Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 67 - Negotiation
Anakin piloted his Aetherian fighter, hovering and observing above the massive, moving mountain-like dreadnought Chrysaor.

He observed that the giant ship's movements were hampered and progress was slow.

He pressed down on the control stick, and the fighter jet skillfully adjusted its attitude to align with the target plane. At the same time, his eyes swept across the navigation system, and his fingers quickly made subtle speed corrections on the control panel.

Anakin looked out from the narrow view of the cockpit and saw the modified cargo ship covered in spikes spitting out deadly laser beams.

"R2, scan that ship," Anakin called out through the fighter's internal communications system. "Any robot activity detected inside?"

The R2-D2 astronaut robot attached to the left wing of his fighter jet emitted a series of negative buzzes.

However, a series of tense high-pitched sounds followed immediately, while simultaneously projecting scan data of the dense array of point defense turrets on the side of the Lukri Hook-class battleship onto Anakin's control panel.

With his enhanced vision from the Force, Anakin saw the cold glint of the cannon muzzles.

“I saw it too!” Anakin replied. “So this ship is a completely modified combat version, right?”

He quickly switched the squadron's communications channel. "Asoka, lead Hammerhead Squadron and maintain vigilance patrols between that Lukri Hook-class battleship and the separatists' outer defenses. The rest of you, follow me. We'll fly around that big guy and take a good look at its defenses. If the anti-aircraft fire isn't too intense, we'll look for an opportunity to rush in and create an opening for the landing forces."

"'Golden' Squadron received, General," came the reply over the channel.

“We will cover your flank, General,” Odebauer’s voice rang out, and he and his wingman immediately broke formation.

“Understood, Master.” Ahsoka’s voice stood out as exceptionally young and clear among the group of rugged clone pilots. “'Hammerhead' Squadron, lock onto my signal and converge!”

"Hammerhead Squadron received, Captain."

Anakin pressed the communication button again, "R2, alert me in advance when you enter the main gun range of that 'Luke Hook-class' battleship."

The R2-D2 emits a series of short, confident hums, as reliable as ever.

Anakin looked back.

Ahsoka's arrow-shaped "Etheric Ascension" fighter was positioned at the forefront of the "Hammerhead" squadron's formation of "Torrent" fighters, like a drawn blade, tracing a smooth yet deadly trajectory against the dark backdrop of space.

This light interceptor is indeed worthy of being a Jedi Knight's starfighter, but it also requires pilots to possess the corresponding level of skill.

The "Etheric Immortal" fighter jet is extremely agile and responsive. In intense dogfights, even the slightest tremor on the control stick can determine life or death.

Anakin extended his senses through the Force, sensing her control over the fighter jet.

It was a steady and unwavering connection.

Ahsoka piloted the fighter jet as if it were an extension of her own body, so familiar with it that she could control it even with her eyes closed.

She said she was the best pilot when she was a junior trainee, which may not be entirely an exaggeration.

Anakin was relieved and put aside his concerns, letting Ahsoka do as he pleased.

Just then, R2 next to the cockpit suddenly emitted a series of piercing alarms, and data flooded onto the control panel screen.

A strong sense of crisis, like a cold electric current, instantly pierced Anakin's nerves, as if blocked by an invisible dam, and swelled violently at his temples.

"Thanks, R2!" Anakin growled, his fingers flashing as he switched communication channels. "Attention all aircraft! Emergency evasive maneuver! Evade immediately!"

In an instant, the peace was shattered.

Dense anti-aircraft fire erupted from all parts of the Guardian's massive, spiked hull, instantly drowning out the roar of the sub-light-speed engine.

Countless beams of scorching red energy swept past Anakin's fighter jet, the violent shockwaves causing the agile Aetherian fighter to shake violently.

Anakin gritted his teeth, when a piercing scream suddenly exploded in his earpiece, causing him to temporarily lose his hearing.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a Y-wing bomber behind him whose fragile armor was hit directly by a thick laser beam, instantly turning into a rolling, expanding fireball.

The "Golden" squadron's fighter jets scattered like a flock of startled birds, their iconic gold paint shimmering in the raging laser storm.

Anakin immersed himself entirely in the Force, searching for the only safe path amidst the tangled web of deadly beams.

He allowed the Force to guide his hand, and the joystick, under his control, performed a series of spiraling evasive maneuvers that exceeded human limits.

R2 hummed nervously beside him, precisely fine-tuning the output of each thruster, repeatedly pulling them back from the brink of destruction at the last second.

This is Anakin Skywalker, a truly brilliant move by Jedi.

Resonate with the Force, achieve oneness with the machine.

"Master!" Ahsoka's urgent voice pierced the communication channel, "A separatist space frigate is hurtling towards us at high speed! From your position, mark 201 degrees 330... 'Hammerhead' Squadron, follow me! Stop it!"

Anakin resisted the urge to turn around; the anti-aircraft fire of the Guardian kept him focused.

Krell, you...!
He couldn't help but want to curse, but it turned into a roar.

"Everyone disengage! Immediately disengage from the combat zone! Withdraw from firing range!"

Then, a short shout mixed with pain and shock came through the earpiece.

Another bomber disappeared in the explosion.

Anakin slammed the control stick all the way down, and the Aetherian fighter shot down like an arrow, spiraling violently downwards.

The flames from the explosions continued to burst violently on both sides of his flight path.

For a fleeting moment, his vision was completely filled with the blinding red light of the energy explosion; the scorching heat seemed to penetrate the transparent steel dome of the cockpit, reaching straight to his face. The next instant, the light dissipated, leaving only the deep darkness of space before him.

Anakin blinked hard, adjusting to the changing light, and soon the stars came back into view.

He yanked the control stick, the fighter jet made a sharp turn, creating a safe distance from the raging "Guardian," then sped off with all engines at full power, heading towards the "Gold" squadron that was rushing to the aid of the "Hammerhead" squadron.

"This is the captain of 'Shadow' Squadron," a voice came through the communications channel after a brief static interference. "We've spotted the transport ship and it's approaching the target area."

"Hammerhead Squadron, Gold Squadron," Anakin quickly ordered, "Keep your firepower focused on that frigate, don't let it..."

"General... Skywalker...!"

The communication channel was suddenly filled with a loud crackling sound, and Anakin seemed to hear Pom Krell's distinctive, echoing voice.

"Golden Squadron, received!"

"Yes, Master!"

Anakin frowned, his fingers rapidly swiping across the communications panel, trying to lock onto the encrypted communication frequency of the "Crysaor".

R2 hummed in confusion, and the translated text scrolled across the console; even without looking, Anakin knew what it meant.

"Master Krell is trying to contact me?" he muttered to himself. "Why can't I get through?"

"wrong!"

Anakin switched back to the squadron's general channel and immediately noticed that only the directional encrypted communications from the "Kryssaor" were being strongly interfered with.

He narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze seemingly piercing through the void.

“It’s that frigate,” he concluded instantly. “It’s interfering with our communications.”

This is true.

The starship that was engaging in combat with Hammerhead Squadron was so new it was almost blinding; Anakin could even feel the chemical smell emanating from its brand-new armor and paint.

The "Crysaor," an Invincible-class dreadnought belonging to the Demetra Justice Fleet, is a century-old ship with an outdated electronic warfare system.

Just then, Anakin's console communication indicator lights began flashing rapidly.

The other party attempted to contact him through a public communication channel.

Anakin didn't hesitate and pressed the call button.

But what came through the communication channel was completely unexpected.

"This is the Confederate interplanetary frigate 'Unicorn'." A female voice that sounded unusually young, even a little childish, rang out, but her tone was unusually serious. "Please note that you are attacking a refugee transport fleet protected under Article 3, Paragraphs 13 to 26 of the Yavin Convention."

The clause explicitly states that civilians must be protected from the specific consequences of war. These transport ships are currently operating in cooperation with the Refugee Relief Movement (RRM) and are under the protection of the ship until they arrive at New Catalina.

We are transmitting relevant legal document identification codes and transport ship transponder codes for your verification. Please scan our transport ship to confirm the life signals of the non-combat personnel on board.

There was a deathly silence on the communication channel, followed by suppressed breathing.

"...They...they're joking, right?" Ahsoka's voice trembled noticeably as he broke the silence.

Anakin's lips pressed into a hard, straight line.

He recognized the distinctive quality in the captain's voice of the "Unicorn".

He himself had used the same tone not long ago.

The voice still carried traces of youth, but the carefree spirit of young people had been completely eroded by the ruthless war.

Anakin wouldn't be surprised if Ahsoka became like that in the near future.

Through the Force, he also sensed something else...

A strange, familiar yet strange fluctuation, like an old friend who was once well-known but has changed beyond recognition.

A thought flashed through me.

Could the ship's commander be a Force-sensitive individual?
But in the current chaotic battlefield, this idea seems irrelevant.

“R2,” Anakin’s voice deepened, “immediately scan those transport ships for life signals, and also verify the transponder codes they’ve transmitted…”

His console started flashing rapidly again.

Master Krell is still trying in vain to break through the interference and contact him.

“General, we have preliminarily verified the codes,” R2’s voice came through, tinged with uncertainty. “These codes… are indeed on the official registration list of the refugee relief movement, the transport ship models match, and the construction records show they came from well-known civilian shipyards in Coruscant, Auderang, and Corellia…”

Anakin fell into a brief silence, awaiting the more detailed scan report from R2-D2.

Suddenly, he remembered the "Shadow" squadron!
Fu-ck!

He cursed under his breath and quickly switched to the Shadow Squadron's dedicated communication channel.

(End of this chapter)