Chapter 11: Tempest over Kuat

Shipyards under threat! In an audacious plan, the glorious and relentless Droid forces of the Separatists launched a surprise attack on Kuat, with the defence fleet taking heavy losses and communication with the Republic cut off. Commandant Lelouch vi Britannia and his comrade, Captain Catherine Sabathra, board the Jedi cruiser and come face to face with Jedi council member Saesee Tiin. But while they face the Jedi, their forces continue their assault.

Line Break

Kuat, a quiet world, a core world, and a loyal member of the Republic. Its location and shipyards made it a place with billions of credits in assets. Still more, it was also a world that served Republic propaganda, as a trusted and highly skilled producer of ships such as the Venator-class Star Destroyers, the Arquitens-class light cruisers, and the Pelta-class frigates, all of which were the backbone of the Republic Navy.

And now the shipyards that gave birth to, and handled, maintained all those ships were under attack as blue and red blaster bolts and turbo laser fire screamed through space, explosions and fireballs all around as the Republic force, now cut to just 20 ships, struggled against the almost suicidal onslaught of the Separatist ships and droid fighters. Having been lured into a track earlier in the engagement, several of the Republic's cruisers and dozens of star fighters had been cut off and slowly picked off.

The opening was not wasted, as boarding ships smashed through and made for the capital ships. One carried Lelouch and Catherine, but another…well, it carried someone who was more than eager for this fight.

The halls of the Protector smelled of hot metal, blaster fire, and melted plastoid-alloy composite. Flowing down the halls of the Protector, a tide of battle droids flowed as the clone crew desperately fought against the tide. But these weren't the B-1s they could take out with a single shot, but B2s, B2-Ha, and Commando droids, their darker hulls superior to their B-1s and capable of absorbing several hits before even just one would go down, while still carrying the firepower to draw many curses from the clones.

On such group run behind a blast door, as it sealed up, the commander of the 20 or so Clones tried to radio the bridge, radio other units who must have been locked in combat to get a sit-rep, but he didn’t get half a sentence through when the blast doors was blown wide open, courtesy of the attacks from several B2-HAs, their left arm rocket launchers still raised and smoking. Not even 2 seconds later, the storm of red blaster bolts continued to pour.

The commander turned to fire, but was sniped, the blast hitting him right in the helmet, dropping him before he could so much as realise he was dead. The shooter was one HK-47.

"Surprise: It would seem that they know how to produce adequate sniper weapons in this era, though I do miss the chance to see the life fade from my target's eyes," HK noted as he continued to use his BX-series sniper rifle to engage with the Clones. The halls are poorly designed for a blast fire, with little true cover.

“It is improbable that you can utilise such a heavy armament as one would an E-5.” The commando droid assigned as his second in command mused as HK fired a shot which hit a clone in the knee, the meat bag crying out in pain as his armour failed against the heavy blaster bolt and tore deep into his flesh, no doubt erasing his kneecap.

“Pleased: It is nothing for a superior droid.” As he spoke, HK fired a second shot, which hit another Clone in the Thigh, dropping them.

“Impossible, you are from an era long forgotten. Your factory is likely to not exist anymore.” The commando countered as more clones came through, but for all their discipline, they had far too few numbers. Against opponents who could take more damage than they could, it was only a matter of time before more clones would drop.

The chest of one Clone exploded as they were hit 3 times in short order, bits of his armour, charred and melted, flying across the hall. Another clone, one of the many wounded, tried to fire on the droids as he crawled back. Still, a B2 spotted him and, not wasting its blaster gas and energy pack, chose instead to crush the poor soldier's head, the Clone's struggles and cries a sweet melody to HK-47 before they were silenced with a crack of plastoid and pop of a skull, leaving a corpse bleeding red across the floor.

“Pleased: And yet, here I stand, proving myself the better killer machine. Now, let’s not waste time. We have a schedule to keep.” HK replied as he kept his focus on the targets before him. He had to admit, their armour wasn't as effective as Old Republic troopers, but when the Republic had made the foolish era in disbanding its federal forces, he couldn't expect them to have that same quality. Though he did find it quite peculiar that they didn't have citizen soldiers but instead had these organic droids.

He moved with a predator's cadence as he marched, forced, blaster held high as he picked off Clone after Clone, often times only wounding them and leaving the rest to deal the finishing blow, but their opposition was starting to thin.

"Teams 2, 3, and 4 have reached 120%, 103% and 116% of their goals. Teams 5 and 6 have reached 34% and 60% of their objectives.” The commando ducked under what could have been a direct hit to the head, firing back and killing the Clone who had made the move.

One Clone, far too close for combat, seemed to make what HK’s human companions would call a ‘brain fart’ as he jumped out from cover and punched the B2…even the droid seemed confused, it processor needing a moment to register this was in fact, not faulty data before it bat the Clone into the wall, the fool having surely broken his knuckles with that, and now was knocked out…or dead.

HK’s second in command made sure it was the latter when he fired 2 shots into the Clone’s chest and head.

HK, in the meantime, took mere seconds to compute this new data on the rest of the infiltration, as he didn't just have his droids attack aimlessly; each had objectives, and it seems that 3 teams had already achieved their core objectives and were moving on to their secondary ones.

“Unmoved: To be expected, an orbital fleet wouldn’t be keeping their full clone complement aboard, and with the space around the fleet awash with fierce starfighter skirmishes, it would be quite risky to send in reinforcements, though I wish they would; it would make this all the more amusing," HK commented as they approached their destination, all the while Clonea and Droids fought desperately but it was a battle in their favour.

For every fallen B2, another 2 could take its place. Still, for every fallen Clone, they could only tighten their ranks as they repeatedly called for reinforcements. HK was quite amused by the responses, while others were pinned down and unable to back one another up.

Stepping up once more, 3 of their B2-Has raised their left arms, and the clones immediately realised what was happening.

“Fall back! Fall ba-!" The clones didn't get the chance as the 3 droids fired off their rockets, streaking through the cramped corridors. Each explosion sent the Clones flying around like ragdolls as their bodies were contorted, burned, and abused. When the smoke cleared, not a single clone was left standing.

As the stranglers, however few they were, were handled, the commando turned to HK. “This is quite enjoyable.”

“Haughty: A battle droid who does not enjoy what they were programmed to do is a droid that has a serious processor issue," HK replied as they walked past the ruin and smoke-covered walls, reaching one that seemed no different from the rest, but bore the mark of a target.

“Is this it?” HK asked.

“According to records of this skip’s interior, this should be the room.” The commando droid confirmed that HK had opened it, revealing it was an officer's quarters. One that didn't have much in the way of personal effects or luxuries, despite the cozy position this posting… used to be in. But what it did have was a computer set up.

If HK could smile, he would. "Pleased: It would make sense that the bridge and engine room would be heavily protected, but if we wished to destroy the ship, we wouldn't have bothered with boarding it." He mused aloud as he entered the room, the commando following after him as 2 of the B2s took up guard positions at the door. At the same time, the rest fanned out in either direction. Just because they cleared it out didn't mean it would remain clear.

Inside, HK pulled out a large cube. Placing it on the officer's table, its top opened, revealing a communication dish that slowly spun. Pulling a wire out, he plugged it into the computer. "What we want is information, and it only makes sense that the captain's quarters would have a direct line to the vessel's computers."

That said, the device started to hack its way through the computer's digital defences, HK noting how the screen read it would gain full access within 2 minutes. "Infiltration and Transponder planted."

Line Break

Outside, in the void of space, the other half of the assault continued without pause or mercy. As Z-95s tore off into space to join the fierce melee, V-19s peeled off from the battered Venators; only now, many had been forced to remain close to their mother ships to act as screens against the ever-increasing number of droid fighters that made it through and ran against them. Still, more importantly, the shipyard they were charged to defend, and like their admiral, they would do so even if it cost them their lives.

In that maelstrom of blaster bolts, laser fire and durasteel, the large, lumbering ARC-170s were like armoured elephants of Hannibal’s time, as Kallen noted how despite how terrible they were at keeping pace with the massive dogfight around them, their armour, shields and frankly ludicrous firepower more than made up for it, tearing through their Vultures with ease, and giving their Rogue star fighters a real run for their money.

“Heheheh, I'm hunting letters, I'm hunting letters, I'm hunting letters, and I see a big ole Y in my sights." Kallen glanced to the side, seeing Nunnally’s Tri Fighter mercilessly chasing after one of the few remaining Y-wings, its tail gunner desperately firing on her. Still, Kallen could feel their fear even from her Starfighter. They knew they were dead, same as the last 3 dozen or so Y-wings Nunnally had taken out because she wanted to.

It was fear that was well-founded, as Nunnally easily evaded their defensive fire and, with a spray of laser, blew off its right engine, causing the Y-wing to tumble to the side, spinning out of control before it exploded, with Nunnally cheering as it went up in flames. “Pop goes Y, anymore?”

"There is something seriously wrong with that girl," Kallen murmured as she quickly turned back to what she had been doing, which was breaking through the shields of an 170 to take out the flying tank and allow more of their Vultures to work on handling the remaining Republic Cruisers.

“As if we’re the pictures of sane, we just don’t,” Alice, piloting her own Tri-Fighter, an identical model to Nunnally, started but paused as Nunnally swung around and blasted apart some Z-95s with a cheery laugh. “Indulge as much as she does.”

“I get my kicks from racing, so do you.” Kallen pulled hard on the stick, and a moment later, a string of laser fire flew right by where she had just been.

Alice snorted as she blasted apart another Z-95, turning her sights onto V-91, which seemed to have been hit and was trailing smoke. “And Lelouch gambles like he’s a 40-year-old addict, and Catherine can barely go 2 weeks without a live fire combat exercise. Besides, our 'races' aren't the normal type either.”

Kallen really didn't like being reminded of how much of adrenaline junkies all of them had turned into, so she decided to ignore it. "On your 4 o'clock, coming in hot from 70 degrees above."

“On your 7, 30 degrees below," Alice called back, as both followed the warnings with absolute faith in the other woman, and that faith was rewarded as attempted attacks on them both missed. In Kallen's case, she was about to whip her starfighter around with insane engine and momentum control to line up, and with a moment's burst of laser fire, reduced the 170 into space scrap.

“Good news, we don’t need to worry about any bombers anymore.” Nunnally declared over their private line.

“Do you still have fuel and ammo?” Alice asked her as Kallen glanced around, trying to spot more 170s, and seeing a few who already had 2-3 of the Rogue star fighters chasing after like debt collectors.

Nunnally huffed as she danced through the laser fire. “Who do you take me for? I got enough for another 4 minutes of fun.”

“And?” Kallen pressed, and the two heard Nunnally slam her head into the headrest, and no doubt she was kicking her feet about.

“Yes, I'll have enough to make a return for restocking. I get carried away one time…” Kallen hoped Nunnally wasn’t as blasé about this as she sounded, as it was scary when Nunnally had been nearly blown to pieces. Not only would it mean losing a dear friend, a girl she saw her sister-faults and all but-

But she didn't want to imagine what Lelouch would do, as he was scary enough when he was calm.

An explosion drew all their attention, as one of the Munificent-class frigates was torn in 3 by an internal blast, its engines no doubt having been compromised. That being the 4th of their frigates destroyed. Yet, despite that loss, the plan kept moving; they kept on pushing, adding pressure on the defenders.

The Venators were pulled into the fight but were unable to return fire effectively when their main armaments were forced to act more like flak cannons against the Hyenas, making bombing runs. Thus, while they could only rely on their shields, and even then couldn't last forever, they wouldn't have already taken out a few of them.

“Okay, I’m good now, squads 12 and 17, on me. We’re taking out that Arquitens-class on the right flank, that’ll give Kallen and Alice the chance to finally lead a proper bombing run.” Nunnally informed them, having collected her composure after she got her kicks.

“What about the ARCs?” Kallen asked.

“We can handle those just fine, ma'am. Once you get the hang of it, they'll really just be stubborn targets.” One of the Rogue-class pilots called out, the non-human mightily confident despite their own losses thus far.

“Stubborn is right, big dumb bastards could stand to just go down without us having to spend so much ammo on each.” Another grumbled, but Kallen could hear the amusement in her tone. Kallen liked that; she liked people who saw problems and smiled as they thought of ways to handle them.

“We’re heading back to refuel and reload. We'll be back in the fight real soon.” Another reported in as he and 6 others turned and made their way back to the DS Omni. It might not have been the craft they took off from, but it would have had the most supplies and support droids on standby.

“Timmy, could you increase the fire on these fighters?” Nunnally requested as the 2 dozen Vultures she called up formed up behind her as she raced towards a Republic cruiser, the vessel already overwhelmed by how many other droid fighters buzzed by.

“That would deviate from the plan.” The tactical droid replied, but Nunnally tittered at him.

“Yes, but it would also help the plan. We take them out, more of us to protect the bombers, and then you have less to get in your way of handling the rest of the shields.” Kallen glanced at the tactical screen, and while it was still a right ole mess that would confuse most, she could tell the tides had changed very much in their favour. At least a quarter of the Star fighters the Republic had sent out were gone.

The tactical droid, built for this very purpose, still needed a few more seconds than normal to consider Nunnally's logic against the plans Lelouch had been clear to run through the machine. “That is logical, batteries on the Providence redirecting to space dog fight, be advised all droids in line of fire.”

As stated, the dreadnought's massive cannons fell silent, shifting focus from the Venators before targeting the mass of Republic Star fighters still trapped in their snare. A few seconds later, as those same Republic fighters realised the situation, the dreadnought opened fire. For Kallen and Alice, it was easy to evade the friendly fire. Despite flying a heavy fighter, she was a hurricane of movement. For the vultures and Tri fighters, they were fed real-time targeting data from the ship, which they used to map their positions and trajectories to fly around the fire from the Providence.

The Republic fighters had neither droid brains connected to the network nor the force, and immediately started taking heavy losses, with confusion setting in for many as the smoke and explosions made it hard to see where they were and where others were, and a few crashed into one another. Those who tried to escape found themselves surrounded by their enemies, who now acted as the walls to the giant cage.

Nunnally would have liked to be part of it, but she was having her own fun. With a smile filled with pearly whites, she slapped her face. She eyed up the cruiser, whose weapons finally turned to try her, firing into the void as blue blaster bolts and lasers flew by her. Some of the Vultures were hit, but only some.

"Sorry about this, but it's just how things went." Nunnally muttered as she fired everything she had on it, the Vulture droids following suit. Their shots crashing into the hull of the ship, its shields already weak, gave way, and soon enough, she landed several hits on its bridge.

The result was another Arquitens-class going up in flames. Its destruction opens up a path for them.

"This is our chance; we're gunning it for the shipyards," Alice called out as she shifted and turned to make a run for the shipyard.

“You heard her, Hyena squads 9, 11, and 16, you're one with me. Hyena squads 10, 17, and 19, on Alice. Vulture squads 14 and 16, you’re our shields, you’ll help engage those Republic fighters. We get through them, and we can ensure this shipyard is knocked out.” Alice heard Kallen call out as she focused on her own back. Moving like a dart, or more accurately, a hummingbird, she kept her breath calm, her mind clear, and to her, the world around her seemed so…so slow.

Looking out through her monitors, she saw blaster fire moving at a fraction of its normal speed. The force whispering in her ear, where those shots would do, when they would hit, what they missed. The same was true for the incoming Z-95s: the star fighters clearly spotted them and knew their mission, and the fact that their follow pilots could no longer be relied on to stop them turned and flew right at them.

“Kallen, you think I’ll handle more?” Alice asked.

“I got the bigger ammo reserves," Kallen replied as they were moments from another intense dogfight.

"Just means you're wasteful," Alice smirked, as she knew that got under Kallen's skin.

"Oh, you are so on!" She yelled as she pushed her starfighter harder, maxing out its speed as more blasters and lasers filled the space.

Line Break

Aboard the Jedi cruiser, the corridor where the 2 sides met was awash with light and sounds, Clone boots and droid feet moving to and fro as the two sides exchanged a furious barrage of blaster fire. In the middle of it, the door leading into the ship's cafeteria was blown off its hinges, allowing Lelouch and Saesee to leap into the room, the Jedi chasing after Lelouch.

Behind them, they left the hall to their forces. In a choreography of wheels and gunfire, Catherine spun, her wheeled skirt and landspinner-equipped boots hissing and biting as she rolled across the floor and walls when she got close to either side. The bulky and incredibly durable B2s marched at a slow pace, firing on the clones. At the same time, the commando droids used their larger brethren as walking shields, both to fire from behind and retreat to when they made dashes forward, using blasters and vibro blades to cut down Clones.

Yet, Catherine was the eye of the storm, eluding the Clones attempts to target and strike her with ankle twists, short bursts from her jet back to diving and move around in a snap and her own agility, bending and flexing like an reward winning dancer to shift and move in ways that no Clone was trained for, and no battle droid was programmed for.

But she didn't just evade, but she barked right back as with her carbine in one hand, and blaster pistol in the other, she was easily able to return fire down range, her pink blaster bolts sticking out amongst the red of the droids, and the blue of the Clones, she didn't hit most short. Still, when she did, the Clone went down, dead or grievously wounded, and picked off by someone else.

"We need reinforcements!" One of the clones called out as one of Catherine's shots struck their fellow soldier in the chest, knocking them onto their backs, where they gasped for breath through damaged lungs before falling silent.

“They’re on their way; we need to hold out till then!" Another called out as clones around them started to drop in higher numbers, those who could take cover behind corners and bulges in the hallway.

Catherine's laugh was exuberant, fearless, and utterly disrespectful to the Clones she fought, as the blaster fire, the smoke, the death and destruction-she was unmoved by all of it. Rather, she felt more alive than she would feel just sitting around.

"You heard that, boys?" Catherine asked as she zipped right into the face of Clone, who flinched as she pointed her blaster pistol at his face and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger. As others turned to target her, she kicked the falling corpse into another and back-flipped out of the line of fire, 2 B2s moving up to protect her as she stood to her full height. "Let's make sure their brothers find nothing but corpses; it'll make things easier for Lelouch to handle the Jedi."

“Roger Roger." The droid replied as its metal feet kept marching on, pushing past the doorway Lelouch had rushed through. Through the door, Saesee gave chase, seeing him as the bigger threat.

Line Break

In the cafeteria, trays and cups remained on many tables, as the assault had happened right as many would have been having dinner. The kitchen staff had also long retreated when it became clear that the vessel had been boarded.

Thus, it was just the 2 force users in the room, turning it into a mess as trays were dropped or knocked aside, cups thrown to the ground, spilling water and other beverages. Through it, Lelouch moved like a conductor, with small and precise footwork, while a blade that wasn't swung and thrust as it seemed to move like a ribbon or whip. Saesee kept largely on the defensive, but his green lightsaber met the challenge of Lelouch’s pink lightsaber as the Jedi master pushed Lelouch further into the room, especially as both had more space to work with than the corridor.

As Lelouch jumped back to evade Saesee's counter, the Jedi Master reached out with his free hand, picking up a chair with the force and throwing it towards Lelouch, who reacted by holding up a hand and catching it similarly. With a slight clench of his hand, the chair was crushed into a ball and dropped. Rushing Saesee, the Jedi immediately switched to a defensive stance once more, as this didn't match the boy's fighting style; he hadn't rushed him like this.

That proved to be the right choice as Lelouch jumped over him, well out of blade range, but with a glance, he picked up a table and tossed it at the Jedi, who hadn't suspected something like that, but was able to slash the large, bland piece of furniture in two with a single swipe of his blade.

He didn't get a moment to breathe as Lelouch twirled towards him, the Jedi blocking the strike aimed for his next, before the two fell into an intense series of blade clashes, parries, and strikes that the other would evade or block.

Lelouch found that Saesee was not a Council member for nothing, as his counters were heavy-yes, but equally quick and comprehensive, easily adaptable to Lelouch’s variant of Form 2. The counters were just as deadly as the defence was strong, and many times, he came close to suffering a wound or death.

Seasee, for his part, could admit that the boy had some skill, certainly as a duellist. His talents for the force were nothing to scoff at, but he was still just a boy. He thus couldn't match the duelling and combat experience of a man no doubt well over twice his age, a man who had spent his youth duelling with other now-renowned Jedi, including their former now Sith member, Dooku.

Kicking Lelouch hard in the stomach, the boy grunted as spit flew out of his mouth, and he went flying, smacking into the bend of a table. Lelouch didn't have time to grunt or curse as Saesee fell on him, the boy blocking the surely fatal strike, but finding himself pressed into the table by the Jedi, who used his leverage and size to pressure Lelouch.

“Tell me, Jedi,” And yet, Lelouch still kept on talking. “Do you enjoy this? Was it liberating?” He asked, smiling even as his lightsaber was forced closer to his own chest.

“What? You think I enjoy killing?” Saesee questioned as he continued to press Lelouch.

Lelouch chuckled, his rising chest moving ever closer to his own blade, and yet Saesee couldn't sense a shred of fear or uncertainty in the boy. "Why else would you be here? Why else would you have chosen to back a drying and decrepit Republic? Or is the Senate paying for some new temple extensions? Must be nice, not needing to think, choosing not to question, and merely obeying."

Saesee didn't fall for the obvious trap, not when he was already close to forcing a surrender or eliminating the threat. “I wouldn’t expect a child to understand it, and certainly not one of Dooku’s pawns, long corrupted by the dark side.”

Lelouch's smile widened; he didn't deny, he didn't refute. But something shifted all the same. Saesee found that his blade had stopped moving… no, it wasn't him; it was Lelouch. The pink lightsaber was so close to cutting into its user, and yet the blade seemed locked in place.

There was a flash in Lelouch's eyes, the yellow cracks widened and pulsed, and a bubble of the force forced in a snap and exploded, sending Saesee back, skidding across the dirty floor. He was shocked, as that didn't seem possible, but he was quick to get up, spotting Lelouch doing the same, cracking his neck as he shifted his feet once more, his stance that of a dancer, not a duellist.

“You call me the pawn, and yet you’re the one dancing to the whims of your masters in the Senate. But can I expect anything more from a Jedi? Order above all, right? Security over freedom. Quiet over peace. Balance over emotion.” Lelouch launched himself towards the Jedi master, his blade held at the ready.

Saesee immediately went to attack him, but Lelouch once again surprised him as he didn’t deflect or dodge, but instead grabbed his lightsaber. The beam caught in his hands and was not burning; it was cutting, doing nothing. He could see the blade crackling and hear it hissing as it was squeezed like it was just a flimsy tube, like a gardening hose or cheap fuel line in a star fighter.

Saesee tried to pull back, but couldn't; Lelouch's grip was too strong. “Warrior of light, allow me to show you what true expression does.” Saesee saw as the boy’s smile widened into that of a beast, his eyes glowing a putrid mix of purple and Sith yellow as the boy swung his blade.

The Jedi pulled his head back as far as he could and, because of that, managed to avoid getting his head chopped off, but this didn't mean he evaded the strike entirely, as his right horn was sliced off, the pink lightsaber cutting into his robes and lightly into his shoulder, forcing a hiss through his lips.

“Cease!” Saesee didn’t speak with his mouth, but sent his words through the force into Lelouch’s head, dazing him enough that he could pull his blade back and use the force to send Lelouch tumbling back, buying him distance.

Before the duel could continue, Lelouch’s communicator went off. Same as Saesee’s.

“Status?” Lelouch asked.

“Mission achieved. You want to see it, get to an escape pod, we’re getting out of here.” Nunnally sang over the line.

“General, the shipyard was hit, they’ve broken out defences and have started a bombing run-!” von Lichtsteiner called, the Jedi hearing the alarms and klaxons of the bridge before the line was cut, at the same time, the ship shook as a massive explosion rocked it, and the alert to a abandon ship went out, repeating across the now lost vessel.

“Admiral? Admiral!” Saesee tried to contact him as Lelouch grunted, annoyed but still smiling.

“Well, looks like someone got too eager and blew up the bridge.” He chuckled as the Jedi held his lightsaber up, ready to keep the fight going and ensure the Separatist's newest ace didn’t leave here alive.

"You were meant to be there had I not slowed you down; your comrades would have killed you." He told him, but Lelouch only chuckled at his words.

"Master Jedi, don't assume that what I told you was ever my objective. What I sought was to kill you and needed to draw you to me, but I know where to cut my losses." With a twirl, Lelouch sliced a perfect circle beneath him, as the piece of floor fell through, with Lelouch on it, he waved off the Jedi.

“Till we meet again,” He called out as he landed on the lower floor and started running, only pausing to reach out with the force and rip apart the corridor, blocking it with debris to prevent the Jedi master from giving chase. That done, he contracted his other boarding party. "Catherine, do you have any good news?"

“HK radioed in, we completed their task, they're planting the bombs and will get off in 2 minutes. Meet you at the escape pods.” Catherine replied.

“You handled all those clones?” Lelouch asked as he dashed through the halls of the vessel, its frame shaking and groaning as the battle damage took its toll, and with the bridges knocked out, no one was around to keep it stable this close to the planet.

“You say that like you were worried.” Catherine teased him.

“Hardly.” Lelouch shot back as he turned the corner and spotted some Clones also making their way to the escape pods. There was a moment of silence as both sides paused, but right as they reached for their weapons, Lelouch relit his lightsaber and charged.

Line break

Outside the Venators, Nunnally and the rest were flying about. Most of the Republic's remaining fighters kept busy so she could worry about spotting for their previous cargo. Cargo that came when she spied escape pods firing off from the remaining Venators. “I see them," Alice called in.

"So do I," Nunnally replied as those around 20 of those escape pods started transmitting on a frequency that the Republic wouldn’t have known about. Sending a message back, each replied with the necessary password, so she opened a proper communication channel with them. “So, did you all have fun?”

“As much as one could," Catherine called back as one of the Vultures hooked onto the escape pod, others doing the same to bring them back.

“Joy: Naturally, though I do miss the days of the Old Republic, their troops would have put up a better fight," HK replied.

“I’ll be sure to forward that to the Kaminoans for their next batch of Clones.” Lelouch chuckled.

“Not as many as I thought they’ll be, brother. Did you lose that many Droids?” Kallen asked, hoping for more escape pods, but these 23 were the only ones with the codes. Now, they could handle the others, but she wasn't Grievous.

“Losses were expected. Besides, I think our results." Nunnally glanced at her handiwork. Their target wasn't completely destroyed; they didn't bring enough bombs for that, but where they did, they hit hard. As whole sections of the shipyards were smoking messes, flames fuelled by millions of cubic meters of oxygen from compromised sections, as even some of the ships that couldn't have joined in the defence weren't spared, as their frames groaned and broke apart, pieces falling to the planet below.

“Would more than smooth over any gripes about the losses.” Lelouch finished as Nunnally beamed, pleased with her handiwork.

“Just hang on tight, once we’re back on board our ships, we can make for Separatist space and contract command.” She told her brother that, even if one side had achieved its objectives, the battle wasn't over and wouldn't last much longer.

Line Break

Second chapter of this since my break, and I lost track of time as I spent most of the day working on a WIP and almost forgot I needed to work on this, so it… Well, you see, it came out late. It's weird now that I don't need to worry about uploads 3 days a week, but it's a good weird.

As for the chapter, it's meant to be the end of this arc, though the next chapter will cover the aftermath, as while the show tends to jump from battle and scene and even points in the way, they try to conclude that snippet, which is good for me as I'm approaching the word count for this. If I'm commissioned for a sequel, I'll do it, but that would come next year. But till then, let's get back to the action, shall we?