Chapter 289
At the appointed time, having carefully thought everything through and collected my thoughts, I arrived at the ship's control room--the command post. Everyone I needed was already gathered around the tactical table. Zule was the last one to arrive, right behind me,
"So, gentlemen, l'Il now enlighten you about our mission. The gist of it is that we must rescue Jabba's son..."
"Sir," Lichtendahl interrupted me, "Isn't this the bandit king from Tatooine, by any chance?'
"Exactly, Ceri, exactly." Judging by the Atoan's expression, he's not eager to cooperate with criminals. "Only he's not really a bandit, but the head of a powerful criminal organization, and de facto one of the Hutt heads of state, a figure even the Republic has to reckon with. So, the scale of his actions is much larger than that of a mere bandit... So, his son was kidnapped, and he turned to the Republic for help. The Chancellor--and the Jedi-heeded his reguest."
"What do we know, sir? Where can we even look for him? He could be anywhere!" Mirro spreac his hands.
- The task is made easier by the fact that we know where to look for him
"At least know."
- So, our destination is planet Tet. Lee Noriega, a quick refresher
"Tet is a planet in the eponymous system of the Bexel sector, located on the disputed border between the Outer Rim and Wild Space. It has two moons and a rotation period of twenty-sever hours. It has a Type I atmosphere, suitable for breathing. Gravity is zero seventy-five. The climate is temperate. According to the reference book, the planet's landscape consists of forests, plains jungles, and high cliffs.
"Excellent. Our target is located on one of these cliffs: the old monastery of the monks of B'Ommar. The prisoner is in one of the deep casemates, so we don't have to worry about catching him--but we shouldn't overdo it with fire support either. And we'll need it. The small Hutt is wel guarded: no less than three battalions of B-1 droids, a couple of companies of B-2, fifty DSD-1 spider droids, and at least two squadrons of Vultures. Plus, somewhere nearby, perhaps in a neighboring system, there's a small enemy squadron of five to ten pennants."
"So, the CIS kidnapped him? But why?" Zule asked "It's simple," Sumeragi quickly answered, "The Hutts' entry into the war..."
She didn't have to continue. Everyone understood perfectly well the threat to the Republic if the Hutts turned against it. Even the CIS was wary of touching the Hutts with their hordes of slaves, mercenaries, and ships.
-What is the plan of attack, General? - Blam moved on to specifics
"The temple IS located on a high ledge--about four hundred meters high. It has one large cylindrical spire and about a dozen smaller ones. The main courtyard is surrounded by a high wall with a wide entrance, but there are no gates. In front of them is a large landing pad, big enough to accommodate a Consular. First things first, we'll launch a fire strike. Tie whisper fighters and tie defender, one squadron each. No missiles or bombs, though--just blaster cannons. One attack run will be enough. Immediately behind them, the first wave will move out-two rho class shuttles and five Nu-class shuttles. They'll deliver zule and me, a company-sized strike force of clones, and eight walkers: four AT-XTs and four AT-RTs. They'll provide us with firepower." As soon as we suppress the resistance on the landing pad and enter the temple courtyard, the second wave lands--twelve gunboats, ten of which are infantry-two more companies, and two with XT-130 tanks. Next, we clear the perimeter and prepare to repel the attack. The Sabres should be ready to shoot down enemy transports, and the infantry should set up a couple of Z-6s on tripods. Oh, and don't forget, the grenade launchers. Meanwhile, we'll penetrate deeper into the complex, find the prisoner-we'l need scanners--take him, and then get out of there. Oh, and don't forget to bring a medic. Have him quickly get ready to treat the patient
"I1 think that's it, I haven't forgotten anything else. Shuttles may have less firepower than LAATs, but they have an undeniable advantage: deflector shields. They'll allow us to land right on that damn ledge without having to race vertically, damn it."
'Not a bad plan. l'll go get everything we need, Blam saluted and hurried out of the wheelhouse.
"We'll go get the equipment ready," puck said, and he and Lucky also left our meeting - Lichtendal, Sumeragi - you may be able to repel an enemy attack
"Yes, sir!" the officers saluted.
⁃ "If anything happens, be prepared to bring the Finalizer into the atmosphere to retrieve us faster. In that case, the rest of us will provide cover."
- It will be done, sir!
⁃ zule. Come on, we should get ready too.
"Yes, teacher!" the girl nodded her head
*kk
Sumeraai absentmindedly twirled a strand of her hair in her hands, staring at the tactica table.
"That's strange" she said.
"What exactly?" Ceri turned to her
"You were present at the communication session, and you heard everything perfectly well, Didn't you get the feeling that the general... knew about all this before it happened? Too many details."
"And 1 thought you'd stopped being surprised by that. And... Jedi ." Lee Noriega nodded, but continued to mentally consider the situation: blaming everything on Jedi abilities was too simple
*kk
In the Finalizer hangar, the clones prepared for the operation. While the commanders conducted their final briefing, technicians completed servicing and loading the equipment
"Right... straigh... straight. Stop. Fold your stumps!" the technician commanded. The AT-PT flexed its limbs, practically touching the cabin floor. "Raise!' The shuttle's cargo ramp slid up.
"Is that all?" the clone captain asked as he approached
- No, sir, there's still one left, on the left side.
"Excellent" the captain turned and waved his hand. "First and second platoons. to me! Now!"
The remaining two hours flew by almost unnoticed. And so, we took our place in the shuttle and waited for the hangar doors to open
"Sir, we're at the designated point!" Ceri's voice came through the headset
- Give command, First Lieutenant,
The doors opened, and birds poured down. The planet's purple sky, dotted with white our clouds, was clearly visible through the window. "Beautiful." As we entered the atmosphere and descended, the local landscape became visible. Far below, whimsical trees intertwined with their trunks, emerging from a common base. Rivers and lakes flickered in passing
"General, we are approaching our target" the pilot reported
"Get ready!" I commanded, clutching my blaster rifle in one hand and my lightsaber hilt in the other. Zule limited herself to her lightsabers. Behind us, two squads of clones clanked their weapons and chatted quietly
- Pinny, there's interference on your line
The clone tapped his helmet,
⁃ Everything is fine now, Sergeant,
The lights went out, only to be replaced immediately by a dim red glow.
- Red light, get ready!
"Welcome to freedom!" the pilot yelled, lowering the shuttle's ramp -Green light!
- Forward!
⁃ Come on, come on, come on, let's go!
We poured out, nearly tripping over a pile of droid parts--the fighters had done their iob -and rushed toward the gates, where battle droids were visible. They tried to resist us, but... They were clearly disconcerted by the barrage. Perhaps their commander had been destroyed, and now they were frantically trying to determine who was in charge. And the larger the force, the slower theil reaction time became.
Naturally, we took advantage of this, and after finishing off the droids on the landing pad, we rushed into the courtyard. They were already waiting for us there. B-1 and B-2, supported by several DSD-1s and a pair of Vultures, opened up a blizzard of fire. Our advance slowed, and Ahsoka and I had to work hard to deflect all the shots. There was no way to return them-the shells were flving too fast. But only until the walkers reached us. Their cannons and grenade launchers thinned the enemy considerably, and we were able to continue our advance. And then, a minute later, a second wave of clones began landing behind us..
Soon the last droid was destroyed,
"Report status!" Puck commanded
"Pinny, you lousy Bantha! How could you expose yourself so stupidly?!" the clone sergeant leaned over the soldier lying on the ground
"Sorry, Sergeant. The Hutt helmet's acting up.."
- Get a medic here! You've ruined all our statistics, Pinnv!
"Secure the perimeter! Lieutenant, station men here and there" I pointed at the temple walls
"Puck, take two squads, and follow me. Lucky, you stay here."
Incidentally, the planet's low gravity was, as they say, "felt": objects felt slightly lighter, and my gait had a certain spring to it. However, I acclimated fairly quickly. Zule did too, and the clones didn't care what gravity they fought in
The temple gates were raised, and we entered unhindered. The building's corridors were pitch black, so the clones turned on their helmet lights, "This is a creepy place," one of the clones shuddered
"This is the B'Ommar Monastery. I read about them in my classes at the temple" zule explained. "From what I understand, the monks of this order, upon reaching their highest state of enlightenment, undergo an operation in which their brains are removed from their heads and placed in a special device that maintains its functioning, like a droid on legs.
Looking around, the girl continued, - Judging by everything, this place has been abandoned for a long time. But... why? "This place was probably plundered by pirates. Or slave traders, I shrugged
Then they heard footsteps ahead. The clones raised their weapons. A protocol droid slowly emerged from the darkness
"Who are you?" the fallen asked. The greenish-yellow light from the blades fell on the droid's "face."
"I am 4A-7, the caretaker of this holy place, sir. You saved me from those warlike dro--" At that moment, my sword cut him in half explained to the surprised girl:
"It's a Separatist sp.... Puck, two teams forward. Anything that doesn't look like a Hutt in diapers is to be destroyed. There are no friends here."
"Yes, sir!" Seventeen waved his hand, and several clones took off briskly, overtaking us After five minutes of wandering through the catacombs, one of the squads' scanners detected movement. We exchanged glances and hurried toward them "Sir, this is the door" the clone sergeant pointed to the passage
Zule pressed the button, activating her lightsaber, and stood to the side of the door. I carefully opened it with the Force, keeping my blaster pistol in hand in case anyone tried to attack us. But when the creaking mechanism swung the door open, it wasn't an enemy that assailed us, but... a stench. Peering inside, I discovered the object of our search
Jabba's son was screaming on a mattress in the middle of the cell. Zule flew inside and knelt down next to him
"Oh, he's just a baby!" Her voice was as full of pity as it was of concern. "I thought he was older."
"Well; yes.. All children are good... until they grow up," 1 looked out of the cell. "Get a medic here!"
The Hutt was screaming. Zule tried to calm him down:
"It's okay, little one, you're going home now. You're going home to daddy. Come on, little one don't cry... Teacher, you know Huttese, right? Maybe you could say something to him?"
"Of course know Of course I do Rut will he understand? Well it's worth a trv' :
"Of course I know. Of course I do. But will he understand? Well, it's worth a try. " Rotta," I tried to sound as kind as possible." Calm down, Rotta. We came to take you to your father. Home. To Jabba. Do you understand?"
Choking with sobs, Rotta instantly fell silent and fidgeted, trying to see who was speaking The mention of his father calmed him. I could literally feel his thoughts. He doesn't like it here, in this terrible place; he just wants to go home
At that moment, a clone with a medic's badge on his shoulder and a backpack slung over his shoulder entered the room. Silently leaning over the Hutt, he stated
"I'm not an expert on Hutt medicine, but it shouldn't stink like that. Actually, Hutts stink like a bantha that died three weeks ago, but not that bad!" He pulled out some kind of device and began waving it over Rotta. Rotta became agitated again,
"You're scaring him" zule said
"Okay, we have to do something... definitely!" I rummaged through my belt and finally found a thousand-ruble note in one of my pockets.
" Rotta,"I showed the little one the sparkling ingot, " Look what / have." He immediately fell silent " lm giving this to you, But you mustn't cry, and do whatever the doctor says. Agreed?" Hattenok waved his short arms and nodded, his whole demeanor signaling, "Give it to me." Having received the ingot, he stared at it, mesmerized "Look, he understands you. But why doesn't he speak?" the fallen asked in surprise
"Commander, this Hutt looks to be about twenty or twenty-five years old. At that age, they understand speech, but they don't yet speak. They start talking around fifty, I think," the medic said. "Here, eat this.'
The clone handed Rotta a small pill, and he obediently ate it
"Uh-huh.." I muttered, "Good iob, Sergeant."
Rotta purred contentedly
"Wow!" Zule said. "He's so cute. He's just like a toy!'
"0h shit.. found a toy."
⁃ You asked to be carried, stardust
"Well, fine" she crouched down and scooped Rotta up in her arms, but I saw the surprise on her face when she realized he was much heavier than he looked. "Master, was learning Huttese difficult?"
"It took a lot of time," I answered evasively, "But I' say this: it's a lot easier than learning the Wookiee language."
Activating the comlink, I called Lucky
- This is dagon, it's done. How are things?
The clone's voice came through the comlink
- All is quiet here, sir. Have you found him?
- Safe and sound. We're leaving.