Chandaar: Republic Capital
Surface: Ambaril
Already, the Republic was regaining its position in the war. After the Bastion assault, The Republic was hard-pressed to hold its positions along the Hydian Way, the established defenses suffering losses from imperial raids, all waiting for a more direct imperial attack. Bandomeer was getting hit the worst, and it was believed it would have fallen in short order. The reinforcements changed that. Even before the Republic had acquisitioned the new ships, they were already being built. Corellia, anticipating the need had produced hundreds of Corvettes and larger cruisers - including the federation acquired technology, Revenge Class Corvettes, small ships with respectable fire power that could do wonders to augment any fleet - as well as much larger vessels originally designed for the now defunct Confederation.
The ships upon request had been sent to Chandaar, worlds with training academies, and other internal worlds far from the front lines. The vessels were filled with more seasoned personnel who had been relegated to planetary defense, and the senior classes from the training academies and then shipped off to various locations on the front, while green soldiers and those with only minimal academy training were put into those less-targeted defenses. Massive training efforts were made, so even those positions would be able to combat a fight, should imperials breach into Republic territory, and the academies themselves had literally millions of fresh faces.
That quick ramp-up put dozens of new ships on the front-line. Even with fairly inexperienced crews, well-trained captains and commanders allowed their numbers to be effective, and the imperial threat was pushed back, away from Bandomeer, Ruuria, Telos, Toprawa, Junction, and Taris. The orders were simple - recover and refortify the Republic border with the Empire, and then stay put. The fleets were still too green, and the attack on Bastion still too fresh in everyone's memory that no aggressive campaign was arranged. Not yet anyways.
The war committee was discussing attack plans on Dathomir, the imperial holding closest to the border, and possibly Ithor - but that was about it. Still, morale was growing as the REpublic saw it had not yet been defeated.
Leeds had not yet appointed a chair to the war committee (to Senator Ingrat's chagrine), and Artemis, as the Corellian representative, and a war hero ended up providing much of the direction and leadership. But he was busy in other ways.
Two days had passed since Artemis learned of Master Agnant's death and his meeting with Janessa Kain. Nearly a dozen jedi, ages 15 to 27 had been located and hidden aboard transports headed toward Corellia. Another dozen were now booked under pseudonyms onto another freighter heading off-world. Artemis had overseen, making sure they made it aboard their ships safely, watching as the youngest of them disappeared into the crowd of people leaving for the core. He didn't speak to any of them - and had told them not to approach him in the port. He was there claiming to oversee the delivery of Corellian supplies to Republic capital, various arms and weaponry that were going to be redeployed to ships heading to the front in the next few days.
As the transport doors closed, he heard its engines whine as the power activated and he turned, moving toward one of the arriving shuttles bringing in the supplies. It was only about a minute later that he heard a loud boom, and he could feel searing heat of an explosion. Ducking instinctively, he turned to watch the remnants of the transport fall from the sky, pieces of molten metal and fire having gone every which way, multiple other shuttle craft also damaged or destroyed as a result.
A dozen young jedi murdered, along with a transport full of civilians.
ALready alarms were sounding, as space-port emergency personnel and security were rushing to the scene. His own bodyguards were grabbing at him, urging him to leave, lest he be the target, but as he turned, he saw something - or thought he saw something. A figure, off to one side, near the shadows of two smaller ships close together, cloaked in black. A female with what looked like gray skin - and a smile on her face. Artemis watched, suspicious, the being turning to face him, and then turning abruptly, disappearing into the shadows.
"Follow that woman! Go, now!"
His own security looked at each other, but orders were orders, and they disappeared after the woman. It was perhaps a half hour later when they returned, exhausted.
"We lost her, sir. It's almost like she vanished out of thin air"
Port security meanwhile approached Artemis and had questioned him, and Artemis had relayed his suspicions of the figure to the authorities.
"Not much of a description to go with, senator - a humanoid woman with gray skin? We'll see if we find anything."
Artemis, for his part, doubted anything would be found. Not unless the culprit wanted to be found.
He closed his eyes and mourned for those who had been killed - those targeted. And those who got on the wrong transport at the wrong time.
TBC
