Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 197-199 - Desperado
Where did you get this kind of fabric?

The first words spoken by Raine caused the captain of the "Shadow Guard" to raise an eyebrow slightly, while the members behind her remained expressionless.

“Otulan seaweed fabric!” The captain of the guard paused for a moment, then answered calmly, with a hint of barely perceptible nostalgia in his voice. “This is a gift from Princess Otulan to thank me for my long-term loyal service.”

Clearly, Princess Ottoman was her former employer.

Judging from the faint warmth in her tone, she was probably not satisfied with Emberley's forced recall of all Shadow Guard members who were on missions outside.

“It looks to be of exceptional quality…” Renn took a step closer, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the robe, the luster seemingly even finer than Ondron silk. “Hal, help me remember this place, Autuland.”

“You won’t be welcome there,” the Mistral man glanced at him, his eyes seeming to ask, ‘Are you polite?’ “Twelve years ago, the royal family was overthrown and executed by the Purist rebels.”

“Since you’re wearing this robe, it means the princess must still be alive,” Raine pointed out with a smile. “That means you were once her personal bodyguard… Hal, check where Ottolan is?”

"Moshdin Sector, located in the new territory."

Hal's voice was completely flat.

“Looks like we’ll have to ‘pay a visit’ to them sometime,” Raine said casually, as if discussing a trip.

“Yes, Master,” Hal replied immediately.

This remark indeed elicited some reactions.

Several relatively young and short guards quickly exchanged glances, unable to hide the surprise in their eyes.

Ryan concealed his smugness with a mysterious smile, a smile that made it impossible to tell whether he was joking or serious.

"Just for some seaweed-woven cloth?" Captain Naradan Dulin of the Mistral Guard narrowed her sharp, hawk-like eyes.

“You may not know this, but my family started out in the silk business,” Ryan waved his hand, gesturing for them to walk toward the bridge. “If it weren’t for this war, I might still be a weaver now… Oh, by the way, I’m Ryan Bontri, welcome aboard the Chimera.”

“Naradan Dulin,” the captain introduced himself, “this is my private squad, we are employed by Carly Trilm.”

Did she pay?

As he walked, Raine asked questions as he approached the turbine elevator.

“A deposit has already been paid,” Naradan said, following behind him. “She told us that you will pay the balance after the mission is completed.”

Tsk!
Raine struggled to control his expression, only letting out a soft hum to mask his inner doubts. "Will this mission... be kept secret?"

“We cannot guarantee that,” Naradan replied curtly.

Ok!

This is understandable, since they are a state-supported mercenary organization. This operating model has been established over the long history of the Shadow Guard, and a portion of their compensation will inevitably flow into the national treasury of Emberlain.

“General Tann doesn’t usually have a good impression of mercenaries and bounty hunters,” Raine pressed the button for the turbine elevator, signaling other elevators to pick up the remaining twenty-odd Shadow Guard members. “I’m curious, how did you manage to bypass the Fourth Fleet’s intelligence network?”

“General Ambigine… was quite cooperative,” Naradan said, crossing his arms over his chest. “After the standing order against combat was lifted, he escorted us under the pretext of pursuing a fleeing fleet of Republican loyalists.”

"Oh, where are those loyalists now?"

"We chased them all the way to the Uvina system, and only turned here after confirming it was safe. By the way, a fleet is being assembled on the main planet of Uvina. Although the Republic's 18th Army was defeated, their General Tesik is there to gather the remnants... Marissa Singer and her Republic special forces are just one part of the force Tesik is using to assemble the new fleet."

A sudden silence enveloped the corridor; even as the turbine elevator doors slid open silently, no one immediately stepped inside.

Naradan Dulin's sharp gaze was fixed on Renn, his eyes, like fragments of blue diamonds, seemed to have caught something on his face, so he decided to get straight to the point about the heavy topic.

“Given what’s happening in Eliadu right now,” she said, her voice low but clear, “I advise caution. Those people in Uvina are now a bunch of desperate, reckless outlaws.”

She was referring, of course, to the momentous event that marked the official start of the Confederate "Operation Stormgate."

The destruction of Eliadu.

Or, as some radical separatist media outlets have coldly proclaimed.

Eliadu's "Liberation".

General Horn Ambigine used devastating weapons to completely destroy the crustal structure of Eliadu.

A planet with a population of 2.2 billion, the most densely populated world outside the Tion Cluster, was instantly reduced to a burning wasteland.

The mere indirect mention of this matter was enough to freeze the air in the turbine elevator hall instantly.

The constant 18-degree standard temperature inside the Chimera was intended to ensure the stable operation of the automated systems and robots, but at this moment it seemed to have suddenly dropped to freezing point.

In this era of widespread hyperspace travel, distances of hundreds of light-years are merely a matter of hours' journey. The thought of cities in neighboring star systems being systematically massacred, with even women and children not spared, is enough to conjure up images of agonizing screams echoing across the galaxy.

Or was it merely a lamentation permeating the Force?

It is said that shortly after the Seventh Battle of Sallust, Vinok collapsed to the ground with a severe migraine, describing it as "like my head was going to explode."

Ventress, however, had long since disappeared.

If you asked Raine to guess, she was either reeling from the painful energy of destruction, like a cold drink, or she was vomiting it out.

Perhaps both.

Perhaps it is a kind of power that needs to be "savored" to be digested.

Raine met Naradan's gaze, raised his hand to stop the elevator doors from closing automatically, the cold metal brushing against his sleeve. "Then," he said in a low, serious voice, "this will be a battle of outlaws."

This time, he was not joking.

It was no coincidence that the Supreme Commander chose the Peremian Alliance Fleet to carry out "Operation Starburst".

The scope of destruction caused by the Galactic Republic Army's "Operation Trident" is comparable in cruelty, if not more extensive, to the tragedy unfolding in Eliadu.

However, large-scale casualties and destruction are the norm in war, and the highly concentrated and devastating blow suffered by Eliadu is widely regarded as a naked massacre.

One that is more visually striking and inflammatory in public opinion.

However, within the Confederacy near the Peremian region, the reactions varied and were not entirely negative.

The Simircians' homeworld was briefly besieged but not severely damaged, and they cautiously expressed concern about the political implications of the event.

The Trogan clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

The Kolmogoks cheered, their spirits high ever since the decisive battle in their homeland.

And what about those who, in Naradin's words, "have nothing left to lose"?

The Brixies and Zandians, whose home planet was destroyed, are still under the iron heel of the Galactic Republic's army.

They raised their glasses in celebration in the ship's cabin, regarding Ambigine as a hero who avenged their blood debts, not a demon.

The fleet members came from Salvara, Centares, and Abean, planets that had all been victims of the Republic's Twelfth Military District's lightning advance, where cities were razed and civilians were massacred.

Their home planet groans under military occupation, and their people suffer persecution for their resistance.

The members of the 19th Fleet must be shedding tears right now.

Those were tears mixed with the joy of revenge and endless pain.

"They deserve it!"

This is probably the sentiment in the hearts of many people.

This sentiment is quite prevalent in separatist-controlled areas.

Eliadu is ultimately an outer ring planet; it could have chosen to stand with the outer ring, but it did not.

On the contrary, it actively distances itself from the outer ring and tries its best to move closer to the core region of the Milky Way.

In the eyes of many, it has long been a traitor, an outcast in the outer ring family.

Despite the dissenting voices, Eliadu was undoubtedly the most "suitable" target if Horn Ambigine wanted to create an event that could shake the core of the galaxy while minimizing the backlash within the Confederacy.

Given that the destructive operation is still ongoing and the General's Office has yet to issue any injunctions... it is highly likely that this was foreseen by Severn Tann, and may even be part of her plan.

As for Ambigine himself... Renn had no way of knowing whether he was simply following orders or made the decision on his own.

If, after seeing Ambigine through a hologram, someone immediately asked him what this man was capable of, Renn would never guess that it would be destroying a planet.

Ambigine’s past is shrouded in mystery, even to the top brass of the Confederate armed forces.

All people know is that he led a quasi-separatist movement in the Taidan system.

Raine couldn't even pinpoint the exact location of the Taidan system on a map.

In any case, Horn Ambigine will not be tried for any so-called "crime".

First of all, the Confederation had only been established for a year, and during that year it was entirely a struggle for survival, and it had not yet established a legal system to deal with such incidents.

Similarly, they are not signatories to interstellar humanitarian agreements such as the Yavin Convention.

Even if the Confederation Congress insists on trying him for "anti-civilization crimes," it will still be in accordance with the laws of the Galactic Republic.

Ultimately, Ambigine will not be able to stand trial in civil court.

Tann's authority over the Confederate Armed Forces, which now operate like an autonomous military regime within the Confederacy.

If Ambigine were to be tried, it would only be in a military court... but without strong external pressure, that would be almost impossible.

This external pressure refers to Parliament.

The Confederate Congress will certainly seize this opportunity to try to force the armed forces to take responsibility for their actions.

Currently, Tann has established its military leadership through a legitimate mandate from Parliament.

Raine had no doubt that if the Lax government summoned her, she would appear in court as required by the rules.

If she doesn't... then Trench would be happy to take over.

That's what war is.

Cruel things happen from time to time.

If Raine still wants to maintain a semblance of conscience, what he should be doing now is focusing on rescuing the Republic survivors on the Salust battlefield, rather than stopping Ambigine, who is far away in Eliadur.

(End of this chapter)