Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 20 - Negligence
(From now on, I will post two chapters together every day at midnight, so that everyone can read them at any time. Please follow along and give me some recommendation votes if you have any.)

The Tess Galaxy, the orbit of Tess.

Basel Sector

Severn Tann's blue holographic image gazed at Raine and her companions with her usual haughty elegance, her Confederate grey uniform almost gleaming in the light of the planet Teth.

Adhering to the Confederate principles of planetary self-determination and autonomy, the military does not have a unified official uniform.

In fact, the army is still somewhat chaotic, more like a patchwork, composed of robot armies from various corporations and defense forces from affiliated planets.

Most officers prefer to customize their own clothing or simply wear the uniforms of their homeworld's army.

The widespread presence of different alien races within the separatist forces, compared to the Republic's armed forces which are primarily composed of clones and humans, may have contributed to this trend.

As for Renn personally, he still wears the silver-bronze uniform of the Ondron Royal Army.

In the days following Lax's speech, the Confederation conducted a massive conscription in the space regions under its control, and it was at that time that Ryan joined the Confederate Navy.

This recruitment aims to unite experienced officers from different planetary defense forces into a central command structure.

This meant that Ryan also had the same gray uniform, but he felt it was too rigid and didn't suit his taste.

Ryan wondered if he should wear that uniform for the meeting, hoping to make a good impression on the general.

"You failed."

General Tann did not present this statement as a question, but rather as a fact.

Renn thought Ventress would say something.

After all, she was the commander of this mission.

But the Sith lady remained unusually silent.

The Sith have never been good at dealing with personal failures...

He learned this from a movie.

Fortunately for him, Asagi Ventress was more the type to sulk than to throw a tantrum.

It's not that Ryan can't understand her.

This reminded him of another person, Kylo Ren.

What's even more interesting is that the general made this conclusion before they even said anything.

Ryan's face was expressionless.

Ventress had the same expression.

So either General Tann knew the outcome through her Force magic, or she deliberately caused them to fail.

However, Raine doubted that Severn Tann was the type of person who would participate in, or even tolerate, such office politics.

Therefore, he leans more towards Force magic.

In this situation, the appropriate response would usually be something like "It won't happen again," but Ryan didn't want to make a promise he couldn't keep.

Instead, he planned to rely on the old methods.

Use standard verbal reports.

“Jedi General Luminara Onduri arrived in this system with two Victory-class star cruisers and two Cheerleader-class troop transports. I…” Raine dutifully continued, “We ambushed the Republic task force in low orbit, severely damaging one cruiser and capturing another, at the cost of losing one frigate. The other frigate is temporarily out of power, but has been partially restored.”

“The Republic forces successfully escaped with the Little Hutts and retreated into hyperspace,” Raine continued. “At the time, I only had one combat-ready warship, so I did not choose to continue the pursuit.”

“The rescue force is much stronger than we expected,” Ventress finally said in a hoarse voice. “It’s because we were unprepared.”

“This is an unintended consequence of our success at Christophersis,” General Tann frowned. “Now, it is more important than ever to hold this planet in the fight for control of the southern galaxy. The reasons for this failure will be documented. Now, I am redeploying the two of you.”

Ventress abruptly raised her head and said, "That Count Dooku..."

“The Earl is very dissatisfied with you, Commander,” Tann said with a cold smile. “I am now your commander and have been given the authority to supervise your punishment.”

Ventress gritted her teeth, her expression more like a cold laugh.

Raine felt an itch on his back, but he remained standing at attention as stiffly as a tree branch.

“You will not be punished,” the general said, his expression inscrutable. “You should be glad that I am more patient with failure. I will give you a chance to atone for your sins, and if you succeed, you may regain the earl’s favor.”

forget it!
General Tann is definitely involved in office politics.

Seriously?
This is not only a perfect example of the carrot-and-stick approach, but Tann also clearly defined her and Ventress's positions within the army and with Count Dooku.

It's like watching a fight, except it's a fight between a Nexusmon and a Tokamon.

In other words, seeing Ventress grit her teeth and lower her head like a scolded child was both quite amusing and somewhat unsettling.

For a fleeting moment, Raine thought she was going to reveal the "Jedi Apprentice" card.

But she didn't.

Needless to say, Raine was unaware of any outward communications being sent from his ship.

This means that only Ventress, Raine, and a few hundred droids knew that Ventress had captured the Jedi Puppet.

Renn's mind raced.

“Captain Bontri,” the general said, looking at Rein, “lead the rest of your squadron to Geonosis. While the Republic forces are tied down, we will liberate that planet.”

“Excuse my bluntness, sir,” Ryan said hesitantly, his expression hardening, “given our current situation—”

“By the time you arrive, the battle should be over,” Tann chuckled. “We’ve already coordinated a planetary uprising with the Geonosis. My ‘Destroyer Legion’ will quickly deal with the occupying forces. Once you arrive, we can discuss your further involvement.”

“Understood,” Raine said stiffly. “Sir, what about the captured Jedi cruiser?”

"Hold the prisoners under control and collect as much data as possible," Tann ordered. "The Republic's strategies and tactics, blueprints, patrol routes, supply routes, everything... Afterwards, we'll dismantle this ship in Geonosis."

Ryan nodded: "We're already doing that, sir."

“Very good,” Tann turned to Ventress. “As for you, I’m sending you to Christophersis. You can find your ‘Genix’ in Moravall. Take it and join General Lossom’s defense forces. I suspect you’ll find the Jedi you’re looking for there.”

“There are dozens of Jedi on the planet,” Ventress said, her face still grim. “How could Lostholm possibly hold them all off?”

“Count Dooku has sent a new general to the front,” Tann replied calmly. “He assured me that this general is far more capable than you or Lossom, and that the Jedi will suffer a crushing defeat at Christophersis.”

"Okay, if that's all..."

General Tann drew out the last syllable, as if expecting someone to interrupt.

Ventress stubbornly remained silent, while Raine weighed in her mind whether or not to report her for capturing a Jedi apprentice.

Pooh--

forget it!
Renn never wanted to see Ventress's bald head again.

But Tann now represents not only the highest authority, but once appointed as the Supreme Commander, she will be standing at the pinnacle of power.

When she found out...

Raine cleared his throat. "What about the captured Jedi commander, sir?"

Upon hearing this, Ventress trembled with rage, staring at Raine as if she could see right through him.

The hairs on Ryan's arms stood on end, and he felt a headache coming on.

Severn Tann slowly raised one eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at the enraged Sith. The smile clearly said, 'I see through you, girl.'

"What's going on, Ventress?"

She's a real old fox.

“…I’ve captured Anduley’s apprentice,” Ventress managed to say, “Baris Orpheus.”

Have you informed Count Dooku?

"not yet."

"What do you plan to do with her?"

Ventress said viciously, "I'm going to make her betray the Jedi."

Ryan turned his head in surprise.

Turning the Jedi to the dark side is something she would definitely do!

Raine almost forgot about the so-called "religious war" between the Jedi and the Sith.

Seeing those villains' comical evil appearances on the big screen is one thing, but living in the same galaxy as them is quite another.

(End of this chapter)