Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 25 - Beehive Settlement

Geonosis, the Geonosis Galaxy.

Savarin sector.

Ryan straightened his Confederate grey uniform, tied his hair into a neat ponytail, and checked his equipment repeatedly.

This was the first time he had ever cared so much about his appearance.

He looked at the little tower and asked, "How do I look?"

The robot replied dryly, "It's like going to a funeral."

“Sounds about right,” Ryan replied briskly, then strode off the spaceship. “Wish me luck.”

"I've calculated it, and the probability of you being punished for failing the mission is 16.44%."

Xiao Ta gave him this parting advice as he left.

“I’m willing to take the risk.” Ryan handed a data panel to Little Tower and said earnestly, “Help me warm up the shuttle.”

"As ordered."

Geonosis was completely red.

As far as the eye can see, the desolate landscape is dotted with abrupt plateaus and stone towers, with no signs of civilization in sight.

Raine knew that there were vast beehive colonies inside those plateaus.

If you squint, you might be able to see the reflection of the cannon muzzle protruding from the cave...

But then again, does the word "civilization" really apply to insect-like swarm-thinking creatures?
Hundreds of Confederate core ships, like gray scars, are scattered across this vast wasteland, their spherical hulls half-buried underground, resembling giant missile silos from a distance.

A few kilometers to the south, the "Kuala Lumpur" was being towed into a huge canyon by a group of tugboats, like a corpse being dragged into a grave.

As for the crew on board...

Ryan wasn't quite sure; his mission was to capture them and then hand them over to the people in charge.

To be honest, they might be released in a prisoner-of-war exchange, or they might be fed to the insects in the hive; both possibilities are very likely.

Finding out what they would do might trouble his conscience, so he felt it was better not to know.

It was only a short distance from the shuttle to the towering spires of the Hive City of Stargarsin, and despite Rein's carefulness, sand inevitably got into his boots.

The sand was rough and uncomfortable, which was really annoying... but it was the first time he had set foot on solid ground in months.

A squad of B2 series super combat robots came to greet him and escorted him inside.

Away from the scorching sun, the surprisingly clean hall of the underground settlement was cool and pleasant, though the air was a bit stuffy.

The passageway suddenly opened up and transformed into a huge operations room.

The filtered noise reached his ears.

The B2 robot slowed down and stopped, while Raine continued walking forward.

What first caught his attention was the huge holographic table in the center of the room, followed by the tall, striking woman with deep blue skin next to it.

Even though she had her back to him, Tann's powerful aura was still awe-inspiring.

Her black cloak was covered in dust, with marks from the blast gun fire, and the edges looked jagged.

At this moment, Tann is talking to a hologram.

Renn could tell that it was a Moncalamari.

“…I understand, General,” the aquatic alien stroked his chin, “I will proceed with caution.”

“Don’t be too cautious, Commander,” General Tann said unemotionally. “We can’t let the Jedi suspect anything. We need to make it look real. If necessary, we can sacrifice a few ships.”

“Your demands are quite high, sir,” the commander replied. “How can I send my men into battle knowing it’s a trap without a clear conscience?”

“I expect you to do your duty, Commander,” Tann said coldly. “Everything else is irrelevant.”

These words caused the Monkalamari to fall into deep thought, and the conversation fell into a brief silence.

Taking the opportunity, Ryan announced his arrival, straightening his posture, heels together, his uniform making a sound: "Captain Ryan Bontri reporting for duty, General."

The Monkalamari turned his thick neck before noticing his presence.

"Raine," he greeted politely.

“Mele.” He nodded slightly in response.

They had collaborated before, albeit indirectly. So far, Ryan's service career has essentially revolved between General Tann and General Trench.

Like Commander Melley, Trench also comes from the Corporate League.

Because of their similar ranks, they will eventually work together.

This encounter was relatively early; they had previously established orbital superiority together on Exaga, allowing the Coalition forces to capture the planet's mines.

“I will speak with Speaker Argent in person,” General Tann said to the holographic projection, ignoring Ryan. “So don’t tell him about this, understand?”

"Understood, sir." Mei Lai saluted.

General Tann shut down the holographic table, and then the holographic image of the Monkalamari disappeared.

The room suddenly felt less safe.

"That is……?"

Raine tentatively spoke.

“Kamino, Captain,” Tann seemed to explain everything, “one of our double agents has warned us that the Republic has discovered our plans to attack Kamino.”

Ryan could connect the dots without much effort.

Their plan to attack Kamino was always a secret that was not kept very well under wraps.

After Senator Esu invoked the Secession Clause in the Galactic Senate to spearhead the secede of the Abrion Sector from the Republic, the idea of ​​attacking Kamino began to circulate.

From Passer Argent's instigation in political circles to the increase in the size of the fleet near the Trielus system, this "idea" is becoming a reality day by day.

This was an attack that had been planned for months and involved a great deal of resources and effort.

Given that the target is Camino, this makes sense.

If they suddenly give up everything now, the Republic's intelligence services will certainly become suspicious.

Ryan couldn't help but speculate, "If we cancel the operation, it will expose our agents within their ranks."

Tann nodded slightly. "I have instructed Commander Melley to feign a 'chaotic retreat' to the Manda system."

The Manda Galaxy is located in the Republic's space.

Choosing that location as the evacuation route is a bit strange.

However, it may simply be to create the illusion of defeat.

Dealing with General Tann was a risky proposition for Ryan, so he tentatively asked, "Since we know the Republic is aware of this, why can't we revise the attack plan accordingly?"

This is a very simple question, and the answer is quite obvious.

Isn't this the very purpose of planting double agents?

If they know they already know, then the information they receive will become false intelligence.

However, Tann didn't seem to think so, because her face darkened whenever the topic was mentioned.

“I can’t do anything about it,” Tann said through gritted teeth. “Someone wants to defeat Speaker Argent.”

Oh?
Passer Argent was a major supporter of this operation, investing significant resources and influence in its advancement.

This "someone" must be very important, even Tann is helpless against him...

Holy crap... wait.

Raine pursed his lips, understanding what was going on, and swallowed the question he had originally wanted to ask.

It's best not to ask any further questions.

He was just a captain, not even an admiral!

There's no need to interfere in things he doesn't understand, and it could be harmful to his health.

He knew that Tann was trying to control the situation, and everything she was doing was clearly an attempt to mitigate the scale of the impending catastrophe of the Battle of Camino.

That alone is reassuring enough, and she also brought Mele into her plans.

That's how shrewd she is.

Raine cleared his throat, trying to climb out of the hole he'd dug himself. "Can I exchange prisoners here?"

(End of this chapter)