Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 140-141 - The Chess Game (Second Update)

Raine then took out his communicator, took a deep breath, and pressed General Tandin's encrypted channel. "General Tandin, this is Bontri. I need... to borrow your troops."

After a piercing static noise, General Tandin's familiar voice, tinged with displeasure, rang out: "Buntri? What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

“This time it really wasn’t me who started it,” Rein said, looking at the fading twilight above the Jaren base. The piercing assembly alarms were blaring throughout the base as soldiers rushed to their respective briefing rooms. “It was the Krazka clan that came knocking on our door. The Amros clan has begun to assemble, preparing to attack them. The Dol-Drell clan’s forces are also pressing down from the mountains. We strongly suspect that the Kira family is manipulating all of this behind the scenes.”

"That's because you sent that army of robots into the wilderness, alerting those beast lords!" Tandin's voice was accusatory.

“This is not the time to argue, sir!” Rein gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to refute. “You know in your heart that withdrawing the robots was the best choice at the time. I need your authorization now to mobilize Jalen’s garrison and set off immediately to besiege Kira Fortress! At least this way we can keep them trapped in their nest and ensure that Izzy remains undisturbed no matter how long the summit lasts.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication line, then General Tandin's voice rang out again, carrying an unexpected...understanding? "...I really didn't expect the Kira family to make their move so quickly."

"You knew they would take action all along?!" Ryan's voice suddenly rose, filled with accusation.

“It is my duty, Bontri.” Tandin’s tone returned to calm, even with a hint of calculation. “Now, we have finally found the perfect reason to rightfully suppress those unruly beast lords, while 'inviting' the Kira family, who have been hiding for a century, back to the political stage of Ondron.”

Izzy's central authority will take this opportunity to completely eliminate all challengers. Bring Jalen's army, and I authorize you to take action.

But remember, under no circumstances should you fail to ensure the prisoner exchange ceremony tomorrow proceeds smoothly, without any mishaps. I will then travel to Kira Fortress to meet you.

This old fox!
Renn understood instantly.

Tandin's quick agreement to withdraw the robots wasn't to appease the people; he was deliberately provoking the Beastmasters, waiting for them to cause trouble so he could have an excuse to send troops to suppress them and deal with the Kira family at the same time!

Ryan found it hard to believe, because he had always thought Tandin was a loyal royalist, not a fanatical expansionist.

Tandin knew better than anyone that what Ondron needed least right now was an internal war.

Moreover, why did he specifically emphasize tomorrow's prisoner exchange?

Raine could only deduce that Tandin knew some crucial information that he didn't, and that he had a complete plan, while he was just a pawn being moved around on his chessboard.

Raine wasn't particularly worried about the success or failure of the operation, because based on his understanding of General Tandin, the old man always planned things out before acting.

But that doesn't mean he wasn't annoyed.

What he hates most is being kept in the dark and losing control of the overall situation in a galaxy where the situation is already in complete chaos.

In this treacherous place where every nook and cranny could hide a deadly trap, information is the lifeline.

Not understanding the whole picture is like handing your life over to someone else.

He has now become a pawn in General Tandin's grand chess game.

This was bad enough, but he absolutely couldn't let the mess he was in charge of get out of control.

Prisoner of war exchange...

Oh, and there's also Jedi!
After Jedi left, the prisoners of war who were to be exchanged were loaded onto transport barges and were being transported to Izzi in preparation for tomorrow.

Perhaps... perhaps Tandin deliberately initiated the exchange ceremony to remind him not to forget his primary responsibility?

Although he was in charge of security for the entire summit, he never expected that a civil war would break out during the summit.

However, now the heavy responsibility of preventing a civil war has also fallen on his shoulders.

This brings Raine back to the issue of Jedi Knights and the Rebels.

This is a situation he must firmly control.

Furthermore, a sense of loss of control is spreading.

Not only did Tandin use him, but to his surprise, Anakin Skywalker actually took on apprentices.
when did it happen?
What sane person would let this walking powder keg train apprentices?

The girl next to Obi-Wan Kenobi also surprised him somewhat, but he could barely accept it. Ryan knew in his heart that the course of this galaxy was far different from the "plot" he remembered.

There must have been some huge change that made the Jedi start recruiting disciples on a large scale so early.

Now even Anakin Skywalker has become a mentor.

Perhaps, through some unimaginable butterfly effect, he himself is the instigator.

He could sense an unusual concern Anakin had for Ahsoka… was that a good sign?

However, this excessive protectiveness is precisely one of the reasons why Anakin himself turned into a "human catastrophe".

As for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Scout... he didn't really care. He had asked about Scout's training earlier purely as a pretense, not wanting to arouse suspicion from the Jedi. He pretended to be an ordinary officer who was just a little curious about the boy soldiers.

Frustrated, Renn pulled out another communicator, dialed Mishar's channel, pressed the call button, and waited for that familiar response.

Beep...beep...beep...

busy tone.

Fuck!
The communicator screen flashed a blinding red light.

Instead of "no one is answering," the system coldly displayed message reads: "Receiver cannot be connected."

This means that either Mishar's communicator had completely run out of power, or... more likely, the device had been physically damaged.

The latter scenario can only lead to one conclusion: she has likely fallen into the hands of the rebels, or encountered something even worse.

It seems like everything is going wrong today.

Plans can never keep up with changes, so now he can only take it one step at a time and adapt to changing circumstances.

The thought of Mishar possibly meeting with misfortune sent a pang of anxiety through Renn.

She was his comrade-in-arms and friend of many years. If it was truly because he sent her to investigate the rebels that she was harmed...

This thought made Renn feel very uncomfortable.

He was certain she was in trouble, without a doubt, but he also believed that with Mishar's skill and alertness, plus her ferocious red-feathered Dexson raptor mount—which could tear a fully armed soldier to shreds when it got going—she wouldn't be so easily subdued by a bunch of amateur rebels.

Let's hope so!
'Raine, use your brain!'

Ryan forced himself to calm down and analyze the situation.

If you were a rebel group with limited resources trying to overthrow the current government, what would you do during the summit?
Ah!
He will certainly try to find allies, seek external assistance, and take advantage of any possible chaos...

ally?

External assistance?

Jedi Knights?

A thought struck him like lightning.

Mishar had warned him before that the rebels intended to make contact with the Jedi!
This means that there are definitely still remnants of the rebels active in the city!
Will the Jedi Knights pay them any attention?

Prokhor and Obi-Wan Kenobi both seem to be rational people and shouldn't be easily manipulated.

The biggest variable is Anakin Skywalker.

Raine thought he knew this man's character well, but his brief but insightful conversation with Ahsoka forced him to reassess this dangerous Jedi.

(End of this chapter)