Published: 2025-01-06
Edited: 2025-04-01 (See Original)
Ahsoka and her inner circle once again stood around the holotable. In the wake of Grover's death, there was a new clone at the table: RC-2701, also known as Kal. He was the sergeant of Zeta Squad, newly formed from the five remaining troopers of Eta and Epsilon Squads. Kal was chosen to lead because he was the only remaining commando with the rank of sergeant.
It was early in the morning: 0600 shipboard time. Rex was the first to speak. "So, Commander. Now that we've taken the ship, what's our next target?"
We have a Venator, but that's nothing compared to the entire Imperial Military. We need more warships, and we need repairs on this one. First, we have to get transponder and clearance codes that identify us as some otehr ship. We don't want to broadcast ourselves as the Tribunal, after all. We also need to identify systems that have only a single large warship in it, preferably a Venator or an Acclamator. Systems guarded by only smaller vessels will also do well.
"Finally, we were supposed to get repairs at Coruscant drydocks, but we can't go there now. I'll contact Senator Organa and see if he can provide us with a place where we can get repairs for our hull and long-range communication systems. Rex, get some blank data cards and work with a technician to forge some transponder codes. Helot, find a small and relatively unguarded Imperial base that could have information on naval deployments. Kal, you will take Zeta Squad as the infiltration team into that base. While you're there, try to find botht he naval deployments and Imperial clearance codes. Also, Rex, issue a shipwide alert that all of our men are to paint a green dot on the forehead of their helmets and on their upper chests, three centimeter diameter. So that we can tell ourselves apart from enemy clones.
The three clones saluted her and turned to exit the room. Ahsoka took the encrypted communicator out of her back pocket and pressed the button on it. "Hello there," Organa called from the other end. "I realized hearlier that I never got your name."
"Of course. You're right. What shall I call you?"
Ahsoka thought for a moment. She decided to use the name of the frequency that her and Anakin had told Saw Gerrera to use if the rebellion on Onderon ever needed to contact them. "Call me Fulcrum. And what do I call you?"
"Hm. Call me... Thranta. Yes, Thranta will do."
"Alright. Well, this isn't a social call. I need nelp."
"Whatever you need."
"I need a place where I can get hull and comm repairs for a Venator without attracting Imperial attention."
"You have a Venator? That's impressive. Though I'm afraid there isn't anywhere where a ship that size won't attract attention. I have a contact who should be able to get you what you need. He can get you the parts, but if you can't afford bringing attention to yourself, you'll have to have your men do the repairs themselves in deep space."
"That's perfect. Where will I find this contact?"
"On Tatooine. Go alone in a Zee-Ninety-Five. It's the most nondescript ship you have."
"Thank you, Thranta."
"It's no problem."
"May the Force be with you."
"And with you." Organa cut off the transmission from his end.
Ahsoka turned and found the nearest clone. "Trooper." The trooper turned around to face her. "Have a Headhunter prepared for me. I'll be leaving Tatooine as soon as possible. And inform Commander Rex."
"Yes, ma'am," the trooper saluted and turned back to his dashboard."
—
Rex was still working with teh technician when his wrist comm beeped. He pressed the button to answer. "Commander Rex here."
Sir, this is the bridge. You are to be informed that Commander Tano is departing for Tatooine shortly."
"Thank you, bridge. Commander Rex out." He looked at the technician. "I;ve got to go. Keep working on this. Comm Captain Helot if you finish before I return."
When he reached the hangar, Ahsoka was about to climb into her Z-95 Headhunter. "Ahsoka!" he called.
Ahsoka turned to see who was calling her name. When she saw Rex, she stepped off the ladder. "Hey, Rex. Something wrong?"
"I heard you were giong to Tatooine. Doesn't the whole ship need to be there to get repairs?"
"I'm meeting one of Senator Organa's contacts there. I don't want to show up unannounced in Hutt Space with a Venator, so the contact will hook me up with the parts, and we can repair the ship ourselves out here in deep space."
"Are you sure you want to go alone?"
"Just like last time, Rex," Ahsoka said, "a clone will draw too much attention. I can blend in." She started climbing up the ladder again.
"Be careful out there," Rex warned."
"Always," Ahsoka said as the cockpit closed. Rex stepped back as she took off. He watched her ship until it made the jump to hyperspace.
—
Ahsoka pulled back a lever, and her ship dropped out of hyperspace over the planet Tatooine. The last time she had been here, she was returning Jabba the Hutt's kidnapped son to him. Jabab had ordered Ahsoka and Anakin executed afterward, so she had no desire to deal with him again.
Her comm beeped. It was the Mos Eisley space traffic control. "Unidentified Headhunter, please activate your transponder." Ahsoka flipped the switch that activated the transponder. There was a brief and tense silence as Ahsoka waited for a response. Then: "Headhunter Zee-Nine-Five-To-Six-Seven, please proceed to Bay Thirty-Seven. Welcome to Tatooine."
Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't checked if her transponder would read that her ship was Republican or Imperial. Thankfully, it seemed that the clones had already charged all the transponder codes on their smaller ships to read as independently owned. As she flew towards Bay 37, she looked out the viewport. There did not appear to be any Imperial presence on Tatooine. That would make her job a lot easier.
Her contact was in Mos Espa, but the Mos Eisley spaceport was much safer, so Ahsoka deemed it better to land in Mos Eisley and rent a speeder bike to go to Mos Espa. Ahsoka paid the 200 credit landing fee to Mos Eisley's spaceport, then left the spaceport to try to find a bike. It took quite a while. On planets outside the Republic—no, the Empire—theft was very common, so not many people were willing to rent their property, especially when that property was expensive speeder bikes.
She did eventually find one. The speeder bike was very old, probably built long before the Separatist crisis was even conceived—not that people out here cared much about galactic politics. The engines were very loud and very smoky. There were probably very few original parts on the bike, though it certainly sounded like the engine was one of them. The rent was five credits per hour. Extremely cheap for someone like Ahsoka, but it could be enough for a day's worth of food out here in the Outer Rim.
She rode the bike to Mos Espa. When she arrived at the outskirts of town, she checked her datapad to remind herself of the exact address Senator Organa had given here. 1235 Veneer Drive. She stopped to ask a citizen for directions to Veneer Drive, but he ignored her. She tried again with another person, but this one told her to go away. The next person threatened her with a bottle of alcohol. The fourth person she asked was willing to cooperate. She told her to take a left at the next junction, go straight through the next two, then turn right, go straight for another two intersections, and the next intersection would be with Jean Road and Veneer Drive. Ahsoka thanked the woman for the help. The woman asked if she had any credits to spare, so Ahsoka gave her ten credits before driving away.
When Ahsoka arrived, she started to doubt she had been given the correct address; 1235 Veneer Drive was an empty lot. Just in case, Ahsoka decided to wait in the lot until nightfall. If the contact didn't show, she would find lodging for the night and call Organa in the morning.
She pulled her bike into the lot and leaned back in the seat. It was hard not to doze off in the heat of the twin suns, but Ahsoka managed to stay awake.
After waiting for three hours, the suns were starting to set. Ahsoka was preparing to leave when someone walked up to her. He was wearing a full-face mask and a large hat, concealing his identity. There were two rather large pistols in holsters at his sides. "Are you Fulcrum?" the man asked.
"Who wants to know?" Ahsoka countered.
"I would prefer to remain anonymous, but I'm here to meet someone named Fulcrum to sell ship hull plating and long-range comm parts."
"Well, in that case, yes, I'm Fulcrum. You're the contact?"
"Yes. My offer is two hundred thousand credits for the hull plating and fifty thousand for the comm parts."
Ahsoka crossed her arms. "Seems rather expensive."
"Gotta make a living somehow."
"One fifty and twenty-five."
"One seventy-five and thirty-five. Final offer."
"Deal. How much to have it shipped elsewhere?"
"Just five hundred credits. With such a large sum, I presume you will be paying electronically?"
"Yes. I don't have the ability to do that on the datapad I brought, so can I pay at the delivery site?"
The man thought for a moment. "Fine. But if we ever do business again, you pay upfront."
"Fine by me. I'll send you the coordinates to send the parts to."
Ahsoka tapped some keys on her datapad. The man took his out of his back pocket and looked at it. He looked confused. "Are you sure? This is in deep space."
"I know. I can't bring my ship into any civilized system without attracting unwanted attention."
The man shrugged. "As you wish."
"Also, could you wait three standard days before shipping it? As you can probably guess, my long-range comms are busted, so I need some time to get back to my ship to tell my... employees what's happening."
"Sure. He extended his hand, and Ahsoka shook it. Every Venator was deployed with five hundred thousand credits for any purchases that might need to be made—notably fuel—while deployed. The Tribunal hadn't returned to drydock for quite some time and was down to three hundred thousand credits. These reparis were going to put a strain on their funds. The rebellion would need to either get more ships or find alternate means of getting a lot of money, and they needed to do it soon.
Ahsoka left immediately after the other man did. When she returned to the bike's owner, she paid the thirty-five credits that were due, thanked him, and set out for Bay 37.
—
On the Tribunal, Rex was getting impatient. Not just for Ahsoka to come back, but also with the technician who was still forging transponder codes. "How much longer is this going to take?" Rex asked.
"Sorry, sir, I've never forged transponder codes before. I'm not sure."
Rex sighed, and a moment later his comm beeped. "Rex here. Who is it?"
"Hangar control. Commander Tano has just returned. Thought you might want to know."
"Thanks, hangar. Ask her to meet me on the bridge."
"Will do, sir."
Rex made his way to the bridge. When he arrived, Ahsoka was already waiting. "What took you so long?" Rex asked.
"The contact was late. I just sent coordinates to you. Send three troop transports there to collect the parts; they should be big enough."
Rex put on his helmet to look at the map coordinates. "I'll do that. Whenw ill the parts be arriving?"
"In three days."
"Great. I'll send them tomorrow in case they arrive early."
"Thanks, Rex."
"Just doing my duty, Commander."