Meanwhile, at the command post of the flagship Acclamator, a meeting of the Jedi Council was in progress. The pensive and silent Yoda listened attentively to Mace Windu's report.
"…The special clone squad that infiltrated the arena collected all the bodies of the Jedi and brought them aboard the cruiser. The death of Master Trebor has been confirmed." Windu's stony face showed no emotion. "We failed. If it hadn't been for the timely assistance of the clone army, it's unlikely anyone would have left that arena alive. Masters, Knights, Padawans… nearly two hundred Jedi perished." Not once did the Master give in to emotion.
"How are Kenobi and Skywalker?" Ki-Adi-Mundi inquired. "I heard they were badly injured by Count Dooku."
"Their pride suffered more than their bodies. Skywalker will need a prosthetic arm," Shaak Ti replied.
"Strong has my former Padawan become. The dark side of the Force I sense in him," Yoda said, closing his eyes.
Turning her gaze to Yoda, Shaak Ti asked,
"There is one Jedi I am interested in. He survived the battle in the arena but was seriously injured. Mikore Vikt. To my shame, I had not seen him before."
"Hm-mm," Yoda pondered. "This young Jedi is from the Balance Corps. A student of Knight Nhon, he is. Why does your interest fall on him, hmm?"
"He is not very strong, but something about him attracted me. He intrigued me."
Master Yoda fell silent for a moment, sinking into meditation.
"He has walked the edge of life. Doubts torment him."
"As they do all of us now," Shaak Ti bowed her head.
***
I woke up two hours before the ships came out of hyperspace. My wounds had healed, but I wasn't going to take off my bandages just yet. Better safe than sorry.
With a clear head, I reviewed yesterday's events and finalized my plan of action.
The first item on the list was to find something to eat. What do you expect? I hadn't eaten or drunk anything for almost a day.
I slowly rose from my bunk. A little dizzy, yes—but I wouldn't fall apart. Looking at Skywalker snoring in his sleep, I silently apologized to him three times. You won't see Ahsoka Tano among the Padawans, Skywalker. I'll keep that student for myself. With a learner like her, the Chosen One taught her something, but in my opinion, he never unlocked her true potential—and then, clumsily, he let her slip away.
After asking the nearest clone for directions to canteen, I hobbled slowly along the wall in the indicated direction. This Acclamator was a hefty piece of machinery—a wedge-shaped vessel measuring seven hundred by four hundred meters. It could hold sixteen thousand troops. No wonder it took at least twenty minutes to get to canteen.
The room was full of people—or rather, clones. After standing in a short line, I received a tray with rations and headed for the nearest free seat. As I sat down, I felt one of the clones' eyes on me.
I was surprised to realize that I recognized him. Well, of course they all looked the same, but somehow I could tell them apart. Another greeting from the Force, no doubt.
"Hello, Lieutenant."
"Sir," he nodded, and after a short pause asked, "How did you recognize me?"
There was surprise in his voice. Some of the clones nearby leaned in, listening to our exchange.
"I remember you, Lieutenant. We fought together."
"But how? We all look the same."
"No, Lieutenant. You're different. I'm telling you this as a Jedi," I said—and then I started eating.
As I shoveled the colorful slop from the tray into my mouth (I don't even want to know what it was made of), I mentally went over my plan of action.
As far as I remembered, the main clone forces were now arriving on Coruscant. From there, after Chancellor Palpatine confirmed the Jedi as generals, they would depart in a couple of days to all corners of the galaxy. Well, theoretically. They weren't going to wait for the Confederacy of Independent Systems to recover and strike at unprotected borders, were they?
Although I didn't particularly like Palpatine as a Sith, he was quite effective as a future Emperor. It was like Stalin: he carried out brutal purges but also won the Great War—you might not like him, but you can't help but respect him.
If it hadn't been for the emergency powers Palpatine wrested from the Senate (it's hard to believe he managed to pull that off—it must have cost him a fortune in credits and no small strain), the senators would have been sitting in their chamber like Hutts until the moment combat droids stormed the Senate building.
If I remembered the plot of the animated series correctly—and if it even slightly matched reality—then the first skirmishes and attacks would begin about three days after the battle on Geonosis. By the end of the month, war would be raging throughout the galaxy. That gave me very little time. Seventy-two hours at most. Not much.
First of all, I needed to visit the Archives—if not to study directly, then at least to download material on the wars of antiquity. How else? I was as much a strategist and tactician as a terrier is a wolfhound, and there were no academies for command staff here—not even in my host's memory. But at least I could learn something from real examples. I hoped…
Next, I needed to find the youngling Tano and make her my Padawan. I didn't think she would refuse. As far as I recalled, she was almost fourteen now. Normally Padawans were chosen by the age of thirteen, but because of her quick temper and sharp tongue, many had passed her by. That was why she was anxious. She should accept my offer.
Oh, you're wrong, Jedi—so very wrong. She has enormous talent. And I just wanted to try to save her life. Yes—and in truth, she would help save mine. No one could guarantee that during the war I wouldn't run into Grievous, Ventress, or some other dark acolyte. And Ahsoka, at the very least, could stand against them in the art of the lightsaber. Well—potentially… someday. Even now, I thought she could manage a few tricks. If memory served, she first faced Ventress not long after the Temple—and survived.
***
The ships finally came out of hyperspace. Coruscant stretched out below us.
What can I say? You have to see it to believe it. Coruscant—the capital of the Galactic Republic. A planet-wide city with a population exceeding one trillion. A metropolis that had been the political center of the galaxy for thousands upon thousands of years. Looking out from the porthole, I realized my life had changed forever. Well then, fate—I accept your challenge.
***
Shortly after our arrival, we—the Jedi and Senator Amidala—boarded a shuttle and headed for the Jedi Temple…