Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 60 - I'd rather stay a child forever

Coruscant orbit, Coruscant galaxy.

Korusa Sector.

Ahsoka had seen warships before, but the sight of hundreds of Star Destroyers gathered in Coruscant orbit still amazed her.

As the shuttle descended toward the flight deck of the Harbinger, she stood on tiptoe, wanting to take one last look at the Republic's most powerful "open-loop" fleet.

One hundred and fifteen warships.

Twenty-five of them are the latest generation of star cruisers produced by Arantien VI.

Victory-class Star Destroyer

Ahsoka had heard that they were the force behind the Jedi Council's power.

The shuttle landed gently, the huge hangar door closed, and air filled the parking area again.

“I should go say hello to everyone.” Anakin stood up and muttered, “Thanks for the ride, Axel.”

"It's my duty, sir." The clone pilot shut down the engine and gave a thumbs-up.

A squad of clone soldiers greeted them at the bottom of the gangway; some wore armor with blue markings, while others wore pristine white.

Ahsoka could sense a surge of joy rising within Anakin, which was quickly replaced by worry.

"General Skywalker, Commander Apo reporting for duty." The clone leading the group saluted. "General Renault wishes to speak with you; he is waiting in the communications room."

(Commander Awa & Flying Motorcycle Model)

"Looks like I'm still as popular as ever," Anakin joked, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers in formation. "Corrick? Glad to see you back."

A soldier with the general red markings on his shoulder armor grinned and saluted, saying, "It's good to be back, General. The 'Flood' company is back in action."

Despite the reunion, Ahsoka felt Anakin's unease growing.

"Where is Rex?" Anakin asked casually.

"General!" Corrick's smile vanished. "The commander has been listed as missing. The last time we saw him was on the 'Resolute,' when he pushed us into the escape pods..."

“He truly is one of ours.” A ripple of energy stirred within him. “We will remember him.”

Ahsoka knew without looking that Anakin was smiling.

That was his expression when he was hiding his emotions.

“Let’s not waste General Renault’s time.” Anakin suddenly strode forward. “Corrick, what does the intelligence service want to know from you?”

“Not quite sure, sir.” Corrick shrugged. “They questioned us separately, mainly asking us to recount the entire battle, especially our rescue.”

"Rescued..." Anakin frowned and asked, "What exactly happened?"

“He’s the commander of the separatists, General,” Corrick replied. “He calls himself Ryan… what was his name again?”

“Captain Ryan Bontry,” another soldier chimed in, “He also read the Codex Javin on the public channel.”

Korick nodded. "Just like he said... After that, the recovery capsule flew over and dragged us all into a warship. They locked us in cells and didn't care about us anymore until the 'Waterfall' and 'Stream' rescued us."

"That's it?" Anakin asked incredulously. "They're just going to abandon them like this?"

“Yes, sir,” Corrick said. “The food isn’t great, but it’s better than the rations on the battlefield, so I think it’s alright.”

“Bontri, hmm?” Anakin whispered with a troubled expression. “I’ve heard that name before… Ahsoka, your first task is to find out the origin of this name.”

isn't it?
I know it's for my own good, but this is just too absurd!
What am I, a mere errand girl?

Ahsoka thought to himself, his mind filled with the name of Ryan Bontri: "Yes, Master."

Anakin narrowed his eyes. "Your emotions betray you, Ahsoka."

"I'm sorry," Ahsoka said, his voice dry. "Master."

Anakin chuckled. "Apo, it seems I'll have to trouble you to look after her."

“Hey!” Ahsoka protested, “I’m not… a child.”

“Until I decide you aren’t, you are…child.” Anakin ignored her and said, “That’s how it is, isn’t it?”

“I’m ten years old,” Commander Apo said expressionlessly, “but I’m taller than other kids my age.”

Anakin said in a deep voice, "Don't spoil her, Po."

A soldier nearby couldn't help but chuckle, "General, sometimes you really can't tell if the commander is joking or not."

"Alright, alright!" Anakin shouted as he stepped into the turbine elevator. "Stop with the nonsense. The general and I have something to discuss. Apo, take Ahsoka to the bridge and wait for me."

"As you command, sir."

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Anakin suddenly turned around.

The soldiers of the Torrent Company entered the maze-like corridors.

Only Ahsoka and the clone commander Apo remain, waiting for the next elevator.

“CC-1119,” Apo announced his number, breaking the silence. “But everyone calls me Apo. I am the clone commander of the 501st Legion.”

Ahsoka looked up at him. "Apprentice Ahsoka Tano, it seems I am now your Jedi Commander."

"..."

“Then I’ll call you Commander Ahsoka.” The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. “I hope you don’t mind.” “Not at all.” Ahsoka shook his head, then suddenly asked, “Um… who is Rex?”

Apo paused for a moment, then slowly said, “Captain Rex was the general’s second-in-command. He went missing after we lost our flagship over Christophersis… well, he must have been killed in action, because everyone with a higher rank than me on the ‘Resolute’ was killed in action, so I’m the commander now.”

“Oh, I see…” Ahsoka wanted to say something comforting, but was afraid of sounding insincere. “Well… Scout was originally going to Christophersis.”

The turbine elevator accelerates upwards.

"Scooter?" the clone asked, puzzled.

“She is my friend,” Ahsoka explained, “Master Kenobi’s apprentice.”

“Hmm.” Apo’s face remained expressionless. “If your friend goes to Christopher’s, she will soon no longer be a child.”

"The child...?" It took Ahsoka a moment to realize that this referred to her earlier complaint. "You mean, because she'll be participating in the battle?"

Before Apo could answer, the elevator stopped.

After walking along the corridor for a while, they turned into a dimly lit room.

The room was crammed with clone soldiers and officers, with a huge round table in the center and screens and equipment covering the surrounding walls.

The beeping, buzzing, and people's conversations mingled together, making the scene extremely noisy.

This is the operations command center.

A lean, neatly dressed officer with a gray mustache walked over.

Upon seeing Ahsoka, he opened his mouth as if to ask why there were children there, then a knowing glint flashed in his sharp eyes.

“Commander.” The man nodded to her. “I am Admiral Ulf Yularen. Welcome aboard my warship.”

Ahsoka almost bowed. "Apprentice Ahsoka Tano, General."

Admiral Yularen's eyes widened slightly. "I didn't expect the Skywalker to send you."

His lips twitched almost imperceptibly. After exchanging a glance with Apo, he turned and went back to his own business.

Apo led Ahsoka to a blast door, which slid open silently, revealing the command bridge inside.

Looking out from the 180-degree viewing window of the bridge, the magnificent spectacle of the "Open Ring" fleet unfolds before you, with all sorts of warships blocking out the sunlight.

Ahsoka slowly walked in, as if stepping into another dimension.

“It’s not because she’ll be fighting,” Apo suddenly answered her earlier question, snapping her out of her reverie. “It’s because she’ll be experiencing the war on Christopher Sith, that planet was a catastrophe. It was hell for us, for the Jedi, we called it ‘the second Jabim.’”

“Jabim?” Ahsoka had heard the name before, but couldn’t remember when.

“I’m sorry, I can’t say that.” Apo shook his head. “You just need to know that without experiencing battles like that, people don’t really grow up, even for us clones… If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask General Skywalker.”

"What are you asking me?" Anakin's voice suddenly rang out behind them.

Ahsoka was startled.

Apo remained calm as always, slightly tilting his head and nodding. "General!"

"Master!"

Anakin glanced at Ahsoka, as if he understood something from her eyes, but ignored her and walked straight to a command pit.

“Lieutenant Avre,” he suddenly called out, “go and inform Obi-Wan that we are proceeding as planned.”

“Is there anything specific he needs to know, sir?” a female officer responded.

“This is General Renault’s order; there’s an emergency,” Anakin said calmly. “Tell him we’ll meet at Kolumex.”

"Copy that, sir."

"General!" Anakin then called out to the operations command center.

"What is it, General?" General Yularen stepped out from the shadows, his expression polite.

"Help us plan a flight to Fanta so we can leave earlier."

General Yularen's mustache twitched. "Yes, General."

He then turned and disappeared from the operations command center.

The Pioneer-class battleship seemed satisfied as it roared to life and began to turn.

"What happened, Master?" Ahsoka finally blurted out.

Anakin stopped, looked at her, and said, "Have you heard of Atlaken?"

"I've heard of it... the Catalina system, the Loryon sector."

"This planet has been abandoned due to war, but the Separatists have built a new shipyard on one of its moons." Anakin's expression was grave. "They weren't satisfied with poisoning the planet; now they're using the pretext of evacuating refugees to transport Duonium from the surface to the shipyard. Master Krell reports that Separatist reinforcements have arrived in the system, and we may lose it... Do you know where the Roryon Sector is?"

“It’s right next to the Salin Corridor.” Ahsoka realized the seriousness of the situation.

“Then you understand our mission.” Anakin nodded with satisfaction. “We will head to Fender and then lead an advance force to support Master Krell. We cannot allow the Separatists to win in Atlantis and establish an outpost in Salin… especially with Operation Trident about to begin, this place is too close to the operational zone.”

After saying that, Anakin turned and strode to the observation window, crossed his arms, and watched the fleet prepare for a hyperspace jump.

Ahsoka suddenly realized that being a child is actually quite nice.

She would rather stay a child forever.

(End of this chapter)