxus Government, but the Bulwark Fleet itself.

“Will the Confederacy win within the year?” Captain Dallin demanded, “Even as we speak the Sector Armadas of the Republic Navy return to the Core.”

“The Confederacy won’t need to, if Rendili can convince her neighbours to join her,” Calli decided to circle back to Dallin’s initial point, “You were not incorrect when you said Rendili’s best chance at survival is to draw more systems to secede.”

Jace Dallin narrowed his eyes at her capriciousness, “I told you; that can only happen if–”

“We defeat the Republic here,” Admiral Dua Ningo finished, “That is not impossible.”

“The moment we make to move, the Bloodhound will surely jump to intercept us,” Calli agreed, “If your fleet supports us, we have every reason to believe we can prevail.”

“We will be fighting an offensive battle with fewer ships!” Captain Dallin appealed strongly, “We should instead prepare the battlespace around Rendili, in range of her ground-to-orbit batteries!”

“The only reason the Home Fleet has not attacked yet is precisely because of the number disparity!” Calli rebuked, none too kindly, “We have five-hundred, they six-hundred. With Rendili’s artillery, even Honor Salima and Obi-Wan Kenobi have reason to remain cautious about their chances. But as you yourself stated; reinforcements from the front are approaching with every passing day, bolstering their numbers. At the beginning of the campaign, the Home Fleet had what, two-hundred ships? Now they have three. It is not the Republic without time, it is us.”

Jace Dallin clenched his fists, but nodded in concession, even if he was none too pleased about the admission, “What do you suggest, then?”

“My staff tells me it is a three day transit from Empress Teta to Rendili, at the most direct possible transit,” Calli Trilm told her audience, “I summoned for reinforcements a day ago. Therefore, in two days we will break for Manaan. It is an out of the way system on the border of the Mid Rim, largely forfeited by Republic authorities and devoid of any GAR presence, from which we can escape to Separatist space on the Ootmian Pabol.”

“Empress Teta?” Captain Jace Dallin immediately latched onto the name, “Reinforcements from Empress Teta are coming? You are absolutely certain?”

“I am,” Calli confirmed with more confidence than she felt, but she needed something to push the man over the edge. She needed his two-hundred warships, “And if all goes well, we will time our breakout at precisely the moment they arrive.”

⁂

Exodeen Orbit, Exodeen System

Quellor Sector

“It would appear the Perlemian Coalition is preparing to depart, Admiral,” Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi informed his holographic ally, who thus crossed her arms in thought, “My scoutships report she has begun the rapid disassembly of her remaining auxiliaries and other slower support ships.”

“She is not even taking the time to catch her breath,” Admiral Honor murmured, “I expected her to at least confirm the situation in the Confederacy before jumping. I am afraid General Plo Koon may not make it in time. We must jump immediately if we hope to catch Calli Trilm before she leaves.”

Obi-Wan was inclined to agree. Taking into account the distances involved, it was a day’s transit from Exodeen to Rendili, and not any sooner, for his ships were not Anakin’s. With ample use of probe droids and scoutships, they had hoped to catch Calli Trilm directly as she was transiting to the Rendili hyperlimit–where the planet’s gravity well no longer posed a direct danger to hyperspace insertion and well out of range of the planetside guns. They knew–roughly–the direction in which she would insert, as the Home Fleet and Open Circle Fleet hemmed in her north and south respectively, and the Deep Core the west.

Their strategy was to jump into deep space no more than a parsec outside the Rendili Star System’s termination shock, then microjump directly on top of the Perlemian Coalition just as Calli Trilm reached the jumpzone, pincering her fleet north and south. There was nothing in the strategy that required Master Plo Koon’s presence, merely that his additional hundred vessels and wealth of experience would command the battlefield with simply that much more ease.

The reason they had refrained from jumping to their specified stations near the Rendili System was simply because they had no reason to alert Calli Trilm of their plan any earlier than they had to. But if she was about to depart already, then there could be no later than this to execute the strategy.

“I would have preferred to update General Plo on our course of action,” Obi-Wan groused with no real heat, “But as it stands, we must hope he is able to adapt quickly when he extracts.”

Admiral Honor tilted her head in concurrence, “A shame that the timing must be so tight–”

“–General,” Commander Cody briskly stepped into frame, drawing the Admiral’s attention from the other side, “We’re receiving a transmission.”

“From whom?” Obi-Wan asked sharply, well aware of Admiral Honor’s silent observance, “Is it urgent?”

“From General Plo Koon, sir,” there was no hesitation in the Clone Commander’s cadence, but Obi-Wan knew his friend and comrade well enough to discern the unsurety in his tone nonetheless.

After all, it was impossible to send and receive transmissions while in hyperspace transit. Which meant this transmission was from somebody posing as Plo Koon, or Plo Koon had already extracted somewhere.

“Put it through, c-Commander!” Admiral Honor snapped through the hologram, barely refraining from saying ‘clone’ in his presence. Commander Cody barely had to wait for Obi-Wan’s gesture to dash away.

A moment’s pause later, and the familiar form of the old Kel-Dor had joined them at the holotable.

“I have extracted at Leria Kerlsil,” Jedi General Plo Koon inserted immediately, before either Obi-Wan or Honor could even eke out a word, “There has been a complication to whatever plan you may have devised.”

“Leria–” Honor started severely nonetheless, “Leria Kerlsil is still halfway between Empress Teta and Rendili!”

You better have a good reason for wasting valuable hours in realspace when you could still be transiting! Was what Honor Salima left unsaid.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“An astute observation, Admiral,” Master Plo Koon allowed, like a father to a daughter, “But I feared that if I had not taken the time to warn you, the battle might have been lost before it even began. You may discard whichever strategy you may have had in mind, as at this moment the Battle Hydra approaches Rendili.”

“The Hydra?” Obi-Wan brushed his beard worriedly, “I was led to believe you had kicked him out of Empress Teta.”

“I had,” the Kel-Dor Master replied with a rising lilt, “And this was the direction he had fled in. I can only suspect the two Perlemian fleets still have a line of communication with each other–”

“–And Calli Trilm had summoned Rain Bonteri to aid her,” Admiral Honor Salima finished, and she sounded utterly exasperated, “Really, I’d like to personally ask the devil whether he’s making room for the Separatists or for us.”

With this revelation in mind, it was obvious why Plo Koon had decided to delay his arrival to warn them. If the Battle Hydra, in all of this tactical superiority, had managed to blindside their carefully timed interception… the result would have been disastrous. On the other hand, it now meant Task Force Hyperion will be delayed by several hours, leaving the Home Fleet and Open Circle Fleet alone to fight a now numerically superior enemy.

“We must devise a new strategy immediately,” General Plo Koon advised, “As I must be ready to play my part the moment I extract, and every minute I linger in Leria Kerlsil is another minute I won’t be present on the battlefield at all.”

“…Very well,” Honor Salima blew out a forceful breath, before marshalling her features into an imperious countenance, “General Kenobi, how do you think you will fair outnumbered three-to-five?”