"The validity of this report is quite unbelievable, Master Yoda.", A calm yet stern voice said, whose voice carried a certain weight to it. "Are you really expecting me to believe that five of you managed to route an entire battalion of droids in a single day?", The voice continued. This voice belonged to a man, who was clearly doubtful at the report he had just received.
"Unexpected, the outcome was. Yes. The droids, bigger in number, they were. Several advantages, we had. Route them, we did.", Master Yoda answered, trying to shred any remaining doubt the man in front of us had.
And boy, this person was not someone I was expecting to encounter so early on like this. He's currently wearing a cream-colored tunic, obviously styled in a fashion that Jedi liked to wear. It was either like this, or fully draped with a brown robe. These folks would wear the latter if they were on some type of mission or simply wanted to hide their face so the Sith or Inquisitors wouldn't find them.
And I could see a hilt on his side, clearly not hiding it. This man had no reason to. Not until Order 66 happens.
Of course, who else could this man be but Obi-Wan Kenobi? One of the leading Generals of the Republic side in the entirety of the Clone Wars? Obi-Wan shook his head a bit, still in disbelief of the report he had read. I should talk about that, huh?
Simple, really. A Consular-class cruiser suddenly exited hyperspace, hovering over orbit above Rugosa. It dispatched several carriers containing a lot of clone patrols. I had no reason to refuse them, as I still had my business to wrap up. The Toydarian King was brought to a guest room away from the clones to where he will be continuing his journey all the way to Coruscant. I don't see myself heading there right now, so this is where we will part ways. Unlike the Toydarian King who didn't have business in the main debriefing chamber, I did.
It wasn't just Obi-Wan Kenobi himself either. I saw a few clones in the debriefing room. One had a very distinct blue trimming around his armor. The blue stripes continued, going alongside his helmet. Two blasters could be seen at his waist.
"And I heard it from the boys that we have you to thank for that they walked out of there with their lives. On behalf of the Clone Troopers, I give you my thanks. The name's Captain Rex.", Rex said, introducing himself to me. This guy was one of the more common sightings amongst the clones. Especially in the movie and in special operations. You'd often see Rex leading a large portion of clones during said missions.
It isn't every day that you can come across a Captain of the Clone Troopers. Keeping it simple, the next rank above him is Commander, and right after that, General. During most of the Clone Wars, Rex stays a Captain, until the Siege of Mandalore. It might do me well to stay on Captain Rex's good side. He'll be a good bridge between me, and the rest of the clones. Especially if I want to get in touch with clones I've met already, Thire, Jek and Rys for example. It's not like I can exactly waltz right into the private quarters of the clones. Not unless you were hired to oversee something they were currently doing.
I do know the Republic does like to hire external advisers and bounty hunters and such to get combat expertise from their point of view. I recall such an episode during the Clone Wars where they trained cadets in their training regimen.
"So it would seem. Hello there friend.", Obi-Wan said, also greeting me. He took his report and placed it on the holotable. The holotable was currently active, showing the surroundings of Rugosa. It was still and quiet, not showing any sign of Separatist fleets. They likely hightailed it out of there already the moment the Ventress lost the "challenge", fleeting by herself. No doubt would this serve as a good loss for them. Devastating? I'm not sure. We did take out an entire battalion of droids they owned. It might cause a minor setback, but I'm sure the Separatists have a boatload of battalions they have to use at their disposal.
"Thanks for the warm welcome. I just happened to be in the area, and gave Master Yoda here a hand. I do not like to falsify my words, as I have my image of a bounty hunter to uphold. It is very nice to meet you, Obi-Wan Kenobi. And you too, Captain Rex.", I said, introducing myself to the two. I'm sure this won't be the last time I meet these guys. And if they're willing to flash around some credits, I might even participate in their battles~
As for how many battles have taken place so far...
The Battle of Geonosis, which triggered the start of the Clone Wars, obviously.
Then you have the Battle of Christophsis, which serves as the first major battle held between the Republic and the Separatists. From these events, it leads into the Clone Wars movie, triggering the third battle. The Battle of Teth, where Anakin and Ahsoka split apart from the Republic main forces to go on a rescue mission to save Jabba the Hutt's son. After rescuing Jabba's son, a little skirmish happens on Tatooine itself, which attempts to block Ahsoka's advance in delivering the package. All the while, Senator Padme attempts to negotiate with Jabba on a diplomatic mission, due to the unraveling of family drama.
It isn't exactly safe in the Hutt Space. Even the Hutts double-cross themselves, for the sake of profit and territory.
But there are a lot of opportunities.
And with the ambush on Rugosa now over, guess who has access to the Hutt hyperspace lanes?
The Republic. Jabba didn't exactly join the Republic itself, but he aligned in a way to benefit both sides. As long as Jabba remains in power, that is.
Care to take a guess which planet Jabba operates out of?
Planet Tatooine. On top of being a major position that allows many hyperspace lanes to cross through it, Planet Tatooine holds a criminal syndicate. Jabba rules the planet with an iron fist. Most people fear him, and don't dare to directly oppose him. This is also the same planet where both Anakin Skywalker once hailed from, and where his son, Luke Skywalker, would also reside there.
Down the line, Jabba does end up being killed. Much further into the future, around the time the second season of the Mandalorian happens, Boba Fett ascends the position, and becomes the new ruler of Planet Tatooine. This is like, years and years into the future. Something I didn't need to worry about for now.
Where my interests lay right now was the Hutt Space itself. As long as I hide my face there, I'll be able to create my own client list quite easily. And potentially take on both risky and dangerous jobs other bounty hunters won't do. After all, I'm not just anyone.
I'm Samus Aran. She specializes in infiltration, and going undetected. By the time her enemies catch a whiff of her presence, it'll already be over.
And guess what event just took place? The Battle of Teth. The Republic should now be on amicable terms with the Hutts, and can go through the Hutt Space. General Kenobi quite literally walked up to my doorstep. There shouldn't be any person better to owe a favor or two, and allow me safe passage. I scratch his back, he scratches mine. That sort of thing.
"The report says you took on over fifty percent of the battalion alone. That's quite a feat, given someone of your position. I'm not doubting your ability, since Master Yoda recruited you. What's passed has passed. I guess you are here to claim your payment? Master Yoda didn't really provide any exact amount per se. Regardless of that, I am thankful for your assistance. It allowed us to unearth a rather devious plot that led to an assassination attempt.", General Kenobi said. I could see a smile on his face.
"It's no trouble, and that's basically the gist of it. I didn't think I'd make some new friends with some clones out of the deal. Started calling me Shooter. Is gaining a name around here something the Clone Troopers do normally?", I decided to ask, feigning ignorance.
"Not exactly. Sounds like you've earned quite the amount of trust from them. The squad you helped serves the Republic directly back on Coruscant. They're in a different division than me. The three will likely be shipped back to recover, and then head back to the frontlines. If you're in the area at the time, you can give a shout. Got any immediate plans?", Captain Rex suddenly asked, drawing my attention.
"You're seriously not about to recruit them again, are you, Rex? We only just met. We shouldn't be so privy to our own matters. Let's just pay this bounty hunter, and move onto our next mission.", General Kenobi said.
"I don't know, General. The report is clear that this bounty hunter worked quite well with our troops. You know we can't ignore that distress signal. It was sent by Master Plo. We can use every bit of help we can get.", Rex responded, contending General Kenobi's remark.
A distress signal by Master Plo? You mean that Plo Koon of the Jedi? I quite enjoyed that character. Too bad Lucasfilm had the guts to kill him off.
Color me interested. Master Yoda equally had a surprised look in his eyes. He was down on Rugosa with me, so it's not like he could receive current status reports.
"What's this about a distress signal?", I asked, gaining interest.
I still haven't received my payment, and it's not like I need to go register at the Guild immediately. The Toydarian King needs to draft his recommendation letter first back at Coruscant, and Master Yoda has not departed yet. But it sounds like these guys were already in some trouble again.
But if a second job like this is already lining up for me, why refuse it?